FreeFlight IHPA Official magazine of the Irish Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association SUMMER 2014 IN THIS ISSUE Ager 2013 Paul Hogan wistfully remembers two weeks of flying • Ground Handling Sarah Mc Laughlin on how ground handling helped with her confidence and competence • Site Guide Great Sugar Loaf, West • ihpa.ie An overview of features and functions of new website • Pilot Profile Fred Lahiff • Fly SAFE John Welch looks at first aid kits • Hike & Fly It is possible to Vol-Biv in Ireland • Algodonales 2014 Dara Hogan joined the Munster Kestrels annual spring pilgrimage
Transcript
FreeFlightIHPA
Official magazine of the Irish Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association SUMMER 2014
IN THISISSUE
Ager 2013 Paul Hogan wistfully remembers two weeks of flying • Ground Handling Sarah Mc Laughlin on how ground handlinghelped with her confidence and competence • Site Guide Great Sugar Loaf, West • ihpa.ie An overview of features and functionsof new website • Pilot Profile Fred Lahiff • Fly SAFE John Welch looks at first aid kits • Hike & Fly It is possible to Vol-Biv inIreland • Algodonales 2014 Dara Hogan joined the Munster Kestrels annual spring pilgrimage
Content
Log Book 6
Site Guide 7Just off the N11, the Great Sugar Loafis a excellent site to fly.
Ager 2013 8Paul Hogan wistfully remembers twoweeks in Áger, Spain last August.
IHPA Pilot 12Q&A with Fred Lahiff
Hike & Fly 13David May finds out from Rafal, Franekand Jacek that yes, it is possible to Vol-Biv in Ireland.
Algodonales 2014 20Dara Hogan joined the Munster Kestrelson their annual spring pilgrimage toAlgodonales.
Fly Safe 23John Welch tells us about what kind ofFirst Aid Kit you should have if thinkingof a trip aboard this year.
ALL NEW ihpa.ie 28An outline of some of the key featuresand functions of the new website.
Ground Handling 32Sarah Mc Laughlin on how groundhandling helped with her confidenceand competence.
DESIGN & PRODUCTION Design Focus,The Warehouse, 26A Mount Eden Road,Dublin 4. www.designfocus.ie
Free Flight Magazine is published by theIrish Hang Gliding and ParaglidingAssociation Ltd to inform, educate andentertain those in the sports ofParagliding and Hang Gliding. The viewsexpressed in this magazine are notnecessarily those of the Irish HangGliding and Paragliding Association, theirCouncil, Officers or Editor. The Editorreserves the right to edit contributions.
ContactSend your articles, jokes, comments,sketches, suggestions etc to:
Summer already!Initially we hoped to get this edition out in springtime and I had alreadyprepared the usual warning for that time of year, you know, springthermals and rusty ol' pilots waking up from their winter hibernation.But as it turned out we've skipped a whole season. Of course this is notto say we should not continue to be careful, it's all too easy to becomecomplacent.
So how has the year been so far? And in particular, how has it been for YOU? We'd loveto get your feedback - let us know what you've been doing, the ups and downs, tripsyou've been on, new adventures, equipment and in particular, photos. With the adventof the sportscam it is increasingly difficult to find photos any more: good quality, highdefinition photos. Screenshots taken from video are a poor substitute.
Here's a quick summary of the year so far since our last edition. I went on a SIV courseover the winter and thoroughly enjoyed it. My advice to anyone considering taking aSIV course would be 'Yes, absolutely do'. I'll certainly be taking another.
At the end of March we had the IHPA AGM in Templemore. One of the best in yearsand many thanks to all who attended. A big welcome to our new Committee members -there was a veritable stampede this year when we asked for volunteers with at least 2names being thrown into the pot. And of course, a huge thank you to the outgoingcommittee members.
Flying wise, there has been some excellent XCs recorded so far and some new nameshave appeared on the leaderboard. In particular, I was very happy to see Connemarafinally getting the attention it deserved with the superb XCs recorded in May. TheInagh Valley to Croagh Patrick route has not yet been conquered but I believe it is nowonly a matter of time. There's also a small but growing vol-biv scene in Ireland - see thearticle inside. And of course there's lots of new equipment coming on the market andyou can spend hours poring over specs and test data and reviews. Comparing one itemto another though has always proved difficult, especially when considering wings and,given that we do not live in a perfect world where we get to test fly before we buy, I'vecome across a website that you may find interesting: Dust Of The Universe(www.dustoftheuniverse.com).
Finally, I hope you enjoy this edition of Free Flight and we look forward to hearingfrom you with any feedback, suggestions etc.
Fly free, fly safe...
