British Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association

Office Closure over Christmas

The BHPA office will be closed for Christmas from 12 noon on Friday 22nd December until 8.30am on Tuesday 3rd January.

As a result we will be unable to process any orders placed in our online shop until the office re-opens on the 3rd January 2024.

Posted: 20 December 2023
By: Paul Dancey

Safety Notice AirDesign Gliders produced in 2018

AirDesign have issued a safety notice for Easy 2 Superlight, SuSi 3, Vita 2 Superlight, Rise 3 and Volt3 gliders produced in 2018.

An isolated case of a line-Loop failure has been observed during a SIV maneuver on a glider produced back in 2018 (with around 300 hours of flight).

Some of the loops on this glider were presenting visible damage on their edges, leading to low resistance. As a precaution, AirDesign are asking pilots flying the above gliders with serial numbers ending between P183912A and P184417A to carefully inspect all their glider's connecting loops.

A copy of the full safety notice, including the action to take if similar issues are found following inspection, is available on the Manufacturers Safety Notice page of this website.

Posted: 10 November 2023
By: Paul Dancey

Parafest website is live

Parafest event, at Caerwys in North Wales from June 13th-16th, is the UK's biggest pilot party for all foot-launched and single-seat trike aviation. Four-stroke king Paul Bailey says, 'After 20 years in the business, Parafest is the best flying event I have ever been to.' All the details, ticket sales and FAQs, are here. Ticket sales will go live in December.

Posted: 8 November 2023
By: J. Schofield

The return of Parafest!

The stupendous Parafest festival - the one you can fly at! - returns to Caerwys in North Wales next June. Paramotor, paraglider, hang glider and trike pilots and their partners are invited to a superb flying and social event in the Welsh countryside.

The site at Caerwys has easy road links yet is close to some great soaring sites. The festival will include a bar, trade exhibition and great entertainment and other attractions, plus full camping facilities and a wide variety of food outlets. 

Dates are June 13th-16th. Manufacturers, suppliers, schools, etc, should contact the organisers soonest. Four nights of camping, three days of flying, two days of entertainment - one great event for everyone! Further details are here

Posted: 3 October 2023
By: J. Schofield

Importer's Safety Notice AIR Atos – all models

Avian have received a report of dangerous instability of an Atos VQ Race glider. Despite normal behaviour on recent outings, on one occasion the glider exhibited negative pitching and became totally unresponsive in pitch following retraction of the flaps to the zero setting. Control was re-established by reselecting flaps down.

Inspection revealed that the outer leading edges of the Atos had been inserted on the wrong sides. The leading edge junctions of all Atos gliders are colour coded and should be fitted green to green and red to red. In addition, a small screw on one leading edge (pictured) should conflict with a rivet to prevent the wrong outer section being inserted; however if either is incorrectly fitted or worn they may not prevent mis-rigging.

Incorrect insertion will lead to dramatically-altered washout and potentially dangerous behaviour in flight, yet without close inspection it's not apparent that the glider is mis-rigged. Before their next flight, all Atos pilots are recommended to:

• Check that it is impossible to put the leading edge outer in the wrong side.

• During your pre-flight check, always include a green-to-green, red-to-red check.

If, in flight, the glider feels dangerous in pitch, deploy the flaps to regain control. If necessary, seek modification to your glider at Avian.

Tim Swait, Avian Hang Gliders, September 25 2023

A copy of this safety notice can be downloaded here.

Posted: 26 September 2023
By: Paul Dancey

BCC Round 4

The fourth British Clubs Championship round took place at Talybont on September 3rd. 27.2km from Dan Starsmore (SE Wales) could not dislodge the Southern Club from the top spot. But SE Wales aren't far behind, and UK Armed Forces, Skysurfers, Dunstable and Wessex clubs are all in contention.

There is still plenty of time for a couple more rounds to clarify the situation.

Posted: 8 September 2023
By: J. Schofield

New jet paramotor display team!

After months of planning, a collective of top British pilots and film-industry experts - the UK's first CAA-certified paramotor and jet formation display team - can now showcase our sport at airshows and other large-scale events.

The idea followed Mission Impossible filming in the Lakes last year, when connections were forged between the film crew and local pilot Gordie Oliver. Allan Hewitt, stunt coordinator for the film's skydiving scenes, has spent the last few years developing jet paramotors and was looking for skilled pilots to develop the jet systems.

Training took place throughout the summer, eventually leading to an evaluation day at Rufforth airfield on August 31st. With CAA chief evaluator Paul Szluha and the BHPA's Ian Currer (himself a Display Evaluator) in attendance, Gordie, Alex Colbeck and Dave Manning were put through their paces. The Jet Parahawks are now set to perform anywhere in the UK.

Check their performance in this video, shot at Rufforth during the evaluation.

Photo shows (L-R) the CAA's Paul Szluha, Ian Currer, Gordie Oliver, Dave Manning, Alex Colbeck and jet developer Allan Hewitt. 

Posted: 8 September 2023
By: J. Schofield

BWPA scholarships for women pilots

The British Women Pilots' Association offers scholarships every year to support UK women of all ages and backgrounds in achieving their flying dreams.

15 scholarships are available for all levels of experience and all types of flying. Applications are open now; more details are here.

Photo: X-Alps star Kinga Mastalertz [Photo: Red Bull X-Alps]

Posted: 31 August 2023
By: J. Schofield