NZHGPA Airborn #192

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Issue 192; November, December 2014, January 2015

Longest Ever Paragliding Competition Task Learning to Hang Glide 30 Hours & 687 kms Flying in 3 Days

7.50 Including GST

$

9 771170 992006

HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING


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any pilots visit flying sites outside their own region. To ensure that you don’t jeopardise arrangements between land owners and local flyers you must ALWAYS CHECK WITH LOCAL PILOTS BEFORE FLYING. That way you won’t upset land owners or pilots, you will be shown all the best sites and will be welcome back. We don’t publish site names and

locations because flying sites have been lost by careless visiting flyers. To assist travelling pilots, people wishing to learn to fly or to contact hang gliding and paragliding clubs, here is a list of people who can help you. Those on the list or wishing to be listed, should contact their Club Secretaries who should keep Airborn and the NZHGPA website updated of changes of contact details.

NORTHLAND H.G.P.C. C/- Guntram Gross 1 Brook Road Whangarei Email: skywalk@igrin.co.nz Pres, Airsp; Shane Gross...............09 436 0268 Sec/Treas; Guntram Gross.............09 436 0268 PGSO; Wolfgang Harder................09 403 7594 HGSO; Stephen Chambers............09 430 3689 Herman Ahrens...............................09 432 9333

MANAWATU H.G.P.C. C/- Andrew Brownlie 11 Hollows Crescent Takaro Palmerston North 4412 Email: rosscoe@inspire.net.nz Pres, Airsp: Ricky Winduss (Wanganui).............. 06 345 7659, or 027 447 4117 Sec/Treas, HGSO: Ross Gray......021 126 0892 PGSO: Andrew Brownlie ...........027 444 8911

AUCKLAND H.G.P.C. PO Box 90 154 Auckland Email: grahamsurrey@gmail.com www.cloudbase.org.nz Pres: Graham Surrey .................021 0262 5023 Sec: Alex Daley............................021 121 0795 Treas, Airsp: Leslie Graham............09 579 6485 HGSO: Michell Jagersma...............06 622 3210 PGSO: Reuben Muir.......................09 446 0020 Cameron Kennedy..........................09 813 3610 Eva Walton-Keim............................09 446 0051 Tony Cowley ..................................09 426 1264 Website; Wayne Rohrs...................09 630 2939 Active Sky HG, Sebastian Katz....021 170 3646 Skywings Paragliding ....................09 570 5757 Aqua Air Adventure Hang Gliding.027 288 0193 Wings & Waves Paragliding ...........09 446 0020

BAY OF PLENTY H.G.P.C. C/-Dominique Le Sellin 41, Ririnui Place, Maungatapu Tauranga 3112 Email: frogiwi@xtra.co.nz www.facebook.com/BOPHangGlidingParagliding Pres: Dave Washer.07 544 2951/ 0275 992 934 Sec: Dominique Le Sellin.07 544 2951 / 021 617 111 PGSO: Wayne Roberts.07 574 4223 / 021 668 852 HGSO: James Low.......................021 102 5004 Airsp: Rhys Akers.........................021 177 7563 Sites: Dave Shaw...........................07 575 9560 Levitate Paragliding........................07 542 0098 Mount Paragliding..07 574 4223, 027 643 6529

WAIKATO H.G.P.C. Inc. C/- Ewen Tonar 23A Brookview Court Hamilton Email: etonar@infogen.net.nz Pres, Airsp: Neil Howe....................07 304 9631 Sec/Treas: Ewen Tonar...................07 855 3969 HGSO: Paul Brydon.......................07 825 9161 PGSO: Bruce Vickerman ...............07 868 4991

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KEY Pres; .............................................. President Sec; ............................ Secretary/Treasurer

PGSO; ............. Paragliding Safety Officer

HGSO; .......... Hang Gliding Safety Officer

CFI;........................... Chief Flying Instructor Airsp;.................................Airspace Officer

AORANGI H.G.C. C/- Tom Knewstubb PO Box 5976 Dunedin Pres, Airsp; Kevin McManus........021 134 0463 Sec/HGSO; Tom Knewstubb (wk) 027 289 6103 PGSO: Lisa Bradley......................021 156 3256 SOUTHERN H.G.P.C. C/- Ian Clark, 16 Lake Ave, Frankton, Queenstown 9300 Email: info@southernclub.co.nz www.southernclub.co.nz Pres, Airsp: Ian Hornby..............021 0238 8894 Sec: Jim Rooney....................... 020 4010 1926 PGSO: Blake Round.....................027 367 7679 HGSO: Ian Clark.............................03 442 3992 PG Sites; Mark Dewsbery............022 601 5576 Treasurer: Ian Hornby ................021 0238 8894 Airsp: Mark Hardman.....................021 809 275 Coronet Weather Station................03 442 9974 Coronet Peak Tandem PG & HG..0800 467 325 Elevation Paragliding....................0800 359 444 Extreme Air............................ 0800 PARAGLIDE Flight Park......................................03 442 1586 Infinity Paragliding School..........021 0228 2939 Lucky Montanas PG (Wanaka).......03 443 1680 Paraventures.............................0800 FLYSOLO Skytrek Hang Gliding & Paragliding.0800 759 873

After a 5 hour hike and staying the night at Mueller Hut, we parawaited over 5 hours at Mueller Saddle for the inversion to clear. Reluctantly we walked down to Sealy Tarns where we had a clear view of the valley and good flying conditions! A tramper took this photo of me flying my Advance Alpha 5 with Mueller Lake, Hooker Lake and Aoraki Mt Cook in the background! - Paul McGinley

Photo; Ross Gray

TARANAKI FREE FLYERS C/- Dennis Green 38 Kaitake Rd RD4 New Plymouth Pres/Sec/HGSO, Airsp; Dennis Green .......................................................06 752 7618 John H. Morgan..............................06 759 4262

MARLBOROUGH H.G.P.C. C/- Julie Bousquet 122 Wellington Street, Picton. Email: j_bousquet@yahoo.com Pres, Airsp: Vern Sanders...............03 570 5322 Sec: Julie Bousquet.....................027 340 0718 Treas: Derek Wong Nam.................03 577 8857 HGSO: John Urlich: .......................03 577 8886 PGSO: Russell Read....................027 448 0888

CANTERBURY H.G.P.C. Inc. C/- Jennifer Corbett 17 Admirals Way, New Brighton Christchurch 8061 www.chgpc.org.nz Email: jenster66@hotmail.com Pres: Danial Campbell....................03 980 6335 Sec/Treas; Jennifer Corbett............03 382 4404 PGSO; Robert Kennedy.................03 329 3339 HGSO; Eddie Pearson..................021 280 0599 Sites PG; Patrick McGregor...........03 328 8333 Sites HG; Derek McKee...............021 251 2300 Airsp; Peter Taylor..........................03 338 6287 Website; Stephen O’Shaughnessy.03 326 7373 Samuel Bartholomew.....................021 819 755 Canty HG School; Bill Degen.......021 247 2676 Nimbus Paragliding......................027 432 4874 ParaPro.........................................0800 548 323

Grant Tatham flying near Murchison

HAWKES BAY H.G.P.C. Inc. C/- Rebecca Rae 30 Kaweka Place Havelock North 4130 Email: hbhgpc@gmail.com www.soarhawkesbay.co.nz Pres, Airsp: Euan Talbot ..............022 048 7673 Sec/Treas: Rebecca Rae................021 605 204 PGSO: Sam Elkink........................027 474 7221 HGSO: Ross MacKay...................027 285 4195

WELLINGTON H.G.P.C. PO Box 9824 Marion Square Wellington 6141 www.whgpc.homestead.com Email: firth@xtra.co.nz Pres: Kris Ericksen.......................021 116 4558 Sec: Grant Firth............................. 021 422 698 PGSO: Chris Connolly..................022 676 5599 HGSO: Grant Tatham...................027 636 3491 Airsp: Ian Miller ............................022 176 8205 Newsletter Editor: Kris Ericksen.....04 938 6539 Oceania Paragliding School.........022 676 5599

TASMAN H.G.P.C. C/- Jude Tarr 2 Eckington Terrace Nelson 7010 Email: flytheice@gmail.com www.thgpc.org.nz Pres; Peter Allison .........................03 546 5242 Sec; Jude Tarr ...............................03 548 7944 Treas; Kirk Milligan.........................03 546 9790 PGSO;Greg Benjamin.....................03 545 1543 HGSO; Mark Patton.......................03 548 7944 Sites Maintenance; Dave Newton..03 545 1540 Sites Maintenance; Clint Fraser.....03 544 7960 Sites Owners; David Worthington..03 548 9844 Sites Owners; Rob Boyle.............021 140 8920 Airsp; Ian Woods..........................027 245 1851 Nelson Paragliding.........................03 544 1182 Adventure Paragliding....................021 762 769 Hang Gliding NZ.............................03 540 2183 Tasman Sky Adventures...............027 229 9693


ISSN 1170-9928

printed on recycled paper

MAGAZINE OF THE NEW ZEALAND HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING ASSN. INC. Published every three months for hang gliding and paragliding enthusiasts in New Zealand and abroad ● Subscription is by membership of NZHGPA (a legal requirement for all hang glider and paraglider pilots in NZ) ● For non

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N.Z.H.G.P.A. INC., 23 Covent Drive, Stoke, Nelson 7011, New Zealand www.nzhgpa.org.nz PRESIDENT

Evan Lamberton, 35A Manly Esplanade, Browns Bay, North Shore City 0630, 09 478 0063, 021 407833, gsifly@gmail.com VICE PRESIDENT

Derek Divers, 106 Lachlan Avenue, RD2, Wanaka 9382, 03 443 7190, 027 493 1112, d.divers@xtra.co.nz ADMINISTRATION/LICENSING

Nicky Hamill, 23 Covent Drive, Stoke, Nelson 7011, 03 547 4845, fax 03 547 4653, admin@nzhgpa.org.nz HANG GLIDING OPERATIONS MANAGER

Glenn Meadows, 8 Brook Tce, Nelson. 03 548 9151, 027 275 1022, gmeadows@clear.net.nz HANG GLIDING TRAINING MANAGER

Ross Gray, 7 Nathan Place, Palmerston North 4412. 06 357 8996, 021 126 0892, rosscoe@inspire.net.nz PARAGLIDING OPERATIONS MANAGER

Grant Middendorf, 30 Charles Court, RD2, Wanaka 9382, 03 443 5090, 027 491 3786, middy25@xtra.co.nz PARAGLIDING TRAINING MANAGER

Alan Swann, Rapid 115, Arthurs Point Road, Queenstown 9371. 021 0228 2939. info@infinityparagliding.co.nz AIRSPACE OFFICER

Nick Taber, 27 Strathaven Place, Dodson Valley, Atawhai, Nelson 7010. 03 545 0766, 021 420 742, nicktaber@hotmail.com CHIEF MEDICAL ADVISOR

Paul Brydon, 1431 Main Te Pahu Rd, RD5, Hamilton. 07 825 9161, 021 253 5264, paulbrydon@gmail.com DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE CONVENOR

Dean Straker, 35 Seymour Avenue, The Brook, Nelson 7010, 03 545 7511, 021 545 7511, dean@verticallimits.co.nz INTERNAL AUDITOR

Kris Ericksen, 11 Koromiko Road, Aro Valley, Wellington 6012, 04 938 6539, 021 116 4558, skf@paradise.net.nz NZHGPA BOOKSHOP

Ewen Tonar, 23A Brookview Court, Hamilton. 07 855 3969, 021 041 1418, etonar@infogen.net.nz HANG GLIDING COMPETITION COMMITTEE

● Photos, discs, flash drives and articles will be returned if clearly marked

Mark Alton, 09 480 8871, 022 195 5746, markalton@yahoo.com Dennis Green, 38 Kaitake Road, RD 4, New Plymouth 4374, 06 752 7618, 021 430 436, dennis-green@clear.net.nz Max Gebhardt, 03 312 7899, 022 159 6101, aerosm@gmail.com

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IN THIS ISSUE... Longest Paragliding Task............................................................4 Paragliding in Iceland .................................................................6 Family Hang Gliding.....................................................................8 Helping on the Farm...................................................................10 Canterbury Hang Gliding Meet .................................................12 3 Days, 30 Hours and 687 kms .................................................14 Safety Checks ............................................................................18 Executive Notices ......................................................................20 Events .........................................................................................22 A Glider too Far? ........................................................................24 Cross Country Champs Scoreboards.................................26, 28 Classified Advertisements.........................................................30 FRONT COVER: Dave Shaw flying a Malibu skyfloater at Mt Maunganui. Photo; John van den Broek of Vandi Photography

NEXT ISSUE DEADLINE: 1 JANUARY 2015 A

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Matt Senior Wins Longest Johnny: Matt, you just won a task at the US Paragliding Nationals that was 200.5km long... Is that really the longest ever competition task? Matt: I think 200km is the biggest. The closest long tasks we were able to dredge up were two PWC days in Granada, Spain in the year 2000, where people flew between 190 and 200k. Josh recalls one of those being 230k on the task board, but no one made it. The big task in Sun Valley in 2012 was 191k and the winner flew 175. OK, for all intents and purposes we’ll call it the longest. So what was your tactic on the day, and how did you win it? Did you stay with the gaggle, for example? My goal for the day was to fly fast and to fly smart. For the first 50km I was with the lead gaggle. Meanwhile Matt Henzi kept attacking and connecting, eventually luring Josh Cohn and Jarred Anderson to push out and join him. Not wanting to be left out I followed slightly off to the north and avoided their brutal line eventually connecting with a great 6m/s climb as the speedy trio struggled low to my south. Now high and by myself I followed the arrow and tried to fly smart. With about 80km to go the thermals became less consistent so I decided to wait for the gaggle on the top of the next climb. At about 35km from goal the climbs started to weaken causing the lead gaggle to grow to more than 20 pilots. As the gaggle started to connect with the second to last climb a red Boomerang pushed on slightly north of the course line. Meanwhile I struggled to connect with the best parts of the light broken lift working my way to the bottom of the gaggle. Knowing I would lose following the gaggle I decided to take a different line, so I pushed slightly north towards where I had lost sight of the red Boomerang. As I started my glide it was obvious I was on a loftier line but since I was behind, few noticed until I was out of reach. After gliding about 7km in smooth air I was alone and noticed the Boomerang climbing low and in front. I immediately applied full bar eventually connecting with a solid 2.5m/s climb over Rock Lake and Keith’s head. From there the 4:1 CESS was a short glide and I was able to relax and enjoy the unbelievable land scape on the glide in. [CESS = Conical End of Speed Section]

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Exclusive Interview with Matt Senior August 2014 - By Johnny Hopper

Above; With the Lead gaggle above the Palisades in Task 2 Right; Matt with Heather StClair climbing out over the Enchantments in Central Washington And you landed and you had won! That must’ve been great, did many others get into goal behind you? How was the rest of your comp? Matt: I think around 35 pilots made goal that day most of whom were in the first group. Although I thought I’d finished well I didn’t actually know I had won the task for sure until 2 days later. The CESS make it impossible to know who wins a task as many pilots approach the line at different angles and at different altitudes. When you combine that with the inaccuracy of the various instruments it impossible to know for sure.