IHPA
SHOTH T Laghta Hill, Co. Mayo Jacek Chodanowski
PAGE 6 IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION
LogBook
Don’t forget your VHFWhen was the last time you brought your VHF two way radio with you whenflying. It’s safe to say that here in Ireland a lot of pilots have got out of the habitof flying with their VHF radios. When used with a helmet mounted speaker µphone and a ‘Push-to-Talk’ switch they can become as essential as anythermal tracking GPS and Vario. Indeed the reason for so many of us not usingthem is possiblely because so many of us are not using them!
We wouldn’t think of planning a flying day without our mobiles so why notthink the same way about our VHFs.
Imagine arriving on the hill and calling up the pilot in the air tosee what conditions are like or from the comfort of your car see ifanyone is on the hill and if it is worth hiking up.
Two way radios are especially important in emergency or rescuesituations as quick and easy communication between pilots onthe ground or in the air is essential.
Remember to refrain from using your VHF unnecessarily as youwill be on an open frequency shared with others.
Pilots should restrict themselves to using the narrow range offrequencies between 143.750 and 143.950.
Mt LeinsterWeatherStationundergoingmajor refitafter fouryears offaithful serviceOur weather station on Mt. Leinster hasbeen taken down for a major refit afterfour years of faithful service. GerryKennedy yomped up the hill in April toretrieve it and has sent it off to Poland fora well deserved refit.
At Christmas (remember the storms) theweather station recorded a sustainedwind speed of 89.9mph shortly beforethe anemometer died completely! Thefact that the rest of the weather stationand its mounting hardware survivedintact is testament to both theengineering of the weather station andthe extremely robust mounting thatGerry and Tom organized and installed.
The boys at Warun, in Poland, havereported back that some of the elementshave to be totally replaced. They thinkthat they were destroyed by salt spraycoming from the Irish Sea, an incredibledistance of 37 kms, and have neverobserved anything like this on theirstations installed inland. They plan toreplace all the decayed parts and anodizemechanics to give it a good protection.They will also replace electronics for thenew improved version with lower powerconsumption, new battery and newsensors.
Lough Bray - nesting bird restrictionsThe Wicklow National Parks Authority have asked if pilots could give the birds nestingin the cliffs at the back of the lakes more space when flying, they are worried aboutparagliders disturbing them. Both the upper and lower lakes at Lough Bray's are nestingareas for Peregrine Falcon and Raven and fall under the Wicklow Mountains SpecialProtection Area for Birds. The Authority need to enforce methods to protect themduring the breeding season between March and August annually so please stay a bitfurther away from cliffs when next flying.
FREEFLIGHT SUMMER 2014
PAGE 7IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION
SiteGuide
Great Sugar Loaf (west)Kilmacanoge, Co. Wicklow
Only 35 mins from Dublin and just off the N11, the GreatSugar Loaf is a excellent site to fly in a WSW - SW direction.
Park in the Sugar Loaf ’s south car park (A) but be aware of leaving anyvaluables in your car as they can be broken into.
Take off is on the West Shoulder (B) where the ground is rocky with alight covering of heather and care is needed with lines and footing. Good ground handlingskills is advised as ground is unforgiving to gliders that land back down after unsuccessfulinflations.
Once in the air gain height in front of the shoulder (approx 50m) before attempting toconnect with the upper ridge and summit (C). Also wind either side of the cone can sufferfrom venturi so take care not to get parked at the edge of the lift band and possiblely beingpushed back into the lee of the ridge.
Good thermal flying (on the right day) can be found out in front of the ridge but theairspace above a flooded quarry beside the Roundwood Road (R755) to the west (D) can,in certain conditions, be turbulent and may require a lot active flying.
Landing options are good with lots of areas free of gorse out in front of the ridge (E). Thereare also plenty of fields (F) to choose from but consider some may have livestock or crops inthem. Also a lot of the fields are closed off with barbed wire so be careful with your gliderwhen exiting.
Wind Direction:
General Information:GOOGLE MAPS CLICK HERE
GPS COORDINATES: Take off: 53.153871,
-6.152706
Landing: 53.144683, -6.154251
ELEVATION: Take off: 420m.
Landing: 320m.
TAKE OFF: You can take off on theWest Shoulder.
LANDING: You can land in the flatarea anywhere between thebase of the ridge and carpark.
GETTING Travel south on N11, THERE: take Exit 9 at Glen of the
Downs and follow the RedLane up to the Sugar Loaf’sSouth Car Park.
WEATHER/ Avoid either side of theHAZARDS: cone as it can suffer from
venturi. Airspace aboveflooded quarry can, incertain conditions, beturbulent. Possible waveeffect on strong days fromhills to the west.
N
S
W E
CNII
DE
FA
B
Car Park
R755
Exit9
...super fun!
