Pennine Soaring Club Articles

Edenfield Lambing Closure

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 08:02:33 Z

Edenfield will be closed for Lambing from 1st April 2026 to 25 May 2026 inclusive.

Please adhere to the closure.

Thanks

Andy (Sites Officer)

Edenfield Lambing Closure Update

Thu, 08 May 2025 14:29:16 +0100

Update on Edenfield Site Access

Last month, I reported that after discussions with the farmer grazing sheep and lambs on the landing field, we had managed to keep the site open with an extended restriction period. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case.

Earlier this month, following southerly winds, several members were approached by a different farmer while flying on the fell. Further discussions have since taken place with both farmers, and a new agreement has been reached.

Revised Arrangements:

Edenfield landing field will be closed for lambing from 1st April to 25th May.
The Edenfield site will return to the usual closure period of 25th April to 25th May.

Please respect these closure dates.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Andy
Sites Officer

Thank you for your cooperation.

Andy
Sites Officer

Winter Hill – New Gate Code active from Fri 10th Jan 2025

Tue, 07 Jan 2025 13:42:28 Z

Hi all,

The gate code for Winter Hill has been changed as of Friday 10th Jan 25 @3pm.

Please contact a member of the committee for the new gate code (WhatsApp/text/Telegram/email/FB messenger)

Please follow the rules:

Generally only the lower gate will be locked.
If both gates are locked they will have the same code.
The lock codes will be changed every 3 months or sooner if required.
Do not allow anyone to tailgate you through the gate.
Make sure the gate is locked shut behind you. Do not leave unlocked, even if you know another member will be on their way in a few minutes.
On securing the lock ensure you scramble the code, DO NOT leave it on the unlock code.
PSC members must obtain the code from a member of the committee, DO NOT distribute it further.
Report any suspicious behaviour to a member of the committee.

Thanks

Andy

PSC Sites Officer

December Club Social Night

Fri, 13 Dec 2024 17:11:23 Z

India

If the mission of the BBC is to “Inform, Educate and Entertain” then they could take several lessons from Steve Kirby and Paul Redman who did all of that and more for an audience of enthralled pilots at the December Social. We were delighted to welcome 5 new faces belonging to some aspiring and recently-qualified pilots; let’s all do our best to make them feel at home in the PSC.

This was so much more than just a run-through of flights, as they packed in a whole world of sight-seeing and exploration of this fascinating country. Gradually drawing us in to the sights, sounds and overwhelming sensory experience that is India. Paul and Steve broke their journey up into 3 stages – the initial sight-seeing tour, followed by a free-wheeling adventure trip through the country before culminating in the full-on experience that is flying at Bir. They packed their talks with a wealth of facts and tips such as how to avoid getting your satellite tracker confiscated.

Thanks so much Paul and Steve for sharing your experiences, and being so open about your reflections on the flying. Inspiring stuff, and a lot of food for thought. To get a flavour of the talk, here is a link to some of their photos and videos.

https://emea01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fphotos.app.goo.gl%2FnWYQnNEHNbWPtM8y7&data=05%7C02%7C%7C442c0561f9504a4e1f0008dd19123e4d%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638694288321510357%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=K9P%2FA6L8jhWyFjwSq1xaodb0fLJjRA1PF6sbWLFC1YQ%3D&reserved=0

Pendle Hill–East Face

Wed, 14 Aug 2024 08:45:00 +0100

Hi all,

We have been informed about an accident that occurred on Pendle Hill on Sunday 11th August 24. There are limited details regarding the circumstances of the incident or the condition of the injured pilot, but wish him a speedy recovery.

We are unsure whether the injured pilot was a PSC member or a visiting pilot. If anyone does have further information please let our Safety Officer Barry know by email safety@penninesoaringclub.org.uk. There maybe safety learning point that other members or visitors could benefit from.

As Sites Officer can I remind members that we have been asked not to fly the east side of Pendle Hill, this is at the request of the landowner. Use of the east face could jeopardise our continued use of the NW face of the hill.

Can all members and visiting pilots please familiarise themselves with the sites guide for Pendle and any other of the PSC sites?

http://www.penninesoaringclub.org.uk/sites/pendle/

Thanks

Andy Archer

PSC Site Officer

sites@penninesoaringclub.org.uk

Back to Normal, at last

Wed, 13 Oct 2021 10:55:53 +0100

The winter social season got off to a cracking start at the Sea View on Monday, 11^th October. It was great to see a couple of dozen old faces and plenty of new ones eager to get together, talk parabollox over a couple of pints and to listen to John Westall describe “A Year in the Life of a Hike and Fly Pilot”. John gave us a run through 2020’s programme of gruelling hike-and-fly challenges he’d done with his flying mate Keith ‘Bud’ Patterson. He had us all on the edge of our seats with his descriptions and pictures of the sketchy take-offs and dodgy conditions which are ‘normal’ for these exploits. From our local hills, via Wales, the Lakes and Dales, to the grandeur of the Eiger, we enjoyed vicariously the thrills (and spills) of his year.

John shared with us that his own inspiration to take on this challenging aspect of our sport came from attending a PSC winter social night with Steve Nash. Maybe some of our keen young pilots will get similar inspiration to follow John’s rapid progress. Certainly they will need to follow his examples of meticulous planning, preparation and goal-setting if they want to get close.

Thank you for a great evening, John, we’re already looking forward to hearing about next year’s achievements.

Returning to Flying

Mon, 08 Mar 2021 21:13:01 Z

As you are all aware the Government published new Regulations on March 5^th which came into force on Monday March 8^th 2021^.

If any Pilots feel that they would like to speak with a coach before going out on the hill, then please contact any of the coaches through the website or direct to the Chief Coach who will put you in touch with someone.

