Hang Gliding
British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association logo

British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association

news
skywings news archive

Skywings News Archive

Skywings On-line Magazine

Welcome to the Skywings news archive.

Skywings news stories posted online in Dec 2015 are displayed below.

Please use the left hand menu to select a different month, and the right hand menu to select a different year.

When you select a different year, the left hand menu will automatically display the available publication months for that year.

If you're looking for stories posted after December 2015, please visit our Skywings News page.

Month: Dec

Year: 2015

Skywings News - Dec 2015

Two Brits in Nova awards

At the end of each flying season Nova nominates a number of Pilots of the Year. This year the awards went to Austria's Berni Pessl and Brit Steve Nash, both achieving the accolade for the second time.

Flying a Mentor 4, Pessl won the standard class of the worldwide XContest for the second time, by a margin of over 25% from second-placed Michael Muller. Steve Nash performed well in the Red Bull X-Alps "but his general commitment was even more impressive," says Nova MD Wolfi Lechner. "Fairness, dedication and sportsmanship – Steve is a real ambassador for Nova."

Nova's Newcomers of the Year are 24-year-old Austrian Simon Oberrauner and 16-year-old Brit Theo Warden. In addition to Theo's well-publicised 200km flight, he finished 17th in the UK XC League flying a Mentor 4 and was the highest-placed EN B pilot. Theo was also named as Nova Junior of the Year. When nominating pilots for these awards Nova considers their attitude, commitment and communication skills as well as their flying achievements. There is no doubt that Steve and Theo score highly on all counts; respect is due to all concerned.

Posted: 5 December 2015

Dan Poynter

World-renowned author and skydiver Dan Poynter died on November 3rd, aged 77. In 1972 Dan published The Parachute Manual—A Technical Treatise on the Parachute, a leading early manual on skydiving gear. A keen interest in hang gliding led, in 1975, to Hang Gliding - The Basic Handbook of Skysurfing, at the time the most authorative  publication on the history and development of the sport. It sold over 130,000 copies and remains one of his most recognised works.

Publishing for initially niche audiences led to the establishment of Para Publishing with Dan as the sole driving force. This was followed by The Self-Publishing Manual and a later career as a motivational speaker. In 35 years he published more than 120 titles, many that he had written himself; he received numerous awards including the USHGA's Otto Lilienthal Medal and was inducted into the National Skydiving Museum Hall of Fame.

Posted: 5 December 2015

Free safety bulletin

The General Aviation Safety Council is offering a monthly safety update on all recreational safety matters. All you need to do is send an e-mail to penny.gould@gen-av-safety.demon.co.uk to request being added to their mailing list.

Founded in 1964, GASCo is a charity that works to improve flight safety across the general aviation spectrum. It is funded by contributions from member organisations including the BHPA, BGA, BMAA and LAA, and readers of its Flight Safety magazine.

Posted: 5 December 2015

North Wales repack

The North Wales Hang-Gliding & Paragliding Club will be running its annual parachute repack at the Airbus UK Sports and Social Club at Broughton, near Chester on Saturday January 23rd.

Bill Morris and his team of BHPA packers will provide instruction and supervision. The event is open to any BHPA member at a cost of £10; advance booking by Friday January 15th is essential. Download an application from the North Wales Hang-Gliding & Paragliding Club website or contact Jerry Hazzard on 01948 780378, or send an e-mail to chairman@nwhgpc.org.uk.

Posted: 5 December 2015

More First Flights

The late summer weather saw two students achieve their paragliding EP ratings at First Flight in Ulster. Congratulations to Yueming Wang, PhD student at Queen's University, and Richard Neill who managed to escape family duties and work commitments for long enough to succeed.

Posted: 5 December 2015

Further information about the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association and skywings magazine can be found on the about the BHPA and Skywings magazine pages on this website.

BHPA Pilot Handbook
Skywings Magazine Online
Download the BHPA Elementary Training Guide
Submit an Incident Report
Information for visiting overseas hang glider and paraglider pilots
Events & Competitions Calendar
Information for UK hang glider and paraglider pilots who want to fly abroad

© British Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association 2004 - 2025