ihpa freeflight autumn 2013

FreeFlightIHPA

Official magazine of the Irish Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association AUTUMN 2013

IN THISISSUE

The Rossbeigh Run Flying some of the most breathtaking scenery in Ireland • State of the Origin Competition Kath Jonesshares her experiences of this amazing Australian event • Site Guide Lough Bray • RASP Understanding the IHPA’s powerfulforecasting tool • Irish Open 2013 Report • Fly SAFE John Welch looks at paragliding boots with surprizing resultsSwift Glider Ken Hickey tells us about this remarkable aircraft • Safety Officer’s Report Philip Lardner’s Report for 2013 AGM

ContentLog Book 6

The Rossbeigh Run 7Flying some of the most breathtakingscenery in Ireland

Site Guide 11Lough Bray, great views and excellentflying for experienced and novice pilots.

State of the OriginCompetition 12Kath Jones shares her experiences ofthis amazing Australian event.

Understanding RASP 20A guide to the IHPA’s powerfulforecasting tool

Learning to Hang Glide 22Bobby Gillham tells us about his twoweek Hang Gliding Training Course

IHPA Pilot 24Q&A with Pearse Cafferky

Flying Lanzarote 25Ruth Meech finds Lanzarote awonderful winter playground for sportsenthusiasts

Fly Safe 27John Welch looks at paragliding bootswith surprizing results

Irish Open 2013 Report 30

Irish Open 2013 Results 32

`IHPA News 34

Swift Glider 36Ken Hickey tells us about thisremarkable aircraft.

Safety Officer’s Report 38Philip Lardner’s Report for 2013 AGM

THE EDITOR David MayE-mail: [email protected]

DESIGN & PRODUCTION Design Focus,The Warehouse, 26A Mount Eden Road,Dublin 4. www.designfocus.ie

Free Flight Magazine is published by theIrish Hang Gliding and ParaglidingAssociation Ltd to inform, educate andentertain those in the sports ofParagliding and Hang Gliding. The viewsexpressed in this magazine are notnecessarily those of the Irish HangGliding and Paragliding Association, theirCouncil, Officers or Editor. The Editorreserves the right to edit contributions.

ContactSend your articles, jokes, comments,sketches, suggestions etc to:

[email protected]

FREEFLIGHT AUTUMN 2013

PAGE 3

FROM THE

editor

Hello again...We’re already half way through the year, my how time flies(not that my time has been spent flying). Like most years,we’ve seen some highs and some lows. Spring weather wasbelow average all over with mean temperature and sunshinehours down and windspeed up. And yet, sitting here inAugust with the sun already streaming through the windowon what promises to be another beautiful day, it’s easy toforget. Personally I haven’t clocked up much airtime this year

so far (there’s always hope) but not because of the weather, not really. We allhave to manage the various draws on our time and it’s been availability,rather than weather, that has been the biggest factor in my not flying.

There have been a few site issues: we have been contacted about an incident where a pilotwas discovered to be flying at Killiney without having first contacted Dublin ATC. This is aserious matter as Killiney is inside the Dublin Air Traffic Control Zone and pilots wishingto fly there MUST contact Dublin ATC on 01-8144601 and ask for the Data AssistantBEFORE and AFTER flying. This site may ONLY be flown by current members of theIHPA or by visitors and guests flying in the company of an IHPA member. Please note thatthis specific condition was stipulated by Dublin ATC when permission was first granted tofly sites inside Dublin airspace and infringement of this agreement can risk prosecution,confiscation of equipment and the loss of the site to all. So please, honour the agreementthat was made on your behalf so we can continue to fly at this site.

Sadly we have lost access to a beautiful, coastal site in the SW - Inch Beach. Details havebeen discussed on the list and the hope is that it will be a temporary set-back. But it showshow easy it is to lose a site and how much we depend on the generosity of the land ownerswho allow us access.

But enough of the downers, let’s get back to what we all enjoy - flying. And what a greatyear of flying it’s been, both the UHPC Open and the Irish Open have been stagedsuccessfully and the annual pilgrimage to Achill was a great success with reports of some ofthe best conditions for a long time. We have seen an increase in the number of tandemflights which is a great way to raise the awareness of the sport here in Ireland. YouTube andVimeo have also played their part and with the improvement in camera technology andediting skills of our members, there are some great videos now available of free-flying in theEmerald Isle. But surely the pinnacle of the year must be Rafal Obora’s flight during theIrish Open when he smashed the Irish Record, crossing the fabled 100km mark andpushing it out to 112km. Wow. More on that flight later in the magazine.

And finally, and most importantly, there have been no reports of accidents this year so let’skeep it that way.

Fly safe and fly free...

IHPA

SHOTH T Mount Leinster, Westerly Car Park Philip Lardner

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

LogBook

Congrats to Melanie HeatherA hearty congratulations toMelanie Heather for winningthe Overall Individual Prize atthe State of Origin 2013Competition in Manilla,Australia. Formally of theEmerald Isle, Melanie was amember of the New ZealandTeam the ‘Flying Kiwis’ and isthe first female pilot to bag thetop spot in the event’s 17 yearhistory.

This years competition was thelargest event of its type held in the world with over 200 pilots taking to the skies overManilla which makes Melanine’s win all the more amazing.

For a full description of the event see Kath Jone’s article on page 22.

Killiney HillThe importance ofcontacting Dublin ATCbefore and after flying.The IHPA would like to remind allpilots, and impress on them, the absolutenecessity of contacting Dublin ATCbefore and after flying this site.

Killiney Hill is inside Dublin airport’s(Class C) controlled airspace and requiresthe permission of Dublin ATC before youfly there. We do not have ‘carte blanch’ tofly there without their permission, andthe site was very nearly closed by DublinATC when they recently received areport from Rescue Helicopter R116 thatpeople were flying at Killiney and DublinATC knew that they had not givenpermission. Indeed it is important torealise that pilots flying Killiney can beobserved from Dublin ATC.

If you arrive and see that somebody isairborne, it’s no harm to make a quickcall to make sure that its been done -don’t assume the person in the air isresponsible.

We are extremely lucky to be able to fly asite like Killiney within the Dublincontrol zone and it must not be taken forgranted by anyone and hence it isessential that every pilot follows the verysimple site rules about contacting DublinATC, and makes sure that every otherpilot (member or non-member) on thehill understands the situation.

The IHPA may have negotiated access tothe site, but it is YOU, the members ofthe IHPA, who have to takeresponsibility for seeing that the rules areadhered to if you want to keep flying atKilliney in the future. So, please take thetime to educate new pilots to Killiney,and invite them to join the Associationwhich is working for their benefit even ifthey aren’t members yet!

Lough Bray - Site NoticeThe IHPA have received reports of paragliders launching from the Upper (South) Lakeat Lough Bray, which is inside the Wicklow National Park.

It is important to remind all pilots that the National Parks Authority have made it clearto us that we are NOT PERMITTED to launch from any lands inside the National Parkand that any infraction of this by-law risks the closure of the entire of the Lough Brayflying site.

Please DO NOT launch from the upper lake which is fully inside the National Park(marked in RED.) The Lower (North) Lake, where PGs launch from, is just outside theNational Park, as is the LZ.

Click Here to view in Google Maps

Click Here for contact details andcontact protocol on the IHPA websitefor your guidance


PAGE 7IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

One of the great flights in the south west of Ireland is the“Rossbeigh Run” as it is affectionately known by usMunster Kestrels. Rossbeigh is one of our favourite and

best loved sites.

This is a really spectacular flight covering some 27 km from Seefin,above the Caragh River to Ballycarbery castle, just North West ofthe town of Cahersiveen.

The route takes the flyer over some of the most breathtakingscenery in Ireland, the south side of Dingle bay.

I have completed the run more than 10 times and each time I enjoyit as much as the first. I land with mind and body refreshed.

To complete the full run of 27km the flyer should take off fromSeefin (V697, 913). The take-off is from the shoulder of Seefin ata height 270m facing north east. There is a road to the top, so it issuitable for hang gliders. See O.S. D Series Map 78.

A shortened run is available from Rossbeigh Hill at 260m (V642,903). The Rossbeigh Hill take off may result in an even longer

flight if the pilot opts for an out and return to Seefin first. Thiswould add 10k to the distance from Rossbeigh.

The run will take between 1½ to 2½ hrs. in a paraglider dependingon the wind direction and thermal activity of the day.

Hang glider pilots should consult Richard Hudson, a veteran ofthis run for hang gliding details.

The best wind for the run is North or North with max 25° Westor North with max 20 ° east. North is best because it allows an outand return to the end of Knocknadobar, about 40km if desired.

Too much East is bad as the ridge turns to face the North West atKnocknadobar resulting in loss of lift in an inhospitable spot.

I once had to make an emergency landing in Coonanna (west ofKnocknadobar) on account of this. The fields are small in this areaso hang gliders beware; also there is a possibility of landing in rotorat Coonanna if the wind is too far to the East.

Now for the run in detail...

The Rossbeigh Run

Gilbert Glennon takes us through a flight over some of the most breathtaking scenery in Ireland, the south side of Dingle bay.

KellsBay

CoonanaHarbour

DrungMountain

SeefinRossbeighHill

CastlequinHill

Rossbeigh

KnocknadobarMountain

12

3

45

67

89

11

10


PAGE 8 IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

Assuming a north wind and some thermal activity (no one has evercompleted this run in winter i.e. in pure ridge lift)

After a take off from the nose of Seefin (1) at 270m it is usuallypossible to climb to about 600m on one of the thermals that breakaway from the nose. This will allow a glide to Rossbeigh Hill (2)following the main road and flying over the picturesque village ofGlenbeigh and on to the Eastern part of the hill, just after Glenbeighvillage. A distance of about 5 km.

Alternatively if the nose thermals are not obliging, work back fromthe nose and climb Seefin in the North East facing bowl. This shouldachieve the same result, a height of about 600m.

