1971 Ground Skimmer

BRITISH HANG GLIDING HISTORY THE MODERN FLEXWING

1981 Cross Country Flyer

The First Ten Years

1981

January. No72 Edition of Wings.

January saw the BMAA publish Flight Line No7.

The formation of the Joint Service Hang Gliding Centre was established shortly after the Army Hang Gliding Center was formed in 1981. It was situated in Sennybridge near Breacon and was opened thanks to the hard work of Jim Taggart who was an active hang glider pilot and felt passionate about his sport. He lobbied hard for official recognition within the services and this did not go unrecognised. Jim was awarded the MBE in 1983. This new service facility has been the backbone of the Royal Navy Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association allowing thousands of people to experience hang gliding and paragliding as part of their adventurous training.

February. No73 Edition of Wings. This magazine also included a glider price list from Mainair Sports Ltd, run by John Hudson.

Southdown Sailwings brought out the Sigma Floater which was an open cross boom design glider, this was different from its first Sigma which used a bowsprit design. This type of glider was more appealing to novice or intermediate pilots for use in coastal flying. Rigging was straightforward but slower than the Sigma and sold for £937.00.

March. No74 Edition of Wings.

March saw the BMAA publish Flight Line No8.

7th-8th March. The BHGA holds its 1981 AGM at Warwick University near Coventry, hosted by the Mercian Hang Gliding Club.

April. No75 Edition of Wings.

Flexi Form Skysails Brought out the Sea-Lander. Rather than follow the Comet clone route Flexiform had chosen to produce a cross-boomless machine with a distinctive bird-tail shape. It was claimed to be 14lbs lighter than a Typhoon, more stable at speed than a Demon and quicker to rig than a Lightning. Flexi form also believed that the sink rate and handling outclass all other competitors.

May. No76 Edition of Wings.

May saw the BMAA publish Flight Line No9.

May. The Scottish Hang Gliding Association is no more, but from the ashes the Scottish Hang Gliding Federation is born.

Gold Marque Sports from Yorkshire, another new company appeared on the market by bringing out a double surfaced glider and calling it the Marauder. The tips floated up under load making for easy landings, and by clever sail making were 'cupped' to exhaust the high pressure air behind and downwards to delay the tip vortices which normally occur inboard of the tips, so cutting down the effective span. The machine had no vertical keel pocket, but rather a horizontal one which allowed the keel sideways movement at the rear. A vertical surface behind the centre of pressure is provided by a fin which is attached between the king post and the back-stay wire. It had a sail area of 175sq-ft, and a 98% double surface with a nose angle 128 degrees.

June. No77 Edition of Wings.

July saw the BMAA publish Flight Line No10.

July. No78 Edition of Wings.

August. No79 Edition of Wings.

Don Liddards licence's and badges Memborilia collection.

31st August. John Dunker becomes Britain's first 10 grand flyer. With a soaring flight that took him to nearly 2 miles high (10,400ft asi) while flying a Hiway Demon at Wether Fell. During the flight he made a height gain of 8,500ft, not bad for a 19 stone guy.

September. No80 Edition of Wings.

September saw the BMAA publish Flight Line No11.

October. No81 Edition of Wings.

31st October. Anne Welch has an article published in Flight International reporting on the 3rd World Hang Gliding Championship, that was held in Beppu Japan. Graham Slater came 3rd in the new open class, while Britain came 1st in the new Class I team prize.

November. No82 Edition of Wings.

4th November. The Royal Air Force recognize Hang Gliding as a sport.

David Giles dies from injuries received from an accident.

December. No83 Edition of Wings.

November saw the BMAA publish Flight Line No12.

December. Johnny Carr wins the 1981 Alvin Russell Trophy

There are many flyers and pioneers who have been left out of this article, mainly because I do not have details of them or their achievements, people like Reggie Spooner who made it possible to get insurance cover, especially when Trikes were being developed. Rick Wilson who went on to run the Records Verification Department of the BHGA and the FIA. In fact it was Rick who helped me establish my Microlight record that I’m told still stands today because the definition of the category and its weight changed. Miles Handley, Bob Calvet, Bob Bailey, Graham Slater John Hudson, Ashley Doubtfire, Mike Atkinson, Frank Taryjanyi, Chris Johnson,  Mark Southall, Tony Fuell, Tony Beresford, Graham Hobson, etc etc etc the list goes on and only stops when my memory starts to seized up. It would be nice if some of you who were there could help jog my memory by sending in any information you have stashed away during those first ten years that many of us enjoyed. And to those of you who are new flyers to the sport I hope you enjoyed what was turned into a safe sport, and sadly at the expense of several good flyers who pushed the envelope in the name of progress, we must always remember them and of what they achieved.

1982

January. No84 Edition of Wings.

February. No85 Edition of Wings.

March. No86 Edition of Wings.

April. No87 Edition of Wings.

May. No88 Edition of Wings.

June. No89 Edition of Wings.

July. No90 Edition of Wings.

August. No91 Edition of Wings.

September. No92 Edition of Wings.

October. No93 Edition of Wings.

November. No94 Edition of Wings.

December. No95 Edition of Wings.

In June 1983 The BHGA came out with a 2nd revised Pilot2 examination booklet.

 

© Copyright Terry Aspinall 2008 All Rights Reserved