Before you dive straight in, take time to reflect.

Staying current is a key part of staying safe. Yet NONE of us are current.

Many of us have not flown for almost a year.

You are not the pilot you were!

List the key flying skills and commit to working your way through them methodically in the air before you seek out that rocket thermal.

Remind yourself of the air rules.

If you have bought new kit, think twice about using it for the first few flights.

Get out and ground handle.

Start on familiar safer sites and choose friendly conditions.

It’s spring so be aware of the potential for rough air.

Everyone is rusty so give all pilots plenty of space.

Keep your head up and look around

Be safe and enjoy!

Many Thanks,

Regards

Paul Redman

Lancashire Live Paragliding Article

Mon, 25 Jan 2021 11:39:49 Z

Lancashire Live has published a great article about Barry Sayer and his flying activities.

Meet the Pennine Paraglider who captures Lancashire from thousands of feet above

Covid-19 May Update

Mon, 11 May 2020 10:01:53 +0100

The PM has spoken but, as always, the devil is in the detail. While we wait for some flesh to be wrapped around the bones of Boris’s statement, below is the BHPA’s road map for a possible return to paragliding, in case you’ve missed it on their website. BHPA themselves are waiting for the response to their submissions to government and are hoping to hear today or tomorrow (Tuesday 12^th May).

The PSC committee has been communicating with the United Utilities, National Trust and other landowners and managers relevant to our sites, as well as talking to our neighbouring clubs to coordinate our approach.

While you get ready for a return to the skies, please take a moment to read carefully the BHPA proposal below and remember this is just a POSSIBLE route. Please wait for clarification and a go-ahead from BHPA. Also please check in every time to the website and site guide for updates on any restrictions and conditions that may be placed by the relevant bodies who own or control the land we use.

COVID 19 - BHPA recovery plan for flying activities.

This recovery plan sets out guidelines which the BHPA believes will allow a resumption of the sports of Hang Gliding and Paragliding, including powered variants, in the UK.

Pilots should be aware that it only becomes effective when the prohibition on non-essential travel is lifted and consequently, the CAA directive to cease recreational general aviation is also lifted.

It must be borne in mind that with 4 governments over the home nations, it is entirely possible that flying will be possible in some parts of the United Kingdom before it is possible in others.

The BHPA will make an announcement at that time that flying can be resumed if conducted in accordance with these guidelines.

The Association anticipates a three-phase restarting of its activities, beginning with an initial phase of flying activity by qualified pilots only (Club Pilot and above). Phase two will be solo training at BHPA schools. Phase three will be dual air experience flights and dual flights for passengers who are not members of the pilot’s household. Phase 3 will only be authorised upon the issuing of guidance on proximity between members of the public, that can be applied effectively to dual flying.

OVERARCHING PRINCIPLES

• Stay at home if you are showing symptoms of C-19 or should be self-isolating having had contact with someone suspected to be infected with C-19.

• If you are in a high-risk group consider carefully if you wish to risk infection through joining others, even though it is outdoors and with special measures in place.

• Bear in mind that you may be asymptomatic - act accordingly, maintaining social distancing and be vigilant with hand hygiene when touching surfaces.

• In general, a two-metre distance must always be maintained. Only in specific situations can this distance be reduced. In these situations, effective measures must be taken to ensure the protection of those involved.

SPECIFIC GUIDELINES FOR INDIVIDUAL PILOTS

General

• Every member carries individual responsibility for adhering to the rules to minimise the risk of infection or transmission of the disease.

• Maintain a two-metre distance in all situations, unless required to provide essential first aid.

• Carry hand sanitising gel.

• Inform yourself of your club and any site-specific guidance before traveling to fly.

Access to the flying site

• Club members should travel to and from flying locations individually in separate vehicles until Government advice changes to allow sharing. When this is not possible, club members must follow the guidance from UK Government on distancing in vehicles / on public transport.

• Before and after contact with any surfaces outdoors (stiles, gates and gate latches, etc), the BHPA recommends the use of hand sanitising gel.

On the site

• Only unpack and set up your equipment if intending to fly. On landing, immediately clear the landing area and carry your equipment to an appropriate unoccupied area to pack up.

• Use your own equipment. Try not to come into contact with another pilots’ equipment. If you are required to touch a piece of equipment that comes into contact with others, the BHPA recommends the use of hand sanitising gel applied before and after use (however this may not be appropriate for application on certain types of equipment).

• Providing assistance to a pilot - hang check. Avoid “hands on” contact and check remotely from a two-metre distance, allowing extra time to perform the checks.

• Providing assistance – e.g. pull-starting another pilot’s paramotor. Do not undertake this activity as it is not possible to maintain a two-metre distance.

• Dual flights are only allowed if both pilot and passenger live in the same household. In the current situation, dual pilots are strongly advised not to operate in conditions where a launch assistant may be needed.

• Providing assistance – launch assistant for dual paragliding. It is impossible to undertake this role and maintain a two-metre distance. As well as the usual requirements for launch assistants, the launch assistant must be a member of the same household as the pilot and passenger.

• In general terms, you should not be flying cross country – any “retrieve” journey may not adhere to COVID 19 travel guidelines. For the time being, only undertake flights local to your site.

• Do not share food and drinks and dispose of waste at home.

After flying

• Upon arrival back home, decontamination should take place by washing hands and quarantining any equipment for as long as possible, either outside or in a dedicated separate space indoors.

Protect the NHS

The inherent risk to aviation participants has not changed because of COVID 19, however there are measures that individuals can take to further reduce the risk of an incident whilst allowing activities to re-commence.

• Undertake any flying activity at a level well within your ability. Normal springtime conditions and currency precautions apply.

• Low airtime pilots and those recently qualified are advised to seek advice from a Club Coach before re-commencing flying.