Once on Rossbeigh Hill, ridge lift will keep you there until you geta good thermal, usually over “Hurricane Cottage” just east of thevillage of Rossbeigh, about the middle of the Hill. Climb as high aspossible here as you may not get any more lift until you reach theshoulder of Drung (3), the next hill west on the run. 600m will beenough if the day is any good at all. Don’t be in too much of a hurryto leave Rossbeigh, take your time and savour the marvellous viewsof the Rossbeigh spit, the Cromane peninsula, Glenbeigh village andview west along Dingle bay.

When you at last bid farewell to Rossbeigh (at 600m) fly south westover Knockatinna at 206m and on to the centre of Knockboy at159m. There turn south with a minimum height of 250m

Your goal is to arrive at the east shoulder of Drung hill at 200m Theshoulder is the best bet. If you go directly for the bowl or the westside, most likely you will have to go back to the shoulder of worseyou may go down. Drung is a bad place to go down, huge boulderseverywhere and very wet.

Once on the shoulder of Drung it is a relatively easy climb to thesummit at 640m. There are some really marvellous views lookingeast and west from the summit of Drung. There are some goodphoto opportunities from this lovely place.

A skilful paraglider pilot may land here and soak up the scenery. Theview west is towards Kells bay and the view east is towards Rossbeighbeach. For some reason, probably because it is too close to the sea,no one has ever got any real height over Drung.

Get the best you can here, but be over Drung. I have a “magicnumber” for Drung. That is the departure height that will allow aglide over Kells bay to the eastern shoulder of Knocknadobar. Thisis the longest glide on the run, about 5 km. That number is 710m(Drung is 640m)

From Drung it depends on the day as to which strategy is best. Ifthe day is good i.e. good thermic lift head straight for the northernside of Mt. Foley 355m keeping just south of the N70 Rd.

If the day is not so good it may be better to fly North West fromDrung for as long as you are in level flight. When you start to lose

View from Seefin take off

Approaching Rossbeigh from Glenbeigh

View east from Drung Hill

Glenbeigh Village



it turn West for Mt. Foley (4).

Between Drung Hill and Mt. Foley is the Gleensk River spanned bythe Gleensk viaduct (5). This was part of the old Cahersiveen railwaywhich ran along the south side of the bay to Cahersiveen. Therailway is long closed but the viaduct is still standing and inreasonable repair. I have walked over it as well as flown over it.

Once past the viaduct it is over to Mt. Foley taking any lift there.Again there is never much lift here but if there is a few metres, takeit. There are some good views of Kells from here. If you are losingheight don’t waste time go straight for Knocknadobar.

After Mt. Foley go for the Eastern shoulder of Knocknadobar (6),flying over Kells harbour and further along over Kells Lake.

You should arrive at the shoulder at least 200m. That is about 50mover the shoulder. If you arrive below the shoulder you may be introuble and have to land near the lake, ending the run. The trick isto make sure you arrive high by taking all lift offered to you on theway from Drung until you are sure you will make it.

Pilots have arrived below the shoulder and recovered. It depends onthe day.

You now have a rare treat in store. Mighty Knocknadobar, 690mhigh and 8000m long from Kells to Coonanna in some really wildterrain. Flying over lakes, gullies, bowls, shear sides and breathtakingviews of Dingle bay.

There are good views of Kells village and pier from eastKnocknadobar.

The North side Knocknadobar runs hard on dingle bay with theWestern end running steeply down to the sea.

The flyer is totally spoiled here with a host of goodies such as KellsLough (7), the Glenalough Lakes (8), vertical faces, large and smallgullies, grassy slopes and much more.

Having flown over the Killurly Commons (9), really delightfulterrain, one comes to the western end of Knocknadobar. Directlysouth is the summit O.S. mark 690m and to the southwest isCahersiveen.

Emergency landing by paraglider is possible here but not desirable.Hang glider landing is close to impossible.

Decision time now, fly directly to Cahersiveen behind CastlequinHill (10) 361m or keep north of Castlequin and head for the ringforts and Ballycarbery castle.

Before Castlequin is Coonanna harbour and Carriggower quay. Adelightful spot just under the Western end of Knocknadobber. Ifgoing down at the end of Knocknadobar paragliders may land here.Friendly natives may even drive you to Cahersiveen. (it hashappened).

View West at Drung (Mt. Foley in the middle) Kells harbour from 500m.

Cahersiveen in view (Castlequin hill right)

The Gleensk viaduct



Keep north of Castlequin is the best decision as some lift can be gotat Castlequin albeit very rough at times. I have climbed out here ona rough thermal gaining about 200m until I could no longer put upwith the turbulence. Anyway there is no point of any more heighthere as there is nowhere to go. There is only the sea to the West.

There are some interesting ring forts past Castlequin. Cahergal andLeacanabuaile. Cahergal is quite large and a tourist attraction in thearea. Worth a visit.

At this stage your destination Ballycabery Castle (11) will clearly bevisible in the distance. The castle sits on a large field, although notflat it is no trouble to paragliders. There are adjacent fields forhangliders.

There are a few electric wires in the area to be careful of.

Once on the ground you will be filled with a great sense of wellbeing,achievement and privilege together with the knowledge that youhave been where very few people have been and have seen sightsknown only to the few.

You will also feel that there is more to be seen and that you shouldhave spent more time in some of the very special places you haveflown over. I feel it each and every time. ■

Carriggower Pier

Ballycarbery Castle (note wires)

Castlequin Hill 361 m.

I hope you enjoyed this literary flight on the Rossbeigh runand I look forward to flying the actual run with any visitorswho are interested. My number is 087 2595724.

Good flying...Gilbert Mc Glennon, IHPA



SiteGuide

Lough BrayGlencree, Co. Wicklow

Great views and excellent flying for experiencedand novice pilots.

Situated above Glencree and overlooked by the Kippure TVMast, in an easterly wind Lough Bray is an excellent site tofly from. Although a bit of a hike the spectacular views

looking out over the Lough and down to the coast is well worth it. IndeedLough Bray is a wonderful site to drag family and friends to, they can enjoythe views and fresh air while you enjoy the flying.

Half way between the road (A) and take off is the landing area (B). It is awide open, soft and safe landing zone and is a very good spot for novicepilots to practice ground handling.

From here to take off (C) is a tougher hike but well worth it. From take offpilots turn right and fly into the bowl and lift band. If you do not gainsufficient height to move above the ridge when in the bowl its advisable toturn back and head to landing zone (A) if unable to gain any height on SEridge.

Also if wind veers to southerly, rotor from the spur between the two corrielake bowls will be experienced.

In certain wind conditions it is possible to fly over to Upper Lough (D)which takes a SE wind direction. Unfortunately this area is inside theWicklow Mountains National Park which is a No-Foot Launching-Area, dueto nesting grounds, so no take off or landing (if possible) is allowed here.

Wind Direction:

General Information:GOOGLE MAPS CLICK HERE Select satellite view and spot the

paragliders!

GPS COORDINATES: Take off: 53°11’19" (53.1888)N;

6°18’34" (6.3097)W

Landing: 53°11’20" (53.1891)N; 6°17’57" (6.2992)W

ELEVATION: Take off: 534m.

Landing: 427m.

TAKE OFF: You can take off right on top at thehill.

LANDING: You can land in the flat area midway between take off and theroad.

GETTING Drive from Bray to Enniskerry and THERE: take the L1011 to Glencree, turn

onto Old Military Road (towardsSally Gap) and drive for about1km.

WEATHER Avoid take-off with SE wind -HAZARDS: take-off site will experience rotor

from the spur between the twocorrie lake bowls.

N

S

W E

C

D

AB

Parking

Australia’s 2013State Of Origin: A Novice’s View


PAGE 13

My name is Kath and I’ve been paragliding for acouple of years. I’m still very much in noviceterritory and only really started to give XC a bash

about six months ago.

Like a lot of pilots I was chasing the 20km benchmark thisSummer and frustratingly getting nowhere near it! I enteredthe Nationals in Wanaka in February hoping to learnsomething by flying with some of the country’s best pilotsand to do a decent distance. Although I improved as a pilotas a result of this experience, most of it came from makingmistakes on my own and trying to work out what the hellwent wrong afterwards. The 20km goal was still out of reachfor me.

It was whilst I was at the Nationals that I heard a fellowQueenstown pilot – Melanie Heather – talk aboutorganising teams from New Zealand to go to a place inAustralia called Manilla (I’d never heard of it) and enter intoa competition called ‘State Of Origin’ (I’d never heard ofthat either). Jen Corbett and Mark Hardman hadsuccessfully applied to the NZHGPA for a $1,000 grant tocover minibus hire at the competition and Mel did a greatjob of whipping up enthusiasm at the Nationals. Within acouple of weeks I’d decided to enter this ‘State of Origin’competition.

The competition has been running for 17 years but hadnever had a full team from New Zealand enter before thisyear. A single crew consists of five pilots – one advanced, atleast two novices and two others. To be eligible for the‘State’ title you would need at least three crews of five pilots,so fifteen in total. Mel’s enthusiasm and willingness to takeon the bulk of organisation duties resulted in twenty ninepilots and a retrieve driver signing up – and lo ‘The FlyingKiwis’ team was created!

The idea of the contest is quite simple – each pilot is scoredon how far he or she flies in terms of straight line distancefrom launch. Each crew works together with the advancedpilots mentoring intermediate and novice pilots by radio to

Kath Jones, along with Melanie Heather, bothcompeted in the 2013 ‘State Of Origin’ Competition,held in Manilla, Australia in which Melanie bagged

first place. Kath kindly agreed to share her article onher experiences of the event which she wrote for

publication in the NZHGPA magazine.



help them achieve the best possible distance. The contest operatesa handicapping system whereby an intermediate pilot is awardeddouble the points an advanced pilot would receive for the samedistance and a novice three times the amount of points. Effectivelymeaning that a novice flying 30km would be awarded as manypoints as an advanced pilot who flies 90km.

