APCO Spark paraglider harness

Israelian paragliding company APCO have released their ‘most sophisticated sports harness of the range’, the Spark, which they describe as a classic harness offering total comfort, maximum security, a stylish design and plenty of extras. They say it stands out for its comfort, finish and sleek, low-drag profile.

APCO Spark foam protector and Lexan sheet

The Spark has a 15 cm foam back protector with Lexan sheet back plate and optional side protectors. Load spreading semi-rigid elements are built into the back of the harness for optimal back support. Despite all this, APCO say the Spark has a low pack volume.

Other features include a built-in system for adjustment of weight shift control and plenty of pockets, including radio and drinks tube housings, and an optional foot stirrup.

The Spark is available in three sizes, to fit pilots ranging from 155 cm / 55 kg to over 2 m / 100 kg. (S/M, L/XL and XXL). It is being offered in a choice of eight colours to begin with, but this will be reduced to the four most popular choices.

www.apcoaviation.com

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The UK’s hang gliding competition calendar for 2010 looks like this:

British open series

Round 1 (also British Open) , SE Wales , 30 April – 4 May.
Round 2 , Yorkshire Dales , 28 May – 1 June.
Round 3 , Mid Wales, 26  – 30 June.

British Nationals

Laragne, 22 – 28 Aug.

More details on the British Hang Gliding Competitions website.

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2010 Speedflying Pro Les Arcs winner, Antoine Montant. Photo: Jerome Maupoint

For the third year in a row, Antoine Montant has won the Speedflying Pro, les Arcs, proving that he still dominates in this discipline which combines skiing with high speed paragliding.

The competition finished today. Alongside Antoine on the podium at the event of event celebrations were fellow Frenchmen Francois Bon (flying Gin), one of the sport’s pioneers, and Yoan Castagnoli (on an AtAkA wing), who was also on the podium in the 2009 event. The French acro pilot was highly noted by the judges for “his inventiveness, his enthusiasm and his involvement”.

Two freeride sets were run on Wednesday on the flanks of the Aiguille Rouge. The organisers explain: “The riders are free to choose their itinerary, by skiing on the snow and flying on this magnificent untouched side, between corridors and powder fields. A high speed ballet between the rocks. Their descent is graded on three criteria by a jury : the technique (the difficulty of the figures), the style (fluidity, the harmony of the skiing and the flying), and the course chosen”.

The Speedflying Pro website commented that the sport is evolving and there are other riders now coming close to Antoine’s level, which was previously unmatched.

François Bon and Antoine Montant are now setting out for a speed flying premiere on ‘a mythical side of the Alps’. The destination, still being kept secret, will be revealed on the Speedflying Pro website.

Antoine Montant, Speedriding Pro Les Arcs. Photo: Jerome Maupoint

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Sol Kangaroo 3 tandem paraglider. Photo: Fernando Pradi

Brazilian paraglider manufacturer Sol have just released a new tandem wing, the Kangaroo 3.

The company said it was a hard job improving on the Kangaroo 2 which broke three world distance records during its development and testing phases. They say the Kangaroo 3 is the product of many prototypes and hours’ testing and flying, and that they have retained the easy take off and landing, good climb performance, and smooth handling characteristics of the Kangaroo 2. The finished Kangaroo 3 is a 61-cell beast (of which 14 are closed cells), made from a mixture of fabric weights and having an aspect ratio of 6.26 (4.38 projected).

Rated EN C and LTF 2, it is intended for intermediate – experienced tandem pilots and is covered by Sol’s three year warranty.

You can have fun designing the colour scheme of your new Sol wing when y0u order from their website.

Other tandem paragliders XCmag has looked at in the last year include the ITV Awak, Paratech PBi6, Pro Design Amiga, U-Turn Bodyguard II, Gradient BiGolden XC, Team 5 Blue II, Airwave Tandem, Ozone Magnum

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Photo: www.outdoortrophy.com

The ninth edition of the Outdoortrophy, an extreme sports relay competition featuring mountain running, paragliding, kayaking and mountain biking, will take place on 14 August 2010 in Lingenau/Vorarlberg, Austria.

Top international athletes and amateurs, men and women, will compete in teams of four to win what organisers have called the unofficial Sports World Championships, and a share in the 12,000 Euros prize money (professional category). There is also an amateur category and one for company teams.

“We look forward to welcoming top-class international athletes to Austria”, states Chris Alge, head of the event. “The Outdoortrophy has made a name for itself as one of the toughest team competitions in the world.” Of the athletes entering in the amateur class, Chris says “the achievements of amateur athletes in this extremely challenging competition have really earned my respect.”

The race starts with a 15-kilometre mountain run with an altitude difference of more than 1,400 metres. As soon as the runner reaches the top of the mountain the paraglider pilot takes off. The third athlete in the whitewater kayak then battles against rapids and rides over a waterfall before the mountain biker starts the last leg.

In addition there will be paragliding acro shows from Draco Volans and a helicopter BASE jump. For kids, there will be face painting, crafts workshops, a climbing wall and drumming sessions. The Saturday night party features the band Die dicken Kinder.

It costs 200 Euros to enter a team, and application can be made on the Outdoortrophy website. The closing date for all entries is 14 July 2010.

Photos: www.outdoortrophy.com

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Aeros are welcoming in the start of the European flying season early, with a Winter Race to be held at the Slovenian site of  Ajdovscina and Kovk from 24 – 28 February (with 9 – 14 March held in reserve in case of poor weather on the February dates). The competition will be an FAI cat. II Slovenian Open.