• All pilots are advised to re-acquaint themselves with their flying equipment by setting it up in an isolated outdoor space and checking it (e.g. in garden), before resuming flying.

• All pilots are advised to initially undertake flight activity in light wind to minimise the need for another pilot to intervene.

GUIDELINES FOR GROUP ACTIVITIES SUCH AS TOW AND AEROTOW GROUPS AND FOR COACHES AND OPERATORS.

Any club member organising a coaching session / towing activity is advised to inform club members who are planning to take part about these guidelines at least one day before the start of the coaching / activity.

Any club official or licence holder organising a coaching or training session must ask club members at the beginning of the coaching session if they feel ill or have symptoms of COVID 19. If necessary, they must be excluded from the activity.

If a club member who has taken part in the coaching session subsequently falls ill, he/she must immediately inform the club official / licence holder who conducted the coaching / activity. This official will check which other persons in the coaching session he/she has been in contact with and will inform these people immediately.

General.

• Maintain a two-metre distance in all situations, unless required to provide essential first aid.

• Carry hand sanitising gel.

• Physical intervention on launch / landing should be avoided unless required in an emergency to prevent an incident.

• Restrict access to club buildings to essential personnel only.

Briefing / debriefing.

• Use a “hands-off” manner. Allow extra time to conduct demos, and brief/debrief maintaining 2m distance.

• Be aware of positioning – avoid standing directly upwind/downwind of a pilot (even when briefing from two metres away).

Specific guidelines for Coaching.

• First refresh your coaching basic skills by using guidance material / coaching resources.

• Encourage Club Pilots you are coaching to initially undertake tasks that involve flying in the local area (avoid supervised cross country flights for Club Pilots for the foreseeable future).

• Encourage Club Pilots you are coaching to initially undertake flights in light winds to reduce the need to physically intervene.

Specific guidelines for tow / aerotow operations.

• Segregate the launch queue to allow social distancing to be maintained.

• All winch / tow vehicle controls and ancillary equipment (e.g. signal bats) to be thoroughly sanitised before and after use. Avoid user changes if possible. If the user changes, the equipment must be appropriately sanitised when changing user.

• If radios are used, they should be sanitised with suitable wipes when changing user.

• The Launch Marshal should conduct verbal checks from at least 2m and to the side of the pilot.

• The Launch Marshal is advised to hold the end of the hang glider keel instead of the nose (for example to position the glider on the aerotow trolley).

• Tow group must agree and write down a procedure to minimise person-to-person contact with the tow rope, connections and glider launch trolleys, ensuring that appropriate sanitation is carried out on all surfaces to minimise risk of transference of COVID 19. The procedure is to be circulated and followed by all pilots, operators, tug pilots, launch marshals and coaches involved in the activity.

Guidelines for solo training and dual flights will be released in the forthcoming weeks.

Top of Form

No flying, New wing

Thu, 02 Apr 2020 10:52:33 +0100

Hello fellow sky friends,
It's been a very difficult time the last few week's, and I'm sure everyone's thoughts are with the families who have lost loved ones.

Everything seems to have stopped at the moment, work, social events, sports, and our Pennine playground.
It does give masses of time to think about things paragliding related, possibly xc flights, training, kit, holidays, brushing up on theory, or just day dreaming of aimlessly floating around your local hill in good company, without a care in the world.

Personal plans for when normality has resumed is.....fly!
Just before the sh*t storm hit mother earth I bought a new little wing. A mini wing/speed wingythingy . Sol Attak 20, in red!
I'd wanted to make the transition for a while, to have a second wing that’s more practical on stronger wind days, when the standard PG is grounded. I didn't want an all-out speed machine for the close terrain proximity rush, just something in between.
I'd had a quick test fly a few years ago on a Niviuk roller 16 (thanks to Barney) , I really enjoyed it, just a bit to hot for me though.
The Attak seems to be aimed more at beginners, described as built with safety in mind over performance.
I ordered through Ginger nomad paragliding shop, owned by Guy Richardson who's an all round nice bloke, and a pleasure to deal with.

It took a few week's to arrive from Brazil, definitely worth the wait and very satisfying opening up a super crispy new wing.
One thing also strikingly impressive is how neat they are folded and packed from the factory. After a good inspection layed out in the garden at home, it didn't quite pack away as neat, so maybe I'm not as good as the Brazilian factory wing folder, but who cares.
The wings construction looks to be of excellent quality, tough durable material that should last, not the lightest though. Sheathed lines coloured for easy identification, nice size brake handles on swivels, magnetic clips, standard trimmers plus brumels for optional speed bar set up.

First flight was on Parlick East, 15+mph wind speed.
The take off was effortless and predictable, it seems to be nice and responsive with a feeling of it being very solid overhead. Weight shift and break inputs positioned the wing smooth and precise in flight, with a little bit of constant brake pressure to feel what's going on above. I didn't test full use of the speed range, it had a good constant forward speed even in the strongest gusts, so I left the trimmers and speed bar alone.

After about half hour of soaring that was plenty enough for me on this test flight, so i cautiously headed for a bottom landing, trying to judge the glide and sink rate to take on board for future flights. It was very strong in the landing field, and with a final flare only a few steps forward was needed, and that was that!
Very impressed and happy.

Stay home, stay safe, see you on a hill soon.