To be honest, all I was interested in was getting better at XC andgetting nearer to that 20km mark! Thecompetition was set to run for three days overthe Easter weekend beginning on Good Friday.I arrived a couple of days beforehand andheaded straight to the NZ HQ, which wasn’thard to spot. Fellow novice pilots JohnnyHopper and Kyla MacDonald had decoratedthe outside of their accommodation cabin witha team banner and NZ bunting flapping awaymerrily in the breeze. Within minutes I was in‘the basher’ transport up the hill and flying theevening air of this world famous (it turns out!)site called Manilla. Later that evening JohnnyHopper acted as Master of the BBQ and theteam bonded over sausages, beer and a bottle of whiskey thatsomeone mistakenly left in our vicinity...

On Friday morning ‘The Flying Kiwis’ rocked up to the Fly Manillaclubhouse en masse and dressed to impress. Our team shirts hadbeen custom designed for the competition and the distinctive flyingkiwi logo on a black t-shirt made a striking presence at the briefing.

It was announced that around 180 pilots were due to fly in thecompetition and that made it the biggest competition in Australianhistory! At the safety briefing we were advised by a Russian pilotcalled Ivan that “Eet vill be miracle if zer ees not a mid-air. If zerees mid-air, it vill probably kill you.” Wise words and maybe thefact we all had that running through our heads is the reason thatthe whole competition ran without incident or injury. After we’d

digested the safety briefing we headed up thehill for day one.

The wind was reasonably strong on launch,which instantly filled me with trepidation sinceI am a self-confessed ground-handling dodgerand I know that my launches can be hit andmiss. However, it wasn’t time to launch yet asthe thermals hadn’t really started pumping sowhen an Australian news crew asked for aninterview with a couple of kiwi pilots, KylaMacDonald and I agreed. This is where Kylabecame a legend for saying on national TV thatwe were going to ‘stick it to the Aussies’! Thisprediction held more truth than any of us could

have dreamed.

A couple of hours of parawaiting later a good few pilots hadmanaged to launch and find thermals so my crew also judged it wastime to launch. A couple of the other NZ crews had managed toget away in a gaggle and we were hoping to do the same. Inevitablyeveryone then tried to launch at the same time so there was a bit of

The wind wasreasonably strongon launch, whichinstantly filled mewith trepidation



a backlog but thankfully everyone was patient with the novices onlaunch (my ever-calm crew leader Xen Zambas especially!) and aftera few attempts I was finally airborne with the other members of mycrew. Unfortunately we’d missed the better part of the day but sohad the other sixty or so pilots ridge soaring with us. Day one iswhere I learned two important lessons: Patience and radiocommunication.

Within minutes of being airborne it becameevident that no-one could hear me on radio. Icould hear other members of our crews but hadno way of communicating with them. As I flewup and down and up and down the same ridgeI could hear Mel, who is also a novice pilot, andone of our advanced pilots Evan Lambertonreporting their joint position as being furtherand further away from launch. Mentallyimagining the kind of flight I wanted to bedoing, and after about 90 minutes of ridgesoaring, frustration trumped patience and Imade a break for it. My hope of finding athermal away from the ridge didn’t come goodand I was on the ground within minutes. At that point I heard Xencall our other crew members over to him as he had found a goodthermal over launch and was climbing in it. I turned back to see amultitude of gliders at least 100 or 200 feet higher than any of ushad been in over an hour. A few minutes later two members of mycrew (Jan Passion and Xen Zambas) flew directly over me at a decent

height whilst I taught the cows some unsavoury language andstarted an hour long stomp back to camp. On my way back Ireflected upon how just 10 minutes more patience could have hadme flying with Jan and Xen, who went over 13km that day; I hadgone less than 5km.

When I got back to camp I heard the amazing news that Mel hadflown 37km and had blown all other pilotsout of the water in terms of points! SomehowThe Flying Kiwis were in the lead and wecelebrated with a cautious few beers, bearingin mind that we had to prove ourselves in theair the next day too. Our intrepid retrievedriver drove for hours to locate and deliverMel, Evan and others back to NZHQ.

Day two’s briefing started with Mel beingawarded the Day Winner’s jacket, whichcomes with a marker pen and an invitation toleave a message on the jacket itself. The words“I stuck it to the Ozzies! Love MelanieHeather, NZ x” were a beautiful sight to

behold.

Day two’s flying held another lesson for me: The importance oflaunch windows. Once again, my poor launch skills had me holdingback from the best of the cycles and I subsequently launched intosink. I sank further and further towards the bomb out area but heldoff the inevitable for a few minutes whilst I tried desperately to work

Within minutes ofbeing airborne itbecame evident

that no-one couldhear me on radio



a weak thermal into a low save but alas I was in the bomb out withabout thirty other pilots shortly afterward. At the same time, LouisTapper (one of our intermediate pilots) who had been one of thefirst to launch as soon as conditions were ‘on’ was well on his wayto completing the 107km flight that would make him The FlyingKiwis’ next Day Winner and give him the longest of flight of thecompetition by any pilot. Sandy Yong was hot on his heels andlanded after a 31km flight that made her the top female pilot thatday. Meanwhile, after a hot and dusty wait at the bomb out paddockI went back to base and ground handled for an hour.

Again, Ellen …..... our valiant minibus driver went off to retrieveour far-reaching pilots and bring them back for a proper celebration.That night there was entertainment laid on at base - a delicious Thaibuffet and an award winning singer who seemed to appreciate theenthusiastic dance stylings of The Flying Kiwis. As the other teamsgradually drifted off to bed the kiwi team was just getting warmedup. We danced our socks off, even more so when the retrieve vanreturned at 10pm.

Day three’s briefing started with a special mention for the NZ team’sdancing prowess when even one of the event organisers said we’dput the aussies to shame. Louis was presented with the Day Winner’sjacket and pen (“Proof that kiwis can fly! Louis Tapper”) and SandyYong collected the prize for best female pilot from the previous daybefore we made our way up the hill again.

I was determined on two points for the final day – I would have agood launch and I would NOT break away from my crew this time.

Strong winds scuppered my chance of a perfect launch but I wasn’tthe only one suffering the indignity of being plucked up and blownaround a bit. My crew, along with many others, decided to sit thingsout for a while. Once the wind dropped a little we all managed tolaunch but by then it was getting late in the day. We ridge soaredaround for a while but it was nearly 6pm and there were no morethermals to be had. We made a decision as a crew to head back tobase and land.

So, I’d done my best for The Flying Kiwis but all I could contributewas three days’ worth of bomb out points. Frustrating for me but Iknew I had definitely learned some lessons along the way and hada great time with the team parachatting, parawaiting and evenparagliding at times! Now it was time to don the team t-shirt, slapa NZ fern transfer on my face and head to the pub for the prizegiving.

Before the official prizes were announced we had our own prizegiving to make. Due to Mel’s tenacity at raising awareness for theNZ team and the generosity of two NZ companies we had somegreat prizes to hand out. We wanted to recognise outstanding flyingperformance, so Louis Tapper was a clear winner for the CactusEquipment radio harness with his 107km flight. We also wanted toreward someone who had brought enthusiasm and spirit to the kiwiteam and there was one clear reprobate (I mean winner!) JohnnyHopper, who was stoked to win a Silkbody top.

Soon it was time for the State of Origin prize giving. We knew we’ddone well but I don’t think any of us expected the following results:

Place Winner Pilot/Glider

1st Place Pilot Overall Melanie Heather UP Makalu Light

2nd Place Pilot Overall Louis Tapper Gradient Nevada

1st Place Female Pilot Melanie Heather UP Makalu Light

2nd Place Female Pilot Sandy Yong Nova Mentor 2

1st Place Crew The Black Sheep

Pete Taylor (Nova Mentor 2)Sandy Yong (Nova Mentor 2)Gareth Gore (Ozone Swift)

Mark Rutledge (Skywalk Chili) Rob Kennedy (Skywalk Chili)

2nd Place Crew Team Ribena

Evan Lamberton (Gin Boom X)Louis Tapper (Gradient Nevada)Kyla MacDonald (Nova Ion 2)Johnny Hopper (Nova Ion 2)

Brenden Duffy (Ozone Electron)

2nd Place State Team The Flying Kiwis Everyone!

Best Dressed Team The Flying KiwisThanks to Josie Blackshaw for designing our logo and ‘Pub on Wharf’ and ‘Fetch’

(Queenstown) for sponsoring them!

Best Partyers The Flying Kiwis (self-awarded!)



NSW won the state team trophy but they were only 31 pointsahead of us with more than 6000 points scored so it was close runthing. To be honest we would have felt bad to walk away withALL the prizes!

We had won caseloads of beer and since a lot of our pilots had tofly back to NZ the next day we wasted no time getting back tocamp and getting stuck in. There was a huge bonfire that nightcourtesy of Godfrey at Fly Manilla and we made a dent in theliquid winnings beside firelight and under a stunning moonlit sky.Spirits were high, the alcohol was free flowing and the fun wasplentiful. I went to bed at 3.30am but others were up until dawn.As for the details: what happens at the bonfire party, stays at thebonfire party...

Congratulations to NSW for winning the state trophy and thankyou so much to Ellen for giving up her time to retrieve drive forus. The Australian teams were without fault good natured aboutus coming along and taking away most of the prizes and wecertainly had a great time with them as hosts. I’m sure we’d all liketo thank them for their part in making this such a funcompetition.

Most of us are super keen to come back for State of Origin 2014and I would strongly encourage any other novice and intermediatepilots wanting to step up to the next level of flying to come too.Of course, this wouldn’t have been possible without the time,patience and knowledge that our advanced pilots Xen Zambas,Mark Hardman, Evan Lamberton, Reuben Muir, SteveO’Shaughnessy and Pete Taylor were willing to offer to us lessexperienced pilots. They absolutely could have achieved morepoints for themselves by flying to the best of their personal abilitiesbut that wasn’t the reason we were there. They all sacrificedpersonal glory for team gain and the proof of their success was inour strong novice and intermediate results so thank you.