Ever Competition Task Right; Climbing out above the Butte

The rest of the comp was epic, most tasks were over 100km and we flew seven out of seven days. The only things we had to deal with all week were the smoke from two separate fires, lots of dust devils and long days in the saddle. What’s your tactic for dealing with dust devils? My tactic for dust devils is to keep vigilant eye out for them as they are always a good sign of lift. However I always give them the respect they deserve down low and will totally avoid them if I’m less than 200m from the ground. During one task we were waiting for the start on the flats we noticed a pilot low head straight for a dust devil at about 50m above the ground. Before flying directly into the dusty he changed his heading slightly and ended up circumnavigating the base of the dusty landing safely less than 5m from it. It was possibly the most dangerous thing I have ever seen anybody do. So can you tell me about your kit? What are you flying, wearing and what have you got in your pockets up there? My Kit; I fly an Enzo 2 Medium about 7-8kg below the top of the weight range, If you want to not be at an unfair advantage you need to be on an Enzo 2. My Harness is a Swing Connect Race with an additional front mount reserve. I usually fly in shorts with a light down jacket on under speed sleeves. During long flights I will sometimes eat a Cliff Bar (energy bar) and usually have a shot of caffeinated energy gel about 30-40km from goal and wash it down with a little water. So you are now ranked 198 in the world, which is by far the highest ranking for any kiwi. You will almost certainly be representing New Zealand in the World Championships in Colombia in January... do you have big plans for that? My result in Chelan moves me back up into the top 200 :) The top 100 would be nicer, I’ve been unlucky with my results from two previous competitions, I was disqualified from 39th at the Super Final for flying the Enzo 2, the same one I flew in Chelan.

Right; Gaggle on glide

Middle right; Above the inversion

Lower right; Gliding into goal at St John, 200 km from Launch

I also podiumed in the Pre World Cup in Bir, India last October however the comp wasn’t sanctioned by FAI because of internal issues. I’m super excited to represent New Zealand again at the worlds in Colombia. Rolda is a fantastic place to race and with the consistent flying conditions it will be another endurance event which will see the most consistent pilots rise to the top. My goal in Colombia is to have fun and try and score 900 points or more in each task if I can do that I think I should place well. Is there any chance that we will see you back here for the PG Open in Wanaka in January? The World Championships would have been a good warm up for that?;) I would love to come to Wanaka in January and fly with you guys and gals. With the world finishing on the 25th of Jan and my first 300 Peaks tour starting on the 7 of Feb in Thailand it might be a wee bit squeeze. Well we would certainly love to see you there. Thanks for the interview, Matt - and all the best, particularly for Colombia. Full Scoring for the Chelan US Nationals, showing Matt’s awesome win are at; http://flyxc. org/Chelan2014.html

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Paragliding in Iceland Above, below and top next page; Above the Breiรฐamerkurjรถkull Glacier

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By Ant Green

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he whole Goldsmith family and I went to Iceland in July to test the new Base prototype and shoot some product footage and photos. It is Arna’s home so we had the grand tour. The weather is consistently terrible in Iceland but if you’re there when it is good, it is really, really worth it. We were lucky to have two flyable mornings in 7 days. On downtime we spent our time finding hot springs, eating really fresh fish, and exploring. Flying out, I was a little nervous flying around the peaks due to the 300 active volcanic faults in Iceland. On the first day we headed strait for Breidamerkurjokull Glacier. We crawled up a mossy ridge, cliff launched the prototype, and soared up towards the glacier. It felt like Le Grand Monte in Chamonix but with more ice. We played around in the clouds for a bit and headed back to land. It was one of the best. Wind and rain followed but a few days later the west side was clear. We found ourselves at Skalafell just in front of the sea breeze. It felt like flying Wales on a good day and we manage a nice little tour. Iceland’s landscape is a pilot’s wet dream. Imagine Teletubby land surrounded by grass or snow caped volcanoes. Almost everything is take-off-able and often landings are on thick mattresses of moss growing all over the place. Just stay away from erupting volcanoes and glacial crevices. Be careful not to fly over a big river or far from civilisation, Iceland is vast and only really has one road around the outside so if you don’t land next to your car you’re on your own.

Flying Skálafell Soaring near Höfn

Ant and Bruce hiking up Landing near Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon

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Learning to Fly I

15 year old Nelson College student Tyla Vincent and his mother Kim take up hang gliding...

first started to learn to fly a hang glider in early 2014 when my mother woke me up on the weekend with great excitement telling me to get up quick as she had a surprise for me.

I struggled up out of bed to find Glenn Meadows the hang gliding instructor and NZ Training Manager for hang gliding, picking us up, car loaded down with hang gliders, harnesses, big wheels,

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wind socks and helmets, to the music of the ‘80s Pink Floyd ‘Learning to fly’ we were off! I had been on one tandem flight off Takaka Hill and I had loved it! The thrill of flying, even controlling where we were going for a moment.. I had no idea what to expect as we drove over to Newtons farm in Havelock. The first day was quite fun getting used to the gliders on the ground, strapped in running through thistles and sheep shit and learning how to control them and park them in the

wind when not being used, as well as how to assemble and disassemble them. It turns out there are quite a few parts to a hang glider and each has to be put into the correct place and double checked! By the end of the day I was complaining about sore legs as I was doing double laps to pull my mothers hang glider up the hill as well as mine she also mentioned something about sore legs… don’t know what that was about. Several days later when our legs had just recovered, we were off checking


Left; Tandem flight at Takaka hill. Photo; Glenn Meadows

On days 4 to 7, I was getting even more air, practicing my take offs, landings and getting ready for my first high flight. I also spent quite a lot of time pulling my mothers hang glider up the hill for her, She was determined to get this no matter how many times she had to make her son pull the glider back up the hill. On day 7 after a few low flights we went up the big hill to do my first high flight. It felt amazing; instantly I was hooked into it; the height, the speed and adrenaline

Left; Glenn, Tyla & Kim. Photo; Tom Collet

of flying through the air in complete control of your own flight. Things just felt natural. A few days later I flew through a gorse bush when I tried to take off without enough wind coming up the slope‌ well no wind coming up the slope and was removing thousands of bits of gorse out of my shins and knees, it was a lesson well learned. Around about the same time I also nearly undershot the landing field and almost had to land in a cornfield. My most amazing flight so far

out the thistle bushes again. This time we were allowed to start from a little hill. I began to get more airtime as we started running more downhill. This was getting exciting!! Our feet were really leaving the ground and some times we were really glad of those big wheels (well Kim was for landing). The third day was more of the same, working out how to glide, successfully missing the big tree in the middle of the field that acted like a glider magnet. Now I was always landing on my feet and working out how to give little jumps skyward if a ferocious thistle bush was heading my way.

Above; First high flight. Photo; Glenn Meadows

was off Takaka Hill lasting nearly 1 hour and 20 minutes soaring to a maximum altitude of 4000ft. Soaring along this ridge while at 3500ft to 4000ft was absolutely amazing with stunning scenery and an amazing feeling of being free to fly where you want and making everyone else jealous. I have become completely hooked on flying and am always very excited when Glenn mentions flying on the weekend or any other time and can see myself doing it for a long time to come.

Left; Flight off Takaka hill. Photo; Justine Dunning

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It’s not only about what T his is a story about paragliding. There isn’t all that much flying in it but there’s definitely a point.

My story is set in November last year. Having successfully followed a ridge line for about 10kms, I found myself a few metres above the back of a small bowl, facing into wind with no ground speed and trying like crazy to get higher without turning into rotor. I was dealing with collapse after collapse while pinned to the ridge by strengthening winds. I had launched with a head full of spring thermals and my mind’s eye on the magic 20km marker but less than an hour later, my heart and nerves were fully engaged with trying to get away from the spot I was in and a potentially unrecoverable collapse. I finally made a break for it in a small lull, and thankfully didn’t encounter the dreaded rotor, but there was no way I could make it back to the front of the ridge. By then my only option was flying in the valley behind. Landing options were scarce in this steeply-sided place and as I got lower I began a landing prayer: “Please let there be something behind that bend, please let there be something.” At a height of about 50 metres, and to my enormous relief, I turned into the end of the valley, saw a small triangle of grass in front of a gate and knew that I could land in it. There were sheep nearby but luckily none in the spot I had my eye on. The landing wasn’t elegant but I was on the ground uninjured and that’s all I’d been praying for! I packed up my wing, climbed the gate and

By Kath Jones

Above; Kath is no stranger to walking out... Photo; Melanie Heather

started walking in the direction of the nearest main road. That’s when a truck pulled up and I met the land owner, a sheep farmer. It took seconds for me to establish that he was incredibly angry and it was a few minutes before I could convince him that I wasn’t a hiker who had wilfully ignored the trespassing signs and wandered onto his property. When I explained that it was a wing in my backpack and that I’d actually landed there (without much choice), he wasn’t very impressed. The notion of people like me flying on a whim and landing on farmland upsetting livestock seemed pretty inconsiderate to him. I could only apologise. In the end, the farmer offered me

Above; My office working hands aren’t used to this! Photo; Kath Jones

Left; Ready to launch Photo; Melanie Heather

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we do in the air...

Right; Getting altitude for cross country Photo; Melanie Heather

Above; On launch - can’t wait to get into those Spring thermals! Below; Smoko on the farm Photos; Kath Jones

a lift to the edge of his property. He said I could either ride on the flatbed with the dead lamb or sit in the cab. I joined him in the cab. It was mid-afternoon on a Sunday with a few hours of daylight left so I

asked if there was any work I could do to make amends. “I’m a hand short on Tuesday. You could come back and help with tailing,” he said, with a hint of challenge in his voice. I agreed to be there at 6:00am. My first job was clipping ears. After a couple of hours I had a fist full of blisters and no strength left in my hand. I couldn’t clip an ear cleanly anymore so I was moved to giving injections where I was thankful to stay for the rest of the day. Anything but being asked to help with the actual cutting and cauterising of tails. I realised afterwards that, even though I’d stood shoulder to shoulder all day with the men doing the tailing, I’d never once looked directly at it being done. About 700 lambs were tailed that day, I know that because one of my other tasks was to help pick up the still-warm tails and bag them. It was a tough day in more ways than one but I made it to the end and earned myself a couple of beers in the paddock. What I learned from talking to the land owner is that his farm operates on a knife-edge. Some years he’ll make a profit, some years a loss; that year he was hoping to break even. I found out for myself that Merino sheep can be skittish when I moved at the wrong speed and the whole mob took off. I was told that a good enough scare can see ewes running for the hills whether their lambs can keep up or not. Every dead lamb has a direct effect on the farmer’s bottom line and that’s one of the reasons that people dropping out of the sky on them is such a serious issue. It really didn’t help that the day I dropped

out of the sky was the same day the farmer had already discovered one of his lambs had died. Spending time working with him, I came to the conclusion that this man who’d given me one of the most intense reprimands of my adult life, was actually a pretty quiet and decent guy. He clearly cares about the welfare of his animals and the responsibility he has to make his family’s farm a viable business. At the end of the day we shook hands and he offered to pay me for the work I’d done but I refused. That wasn’t why I’d gone back. I said at the beginning that this is a paragliding story without much flying in it but with a definite point. The point is that paragliding isn’t just about what we do in the air. It’s about what we do on the ground too and that includes where we land, how we cross private land and how we interact with land owners. We might fly the same site all year round but different seasons bring different conditions on the ground as well as in the air. We should be prepared to adjust flight plans accordingly. With the amount of social media tools we have at our disposal it’s easier than ever to share information and keep everyone up to date with potential hot spots. We all know there are sites so sensitive that repeated ignorance from pilots really can result in them being shut down. Let’s make a collective effort not to give any cause for that – it’s better for us and better for land owners. At the end of the day, a little understanding can go a long way and not everything can be fixed with a box of beer.

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Invasion of the DFC By Rod Stuart

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post on the KFC Facebook page by Max on Sept 25th 2014: “Hi all, Canty league still on. At this stage we looking at Saturday Little River meeting at Dans in the morning will confirm on Friday arvo. Sunday is looking like ridge racing at Dale. There will be spot landing with spot prizes. Cheers Max” Text from Hagen to Rod same day: “11 Dunedin pilots will arrive tomorrow night at your place hope its OK” Rod to Marney same day: “Can we sleep 11 guests here?” Marney to Rod: “We have just enough beds and mattresses if some double up” Rods reply to Hagen: “No worries bring sleeping bags”. And so Max’s second Canterbury friendly league was on. Kevin, Dan G and Phil from Timaru arrived about 9pm and claimed the best beds. Hagen, James, Andrew and Flynn arrived and took the caravan plus a bedroom. The young ones arrived last. Super Dan and Caitlin scored a double bed while Ethan, Abe, Jordon and Flynn scored the garage bringing the DFC invasion up to 12 pilots! A couple of hours were spent catching up, checking weather reports and KFC sites on Google Earth. Saturday dawned overcast with a light Southerly front drifting in loaded with fog – less than ideal but a good call

Photos clockwise from above top; Landing area social; No gliders were damaged in spite of the mud and tight spot landing. Rod prepares to launch as Steve (flying) checks for any sign of lift. Photos; Bill Degen Old buzzards Kev (DFC) and Rod (KFC) engrossed in harness adjustments. They both have over 40 years hang gliding. Helpful Hagen – crusty old fart of the DFC. 17 Hang Gliders at Little River landing. Photos: Marney Holthouse Bill landing with VG on and drogue chute out. Photo: Andrew McKirdy

Little River take-off. Quentin Doig

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Photo:


was made - Little River at 11am. The fog lifted and soon 18 pilots were rigging up at 2000’. Steve led the way into a light SW wind with buoyant air and we all enjoyed a delightful prolonged plummet into the scenic Okuti Valley. Pilots that flew: Steve, Rod, Hagen, Bill, Andrew, Dan G, Dan C, James, Max, Ed, Phil, Reece, Super Dan, Jordon, Abe, Julian, Quentin and Derek. James landed closest to the spot. Bill made a spectacular landing with VG on and drogue deployed! Despite very light landing winds there were no offerings made to the aluminium Gods. The lack of wind was made up for in mud! Everyone was smiling. We drove home the scenic route via Allandale and our local training site - Cracroft. Caitlin and Ethan had a few flights and then it was back to Kirwee. The fires were lit while Marney put on an awesome spread of food with the help of Kevin and Ethan. A funny informal prize giving was held. Flynn Meyer won for most promising student, James for best spot landing, Bill for most spectacular landing, Hagen for being a helpful crusty old fart, Kevin for being student launch master. A big thank you Schneider Electric for

the T-shirts, LED torches mugs and bottle openers. And thank you Max for sorting them as a sponsor. The night was full of laughter, stories of hang gliding and plans for the summer. Shane and Asha turned up with the three McKay Brothers and together with Reece and Derek we had 20 people sleep over! Sunday dawned cold with a dusting of snow on the foothills. After coffee and left overs for breakfast the DFC packed up and we headed for Mt Hutt. The take off was in cloud, at 0°C and covered in slushy snow so Dan G took off from the side of the ski field road lower down. He scratched away and managed a very meritable 10km cross country landing near Staveley. Because of this flight Max declared him overall winner for the 2nd annual KFC league. It was so cool to see the two clubs mix it up. It was awesome to see so many young and new students flying together. Thank you to all DFC pilots for visiting the home of the KFC. Thank you Marney for enjoying the DFC invasion. Well done Max for pulling it off again ~ let’s do it again next year! PS: When’s the next MF Sandy Mount Classic?