Regards
Barry Sayer

CAA Airspace Classification Review 2019-2020

Thu, 20 Feb 2020 15:10:51 Z

Hen Harriers

Thu, 13 Jun 2019 17:31:18 +0100

RSPB have announced that there has been successful fledging of several hen harrier chicks in the Bowland Forest area. They request people stick to marked tracks in the area to avoid stressing these birds during the breeding season. Please be aware of this when flying in the area, and think carefully about landing out where you could disturb them.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-48607497#

A Grand Day Out

Sat, 13 Apr 2019 11:37:00 +0100

Doarama has changed name to Ayvri, and seems to have raised its game. Have a look at the track here: https://ayvri.com/scene/8dk36qe1kx/cjufeds5k00013b64fvfr8bas

Thanks Jim Ashley for the choice of site, I thought the wind was was too far South. Driving through Ingleton we nearly turned back under the uniform grey blanket, but we put our faith in the weather forecast which turned out to be spot on. A triangle around the 3 peaks was set, but after an hour of vainly pushing upwind, Ingleborough wasn't getting any closer, the thermals were rough and spring like and the southerly wind was making life near the hill very unpleasant. Poor Jim, after persuading Graham and I to join him, landed early and had to console himself with a pint and a nice view of Ribblehead viaduct.

Graham and I decided we'd go over the back, and found that the clouds were behaving just like the textbooks say they should. With hindsight we could probably have pushed faster but lacked the confidence to leave the climbs early. Arriving at the M6 we debated pushing on towards the Lakes, but the clouds drew us along the motorway instead. Both of us had low saves at Tebay, and I was privileged to share a 2000' climb with a true king of the sky - a buzzard that stayed just in front of my leading edge all the way to base.

Landing at Langwathby I set up for an empty field but got it wrong and had to stall it into the field downwind as I wouldn't clear the fence. Then bundle up my glider and run for the gate as a herd of frisky cows galloped towards me. I swear one of them was trying to head me off, but I made the gate, throwing myself, still in the harness, and the glider over it in an ungainly heap. Note to self: must stop crashing on landing.

Big thanks to Jim Ashley for following us in Graham's car and a speedy pickup.

Ripon XC

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:50:21 +0100

To get the ball rolling on our new all singing web site, I've been encouraged to write a few words about the first decent day this flying season.
For once the day arrived at the weekend Saturday 23rd March, light winds and WNW. Parlick was the obvious choice but Andy Archer and I decided on Dodd or Wether Fell in the Dales to avoid airspace restrictions - nothing like ambition! We arrived at Wether Fell but the wind seemed a bit west so we decided on Dodd. We managed to cadge a lift and left the car on the main road avoiding the long drive in on the lane for easier retrieval which eventually proved to be a good move. The day didn't initially look too promising but soon brightened up so we all launched into a reasonably buoyant sky. At times the climbs seemed promising but they rarely took us above two and a half thousand feet. Every so often people were peeling off in pairs, it seemed, and making the glide to Wether Fell which is just down wind. Eventually we made a decent height and set off ourselves towards Wether. Dodd gives you a second bite of the cherry should you fail to make a good escape since you can easily drop onto Wether Fell as its only a few kilometres down wind.

Wether Fell & hang gliders

It was interesting to fly with hang gliders on Wether, it took me back to my early days on Parlick. There was a class 5 rigid wing which was pretty sporty and a flex wing who dedicated himself to scaring the pants off me for the 20 or so minutes it took me to get away. A slow climb to four grand and we set off toward Semer Water, I had been left behind slightly so managed to cut the corner when they all diverted north to a small ridge east of Semer which is used for training I'm told. Anyway, it was a good move as most managed the climb out - we dropped two pilots here who glided off north in search of the road and an easier return. So four were still in it but I had fallen out of the lift and ended up gritting my teeth on a low glide to the next dale. Arriving at ridge height at the lee side I knew I might take a beating but happily the lee ridge was gentle not sharp so little rotor effect and bingo - a lee sider. A slow & a rough one though but it took me to base eventually where I realised I was a climb and a glide behind. Andy, on his Iota 1, had done a fine job sticking with the two ahead, one on a Zeno (D wing) but he had to big ears out of cloud at one point so I was on my guard. There can be benefits to being at the back (as well as getting called a 'pimp') since you can tell when things haven't worked out for the leaders and choose a different route - but I wasn't really close enough and in the end lost sight of them. Airwhere or other tracking software might have helped here.

Gaggle

The next moor crossing was a big one with smoke from a heather fire to the south, cloud threatening to suck you in and a huge moor to walk out of if you blow it! Caution was needed here, the climbs were assured to some extent but you needed to judge where you would hit the cloud if at all. The trick was to clip the edge on the downwind side but in the event, I didn't enter cloud at all which is good for me. The gaps between the clouds were quite small so it wasn't that difficult later in the flight but boy was I cold. Having neglected to bring a base layer, I was now shaking like shi££ing dog and even briefly considered landing early. But the rewards were there and eventually the dramatic Dales landscape came to an end and the flats beaconed, I heard on the radio that Harrogate was ahead which confused me as my instruments were saying Ripon and I wondered if I was off course but all was well. There were some glorious formal gardens west of Ripon but the sky had cleared and it was obvious I wasn't going a great deal further.

Ripon Ahead

Andy had chosen a landing field at Ripon which turned out to be an army barracks so had to reconsider at the last minute! Once he was safely down we had a chat and he pointed out the other pilots just north of the town which I hadn't seen. They appeared to be in zeros at best so kept my course to cross the racecourse at the south side. The A1 was in sight and I hoped to cross it between the MATZ at Linton and Topcliffe although it wasn't likely. My landing field at Skelton on Ure was complete with a welcoming mad March hare darting around in a bonkers dance - I felt like doing the same just to warm up! Having packed up next to the church of Christ the Consoler I made my way into the village to find the usual story with regard to public transport - a bus an hour earlier or an hour later then not at all till Monday so I began thumbing on the almost totally deserted road. Car three stopped and took me to the pub Andy had found near the square in Ripon, after the first pint it was beginning to dawn on us that we maybe weren't getting home tonight. There is no obvious route back and zero public transport so it was with relief that I took a call from Jacob Cleverley who, incredibly, offered to drive out to pick us up since his chances of flying after work had evaporated - thankfully!

