SEWHGPGC e-News

2010-09-11T00:20:02Z

SE Wales Hang Gliding & Paragliding Club - eNews

Vehicular access at Nant-y-Moel

The Forestry Commission is currently undertaking major work in the forest at Nant-y-Moel and have informed us that the track will not be available for vehicular access to the flying site whilst this work is undertaken.

For the time being access to the Nant-y-Moel flying site is on foot only.

Please park sensibly to avoid congestion on local roads, and do not block the access gate as the heavy machinery required to support the work will use the track to access the site.

There are also new signs at the gate indicating the areas where the actual work is taking place. To comply with Health and Safety regulations these areas are closed to members of the public whilst this work is undertaken.

The BHPA moves home

The BHPA office will be closed until Wednesday 15th September whilst staff relocate to new premises.

The new address will be:

The British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association Ltd
8 Merus Court
Meridian Business Park
Leicester
LE19 1RJ
United Kingdom

Unfortunately the telephone number is also changing, but the new number is not known at present.

2011 Blorenge Bash

At our recent AGM it was agreed that we would try to arrange a Blorenge Party and Fly-in next year, so keep an eye out for further announcements once arrangements have been sorted

The Cross Country 2010/11 Travel Guide

The Cross Country 2010/11 Travel Guide is now available as a free download from the xcmag web site at:
http://www.xcmag.com/2010/08/cross-coun ... de-201011/

The guide covers 23 of the best sites around the world: Brazil, India, Mexico, France, Spain, Turkey, Australia...

The 100 page paper version was originally bundled free with XC130.

Paul

SEWHGPGC e-News

2010-09-11T00:12:29Z

SE Wales Hang Gliding & Paragliding Club - eNews

Vehicular access at Nant-y-Moel

The BHPA moves home

2011 Blorenge Bash

At our recent AGM it was agreed that we would try to arrange a Blorenge Party and Fly-in next year, so keep an eye out for further announcements once arrangements have been sorted

The Cross Country 2010/11 Travel Guide

Paul

SEWHGPGC e-News

2010-08-09T11:50:02Z

SE Wales Hang Gliding & Paragliding Club - eNews

The SE Wales Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club Ltd

Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the South East Wales Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club Ltd will be held in the Wedgwood room of the Angel Hotel, Abergavenny on Sunday 29th August at 7.30pm

The purpose of the meeting will be to:

Consider reports of the Company's activities and financial position, and of the income and expenditure account and balance sheet, presented at the meeting.
Elect members of the Executive Committee (Company Directors).

The following members are currently standing for election or re-election at this year's AGM:

Andrew Brazier
Sheryl Cameron
Mark Cousins
Paul Dancey
Steve Millson
Mark Pearson
Dave Tregaskis
Chris White
Trevor White
Paul Wilkinson

If any other member of the South East Wales Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club would like to stand for election to the Club's Executive Committee, would they please contact the Club Chairman or Secretary by Sunday 15th August 2010.

The formal AGM will then be followed by an informal "questions from the floor" session, and the presentation of Club trophies for 2009.

A full list of the trophies to be presented can be found at www.sewhgpgc.co.uk/xc/xc.php

These include two new trophies:
The Jim Hay Trophy (Novice XC trophy)
The Steve Allen Trophy (Best XC in a BCC round)

Our AGM is an opportunity for Club members to have a say in the running of their club and to celebrate the achievments of fellow members, so please try to come along if you possibly can.

Paul Dancey
On behalf of the Board of the South East Wales Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club Ltd

SEWHGPGC e-News

2010-08-09T11:39:57Z

SE Wales Hang Gliding & Paragliding Club - eNews

The SE Wales Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club Ltd

Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the South East Wales Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club Ltd will be held in the Wedgwood room of the Angel Hotel, Abergavenny on Sunday 29th August at 7.30pm

The purpose of the meeting will be to:

Consider reports of the Company's activities and financial position, and of the income and expenditure account and balance sheet, presented at the meeting.
Elect members of the Executive Committee (Company Directors).

The following members are currently standing for election or re-election at this year's AGM:

Andrew Brazier
Sheryl Cameron
Mark Cousins
Paul Dancey
Steve Millson
Mark Pearson
Dave Tregaskis
Chris White
Trevor White
Paul Wilkinson

The formal AGM will then be followed by an informal "questions from the floor" session, and the presentation of Club trophies for 2009.