Soaring, Sun and...
FREEFLIGHT SUMMER 2014
PAGE 9
It has been a long winter. In paragliding terms, it has felt like aneternity. This afternoon I took the time to give my gear a goodthorough once over (If I’m honest, more so because I think I
had forgotten what it looked like!). While airing out my harness, Icame across the last of the Spanish crickets – a reminder of twofantastic weeks in Áger last August.
I am relatively new to paragliding. A lifelong aviation nut, it wasalways something that I was interested in from a very young age.In 2010, I made contact with Fred Lahiff and began my training.After three years and plenty of equally fun and frustrating days onthe home training slopes, in August 2013, Fred organised for agroup trip to Áger, Catalunya, for some of his students.
I arrived in Áger on the 18th of August, and as I rounded the hillinto the valley beneath Montsec, I nearly crashed the car distractedby the swarm of gliders circling the ridge. I had found myplayground and it was time to play. Before the end of the day, Fredhad me up at take-off. At an altitude of 1600m, approximately onevertical kilometre above the village of Áger, this felt like a giant leapup from the mushy slopes of Lacken and Lough Bray. My first take-off was nervy, but once up and soaring I knew it was going to be agreat couple of weeks, weather permitting.
And thankfully the weather did not let us down. In my ten daysthere, I flew every day, racking up a total of 17 flights of between15 minutes and an hour. Similarly, other students racked up hoursin the air – a testament to the suitability of Áger as a safe bet inAugust and September.
Away from the flying, Áger is a gem in the mountains of Catalunya.A quaint little village, it provides as a relaxing base for anyparagliding holiday – even for the non-flying family and friendswho may tag along. There are a few options for accommodation,from camping to apartments. Costs are also quite cheap; the onlyreal cost being the rental car for the couple of weeks – a necessityfor the drive from Barcelona airport and the drives to and fromtake-off.
A long winter indeed – seven months since my wing was in the airover Áger. I am looking forward to a busy summer exercising mynew found thermalling skills over the Irish landscape… We live inhope! ■
A special thank you to Fred and Sarah from Paraglide Adventure fororganising the trip. www.paraglideadventure.com
Paul Hogan wistfully remembers two weeksof flying, flying and more flying in Áger, Spainlast August.
IHPA
SHOTH T Cloudbase Dave Tweedie
IHPAPILOT
Q&AWhat’s Your Bump Tolerance*...
Name: Fred Lahiff
Type of Pilot: Paragliding/Hang Gliding
Rating: PP5 /SP5 CFI withparaglideadventure.com
Started Flying: June 1979
Airtime: 1000+ hours
Glider: IndependenceGeronimo LTF/EN B
Harness: IndependenceMatador
How long have you been flying?
In June 2014 it will be 35 years, hard tobelieve. I flew hang gliders first for many yearsand then took up paragliding in 1990. So I’vebeen around long enough to see bothdisciplines develop here in Ireland.
What made you decide to take up flying?
I had seen some early pioneering hang glidingflights on TV that caught my attention so Icontacted the then fledgling IHGA andenrolled on a weekend course.
I started on a Saturday and bought my firsthang glider on the Sunday for £150 which Ithen proceeded to crash on the Monday, thispattern of short flights followed by brokenaluminium continued for many weeks andmonths until with the help of moreexperienced pilots I eventually started toimprove and progress.
What is your best memory?
It has to be the many friends I’ve madethrough flying and the laugh’s we have hadtogether.
What is your worse memory?
Being on the hill when friends have beenseriously injured or worse. Not nice, butthankfully the good memories vastlyoutnumber the bad.
What’s your current glider?
Currently I fly an Independence GeronimoLTF/EN B.
It has a very good performance for its classand as I spend a lot of days teaching I don’tneed a higher end glider
Have you experienced any other types ofFlying?
I have had a few flights in a microlight and asailplane but they never really appealed to meas much as hang gliding or paragliding.
What is the best flying site you have flownabroad?
On a hang glider it has to be the Owens Valleyin California. I was lucky enough to be part ofa group trip there in 1981.
Take off varied from 8000 ft to 12000 ft. Wemade height gains of between 10000 ft to13694 ft (13694 ft was a world record forIHGA member Ian Kibblewhite) and flew ataltitudes between 18000 ft to 20000 ft.
It was a long time ago but for me the shearscale of the mountains (4000meters +) and theflying there still resonates down the years. Ona paraglider Ager in Spain holds a special placein my heart. I first flew there in the early1980’s. I got married there in 1993 and I havereturned there most years since, ostensibly tofly and run some training courses but in realityI have just been looking for a loop hole – I’mstill looking
What is your favourite Irish flying site?