If you’re interested in entering next year I would recommend thefollowing:

• Get a decent radio – it makes a massive difference to have twoway communication with your crew in the air.

• Make sure your launch technique is solid to avoid missing thoseall important launch windows.

• Come for a week before the competition if you can so you’refamiliar with the site.

• Wear gators over your socks unless you want to spend at least anhour every night pulling sharp little seed pods out of your socks!

A final note:Although I didn’t score much during the competition I stayed onin Manilla a few days after it had finished. One day, after finallypicking a good launch window and thermalling as effectively aspossible, I struck out downwind and went for it. In the course ofthe flight I clawed my way back from a low save, used lift fromridges, tasted cloud base and tried my hand at the efficient glidingI’d heard our crew leaders talk about. All of this combined resultedin a 76.3km flight. A few days later I went 99.7km (some moreinnocent cows were exposed to the colourful language that day as Ilanded 300 pesky metres short of 100km!). Most importantlythough, I’d finally broken the magic 20km mark and smashed it inthe process! I have no doubt that my piloting skills and awarenessincreased as a result of the learning environment State of Originprovided and I can’t wait for next Spring to get stuck into XC andchase some more long flights. I might even get that bloody 20kmin NZ! ■

© Article by Kath Jones 2013

The State of Origin is an entrylevel competition aimed at thenovice or intermediate XC pilotwishing to experience acompetition in a safe andfriendly atmosphere. It isassumed that the pilot is alreadythermalling, however, pilots withlow XC hours will still gainvaluable experience and insightsinto competition flying.Handicapping is used in scoring.

Paragliding State of Origin 2013 Results:NSW Wins in a close fight with the Kiwi Team.This years Paragliding State of Origin Competition was the largest event of its type held in the world. Over200 pilots took to the skies over Manilla to compete for their teams with 189 registered for the scoring.

The Kiwi’s came with a solid team and a week of preparation on site expecting to win. They held the leadgoing into the last day only to be pipped at the post by a resurgent NSW Team who grabbed the trophyfor the first time in 5 years!

1. NSW Cockroaches (6238 points)

2. Flying Kiwi’s (6207 points)

3. Queensland Canetoads (5670 points)

4. Riot ACT (4543 points)

5. World Barbarians (3630 points)

The individual handicapped results have Kiwi’s in the top 2 places. For the first time in the events 17 yearhistory a female pilot took top spot!

1. Melanie Heather (NZL) (1378 points)

2. Louis Tapper (NZL) (1318 points)

3. Cam Lawrence (VIC) (1194 points)

For an event of this size it was credible to note that there were no accidents. The event also fully bookedout all available accommodation in Manilla adding a welcome boost to the districts tourism turnover.

IHPA

SHOTH T Mount Leinster, Nine Stones Miloslav Strecansky


UNDERSTANDING

The IHPA’s RASP (Regional Atmospheric SoaringPrediction) program produces high-resolution (4-12km)meteorological forecasts to help soaring pilots plan their

flights. It was originally developed by Dr John W. Glendening (DrJack), an American atmospheric scientist and glider pilot.

High resolution is particularly useful for those locations wheresoaring conditions can vary dramatically over short distances, as inor near complex terrain. Forecasting terrain-forced phenomena,such as terrain-channelled winds and terrain-induced convergence,requires that the terrain to be resolved and RASP is capable ofproviding finer-scale resolution than can be obtained fromgovernment-run models, which must cover a much larger area.

RASP generates BLIPMAP (Boundary Layer InformationPrediction Maps) forecast maps, which display parametersspecifically tailored for soaring pilots such as thermal strength,maximum thermalling height, etc. This is accomplished byperforming a “sounding analysis” at every grid point location.

Considerable computer power is required and a single run typicallytakes 3-4 hours, starting at 3am when current days data becomesavailable so forecast is complete by circa 8am. The size of the regionwhich can be covered and the obtainable resolution depends uponthe computer power available.

The IHPA version of RASP is run and maintained by FergalO’Mahony, a computer whiz and paraglider pilot, and can be found

FreeFlight outlines the IHPA’s powerful forecasting tool, RASP, that helps pilots effectively plan their day-to-day flying

Map Title Select Forecast Date Select Forecast Time

SelectParameterSet

Map ViewZoom in on

map byturningmousewheel.

Scroll mapby click, holdand dragging

mouse Map ScaleScale will stateif its fixed ornot. Itʼs fixedfor mostimportantitems such aW* and windetc.The scalecan changefrom one mapto another, soit is not alwaysenough to justlook at thecolours.

Map GridNote that the

north-southlines do not

run verticallyon the page



on the IHPA website at http://www.ihpa.ie/index.php/weather.

There are more than thirty RASP models around the world,which can be beneficial on flying trips abroad – the full list canbe found here: http://www.drjack.info/RASP/index.html.

The IHPA RASP website presents data in the form of so-calledBLIPMAPs (standing for Boundary Layer Information PredictionMaps). Forecast soundings are also available – these are verticalplots through the atmosphere at one point at a given time and canbe useful for gauging the vertical extent of clouds and how windchanges with height, among other things.

One of the advantages of RASP over the standard global modelsthat power many other forecast websites (such as XCWeather) isits increased resolution. This is particularly noticeable when thelocal conditions are highly dependent on the terrain below (forexample, in the mountains or around coasts). RASP’s higherresolution allows it to model topography better than the globalmodels do, thus taking more account of local effects. Additionally,and valuably, RASP predicts parameters that are not traditionally

forecast, such as the thermal updraft velocity or the potential forover-development, saving the user the need to work these out forhimself.

RASP at first glanceWhen you first look at the RASP table viewer, you will be presentedwith a screen looking like the diagram on the previous page. Onthe left is a map of Ireland showing, initially, the Thermal UpdraftVelocity at midday on day 1, that is, today.

Clicking on the map advances it by half an hour, but clicking onany particular location while holding down the ‘Ctrl’ key gives youan exact value at that point. To the right of the map are a numberof boxes, the topmost of which allows you to change the time anddate you are looking at. Below this is a box with the availableweather parameters, divided helpfully into categories.

At first, this just shows the most commonly used parameters butothers can be found by clicking where it says ‘Press for FullParameter Set’. Finally, at the bottom of the page, there is a boxgiving some information about each parameter. ■

Thermal Updraft Velocity (W*)The average dry thermal updraft strength near mid-BL height. Subtract glider descent rate to get average varioreading for cloudless thermals. Updraft strengths will be stronger than this forecast if convective clouds arepresent, since cloud condensation adds buoyancy aloft (i.e. this neglects cloudsuck). W* depends upon boththe surface heating and the BL depth

Surface Wind - Sfc.Wind (2m)The speed and direction of the wind 2m above the ground. Speed is depicted by different colours and directionby streamlines. This parameter is obtained directly from WRF model output and not from a BLIPMAPcomputation.

Boundary Layer Average Wind - BL Avg. WindThe speed and direction of the vector-averaged wind in the Bounder Layer. The atmospheric Boundary Layer(BL) is the vertical region above the surface within which air has been mixed by thermal or wind shear eddies,i.e. the region where glider pilots normally fly. This prediction can be misleading if there is a large change inwind direction through the BL (for a complex wind profile, no single number is an adequate descriptor!).

SoundingsForecast soundings are useful for gauging the vertical structure of the atmosphere, in particular the detail ofclouds and how wind and temperature change with height, both in and above the boundary layer. On theIHPA RASP site, a list of five standard sites is given in the Parameters box but other points can be seen byclicking first where it says ‘Press for SkewT PopUp’, then holding down the ‘Shift’ key while clicking on themap.

RASP can be daunting for new users with the amount of info available but the main parameters to start withare outlined below:

Other useful guides:Webcasts by Judith Mole on using RASP and Soundings: http://www.judithmole.net/blog/?page_id=3205A paper by Jean Oberson on Practical interpretation of RASP charts: http://www.soaringmeteo.ch/blipmap.pdfFlybubble’s Greg Hamerton explains how to find good flying weather using the best weather forecasting sites:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02_iSWsQWRk&feature=share&list=PL375B997789EDE0E9

...in two weeks!

Learning to Hang Glide...


PAGE 23

Having recently just returned from a two week trip to Franceto learn how to fly with Pre Vol Delta Hang GlidingSchool in St.Hilaire, I would certainly recommend the trip

to anyone who is interested.

I made my decision at the start of the year that hang gliding wassomething I wanted to do and once I began looking around as towhere would be the best place to learn, Pre Vol Delta School in theAlps of France immediately stood out. Not only for its all-aroundgreat value compared to other schools in France and the UK, butthe location of St.Hilaire also seemed perfect!

I began my training on a Saturday morning on the training slope.We usually started early in the morning around 8.30/9 and spent2-3 hours each morning with the beginner gliders on the slopepracticing take-offs, landings and a few seconds of flying in between!Some afternoons were spent doing one of the three tandems youwere given with an instructor to prepare for your first solo flight.Other afternoons were left free for whatever you wanted to do.

In total, I personally took six mornings on the training slope beforeI was ready to fly solo for the first time. However, it depends oneach individual. Some other students there at the time only needed3-4 mornings on the slope before being ready to fly solo. So,everyone progresses at their own pace. But once the instructors feelyou are ready, mornings on the training slope come to an end, andthe next morning it is off to the take-off ramp to make your firstsolo flight! The instructors will make sure that you only fly if theconditions are calm and will also provide you with radio guidanceall the way through the flight, with someone helping you at take-off and at landing. Once your first flight is complete, you havefinished the ‘first flight package’ and any remaining time/days youhave left can be spent making as many more solo flights as you canwith the school. In the end, I finished with 4 solos to my namewhich I was happy with, although I could have made many more ifthe weather was better during my second week there.