A full list of the trophies to be presented can be found at www.sewhgpgc.co.uk/xc/xc.php

These include two new trophies:
The Jim Hay Trophy (Novice XC trophy)
The Steve Allen Trophy (Best XC in a BCC round)

Our AGM is an opportunity for Club members to have a say in the running of their club and to celebrate the achievments of fellow members, so please try to come along if you possibly can.

Paul Dancey
On behalf of the Board of the South East Wales Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club Ltd

SEWHGPGC Mailing List - URGENT

2010-05-28T00:00:02Z

Club AGM Postponed

I'm afraid Sunday's SEWHG&PGC AGM has been postponed untill a later date.

We have reluctantly taken this decision due to personal circumstances beyond our control which unfortunately resulted in us not being able to conclude the necessary company buisness at this time.

A new date and time for this year's AGM will be circulated in due course.

Appologies for the last minute nature of this announcement and for any inconvenience caused.

Paul Dancey
On behalf of the SE Wales Hang Gliding & Paragliding Club Board

SEWHGPGC e-News - URGENT

2010-05-27T23:47:08Z

Club AGM Postponed

I'm afraid Sunday's SEWHG&PGC AGM has been postponed untill a later date.

We have reluctantly taken this decision due to personal circumstances beyond our control which unfortunately resulted in us not being able to conclude the necessary company buisness at this time.

A new date and time for this year's AGM will be circulated in due course.

Appologies for the last minute nature of this announcement and for any inconvenience caused.

Paul Dancey
On behalf of the SE Wales Hang Gliding & Paragliding Club Board

SEWHGPGC Mailing List

2010-05-15T14:40:02Z

SE Wales Hang Gliding & Paragliding Club - eNews

Dragonfly

The May 2010 issue of Dragonfly is now available for download on the Dragonfly page of the Club web site.

Paul

SEWHGPGC Mailing List

2010-05-01T15:50:01Z

SE Wales Hang Gliding & Paragliding Club - eNews

The SE Wales Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club Ltd

Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the South East Wales Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club Ltd will be held at the Angel Hotel, Abergavenny on Sunday 30 May 2010 at 7.30pm

The purpose of the meeting will be to:

Consider reports of the Company's activities and financial position, and of the income and expenditure account and balance sheet, presented at the meeting.
Elect members of the Executive Committee (Company Directors).

The following members are currently standing for election or re-election at this year's AGM:

Jason Andrews
Andrew Brazier
Sheryl Cameron
Mark Cousins
Paul Dancey
Steve Millson
Mark Pearson
Dave Tregaskis
Chris White
Trevor White
Paul Wilkinson

The formal AGM will then be followed by an informal "questions from the floor" session, and the presentation of Club trophies for 2009.

Two new trophies will be presented this year:
The Jim Hay Trophy (Novice XC trophy)
The Steve Allen Trophy (Best XC in a BCC round)

Our AGM is an opportunity for Club members to have a say in the running of their club, so please try to come along if you possibly can.

Paul Dancey
On behalf of the Board of the South East Wales Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club Ltd

Site Closures

Members are reminded that the following sites are currently closed for lambing and livestock resettlement:
Pandy - 1st - 21st May
Blaenavon - 1st March to Mid May
Hay Bluff - Monday - Friday from the 1st - 31st May (ie. the site can only be flown Saturdays and Sundays during this period)

SEWHGPGC Mailing List - Pandy Urgent

2010-04-09T15:50:01Z

As some of you may be aware the Club is currently having problems with car parking arrangements at Pandy, adjacent to take-off.

Access to the field before the gate onto Hatterall Hill was originally negotiated by Dave Sagan back in 2003, and has in the past generally worked well, but the Club has now been told that the field is closed for lambing until the end of May.

As far as I'm aware this is a new restriction that has not applied in previous years, but of course the flying site at Pandy is itself closed from the 1st - 21st May to allow stock to be settled on the hillside.

Steve Millson has kindly agreed to visit the landowner to discuss the situation and to see if there is anything that can be done about this, but in the meantime we have a problem.

Pandy has always been an extremely sensitive site, and it has taken lengthy negotiations over the years to maintain access to this cracking easterly. But with parking opportunities at the top of the hill very limited, and and easterly forecast for the weekend this could all too easily blow up in our faces sooner rather than later.

Until this situation is resolved we would urge Pilots to consider other easterly sites, such as Ebbw Vale so as to not put undue pressure on parking around Pandy. If you are going to Pandy, please wherever possible share transport and park at the bottom of the hill, ferrying gliders and pilots up to take-off as necessary.