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30 Hours to Happine In June 2014, 26 year old Berni Peßl (Nova team pilot) from Styria, Austria was the first pilot to complete a 300+ km FAI triangle on an EN B paraglider (Nova Mentor 3). In July he completed another XC hat-trick, flying 687 km in three days. Berni’s story about these three days isn’t about epic flying and heroism, it is about comradeship among pilots and the excitement of paragliding.

Above; Simon Oberrauner on his delta 2, we were on the way to the dolomites.

Above; Near the Tauferertal Traverse with Andreas Kusstatscher. Below; Ridnauntal panorama, high over the Ridnaun Valley (2nd TP of the Antholz triangle) view to the west from 3700m.

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July, 195 km FAI / 225 km free distance / 9 hours airtime www.xcontest.org/world/de/fluge/details/:b ernhardp/17.7.2014/07:52 It is 6am when we arrive at the Grente parking in the woods above Antholz (Anterselva) Valley. We are still a little sleepy from a very short night. The fatigue wears off quickly, however, as we hike up to Grentealm (Malga Grente) with many familiar faces around. It is always nice when the day begins with cordial greetings and smiles. Shortly before 10am it is already possible to launch. As predicted there are some clouds blown in by the north wind, obscuring the sun occasionally. So I decide not to do the traverse at Kals due to the shadowing. At the traverse in Sterzing (Vipiteno) one could feel the pressure difference between the northern and southern Alps clearly. A pretty powerful northerly wind was flushing down from Brenner Pass. I cross into the Ridnaun Valley (south side of the ridge), arriving pretty low. I can barely thermal up again in very turbulent conditions. Not really recommendable… Berni Koller shows a much more elegant solution for the Sterzing (Vipiteno) traverse: he flies to the north side of the ridge and then soars up in a relaxed manner. Very clever, have a look at his track! Further towards the second turnpoint I can finally thermal to over 3700m, enjoying a stunning view. The last leg into the Dolomites goes quite quickly. East of Kreuzkofel (Cima di Croce), but at a safe distance, I am carefully observing an impressive anvil of a cumulonimbus cloud. But no danger. Unfortunately, I make a little mistake and don’t thermal up high enough to gain the required altitude to get the third turnpoint in the FAI sector. But in any case the north wind makes flying rather uncomfortable. When I notice that Berni Koller is gliding out into the Badia Valley, I happily decide to follow him.

Right; Kreuzkofel with anvil thundercloud.

Above; Rinaldo Vuerich and Berni Pessl Together we hitchhike to an inn, where shortly afterwards Andreas Kusstatscher and Harald Mair join us. Cheers! Thanks to Joerg Mueller and Michael Zenker for finally finding and retrieving us. We arrive back in Anterselva Valley at night.

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July; 273 km FAI / 288 km free distance / 11 hours 15min airtime www.xcontest.org/world/de/fluge/details/:b ernhardp/18.7.2014/07:18 “Another hammer day” (as we say in German) is my first thought in the morning. The parking lot and the launch site see a highly international gathering of XC pilots. Iamina Ilea from Romania accompanies us to Grente again. David Rybar from the Czech Republic has come with a minibus full of pilots. Simon Wamser, Timon Weber, Till Gottbrath, Stefan Lauth, Andi Egger, Bernie Koller and some others represent the German XC pilots. Kurt Eder, Harald Mair came from a neighbouring valley in Southern Tyrol. Finally, Joerg Mueller, Michael Zenker and Simon Oberrauner represent the Austrian junior hike and fly XC pilots. With such a mixed bunch of nice people the XC flying mood is hard to beat.


ss and Satisfaction It’s a very distinct spirit. That’s why the personal bests are often improved on such days (which actually happened to some folks). Andreas Egger launches first at 9:15am, the other pilots and I immediately after him. Together, we help each other when searching for the best thermals, waving, cheering and enjoying the fantastic view. Being a bit inattentive, I don’t set the first turnpoint near Grossglockner properly. As a result I have to adjust the triangle on the second turnpoint in Ridnaun Valley. On the way to the third turnpoint in the Dolomites we can feel the north wind again, blowing down from the Brenner Pass. The traverse of Sterzing (Vipiteno) requires our full concentration (and some pilots bomb out). The rest is a gift. Lüsen, Kreuzkofel (Cima di Croce), the turnpoint in the south, and then the final glide into Antholz Valley. I land at about 8:30pm together with Kurt, Simon and Timon. What a day! This is exactly the way my last excursion to Southern Tyrol in this season should end! The Styrian XC newcomers Simon, Michael and Joerg pick me up at the landing. So the drive home has a car full of euphoric pilots.

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July; 167 km flat triangle / 174 km free distance / 9:30 hours airtime www.xcontest.org/world/de/fluge/details/:be rnhardp/19.7.2014/07:52 Around 3am we arrive back home. After hiking up twice to Malga Grente a shower is more than necessary. And sleeping in a proper bed is also fantastic. I sleep twice as deeply so I can be relatively alert when I

get up four hours later – somewhat cheerfully. I call Hannes Fuchshofer immediately. In fact, I had already cancelled the day before, but if there is a chance for a good flight with my friend, we have to take make the most of this. So my ‘mental coach Mr Fuchshofer’ picks me up – for the third XC day in a row. Arriving at the launch site on Schöckl (near the Austrian city of Graz), Joe Edlinger and a bunch of highly motivated pilots welcome us. For the third time in a row, the launch time is before 10am. The day doesn’t become the “hammer day” we were hoping for, because the south wind is churning things up too much. But it is such a pleasure to fly XC with many friends in Styria. At 2pm it happens; battery empty! Luckily only the camera battery, but vario, mobile phone and tablet also indicate battery low… what to do? I do not want to land too far away from home. For a long journey home I would be not have enough battery power. So mobile phone off, vario in quiet mode and tablet in economy mode. Soon I find myself somewhere very low in the Gesäuse mountains – less than 200 meters above valley floor. There is no need to explain the next two hours in detail, but in brief: with full concentration I manage to progress five kilometres – with an average speed of less than 3 km/h. Yet, I am still in the air! What follows afterwards is a real reward and paragliding at its best; nice conditions, stunning views of the Hochschwab chain or, as Tommy says, “the Styrian Dolomites”. He is right. At 7:20pm I land finally. With the help of a nice driver and a beloved brother I arrive at home at 8:30pm.

Above; Simon Oberrauner, Timon Weber and Simon Wamser. In the dolomites, it’s so nice to fly with friends.

I have spent more 29 hours and 45 minutes in the air and covered a distance of 687 kilometres within in three days. Now I am unbelievably exhausted and tired. But also unbelievably satisfied and happy.

Left; Tablet showing 270km plus

Above; View of the “tre cime” (Three peaks of Lavaredo) in The Dolomites.

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AeroDesign APRON The most comfortable and practical harness for training and dune flying. Unrestricted vertical/prone transitions, strong webbing and cordura fabric for maximum strength and durability, parachute container, stash pocket, storage, plus autolocking carabiner, stirrup and instructions included.

DROGUE CHUTES www.willswing.com/Accessories/drogue.asp Turn your race wing’s glide into a skyfloater’s for small landing areas. The PDA and short bridle with swivel gives the smallest, safest and easiest to use drogue. At low speed it has little effect, but speed up and your height disappears with little excess speed to burn off. The safest and most versatile drogue system.

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Safety Checks AustriAlpin Delta Carabiner FD00A

For the safety of all customers AustriAlpin is issuing an immediate voluntary recall of certain batches of the Austrialpin DELTA carabiner delivered after October 2012.

If you own a Austrialpin DELTA carabiner that was purchased after October 2012, please read this notice carefully and follow the instructions. Affected are DELTA carabiners, article number FD00A with the batch number 00001 and Ø0001.

Reason for the recall: In the course of routine tests, anomalies in strength of the major axis was observed at several pieces. Caused by inhomogeneous raw material, minimal stress cracks can occur at the bending. These cracks can be tricky, because rarely they do not occur immediately. Do not use these carabiners any more! Please return only carabiners which are identified as having the relevant batch codes. Once identified, please use the form at http://downloads.austrialpin.at/DELTA.pdf for sending back the carabiners. We will replace the returned product as quickly and efficiently as possible with a new Delta carabiner. As a compensation for shipping cost, you will receive a complimentary AustriAlpin carabiner. For more information, do not hesitate to contact us via; Phone: +43 5225 65248 email: recall@austrialpin.at The safety of our customers is of prime importance. We would like to apologise for the inconvenience of this precautionary measure and are kindly asking for your understanding and help. Return address: Austrialpin VertriebsgmbH Industriezone C-2a A-6166 Fulpmes Oesterreich/Austria Moyes advise that they have purchased the ‘Delta’ carabiner dating from 26th February, 2013 to date. If you purchased a harness or carabiner from Moyes from between 1st January, 2013 to 14th October, 2014 you need to carefully check the carabiner for the batch number. Woody Valley also have supplied the same carabiner with their harnesses.

Buckles on Swing, Icaro, Turnpoint and Woody Valley Paraglider Harnesses

DHV GS-03-0347-07, Peak 2 T-LOCK DHV GS-03-0348-07, Peak 2 GET-UP DHV GS-030349-07, Exense Air DHV GS-03-0373-08, HASKA T-Lock DHV GS-03-0383-13, HASKA Get up DHV GS-03-0384-13, ENERGY SP DHV GS-03-0386-13, Swing Connect reverse Evo T-lock DHV GS-03-0389-13, Voyager PLUS EAPR-GZ-7198/09, x-Rated 5 EAPRGZ-7325/10, X-Alps GTO EAPR-GZ-7438/11, as well as Icaro Energy XC EAPR-GZ-7438/11, Swing Connect Race EAPR-GZ-7438/, Woody Valley Wani certification number unknown, Woody Valley X-Rated 6 EAPR-GZ-7439-12 The manufacturer has issued a safety advisory. Some of the light automatic buckles on some paragliding harnesses have experienced an unwanted opening due to the failure of one of the two block/unblock side buttons. If the buckles shown here are on your harness, please make sure they aren’t faulty simply performing the following procedure: 1. Lock the system by inserting the male buckle into the female buckle and make sure both block/unblock side buttons go back to their original position. 2. Unlock the system by pressing both side buttons applying pressure evenly and make sure both block/unblock side buttons go back to their original position. 3. Repeat this procedure several times for a definite result. Should you notice one of the two block/ unblock side buttons does not go back to its original position, please contact your dealer or the manufacturer to have your buckle/s replaced. Woody Valley will take care of the repair costs. Woody Valley Hang Glider harness buckles Woody Valley say; We haven’t experienced any such problem on hang-gliding harnesses, most likely because these buckles aren’t subject to constant stress during flight. However, we reckon it’s a good thing to read the DHV safety notice that explains the procedure to make sure your buckle is fully working. The problem is only with some the chest buckles of our paragliding harnesses because these buckles are under constant stress due to the continuous oscillations of the glider. Our buckle has been designed to work even with just one side button closed and therefore it has been tested with one side button open for several thousands oscillation cycles in order to simulate the continuous work typical of the chest strap. We are working with our buckle manufacturer to understand why, despite all the successful test results, one open side button determines the opening of some buckles. We found out that the side button rarely jams irreversibly and most of the times it moves back to its original position simply by pressing on it slightly and, once there, the buckle will remain safely closed till the next opening/closure... Woody Valley srl via Vienna 92 loc. Spini, settore D 38121 Trento, Italy www.woodyvalley.com tel +39 0461 950811

Sup’Air Paraglider Harness Buckle

Safety note : SUPAIR_2014/08_003, dated 25/08/2014 Products concerned: SUP’AIR harnesses with 30mm automatic buckles labelled with one of the following indexes; 01/12, 07/12, 02/12, 08/12, 03/12, 09/12, 04/12, 10/12, 05/12, 11/12, 06/12, 12/12.

Description of the problem: Unusual wear on strap passing through the female part of the 30mm automatic buckles, mainly used in chest closure. (pictured). Webbing can be cut by the edge of automatic buckle. Some automatic buckles have sharp protrusions which may cause deterioration of the strap. This problem was solved without delay following the finding of the problem. Where to find the index on the automatic buckle (picture).

NOTE: if the index is not readable, please contact us. This check should be performed immediately. How to do a visual check; Observe the webbing strap in contact with the automatic buckle. If you see : - Fraying of the strap (presence of loose threads) - A gnawed edge (deformation due to friction) Then the harness may be damaged. If your harness has none of these symptoms, your harness is not affected by the problem, but do not forget your preflight checks! Procedure for suspected problem or problem found: - Do not fly with the harness affected - Take pictures of detected symptoms accompanied by an explanatory note and your contact information (name, address, phone, email) addressed by e-mail to the following address: sav@supair.com A response will be made as soon as possible to decide on the treatment to be given to your harness. In case a repair is required, the costs for this repair will be covered by Sup’Air. - Team SUP’AIR 34, rue Adrastee 74 650 Chavanod France Tel: +33 (0)450 457 529 e-mail : info@supair.com

Bräuniger brand to be Flytec Velvet 2 T-Lock DHV GS-03-0335-06,VELVET 2 Get-Up DHV GS-03-0336-06, Velvet 2 Airbag Get-Up DHV GS-03-0337-06, VELVET 2 Airbag T-Lock DHV GS-03-0338-06, Exense T-LOCK

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Bräuniger has been part of the Swiss enterprise Flytec for over ten years. Since then, the two companies have sold the same or similar products, each under their own name. From the end of 2014, new products will be under the name Flytec. Current Bräuniger devices in stock will remain available under their old name. They are taking this step to bundle resources and put them behind a single brand to strengthen it.