If you are someone who is thinking about learning to fly a hangglider, I would definitely recommend the Pre Vol Delta school inFrance. It is a great location with all the facilities you need whileyou’re there. Travel and accommodation is also fairly easy to sortout. So, if you are interested in making the trip over, go ahead anddo it! And if you have any questions about anything to do with thetrip, get in contact with me and I’d be happy to help you if I can.■

Bobby Gillham tells us about his two weekHang Gliding Training Course at St.Hilaire,France.

Once the instructors feel youare ready, mornings on the

training slope come to an end

IHPAPILOT

Q&AWhat’s Your Bump Tolerance*...

Name: Pearse Cafferky

Type of Pilot: Paragliding

Rating: PP3

Started Flying: June 2007

Airtime: 100 hours

Glider: IndependenceGaruda

Harness: Independence Compact

How long have you been flying?

I’ve been flying for 6 years but unfortunatelymy training started in 2007, which was thebeginning of the rotten summers, and so I feelI’m not as far on as I should be.

What made you decide to take up flying?

I’d always wanted to fly and tried to make it acareer but due to a medical condition had toabandon those hopes. For many years I toyedwith taking up some form of flying but nevergot around to it. In 2007 I decided to giveparagliding a go. I liked the idea of thefreedom and accessibly of the sport and whenI looked into it it seem perfect for what Iwanted to do. Mind you at that stage I hadnow idea of the principle of Parawaitingwhich was a major shock to the system.

What is your best memory?

It would have to be my first soaring flight. Itwas in Lacken, quite early on in my trainingand I had had a rough day groundhandingwithout much success. I was to do a downerto the landing field and when I took off Fredtold me to turn right to see if I got any lift andended up flying for the next hour. Got to seeamazing views, went through a spectrum ofemotions from elation to sheer terror andeverything in-between. Fred had joined mealong with a load of other pilots and at theend we came in to land together at the carpark, perfect. It would be nearly two yearsbefore I got a similar flight again.

What is your worse memory?

Parawaiting, midgies and drives homewithout having had any flying, of which I’vehad many.

What’s your current glider?

I changed my glider to an IndependenceGaruda last year and have been delighted withit. The glider before was a Skywalk Mescaland was my first. It was a great glider to startwith and I always felt safe and comfortable.The Garuda is DHV 1-2 but has the solidsteady feel of the Mescal while being much

more responsive and flys noticeably faster. Myflying has improved greatly since I got it.

Have you experienced any other types ofFlying?

No, other than being a passenger on acommercial aircraft. Although since taking upparagliding I no longer sit in a passenger seatdreamingly wondering what it must be like tobe a pilot and fly an aircraft.

Do you see yourself continuing to fly in thefuture?

Yes. As I said at the beginning I’ve still have agood bit to master with paragliding. At themoment I’m trying to perfect my thermalingskills, which is proving quite challenging,before moving on to XC. That’ll be the bigchallenge and reward, to fly away from the hilland see where it takes me (and see how I gethome).

I think I’ll stick with paragliding as it such aeasy way to fly, see some wonderful parts of thecountry and make great friends.

What is your favourite Irish flying site?

Lacken.

I’ve flown most of the sites in the south east butLacken is my favourite because its the one Ilearned to fly on. It caters for all levels, great toread the weather, not a hard climb, excellent forground handling and only 40 mins from home.

If I’m feeling a bit rusty or have gotten spookedon a previous flight it’s the site I return to getmy mojo back. It’s the site I know and feel safeat.

What’s your bump tolerance?

I suppose like everyone else rough turbulenceis what frightens me most. Mind you this yearI’ve noticed I’m getting much more tolerant ofit and haven’t gotten as spooked (famous lastwords).

Going backwards, that’s another one I don’tlike, which there’s been a few, or getting caughtin mist and low cloud, which thankfully hasn’thappened to me yet. ■

*Bump Tolerance: An aquired ability to fly in and withstand rough thermic air.

In each issue of FreeFlight we invite a IHPA Pilot to answer some questions aboutthemselves and their flying. Pearse kindly volunteered to be our first victim.



There is another side to Lanzarote that is a world away fromthe beered-up, hen-partied Lanzagrotty imageunfortunately welded to this stunning volcanic island.

Head north from the capital Arrecife, away from the Costas andyou enter a world of sugarcube villages andarid moonscape farmlands chessboardedby black gritty fields, pockmarked by thecones of long-dead volcanoes.

This is the ‘real’ Lanzarote, a place of drybeauty that has become a winterplayground for sports enthusiasts.

Paragliders and hang gliders, surfers andcyclists all make the pilgrimage south toindulge their sport and grab a bit of winterVitamin D.

John Welch has been running paraglidingtrips to Lanzarote for the past two decades with his Dorset-basedflying school Flight Culture.

As well as flying the island’s best sites, John and his team know theisland intimately and offer the best alternative entertainment onnon-flyable days, from go-karting to caving, swimming, cliffwalking and visits to Lanzarote’s cultural sites.

The flying is suitable for those with abasic knowledge as well as moreexperienced pilots looking to pushthemselves and their gliders.

The island works on micro-climatesthat swirl and eddy over and aroundthe cliffs, so when not flying you canexpect to be driving fast along dustydesert tracks, chasing the breeze.

Thanks to our abysmal Englishsummers I hadn’t flown for the bestpart of two years, but with the winds

fair and the sun shining on Lanza there was no excuse.

Our first site was Mala, where the air is maritime and smooth and

Flying Lanzarote

Ruth Meech finds Lanzarote is not all beered-up and hen-partied but a wonderful winter playground for sports enthusiasts

The ‘real’ Lanzarote, aplace of dry beauty thathas become a winterplayground for sports

enthusiasts



the take-off area affords spectacular views over the village of Arrietato the Cerulean sea beyond.

The best flying came on my final day. It began hesitantly, thecapricious wind initially either too weak, too strong or in the wrongdirection at the sites we visited, so we ended up on a beach at Caleta,tucked under the looming shoulder of the imposing Famara Ridge,which is every pilot’s dream site.

As we sweated through glider handling on the sand in the bakingsun under a cloudless blue sky, a text pinged through from home:“Lots of snow, school closed.”

Famara remained unflyable that day, so we headed inland to ElCuchilla, an imposing inland thermic cauldron that is wonderful forlanding beneath but a bit of a trickster when it comes to landingback on top. It also contains a peak nicknamed Cape Canaveral for

its tendency to get you very high, very fast.

My first flight was a textbook ‘top to bottom’, but the second wasthe stuff of dreams. As I hugged the ridge, scooted alongside CapeCanaveral and, exhilarated, flew back over the take-off, hundreds offeet in the air, Johnny and our cars looked impossibly tiny.

The clouds were gathering as we came into land and it was dark andchilly by the time we packed up and headed back into Caletta fortapas and beers followed by industrial-sized gins at the Bar la Cuevain the village of Lagomar.

Sitting on a delayed flight the next morning, nursing an aching head,I looked back at the past week and what I’d learned: that with thecorrect teaching and conditions, paragliding is the most magical andliberating of activities and that Lanzarote really is an island for allseasons. ■


FlySAFE

Iwas asked to write apiece on paraglidingboots; about how

effective they are at reducing injury andwhether they offer good value for money. Itseemed pretty straightforward and also Isuspected that the answer would be yes, theydid help and were essential kit. Well, afterhours of research and reading I have comeup with some surprises.

Let’s start with what we think we know;paraglider boots work because they offergood grip, protection to your foot fromabrasion, no hooks for lines to catch on,provide impact resistance and give supportto your ankle to help prevent sprains andof course, comfort.

The grip that boots offer is very importantand good hi grip soles such as Vibram aredefinitely a big benefit. I think we’re allhappy with this idea and most of usprioritize this when looking for flyingfootwear. Protection from abrasion is also agood idea, especially in a rockyenvironment. If you do knock up againstsomething you want protection frombruising and abrasion. You’ll have toconsider where you’re likely to be flyingand the nature of the ground. I can see thathooks on boots are just one more thing tosnag lines however, there are so many otherthings that will also snag lines such as vario

mounts, flight decks, reserve handles,radios, wrist watches… and the list goeson. Definitely, given the choice, I wouldprefer boots without hooks however I don’tthink they make a boot unsuitable, it is justsomething that you need to be aware ofand is easily dealt with by covering with alittle tape.

Impact resistance is a little more difficult toget accurate information on, however, therehave been a few studies and the mostnotable was by the American military.Their conclusion was after extensive testingthat footwear that had been corrected forpronation or supination by includingshaped inner soles actually resulted in a

higher incidence of injury. It further wenton to say that the benefit of impactabsorption materials was questionable;when they are first used there may be somebenefit but in a short space of time theybecome useless. More recently, thesefindings have been verified in two articlesappearing in The British Journal of SportsMedicine, the first in 2008 and the secondin June 2010.

I suppose that the biggest surprise for mewas the question of ankle support. Many ofus (including myself ) believed that highand fairly firm boots offered the best levelof support but the evidence of two majorstudies shows that actually the incidence ofankle injury is less with low-top boots (andfor those with week or damaged ankles, theaddition of lace up ankle supports). This isexplained because the ankle is designed toarticulate (move in lots of differentdirections). High, rigid and heavy boots areprobably the worst possible choice as theywill simply raise the height of the injurysite and the additional weight/rigidity ofthe boots alter our foot strike pattern,which alters balance and the position ofareas of stress.

In fairness, these studies haven’t been doneon paragliding boots but I have looked forones where we might experience similarstress and there were several good studies

John Welch, CFI Flight Culture, decided to see how effective paragliding boots are at reducing injuryand whether they offer good value for money and found some surprizing results.