If we end up with cars parked on all the verges at the top of the hill and or roads and drive ways being blocked this weekend, the situation is likely to spiral out of control.

I appreciate this is not good news and is going to be a real pain for everyone. But if we are to maintain access to this site we really need everyone's co-operation whilst negotiations are ongoing.

Paul Dancey

Club Chairman

SEWHGPGC e-News - Pandy Urgent

2010-04-09T15:37:52Z

As some of you may be aware the Club is currently having problems with car parking arrangements at Pandy, adjacent to take-off.

If we end up with cars parked on all the verges at the top of the hill and or roads and drive ways being blocked this weekend, the situation is likely to spiral out of control.

Club Chairman

SEWHGPGC Mailing List

2010-01-27T22:10:01Z

SE Wales Hang Gliding & Paragliding Club - eNews

A talk and slide show has been arranged for SEWHG&PGC members at 7.00pm on Thursday 4th February at Bryn Bach Park.

The World Tandem “Out-and-return” distance record holder, Toby Colombe, has generously agreed to give us a presentation about his record breaking 168km flight and talk about distance flying in general.

This is a great opportunity to expand your flying knowledge and ask an expert all those nagging questions (or just enjoy hearing about a fantastic adventure).

Toby is currently in first place for the British Championships in both “Sports class” and “Serial class” categories. He is an Advanced Pilot and Professional Tandem Pilot but is very generous with his knowledge and keen to pass on his experience to other flyers .

You don’t have to be an XC hound (or even a flyer) to enjoy the show, all are welcome.

He is not charging the club for this presentation and it would be great to see a good turn-out on the evening.

Put it in your diary, a week Thursday, Bryn Bach Park, Merthyr Rd, Tredegar, NP22 3AY

That’s 7pm Thur 4th Feb …………… Great entertainment and its free

So come along for a great night out

SEWHGPGC e-News

2010-01-27T21:58:53Z

SE Wales Hang Gliding & Paragliding Club - eNews

SEWHGPGC e-Newsletter - 23 December 2009

2009-12-23T22:50:02Z

With Christmas almost upon us, just a brief roundup of Club news, and advance details of a few events planned for next year.

First Aid Course
Chris White has arranged for Jocky Sanderson to run a first Aid course at Bryn Bach Park on the 16 - 17 January 2010. The cost of the two day course will be £80. If you would like to attend, please contact Chris White (chrismeg.white@virgin.net).

Talybont
Following discussions with the BHPA and other interested parties it has been agreed that Talybont will be re-registered as an official SE Wales Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club flying site. Avon club will also appear on the BHPA sites database as a current user.

A sites guide for Talybont is currently in preparation, and should be added to the online SE Wales Sites Guide early in the New Year.

Refresher Coaching and XC Clinics
On her return from a month in New Zealand, Sheryl is hoping to run practical refresher coaching and XC clinics during flyable weekends in March to get everyone back into a safe and confident frame of mind at the start of the 2010 flying season.

The format is likely to be a 30 minute preparation discussion on the hill most likely to be flyable, with a debrief on Sunday evening at the Pentrebach pub in Merthyr. This will provide an opportunity to discuss how things went, what could have been done better, and any other topics suggested. The Pub has food until 9pm and plenty of areas to sit and talk about the epic flights of the weekend.

If you are interested in taking part, or have any questions or suggestions, please contact Sheryl by email (sherylcam@yahoo.com), or by posting in the Shout Box on the Club web site.

Each week in March, if it looks as though it‘s going to be flyable on the weekend, Sheryl will email everyone who has "signed up" on the Thursday to let them know the time and place to meet, and what to bring, with final confirmation posted in the Shout Box on Friday evening.

Blaenavon
As many members will be aware, the local council now insists that the gate to the mine track is kept locked at all times, other than when it is in immediate use.

Following negotiations with the mine owner, the Club has obtained a limited number of keys to the gate, but is not allowed to copy them. Gate keys are therefore currently held by Paul Farley, Paul Williams and Steve Millson, on the basis that if the ridge is flyable one or more of them are likely to be there. They also live locally, so if they are not on the hill, Club members can contact them to gain access.

We appreciate this is not an ideal situation, but until we can come up with a better solution this seems to be the best way to maintain vehicular access to this site for the time being.