It is well known that the Brauniger/Flytec SensBox works in combination with several iPhone and Android apps. But only a few pilots realise so far that the SensBox can also be used without connection to a smart phone, as a stand-alone vario with IGC recording – this makes the SensBox a perfect backup or hike&fly instrument. Almost unknown is the fact that the SensBox is also a first class data logger for a huge number of interesting sensor values. This is an area where we see a use that could interest many people also outside the free flying scene: Data collection for outdoor videos. In logger mode, instead of IGC files, the SensBox creates text files with all sensor values, recorded at high frequency. This data can then be evaluated in Excel or with other software. For example with Dashware, as Philipp Huber shows us in his video at https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWU7rU3484&feature=youtu.be We are now looking for outdoor sports enthusiasts who record their adventures on video, and who would like to make those videos even more attractive with the help of our SensBox. Or developers of sports and outdoor gear who wish to gain new insights into their prototypes from data-enriched videos. Contact us by email at norbert.zech@ brauniger.com

USHPA 2015 Calendars

The US Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association advises that their 2015 Hang Gliding and 2015 Paragliding calendars are now available for sale. Brighten your walls in 2015 with this amazing collection of twelve full colour hang gliding or paragliding photos taken by pilots from around the world. A breath of fresh air for the dark no-fly days of the season. Hang it on your office wall - whether in your home or in your van. Compiled & Published by USHPA. Interested buyers can find the calendars on The USHPA website for US$20 each at www. ushpa.aero/store.asp USHPA P.O. Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901


For those who want to fly high: Bräuniger is now Flytec! Bräuniger and Flytec instruments have been the same for a while now. Finally, the two brands bundle their strength under the same cape and with the extra power will get you flying higher. Expect the prevailing level of quality and service, for example with the new Flytec Element. Cross country flights become child‘s play with this highly precise vario. It guides you high up into the air, its GPS points you in the right direction and shows the way the wind blows. Thanks to airspace warnings you always stay on the safe side. And after landing, records of your adventures are immediately available for Google Earth and online contests. Find out more from your Flytec or Bräuniger vendor or at element.flytec.ch


Executive Repor ts Minutes of NZHGPA AGM & Extraordinary Executive Meeting 9 August 2014, Auckland Jet Park Hotel Call to Order - 10:30am. Evan opened meeting, welcome, introductions, housekeeping. Present – Evan Lamberton; President (AKL), Derek Divers; Vice President (STH Delegate), Grant Middendorf; PG Ops (STH), Ross Gray; HG Training (MAN Delegate), Glenn Meadows; HG Ops (TAS Delegate), Nicky Hamill; Administrator (TAS), Kris Ericksen; Internal Auditor (WTN), Nick Taber; Airspace Officer (TAS Delegate), Hagen Brueggemann (AOR Delegate), Leslie Graham (AKL Delegate), Wayne Roberts (BOP Delegate), Dan Campbell (CAN Delegate), Rebecca Rae (HAW Delegate), Russ Read (MAR Delegate), Herman Ahrens (NOR Delegate), Dennis Green (TAR Delegate), Ewen Tonar; Bookroom (WAI Delegate), Grant Tatham (WTN Delegate), Tony Cowley @ Wayne Rohrs; Website (AKL). Observers; Janice Lamberton (AKL), Nick Stead (AKL), Dennis Thorpe (AKL/AOR) Apologies – Dean Straker; outgoing PG Training (TAS), Alan Swann; incoming PG Training (STH). Election of vote counters – Dennis Green & Nick Stead – carried unanimously. Minutes of 2013 AGM – briefly read by Evan. Matters arising – Mark Alton – under 18 membership fee (came up after last AGM meeting) – fees determined at AGM, can’t then be changed unilaterally. Can maybe look at again at this AGM. Motion to accept minutes of last meeting be accepted – carried unanimously. President’s report – Evan briefly discussed his report, discussing what has happened during the year; revising OPM etc, Airspace review, website, internal auditing etc. To discuss website/Airborn better once report given by Wayne Rohrs and Tony Cowley. Issues/reports to be discussed later in meeting. DOC. – Derek & Evan spoke briefly re “no go” fly areas, DOCs requirements etc. Few small discussions from floor on various issues. 11am Late arrivals: Dan Campbell, Dennis Thorpe, Hagen Brueggemann, Wayne Roberts – introduced; brief discussions re problems in Chch/BOP – speed flyers/non-members/sites at risk/CAA intervention. Further talk from Evan re his report – memberships, database etc., jobs for the coming year. Closing Statement re our association and our contributions to it. Other reports – Hang gliding training (no discussion); Auditor – brief discussion; HG OPS report – some discussion re accident reporting/ACC stats/reporting thresholds; Paragliding OPS report – same issues as HG but also accidents in media, not necessarily reported. Administrator’s report – not talked to. Airspace Officer’s report – Nick spoke to floor re airspace issues re CAA and 5 yearly airspace review. Need for individual clubs to be doing own airspace submissions with help from Nick. Database set up for clubs to use for own submissions. Share knowledge to assist all clubs with issues with CAA, support from Nick. Important for all airspace meetings to be represented at by someone from our association – important to ‘be there’ in the face of CAA. Election of Officers One nomination for each position – all existing elected unopposed. Glenn & Ross will swap roles for the coming year – Glenn HG training – Ross HG OPS. PG Training – Dean Straker retired – Alan Swann from Queenstown nominated. Evan proposed that all positions be accepted – agreed unanimously.

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New Website: Tony Cowley spoke to a powerpoint presentation re data content and how it works. Wayne Rohrs arriving after lunch, will be able to explain some technical issues. Brief discussions re format, contributors, old information migration etc. Difficulties getting people to submit stories etc to complete website (as with Airborn). Tony is to be website manager - moderator, checks comments etc., manages website – gatekeeper/filters content. Cost is free via Google. Site set up by Wayne Rohrs in Google Sites – costs are design and technical costs to Wayne. Tony is volunteer at moment. About half of $20k allocated at a previous AGM has been spent to get website going – ongoing cost of website is free. Now is time to publicise to clubs how to contribute to website – do we have a few contributors ie one for each club, or open it up to everyone? Don’t want to have barriers to people ‘contributing’ to website. Expand so that club sites can feed to website, or at least be linked to club sites. Accounts – must be voted to accept – any issues? Question re income from fees and expense re Airborn. Postage costs for Airborn previously put under postage, but felt should be included in Airborn costs. Insurance costs went up – public liability up and forestry up so good for Association. Various discussions re insurance and pilot excess, procedure for making claims. Proposed to accept accounts be accepted – Evan, second Nicky. Carried unanimously. Break for lunch 12:45pm. Reconvened 1:40pm. Website: Wayne Rohrs arrived to answer website issues/online Airborn issues. Questions re format of online Airborn – ability to read etc. Publication of online Airborn as it is temporary until decision made on Airborn, then will use proper magazine format. General migration of information from old website that needs to come to new website - eg forum discussions/adverts etc, will everything come over, historically? Need new form platform, more modern to fit in with rest of site. Membership renewal should work as it has in the past. Student/visitor memberships to come online? Rules in OPM are not flexible - being discussed in remits later, with look to putting online. Old database doesn’t completely mix with new website, working out fixes. Set Fees for coming year: Evan proposed (according to budget) that fees remain as for 2013/2014. Dennis suggested 2% increase every year for inflation to avoid a large hike in fees at some stage. Some discussion re surplus held of $100k approx. Youth fees: previously had large discount for under-18s for full membership. Discussions re costs for membership as a whole – how to reduce costs for new pilots to get them into flying. Remit: proposed to have fee $50 annual membership for all pilots aged 18 or under. Proposed Hagen/Second Nick Taber. Mark Alton proposed amend to 20 years. Derek proposed amendment to say provided they are NZ resident pilots. Passed unanimously. Fees to be discussed again in a year’s time. Further Remit: to accept all other fees to stay at current levels. Passed unanimously. REMITS Discussions re delegate duties – is delegate able to alter vote at meeting if discussions change viewpoints. Constitution states that is responsibility of delegate to determine wishes and ensure wishes are expressed in votes cast by delegate or proxy – is uncertainty about whether delegate has discretion at meeting,

on a brand new remit that they haven’t discussed. Opportunity to abstain from voting if felt necessary. 1. To change the NZHGPA Constitution to include the Airspace Officer as a member of the Executive Council. (Amend Constitution at 5.8.1) To nominate Nick Taber as Airspace Officer on the Executive Council and circulate with the agenda for the General Meeting as per 5.8.2. Discussion: Nick Taber expressed not voting for personality, but voting for a position (possibly someone different in the future). Honorarium? Would be appreciated, but was taken on voluntarily – didn’t foresee workload as it has turned out. Important role but is it worth going on the exec? Would it increase Nick’s workload? Evan spoke, exec members are all involved in running of association, involved in decision-making for whole exec – would be extra workload. Honorarium can be paid to someone outside exec and position can be carried out outside the exec. Vote on remit: 7 favour, 29 against; Lost New remit: Auckland Club proposed honorarium to value of other regular executives be paid to NZHGPA Airspace Officer. Proposed: Les Graham/Second: Bex Rae, Vote: 36 favour, Carried 2. Auditor v Review. I would like to propose that we amend the constitution wording from “Auditor” to “Reviewer” in the following sections: 5.14.1 (b), 5.14.2, 7.1.1, 7.1.3, 8.3.1 (f). Discussion: Fee saving. Fees predominantly from members, division of duties etc reduce chances of fraudulent activities. Derek spoke explaining duties of auditor v reviewer, fraudulent activities etc - what would an auditor look at? Several clubs took view of reviewer most of the time but with a ‘regular’ audit say every 5 years. Derek noted current accounts have not yet been audited due to time constraints. Noted that audit could be asked for at any AGM and discussed/voted on at time. Vote: 31 favour, 8 against, Carried 3. Constitutional change for AGM 2014 Visitor members. Constitution 4.2.7 (e).Amend from “have never previously been members of the Association” to read “ Are not and have not been New Zealand residents at any time in the previous 12 months.” Discussion: Aim – to let a genuine visitor come to NZ and be a visitor more than once. Tasman Club – slight wording change “are not and have not been residing in NZ for more than 4 months in the previous 12 months”. Vote on amended remit: 36 favour, Carried 4. Airborn That the members vote in order of preference for the following to give the new NZHGPA executive guidance on the future direction for our magazine: i. Status Quo of 4 issues per year glossy print magazine. Current cost per issue approx $8000 incl printing and distribution = $32000 p.a. or approx $40 per member. New tender for contract required. ii. Optional full colour glossy print mag by subscription with reduction in fees for nonsubscribers. Free downloadable version via the web site for everyone. Separate contracts for production and printing. iii. Electronic magazine only, hosted on a dedicated magazine website (such as Zinio or ISUU) with full contract for production to current standard but no printing. Currently printing costs (as far as I can tell from the

quotes) approx $4000 per issue so cost approx $20 per member. iv. A paid email (and available on web site) simple newsletter format on a shorter time frame (monthly??) with full colour but lower production values aimed at local content. Contracted editor to find or produce content. Say $500 per issue = $6000. Cost approx $8 per member. v. A volunteer produced version of 4 above. This could work but depends on the skill and enthusiasm of the editors. It does work in many similar sized organisations to ours that have a more volunteer based culture. Discussion: Doesn’t change constitution but does effect budget. Trying to get discussion on where we go with Airborn – not really a remit. How to record it? Preferential voting. Tasman Club said was confusing on how to vote/show preference so would vote status quo and get a proper survey done. Previous survey done a few years ago, Xen spoke re this – outcome was nearly 50/50 out of those who responded, slightly in favour of Airborn magazine. Big issue was no way of knowing what online version would look like, so defaulted to status quo – what they knew. Various discussions re costs print/electronic etc. Discussions re Bill Degen’s contract, costings, should be put out to tender every three years. What is the preferred option? Vote: First Preference: Opt 1 – 15; Opt 2 – 7; Opt 3 – 5; Opt 4 – 7; Opt 5 – nil Second preference: Option 3 – 14 votes Second preference: Option 2 – 5 votes Second preference: Option 1 – nil Second preference: Option 4 – 2 votes Third preference: Option 2 – 7 votes Third preference: Option 4 – 7 votes Russ pointed out that votes should only be taken as broad guidance – no real definite verified costings etc in remits. Russ pointed out on behalf of Bill that costs increase as printings/postings reduce of paper copy. Evan stated that independent quotes indicate costs per copy might be higher if less copies are printed but the overall cost still goes down. It was suggested from the floor that advertising could be spread further to cover costs. Discussions re tender process – felt that editor still required to make magazine a ‘good’ magazine. Possibly pay someone to be ‘journalist’ to write stories for those who can’t/ don’t want to. What happens now? Goes out to tender for 3 years with exiting? Or shorter tender for existing? Exec works towards incremental change over time towards alternative publications. Need to get more involved with provider in future. 5. That we accept the budget presented, adjusted for whatever effect any of the above remits have on our expected bottom line. No Discussion. Vote: 36 favour, Carried. 6. Non flying members. Amend all references to “non-flying member” to read “Associate member”. Associate members would not have the right to hold or apply for pilot certificates, would have lower membership fees and would have all other rights of a full member including voting rights and election to official positions. Change of status. 4.7 Delete entire section. This is not required as a loss of FPP or medical fitness suspends all pilot certificates. Furthermore Non-flying members are given no rights under section 4.4. Discussion: Southern Club says that nonflying members should not vote. Vote: 29 favour, 7 against, Carried. 7. Pilot members. In all cases amend “Pilot member” to read “Full member”. This reflects


Discretionary Projects Fund the common usage and helps separate membership rights from the privileges of any pilot certificates. a. Constitution 4.4.2 Amend “Pilot members” to “Full members” b. 4.4.2 (a) Delete and replace with “to apply for pilot certificates according to the bylaws of the association.” No discussion: Vote: 36 favour, Carried 8. Senior person positions 5.1.8 After “For any nominations...” insert the words “to designated senior person positions”. Currently only the Pres/CEO, Vice president and 2 ops managers are designated senior persons. This amendment allows greater flexibility in the exec. No discussion: Vote: 26 favour, 10 against Carried 9. Delegates 5.4.2 delete the words “in the votes cast” and “in person or by proxy”. This is to reflect the fact that delegates must express the views of the members they represent but they must also have the ability to take note of discussion of a remit at the AGM and where necessary to reflect that in how they cast the vote. To enforce the rigid view of 5.4.2 would eliminate any value in discussion at an AGM. No discussion: Vote: 14 favour, 19 against, Lost 10. Minutes a. 5.5.1 Amend “in a hard bound minute book” to read “and be made available to all members within two months of the general meeting. Delete all of the 2nd sentence starting “A full or summarised account...” b. 5.7.4 Amend “minute book” to “minutes”. No discussion: Vote: 36 favour Carried Meeting closed: 4:15pm

Extra Executive Meeting Opened 4:30pm. Voting rights explained. Remits. 1. That the NZHGPA establish a working group to investigate means of effectively promoting hang gliding and paragliding in line with Objective 3 (a) of the Constitution: “Develop, protect and promote the sport of hang gliding and paragliding.” Discussion – Mark - paragliding all good, have enough members/students coming through but HG is not in same position (in Auckland). 140 HG as opposed to 850 total membership. As membership gets older less and less HG pilots, less instructors to teach. Hagen – view is that perhaps NZHGPA association is not behind HG instructors, don’t issue instructor rating to people not up to the task. In the case of accidents etc then NZHGPA needs to be fully supportive of its instructors. Hagen doesn’t charge to train students, has help from older pilots to keep enthusiasm and like ‘club’ atmosphere – is a unique situation. Dennis Thorpe spoke – Auckland has population but only 1 instructor so difficult to promote and get people in to the sport. Evan discussed how the NZHGPA could support – ie promotional leaflet etc. Assn maybe to help instructors do things correctly – make sure paperwork done properly, procedures followed correctly, use of internal auditor to help with compliance. Glenn said we should remove obstacles for instructors/ students re rules (streamline rules). Ross/ Hagen suggest older ‘club’ model should be used as opposed to commercial model, to assist HG. Dan discussed that HG Ops mgrs don’t seem

to do much to support and enhance sport. Hasn’t seen much come out of exec for 10 years he has been flying. Glenn suggested seminars aren’t productive – no new blood coming through. Vote: unanimously carried. Vote for people to be on the group: Evan, Glenn & Ross to co-ordinate. Executive not to be involved. 3-4 other people to be involved in the group to help. Mark & Hagen to help find people. General Business: Accident reporting – can something be put in Airborn – a link/hyperlink, but needs to be done so that it’s not obvious who it involves. Need to have accidents reported first, to get them publicised. Xen suggested one report be made into a ‘story’ for each publication so that it’s an interesting read and people can learn from it. But do we want to publicise it to the wider public? Need to change culture so that it’s acceptable to publish and accident report. Also need to change threshold for reporting – shift it down to ‘ACC’ claim level? Health & Safety? Currently – must report if 48 hours hospitalisation. Suggest you should file a report if there is a lesson to be learnt... Remit: That the threshold for accident reporting be an injury that results in an ACC claim or medical care. Vote: unanimously carried. Porosity meters: there are association meters, a couple are broken. Association will look at getting a few more meters for clubs. Will be attended to ASAP. Discretionary fund committee: 2 applications to be put forward to recommendation for $3000. Will committee put another $3000 for this year. Is a permanent $3000 per year. To be promoted again with clubs. If overspent then remit more money for next year. Meeting closed 5:45pm.