Once Jacob had arrived and we'd bought him his tea we set off for Hawes and Dodd. It seemed to take forever to get back even in Jacob's motor and had we decided to try our luck hitching we'd have ended up sleeping in the gliders at the side of the road probably. It was pitch black when we arrived at the car and we were glad we didn't have to make the trip across the moor on the gated road. Our thanks to our saviour on the day Jacob - you are the man!

http://www.xcleague.com/xc/flights/2019458.html

Fire flying

Big walk out here

Ripon racecourse

Lasham Judicial Review on Airspace

Thu, 28 Feb 2019 10:30:54 Z

In addition to the proposed change to the airspace around Farnborough, there is a long list of other
planned changes to the airspace in the UK which will affect both general aviation and people on the
ground.
On 5 February, Southampton Airport stated on the CAA’s website
(https://airspacechange.caa.co.uk/PublicProposalArea?pID=115) that it was submitting an airspace
change proposal (ACP) to expand its airspace. At an assessment meeting held at the Hilton Hotel,
Gatwick Airport on 22 January 2019, Southampton stated that new routes would overfly some new
communities, not currently regularly overflown. It also stated that there is work ongoing as part of
the airport’s master plan to consult with local communities including parish councils. The area
concerned is shown below in the diagram issued by the airport.

The proposed change to Southampton’s airspace is one of fifteen ACPs under a plan (entitled the
Future Airspace Strategy Implementation South: FASI South) that are expected for consultation in
the near future. Some of these will affect airspace below 7000ft.
We recognise that there is a need to reduce delay and to save fuel. However, it is important that any
new controlled areas are designed to be safe for all users of British airspace and to use this valuable
national resource as efficiently as possible. At present there is a risk that an uncoordinated
patchwork of airspace will be left for general aviation with numerous pinch-points that will increase
the risk of collisions. People living in previously quiet areas of the country may also be in for
surprises.
As previously reported Lasham Gliding Society has been granted leave for a judicial review against
the CAA in relation to its decision to approve Farnborough Airfield’s airspace change proposal. The
hearing has now been scheduled in the High Court to commence on 5 June 2019.
Lasham Gliding Society and other aviation bodies oppose Farnborough’s proposal because it would
create an inefficient and disproportionately large amount of controlled airspace that would have a
significant and negative impact on safety, and on the Society’s operations and financial health. With
the Southampton airspace and more in the offing, winning this judicial review is more important than
ever to ensure that the needs of General Aviation are properly considered.
To help fight this case, Lasham has set up a campaign fund and asks all to contribute. Lasham would
like to thank all those who have already donated, both pilots and local residents. The target for the
fund is £100,000 and so far, £68,000 has been raised. For details click on
https://www.lashamgliding.com/pages/airspace-campaign
John McCullagh
john@mccullagh.biz

Download the press release

Flight Diary–Parlick to Haltwhistle

Fri, 15 Feb 2019 09:56:00 Z

I had a really nice flight on the Thursday afternoon, floating around at cloudbase out the front of Pendle so had accepted Friday would be a work day. Fortunately, when I got to work I had a quick check of the weather forecasts.

RASP was looking excellent, boundary layer depth over 5000 feet, light southerly, a 4 star day for what would be the track north from Parlick. It was too good to miss, so a frantic 3 hours followed by a quick exit from work saw me on Parlick for 12pm.

As I walked up I was watching John Oliver climbing out in what was obviously a really nice thermal. A couple of the local pilots were sat on the top, they were able to confirm that Paul Winterbottom had left the hill earlier but they thought conditions were a bit strong. It didn't feel too bad to me so I quickly got ready and launched. A few exploratory pushes out towards where the clouds were gave bits of lift but nothing good enough to tempt me away from the hill. A radio message from one of the guys on the hill that it was blowing strongly up past take off brought me back and as I pushed out from take off over the big gulley that runs up the south face of Parlick I got into a super 2m/s climb all the way to 4000 feet.

That was me committed to leaving the hill and as the lift slowed I glided over to get under the big cloud that was tracking slightly west of me. This also worked and I was able to stay with this cloud over the 1^st moorland section although I didn't make it to cloudbase.

JO radioed to say he was down at Abbeystead in what he thought was sea breeze, with forward speed of 5K when he landed. PW also came on the radio to say he was over Killington Lake and that the wind strength was OK all the way to there.

Both messages were a help – as I glided towards the next cloud I tracked towards the east side of it to try and stay away from the sea breeze, and knowing that the wind shouldn't be a problem for the next 40K took one worry away.

Good lift under the next cloud took me all the way to cloudbase at 5000 feet, and this made the crossing of Tarnbrook and Mallowdale fells, often tricky with a long walk if you go down, relatively easy. The sea breeze was noticeable as clouds were forming below me on the western side and it was bumpy as I negotiated what seemed to be an area of convergence.

The lift died so I set off on a glide to a cloud to my north. On route it started to dissipate with holes showing in the cloud shadow. I decided to head back into wind to try and find lift, partly as the cloud I had left still looked good. This didn't work and I ended up at 1,000 feet, 12 minutes after being at 5,000 feet.

At this point I realised that rather than looking at the clouds I should be looking at the ground features. Off to my right, among all the green fields were two brown dry looking graded fields with one of them on a slight slope. They worked for a broken climb to 3000 feet and then a short glide to the edge of Kirby Lonsdale and a better climb back up to 5,000 feet.

Another long glide and this time I used both the ground features (nice dry cut field with a tree line at the downwind side) plus clouds just downwind to find a good climb back up to 5,000 feet.