2009 SE Wales XC League Competition
The winners of the 2009 SE Wales XC League Competition are shown below. Full details of the flights flown are shown in the 2009 XC League Tables on our web site. The winners will be presented with their trophies at the Club AGM in May 2010.

HG XC League Trophy
Rob Dowdell (391.30 Km)

PG XC League Trophy
Andrew Brazier (129.17 Km)

The Alan James Trophy for the longest HG flight from a Club site
Rob Quick (80.02 Km from Merthyr)

The PG Cup for the longest PG flight from a Club Site
Andrew Brazier (80.19 Km from Merthyr)

The Blorenge Cup for the longest flight from the Blorenge
Rob Dowdell (36.91 Km)

The Jim Hay Trophy (Novice XC)
Richard Hewitt (8.55 Km from the Blorenge)

The Steve Allen Trophy (Best XC in a BCC round)
Jason Andrews (40.49 Km from Corndon)

Most Improved Pilot
Peter Cook

National Competitions on SE Wales Sites during 2010
At the moment there are only two National competitions planned for SE Wales sites during 2010:

British Hang Gliding Series 2010 (Fri 30 April - Tue 4 May)

BPCup (Fri 30 July - Sun 1 August)

The Competitions Calendar on the web site will be updated if further National competitions are agreed in the New Year.

BHPA Subscription Increase
All BHPA subscriptions will increase by £5 on the 1^st February 2010, so for example the BHPA Annual Flying Member Subscription Fee will rise to £89.
The BHPA Office will be closed for Christmas and the New Year from 4pm on Wednesday 23rd December until 8.30am on Monday 4th January.

Well that's just about it for now. It just remains for me to wish you all a happy Christmas and a great 2010.

Paul Dancey
SE Wales Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club

SEWHGPGC Mailing List

2009-08-15T20:30:02Z

URGENT SAFETY NOTICE
Following an Incident at Merthyr Tydfil the AIS has declared a temporary no fly zone that covers the whole of our flying site at Merthyr Tydfil, from ground level up to 3,200ft. This restriction is likely to be in force until Monday 1200Z (estimated):

The details from the AIS web site are as follows:

Q) EGTT/QRTCA/IV/BO/W/000/035/5145N00321W002

FROM: 09/08/13 14:13 TO: 09/08/17 12:00 EST

E) RESTRICTED AREA (TEMPORARY) OWING TO THE INCIDENT AT MERTHYR TYDFIL

RESTRICTION OF FLYING REGULATIONS HAVE BEEN MADE UNDER ARTICLE 96 OF

THE AIR NAVIGATION ORDER 2005 IN AREA BOUNDED BY A CIRCLE RADIUS 2NM

CENTRED ON 514437N 0032054W.

PILOTS ARE FORBIDDEN TO FLY WI THE DESIGNATED AREA WITHOUT

PERMISSION OF SOUTH WALES POLICE 01656 655555 EXT 20915/20380.

ATC UNITS CLOSE TO THE INCIDENT AREA ARE REQUESTED TO ADVISE ACFT ON

THEIR FREQ OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS NOTAM. MIL ACFT SHOULD COMPLY

WITH JSP 552 201.135.9

LOWER: SFC

UPPER: 3200FT AMSL

My thanks to Rob Dowdell for bringing this to our attention. Rob has spoken to Cardiff police who have said that it may be possible to fly at Merthyr on Sunday, but they cannot give permission until tomorrow (Sunday) so anyone who was hoping to fly Merthyr tommorrow will have to ring the police first for approval.

Anyone thinking of flying Merthyr on Monday is also advised to contact Cardiff police, or check the AIS web site for the latest information.

Paul

SEWHGPGC e-Newsletter - 11 July 2009

2009-07-11T15:30:01Z

SE Wales Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club e-Newsletter

Club AGM

Just a final reminder that the re-convened Club AGM will be held in the Traders Marquee at the Blorenge Party at Pen-y-Worlod Farm Abergavenny on Saturday 29th August at 6.00pm. If you're just coming along on the Saturday night for the Club AGM, please be sure to bring youe Club membership card with you to show to security staff on the gate.

Directions to the venue are on the Blorenge Party page on the web site.

Blorenge Party

Talking of the Blorenge Party, another reminder that you have less than three weeks to buy Blorenge Party tickets at the reduced rate of £30 for a single and £40 for a double. After the 31st July tickets will cost £45 for a single ticket and £55 for a double ticket.