W.O.F. and LICENCE CHECKS Members are advised that the Association’s internal auditor Kris Ericksen may be undertaking spot checks at popular flying sites and at competitions over the summer as to whether pilots are carrying their membership card and have a current WOF attached to their wing. The auditor, however, will not be “dobbing in” non-complying members but only reporting to the Executive the proportion of pilots who are not complying with the requirements. So if Kris approaches you at a flying site please don’t be alarmed! (However, if a CAA inspector discovers you flying without a licence or WOF you will be fined $1000 for each infringement.) In addition, if members have any concerns regarding safety policy procedures or other aspects required under Rule 149 (www.caa.govt.nz/rules/ Part_149_Brief.htm) that they consider are not otherwise being adequately dealt with by the Association they should contact Kris Ericksen, on a confidential basis if required, at skf@paradise.net.nz or call him on 021 116 4558

The NZHGPA is calling for bids for funding from the Discretionary Projects Fund. Terms of Reference for NZHGPA Discretionary Projects Fund Members of the NZHGPA Discretionary Projects Funding Committee (DPFC) are to be appointed annually by the Executive. There shall be a minimum of three committee members: one representative of hang gliding, one representative of paragliding, and one Executive member. The amount of discretionary funds to be allocated will be set annually at the AGM/ Special Executive meeting. (For 2014/15 $3000 has been set aside for the fund). Applications must be submitted by a club, supported by a minuted motion proposed and seconded at a club meeting by current NZHGPA members (PIN numbers to be supplied). The DPFC will consider all applications for funds against the criteria (listed below). The DPFC will assess applications as they are received during the course of the year. The DPFC may request additional information from the requesting club. Each funding application will be assessed on its own merits, with no expectation of ongoing funding based on past funding approvals, or commitments to fund aspects of a project into future years. That is: each application should be for a stand-alone project or event. The DPFC will make a recommendation to the NZHGPA Executive as to how funds could be distributed. Not all funds available have to be distributed annually. It is a requirement that clubs receiving funds will report at appropriate intervals on the use of the funds. Reporting requirements will be advised by the DPFC at the time of the funding approval. Criteria for the NZHGPA Discretionary Projects Fund Financial assistance will be considered for club projects that meet some or all of the following criteria or considerations: 1) Helps to develop, protect and promote the sport of hang gliding and/or paragliding. 2) Facilitate the safety, development, long term or ongoing use of a launch site of national importance. (A site of “national importance” would generally be considered to be a site that has been used at least several times for national competitions, or which is used on an ongoing basis for training a significant

number of students). 3) Support gliding meetings, competitions, or technical seminars (where there is a demonstrated benefit to the wider membership). 4) Maximises the number of Association members that will benefit as a result of the project. 5) Otherwise supports or fulfills the objectives of the Association. 6) All things considered equal proposals that have a demonstrated contribution of resources (financial or in kind), by the club requesting funds and/or from other sources, will be given stronger weighting. 7) That the requesting club has adequately reported on the outcomes of any earlier grants received. Relevant objectives from the Association’s Constitution are: (a) Develop, protect and promote the sport of hang gliding and paragliding. (d) Foster harmony between Member Organisations, Pilot Members, Visitor Members, Student Members, Non Flying Members, Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand, public and local bodies, flying site owners and the general public. (e) Encourage sharing of knowledge and provide for the benefit of all members and member organisations, advice, education and technical information to advance and promote safe hang gliding and paragliding. (i) Promote gliding meetings, competitions, technical seminars, gliding schools, social events, Booksellers, publications and anything else which may assist these objectives. (j) Foster the technical development of the sport in terms of hardware and flying techniques. Applications must be submitted by a club, supported by a minuted motion proposed and seconded at a club meeting by current NZHGPA members (PIN numbers to be supplied). Applications should explain how the relevant criteria listed above are fulfilled by the proposal. Applications are to be returned to the NZHGPA Administrator (Nicky Hamill admin@ nzhgpa.org.nz). Mark Alton markalton@yahoo.com Derek Divers d.divers@xtra.co.nz Kris Ericksen skf@paradise.net.nz NZHGPA Discretionary Projects Funding Committee

Site Notices

SITE CLOSURES

In Springtime throughout New Zealand, farms are expecting newborn sheep, cattle, horses, deer and other animals. Your presence on or flying over farmland could frighten or injure pregnant or newborn stock. Even at places that you usually fly without problems, please check with the farmer if it is OK to fly. This is a difficult time for farmers and they do appreciate your consideration. Not asking has resulted in the loss of many flying sites while asking has earned their friendship. If in doubt or if any stock are present DO NOT FLY without asking.

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Learn to Fly

EVENTS

Hang gliding, paragliding schools and instructors that you can contact for qualified flight instruction in New Zealand NORTHLAND HANG GLIDING

Skywalk Guntram Gross, Herman Ahrens Phone: 09 436 0268 or 09 432 9333, 021 072 0357 Email: skywalk@igrin.co.nz

AUCKLAND HANG GLIDING Aqua Air Adventure Paddy Monro Phone: 09 528 7594, 027 288 0193 Email: aquaair@ihug.co.nz Web: www.gethigh.co.nz PARAGLIDING SkyWings Paragliding Alan Hills Phone: 09 570 5757, 027 498 2345 Email: alan@skywings.co.nz Web: www.skywings.co.nz Wings & Waves Paragliding and Kitesurfing Reuben Muir and Eva Keim Phone: 09 446 0020, 027 472 7013 Email: info@wingsandwaves.co.nz Web: www.wingsandwaves.co.nz WAIKATO PARAGLIDING Wings & Waves Paragliding and Kitesurfing Reuben Muir and Eva Keim Phone: 09 446 0020, 027 472 7013 Email: info@wingsandwaves.co.nz Web: www.wingsandwaves.co.nz OMAHU, THAMES/PAEROA PARAGLIDING Bruce Vickerman Phone: 07 862 4919, 027 498 9941 Email: bruce.v@clear.net.nz HAWKES BAY PARAGLIDING Airplay Paragliding School Barry Sayer, Phone: 027 451 2886 Email: barry@airplay.co.nz Web: www.airplay.co.nz BAY OF PLENTY PARAGLIDING Levitate Paragliding Ltd Shane and Summer Tims Phone: 07 542 0098, 027 649 2222 Email: levitateparagliding@hotmail.com Web: www.levitate.co.nz Kiwi-Air Mike & Aniko Phone: 07 929 5807, 021 104 6208 Web: http://kiwi-air.co.nz Mount Paragliding Wayne Roberts Phone: 07 574 4223, 027 643 6529 Email: thermalmonkee@hotmail.com MANAWATU HANG GLIDING SkyVenture (Manawatu HG & PG Inc. Club School) CFI: Ross Gray Phone: 06 357 8996, 021 126 0892 Email: rosscoe@e3.net.nz WELLINGTON/WAIRARAPA HANG GLIDING Wellington Hang Gliding & PG Club Grant Tatham Phone: 06 379 7322, 027 636 3491 Email: tathams@xtra.co.nz Oceania Paragliding School Chris Connolly, Phone: 022 676 5599 Email; school@oceaniaparagliding.co.nz Web; oceaniaparagliding.co.nz

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Tasman Sky Adventures Trevor Leighton, Phone: 027 229 9693 Email: info@skyadventures.co.nz Web: www.skyadventures.co.nz

(Incorporating a Tasman Regional Competition)

PARAGLIDING Adventure Paragliding & Kiteboarding Kevin Rooke, Phone: 03 540 2183, 021 762 769 Email: info@skyout.co.nz Web: www.skyout.co.nz Nelson Paragliding Stew and Zanna Karstens Phone: 03 544 1182, 027 446 3930 Email: paragliding@xtra.co.nz Web: www.nelsonparagliding.co.nz

XC Camp Dates: February 26 – March 3, 2015 (Thurs-Tues). Fly XC and see how far you can get. There should be opportunities for comp pilots to over-fly goal on the comp days. Regional Comp. Dates: Feb 27 – Mar 1, 2015 (Fri-Sun) or Feb 28 – Mar 2, 2015 (Sat-Mon). Precisely which 3 days will be advised during the week before on the forum of the NZHGPA website. Contact: Tim Percival percival@actrix.co.nz 03 548 7397 or 022 646 3864 Competition Task Format: Standard competition tasks. First Briefing: To be advised on the forum of the NZHGPA website. Sites: Inwoods, Mt Murchison, Blowhard, Mt Robert (walking access, depending on attendees), others to be advised. Cost: $5 suggested donation per day, maximum $15. Required for Safety: PG2 + 20 hours, reserve, back protection, GPS, UHF Radio, maps. Transport Notes: Mt. Murchison requires 4WD vehicles so if you have one, it would be good to bring it. Vehicles used on forestry access roads must be equipped with fire extinguishers (be sure to contact Tim beforehand if you’re in need of one for your vehicle). Additional Information St. Arnaud is an excellent place for a long weekend with a variety of accommodation available including good tenting in the DoC campground, backpackers, and cheap holiday baches for easy rental if you are a little organised. It has a shop and an all important bar. I am hiring a bach to serve as a base, which will be able to accommodate several other comp attendees at an economical rate. The sites we will be using are high sites (up to 1450m ASL), so they make for some very scenic and exhilarating flying around the St. Arnaud area, which is the northern-most end of the Southern Alps. (The site records for Inwoods Lookout, Mt Murchison and Mt Robert are 116km, 95km and 82km respectively). Come along just for the XC Camp if you’d prefer to just fly XC without a set task and designated flying time.

MARLBOROUGH PARAGLIDING High Adventure New Zealand Russell Read, Phone: 027 448 0888 Email: russread@ihug.co.nz CHRISTCHURCH HANG GLIDING Canterbury Hang Gliding School Bill Degen Phone: 03 326 6411, 021 247 2676 Email: aero@xtra.co.nz Web: www.hgpg.co.nz

PARAGLIDING ParaPro (Paragliding & Powered Paragliding) Dave Dennis Phone: 03 328 8255, 0508 548 323 Email: info@parapro.co.nz Web: www.parapro.co.nz WANAKA PARAGLIDING Lucky Montana’s Flying Circus Advanced over water manoeuvres (SIV) instruction Rob Darby Phone: 03 443 1680, 027 220 1185 Email: lucky_montana@hotmail.com QUEENSTOWN PARAGLIDING Elevation Paragliding School Shai Lanuel Phone: 0800 359 444, 027 224 2121 Email: elevationpg@xtra.co.nz Web: www.elevation.co.nz Infinity Paragliding School Alan Swann & Blake Round Phone: 021 0228 2939 or 027 367 7679 Email: info@infinityparagliding.co.nz Web: www.infinityparagliding.co.nz Neverland Paragliding Dominic Eller, Phone: 021 314 730 Email: neverlandpg@hotmail.com Paraventures Paragliding School Mark Hardman Phone: 0800 FLYSOLO (0800 359 765), 021 809 275 Email: info@paraventures.co.nz Extreme Air Tandem Hang Gliding & Paragliding Lisa Bradley Phone: 021 156 3256 Email: lisa@extremeair.co.nz Web: www.extremeair.co.nz Queenstown Paragliding School Lisa Bradley Phone: 021 156 3256 Email: info@extremeair.co.nz Web: www.extremeair.co.nz Queenstown Hang Gliding School Lisa Bradley Phone: 021 156 3256 Email: info@extremeair.co.nz Web: www.extremeair.co.nz DUNEDIN PARAGLIDING Dunedin Paragliding & Hang Gliding School Lisa Bradley Phone: 021 156 3256 Email: lisa@extremeair.co.nz Web: www.extremeair.co.nz

Please contact me for further information on accommodation etc. if you are thinking of coming; Tim Percival 47A Brook Street, Nelson Phone 03 548 7397 or 022 646 3864 percival@actrix.co.nz

Dalby Big Air Hang Gliding Aerotow Meet 12th – 18th April, 2015 (Practice Day 11th April, 2015) The Dalby Big Air is a friendly competition with a view to introducing as many hang glider pilots as possible to the excellent year round flying conditions the area offers. Dalby is situated on the Darling Downs, 2.5 hours drive from Brisbane, Australia. It is the central hub of a vast cotton and sorghum growing district which provides ideal soaring conditions with an excellent road network that facilitates easy pick ups. Competition headquarters is at the Dalby Aerodrome, where the Dalby Hang Gliding Club has a secure hanger as its home base. Pilot Requirements: Intermediate/Advanced rating with aerotow endorsement Current HGFA membership for Australian pilots Temporary HGFA membership for Overseas pilots Experience in cross country aerotow in THERMIC conditions GPS (including download cables) Competition Entry Fee is $475 which includes the famous Dalby Big Air T-Shirt, Hat, Presentation Dinner at the Hanger and all aerotow fees for competition days, including practice day. A $75 non-refundable deposit is required upon registration. Registrations close at midnight on Friday 27th March, 2015. More info and registration at http:// dalbybigair.com

Bill Moyes Written into FAI History Book

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Photos: Neil Brown, Ross Gray

NELSON/TASMAN HANG GLIDING Hang Gliding NZ Ltd Kevin Rooke, Phone: 03 540 2183, 0800 212 359, 021 762 769 Email: rooke@slingshot.co.nz Web: www.hanggliding.co.nz Nelson Hang Gliding Adventures Glenn Meadows Phone: 03 548 9151, 027 275 1022 Email: gmeadows@clear.net.nz Web: www.flynelson.co.nz

St Arnaud Paragliding League and XC Camp 2015

n 16th October, at the 108th FAI General Conference in Pattaya, Thailand, Bill Moyes humbly received the FAI Gold Air Medal for his contribution to the development of hang gliding. On receipt of the Gold Air Medal and Diploma presented to him by FAI President John Grubbstroem, Bill signed the Gold Air Medal book that other recipients before him have signed. This historical tradition cements Bill Moyes a place in FAI history alongside such greats as Charles Lindbergh and John Dickenson. Thank you to all that have made this significant occasion possible. It is truly a very proud moment for the Moyes Family.