It was tempting to head into the Lakes following a line of cloud that was forming along the windward side of the hills but I decided the better option was to carry on along the direction of the wind, especially as my Oudie was telling me that the wind was up to 26kph so my drift was good.

This was new territory for me, I have never managed to fly past the eastern side of the Howgills and for the first time ever I was flying with a pee tube. As I was high over open countryside I decided to give the pee tube a go, leg out of the harness and - nothing. My brain couldn't persuade my body that it was going to work without me ending up wet and smelly!

The next 15k to Tebay was very pleasant, flying in towards the middle of the cloud to top up and then back out to the sink at the east side of the cloud, down 200 foot or so then repeat, drifting along at a decent speed. The views were fantastic with the Lake District on one side and the Howgills and then the Yorkshire Dales on the other.

North of Tebay I had to work hard for about 20k before another great climb back to cloudbase which was now about 5,300feet.

The next 20k were incredible, again drifting with the cloud I flew the length of Cross Fell at over 5,000 feet, watching 5 sailplanes that were flying the ridges about 4,000 feet below me. The first half of this section was along the eastern side of the cloud, the sun by now was off to the west. It was relatively smooth with gentle climbs and transitions to the sink. One of the highlights was watching the distance to take off pass the 100k. Another highlight was managing to use to the pee tube for the first time as the pressure overcame the doubt. I was glad there were no spectators as it definitely can't look cool flying along shaking your leg to try and get rid of the drips!

The lift started to slow so I transitioned across to the sunny side. What a difference, stronger lift and sharp edges, this wasn't as comfortable. I also had to decide which way to head, stay with the direction of the drift even though it looked blue ahead or try and work crosswind into the flats towards Carlisle.

With hindsight I may have made the wrong choice due partly to having the display on the Oudie at too small a scale, I stayed with the drift without realising it was taking me straight towards the Spadeadam danger area, which is huge! By the time I spotted it on the map I was too close to fly round and it's too big and high to fly over. This meant that there was no way I could achieve one of my ambitions, to fly to Scotland from Parlick.

The flight ended by flying past the moors where I had a long walk out earlier this year after a flight from the Lake District, to land on the outskirts of Haltwhistle for 121K. A slightly windy landing, short walk, lift from a chap I had asked directions from and I was at the train station.

Another lesson from the flight, removing pee tube attachments need more privacy than the middle of a field. For anyone who saw me after I visited the loo on the Virgin train from Carlisle, the tears weren't emotion, they were pain, after discovering that the glue on the sheath sticks even better to hair than skin!

The main lesson for me from the day was how lucky we are nowadays to have easy access to such good weather forecasting. RASP is especially good and learning to interpret it really can pay dividends. For me the town and city forecast to give detailed analysis of the local conditions, combined with the traditional maps to show the likely conditions on a possible flight path, give a great indication of what might be possible and also clues as to what the best track to follow might be.

Now just have to wait for the right conditions and opportunity to try and make that flight to Scotland!

View flight on XC League

SIV Club Night at the Sea View Inn

Tue, 15 Jan 2019 15:58:00 Z

A great presentation by Andy Elliott on behalf of the Pennine Soaring Club members who went on the SIV course to Oludeniz in Turkey. The benefits of taking part in the course were clear to see with some very interesting videos of the tasks set by Jocky Sanderson. I’m sure a repeat SIV course will be proposed for later on this year along with a financial subsidy for Pennine Soaring Club members to encourage participation.
Watch this space for further information. GJ.

Jocky Sanderson SIV Evening

Tue, 11 Dec 2018 22:00:45 Z

Monday night, club night at Goodwin's restaurant and bar, 30-odd (very odd?) members enjoyed an entertaining and informative evening at the hands of SIV maestro Jocky Sanderson. What? You missed it! Where were you?

In a very slick presentation, Jocky pulled up video clips to illustrate all of his points about glider behaviour and, most importantly, pilot behaviour. As someone who went on one of his courses 5 years ago, it was fascinating to see how the emphasis of teaching has subtly shifted towards building a deeper understanding of canopy flight and how the combination of pilot and wing need to be married together to produce the right outcome. Modern gliders are so well designed that it is nearly always the pilot mis-timing their control input that leads to a simple collapse turning into an inescapable cascade. A very useful revision/review of this vast subject, and a good reminder of how necessary it is to explore the abilities of our gliders, and ourselves, and to recognise their (and our) limitations.

Thanks to the generosity of our members, who responded brilliantly to the appeal; together with a significant input from the club we will be able to present £350 to the North West Air Ambulance charity to support their essential work saving lives in our region.

Thanks again to everyone involved in organising, setting up and attending the event.

Brian Stewart, Safety Officer.

PSC Social Night 12th November 2018 - Richard Carter's 300Km Flight

Tue, 13 Nov 2018 21:07:00 Z

The Winter social season got into its stride with a bang this month when Richard Carter came to talk us through his amazing record-breaking 300+km flight this summer. Richard needs no introduction to any pilot who has been around in the last 30 years; right from the beginnings of the sport in the UK, he stood out as having something a bit special. Regularly featuring near the top of the table, he was the first to do 100km, then 200km and finally 300 km in the UK, as well as holding the distance record several times in between.

The planning and preparation for this flight were meticulous – Richard revealed that he had been scouting out the Elan Valley as a launch point for such a flight for years. On the weekend that all the forecasts came together he was there early, fully stoked with a big breakfast with only one other pilot on the hill. After a tentative start in light morning conditions, the sky got better and better. Passing Doncaster, his major problem was staying low to squeak under the airspace there, but once passed he had the freedom to climb to over 7000’ and even to squeeze in a few extra km past his goal cylinder.