So don't miss out on a bargain, order your tickets today and save £15 on the "gate price"!

Site Issues

Blaenavon: I'm afraid a locked barrier has now appeared across the second gate by the entrance to the Blaenavon flying sites with a notice stating that it will be closed after 2 pm and will not be opened until 9 am daily, so for the time being vehicular access to this site will not be possible.

The Club as learnt that the Local Council has ordered the Mine Owner to keep the gate locked to try to cut down on fly tipping and illegal off road riding. Fly tipping is particularly bad at the moment, and the Mine Owner is responsible for clearing this not the Local Authority.

Paul Farley is currently in contact with the Mine Owner to see if we can come to some arrangement to gain vehicular access once more. Please don't do anything in the meantime to make those negotiations harder than they already are.

Fochriw: The new locked gate at Fochriw appears to have been installed by the company working on repairing the rail link to the coal washery, so I'm afraid it's back to square one and we need to see if we can negotiate vehicular access to the mine track again.

Rogue Pilots: We seem to be getting a number of reports about "rogue" pilots on SE Wales sites. In some cases it appears that they are not fully qualified and have no insurance, in other cases they just aren't prepared to follow site rules.

Unfortunately their actions can all too easily put continued site access at risk, and we would ask all Club members to be vigilant when flying SE Wales sites and to be on the look out for bad behaviour.

You dont have to be confrontational, that would only make a bad situation worse, but if you see someone new on a site, that doesn't appear to know the rules, or you think may not be qualified or insured, it is better to speak to them and explain the possible consequences for all of us. Who knows, you might be able to encourage them to go on the straight and narrow, or even make a new friend or member. Very often a quiet word is all it takes to nip bad behaviour in the bud.

Live Weather Paragliding Map

Craig Payne has created a rather neat "Google map application" to show live weather observations around popular paragliding sites in the UK and Europe, which looks to be a useful addition to the rather better known XC weather page. Craig's web site can be found at www.paraglidingmap.com.

SE Wales Sites Map

If you've not looked at the Club's on-line sites guide recently, you may not be aware that we too have created our own "Google Map" showing the location of all SE Wales Sites, with abridged site rules and advice. To date this has had over 9,000 visits, so there's even less excuse for visitors who claim to not be aware of our site rules. Our on-line sites guide includes a link to the appropriate Google map for each of our flying sites, or you can go directly to the main SE Wales Sites Google Map.

Jim Hay

As you know Jim Hay passed away last month. Jim was member of the Club for more years than I care to remember. A past Chairman, Safety and Training Officer, and Sites officer, Jim made a massive contribution to the Club over the years before retiring to Spain, and was a personal friend. A real character in an often grey world, many members will I'm sure have fond memories of Jim. He will be sadly missed.

A short obituary has been published in the July issue of Skywings, and as a small tribute to his contribution to the Club and the sport, we will be dedicating our annual novice pilot trophy in his memory.

When I recently spoke to Daphne, his widow, she asked me to pass on her thanks for the many cards, and letters of sympathy and support she has received from members and friends.

Paul

SEWHGPGC e-Newsletter - 31 May 2009

2009-05-31T13:40:02Z

SE Wales Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club e-Newsletter

Club AGM

Sadly there were insufficient members at the AGM (on Sunday 24th May) to make up a quorum, so it had to be adjourned. We did however take the opportunity to hold a Club meeting to discuss current issues and present trophies to the winners of last years Club competitions. Please see www.sewhgpgc.co.uk/xc/xc.php for full details of the winners, and the trophies presented.

The meeting also discussed the Committee's decision to make Pandy a "Members Only" site, and that decision was support unanimously by all members present.

The Club does however still need to run an AGM to conduct "official" company buisness, but as this shouldn't take too long, it has been agreed that the AGM will now be reconvened at 6.00pm on Saturday 29th August at the Blorenge Party.

Blorenge Party

If advance ticket sales are anything to go by, this year's Blorenge Party should be one of the most popular yet. So it's worth reminding everyone that the deadline for purchasing adavance Blorenge Party tickets at the reduced price of £20 for a single and £30 for a double is midnight tonight (31 May). From tomorrow tickets will cost £30 for a single and £40 for a double.

So don't miss out on a bargain, order your tickets today!