Well Lacken, Co Wicklow is where I first sawsomebody flying a hang glider and it’s where Ispend a lot of training days. It seems to haveits own micro meteorological climate and itcan be stunningly beautiful so I guess itsLacken.
What’s your bump tolerance?
For me personally flying in very turbulent airis only ever justified if it’s a means to an end,if you can gain height and get away from thehill and fly XC then fine, but ridge soaring invery turbulent air is not my thing.
Do you see yourself continuing to fly in thefuture?
I plan to keep flying as long as I am fit enoughand it still remains enjoyable. It would still benice to fly a 100k on a paraglider in Irelandand then when I am sure that the baton ofirresponsibility has been successfully passed onto a new generation, I plan to pass awaypeacefully in my own bed. Aged 95 yrs. Shotby a jealous husband. ■
*Bump Tolerance: An acquired ability to fly in and withstand rough thermic air.
In each issue of FreeFlight we invite an IHPA Pilot to answer some questions aboutthemselves and their flying and this issue Fred Lahiff does us the honors.
PAGE 12 IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION
David May finds out from Rafal, Franek and Jacek that yes, it is possible to Vol-Biv in Ireland.
PAGE 14 IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION
With the new flying season come new possibilities. Eachtime we step into the air there is something new, a newsite perhaps or conditions we are not familiar with. It
could be a sky full of promise for a great XC or a chance to try outsome new equipment.Perhaps this is ourmaiden voyage, freshout of flight school orthe first after anextended absence.
Whatever the case, thenew brings with it asense of excitement andadventure and the hopeof new experiences andchallenges.
So have you everthought of Vol-Biv inIreland? It seems anatural extension of thefreedom our sport canbring: hike and fly,camp where you landand fly again the nextday. Spend some time in the open with the possibility of findingbeautiful new places - some of them never flown before.
Not surprisingly a few of our friends had this very idea to trysomething new for the 2014. Rafal Obora was one of them and Iasked him about it. In preparation, to reduce the weight of hisflying kit, he bought a new lightweight harness (Ozone Ozium) –
bringing his total flyinggear to a cool 11kg. Addanother 3kg for somelightweight campinggear and the completepack came to anamazing 14kg. (I’velisted all the items inRafal’s kit at the end ofthis article). And if 14kgis still too much for you,there is even lighterequipment available, ata higher price of course.
Soon it was time to tryit all out and on April14, together with RafalVega, Franek Baron andJacek Chodanowski, hehiked into the east side
of the Comeraghs and set up camp. “The first evening wasunforgettable by the fire, some beer and conversation until late, then
FREEFLIGHT SUMMER 2014
an early morning wake-up call with all the birds singing. We had aquick breakfast, packed up and were off again for another 1.5 - 2hrhike up to the North East and take off. It certainly wasn’t ‘easy’ as thehiking can be quite physical at times but it was just so rewarding tobe out in the middle of such beautiful countryside, and once in theair the view made it all worthwhile”.
Encouraged by the success of the trip to the Comeraghs, in MayRafal was joined once again by Rafal Vega and Franek Baron and
also this time by Mario Jachimowicz to spend 2 days fly-campingon Magic Mountain in Wales. “Landing after a day’s flying to set uptent and sit around a camp fire in the company of friends - and a beerof course – what a great feeling”.
So where to next I asked? “The Alps of course, in June for 1 week”.
Let’s wish them the best of luck in their next adventure. ■
See next page for list of items in Rafal’s kit.
PAGE 16 IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION
Flying KitWing Delta 2 ML 5.30kgHarness Ozium M 2.60kgHelmet Lublin Macpara 0.28kgReserve Ozone Angel 110 1.70kg90L Backpack Zippy 0.90kgGPS/Vario 0.09kg Radio 0.25kg
Camping KitTrekking Pole Black Diamond Ultra Distance 0.32kg1 Person Tent (Camp Minima SL1) 0.96 kgCamp Essential Mat 0.30kgSleeping Bag (Saleva 800) 0.80kgTitan cup (MSR) 0.01kgGas-jet (MSR) 0.09kgGas bottle (100ml) 0.20kgTotal Weight 13.80kg
List of items in Rafal’s kit.
FREEFLIGHT SUMMER 2014
Win a new U-TurnRescue System bybecoming the first IHPAmember to fly 100km inIreland!
The Irish 100 U-TURNs XC Challenge is a new initiative, founded to encouragemore pilots to improve their flying skills in Ireland – we Challenge you to flyfurther!
By becoming the first IHPA paraglider pilot to log a 100km flight on one of theInternational XC contest websites (XContest, Leonardo) you will win a U-Turnnew rescue System.
The challenge is sponsored and monitored by U-Turn.