Hang Gliding Events 2014-15

Omarama HG Classic Cross Country Camp 2015

Hawkes Bay Comp: November 8, 9 Reserve dates Nov 15, 16 Contact: Grant: tathams@xtra.co.nz Auckland League; 14/15 Feb 2015, Reserve dates; 21/22 Feb, 28 Feb 1 March, 7/8 March Contact: Mark markalton@yahoo.com Kaimai Comp: 29 & 30 November 2014. Reserve date 6 & 7 December. Contact: geoff@trades-academy.co.nz Havelock Fly-In December 6 - 13 Contact: Shane McKay combatnelson@ yahoo.co.nz Sterling Big Sky; XC in Omarama, over New Years. Contact; Max: areosm@gmail.com HG Nationals Wanaka: 24 Jan – 1 Feb 2015 1 Feb being a reserve date. Contacts; Mark: markalton@yahoo.com Grant: tathams@xtra.co.nz Max: areosm@gmail.com Cook Strait Ferry Discounts When travelling with 15 people or more, or with five or more vehicles, you do qualify for a great group discount. The group rate for passengers is $38 per adult each way & $110 per car each way so a significant discount off our cheapest fare. Please note it’s not available during peak holiday times throughout the year including 15th December -15th January. If you want to take advantage of this group rate your members would need to appoint a “Bookings Co-ordinator” who would simply email details of your group (names of passengers and sailing dates/times) to groups@bluebridge. co.nz and act as the group’s contact person with our Group booking team. - The full balance of payment, along with a final passenger list would be due 7 days before travel. - Any booking cancellations up until 24 hours before travel would be 90% refundable. Any cancellations within 24 hours of travel are non-refundable. - Other Bluebridge terms & conditions can be viewed at: www.bluebridge.co.nz/bookingsand-fares/terms-and-conditions/ For pilots wanting to take advantage of these great rates I will act as “Booking Coordinator” for the pilots wanting to go to the HG nationals in Wanaka. Email me at markalton@yahoo.com

Saturday 31 January to Sunday 8 February 2015 On as usual during the week of Waitangi Day. It’s 2 weekends plus Waitangi Day so there’s 5 days flying even if you have to go to work. At this time of year at Omarama gives the most flying days, the least turbulence and blown out winds and the most cross country flying opportunities. Come for the Nationals in Wanaka the week before and fly that too, or fly the whole week, just the weekends or just fly the best days. Make plans and organise your team now... It can be hot, maybe windy and maybe rough (thermals up to 3000 fpm+) but the competition will be stress free. Flying will be spectacular, expect to get 9000ft plus and 20 to 100km depending on your skill and luck. You’ll probably beat your Personal Best; height, distance etc, and move up the XC Champs table. THE MISSION; fly open distance, in any direction that you choose from the Omarama area. Enter any number of flights. Take any days off if you like, only your best 3 flights get scored. Flights should be lodged each evening at the Omarama Hotel,at the cottage next door or at the camping area entry boards. REQUIRED; Advanced rating with mountain/ XC skills. Pilots with lower skill ratings may fly only under supervision and if conditions are suitable. Printed site briefings are available. If you don’t feel like driving uphill, bring your aerotow or car tow setup instead. All types of accommodation are available; from free camping, cabins to luxury hotel. For more information, contact Bill Degen aero@xtra.co.nz or for further information, site briefing, maps etc; www.hgpg.co.nz

Sat. January 31st to Sat. February 7th 2015 FAI/CIVL Category 2 - Competition Paragliding Open - Wanaka Comp Organiser - Derek Divers d.divers@ xtra.co.nz Registration, welcome BBQ and mandatory briefing on the evening of Friday, January 30th - time and place to be advised. Full details published closer to the event. www.pgopen.co.nz

Forbes Flatlands 2015 Australian National Hang Gliding Championships 2015 8 days of competition flying plus 1 practice day. All pilots are welcome at Australia’s premier competition for the 9th consecutive year! Four classes: Open, Women’s, (Forbes) A-Grade and Sports Class Classification: HGFA AAA, FAI cat 2 event Dates: Practice day and Registration December 31st 2014 1st Comp day Thursday 1st Jan 2015 Last comp day Thursday 8th Jan 2015 Registration opens 8am 1st September More info at our website www. forbesflatlands.com

Kalahari Big Sky Challenge Groblershoop, Northern Cape Province, South Africa , Venue Thuru Lodge 13th December 2014 – 16th January 2015 Please confirm by end of April 2014. Please send me a quick mail to confirm your interest; Oscar Plange oscar@safinfp.co.za www.kalaharibigskychallenge. co.za/2014KBSCInvite.pdf

NZ Competition Organiser’s Responsibilities It is the Comp Organiser’s responsibility to; 1. Obtain a list of current members from the NZHGPA Administrator. 2. Ensure every competition entrant is a current NZHGPA member. 3. Sign up any non-members. Any competitors found to be non-members will be listed and scored as ‘Disqualified’.

AHGPG Reunion The Auckland Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club is celebrating 40 years of free flying in November 2014. Date: Saturday 1st November 2014 Time: From 7:30pm Venue: Commerce Club, 27-33 Ohinerau St, Remuera, Auckland Cost: $22 pp. Finger food, entertainment & displays. Super-8 movies from the 1970s are being copied onto a digital format to be shown. Photos from the last 40 years will be on display. Guest speakers will entertain. A good dose of flying nostalgia guaranteed! Meet old friends and share tall tales/great stories. Meet current club members & rekindle your love of flight. Spread the word. No cost to register your interest on the website below and we look forward to meeting you all to celebrate with us! Past & present hang glider and paraglider pilots, partners, friends & all others welcome. www.cloudbase.org.nz/reunion Scan the QR code with your smartphone

Auckland Regional Paragliding Competition 21st and 22nd February 2015 At sites around Auckland or as far a field as Kaimais or Paeroas, conditions depending. FAI Cat-2 comp (I hope). All qualified NZHGPA member pilots welcome! Includes lemon juggling and chicken husbandry lessons

www.flybgd.com NZ Agent: Thomas Rold 021 229 8222, thomas@flightpark.co.nz


THE ART OF PARAGLIDING by Dennis Pagen. Instruction manual for beginner to intermediates. Large format 374 pages $80 HANG GLIDING TRAINING MANUAL by Dennis Pagen. Ultimate guide to Beginner to Advanced hang gliding flying skills $80 PERFORMANCE FLYING by Dennis Pagen. Hang gliding for intermediate to advanced flying skills, includes competition, cross country, towing $80 UNDERSTANDING THE SKY by Dennis Pagen. Sport aviation weather and micrometeorology for hang glider, paraglider and microlight pilots. $60 PARAGLIDING, BEGINNER TO CROSS COUNTRY by Sollom Cook. From basic techniques to competition flying $60 A PILOTS TRAINING MANUAL (PG) Includes zone free, 80 minute DVD with 9 chapters including; forward inflation, reverse inflation, manoeuvres, soaring, flying thermals to landing methods. Only $65! NZ HANG GLIDING TRAINING HANDBOOK Essential Beginner/ Novice instruction information for NZ hang gliding students learning to fly. $15 NZHGPA HANG GLIDING TOW MANUAL All aspects of towing with clear photographs and step by step instruction $15 NZHGPA AEROTOW MANUAL In depth detail of aerotow procedure as authorised by MAANZ and NZHGPA $15 NZHGPA PARAGLIDING TOW MANUAL This manual outlines requirements and procedures for towing $15

NZHGPA LOGBOOK With rating record $15

NZHGPA MOVIE LIBRARY FLYING OVER EVEREST, DVD, Angelo D’Arrigo and the story of his flight over Mt Everest. PLAY GRAVITY, DVD, Extreme paragliding, snowboarding, BASE jumping, freeriding and speedflying in the most awesome settings. EAST WIND, DVD, German pilots fly hybrid recliner bike/ paramotors 1632 kms across eastern Europe; Hanover to the Black Sea. DYNAMIC DECISIONS, DVD, Shows how different DHV paragliders react when flying the most dangerous manoeuvres. THE RACE, DVD, A race between climber and pilot in the Italian Dolomites. Winner of 4 world film contests. Paragliding Learn to Fly, DVD Tutorial for PG Performance Flying, DVD by Jocky Sanderson Never Ending Thermal Pura Vida Flying Security in Flight & The Speed to Fly Birdmen of Kilimanjaro The Red Bull X Alps Managing Risk in Aviation CAA Red Bull X-Alps 2005  Check the NZHGPA web site for the latest special offers In order to cover the high cost of importing HG and PG DVDs, cost of hire and postage is $10 for 10 day loans   Postage and GST is included in price. Please send your order with payment to;

NZHGPA

BOOKROOM

Ewen Tonar 23A Brookview Court Chartwell Hamilton Phone 07 855 3969 etonar@infogen.net.nz

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By Joe Schofield; editor of BHPA Skywings magazine

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ince the very beginnings of our sport there has been a problem with people buying gliders that are not suitable for them. Recently the following have been reported: a paraglider pilot with 12 hours airtime turning up on an SIV course with a top-end B glider, said to have been sold to him by his school (not in this country); a paraglider pilot with 20 hours flying an EN C wing with a pod harness; and a novice paraglider pilot with four hours airtime and an EN A paraglider, who had also just qualified on paramotors and bought an EN C paramotor wing. Also reported recently: a hang glider pilot trading up to a very high performance topless hang glider at 20 hours; a pilot flying less than ten hours a year trading up to a World Championship level hang glider; and a beginner hang glider pilot who bought a British Nationals pilot’s hot ship and crashed it - when rebuilt an experienced test pilot found it so stiff as to be almost unflyable. The list goes on... and on. What’s wrong with this picture? Should we care if pilots pursue their own private follies? I believe we should, because so many of these glider-too-far pilots very quickly lose all interest in the sport. Keen, bushytailed improvers become disillusioned almost overnight. A glider they can’t handle except perhaps in really benign conditions becomes a liability. They rapidly become afraid of flying in traffic, afraid of scratching, afraid of flying in turbulence, afraid of landing out and, pretty soon, afraid of flying at all. These unwise purchases are often aided and abetted by doubtful advice from experienced pilots. I have heard old hands tell beginners that they survived buying a high performance paraglider at ten hours and there’s no reason the newbie shouldn’t, and that an old topless hang glider is an ideal first wing - indeed, many topless pilots seem to believe that any hang glider with a kingpost is rubbish by definition. And many experienced pilots will attest to the hoots of derision heard when they turn up on the hill to fly an EN A paraglider or an easy-to-fly intermediate hang glider. The point to remember is that we all came into this sport to have fun. If you’re not having fun you are doing something wrong. Simples. Grand old man of the sky Jocky Sanderson said it better: the best pilot is the

one having the most fun. Another of Jocky’s proverbs is this: ‘It’s better to fly a more stable glider at 100% than a higher performance one at 60%.’ While still managing to look about 27, Jocky’s wisdom is comparable to that of Grand Jedi Master Yoda. Here’s a better story: A chap turns up on the hill to buy a highperformance hang glider. He has his old intermediate glider with him and the hot-ship seller asks if he can fly it. Conditions are very light with paragliders scratching just above the ridge. The hot-ship pilot scratches expertly to the other end of the ridge, finds lift and goes straight to cloudbase. He lands, raving about the glider’s handling, and tells the owner, “Don’t buy my glider - you’ll hate it!” This is, surprisingly, a true story. Why it this important? Because the intermediate pilot is still in the sport. But the number of pilots we have lost through trading up too far and/ or too soon is huge; I know too many of them myself. Anecdotal evidence also suggests that some of the very best pilots got a lot of flying on an intermediate wing before moving to a less forgiving one. A certain double world champion - in both hang gliding and paragliding - is famous for doing over 100 hours on a very low-performance wing before going on to take the world by storm. To forestall the knee-jerk naysayers, let me agree that the situation is not always clear cut. Selling a high performance glider to a pilot who has 50 hours but is extremely current and flies on a large site might be better than selling one to a pilot with 150 hours over 25 years. The dilemma is rarely black and white. So please, newbies - however tough you are, please don’t fall for the Emperor’s new clothes. Neither a high-end EN B paraglider or a cheap topless hang glider are going to turn you into a mile-eating XC pilot without the considerable skills the role requires. And those skills are best acquired safely and without stress on a forgiving, easy-to-fly glider. And please, experienced pilots - giving a low-airtime pilot your old Litespeed/ EN C might be the quickest way to get another pilot out of the sport. Maybe every time we repeat this message it does get through to the pilots that matter, and the need to repeat it is simply to educate another new generation of pilots. I sincerely hope so!

Photo; Alan Swann

N Z H G P A BOOKROOM

A Glider Too Far?


Paragliding Competition Committee write up

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Paragliding National Ladder 2014-15

here have been one or two changes to the National Paragliding Competition Rules over the winter. Sept 2014 - Ready for 2014/15 Season The most significant is to do with how the Championship Classes are divided up at the PG Open. Classes Fun, Sport and Serial have now become distinct Classes, rather than “all inclusive”. This means that if somebody Current now, say, wins the PG Open on a Fun Class glider (EN-A or EN-B) then he will win the Fun Class and the Overall Pilot Starting Score!23/09/2014 Position Championship, but he will now no longer also scoop up the Sport (EN-C) trophy. Of course, this is what our National Champion, Mr Reuben Muir, did last season, so the PCC congratulates 1 Grant Middendorf 807 him on being the last pilot ever to be the Fun and Sport Champion, as well as overall National Champion – quite an achievement. 2 Reuben Muir 773 Plus, to make it all make sense, we’ve also created a Serial Class (EN-D) Trophy, and had that written into 3 Evan Lamberton 733 the rules. It’s a fantastic trophy and distinguished kudos goes out to those who have brought it into the world 4 Mark Hardman 702 – mostly, by far, to Jeff Ripley and Lisa Tobler for creating it in polished steel and hardwood. It will be awarded 5 Wayne Rohrs 688 for the first time at the PG Open in Wanaka in Jan/Feb this season. 6 Nick Taber 602 Meanwhile – Many of us are not convinced that defining a competition class based simply on glider certification 7 Tim Brown 599 is suitable any more. There are a few ideas, but basing it on hours/years/comps doesn’t work well either. One idea that we quite like is simply letting a competition pilot choose which class they would be in. For example, 8 Eva Walton Keim ♀ 593 a gun pilot who fancied flying a high-end EN-B wing could still opt to place himself in Serial Class if he felt 9 Robbo Robinson 575 that Serial Class better reflected his skill level. Might work – or it might be a disaster. We would love to hear 10 Jeff Ripley 560 your thoughts on this. It has to be easy to administer... that’s an important factor to bear in mind too. 11 Derek Divers 555 A snapshot of the online XC Championship table is published on page 28, where we can see some impressive 12 Peter Taylor 525 Spring XC flights have been logged already, including a couple over 90km in the area of Inwoods, clearly picking it out as a nice early starting XC site. We look forward to seeing the ladder heat up a bit, once the hills do too. 13 Nick Stead 513 There are no regional comps yet scheduled before the PG Open (Wanaka 31st Jan – 7th Feb 2015) but in the 14 Peter Groves 501 weeks just after that we have the Auckland Regional Comp and the Tasman Regional Comp – see the NZHGPA 15 Itai Almog 484 website for details, www.nzhgpa.org.nz 16 Kris Ericksen 468 Also, we have the new paragliding ladder ready for season 2014-15 and that is published on the right, please 17 Melanie Heather ♀ 446 have a look and make sure that you survived the cut. That’s just our National ladder, of course. What some 18 Kussy Gomez ♀ 443 pilots don’t realise is that if you’ve flown in an FAI Cat-2 comp (like the PG Open) at some stage, then you probably have a WPRS (World Pilot Ranking System) score also. If you’re interested in that sort of thing then 18 Rhys Akers 443 go to http://civlrankings.fai.org and have a sniff around. 20 Rodger Kerr 437 If you click on Nations Ranking then you can see that New Zealand, as a nation, is ranked 40th in the world 21 Hamish Barker 432 with 398.4 points at time of writing. 22 Matt Stanford 428 That’s thanks to the flying of our top 23 Russell Read 415 WPRS ranked four pilots – as you see they are Matt Senior, Grey 24 Rob Boyle 409 Hamilton, Evan Lamberton and 25 Glen Stevens 407 Grant Middendorf. Click on one 26 Roy Tingay 388 of the pilots. Evan Lamberton, 27 Phil Hystek 383 for example. 28 Grey Hamilton 381 You’ve now got a boring 29 Rory Devine 373 looking list... but this is a history of Evan’s WPRS 30 Dean Straker 371 points, with the latest (72.0 31 Louis Tapper 347 at time of writing, but will 32 Cameron Kennedy 344 have devalued by the time you read 33 Craig Miller 336 this) showing at the top. Click on the 72.0 34 Edward Guy 322 (or whatever it is now) and you can see the four competitions that Evan flew 35 Anand Srinivasan 316 to earn those points. 36 Don Smith 312 So, Evan came 11th in the 2013 37 Nick Neynens 311 Canungra Cup and that is currently 37 Elisabeth Tobler ♀ 311 scoring him 28.6 points. The points 39 Graham Surrey 304 devalue gradually over time, so obviously you need to keep flying 40 Sandy Yong 303 comps to keep a high ranking. 41 Claus Petry 298 Note that coming 11th in 42 Frog Twissell 295 Canungra is still worth more 43 Johnny Hopper 290 to Evan than coming 5th in 44 Angus Tapper 289 Rotorua the following year! 45 Xen Zambas 285 This is, of course, due to the fact that the Canungra 46 Kat West ♀ 284 Cup comp was simply worth 47 Chris Walker 281 more points than lowly Rotorua, due to 47 Kyla MacDonald ♀ 281 number of tasks and, more so, the number of pilots flying. But the most 49 Kim Woodgate 275 important factor is really called ‘Pilot Quality’. This is the formula: 50 Tim Percival 265 Pq = Pq_srp/Pq_srtp * (1 - Pq_min) + Pq_min So, it’s easy to see (pffff) that there is a kind of negative feedback loop here, which means that New Zealand 51 Alex Behse 262 comps are worth less, because we have pilots who are ranked less, because our comps are worth less, because 52 Gareth Gore 257 our pilots are ranked less – if that makes sense. Someone who knows what they were talking about might be able to help me understand this a bit better, and perhaps we can do something – but in the meantime this is a great incentive to register regional competitions as FAI Cat-2 comps. It only costs about $30 and if you need any help please contact me immediately and I can get it done for you. To implement the new CIVL Competition Class all concerned parties to understand that these This means maybe very gradually our pilots will get ranked higher, because our comps are (CCC) paragliders is indeed a very complex changes are needed if CCC implementation is worth more, because our pilots are ranked higher, because... oh, sod it, you know what I mean, task. Unfortunately, the coming Category 1 to be a success. or maybe you stopped reading a while back. Perhaps we can get ahead of Finland this season. event (World in Colombia) is only a few months All information concerning CCC requirements Matt Senior is our top ranked pilot – note that all of his points come from big scoring comps after the last one (European in Serbia, flown on and process, including the list of CCC certified overseas. If it wasn’t for Matt’s contribution we would actually be ranked 48th... one place behind EN gliders only), which is not giving much time gliders, will be available in a new chapter of Nepal, which, coincidentally, is where I am sitting right now. Cloud base has been very low since to everyone to be CCC ready. CIVL apologize CIVL website at Our Sport/Competition Class I got here, so I’ve been scaring myself over the lake, and scaring others in the lakeside bars. for the changes brought to CCC requirements Paragliders. www.fai.org/civl-our-sport/ To get in touch please use our general email address: nzhgpapcc@googlegroups.com and and process so late in the game. CIVL trust competition-class-paragliders Tim, Peter or myself will pick it up. Cheers, see you in the bombout. - Johnny, and the PCC

