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Skywings news stories are available for the following publication years:

If you're looking for news stories published before January 2016, please visit the Skywings News Archive.

Skywings news stories published in 2016 are displayed below.

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There are 61 news stories for 2016 in our database.

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Skywings News - 2016

Kilimanjaro flight

In September British paraglider pilot Matt Sudlow flew from the 19,300ft summit of Kilimanjaro as part of the Wings of Kilimanjaro charity expedition.

Kilimanjaro was flown in 1979 by British hang glider pilot Ashley Doubtfire and three others, and again in 1981 by Bill and Steve Moyes. There have been numerous attempts since, all hampered by the extreme altitude and the protective attitude of the Tanzanian government. Most recently Nepali pilot Babu Sunawar flew tandem from the summit in 2013.

Posted: 19 December 2016
By: Paul Dancey

IPPI card expands

Serbia, Hungary, France and Italy are now part of the International Pilot Proficiency Information (IPPI) scheme.

In operation since 1992, the IPPI card system provides a standard reference by which all national rating programs may be compared. IPPI cards are issued by approved associations to any of their licensed pilots for a small fee. When you travel abroad this card, together with your BHPA membership/rating card, gives site managers, instructors, etc, an easy way to verify your experience level.

For further details about the scheme and an application form, please visit the Flying Abroad page on this website.

Posted: 19 December 2016
By: Paul Dancey

Pilot Development Structure

An outline of the new BHPA Pilot Development Structure is now available online. The PDS is aimed at new pilots who have recently attained CP and for non-current pilots who need motivation or reassurance to get out flying again.

The Pilot Development Structure consists of Foundation, Development and Performance layers. Within each are a series of modules that deal with a specific aspect of flying (glider control, meteorology, equipment, flight planning, etc). Each module contains a series of exercises to help a pilot gain proficiency in the appropriate skills and acquire the appropriate knowledge, before moving to the next layer. The goal is to facilitate pilots in making safe, structured progress towards their personal flying ambitions.

Posted: 19 December 2016
By: Paul Dancey

Lakes Charity Classic

Lakes Charity Classic 2016 The UK's longest running and best loved flying competition runs again this year at the Grasmere Showground on July 15th - 16th. Meet director Pete Askew reports that the Grasmere venue proved to be a resounding success in 2016.

"Everyone had a great time, with many flying new Cumbrian sites for the first time. This year, in addition to the LCC competition and ever-popular coaching groups, flying activities are planned for the Friday and Monday for those who want to make a long weekend of it."

Places for CSC members will open on January 16th and for non-members on January 30th. To register visit the Cumbria Soaring Club website and follow the instructions carefully. A wide range of accommodation, and plenty of activities for non-flying families and friends, are available in Grasmere and nearby Ambleside.

Posted: 19 December 2016
By: Paul Dancey

AGM reminder

The BHPA's 2017 Annual General Meeting will be held at the Nottingham Belfry Hotel (adjacent to Junction 26 of the M1) on Saturday February 25th at 11.00am, 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 copy of the official AGM Notice, information about the candidates standing for election to Exec, and a Proxy Voting Form can be found on the documents page of this website. If you are unable to attend the AGM in person you can still cast your vote by completing the Proxy Voting Form and lodging it with the Leicester office, by post or e-mail, by 11am on Thursday February 23rd 2017.

Posted: 19 December 2016
By: Paul Dancey

Christmas Holiday

The BHPA office will be closed for the Christmas holiday from end of Thursday 22nd of December 2016 until Tuesday 3rd of January 2017.

Posted: 1 December 2016
By: Paul Dancey

Parafest 2017

Parafest 2017Now in its third year, Parafest dates for 2017 are confirmed as June 30th - July 2nd. The venue at Caerwys is the same spectacular site, near Prestatyn on the North Wales coast, as this year's very successful event. Paramotors, paragliders, hang gliders, powered hang gliders and SSDRs will all be equally welcome, and of course non-pilots and children too.

The 2017 event will have greater emphasis on non-flying entertainment to live up to its family-friendly tag. With a stage and bar already booked, the line-up is growing fast. Fire-breathing circus acrobats and Fleetwood Mac and Pink Floyd tribute acts are already confirmed and the organisers are negotiating with a top 80s tribute act for the Saturday night. There will also be a BHPA parachute repack at the event.

There will be no winching activity this year, but powered pilots will be able to use the massive field next to the festival site. Many North Wales sites are within easy driving distance and experienced local flyers will be on hand to brief visitors. Pilots should be able to glide back from one nearby site and land at the festival if conditions allow.

Camping fields will be open from the weekend before the festival starts (June 24) so you can arrive early, grab the best pitch and enjoy what Wales has to offer. Parafest is organised by the Paramotor Party Boyz, '... a select and altruistic group of fly-hard, play-hard pilots. If you only go to one UK flying event next year you need to make sure it's the best - go to Parafest!'

For further information please visit the Parafest Face Book page or the Parafest website.

Posted: 23 November 2016
By: Paul Dancey

World goal record goes to 600km!

André WolfThe Brazilian record season has begun in fine style with both hang gliding and paragliding and world distance records falling on October 13th. Brazilians André Wolf (Moyes Litespeed RX3.5) and Glauco Pinto (Icaro Laminar 14) flew 612km from Tacima to Paraíba to overtake Clauco's 2015 own South American open distance record of 578km. The pair are also claiming the world straight distance to goal record at 603.5km, set at 557km back in 2012 by Glauco with Jon Durand.

On the same day and over the same route, Brazilian pilots Samuel Nascimento (Gin Boom 10), Donizete Lemos and Rafael Saladini (Ozone Enzo 2) flew 564.3km to beat the world open-distance record of 514km set by Donizete with Frank Brown and Marcelo Prieto in 2015. Respect to all concerned; these are stupendous flights over colossal distances. These provisional details are of course subject to FAI ratification.

A breathless Andre Wolf writes ..."Yesterday was a special day in my life. Taking off from Tacima with my friend Glauco Pinto, together we beat the world declared goal record of with 603km and the South American record away free at 612km. We took off at 7.15 and flew practically the whole time together, wing to wing. Taking decisions together really accelerated the flight.

"The day was historic for Brazilian free flight ... Donizete, Rafael and Samuel broke the world record for paraglider free distance flying 564km, proving that they are real monsters. I thank them for their friendship and their huge knowledge about the flying as a team.

"I would like to thank Moyes for my wonderful RX3.5 wing ... and Nene Rotor for the extraordinary and revolutionary harness so that I could handle the ten hours and 20 minutes hanging in the skies. I also want to thank Glauco Pinto for sharing his experience gained from many years flying here. I am currently in Quixadá ... still taken of emotion, energy and adrenaline for being part of this historic day. This was without doubt the most exciting flight of my life!"

Posted: 23 November 2016
By: Paul Dancey

last updated: 31 January 2025

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