Recent News

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02 NOV 08 - BAVARIA SYMPOSIUM SUCCESSFUL. The recent PG Symposium held at Wertach in Germany was a resounding success. The event was attended by a number of RAF pilots of all experience levels. It seems that the flying tutorials run by the world famous Jocky Sanderson were particularly well received. Based on the positive outcome of this symposium it is hoped that future events of a similar nature will be held on a regular basis. Further details will be published on this website and via the chat group as soon as they become available.

12 SEP 08 - BAVARIA PG SYMPOSIUM JOINING INSTRUCTIONS. The Joining Instructions for the forthcoming Bavaria Paragliding Symposium can be downloaded from the following link.

06 SEP 08 - PARAGLIDING CHAMPS WASHED OUT. The weather had the last laugh as the Paragliding Champs were totally washed out by a spell of unseasonably poor weather. The week became more of a social event with a fabulous dinner attended by Richard Westagte as guest speaker. For full details on the weeks' events see the blog at the following link.

23 AUG 08 - PARAGLDING CHAMPS. The Inter Service Paragliding Champs are almost upon us. If you'd like to take part but haven't yet registered then there's still time. Contact Gordon Blackley the Competitions Member via competitions@rafhpa.com with your details.

22 JUL 08 - BAVARIA EXPEDITION 13-23 OCT 08. The Association is planning an expedition to Bavaria to coincide with the Paragliding Symposium being run by the ATCPW at Wertach during the period 13-23 Oct 08. The basic plan will be to deploy to Wertach and to join in with relevant symposium activities (presentations, lectures, training and flying), and in addition to conduct some of our own coaching and training including tandem instruction.

01 JUL 08 - OZONE CHABRE OPEN REPORT. Sean Simmons, Paragliding Member for the RAFHPA, recently attended the Ozone Chabre Open as part of the Joint Service Team. Sean's excellent report on the event can be found at the following link.

26 JUN 08 - INTER SERVICE PG CHAMPS ADMIN ORDER. The Admin Order for the forthcoming Inter Service PG Champs has been released. All members who wish to attend are encouraged to read the order then complete and return Annex A to the Competitions Member. The file can be downloaded from the Yahoo Group or from here.

29 MAY 08 - NORTH FACE 1/4 ZIP FLEECE. The Treasurer would like to remind all members that the RAFHPA now has a lightweight ¼ zip fleece available to pilots to complement the t-shirt, jacket and flying suit that are also currently stocked. For full details see the Gear Page.

25 MAY 08 - TANDEM WEEKEND 4-6 JUL 08. A Novice Tandem Weekend is being planned to take place in SE Wales during the period 4-6 JUN 08. Although the event is aimed primarily at those wishing to have a taste of the sport for the first time it is open to all personnel. If you're interested in taking part contact Sean Simmons, the Paragliding Member via paragliding@rafhpa.com.

16 MAY 08 - TRAINING WEEKEND 31 MAY - 1 JUN 08. The next training weekend will take place at JSHPC Crickhowell on 31 May and 1 Jun 08. This coaching weekend is designed to suit individuals training requirements prior to competing in the Joint Service champs later in the year. Anyone intending to participate in this event should contact Trev Preece via development@rafhpa.com to disscus individual training requirements. New members who do not wish to compete in the champs are also welcome. All members, especially club coaches are invited to attend to assist with the running of the weekend.

14 MAY 08 - Funeral of MAJOR ALEX BLAKE. The Funeral for Alex Blake will be held at St Helen's Church, Abingdon on 19 May 08 at 1245 hrs. All are welcome to attend. The funeral will followed by a wake in the Officers' Mess at Vauxhall Barracks, Didcot. Dress is Service Dress with medals and black armbands for officers and warrant officers. The family has requested that there be no floral tributes but there will be a collection for nominated charities including Winston's Wish, William and Grace Trust, Army Benevolent Fund and Wiltshire Air Ambulance.

02 MAY 08 - MAJOR ALEX BLAKE. On Wed 30 Apr 08, Major Alex Blake, Secretary of the Army HPA, was killed whilst paragliding in Spain. A Board of Inquiry has been convened. Alex will be sorely missed on the hill where his trademark smile and boundless enthusiasm would brighten up the murkiest of days on Merthyr. Our thoughts are with his wife Vicki and children Tom and Lola.

14 APR 08 - COMMITTEE MEETING 12 MAY 08. The next RAFHPA Committee meeting is scheduled to take place at RAF Brize Norton on Mon 12 May 08. For further details and to submit agenda items or to pass on apologies please contact the Secretary via secretary@rafhpa.com. Non Committe members are also welcome to attend and are requested to contact the Secretary to confirm their attendance.