CCC Paraglider Requirements

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January 1st to December 31st

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he 2014 Hang Gliding XC Champs continues and North islanders dominate the top placings.

2014 Cross-Country Championships Table so far... Name Flight 1 Flight 2 Flight 3 Flight 4 Total kms Les Graham 109.4 107.3 81.4 80.9 378.9

South Island pilots have a chance to catch up in the next 2 months but they have a lot kms to do in a short time. I hope this season’s weather will be better than the last and that everyone gets the chance to improve their distances for an exciting finish on December 31st. The way to get those cross country flights is to keep trying so you are flying fit when that good day comes up. Then you need to be flying at the right place when conditions turn on. Often it’s the ordinary looking days that unexpectedly turn out the best, and it’s those who are out flying on the day that get to take advantage of it. There’s always time to improve your cross country skills and while doing that you could get that big flight that will top your personal best distance. You’ll be surprised at how well you can do if you are out flying on a day that turns it on. ONLINE RESULTS Latest results are posted as they come in at www.hgpg.co.nz and at www.nzhgpa.org.nz/ competitions/hg-competitions/hang-gliding-crosscountry-championships (but check the date here). Online scoring? Not yet, but if you have 3D GPS you can enter any of the online contests as well. If you do this, just let me know, email me a link to your online entry and that’s all we need to enter your flight. A GPS instrument has many advantages for XC flying, but for pilots who don’t have GPS, you can still enter the NZ HG XC Champs without one, you’ll just need to give take-off and landing witnesses. TO ENTER... It’s free and simple; fly anywhere in NZ before midnight on 31st December, email or post in your flight details (and tracklog if you have one) before 30 days has passed and you’re entered. Enter as many flights as you like. Your shorter flights are automatically replaced by your longer ones. Only your longest four flights are scored. For each flight entry, please supply; • Your name, email address and contact phone number. • Flight date, take-off/release place, landing place, and exact flight distance in kilometres and 10ths. • Start and landing witness/s name & contact details. • For Remote Start and/or Remote Finish flights you must supply the tracklog file from a GPS that can be read by GPSDump, such as an IGC file. GPSDump works on Windows or Mac and reads GPS tracklogs from just about any instrument, then works out the best start and finish points for you. You can even export it for viewing in Google Earth. You can download GPSDump for free at; www.gethome.no/stein.sorensen RULES You must be a paid up NZHGPA member during all flights or you do not score. Entries must be postmarked or emailed within 30 days of the flight or do not score. This helps ensure accuracy, prevents pilots holding back flights until the end, and we all want to know how everyone’s doing. Please DON’T phone, txt, or tell me in the pub, all

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Geoff Christophers 118.3 111.8 78.5 69.7

378.3

Rick Hawkeswood 110.9 109.9 72.6 65.8

359.2

Neil Howe 116.1 114.6 72.3 53.5

356.4

Grant Tatham

106.5

66.7

62.3

31.1

266.6

Sebastian Katz

108.3

71.7

44.0

12.7

236.8

Bill Degen 59.3 55.0 34.9 27.1 176.3 Mark Nichols

** 68.3 21.8 16.0 12.8 118.9

John Burton 45.6 37.1 22.7 13.6 118.9 Bill Fisher

81.4 81.4 Sponsors Steve Bankier 18.6 18.4 9.9 46.9 Max Gebhardt

HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING SUPPLIES

44.0

44.0

Eddie Pearson 14.0 10.5 10.0 9.0 43.5 Rod Stuart 18.4 16.2 34.6 Gary Turner

23.4

23.4

Reece Fisher

15.0 ** Class 2 (rigid wing), * Skyfloater

15.0

entries must be in writing (email preferred) with all flight details (and GPS tracklog if using remote launch and/or landings) or do not score. Don’t assume that because someone else was there or you were in a competition that your flight has been entered. It is each pilots’ responsibility to declare and enter full details of their own flight entries. Measure your flights in kilometres and 10ths of km, straight line from take-off to landing. You may enter optimised flight distances with a Remote Start and/or Remote Finish, provided you send in a valid, GPS track log to prove it. Out and return, triangle or multiple distances are not eligible at this stage. Aerotow launched flights are permitted, but your release altitude must be less than 5% of the flight distance (current FAI ruling) or does not score. Tow release position (not take-off) verification should be witnessed by the tug pilot, or confirmed with known landmark photo or GPS tracklog. Please Note: If you don’t follow these rules and provide all relevant flight details, (including valid tracklog for remote start or finish flights) you DO NOT SCORE. GLIDER CLASSES Same as FAI rules. Flex wings including kingpostless gliders are Class 1. Rigid wings such as the Atos are Class 5 and Swifts are Class 2 or Class 5 without the pilot fairing. There’s a special prize for pilots flying skyfloater

gliders such as such as the Fun, Falcon, Malibu etc. 30% double surface training gliders such as Buzz, Gyro, Mars, Target, Ventura, Malibu etc can be flown in this class too. As long as it has exposed crossbars. Don’t forget to point it out on your entry if you have an exposed crossbar glider or rigid wing. You can enter in as many classes as you like. Skyfloater flights can be entered in a separate class and/or included in your Class 1 score, whichever you prefer. SCORING The pilot with the best total of four flights is the NZ Hang Gliding Cross Country Champion for that year. He or she gets first choice of prizes followed by pilots with second and third best totals. The pilot with the longest single flight gets fourth choice, then prizes go from fourth best total onwards. Flights for the current years XC Champs must be flown before 31st December and entered within 30 days. This ends the contest at a good part of the season while it’s still hot for flying. Flights from January onwards will be entered in the XC Champs for the new year. EMAIL YOUR ENTRY TO; aero@xtra.co.nz (Please write “XC Entry” in the header and please keep your entry separate from other emails) or post entries to; NZ Hang Gliding XC Champs, Bill Degen, 99A Panorama Road, Christchurch 8081

Spot Website Improvements

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pot have at last improved their website to make configuring our favourite Satellite Messenger for the days cross country flying easier, well it couldn’t have got much harder, but at last you can do it more efficiently and with a modernised interface. Improvements; Getting Started - Simple instructions and quick tips, designed to get your devices up and running faster. My Devices - Locate and manage your SPOT with just a few quick steps.

My Locations - Immediately see your latest tracks when you log in. That said, it’s still 4 page loads to the profile page, there’s still no contact address book to drag and drop or a way to know who all those phone numbers or email addresses belong to without checking or remembering them. The website does seem to work OK on a smartphone and is clearer though. Log in and see at; https://login. findmespot.com/spot-main-web/auth/ login.html


RVICE in NZ

with the

P SE nd BACKU a S E IC R P T BES www.willswing.com

NZ DEALER: Bill Degen, phone 021 247-2676, a.h. 03 326-6411, email aero@xtra.co.nz


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April 1st - March 31st. Sponsored by Wings & Waves

2014 - 2015 Season Update The NZ PG XC Championships standings so far at 21/10/2014 as shown on Leonardo. The competition runs from 1st April to 31st March the following calendar year. Entries are unverified at this stage.

XC (3 best flights) Pos 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35

Pilot Bryan Moore Derek Divers Nick Taber Mark Hardman Stew Karstens Rory Devine Rodger Kerr Martin Kraemer Steve O’Shaughnessy Melanie Heather Peter Taylor Roy Tingay Simon Corbett Graham Surrey Jean Brossard Ian Wood Jeff Ripley Jen Corbett Bruce Vickerman Wayne Rohrs Joel Hanlon Luke Goleman Tim Heather Paul McGinley Steven Christophers Scott Arrell Andrew Edgar Mike Lowe Mark Curtis Alexey Kryssov Johnny Hopper Rhys Akers Steve Mills Fred Timmermans George Stead

Open Distance Total points 344.66 204.19 197.38 191.15 179.98 145.26 107.53 91.51 91.34 91.13 91.00 87.65 85.45 66.81 46.17 44.95 44.45 39.12 37.02 36.20 34.13 33.55 28.02 25.77 21.53 20.28 19.87 17.50 14.75 14.12 12.76 10.92 7.37 6.29 2.87

flight 1 flight 2 flight 3 127.76 126.38 90.52 82.08 70.69 51.43 145.37 52.01 81.20 57.04 52.92 145.56 17.22 17.20 75.08 35.30 34.88 42.59 35.41 29.53 37.22 30.55 23.73 42.64 32.44 16.27 36.64 36.03 18.46 51.06 39.95 41.14 24.77 21.75 35.39 34.31 15.74 40.48 18.81 7.53 46.17 - 18.76 14.34 11.85 44.45 - 16.10 14.25 8.78 29.03 4.86 3.12 36.20 - 34.13 - 33.55 - 14.96 13.05 8.91 8.72 8.15 21.53 - 14.45 5.83 7.57 7.32 4.98 17.50 - 12.70 2.05 14.12 - 5.22 5.08 2.46 10.92 - 5.87 1.49 4.24 2.06 2.87 - -

kms 35.3 26.5 20.0 17.7 16.8 4.7 1.4

light 1 flight 2 35.3 - 26.5 - 20.0 - 17.7 - 16.8 - 4.7 - 1.4 -

Pilot Derek Divers Mark Hardman Peter Taylor Simon Corbett Luke Goleman Steve O’Shaughnessy George Stead

Pilot Bryan Moore Nick Taber Stew Karstens Derek Divers Mark Hardman Rory Devine Rodger Kerr Martin Kraemer Melanie Heather Graham Surrey Roy Tingay Steve O’Shaughnessy Jeff Ripley Simon Corbett Jean Brossard Wayne Rohrs Peter Taylor Joel Hanlon Jen Corbett Tim Heather Paul McGinley Steven Christophers Ian Wood Andrew Edgar Scott Arrell Alexey Kryssov Bruce Vickerman Mark Curtis Luke Goleman Rhys Akers Mike Lowe Johnny Hopper Fred Timmermans Steve Mills George Stead

kms 149.1 116.4 103.6 78.5 62.8 60.7 57.3 43.8 36.8 31.4 30.8 28.9 25.1 25.0 23.2 22.3 20.4 18.9 15.8 15.0 14.0 12.6 8.7 8.3 8.2 7.5 7.5 7.4 7.4 5.3 5.1 5.1 3.4 1.4 0.4

light 1 flight 2 flight 3 69.7 40.2 39.1 89.4 27.0 91.3 7.9 4.4 39.7 20.2 18.6 23.4 20.2 19.1 22.3 19.5 18.9 24.0 19.5 13.8 19.4 17.0 7.3 19.1 11.3 6.4 20.1 9.9 1.5 18.5 6.5 5.8 13.3 12.2 3.3 25.1 - 11.8 8.7 4.5 23.2 - 22.3 - 12.1 8.3 18.9 - 8.0 4.2 3.5 7.6 7.4 4.9 4.9 4.2 12.6 - 3.0 2.9 2.8 3.6 3.2 1.5 7.4 0.8 7.5 - 5.5 1.6 0.4 7.0 0.4 7.4 - 5.3 - 5.1 - 2.1 2.1 0.8 2.4 1.0 1.2 0.2 0.4 - -

Regional Flight Focus By Tim Percival

FAI Triangle Pos 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Pos 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35

flight 3 -

Check for latest updates at; www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/league/world/ season2014/brand:all,cat:1,class:all,xctype:all,club:0.9&comp=

The Past: The ten longest open distance flights of the Waikato region. Date Site Pilot 25/02/2014 Kaimai Evan Lamberton 1/03/2001 Awakino Hill Russell Read 30/01/2003 Kaimai Alan Hills 8/11/2008 Pukemore Jeff Ripley 18/03/2014 Alans Hill Bruce Vickerman 1/02/2003 Te Hoe Grant Middendorf 25/02/2014 Kaimai Jeff Ripley 18/02/2008 Kaimai Jeff Ripley 6/02/1999 Pukemore Russell Read 25/02/2014 Kaimai Wayne Rohrs

Dist.(km) 74.4 71.5 69.4 68.9 67.4 65.4 64.5 63.0 61.0 57.5

THE COUNTRY CODE

We are all dependent on good relations with the farmers who own the land we fly from. Here are some guidelines to ensure that you and other pilots will be able to continue to enjoy flying there. ALWAYS CHECK with local pilots before flying at new sites. ALWAYS ASK PERMISSION to fly unless you are absolutely certain that the owner allows use of the site without asking. CHECK AGAIN at Springtime as most farms have pregnant and newborn stock that can easily be frightened and injured.