Paul

SEWHGPGC e-Newsletter - 6 May 2009

2009-05-06T20:20:58Z

Reserve Parachute Re-pack
Steve Millson has organized a Club Parachute Re-pack for Tuesday 19th May, from 6.30. This will be held at St Michaels hall, 10A Pen y Pound, Abergavenny Monmouthshire, NP7 5UD.

If you would like to attend and have not done so before, please bring your harness and reserve so the whole system can be checked and if you have the manufacturer’s manual, please bring that with you too.

Professional repacks are usually around £25+, but Steve is providing his services for free and charging just £10 per member with all proceeds donated to charity (probably the Air Ambulance).

If you'd like to attend, please email Steve, so he has an idea of the numbers coming along.

Site Restrictions
Just a reminder that with the 2009 lambing season well under way, the following site restrictions apply:

Pandy
Closed 1st - 21st May

Blaenavon
Closed 1st March to Mid May

Hay Bluff
Closed Monday - Friday 1st - 31st May
ie. the site can only be flown Saturdays and Sundays during this period

Further details can be found in our On-line Sites Guide.

Blorenge Party Tickets
Just a reminder that Blorenge party tickets purchased before the 31st May cost £20 for a single ticket, or £30 for pilot and partner with free entry for kids under 16, which is a large saving on the "Gate Price". To purchase advance Blorenge Party tickets, please visit the Blorenge Party page on our web site.

Paul

AGM Notification

2009-05-03T11:53:03Z

The SE Wales Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club Ltd

Notice of Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the South East Wales Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club Ltd will be held at the Angel Hotel, Abergavenny on Sunday 24 May 2009 at 7.30pm

The purpose of the meeting will be to:

Consider reports of the Company's activities and financial position, and of the income and expenditure account and balance sheet, presented at the meeting.
Elect members of the Executive Committee (Company Directors).

The following Directors are currently standing for re-election at this year's AGM:

Jason Andrews
Andrew Brazier
Sheryl Cameron
Mark Cousins
Paul Dancey
Steve Millson
Mark Pearson
Dave Tregaskis
Chris White
Paul Wilkinson

The formal AGM will then be followed by an informal "questions from the floor" session, and the presentation of Club trophies for 2008.

This is an opportunity for Club members to have a say in the running of their club, so please try to come along if you possibly can.

Paul Dancey

On behalf of the Board of the South East Wales Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club Ltd

SEWHGPGC e-Newsletter - 17 April 2009

2009-04-17T21:10:01Z

SE Wales Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club e-Newsletter

Members Area

As many of you will have found by now, the Club has decided to remove the password protection from the members area of our web site to make this area a little easier to access. The new URL for the Club Members Area is:

www.members.sewhgpgc.co.uk

Dragonfly

The latest edition of Dragonfly (April 2009) is now available for download on the Dragonfly page in the members area of our web site:

www.sewhgpgc.co.uk/members/dragonfly.php

Following a recent decision by the Club to drop the paper version of Dragonfly, this will be the first edition of Dragonfly to only be available as a full colour interactive pdf document.

Club Shout Box

The Club Shout Box in the Members Area, and on the home page of our web site, is proving to be a popular way for members to keep in touch, especially when discussing which sites are likely to be flyable on any given day. If you've not registered for our Shout Box and Forums yet, please use the forum registration link in the Members Area of our web site.

www.members.sewhgpgc.co.uk

Fochriw Gate

The gate to the mine track at the foot of Fochriw (Club members Only site) has once again been broken, and this time the damage appears to be terminal. No decision has yet been taken about what, if any, action the Club should take.

Pandy

The Club has also decided to designate Pandy as a Members Only site. Pandy should therefore in future only be flown by members of the SE Wales Hang Gliding & Paragliding Club, and members of the Welsh Free Flight Federation. The SE Wales sites guide will shortly be updated to reflect that change, and a notice published in Skywings. Further information is available in the latest edition of Dragonfly.

Blorenge Party & Fly-in

Preparations are now well under way for this year's Blorenge Bash over the August Bank Holiday weekend. Further information is available in the latest edition of Dragonfly, and on our web site at:

www.sewhgpgc.co.uk/blorenge9.php

Advance tickets are also now on sale, and offer a considerable saving on the gate price:

Buy your Blorenge Party tickets on-line now

Paul Dancey

SEWHGPGC e-Newsletter - 19 October 2008

2008-10-19T12:44:01Z

SE Wales Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club e-Newsletter

Dragonfly

The latest edition of Dragonfly is now available for download from the password protected members area of our web site:

www.sewhgpgc.co.uk/members/private

Just click on the Dragonfly page link at the top of the page. The October issue is another 40 page bumper edition, and is crammed full of articles and information. Check it out now.