The evidence oftwo maja or studies

shows thatactually the

incidence of ankleinjury is less with

low-top boots


published in The American Journal ofSports Medicine that were conducted onAmerican football players. I contacted TheNorth Face, a major manufacturer ofSports Gear and their European head offootwear said that most of themanufacturers of premium hiking bootshave now reduced the rigidity on the anklethat traditional hiking boots used to havewhich makes them more comfortable towear and more comfortable to manoeuvre.Study further goes on to show that comfortis extremely important and that forrunning shoes at least, if you try severalpairs on (and have a short run in them ifpossible), the most comfortable ones arelikely to be those that result in least injury.

I did come across additional informationon preventing ankle injuries and there areseveral suggestions.

• There are a number of exercises(including balancing exercises) that willallow you to strengthen your ankles andanyone who has suffered from an ankleinjury in the past should take theseseriously.

• Stretching, particularly calf musclesbefore exercise is very helpful.

• Finally, weight is an important factor; ifyou can reduce your body weight and theweight of your equipment you willgreatly reduce the risk/severity of injury.

To summaries, my personal view is that

spending €215 on a pair of boots thatweigh nearly a kilo each is unnecessary andthere are many alternatives at less than halfthis price (and weight) that are better.Apart from rings instead of hooks,paragliding boots seem to offer little extraexcept a hefty price tag. If you do fly inboots, assuming you don’t have apredisposition to ankle injury, then lighterand softer boots offer greater comfort,manoeuvrability and security on mixedground. However if you do have inherentankle issues you are going need boots thatare much more firm and offer moresupport. ■

John Welch, CFI Flight Culture,www.flightculture.co.uk

Sources:http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/archives/ankle-injuries-pt2.php http://ajs.sagepub.com/content/16/3/228.shorthttp://mrw.interscience.wiley.com/cochrane/clsysrev/articles/CD000018/abstract.html http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/21/phys-ed-do-certain-types-of-sneakers-preventinjuries/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18424485

IHPA

SHOTH T Achill Island Sebastiaan VanDerMeijden

IrishOpen2013

The Irish Open 2013 was a record breaking event that almostdidn't happen at all. Originally set for the May BankHoliday weekend (4th - 6th) everything was in place: venue

organised, T-Shirts printed, retrieve drivers ready, prizes on hand,thanks to our very generous sponsors, and with over 30 pilots signedup and more expected to arrive on the day, it promised to be a greatweekend of free flying. But the weather deteriorated in the weekleading up to the event and, despite the power of wishful thinkingand voodoo chicken spells, the Open had to be cancelled. With thewindow of opportunity closing rapidly - the holiday season wasalmost upon us and pilots wouldhave all manner of other competingdraws on their time, the decisionwas made to monitor the forecastand reschedule the Open at shortnotice the first weekend thatappeared 'promising'.

That turned out to be June 8/9.With Ireland enjoying a rare period of relatively 'predictable' weatherand a NE wind forecast for Saturday, Knockanaffrin in theComeragh range was the site chosen and word went out. Due to theshort notice, the turnout was not as big as it might have been butnobody could have predicted the outcome.

It was a 9am meet in Clonmel and onto the hill quickly as it lookedlike an early start would provide the best opportunity on the day.The forecast was as predicted with conditions growing steadilylighter and with the high pressure and inversion already setup,getting away from the hill wasn't easy. With patience a number ofpilots managed to climb out and reach base and head NE in thegeneral direction of Cahir and the Galtee range. Much credit mustbe given to the small group of pilots who arrived in the afternoon

when the dynamic element of lift had all but vanished and stillmanaged to climb away from the hill and have a very respectable XC- which on any other year may well have placed the pilot in therunning for a podium place.

But not this year. Rafal Obora's marathon 7 hour flight eclipsedthem all - breaking through the long sought after 100km mark andsetting a new All Ireland Open Distance Paragliding record of112km. You can see his flight on Leonardo here:http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/763448

It turned out that this flight alonewould have been enough to securefirst place in the Open.

On Sunday, with an SSE wind wemoved to Mount Leinster - one ofthe prime flying sites in Ireland.Conditions were more stable,effectively removing any

opportunity for a challenge from the other competitors. And in truestyle, as if to remove any doubt as to the outcome, Rafal had thelongest flight on this day also - 38.7km - bringing his overall tallyfor the competition to just over 150km.

Many thanks to the IHPA PG Competitions Officer DorinBorodescu and his team on staging such a historic event. A bigthanks also to all our Sponsors who supported the event and to allthe pilots who took part. Finally a huge congratulations to RafalObora on such a remarkable achievement - he has set the bar higherthan ever before and we look forward to seeing what the chasingpack of xc hounds can do next. ■

See next page for Results and sponsor details

David May, IHPA Secretary, tells us about the record breaking 2013 Irish Open held on the Weekend of the 8th and 9th June

he Irish Open 2013 was arecord breaking event that

almost didn't happen

PAGE 31




IrishOpen 2013 Results

1st Prize: Dublin Gliding Club

Sailplane orientation flights andtuition with the Dublin GlidingClub including three month'sDGC membership.

Congratulations to Rafal Oboraon winning this prize and ourthanks to Dublin Gliding Club fortheir support

www.dublinglidingclub.ie/

2nd Prize: Flytaly

Buy One Get One Free and anysubsequent Pilot travelling in thegroup will get €100 off.

Congratulations to JacekChodanowski who won this prizeand our thanks to Kevin Begleyand Flytaly for their support.

www.flytaly.com/

3rd Prize: Burkhard MartensDVD ‘Guide To The Best FlyingSites Of The Central AndEastern Alps’

Congratulations to MariuszJachimowicz who won thisprize and our thanks toBurkhard Martens for hissupport

1. Rafal OboraTotal 150.7km (Sat 112km , Sun 38.7km)

2. Jacek Chodanowski Total 65.5km (Sat 42.8km , Sun 22.7km)

3. Mariusz JachimowiczTotal 34.7km (Sat 27.8 km , Sun 6.9km)

Win a new U-Turn Rescue System by becomingthe first IHPA member to fly 100km in Ireland!The Irish 100 U-TURNs XC Challenge is a new initiative, founded to encourage more pilots toimprove their flying skills in Ireland – we Challenge you to fly further!

By becoming the first IHPA paraglider pilot to log a 100km flight on one of the International XCcontest websites (XContest, Leonardo) you will win a U-Turn new rescue System .

The challenge is sponsored and monitored by U-Turn.

Have fun going XC!

Irish100km

XC Challenge

For further details contact Dorin at: [email protected]

IHPA

SHOTH T Mount Leinster, Nine Stones Fred Lahiff


Merchandise GiftsGood news for those of you who might be looking for some new equipment.

Thanks to the efforts of our Competition Officer Dorin Borodescu, we have managed tosecure some great items from the following:

IHPA would like to thank our many sponsors. Apart from the wonderful prizes for the Irish Open2013, we have also received merchandise from a number of other manufacturers and what’smore, we have secured discounts on certain items of equipment.

Finally together with Up and U-Turn we have instituted 2 amazing XC Challenges.

All available to IHPA members only. So read on...

Allez Up is run by Dave and Rachel whohave a long track record of running flyingholidays in the area. They know how toget you into the air and grade the trip toyour flying limits.

The accommodation itself is comfortableand clean and able to accommodate up to12 easily. The surroundings are calm andrelaxing and included a pool to ease theaches after a day flying. The views fromthe veranda included a fantastic oldcastle, Le Mison. Lovely to sit out with acool drink, chat about the days flying andwatch the shadows flicker across the castleas the sun set.

Nearby sites were easy access andincluded the locally famous Le Chabre,Aspres and other regulars like Bergies,Buc and Sederon.

www.allez-up.com

FlyingHolidayDiscount

I2m

F

A

IHPANEWS HPAP would like to thank our many sponsors Apart from the wonderful prizes for the Irish OpenI

SPONSORS 2013

15% Discount to IHPA Pilots’Group Bookings

For further details contact Dorin Borodescu at: [email protected]

Allez Up

LARAGNE, FRANCE

World Leaders in the Design and Manufacture of Paragliders, Harnesses,Parachute Reserve Systems, Power Wings and Accessories for the Pilot

For further details contact Dorin Borodescu at: [email protected]

Win an UP Harness of your choice* by becoming the firstperson to fly 150km** in IrelandThe Irish UP XC Challenge is a new initiative, founded to encourage more pilots to fly further in Ireland - the potential is there, now wejust need the pilots to step up to the task!

By becoming the first IHPA paraglider pilot to log a 150km+** flight on one of the International XC contest websites (XContest,Leonardo) you will win a UP harness of your own choice*. The challenge is sponsored by UP International (www.up-paragliders.com)in conjunction with UP UK/Green Dragons, and monitored by Green Dragons. (www.greendragons.co.uk)

Have fun going XC!*Harness must be from the UP range current at the time of flight completion, and in stock at the UP HQ in Germany.**With the Irish XC rules this amounts to 150km on A and B wings, 165km on C wings, and 180km on D wings. No limitations in regards to brand.

The 150km

XC Challenge

Flying in Umbria The heart of Italy.

Accommodation and catering included in your stay • Family holidays for flyers and non-flyers alike

Flytaly is a dedicatedparagliding companybased in the beautifulmountains of Umbria incentral Italy. A stunning18th century manor housewill be your home for theduration of your trip andthey provide all transportso there is no need for theadded cost of a hire car.Every effort is made toensure that you get themost airtime out of yourholiday and each day endswith a 4-course meal,prepared by talented chefsusing the finest locallysourced ingredients.

No, it’s a Swift!

Is it a glider? Is it a sailplane?


PAGE 37

The Swift, a hybrid hang glider/sailplane shares many of thebest attributes of both glider types. Nimble, precise andintimate to fly like a hang-glider, with performances

approaching those of a sailplane.