Algodonales was a great start to the 2014 flying season. Wewere privileged to join Gilbert McGlennon (our esteemedleader), Kevin Bickerdyke (Gilbert’s #2), Tony Taylor and
Carol Ward, Fred Littler and Clive Mills (from the UK), StephenHynes and Karen Higgins and Steve Long. Most were signed up toJohan and Jackie’s site-guiding service which was excellent. Tony,Carol, Mary and I travelled separately and we each hired a car inMalaga. Tony’s back hadn’t healed since his prang in Nepal so hewas driving Carol and he also kindly brought me up the mountainmost days. Separately, Johan also brought me up the mountain(even though I wasn’t his customer) and this was most helpful. Iwould strongly recommend Johan’s site-guiding service.
Mary and I could only get away for a week but many of the otherswere there when we arrived on 9th April and a few were staying onwhen we left on 16th April. Mary and I stayed with Julie Edwardsat Casa la Parra and it was exceptional. Many of the others werestaying in accommodation arranged by Johan in town. Mary had agreat non-flying week which included hill-walking on Lijar and acheese-making day with Julie. We also had a great day in nearbyRonda. Michel and Catherine were also staying at Casa la Parra soI brought Michel flying in my hire-car while Mary and Catherinewent walking on Lijar.
I had five good flights during the week but neither I nor any of theothers flew any serious distances (as far as I know). It was my firsttime to fly Valle de Abdalajis and I was consciously breaking the“one new thing at a time” rule by having my first flight on my newAdvance Epsilon 7-30 from a new site. Having seen one or twoscary take-offs by good pilots I waited until nearly 5pm to fly. Itwas a lovely flight and we had brilliant briefings from Johan who isan excellent instructor. The Epsilon 7-30 is faster and more agilethan my previous Epsilon 5-31 and I was really enjoying it. Ivideoed a number of the take-offs including one very tricky take-off. That pilot was lucky to get away safely but I’m not permittedto put it up on YouTube in case his beloved sees it so he shall remainanonymous for now!
There was a serious issue as the wind came up very quickly and soonit was too turbulent for me (and for others). I still wonder if it wasa classic valley wind? I was high over the upper landing field whereothers had landed and I watched them coping with the conditions– some were going backwards (at slow speeds). I wanted to go onto the lower landing field (where my car was parked) but the valleywind ruled that out. I flew into wind and made finals on full barbut every time I let off I was failing to penetrate. I felt that the safestoption was to remain stable on full bar and to risk a collapse as Iwas too low to spiral and big-ears would have dropped me into rotorand the trees behind that landing field. Eventually I made a near-vertical landing on full bar which was risky and I was glad to getthe glider down without a drag.
We also flew from Lijar SE and SW take-offs. I made a show of
Dara Hogan joined the Munster Kestrels ontheir annual spring pilgrimage to Algodonalesand tells us how they all got on.2014
FREEFLIGHT SUMMER 2014
PAGE 22 IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION
myself on the Monday by crashing on take-off from the SE andending up in the bushes. The thermal I thought that I was flying indisappeared after 20 seconds and before I knew it I was runningthrough the bushes. Luckily, only my pride was injured. My onlydefence is that I wasn’t the only one to go into the bushes that trickymorning. Thanks to Tony for helping me to untangle my lines (seepic).
On the last day Gilbert radioed us from the air to say that he wasflying to the Venta (AKA the pub) for lunch and beer. We started tofollow him until he radioed from the ground to say that he hadlanded safely but that the pub was closed! Damned Spanish siesta.One change this year was the availability of iced beers and snacks inthe landing field from a local man with a van. This was mostrefreshing!
The après-fly activity was most enjoyable as we worked our way
around the many excellent pubs and restaurants in Algo. It was solovely to be dining under the open skies in the main street in April.The prices of the food, wine and beer were extraordinary value andit makes you realise how high the cost of living is in Ireland. Thewide variety of seafood was truly enticing (as were the greatbreakfasts at Casa la Parra).
Great credit to Carol who was building airtime with expert advicefrom Tony. She kept up with the rest of us despite her low relativelyairtime. Thanks to Johan and Tony Taylor for their invaluableassistance at take-off and for the many lifts. Thanks also to TonyConway of UHPC who was also most obliging at take-off. Lastly,thanks to Gilbert who at, at 71 years of age, set a high standard forthe rest of us to follow. This is an annual trip and I know that theMunster Kestrels would welcome any other pilots who would careto join them in Algo. I strongly recommend it! ■
PAGE 23IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION
FlySAFE
With last summer having been such a wash out, more and moreof us are looking at heading abroad.