15 JAN 08 - TRAVEL AUTHORITY FOR 2008. The Secretary has released the Travel Authority for RAFHPA Committee Meetings in 2008. The Sports Board Authority document is available to download from here.

10 JAN 08 - COMMITTEE MEETING DATE AND VENUE CHANGE. Please note that the Committee Meeting scheduled for 14 Jan 08 has been postponed until 28 Jan 08. The venue has also changed and is now RAF Brize Norton. For further details and to submit agenda items or to pass on apologies please contact the Secretary via secretary@rafhpa.com. Non Committe members are also welcome to attend and are requested to contact the Secretary to confirm their attendance.

02 JAN 08 - RAFHPA FORUM CLOSED. All members should note that the RAFHPA Forum has been closed down TFN. This was in response to the question that was posed to all members in Summer 2007 asking them if they preferred the Forum or Chat Group. The Chat Group came out on top. If you are not signed up to the Yahoo Chat Group please follow the link on the Membership Page.

01 JAN 08 - We would like to wish a Happy New Year to all of our members. We can only hope that 2008 is a productive year with weather suitable for all types of free flying.

30 DEC 07 - The JSHPC courses schedule for 2008-09 has been published and is available to download here. To those of you who are CP qualified (and that should be all Association members) please take note of the post CP courses on the new schedule. The rest of the Association's calendar should soon fall into place around this framework and details will be released on this site as soon as possible.

19 NOV 07 - The previous news item was based on an email that it now seems was somewhat misleading. The aforementioned sites in SE Wales are not closed to HG and PG activity but have restricted vehicle access. This is no different to previous policy but it is being rigidly enforced. Failure to comply may well result in more restrictive measures that do have an impact on flying. If you don't know what the rules are for each site then you shouldn't be flying there. Please ask before you go.

16 NOV 07 - Please note that the Association has recieved word that several sites in SE Wales have been closed by the land owner to all HG and PG activity. These sites are MERTHYR COMMON, FOCHRIW and BEDLINOG. Please do not fly these sites until further information is received from the SE Wales Club who are working to resolve the situation.

15 OCT 07 - At today's Committee Meeting amongst other items, the events programme for 2008 was discussed. Although the full details are still to be finalised it looks like we have another great year in prospect with events suitable for all levels of experience but with a slant towards squad development and of course enjoyment. First up is likely to be an Easter training event followed later in the Summer by a expedition or sports tour to the South of France. Throughout the year there will also be BCC rounds, membership tailored training weekends and XC courses. If you would like to help out with the planning of any of the events as well as taking part please contact the Chairman to offer your services. Remember that this is your Association and your input is vital in ensuring that the RAFHPA delivers the events that offer the most benefit to the membership.

06 OCT 07 - The next RAFHPA Committee meeting will take place at JSHPC Crickhowell, on Monday 15 October 2007 at 1000 hrs. Non Committee members are welcome to attend and are requested to contact the Chairman to confirm their attendance.

08 SEP 07 - The Army sweep the board at the UK Paragliding Champs. Andy Rudd is the new Joint Services Paragliding Champion and a strong Army Team were clear winners after a week of good weather and some excellent flying. An understrength RAF Team performed well to earn second place and a special mention must go to Rob Kerslake. Rob, in his final outing for the Light Blue became the new RAF Champion and was unlucky to finish in fourth place overall.

02 SEP 07 - The Inter Service UK Paragliding Championships are upon us. If you are unable to attend but would like to keep up to date with what's happening look out for the blog which will be published on the RAFHPA Forum and through the JSHPA Yahoo Group.

23 AUG 07 - All paraglider pilots attending the forthcoming Inter Service Championships are reminded to bring their GPS and the appropriate upload cable for connection to a PC.

01 AUG 07 - All paraglider pilots who wish to attend the Advanced Flying Week which preceeds the UK Paragliding Chamionships are required to apply via the standard JSAT form which can be found in JSP419. The week is being run as Pilot Intermediate Course (PIP) 1.5. You can download the JSP from the RAF Intranet or via the AHPA Links page which can be found here.

26 JUL 07- RAFHPA makes the RAF News (20 July 2007 edition) with an article on the Alpine Paragliding Championships. Well worth a read if you can lay your hands on a copy.

06 JUL 07 - The next RAFHPA Committe Meeting will be held on Friday 27 Jul 07 at JSHPC Crickhowell. Further details to follow from the Secretary. Agenda items are requested for submission as soon as possible via secretary@rafhpa.com. Non committee members may also request to attend the meeting through the Secretary.