Performance is something which is difficult to measure. For glidersits not all about glide ratio and sink rate. Many factors are at play.Turning circles radius, sink in turns and inter-thermal glide speedsare also important. As are safety and pleasure of flight. Here’s werethe Swift excels.

The glider climbs well in lift thanks a sink rate of a sailplane and itslight wing loading and small turning circle, similar to that of a hanggliders, yet it handles turbulence with ease.

Designed and produced in 1990 and with little modification overthe years, the Swift is still one of the best all time hang gliders. Withan enviable safety record, matched by no other aircraft. A designconcept which has stood the test of time, and a build quality tomatch.

Flying the Swift is similar to a sailplane due to its 3-axis control,and a hang glider due to its slow flight performance. Pitch controlis very responsive, like no other glider I’ve flown. Roll and yaw aresmooth and intuitive.

With air-spoilers and tip rudder brakes, the landing glide approachis similar or indeed better than that of an Atos/Class 5 hang glider-the best there is. Great for small field landing possibilities on xc’s.

Before flying a Swift, its best to get some sailplane experience first.Although the Swift is more akin to a hang glider than a sailplane,with its side-stick actuated control some sailplane experience wouldbe advisable before attempting to fly the Swift for the first time.

I’ve been flying hang gliders for the last 13 years, and recently tookup sailplane flying with only basic experience - one solo flight.

I’ve been training to fly sailplanes in both Ireland and France, withthe Dublin Gliding Club and Quo Vadis respectively. Quo Vadis isan airfield north of Laragne in the hearth of the French Alps. Aperfect place to both learn to fly and start long cross country flights.

Run by record breaking sailplane pilot Klaus Ohlmann, the airfieldhas a nice relaxed atmosphere, and friendly people. Not to mentionthe excellent weather forecasts and briefings.

Aero towing hang gliders is also possible and welcomed here thanksto well known French hang glider pilot Jac Bott, who along withhis tug pilot Michel and others, kindly gave me lots of help andadvice for my first several flights on the Swift for which I’m forevergreat full. ■

Ken Hickey spent two weeks in Laragnefamiliarising himself with his new Swift Glider.Here he tells us about this remarkable aircraft.

Before flying a Swift, its best to getsome sailplane experience first.


IHPA Info

Philip Lardner, IHPA Safety Officer, presented his report for 2012-2013 at the IHPA AGM on 6th April2013 and FreeFlight has included in this issue for all those who missed it (or weren’t listening).

Training & Flight Safety Officer’s Report

Spring Thermals: Good News, Spring is here! The weather isimproving, the flying season has started andthe thermals are strong and punchy. But let’sface it, most of us are well out of practiceafter the long winter and crappy weather wehad last summer. There have already been anumber of serious incidents (north andsouth) directly related to spring thermals.Please take extra care when flying in thesestrong Spring Thermal conditions and stayout of trouble. Don’t take risks near theground trying to hook a thermal. Flyconservatively. Fly safely.

Lambing Season: Cute fluffy lambs are flopping out of evilsmelling ewes all over the country right now- yes, lambing season is upon us, and it is avery sensitive time for sheep farmers.

If ewes (lady sheep, to ye townies!) aredisturbed within a day or two of giving birththey can abandon the lambs, leaving thefarmer to hand-rear the lambs or bury themif they die before being discovered. Please besuper sensitive at this time of year. Do not

fly low or land anywhere near sheep untillambing season is well and truly over. Pleasedon’t do anything to frighten them. Alwayscheck your LZ before you launch - youshould be putting a wind-sock in it any way,as a matter of course.

Silage Crops: On a related note, a little later in the yearfarmers take a crop of green grass off thefields for making silage (winter feed forlivestock) and generally ask us to avoidlanding in any fields with long grass to avoidflattening this important crop. There are anumber of fields around Mt. Leinster thatare affected (the cross-roads field being one)that should be avoided until the grass hasbeen cut and baled. Watch the mailing listfor further details.

Weather Station: Many thanks to Gerry Kennedy for hiscontinuing dedication in maintaining theIHPA weather station. The wind speedsensor (anemometer) has died and we will bereplacing that part as soon as we can. Therest of the weather station sensors are still

working well after three years of extremeconditions! Martin Sweeney has offered us anumber of spare parts includinganemometers and solar panels, which we’llgratefully put to good use! Many thanksMartin!

Regional Area SoaringPredictions (RASP): Thanks to the hard work and efforts ofFergal O’Mahony, we are delighted to beable to continue to provide a RASP weatherforecasting service to our members for theforeseeable future. The IHPA recentlyreimbursed Fergal for the cost of the serverhardware necessary to run this intenselycomputational heavy weather modellingpackage, which has proved to be veryaccurate. A detailed, and easy to read set ofRASP weather pages will appear on the newIHPA website very shortly. Again, manythanks Fergal.

Flying at Killiney: All pilots are reminded that the Killiney Hillflying site is inside Dublin Airportcontrolled airspace and REQUIRES



PERMISSION from Dublin ATC before itmay be flown. Killiney is a very sensitive site,and our licence to fly there is strictly basedon all pilots being current members of theAssociation; being fully insured and havingsigned the waiver.

Contact Dublin ATC (ask for the DataAssistant) on 01 8144601 and follow thescript on the website at:

http://www.ihpa.ie/index.php/understanding-airspace/61

Killiney Hill is NOT an open flying site, andthe activities of non-member pilots flyingthere is likely to lead to the closure of the siteby the authorities. It is up to you, themembers of the IHPA to protect yourinterests and ensure that all pilots are awareof the situation.

This is an appeal to all members, if you seenon-member pilots flying at Killiney, pleasemake every effort to talk to them in afriendly manner and explain the site rules tothem, and why they need to join the IHPAbefore flying there again. If there is anydoubt or difficulty getting the messageacross, then please refer them to me [email protected] or get their email/mobilecontact details and I will follow it up.

Full details of the rules governing Killineyare available on the IHPA website at:

http://www.ihpa.ie/index.php/restricted-flying-sitesandhttp://www.ihpa.ie/index.php/understanding-airspace/61

Flying at LackenThere have been a number of instances ofhelicopters flying low over paragliders andhang gliders at Lacken. Such encounterscould prove fatal to both paraglider/hangglider and helicopter pilots alike. Followingdiscussions between Casement Aerodromeand Alan de Tourtoulon it has been agreedthat anyone planning to fly at Lacken shouldcontact Casement ATC on 01 403 7514 andadvise them that paragliders and/or hanggliders are active in the area, and ask themto alert all powered aircraft not to approachwithin at least 1km of the area. For furtherdetails of flying sites affected by airspace inIreland, please read the UnderstandingAirspace section on the Flight Safety pages.

Ground Handling in thePhoenix Park: The park authority have declined ourrequest for permission to ground handleparagliders in the park. They appearunwilling to permit any new activities otherthan the ones already permitted under theirBy-Laws and I get the feeling that they onlysuffer those activities because they have nochoice. The only possible avenue of appealis to read through their published By-Lawsand try to find a loophole or precedentswhich we can quote back to them. If anyonewould like to take this on then please be myguest.

Glider Maintenance: Before the flying season really kicks off, nowis the time to read through the section ofyour wing’s Owner’s Manual that deals withmandatory maintenance and replacement ofrisers(PG), side-wires(HG) and other“consumable” items. Get the work done bya reputable fitter or business and be ready forthe coming year. Your life depends on theserelatively cheap components and they shouldbe replaced regularly as a matter of course -just as you would replace the ink cartridgein your printer. Do it now - and fly safely.

Red Ribbons: All novice pilots MUST fly with a length ofred ribbon attached to their harnesses (PG)or king-posts (HG) until they have *at least*ParaPro3/SafePro3 + 10 hours. This is tohelp identify you to other pilots as aninexperienced pilot and that you needassistance to judge the weather conditionsand the site, and to give you plenty ofclearance in the air. The Red Ribbon isintended to increase everyone’s level of safetyin the air and on the ground. Please use itand please respect it.

Wind Socks: You’re never too experienced to benefit fromhaving a wind sock on launch as well as inthe LZ. Hang gliding and paragliding aredangerous sports - please give yourselvesevery advantage you can to ensure a safelanding, whether it be a top-landing or abomb-out! Novice hangies - take particularnote.

Pilot Ratings: We remind all pilots that they must hold aminimum pilot rating of Para Pro 3 or SafePro 3 before they may free-fly without directsupervision outside the school environment.Please do not be tempted to fly withoutsupervision and instruction until you havepassed your PP3/SP3 exam and completedALL the exercises and experiencerequirements set down in the trainingsyllabus. Any ‘extra curricular’ flights notsigned off by your instructor will not counttowards the experience requirements youneed for the PP3/SP3 rating.

I would encourage all PP3/SP3 pilots tocontinue studying and working towardstheir Para Pro 4/Safe Pro 4 pilot rating.Achieving PP4/SP4 demonstrates toeveryone that you take the safety andknowledge requirements that this sportdemands seriously and that you are a safeand conscientious pilot. A Para Pro 4/SafePro 4 pilot rating is a significant achievementand a feather in your cap.

Beginner’s Theory Sessions: This year I hope to organise a number ofevening theory sessions for new pilotsentering the sport. These sessions will bebased around the world renowned MichaelRoberts’ Charts of Reliability, and will covervarious topics including The WondrousWind, The Wing and The Windividual!These DVD based theory lectures areextensively used, and form part of the basictraining courses in Canada, the USA andAustralia. If anyone would like to order theirown copies of these lectures then you canfind them at

http://www.flyhigh.com/reliability.html.

IHPA Website: Please visit the IHPA website regularly(www.ihpa.ie) for the latest news andannouncements - It is updated on a frequentbasis. Please note that although the websiteis in English, there is a GoogleTranslationtool at the top right of every page, so thatforeign pilots can read it also. I know thetranslation provided by GoogleTranslate canbe a bit rough, but it’s better than nothing.Please make all foreign pilots aware of thisfacility - and direct them especially to theFlight Safety pages.



