British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association

10/09/2026

Members waiting with baited breath for the hard copy of Skywings will have to wait a little longer !

As a result of a series of minor break downs in the chain of production, the address data only arrived with OnePost on Monday 7th Sept. We anticipate that the hard copies will arrive next week at the latest. We apologise for the delay and remind everyone that the magazine is freely available online at:

https://www.skywingsmag.co.uk/

03/09/2026

British Women Pilots’ Association scholarships.

The British Women Pilots' Association (BWPA) has opened its 2026 aviation scholarships for applications.

The BWPA offers scholarships to support women in the UK of all ages and backgrounds in achieving their flying dreams, reinforcing one of its key aims, of promoting women's training and employment within aviation.

Since its founding in 1955, the BWPA has championed women in aviation, offering support, inspiration and practical assistance to help them achieve their ambitions in the air. This year, 15 scholarships are available for all levels of experience and all types of flying.

The awards will help scholarship winners in various ways, including gaining their first qualifications, building upon existing qualifications, or working towards a first paid flying job. Applicants will be asked to submit information on their current aviation experience, what they enjoy most about flying, why they believe they deserve the award and how they would use the award if successful.

They will be shortlisted by a panel of judges who will determine which of the candidates show the most promise for their future flying. Ava Udwadia, winner of a 2025 BWPA SkyDemon Flying High Scholarship, says, "I can't thank the BWPA and SkyDemon enough for this scholarship! I caught the 'aerobatics bug' quite early in my training, and being given the chance to develop these skills for myself means the world to me. I'm excited to exercise my aerobatic privileges and will make the most of this incredible opportunity!"

The BWPA actively works with partner organisations to extend the range of scholarships it can offer, helping to raise awareness and increase the opportunities available. Dr Stuart E. Smith of CATS says, “We're delighted to offer an aspiring female pilot the opportunity to turn their dream of a commercial flying career into reality.”

“Our scholarships continue to set a high standard across the industry and can make a real and lasting difference to the women who receive them,” said Annabel Cook, BWPA Chair. “They have helped women at many different stages of their flying, from taking their first steps into aviation to developing new skills and progressing their careers.”

For further information, contact Amber Dash at [email protected]

01/09/2026

URGENT ACTION NEEDED BY MEMBERS !

In August the CAA issued ‘CAA CAP 3268 EC Mandate Consultation’. It invites GA pilots to respond to its proposal for the COMPULSORY carriage of ADS-B Electronic Conspicuity devices in UK airspace below FL100.

The BHPA has compiled a guidance document to assist members in responding to the consultation. Rather than a set of model answers, it prompts pilots to consider how the proposal would affect their own flying. Please use your own words and include points that reflect your experience or view.

The CAA’s consultation page can be found here: https://consultations.caa.co.uk/safety-and-airspace-regulation-group/ec-mandate/

And the BHPA response guidance is here:

https://www.bhpa.co.uk/pdf/CAA_CAP3268_Pilot_Response_Guidance.pdf

Please note the Consultation closes on 22nd September 2026. If you wish to respond, it is imperative that you download and study the BHPA guidance as soon as possible.

The CAA Consultation, and pilots’ responses to it, concern the future of our freedom to fly in UK airspace. Please take the time to download the document, study it carefully and make a considered response.

01/09/2026

Skywings is now out ! The hard copy will arrive with members later this week or early next week. If you cannot wait, it is available right now for free online to everyone here:

https://www.skywingsmag.co.uk/

20/08/2026

BHPA Instructor course in action.

04/08/2026

August Skywings will arrive with members any day now. For those who are not members or simply cannot wait, it is already available, along with many back issues, online for free @

https://www.skywingsmag.co.uk/

01/08/2026

Congratulations to Grant Crossingham on achieving #1 in the class1 hang gliding world ranking.
UK is also ranked #2 with #11 Gordon Rigg #15 Darren Brown #19 Dave Matthews

30/07/2026

A message from our colleagues in Denmark:

Dear BHPA Team,

It’s summer, and the flying season is booming at the Danish coastal soaring sites. We are always glad to see pilots from our neighbouring countries on our hills. The Danish Hanggliding & Paragliding Union (DHPU) would like to take this opportunity to draw your attention to the rules and regulations, as well as some tips for staying safe, when your pilots visit the popular soaring spots in Denmark.

As parakites become increasingly popular, we welcome more visitors every year. Many of our sites are small, and some of them exist only because we have good relations with local residents and landowners. When visiting pilots are not aware of the local rules, those relations come under pressure — and in the worst case, a site closes for everyone. It is rarely a matter of bad intentions; it is almost always simply missing information. And that is exactly where you can help us.

We have a section for visiting pilots on our website, and we also print information flyers that are available at campsites and tourist information offices along the coast:

English: https://dhpu.dk/for-visiting-pilots-en/
German: https://dhpu.dk/for-visiting-pilots-de/

If you could link to it from your website, or mention it in your member magazine, it would be a great help. Please feel free to translate or shorten anything you like.

These are the four points that most often catch visitors by surprise:

Licence: IPPI 4 is the minimum requirement.
Insurance: third-party liability insurance is compulsory.
Airspace: check the NOTAMs before every flight — several military firing ranges overlap with our most popular west coast sites, and the restricted areas change from day to day.
Schools: teaching students at any level requires an instructor licence issued by the DHPU.
And as always, good airmanship gets you a long way 🙂

Show respect to earn respect.
Take your rubbish with you when you leave.
Say hello to the locals.
Follow the local rules.
We would of course be happy to do the same for your sites — just send us the material.

Happy flying, and have a great season.

Best regards,

On behalf of Chairman Jesper Eybye and the DHPU Board,

Dänemark bietet einige der besten Küsten- und Hangsoaring-Spots Nordeuropas sowie Schleppstart-Möglichkeiten für Gleitschirme und Drachen. Bevor du hier fliegst, mach dich bitte mit unseren nationalen Regeln vertraut — das ist ein wichtiger Teil unserer Bemühungen, das Fliegen bei uns sicher ...

30/07/2026

Phishy business!

In the interests of openness, BHPA Staff and Exec. names, job titles and email addresses are listed on our website.

As a result their identities can be recreated by bad actors to generate plausible phishing emails coming, apparently, from BHPA people and bearing messages such as, 'Can you handle this - I'm in a meeting right now - can you buy some Amazon Gift cards, I will refund you when I get free …'

Such requests should be ignored and deleted. Access to your address is not through any BHPA data breach. Likewise, emails offering to sell the BHPA mailing lists are equally spurious and have not arisen from any data breach.

The contents of such emails are harvested from public facing pages like the Club Contacts list and Clubs' own websites.

28/07/2026

French Hang Gliding Open and Nationals just finished in Laragne Monteglin.
Tim Swait 1st place in Sports Class on his own design British Made Avian Puma.
Darren Brown 2nd place in Open Class on his Moyes Rx 3.5 pro, continuing his rise to international hang gliding stardom!, with former world champion Attilla Bertok in 1st and former world champion Christian Chiech in 3rd.