05 JUL 07 - Ex SARANGKOT TIGER Cancelled. The proposed Army Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association sponsored expedition to Nepal in Jan 08 has been called off. An insufficient number of pilots were able to make a firm commitment. On that basis Alex Blake was unable to continue with planning.

29 JUN 07 - Minutes for Committee Meeting of 04 Apr 07 available to view on the Minutes page.

21 JUN 07 - Exped Leaders Course for HG and PG pilots announced by OC JSHPC. Volunteers for the course, which is planned to run in Oct-Nov 07, should contact Maggie at JSHPC (01873 810386) and send a copy of their flying CV. For full details please see the topic in the Forum.

16 JUN 07 - URGENT REQUEST FOR DRIVERS - UK PG CHAMPS. All members are asked to trawl their units for suitable personnel to act as retrieve drivers for the forthcoming Inter Service UK Paraglding Champs which take place during the first week in Sep. Drivers must be 21, and hold a UK license with a minibus endorsement. Drivers will be required for the whole competition, including the weekends before and after. Expenses will be covered (with the exception of beer). In addition, we will offer all drivers the opportunity to 'have a go' though tandem flying. This is usually a great experience. Please contact Sean Simmons on 95233 8707, 020 8833 8707, 07717 267891 or via secretary@rafhpa.com.

15 JUN 07 - Senior Service success at Crickhowell as Rob Dowdell is crowned Joint Services Hang Gliding Champion and the Royal Navy also walk away with the team prize. Commiserations to our RAF team. Following on from their success in Slovenia it seems that the Navy has had a good year all round. Maybe the floppies can start to turn the tide at the Paragliding Champs in Sep.

13 JUN 07 - Both the AHPA and JSHPC have recently announced details of expeditions to Nepal which will be run in Jan/Feb 08. For further details please see the messages posted in the Forum.

12 JUN 07 - The DIN for the 2007 UK Inter Service Hang Gliding Championships has been released and is available to download from the Events Page.

10 JUN 07 - The 2007 UK Inter Service Hang Gliding Champs begin this week. Good Luck to the RAF Team. We look forward to reporting your progress during the week.

01 JUN 07 - RAFHPA Committee Changes. With Paul Mahony's imminent departure from the RAF, the Association is about to get a new Chairman. Please keep an eye on these pages for further details. A group email and Forum message will be released when all is in readiness for the changeover. Also, please note that the contact number for the Equipment Member has recently changed. Details on the Committee Page.

10 MAY 07 - Paul Mahony is the RAF Alpine Paragliding Individual Champion once again. On his last outing for the RAF, Paul narrowly missed out on becoming Joint Service Champion after a hard fought battle with Rory Lynch from the Royal Navy. We wish Paul well for the future and life outside of the mob. The inexperienced team fought well but was similarly pushed into second place by the Royal Navy. So, there's work to be done and the UK Championships are just under four months away!

28 APR 07 - The 2007 Alpine Paragliding Champs have begun. For the latest news please check the RAFHPA Forum or the JSPGPILOTS Yahoo Group.

18 APR 07 - The Application Form for entry to the Inter Service UK Hang Gliding Champs is available to download from the Events page of this website. The Champs are running during the period 11-15 Jun 07.

18 JAN 07 - Please visit the Forum to see the topic about Mode S Transponders and to sign up on the No 10 E-Petition.

24 DEC 06 - Festive wishes go to all our members and fellow airmen/airwomen. We hope to see you all out on the hill in 2007.

03 DEC 06 - We apologise for the lack of updates to the website over the past couple of months. Our host server locked us out due to an error on their part. We hope to play catch up over the coming weeks.

05 OCT 06 - The Warning Order for the 2007 Inter Service Alpine Chapmionships in Slovenia has been issued. If you are interested please contact Paul Mahony via chairman@rafhpa.com.

24 SEP 06 - There are now 25 registered users of the RAFHPA Forum. This is a fantastic response in just 7 days and there have already been some useful discussion points raised. The website is also starting to take shape. If you feel inspired by all this and would like to write an article or have any images that you'd like to share then please submit them to the webmaster via webmaster@rafhpa.com.

17 SEP 06 - RAFHPA members are encouraged to register and use the brand new Forum even though this website is still undergoing construction, there's more to follow so keep calling back......

12 SEP 06 - The decorators are in !! The RAFHPA is having a makeover. Please bear with us while the site is being totally re-designed.

11 SEP 06 - RAFHPA members are requested to send articles and images for inclusion on this website to Matt Tandy.