March 2012

Experienced PG notices a large twigsnagging his A+B lines (upper gallery oflines) causing his canopy to be deformed.Unable to dislodge the snag, the pilot landedsafely and cleared his lines. Althoughdifficult to see when inflating and launching,the pilot said that he did not take the timeto do a thorough check of his lines beforeletting his feet leave the ground... but now*makes* the time to perform a proper visualcheck of his lines before becoming airborne.

Although not an accident, this very goodreport serves as a reminder to all to performyour pre-flight checks properly andthoroughly.

March 2012

Intermediate PG flying at Annagh Hillfailed to spot that the knot attaching thebreak line to its handle was coming undone.In flight, and during a turn, the knot comesundone leaving the pilot with only onebreak. Unable to reach the break line nowtrailing behind him, the pilot was able toturn away from the hill using weight shiftand use big-ears to fly out towards a safe LZwhere he landed ‘a little fast’ and untidily.After landing safely, the pilot rememberedthat he could have steered the wing with his‘D’ lines, but forgot in the heat of themoment. To compound matters, he says thathe wasn’t wearing a helmet or using a backprotector or speed-bar system, which he haddiscarded in his rush to get up the hill!

Lessons to be learned:

ALWAYS perform a thorough DAILYINSPECTION.

ALWAYS perform your PRE-FLIGHTCHECKS properly.

ALWAYS fly with a helmet, back protectorand speed-bar fitted.

There are NO EXCUSES for not doingthese things.

March 2012

A PG pilot is observed to get draggedduring a failed attempt to launch. Unawarethat his reserve parachute has been pulledout of its container, the pilot attempts to re-launch but is stopped by another pilot beforeit is too late.

Lesson to be learned:

ALWAYS check your reserve parachutebefore each launch attempt.

ALWAYS perform your PRE-FLIGHTCHECKS before EACH launch attempt.

May 2012

Experienced HG pilot flying in the BritishOpen Series in SE Wales is forced to land instrong and gusty conditions in a tight fieldsurrounded by trees. Misjudging his finalturn, his wing tip catches the grass and he isspun into the ground breaking both uprightsand a carbon cross-boom. The pilot is totallyunhurt! The pilot found himself at thejunction of three valleys with strong wind

blowing up all of them, causing severeturbulence. He also suggests that he landedwith too much VG on (sail too tight)because he was busy concentrating on ‘otherthings’.

March 2012

Self-taught, PG pilot flying a 2006Gradient Aspen 2 (EN C) canopy in verystrong and gusty conditions on MonavullaghMt. (Comeragh Range, Co. Waterford)impacts the ground and sustains a seriousspinal injury and multiple compoundfractures to his right leg, requiring the Air-Sea Rescue helicopter to evacuate him tohospital. Conditions on the day were veryunstable with cumulonimbus cellsdeveloping right across the country. Thepilot had flown successfully between squalland rain showers but was caught out in theair by a rapidly advancing squall. The pilotwas blown backwards and suffered a 70%collapse of his canopy which sent himspiralling into the ground from around 15m.The pilot was then lifted back into the airand impacted a second time before beingdragged. The full AAIU report will bepublished in the next few days following theIHPA AGM and will be made available onthe website.

Questions for pilots to consider:

• Do I have a sufficient knowledge of macro-and micro-meteorology to understand theweather?

• Do I understand just how deadly

Summary of Accidents & Incidents 2012-2013Unfortunately the last twelve months has seen a spate of serious paragliding accidents resulting in very serious spinal injuries and near-death experiences. Pilots should take a close look at their own skills, knowledge and personal experience levels and ask themselves if theyare safe to fly in the given conditions and if they are flying with equipment that is appropriate to their skill level and to the site they areflying. Is it appropriate to fly a canopy that requires more than 50 feet to re-inflate if you are going to be flying at low altitude close toterrain? Only you can answer these questions.

Please remember that it is important to report accidents and incidents (to [email protected]) so that we can all learn from them and hopefullyavoid repeating them. I would remind all members that it is as much your job to report accidents and incidents, and to talk to pilots theysee flying dangerously or taking risks as it is the Training & Flight Safety officer’s job to follow up these reports. It’s no use complainingthat ‘a pilot or group of pilots was flying dangerously and you (the IHPA) did nothing about it’ unless you both report the incident promptlyand give me the information I need (names/contact details) to follow it up. I follow up every incident report I receive, and do my best toinvestigate even the vaguest reports that filter through to me eventually but I am not psychic - I need your help.

I want to thank the few pilots who had the self-honesty to own up to their mishaps and report them to me unprompted - hopefully we canall learn from these incidents and save ourselves from repeating them.

Lastly the first three incidents were reported in last year’s Safety Report but are important enough to appear again this year.

Please learn the lessons.



cumulonimbus storm cells are and how fartheir influence reaches?

• Do I have sufficient professional trainingto fly safely or am I trusting to luck?

• Am I flying with suitable and appropriateequipment for my skill level and for theweather conditions?

• Do I really want to risk ending up in awheelchair for the rest of my life? What canI do to avoid that?

July 2012

Experienced Austrian PG pilot on holidaywith his family on Achill, following asuccessful flight off Minaun, is draggedwhile practicing ground handling on top ofthe mountain and sustained serious backinjuries. He is dragged into an inaccessiblelocation requiring mountain rescue toextract him to a safe location for helicopterevacuation to Castlebar Hospital. No furtherdetails are available.

July 2012

Experienced PG pilot flying off Bray Headin what he reports as a 50km/h NNE windflies too far along the ridge and into strongrotor sink in the lea of the ridge. He thenfinds himself unable to make it back to thearea of lift near launch and is faced withlanding on jagged rocks or ditching into thesea. The pilot, having unbuckled from hisharness, was able to avoid getting tangled inhis lines and dragged down with hisequipment when he hit the water, and wasin the sea for over 15 minutes before beingrescued by fishermen in a boat.

Some points for pilots to consider:

• Bray Head takes a generally Easterly winddirection. The north end (near the cross)can be flown in an ENE to NE. It is not asafe site in a NNE for obvious reasons - ifyou get blown to either side of the smallNNE-N face then you are immediately outof the lift, in strong sink and in serioustrouble!

• Is it really not advisable to fly a paraglider(or a hang glider for that matter) in a

50km/h (31+mph) wind? No matter howsmooth and laminar the air is coming offthe sea, 50km/h is firmly at the top of thespeed range of a paraglider and leavesabsolutely no margin for error or furtherincrease in wind speed.

• When flying a paraglider (or hang glider)over the sea, a readily accessible hook-knifewould be a very good idea to have!

2012

Experienced PG pilot flying at Killiney iscaught out by the increasing onshore wind,which forced him to fly over the back of thehill into a densely populated residential areaafter doing a steep 360deg turn too close tothe ridge which placed him well inside theVenturi flowing over the hill. Fortunately thepilot was able to avoid the worst areas ofrotor behind the hill and managed to landsafely in a very confined space surroundedby houses, trees, fences and otherobstructions.

Lesson learned:

As the pilot said “The margin for error isinversely proportional to the increasingstrength of the wind”.

Sept 2012

Experienced PG pilot landing in a field inSpain finds himself flying downwind atspeed, close to the ground over a rocky area.After clearing the rock field he attempts toturn back into wind and slow down but isfaced with a stand of trees and a stone wallforcing him to turn tighter, increasing hisspeed and G-force. The pilot narrowly clearsthe stone wall by lifting his legs and skidsinto the next field on his backside andunable to stop himself, slides along for some10m before impacting a ridge of earth. Thepilot suffers a serious back injury (a wedgefracture of the L1 vertebra) and is med-evac’d to hospital and then home for furthertreatment nine days later. Possible causes:Changing airflow possibly caused by a strongthermal kicking off nearby - or - possiblerotor or wave sink associated with the localterrain.

2012

Experienced PG pilot flying the Blackwatersea cliffs in the company of several other PGshas a mid-air collision with another pilot’scanopy causing his own canopy to collapseand spin the pilot into the ground before anycorrective action could be taken. The pilotreceives severe pelvic and spinal injuries. Theother pilot landed safely. It is believed thatthe two pilots involved in the collision hadagreed to fly in close proximity to each otherand to use hand-held video cameras torecord their flight. It is understood that oneor both pilots may not have had full controlof both break lines of their respective gliderswhen they found themselves on a collisioncourse. With their hands otherwiseoccupied, one or both pilots were unable totake evasive action in time. It is furtherunderstood that the injured pilot was flyinga Sol Torck 1 (LTF 2-3) or a Torck 2 (END) - both of which are top-end competitionwings which require very precise pilot inputand significant altitude to recover normalflight after a collapse or spin. The sea cliffsat Blackwater, and the average altitude pilotswere observed flying at (video evidenceexamined) suggest that there was no roomfor error and no altitude in which to effect arecovery from a collapse before impactingthe ground. This accident is still underinvestigation by both the AAIU and theIHPA.

Some points for pilots to consider:

• When flying a narrow lift band at lowaltitude - is it safe to take your hands offthe controls for even a second?

• The pilot must be in control AT ALLTIMES and FLY THE AIRCRAFT.

• Is it wise to fly top-end wings on siteswhere altitude will always be an issue? Ifyour glider cannot recover from a collapseor spin at low level then either don’t fly thatsite, or fly it with a more forgiving glider.Give yourself every chance to survive!

• USE EQUIPMENT APPROPRIATE TOTHE FLYING SITE. ■

Please try and make 2013 a safer year for yourself and everyone you fly with.

Fly safely - fly conservatively - fly considerately - fly vigilantly.Fly as if your life depended on it - IT DOES!

Safe flying in 2013, Phil Lardner

OnlineIHPA

www.ihpa.ie

Packed full of essential information for all free flying pilots in Ireland.

ihpa freeflight autumn 2013

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