First Aid Course

Chris White has arranged for Jocky Sanderson to come down to SE Wales on the 10 and 11 January 2009 to run a two day First Aid course.

Day 1 will be a British Heart Foundation standard 1st aid course with additional tuition in the use of defibrillators, which are now becoming more common in public places.
Day 2 will be specific to the mountain environment and paragliding, covering 1st aid, immediate care and evacuation.

Jocky is able to issue BHF 1st aid certificates, but these aren't HSE approved. Chris is keen to make the course affordable so has kept the price at a very reasonable £65 per person.

If you're interested in attending, please book a place now by sending a text or email to Chris:
07768 732596
chrismeg.white@virgin.net

This is likely to be a popular course, so don't delay book your place now.

Fochriw Gate

The gate to the mine track at the foot of Fochriw (Club members Only site) has now been profesionally repaired. Part of the damage done to this gate may have been caused by the gate being thrown open and the hinge forced against the post. If you use this gate, please make sure you walk it open to avoid future problems. Our thanks to Dan Sidoli for arranging and supervising the repairs. All we need now is a volunteer to give it a coat of paint.

BHPA AGM and the Sport & Light Aviation Show

A final reminder that the Sport and Light Aviation Show takes place at the NEC on November 29th and 30th.

Free flight importers and dealers booked so far include Airways, Bailey Aviation, Flylight, Northern Paragliding, ParAvion and UK Airsports. There will be a presence from the various airsports' governing bodies: the BHPA, BMAA, BGA, LAA and CAA; also the BHPA Simulator, plus Cross Country International, Today's Pilot, Extreme Kites, Onrisk and Airsports Insurance.

An exciting schedule of talks and seminars has been arranged including Jocky Sanderson (thermalling and glider safety), Michel Carnet (maximum fun with minimum risk), and Nigel Page (starting XC flying). There will also be talks from Dr Bill Brooks (flexwing developments) and Richard Meredith-Hardy, and hopefully a talk about the Yuneec electric paramotor. Entrance is £5 to BHPA members with a valid membership card and £10 to non-members (doors open 10am).

The BHPA AGM will be held on the morning of Saturday November 29, and is your chance to have a say in how our sport's UK Governing Body is run.

For further show information, please visit www.theflyingshow.co.uk.

Paul Dancey

SEWHGPGC e-Newsletter - 24 May 2008

2008-05-24T15:49:14Z

SE Wales Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club e-Newsletter

Mode S Transponders - Update

On 31st January 2008 the CAA published the phase 2 consultation documents for their latest proposals on the compulsory carriage of transponders - go to www.caa.co.uk, click on the "Mode S" menu item, and follow the links.

The draft response from the BHPA Airspace Panel has now been published here. Time is unfortunately now very short, but further responses from individual pilots would obviously add weight to the arguments put forward by the BHPA.

A summary document is also available on the BHPA web site. This outlines the background to the CAA consultation, and lists the pros and cons of each of the options proposed.

You can respond to the CAA consultation document, online, by email, or by post. But it‘s worth remembering that online responses can only answer specific questions. So any "off topic" response must be by post or email.

The deadline for all responses is 5.00pm on 31^st May 2008.

Please respond in your own words, as multiple copies of exactly the same response will have little impact. You don‘t necessarily have to repond to the whole thing, just pick a point or two that you feel most strongly about, and respond to that.

Every response from an individual pilot will add weight to the arguments put forward.

You can email modesconsultation@caa.co.uk, or write to:
Mr Andy Knill
Head of Surveillance & Spectrum Management
Directorate of Airspace Policy
CAA House K6 G6
45-59 Kingsway
London
WC2B 6TE

Pandy

The Longtown Mountain Rescue Team will be undertaking a training exercise on Hatterall Hill on Sunday the 8th June from 9.30am - 4.00pm, and by arrangement with the Club will be parking their vehicles in the parking area negotiated by the Club for pilots flying Pandy.

If it's flyable that day, please take extra care when parking, as the car park is likely to be busier than usual.

Please make the Mountain Rescue Team welcome, as these volunteers cover a large number of our flying sites (including the Blorenge), and are of course the very people we rely on to get us out of trouble when things go badly wrong.