British Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association

Electric circumnavigation!

Sacha 'Flight of the Swans' Dench's latest expedition is an anti-clockwise flight around Britain. It began at Loch Lomond on June 26th. Her Round Britain Climate Challenge, the first attempted circumnavigation of mainland Britain with an electric paramotor, is designed to draw attention to climate issues.

Sacha's trip is heavily sponsored by green industry as well as Dudek, Parajet and SkyDemon, and now has Joanna Lumley on board (not literally!) as narrator. Sacha will be landing frequently to gather information from individuals and communities, schools, farmers, entrepreneurs, etc. Follow her progress here.

Posted: 13 August 2021
By: J. Schofield

X-Dales '21 Challenge

The X-Dales '21 Challenge will take place over the extended weekend of the 10th - 12th September, coinciding with the Dales Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club social event.

The start/finish point will be the small town of Sedbergh, and whilst the challenge covers three full days it is up to competitors to select a single day for their attempt. Only one attempt is allowed and entry is free.

Further information about the X-Dales challenge is available on the XCFlight website.

Posted: 12 August 2021
By: Paul Dancey

Safety Notice Walibi Lite harness made before 2019

Pilots using Supair Walibi Lite harnesses manufactured before 2019 should immediately check they are able to extract the rescue parachute under gantry as it has been reported that the inside of the parachute pocket can become sticky due to fabric degradation, making extraction impossible.

This degradation can occur when the fabric of the reserve parachute container is subjected to extreme temperature and humidity conditions (+ 60 ° C and a humidity rate of 95%).

The full safety notice is available on the BHPA website, and can also be found on the Supair website.

Posted: 12 July 2021
By: Paul Dancey

Skywings Online

Since January 2016 Skywings has been available online both in a viewable page turning format and as a downloadable *.pdf.

Whilst older editions are open for anyone to view, the BHPA Exec initially determined that each issue would be password protected for six months, before being made freely available without the need to login, with the password published in the relevant edition of Skywings. Subsequent representations lead us to publish the password for the next issue in Skywings as well. Since the online version of Skywings is usually available a few days before the hard copy, this was intended to allow keen online readers to have a slightly early view of the magazine.

BHPA Exec has always said that a move to an online only version of the magazine appears to be inevitable at some point, but only once the take up of the online version is significant.

Sadly, the take up of the online version of Skywings has been extremely low to date. According to some, this is because the passwords have been hard to copy.

As an experiment to try to really judge the popularity of the online version of Skywings, Exec have therefore determined to remove all the password protections for a trial period of 6 months starting immediately.

We do, of course, reserve the right to re-introduce the password protections should we feel it necessary or appropriate, but we hope that this trial goes well.

So get your copy of Skywings early by taking a look at Skywings online.

The July 2021 online issue of Skywings magazine is now freely available on the Skywings Page of this website.

In the meantime and for the foreseeable future, Skywings will continue to be delivered in hard copy through the post to your door.

Posted: 7 July 2021
By: Paul Dancey

AIS website changes

The URL of the CAA's AIS website will change on August 12th to a new enhanced system. This affects all who use the site for airspace updates, to inform flight planning websites or apps, and subscribers to the CAA's chart update service.

An online user manual will help users navigate the new registration process and the new site's enhanced functionality. Full details of the upgrade are here.

Posted: 7 July 2021
By: J. Schofield

RAeC Trust bursary winners

Congrats to young BHPA pilots Kiera Wong and Tom Taplin, both of whom have gained Royal Aero Club Trust bursaries this year.

Kiera,19, is originally from Germany but now lives in Eastbourne. She trained two years ago with FlySussex and plans to use the bursary to further progress her flying. Kiera works part-time at the Loft repair shop and hopes to become an instructor in due course.

Tom, now 22, is now at University but has been working towards his paramotor CP with Green Dragons for a couple of years. He hopes to attend a Thermal Chasers camp next year when his bursary will be a great help. Andy Shaw reports that Tom is really enthusiastic and very knowledgeable.

The RAeC Trust bursaries are awarded every year to young pilots across the GA spectrum between the ages of 14 and 21, seeking to advance from one level in their sport to the next. There are usually 20 or 30 successful applicants, heavily concentrated in the gliding and parachuting fields. BHPA members have also benefited, not least Theo Warden and Jack Pimblett, who have both gone on to great things.

If you will be less than 21 by the next bursary deadline (March 31st 2022), check it out. Details can be found on the Royal Aero Club Trust website.

Posted: 1 July 2021
By: J. Schofield

'Fly & Share' reminder

Pilots everywhere are reminded to join KarmaFlights' Fly & Share event on  August 5th - 8th. The idea is to collect sponsorship, and donate funds for every kilometre flown, in support of professional and personal opportunities for children disadvantage by the 2015 earthquake in Nepal.

Distances are unimportant; the focus is on creating a worldwide community event. 50 pilots flew at last year's inaugural fly-in at Greifenburg in Austria, raising over 8,000 euros for KarmaFlights. This year's event will take place wherever you fly. Full details of how to participate are here.

Posted: 1 July 2021
By: J. Schofield

Temporary Restrictions to French Airspace

The 108th Tour de France will take place between the 25 June - 18 July 2021, with 21 legs held all around France.

Temporary restricted areas (TRA) will be put in place in the mountains. But to guarantee flight safety, particularly that of the aircraft covering the event, the French Council of National Airsports Federations (CNFAS) has asked all pilots to avoid flying in areas where the race is taking place.

Further information and and details of the restrictions that will be put in place is available on the CNFAS website.

Posted: 22 June 2021
By: Paul Dancey