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BHPA AGM 2018
The BHPA's 2018 Annual General Meeting will be held on Saturday February 17th at Nottingham's Belfry Hotel (adjacent to Junction 26 of the M1). The event will take place in tandem with the BGA AGM and trade exhibition.
The meeting will include the election of officers to the BHPA Executive Committee, officers' reports and a members' discussion forum. A 2018 AGM pack is available for download on this web site. The pack includes formal notice of the meeting, details of members standing for election, and a proxy voting form.
Posted: 16 January 2018
By: Paul Dancey
Dragon hike-and-fly 2018
Following the success of the first South East Wales Hike-and-Fly Race last year (see October Skywings), with the kind permission of SEWHGPGC, Alistair Andrews of Team Evol Paragliding will be organising a second event to be held on the weekend of July 14th and 15th 2018. To register your interest please contact alistair@goteamevol.com.
Posted: 4 January 2018
By: Paul Dancey
Gradient and Swing UK
From this month Gareth Aston's V12 Outdoor at Llanberis will take on the UK distribution of Swing and Gradient paragliders. Brad Nicholas of Snowdon Gliders, current UK distributor for both brands, says, "I'm delighted to have made this step forward; the promotion of Swing's new RAST system in particular will benefit from V12 Outdoor's investment."
Gareth is already well known within the UK paragliding scene as a vol-biv explorer and BPCup Meet Director. He will bring fresh ideas and energy to Swing and Gradient distribution, while Snowdon Gliders will continue to offer paragliding instruction in the mountains and be a fan of both brands.
Brad, who has been involved in UK paraglider distribution for more than 20 years, says, "It makes complete sense for V12 to take over as they have a high street showroom, a web-shop (www.v12outdoor.com) and a large customer base - a perfect launch pad for the new enterprise." Contact Gareth at V12 Outdoor, The Old Baptist Chapel, High Street, Llanberis LL55 4EN, tel 01286 871534, e-mail: shop@v12outdoor.com.
Posted: 4 January 2018
By: Paul Dancey
The Lakes Charity Classic
The 2018 Lakes Charity Classic runs at the Grasmere Showground on July 14th - 15th. The venue includes an indoor bar, toilets, showers, plus wi-fi and good phone signal. As well as the competition itself, the popular coaching groups will run on both days.
Alternative bad-weather tasks are planned, plus plenty of free activities, and lots to do for non-flying family and friends. On-site camping is available (fees are extra) and there's local accommodation nearby. Flying activities are also planned for the Friday and Monday.
Full details can be found on the Cumbria Soaring Club website. Registration for CSC members opens on January 21st and for non-members on February 4th. The LCC sells out quickly - don't delay!
Posted: 4 January 2018
By: Paul Dancey
The Northern Challenge Trophy
The Northern Challenge Trophy is a new collaborative effort from the six BHPA clubs north of the M62 and south of Hadrian's Wall. It's a response to the difficulty of getting enough pilots - and the weather - to coalesce around fixed-date paragliding events. Pilots either don't sign up to formal comps, or don't turn up if the forecast is doubtful.
The NCT will provide a series of 12 main tasks (eight scoring, to allow task dropping) and two subsidiary hike-and-fly tasks to be flown between March 1st and September 30th; the aim is convenience and flexibility for those involved. Its emphasis on instrument use, navigation, decision-making and exploring what's possible will also make it a useful vehicle for pilot development and coaching activities.
Tasks are hosted on xcmap.net which provides easy downloads of task maps and cylinders, and straightforward uploads with integral scoring. Downloads cover the NCT's aims and rules, a task list with links into xcmap and task guidance notes. A growing prize fund is being supported by the clubs and by personal donations. The main tasks are limited to members of the six northern clubs, but the Hike and Fly is open to all BHPA members. Details can be found on the xcflight website.
Posted: 4 January 2018
By: Paul Dancey
Christmas Holidays
The BHPA office will be closed for the Christmas holiday from Friday 22 December 2017 - Tuesday 2 January 2018.
Our on-line shop will continue to be available during that time, but any orders placed will not be processed until the office re-opens.
Posted: 21 December 2017
By: Paul Dancey
Users of Airband radios
The radio airways have become very congested and additional capacity is being created by changing from 25 kHz to 8.33 kHz spacing.
What this means to you is that from 1st January 2018, if you need to communicate on an 8.33 kHz channel you will need to use an 8.33 kHz capable radio. Further ahead, from 1st January 2019, if your flight mandates carriage of a radio, then it must be 8.33 kHz capable.
Ground services will be changing over to 8.33 kHz channels during 2018 so you are advised to check regularly with any you communicate with.
The emergency frequency 121.500 will remain permanently on the 25kHz spacing. The frequency 118.675, assigned to hang gliding and paragliding, falls under a temporary exemption, valid until the end of 2018. The CAA has put some temporary exemptions in place for 2018 that relate predominately to air-to-air communication on sporting frequencies. These and other information can be found on the 8.33kHz radios page on the CAA website.
BHPA members that have a radio licence issued by the CAA may apply for some EU funding to assist in the purchase of new 8.33kHz compatible equipment. The funding covers not just communication equipment, but headsets, intercoms, mics and speakers.
Funding is available either for fixed equipment in aircraft registered on the G-Reg register of civil aircraft, or for handheld equipment for holders of a UK Aeronautical Transportable Radio Licence. Twenty percent of the cost of new equipment can be claimed by way of a refund after a purchase has been initiated. The invoice or order must show that the purchase was initiated on or before 31 December 2017, so that the funding can be deemed to have influenced the purchase. The deadline for submitting claim forms is 28 Feb 2018, but this may be change. If you are considering making a purchase and a claim, the CAA have plenty of funding available, but the clock is ticking... we suggest you check the eligibility criteria and act soon!
For more details on the funding and eligibility criteria please visit the 8.33kHz funding application page on the CAA website.
Posted: 7 December 2017
By: Paul Dancey
Ben Philpott receives Pepe Lopes Medal
The start of the 111th FAI General Conference at Lausanne in October was marked by the presentation of medals and awards to outstanding pilots and air sports supporters from around the world.
Among those presented, by FAI President Frits Brink, was Ben Philpott's Pepe Lopes Medal, awarded for 'the exceptional character and sportsmanship shown by his actions in assisting a fellow pilot in critical circumstances, despite having suffered a traumatic experience'.
This was in recognition of the care and support Ben provided to the injured Rob Gregg following a mid-air collision at the British Hang Gliding Championship at Laragne in 2016.
Posted: 20 November 2017
By: Paul Dancey
For further information about the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association and skywings magazine, please visit our about the BHPA and Skywings magazine pages on this website.