We all hope to have a great time and to avoid injury but a littlebit of prior planning could save you an awful lot of trouble. So,let's start right at the beginning.Whenever you go out you should take abasic first aid kit which includes an ofassortment plasters, a couple ofantiseptic wipes, a couple of blister pads,some paracetamol and some cetirizine(hay fever treatment). You can easily slipall of that in your pocket and is usefuleven to people with no First aid training.
At this point I just want to say, if youhaven't had first aid training you reallyshould. Courses are run locally are inexpensive, fun and you couldend up saving someone’s life. Once you've completed a basic firstaid course, you'll want to expand your first aid kit. For use inIreland, the UK and developed countries with easy access tomedical treatment you can still put everything you need in a smallpouch that will fit into your pocket.
The problems start when you're travelling somewhere with limitedor no medical facilities. If this is what you're planning you shouldconsider travelling as part of a group because there are manyscenarios where you need the help of several other people. The
only good way this will work is withspecialist training. You'll need to learnhow to treat injuries and illnesses usinga range of prescription medications(antibiotics, pain killers and more). Youmight even consider taking a moreadvanced course that includes trainingin suturing wounds, giving injectionsand using intravenous fluids. Thesecourses are open to everyone and youcan complete a basic one in 2 days.
Once your level of training is appropriate you're ready to startputting together your med pack and you're going to need to putsome thought into it. On the following page are some basicsuggestions offered by Barry Roberts, Commercial director ofWilderness Medical Training.
John Welch, CFI Flight Culture, tells us about what kind of First Aid Kit you should have if thinking ofa trip aboard this year.
First Aidand
Medi Kits
FREEFLIGHT SPRING 2014
I've completed “far from help” and “Advanced Medicine” courses with WildernessMedical Training and have used this training in a remote part of the Baja peninsula. Ifyou are travelling to somewhere remote or even if you are just interested in expandingyour medical skills and knowledge I really recommend that you consider one thesecourses. ■
For more information see: http://wildernessmedicaltraining.co.uk/
John Welch, CFI Flight Culture, www.flightculture.co.uk
Suggestions for Medi KitTake the minimum necessary to deal with the broadest array of potential problems.Ensure that each team member has a personal supply of paracetamol and blister padsand an adequate supply of personal prescribed medications. It may be a requirement tohave a comprehensive base camp kit and smaller, basic portable kits for satelliteteams. You can improvise splints and stretchers but not medications or sterileequipment.
You may need supplies to cope with the following:
Environment – altitude drugs, sea sickness
Eyes – local anesthetic drops, antibiotic drops, spare glasses for contact wearers
Infection – antibiotics to treat dental, chest, gut and skin infections (oral antibioticstreat simple bacterial infections or can buy time in more serious infections), oralrehydration sachets
Teeth – emergency filling kit
Skin – blister pads and tape, cling film for burns (can also be used to splint), sutures,steristrips, Superglue, iodine, local anesthetic, antihistamines
Sickness and pain – prochlorperazine can control nausea and vomiting (thusreducing dehydration) and simple analgesics (e.g. paracetamol with ibuprofen) takenregularly are effective for significant pain. Forget about getting hold of controlled drugslike morphine.
Don’t advertise your medical kit at borders, police check posts and customs. Medicinesare valuable in poor countries and some countries don’t take kindly to travellerscarrying valium, codeine based drugs and needles. Packing it in a bright red bag with across on it is asking for trouble. Take official looking copies of the contents list and theprescription authorization to purchase POMs (prescription only medications).
Don’t wait until the week you depart to start thinking about getting hold of POMs. Notall doctors are going to be enthusiastic about taking responsibility for providing youwith the relevant prescriptions if you don’t have appropriate training.
Learn to Paraglide
in Ireland
Discover theexcitement andpassion of paragliding andpursue one of man’s ultimatedreams, to fly like a bird!
Learning to fly a paraglider can be great fun and isn‘t as difficult ordaunting as you might think. Training begins on a gentle slope,learning to take off and land. Initially we do some ground handlingwhich allows you to learn the basic controls followed by gentle flightsfrom low down on the hill and extending higher up the slope as yourability and confidence grows.
Paraglide Adventure is Ireland’s oldest established paragliding schooland currently the only full time training facility in the country. Thismeans that we are available to teach whenever the wind and weatherare suitable and not just on weekends.
For more information on paragliding and our main flying sites contact us at.
paraglideadventure.com14 Saint Patrick’s Road, Drumcondra, Dublin 9. T 01 8303884 M 087 2589245 E [email protected]
PAGE 28 IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION
ihpa.ieALLNEW
This year, as a major development and a lot of very hard work by Philip Lardner, the IHPA has launched it’s new web sitethat has been designed to become the hub of communication between pilots around the country. Below we outline some of
the key features and functions of the new site and we invite all members to log on and have fun!
