A quick reminder that Registration for the 2013 Ozone Chabre Open is open in just 3 days - on 19th January at 18.00 GMT or 19.00 CET or some unearthly hour if you live in Australia. Registration can only be made on line at : http://www.flylaragne.com/ and pilot numbers are limited to 120 pilots...

Second Reserve Mandatory from May 1st 2014

(for all Cat 1 & 2 Paragliding Competitions)

During its recent Autumn meeting, CIVL Bureau reviewed reports from accidents, some fatal, in Category 1 and 2 events. From these reports, a recurrent problem was identified. In degraded conditions (stall, spin…) some pilots were unable to reach and use their reserve parachute and fell to the ground.

6th October 2012
PRESS RELEASE...PRESS RELEASE...
BOS 2013 AND BRITISH NATIONALS
DATES AND VENUE ANNOUNCED

If you are planning to fly the Dolomites, near Trentino in Italy, please read on...

• Agree what area of the hill they will be using and where they will be landing their gliders (they top-land just like we do.)
  
• When launching, you should turn away from where the aero-modellers are operating and keep well clear of their airspace until until you have gained enough height to safely clear their vertical and horozontal field of operation.
  
• Make them aware that you will need to be able to top-land also, and explain the approach you will fly when coming in to land.

IHPA membership fees have paid for the repair of the fence along the top of the westerly car park hill at Mt. Leinster and for the construction of a very sturdy style giving access to the slope.

Please use the style and do not be tempted to cross the fence at any other point or you risk damaging the fence and quite possibly neutering yourself on the barbed wire!

Please report any damage either of the fence or the style to the IHPA immediatly so that we can have it repaired. Thanks.

CIVL has published new document explaining the GAP2008 scoring formula and options. The document is available at http://www.fai.org/hang_gliding/competitions/gap. (see bottom of that page)

The IHPA has been officially reinstated as the National Governing Body for the sports of Hang Gliding and Paragliding in Ireland.

It was agreed at a Bureau meeting in Talloires, 1st February 2007, that all CIVL approved Local Regulations for Category 1 Competitions shall be published on the CIVL Website. The Local Regulations published on this page are those approved and accepted by the Plenary, or approved by the Bureau. Also below are the Entry Requirements for Category 1 Competitions which have been approved by CIVL and published in advance of the Local Regulations.

The Local Regulations and Entry Requirements for upcoming FAI/CIVL Category 1 competitions:

2011_18th_FAI_World_HG_Champs_MonteCucco_Entry_Requirements.pdf    57.56 KB
2011_12thFAI_WorldPG_Champs_Piedrahita_Entry_Requirements.pdf    68.75 KB

IRISH SPORT UNITES IN APPEAL TO GOVERNMENT TO PROTECT SPORT FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS

Irish sport has once again united in making a submission to Government highlighting the vital role played by Government funding in the development of Irish sport.  In a submission made on behalf of everyone involved in Irish sport, the national sporting organisations pointed out the damage that will be done to sport in Ireland if Government was to make drastic cuts in the current funding of sport in this country.

New pilots who have completed their initial training in a BHPA school who want to convert their Club Pilot rating to Para Pro 3, the minimum requirement to allow them to fly unsupervised, should read the following:

Join us on Facebook! The IHPA now has its own Group on the Facebook social networking site, which you can join to help keep you in touch with pilots in Ireland and around the world! Just log-in to www.facebook.com (you'll need to have a Facebook account first) and search for IHPA. Then just click on the Join this Group button and you're in! Many thanks to Graham Tobin for setting this up.

An appeal for help from the Wicklow Uplands Council:

Quad & Scrambler Bike Damage on the Hills

The serious damage to some upland areas from the off-road use of motorized vehicles is a concern for many hill-walkers.  Thankfully, there is something walkers and IHPA pilots can do to counteract this.

360° Turns and Nose Down Spiral Dives

We draw to your attention a very important BHPA Safety Notice regarding accidentally entering high-G spiral dives while flying 'normal' 360° turns. Click on the link above for the full Advisory. While this advisory covers ALL paragliders, it appears that lower DHV (1 & 1/2) rated wings are more susceptible to this danger.

All paraglider and hang glider pilots intending to fly at Lacken, near Blessington, Co. Wicklow should call Casement Aerodrome ATC 01 403 7514 to alert them of their activities.

Another successful parachute repack session was held in the Templemore Garda Training College sports hall on the Sunday morning after the night before's AGM and historic Irish Grand-Slam rugby triumph over Wales!

Parachute Deployment Safety Notice

Moyes, the manufacturer of the Matrix hang gliding harness have issued a safety notice following reports by some pilots about their difficulty in deploying their reserve parachutes. All Matrix owners are advised to read this notice (click on the link above) and view the accompanying YouTube videos.