News
Have a look at these amazing photographs of Hurricane Katrina
It seems to be all the rage to strap small jet engines on to all sorts of things, including humans!
Not to be outdone by a wing-suited Parachutist, the Jetman cometh! Video of Jetman
February 16, 2007
These are interesting times in the Paragliding World with the top end performance of competition gliders now similar to that of Hanggliders of the early nineties, ie a glide of about 10:1 but with superior themalling abilities. Most pilots thought this would never happen. Sleeping bag type aerodynamic harnesses are now slowly spreading from the competition racing scene into general flying, so one can stay looking cool in shorts on take off but still be warm in the air. A performance increase of 0.5 on glide is also tempting!
Just as impressive is the fact that 'bomb proof' beginners gliders now have the same performance as the very hairy prototypes that we flew in competitions during the nineties. Recently there has been various new types of glider for particular purposes. Tiny (8 square m) gliders for Para-skiing at speeds up to 90mph, race wings of 12m for special speed flying comps, and light-weight normal paragliders for Para-Alpinism, the latter taking the sport back to its origins in the late 70's. Acro (acrobatic) competitions are becoming popular with spectators where pilots perform amazing stunts unique to Paragliders on specially designed wings. For more details on the latest wings see the Nova web site Nova wings.
Have a look at a Nova 12m Speed flying paraglider test. Not for beginners!
Feb 18. Skydiver survives failure of both main and reserve parachutes. A very lucky man! parachutists survives 5000ft fall video.
Feb 21. A female competition Pilot pushed her luck a bit far in at the practise for the World Championships in Australia!
March 2. Thermic conditions and the sky full of clouds streets. The cross-country season has nearly started! Meanwhile to get you in the mood, have a look at some top draw acrobatic paragliding action.
March 9. British Pilot is World champion!
Great news from Australia. Bruce Goldsmith has won the Paragliding World Championship! Congratulations to Bruce! He is nearly a veteran having competed on Hanggliders and Paragliders at the highest level for over 20years! After a decade of average performances we again have a British pilot as World Champion, Bruce now joining his former colleagues Robbie Whittal and John Pendry in standing on top of the world!
April Flown out!
So much flying was done in April that some people got "flown out", i.e. mentally exhausted from so much fun! Best XC flight 179km!
June
After April's excess the weather God's had their revenge with constant Gales, storms and floods.
July
Still grim but signs of improving conditions. Nova anounce a radical new prototype competition glider which looks set to raise the bar again. Nova Paraglider Manufacturers
My old friend John Sylvester sets a new UK Paragliding Cross Country distance record at 198km. Taking off near Snowden he flew the length of Wales in 6 hours, mostly at 5000ft, to be halted by the river Severn near Chepstow. Excellent effort, the old boys strike again!
August
Windy and wet, but no floods here!
September/October
What a great autumn, lots of flying with very pleasant thermals. Got to cloudbase at 3,000feet on 20th Oct.
November
Still lots of flying and gentle thermals. Good fun!
New World XC Record
On 14/11/07 three Brazilian Paraglider Pilots flew an incredible 467km! The flight took 10hours and was obviously in strong conditions with a maximum climb rate of 20m/s,approx 45mph up!
December
Great fun Paragliding in Lanzarote. I will definately be going again soon.
January 2008
Just had to escape the uk weather so had another great week paragliding in Lanzarote!
Feb 2008
The season has started with some pleasant soaring in beautifully clear air and bright sunshine. I regretted not taking my sunglasses and got slightly sun burnt!
March-April 2008
A windy year so far, good for fast cross-country flights by experienced pilots, not so hot for beginners. I have been test flying various sizes of the revolutionary new Nova glider, the "Mentor". This is probably the best all round glider ever made. It has performance only beaten by top end wings that are radical and inherently unstable yet is a beginner/intermediate rating which feels reassuringly solid and safe whilst retaining sweet, direct handling. This is a glider that should satisfy 90% of regular pilots and puts the fun back into performance flying. See the Nova wings site.
Here are lots of amusing photographs and video clips, mainly aviation related, collectively called Oops!!