IHPA ForumAll online communication can be viewed at aglance with our dedicated Forum. To start you off you will be automaticallysubscribed to both the Hang Gliding, Paraglidingand the Buy & Sell forums. You can view andchange your forum subscriptions by going to your'My Profile' page and clicking on the Forums-Subscriptions tabs or by clicking on the Subscribe/ Unsubscribe buttons within the forumsthemselves. Regardless of your forumsubscriptions, you should automatically receiveemail updates to any topic you start or post to. Other Forums listed are: UHPC Mailing list,HangGliding.org, ParaglidingForum.com andIreland PPG.
Home TabThe Home tab contains several general information treads to
choose from: About the IHPA: Info on the association, how itʼs organised
and its affiliations.Join the IHPA: Reasons for joining, visiting pilots, new
members and renewals.Insurance: Outlining home and abroad insurance requirements
Flight Safety: Quick references to rules of the road, ratingsystems, club coaches, low airtime pilots, restricted flying sites
and log books.Hall of Fame.
Events TabA list of national & international events and upcoming Irishbank holidays.
PAGE 29IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION
Weather TabThe associationʼs extensiveweather page provides info fromvarious forecasting services, currentconditions from a list of weatherstations, radar and satellite viewsand, unique to IHPA members, ourall Ireland RASP Service.
Profile TabYour profile page lets you review allyour pilot information and keep it up todate. Also view your last 10 forumentries and manage your subscriptions.
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IHPA
SHOTH T Parawaiting, Laghta Dave May
Ground Handling
Good Old...
FREEFLIGHT SUMMER 2014
PAGE 33
When I decided I wanted to try Paragliding, Ithought that taking those first steps would bethe hardest. I had passed up the chance to learn
flying Microlights at the age of 17 when my dad wasencouraging me to – I was too busy, training was too faraway, I will do it after I learn to drive. In fact I didn’t havethe courage to do it then. Many years later when startingParagliding training, I was prepared to keep going andpersist 'til the end of basic training to do something I hadalways dreamed of: to fly above the hills of Donegal.
In fact, as soon as I was within the school environment Ifelt that I was within a close knit group of friends right fromthe start. The support and understanding during training,not to mention the craic when not flyable, made the timejust fly by. Of course there were the highs and lows, the tearsand tantrums - and that was just my instructor! In thebeginning I couldn’t appreciate all the decisions that were
being made on my behalf and there was frustration at notbeing able to fly when I wanted because of the weather. Iremember drilling my instructor with endless questionsabout the weather, flying tips, his flying experiences, adviceon getting started all of which he answered enthusiastically.
Living in London, I was lucky to be able to go along tomonthly meetings of fellow flyers of all levels of experienceto talk about our latest exploits and future plans. But severalthings really kept me motivated and wanting to progress.The sheer enthusiasm from my instructors on their thrill offlying after all these years and on their willingness andpatience as I fluffed up a take-off yet again, had anotherload of questions or just moaned about the weather.
In the downtime between training days on the hill I spenthours reading training manuals, watching videos, butmostly read forums and online material. I tried to learn asmuch as I could this way and was glad to know that my
Sarah Mc Laughlin, a native ofDonegal, tells us about learning toparaglide and how ground handlinghelped with her confidence andcompetence.
FREEFLIGHT AUTUMN 2013
PAGE 34 IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION
instructor would still be there to answer questions when I justcouldn’t seem to get it or if I heard conflicting information. I wasglad of the contacts I made during training. I clearly remember myfirst few times to go out ground handling by myself. I had a wingto practice with and it just didn’t want to go above my head. It tookforever to even sort the lines out and Iwould stand there either on a nil windday feeling very self-conscious andclueless, or on too-windy days with thewing thrashing about and ending up ina matted ball unable to inflate(luckily forme) to be taken home and sorted outthere. I would think at times that I wasn’tmaking any progress at all and that Iwasn’t going to get it and felt likequitting. On the odd occasion anunwitting family member would comealong to witness this spectacle and wouldbe monumentally unimpressed and Iwould lose a listening ear for my greatnew passion. Despite all this I noticedgradual improvements if I kept on at it.Another lucky event was meeting people who had more experienceor were club coaches and were able to come out with me for groundhandling practice. Having someone else there and with only a fewwords of encouragement and advice (of something my instructorhad only told me 100 times already!) seemed to sort the issue outand things would start to happen with my wing. It felt great to feel
the wing coming under my control bit by bit. All the little disparatebits of information that floated around in my head were starting tocome together and make sense the more I handled my wing. I wouldaim to get to my local park for a few hours every weekend even inthe winter which I really enjoyed – I would soon warm up nicely
with my harness on and with my back tothe wind. I was starting to feel graduallymore at one with this, at first, alien wingand so began to relax and things reallystarted to fall into place.