8 ½ hours, 306 km and stuck in a field on a Sunday night! Fortunately Scarborough was down the road and a hot, sticky hotel room awaited.

Thank you Richard for such an entertaining evening, giving us fascinating insights into what it takes to achieve such amazing flights

To leave or not to leave?

Mon, 12 Nov 2018 00:16:42 Z

20:30 Wednesday 6th June, Phil Colbert chucks a post onto Pennine Flight Club group asking if anyone fancies some XC coaching on Thursday. That day I'd walked about 8 mile with my 20Kg pack looking for non existent wind. I was planning a day off & had a course to go to. However, XC coaching with Phil.... had to be worth a go, course can wait.

Meeting up there were 5 of us - Me, Phil, John O, GJ, and another pilot off on sick. We shall call him Dartanian to protect his job. Whilst driving, Phil was giving me loads of tips as I sheepishly admitted I've not left any hill yet - but he was great and said that is exactly what this day was about. Note to all other pilots thinking the same!

I've had 3 knee ops in last 2 years & just started flying at the beginning of the month so I march off early knowing my muscles have deteriorated. Westy's IOTA in my pack - first real outing. On the way up, I am passed as expected. My poor limbs screaming as I attempted the steep incline. I was ready to admit defeat when a bay-watch style body came bounding toward me. Phil grabbed my pack (ooerr) and like a mountain goat took it to the top (I wasn't too far off in my defence).

Anyone who carries another's pack is alright in my book.

Holding back the puke I rested whilst the others got ready. The wind blew through in bursts as the thermals raced through. John O gave comforting words - thx. GJ took off near vertically. "Told you it would be easy to stay up" says Phil as GJ disappears.

Pukey feeling still there, Dartanian suggests I eat something. Really? I did eat a scotch egg but struggled to keep it down. But then I started feeling a little better.

GJ off, Dartanian off, John O off, Phil, off, me.... questioning my frame of mind - in hindsight that was a good thing to do. Decided the walk down was not an option so pulled up the new wing easily in a lull and effortlessly glided off the hill.

All 5 of us were up & down, thermals strong at times but a little narrow. Wind slightly off the hill. We got the first thermal but pushing out front for second thermal seemed more problematic until Phil, GJ & Dartanian seemed to cadge a lift off a cloud. Maybe not Dartanian actually but Phil & GJ left the hill.

John O cunningly waited whilst Dartanian bombed out way behind take off somewhere. All safe. I'll stick with John O was my not so cunning plan.

However, eventually I decided not to push things so I went to land. At Mach 2. What's this wing all about?

Of course, almost immediately John O went up in the strongest, widest thermal of the year - skies were looking great now as opposed to when Phil & GJ set off.

He already had his grin ready for when he passed Phil & GJ in the air.

Meanwhile, Dartanian had returned to the lip. Blown out! He (or she) had to walk half way down to take off into a crappy air mass.

Meanwhile, John O's grin was rapidly fading as all the fluffy clouds seemed to be missing him! He bombed short of Phil & GJ!

The retrieve procedure used Phil's airwhere & live tracking webpage.

Clicked on him then selected "directions to pilot" and job done.

Everyone picked up & returned to cars.

This day was a great learning experience & huge thanks to Phil for organising it. If you are just starting XC or are thinking about it, come along if he does another one - you don't actually have to go XC but you see how it can all work smoothly with a bit of planning & the right software. Airwhere tracking for android is worth getting (from play

store) - you can say you are hitchhiking or anything & it appears on a map.

Whilst I didn't get away, I was taught a load of stuff by Phil (& John

O) which only made sense when I was on the hill looking to get away.

It's a totally different perspective between planning to soar & planning to go XC.

I just need that one big thermal & I'm off.

Paul Hester

PennineFest 2018

Tue, 27 Mar 2018 19:11:00 +0100

May 4-6 2018

Camping: £7.50 per night and £2 electric hook-up

Eric's Barbecue and beer tent.
Camping.
Fly Parlick, Longridge and Pendle.
Pizza Night in the Sun Inn, Chipping Village.
Technical stuff in the Village hall.
Bring and buy Paragliding sale.
...... and an awful lot of Parabollocks!

AGM 2017

Wed, 15 Feb 2017 19:07:00 Z

Pennine Soaring Club

AGM and Committee Meeting 13 February 2017, Sea View, Chorley.

Committee Members present: Graham Jones, Brian Stewart, Jim Ashley, Simon Blake, Richard Chadwick, Andy Archer, Carl Fairhurst, John Murphy, Andy Mcloughlin. Apologies received from Phil Wallbank and Tony Colombat.

Brief discussion of proposal to waive membership fees for children of members under the age of 18.

Agreed unanimously.

Brief discussion of proposal to award honorary membership with full voting rights to Lynda Baillie as a loyal supporter of the club.

Agreed unanimously.

End of Business.

AGM Report

Chairman’s review (incorporating Social Sec)

The club has enjoyed a successful year - social nights have centred around Chipping with curry and pizza nights at the Sun. The Penninefest was rained off, but we still had a good turnout and an entertaining and educational talk from Ed Cleasby. The winter club nights have been well-attended, with plenty of new faces on show. Difficulties obtaining suitable venue still exist.

The club continues to function well and seems to be serving the needs of its members. The membership secretary was praised for his work identifying those pilots who are not BHPA members or not paying PSC correct fees. Phil Colbert was thanked for his work on the AirWhere project which should prove to be a great benefit to all members and the wider paragliding community.

Other prominent members include Jack Pimblett who is making amazing progress in the world of Acro; Simon Scott for his achievements as part of the British Paramotor Team; Simon Blake who has a new book out; Simon Baillie for his continued recovery to full fitness; Barney Woodhead for his XC performances and Richard Chadwick for his sterling work over the years as Treasurer.