LEAVE GATES as you find them, gates may be closed to keep stock in or open to allow stock to feed. Ensure that all pilots and drivers understand. USE STILES and gates where ever possible, if you must cross a fence, cross at a post or strainer post. AVOID hay standing or cut unless permission has been given to cross it. AVOID landing in paddocks containing crops or stock. Carefully move off crops to avoid damage. DO NOT LIGHT FIRES at any time. DO NOT SMOKE during fire risk times.

ALWAYS GET PERMISSION to take a vehicle onto a property. Ensure that vehicles without gliders are not taken onto the property. Put all gliders on one car rather than have a convoy crossing the property. If stock is near, drive slowly.

DO NOT disturb plants or machinery, move around it.

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DO NOT TAKE DOGS onto any farm or property. LEAVE NO RUBBISH.

Photo: Ross Gray

DO NOT show displeasure or abuse an owner if permission is refused. This could hamper getting permission in the future.


O R C A & V S I E S URS O C

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Tour Dates January 25th-29th March 18th-22nd

SIV Dates

January 10th-14th February 7th-11th March 7th-11th

Location

Queenstown / Wanaka NZ

Contact: Craig Taylor Email: info@freeflyparagliding.com Web: www.freeflyparagliding.com Mobile: +64(0)21 942 533

NZ


■ Paid up NZHGPA members may run one advertisement per classification for free in each issue ■ Please send your written advertisement to the editor, quoting your NZHGPA PIN number ■ Commercial operators, dealers, and non-members must enclose payment of $0.50c per word with their advertisement ■ All advertisements are deleted for next issue unless repeat request received ■ Buyers are advised that all used hang gliders and paragliders are required to have a NEW fitness check (WOF) when sold ■ It is dangerous to fly a glider or with equipment that is above your rated ability ■

MOTOR PARAGLIDING PARAMOTORING – Miniplane and PAP motors - contact SkyWings for courses and equipment - www. skywings.co.nz or phone Alan 09 570 5757 HANG GLIDERS SHARK 156, blue and pink under-surface. $1000 Phone Ross 027 285 4195 ATOS 146 rigid wing. Top sail; white with blue and white undersurface. Contact 03 545 0630 julie. bryant@xtra.co.nz WILLS Wing U2 160, 2004, 150 hours of great flying. Selling as have upgraded to T2C. Very few hours on coast so it’s in good condition. Phone Mark 022 195 5746 DISCUS ‘C’ 13.7 (147.5), very low hours, (3 seasons old?) Excellent condition, ‘C’ model specs include Wills Wing litestream uprights, aerofoil basebar with streamline fittings & slipstream KP. Spare upright. Recent strip check. Has dacron sail for longer life and better handling. Great combination of performance and handling, read the reviews on the net. $5500 ono. Open to trades. Contact Peter on 027 752 9650 or peterj.deboer@clear.net.nz MOYES Litespeed RS4, Full carbon, not many of these around. Only 40 hours flown. Excellent condition. Red, white and blue undersurface, smoke mylar top surface. Phone Guy 021 707 203, ah 03 528 4472 guyharding@xtra.co.nz LITESPEED 4 in great condition. Replacement sail. PX Mylar top surface. Blue and yellow under surface. Tuned perfectly with nice handling and still very competitive. New side wires. Carbon curved tips. Photos available. $3500.00. Phone Geoff on 027 872 3387 or email for more information – geoff@tradeupjobs.co.nz ENTERPRISE Wings Foil Combat 152, No Warrant, Last one issued 09/10 season. Fair condition, all the bits there, no structural damage, good for parts/donor. $450 ono Contact Richard Ward 027 441 3037 richierich-richiepoor@hotmail.com MOYES Litesport 3.5, Carbon fibre L/E and Xbar. Some minor scrapes on sail leading edges. $6000. Also Xcountry bag for 3.5 glider. $100. Contact Juan 027 243 8174 jgarcia@xtra.co.nz AIRBORNE Climax C2-13, yellow and white. Excellent condition, less than 80 hours. Flys and lands nicely. $1500 ono. Phone Cris on 03 310 3050 or 022 653 3900 flyingfish1@xtra.co.nz WILLS Wing U2 145. 6 years old. Approx. 75 hours. Sail still in good shape and tight. Performs and handles well. Blue and bright yellow undersurface. Custom base bar wheels included. $3400. Owner going topless. Phone Les 021 165 3320, 09 579 6485, email: graham-mackie@vodafone.co.nz SPORT 2, 175, Blue and red lower, near new, just 10 hours, very tidy condition, No prangs, 1 geriatric owner, contact 03 326 6411 or aero@xtra.co.nz for info. MOYES LiteSport 4. Full mylar sail. Topsail; white. Underside; lavender, light green. Current W.O.F. Brand new glider bag & zip, grass green, $170 worth. Spare set of S glass tip wands. $3000.00. Dennis, 021 430 436, 06 752 7618 SKYFLOATERS; New & used; Fun, Falcon, fully strip checked, test flown and trimmed, contact 03 3266411 or aero@xtra.co.nz for info. ELITE 151, Sail a bit scratched on leading edges but Ok, 7075 leading edges, spare upright. Make an offer. Buck 027 655 1968 jacquipay@slingshot.co.nz C2 Lite 14. Recent work, New wires & strip check (receipts available). Approx 120 hours. $2200 Phone Adrian 027 247 2436 or 03 326 5689 adrian.brown@lincoln.ac.nz FALCON 4 195 brand new, in stock, with 6ft short pack option and deluxe transport pack, black leading edge and trailing edge with mid blue lower front panel, all set to go, call Bill on 021 247 2676, 03 326 6411 or aero@xtra.co.nz AIRBORNE C4 13.5. Excellent condition & very low hours. New side wires & 2 spare DTs. $5500. I am also selling my C2 14. Whichever goes first will mean the other’s not for sale so please bare this in mind. Call Adrian 027 247 5436 or email adrian.brown@lincoln.ac.nz ATOS VR 2006 model. Flown lots of 80-100km+ flights. Outstanding sink rate and glide angle. Suit larger pilot. Price $8,000. Contact 03 359 7358, 021 339 336 mark.nichols.home@gmail.com HANG GLIDER HARNESSES AEROS Race harness, with front mounted reserve parachute. Contact 03 545 0630 julie.bryant@xtra.co.nz WOODY Valley harness, size 4XL (but not as big as what you think), suit pilots 5’7” to 5’11” tall, near new c/w parachute. $800. Phone 03 577 8886 or email john.urlich@nzdf.mil.nz. NEAR new stirrup harness, black. Suit a larger pilot. $250 ono. Phone 03 577 8886 or email john.urlich@ nzdf.mil.nz MOTOR HANG GLIDING MOSQUITO Motor Harness, approx 50 hours, good condition, earlier top entry pod type, folding carbon prop, also spare prop with crack in one blade. Reluctant sale, located in Kaitaia. May be able to deliver Auckland. $4200 ono. Phone 027 292 3928 trevvvster@gmail.com AIRTIME motor harness, late model, 8 hours airtime, Folding prop, Tiny tac, Tuning lights, 2 owners, contact 03 326-6411 or aero@xtra.co.nz for info. EXPLORER motor harness with carbon fibre folding prop and reserve. Tony 021 265 8224, email tony@ sthlaw.co.nz MOSQUITO NRG motorharness, very tidy with very low airtime, all the usual features plus folding carbon prop, Stainless auto carabiner, parachute if required. Phone 021 247 2676, email aero@xtra.co.nz ACCESSORIES CHARLY and PlusMax helmets, chin guards etc. Also aerofoil basebar handfairings, Drogue chutes, carabiners for HG or PG, Hall wheels and wind meters, contact Bill 021 247 2676, 03 326 6411 a.h, aero@xtra.co.nz HELMETS in stock, PlusMax, No Limit, Insider, range of colours and sizes including metallics and carbon, No Limit with visor option, PlusMax with chinguard option, phone 021 247 2676 email aero@xtra.co.nz

30 A i r b o r n

INSTRUMENTS BRÄUNIGER/Flytec, Oudie, Digifly and Aircotec flight instruments, basic varios to full GPS flight computers. Large range in stock. Phone or txt 021 247 2676, email aero@xtra.co.nz RESERVE PARACHUTES RANGE of Charly reserve parachutes, Front containers, Hook knives, Connectors etc, in stock at HG & PG Supplies, Phone 021 247 2676 or email aero@xtra.co.nz INSTRUCTION NELSON Hang Gliding Adventures HG training course Beginner and Novice rating. Jan, Feb, March. Call Glenn to register interest. 03 548 9151 or 027 275 1022, gmeadows@clear.net.nz

HANG Gliding/Skyfloating. Experienced instruction in Christchurch using latest skyfloater hang gliders, Phone Bill 021 247 2676, 03 326 6411 a.h., email aero@xtra.co.nz BUSINESS NELSON Paragliding, established 1993, After 20 years of operation I am looking for a business partner to share in the running of the school and 115 commercial Tandem flights. Nelson Paragliding has excellent equipment and sites where high standards are achieved. Although seasonally busy would suit someone with secondary income. So if you’re a motivated pilot with good people / business skills and like hanging out on hills please enquire as full training will be given. Contact Stew Karstens 03 544 1182 paragliding@xtra.co.nz EMPLOYMENT CORONET Peak Tandems Ltd, Queenstown, are looking for tandem hang gliding and paragliding pilots. Call 021 220 5932 LOST & FOUND AIRCOTEC XC-Trainer Easy vario/GPS, S/N 1473. Went missing from the Blenheim area approx two years ago. Phone 03 577 8886 or email john.urlich@nzdf.mil.nz NIVIUK Icepeak 6; green leading edge with Blue and white tips. Has distinctive competition numbers 222 on the lower surface along with ABAC (factory race team name)... this is a top comp wing and very obviously a comp 2 liner wing. Very few people should be flying this wing unless they are very experienced. Stolen in a GIN black with flouro green stripes 90 l bag... Reward for return and notifying police!! My cell 027 667 7123... Many thanks and hopefully I’ll get it back somehow... it wasn’t insured :( - Grey Hamilton HARNESS, helmet & hang gliding gear, taken from Omarama March 2010. Custom High Energy Tracer harness (black with blue stripe), Lara parachute with swivel, Spot Satellite Messenger, Olympus Mju Tough camera, Charly No Limit helmet (metallic dark silver) with visor, radio headset, Silkbody top, softshell jacket and other gear in black backpack. Contact Bill 03 326 6411, 021 247 2676 or email aero@xtra.co.nz.

Keep in touch with the NZ hang gliding and paragliding scene, the latest developments, events, new and used equipment...

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All NZ hang glider and paraglider pilots are required by law to be members, and receive Airborn magazine as part of their membership but non flyers and overseas pilots are welcome to subscribe. For AIRBORN SUBSCRIPTIONS please contact; NZHGPA Administrator, 23 Covent Drive, Stoke, Nelson 7011, New Zealand

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A4 size issues $4.- each Feb/Mar/Apr May/Jun/Jul Aug/Sep/Oct Nov/Dec/Jan 2014 issue numbers 189 190 191 192 2013 issue numbers 185 186 187 188 2012 issue numbers - - 183 184 2011 issue numbers 179 180 181 182 2010 issue numbers 175 176 177 178 2009 issue numbers 171 172 173 174 Feb/Mar Apr/May Jun/Jul Aug/Sep Oct/Nov Dec/Jan 2008 issue numbers 165 166 167 168 169 170 2007 issue numbers 159 - 161 162 163 164 2006 issue numbers 153 - 155 156 - 158 2005 issue numbers 147 148 149 150 151 152 2004 issue numbers 141 142 143 144 145 2003 issue numbers 135 - 137 138 139 140 2002 issue numbers 129 130 131 132 133 134 2001 issue numbers 123 124 125 126 127 128 2000 issue numbers 117 118 119 120 121 122 1999 issue numbers - - 113 - - 1998 issue numbers 105 106 107 108 109 110 1997 issue numbers 99 100 101 - 103 104 1996 issue numbers 93 94 95 96 97 98 1995 issue numbers - - - - - 1994 issue numbers 81 82 83 84 85 86 1993 issue numbers - 76 - 78 79 80 1992 issue numbers 69 70 71 72 73 74 A5 Issues below $1.- each (Prior to issue 69 all are the smaller A5 format) 1991 issue numbers 63 64 65 66 67 68 1990 issue numbers - 58 59 60 61 62 1989 issue numbers 51 52 53 - 55 56 1988 issue numbers 45 46 - - 49 50

For BACK ISSUES; send your order with payment to; Airborn Back Issues, 99A Panorama Road, Christchurch 8081, NZ

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PARAGLIDERS PRODESIGN Effect 38 DHV-1 wing (min/max. total load 105-130kg) in good condition (with WOF), Gin Genie 3 Harness (near new) with flight deck, Charly Reserve, Charly Insider Helmet (near new), Brauniger Vario 10 series, and Flight suit (L). prefer to sell all together as leaving the sport Suitable for Beginner or School. $1300.00 ono. Enquiries Phone Jason 027 229 5275 or 03 329 2018 OZONE Paragliders - fly-ozone.com - exclusively by SkyWings - Awesome new models - Swift 2, Rush 4, Roadster 2, Viper 3 & the amazing Zero miniwing - www.skywings.co.nz - 25 years bringing you the best wings - phone Alan 09 570 5757 NOVA Paragliders - nova-wings.com - exclusively by SkyWings - See Nova’s new website and great new models - Ion 3 low EN B, highest performing school safe wing ever, Triton 2 - highest performing EN C ever and Suzi - current safest wing - www.skywings.co.nz - 25 years bringing you the best wings phone Alan 09 570 5757 SPEEDFLYING specialists - and dozens of great XC wings - happy to trade - all kinds of harnesses in stock as well - www.skywings.co.nz or phone Alan 09 570 5757


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INDEPENDENT REVIEW GERMAN THERMIC MAGAZINE JULY 2013 “In Summary: The Delta 2 is a force to be reckoned with! It launches superbly, and turns when you move your finger in the direction you want the wing to go. This glider is sensationally solid, glides very well, is easy to accelerate,and it delivers pure pleasure and happiness to the pilot.

- Shark Nose Technology - Glides .1 better than Mantra 4 - (10.3) - Replacable Rods - C Riser control system - Improved agility and compactness - New advanced arc and profile - Clear EN C leader

Although the Shark Nose profile and dynamic nature might make it look and feel at first glance a bit agressive, in the end this is not true. In any case, anyone who flies regularly will not experience any bad surprises. Except that the permanent smile induced by the D2 can only be removed by surgery.This is truly a wing designed how wings should be. Amen”

Shark-nosed rods to 80% of chord gives extraordinary stability. All Ozone’s breakthrough inventions showcased in this EN D class leading M6

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High wind soarer/ mini wing


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