This area of Slovenia is known for its unique flying conditions where organisers say it is possible to race the ridge and flats very early in the year. On his blog site, the Winter Race’s IT manager Matjaž Valjavec extolls the virtues of flying here in January, and the video below clearly shows him enjoying himself, whilst testing out his new HD Go Pro.

Generous prizes have been donated by Aeros for the top ten finishers (first prize is 1000 € cash or a credit note for 30% discount when ordering a new Combat).

This event is already over-subscribed: A maximum of 50 pilots can fly (possibly to be extended to 60 if weather conditions are very good). These pilots must confirm their attendance at least 14 days before the competition starts, or their place will be given to somebody on the waiting list. Entry fee is 100 €, plus 25 € for lifts to launch and the same for retrieves.

To add your name to the waiting list, fill in the form on the Winter Race website.

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‘Parahawking II – Share the Sky’ – British falconer Scott Mason and film-maker Martin Cray’s sequel to the multi award winning Parahawking – is in the making and will be for release on DVD this summer. 

The first Parahawking movie followed British falconer Scott Mason and pioneering paraglider pilot Adam Hill as they realized their dream of flying with birds of prey in the Himalayan mountains of Nepal. Scott has since set up his Parahawking business, taking travellers on unforgettable paraglider flights with the birds of prey.  His venture has received worldwide media coverage and his lead bird, a vulture named Kevin, has become something of a star.

Parahawking II – Share the Sky, follows Scott’s quest to save vulture populations, which are in decline throughout Asia due to drug-tainted livestock carcasses. The film documents the setting up of safe feeding areas in Nepal, as well as Scott’s challenge of rehabilitating a wild steppe eagle and various adventures and quests in the Nepalese Himalaya.

The DVD will be on sale at £20. In order to help save these precious birds, the Parahawking team are asking customers to pre-order their copies of the DVD through their website and to pay £5 now, £1 of which will go directly to Bird Conservation Nepal to support vital conservation projects. The team will contact you as soon as the DVD is released, send you your copy and invoice you the balance. If you pre-order before the end of February you will also receive a free Parahawking T-shirt.

The original Parahawking film is on sale now at www.xcshop.com

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Razeebuss Razmott in flight

French company, Razeebuss Aircraft, are behind the Razmott, a paramotor with a difference, whose attention to aerodynamic efficiency (there is no cage and the propeller is retractible) makes it a good ‘booster’ for paraglider pilots who otherwise prefer to exploit thermals and stay airborne without motorised help.

The company have made some changes for 2010: first, the Kortel Kuik harness that their paramotor is built into, will be equipped with a second reserve container (to be located behind the pilot’s head) for added security and peace of mind in flight.

Razeebuss Razmott in flight showing the retractible propeller

Secondly, the triple-blade propeller on the Razmott 115 will be replaced with a new 115 cm double-blade, carbon version.

Razeebuss is now being distributed by Skywalk Paragliders in Austria and Germany, and by Aerotact in japan.

You can now keep up to date with the company’s news on both Facebook and watch their videos on Vimeo.

www.razeebuss.com

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Pilots launch into a blue sky in Billing, India. Photo: Ed Ewing

New procedures for paragliding at the Indian site of Billing have been announced. From 15 February paraglider pilots will have to show a licence and proof of insurance every week and get them validated by Indian authorities.

Bruce Mills, a New Zealander who lives in Bir said: “Pilots will need to produce a valid paragliding licence and proof of insurance, and take these to the ‘tourist information officer’.

“He will take the papers to the ‘technical officer’. When these are approved they will be taken to the nearest town where the magistrate will sign a permit, which you will receive the next day.”

Bruce said the cost of this process will be R350, about €5.50, for a one-week permit to fly.

The new procedures have not gone down well with all local pilots. “There is no rescue service so insurance is a bit of a moot point. And the valid licence and insurance requirement has made it difficult for Indian pilots too.”

There is no Indian paragliding or hang gliding association, which means Indian pilots can’t get official licences or insurance.

Visiting pilots meanwhile will have to renew their permit every seven days. “After a week you will have to go through the procedure again – though you can usually still fly while you waiting for your permit,” Bruce added.

“To make sure you have complied with this procedure your car will be stopped at the bottom of the hill by police every morning and your papers checked.

“Another on take off will sometimes double check before you take off.”

The move to regulate Billing in northern India comes after a difficult season last year where two Russian pilots died and many others had serious accidents.

Related
Russian paraglider pilot missing in Bir

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The Austrian Alpine town of Stubai is hosting the 2010 Stubai Cup and Testival the weekend of 20 – 21 March 2010.

Stubai is said to benefit from its own micro-climate, and event organisers say that despite terrible weather forecasts for the Alps on the weekend it has been planned, in 20 years of existence the Stubai Cup has never been cancelled due to bad weather.

The Testival event is well supported by the venue, with gondolas to take pilots to launch, a large landing field, manufacturers bearing their latest wares and equipment available for test just before the 2010 paragliding season really gets underway. There are also air shows planned from the likes of Raul Rodriguez,  ‘Mad’ Mike Kung and local hero Markus ‘the Acrominator’ Grundhammer, and a mass fly-down at 3 pm on the Saturday, as well as the usual apre-fly shenanigans and a party on the Saturday night.

For more information, you can visit the event’s website or email organisers at flugschule@parafly.at

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