Inevitably, on completing my basictraining with the school, I knew I’d bestarting over again. I didn’t live near mytraining school and so would have tostrike out to new pastures if I wanted tofly regularly. One thing I learned early onis that the Paragliding community isextremely welcoming and supportive.People will go out of their way to helpyou and most clubs will have at least oneclub coach who will selflessly take time tocoax and encourage you in those first
tentative steps away from the school. They are the bridge that willlead you into confident flight as you try to apply what you learnedunder tuition with timely and gentle reminders of your checks tocomplete, the hazards to avoid and gazillions of other usefulpointers, tips and important bits of info.
FREEFLIGHT SUMMER 2014
PAGE 35IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION
However as I meet new people around the sites, at events ormeetings I often hear “Well done on completing your basictraining” and then I’ll hear “There is so much to learn withParagliding. A pilot who has just completed basic training knowsnothing”. This is meant both as a warning and as encouragement.I should not think that I know everything about flying now that Ihave left formal tuition but also that I am just on the beginner slopesof a fantastical journey of learning and discovering just how magicalParagliding can be and, best of all, we are all here to help you everystep of the way.
There must be something special in a sport that makes people trekup mountains with heavy backpacks, pore over and chat endlesslyon weather stats, drive for hours for even the chance of flying. Allalong I have found that the more reading, watching and practice
that I put in between visits to the hill, the more benefit I get frommy next trip there. However as I sit here and try to make sense ofthe seemingly random weather charts that look like a child has beenlet loose with coloured pens and ink pots a thought strikes me...perhaps it's time to ring my instructor for a wee chat! ■
Editor’s Note:I met Sarah in Lanzarote back in November 2010 whereshe was completing her CP with Flight Culture UK, aDorset based BHPA school that also organizes a number oftrips abroad each year. I joined the group looking to escapethe Irish Winter blues and with relatively cheap Ryan Airflights from Dublin, Lanzarote was high on my list ofpotential flying destinations so late in the year. It’s a small,volcanic island, long and narrow with quite a surreallandscape. And what it lacks in size it more than makes upfor with some amazing soaring sites such as the spectacularFamara Ridge, a 40km out and return cliff run. Just checkit out on YouTube.
Merchandise GiftsGood news for those of you who might be looking for some new equipment.
Thanks to the efforts of our Competition Officer Dorin Borodescu, we have managed tosecure some great items from the following:
IHPA would like to thank our many sponsors. Apart from the wonderful prizes for our 2014AGM, we have also received merchandise from a number of other manufacturers and what’smore, we have secured discounts on certain items of equipment.
Finally together with Up and U-Turn we are continuing our 2 amazing XC Challenges for 2014.
All available to IHPA members only. So read on...
Allez Up is run by Dave and Rachel whohave a long track record of running flyingholidays in the area. They know how toget you into the air and grade the trip toyour flying limits.
The accommodation itself is comfortableand clean and able to accommodate up to12 easily. The surroundings are calm andrelaxing and included a pool to ease theaches after a day flying. The views fromthe veranda included a fantastic oldcastle, Le Mison. Lovely to sit out with acool drink, chat about the days flying andwatch the shadows flicker across the castleas the sun set.
Nearby sites were easy access andincluded the locally famous Le Chabre,Aspres and other regulars like Bergies,Buc and Sederon.
Win an UP Harness of your choice* by becoming the firstperson to fly 150km** in IrelandThe Irish UP XC Challenge is a new initiative, founded to encourage more pilots to fly further in Ireland - the potential is there, now wejust need the pilots to step up to the task!
By becoming the first IHPA paraglider pilot to log a 150km+** flight on one of the International XC contest websites (XContest,Leonardo) you will win a UP harness of your own choice*. The challenge is sponsored by UP International (www.up-paragliders.com)in conjunction with UP UK/Green Dragons, and monitored by Green Dragons. (www.greendragons.co.uk)
Have fun going XC!*Harness must be from the UP range current at the time of flight completion, and in stock at the UP HQ in Germany.**With the Irish XC rules this amounts to 150km on A and B wings, 165km on C wings, and 180km on D wings. No limitations in regards to brand.
The 150km
Flying in Umbria The heart of Italy.
Accommodation and catering included in your stay • Family holidays for flyers and non-flyers alike
Flytaly is a dedicatedparagliding companybased in the beautifulmountains of Umbria incentral Italy. A stunning18th century manor housewill be your home for theduration of your trip andthey provide all transportso there is no need for theadded cost of a hire car.Every effort is made toensure that you get themost airtime out of yourholiday and each day endswith a 4-course meal,prepared by talented chefsusing the finest locallysourced ingredients.