Looking forward to 2017, highlights should be a proposed Club Coach weekend; development of the AirWhere network; more Club Nights; Penninefest etc. To achieve these aims, the support of the members is essential, and the club will be exploring ways to expand participation beyond the 1/3 of the membership who regularly get involved. Communication with members needs work, but this is a 2-way progress and it is important the people make contact with the club if they want information, coaching etc.

The Pendle webcam is still on course but has run into a siting obstacle.

Treasurer’s report:

Subscription receipts are significantly up, thanks in great part to the Membership Sec’s hard work in chasing up non-payers or those still paying £19; still some way to go to reel them all in, but the list is shrinking. Accounts accepted by the meeting. Richard is stepping down after 6 years in post, and we thank him for his hard work and diligence.

Membership Secretary’s Report

We currently have around 175 members, of whom 36 are still paying only £19 - a list is available so that members can encourage these remaining few to amend their standing order. Problems remain with contacting members when emails, phone calls, text messages and postal letters go unanswered. BHPA checks on current membership status can meet with resistance if requested too frequently. Helmet stickers will continue to be sent out to those requesting them.

Competition Secretary’s Report

Most competitions were washed out by bad weather this year, including all 5 rounds of the BP Cup, and the Advance BCC challenge suffered a similar fate in our area. The LCC and Buttermere Bash were surprisingly successful despite poor forecasts. PSC performance in the National XC League was a little short of previous glory years as the Southern Clubs enjoyed the good conditions down there.

Secretary’s Report

Little outside communication beyond the routine. Main focus was the liaison with NWRAUG over the developments at LBIA. This has led to the creation of a new committee post - Airspace Officer - for which Phil Colbert has volunteered. The Secretary is standing down after 5 years, and thanks all the members for their support. Paul Hester has volunteered to stand for this position.

Safety Officer’s Report (delivered by the Secretary)

There have been no accidents or incidents involving members reported to the Safety Officer this year, although this does not mean that there were no reportable incidents. It is worth noting that one member was involved in an incident (reported correctly to the BHPA) involving a car being written off. It is comforting to note that the process of dealing with the expense of compensating the car owner was dealt with very efficiently by the BHPA insurers - a very good reason to be a member.

The Safety Officer is standing down this year, and the club is very grateful for the important contribution made over the years. Brian Stewart has put himself forward for this post.

Editor’s Report (delivered by the Secretary)

The newsletter has been absent for a few months - initially due to a lack of material, and then as an experiment to judge the reaction of the members. The feeling of the meeting was that the newsletter is an important communication tool, and so will be re-started this year. Members were urged to contribute to this as much as possible. Improvements to the database of members’ addresses should make it possible to ensure that it is delivered effectively.

Chief Coach’s Report

This has been a quiet year on the coaching scene. We have moved to a bi-annual cycle of Pilot Theory lectures to fit more closely with demand. Coaches can now receive their annual endorsement by email, which makes it much easier to remain current. New BHPA resources to support new pilots and their coaches will make the process of progressing from CP much clearer to all. Some discussion centred around the possibility of winter coaching sessions in the village hall, and competition preparation.

Power Officer’s Report

While there are few Power pilots in the club, the Power Sec’s role is to act as a contact point to anyone wishing to fly paramotors or powered hang gliders to go about this the correct way, in safety. The site at Eddisford Bridge is available to all, by contacting the PO. While the pilot fatally injured last year was not a PSC member, he was known to many and our condolences go out to his family and friends. BHPA are investigating, despite his not being a member.

Sub-20 Officer’s Report

There have been no issues involving sub-20 wings this year. Members are encouraged to report any instances of unqualified or non-BHPA persons flying any kind of aircraft on our sites to report those to relevant club officers.

Election of Committee:

All positions were offered to the membership. Apart from those mentioned above volunteering to fill vacancies, no nominations were received. Consequently all posts were filled unopposed and carried unanimously.

Chairman                             Graham Jones
Social Sec                             Graham Jones
Secretary                             Paul Hester
Membership Sec              Jim Ashley
Treasurer                            Jim Ashley (combined post)
Safety Officer                    Brian Stewart
Sites Officer                       Andy Archer
Webmaster                        Carl Fairhurst
Editor                                    Tony Colombat
Competition Sec               Simon Blake
Chief Coach                        John Murphy
Sub-20 Officer                   Andy McLoughlin
Airspace Officer                                Phil Colbert (new post).

Presentation of Awards

The Competition Secretary presided over an entertaining award ceremony in which not only the winners were acknowledged, but also the ‘honourable mentions’ and the ‘nearly theres’.

Best Fun Class                                                                   John Baxby
Best Sports Class                                                              Simon Blake
Best XC from Pennine Site                                           Phil Colbert
PSC League Winner                                                         Phil Colbert
Grid Challenge                                                                  Simon Baillie
Most Improved Pilot                                                      John Oliver
Club Award                                                                         Jack Pimblett
Representing the Club                                                                   Simon Scott
William Marshall Trophy                                                Andy Archer
Main Welding Award (Bent Upright)                       Simon Blake
PSC Loop League winner                                              Paul Winterbottom.

A big ‘thank you’ to everyone who attended to make a memorable night. Now let’s go flying . . .

2017 AGM

Tue, 10 Jan 2017 19:06:00 Z

Date: 13^th February 2017

Venue: Sea View Inn, 2 Preston Rd, Whittle-le-Woods, Chorley PR6 7HH

It’s that time of year when the AGM is upon us once again, yes, of course you’ve got more interesting stuff to do like change the cat litter, but have a think about what this means:

We live in an increasingly surveilled and officially-controlled world, so continuing to enjoy the freedom of our form of flight means being self-regulating within a recognised structure. Love 'em or hate 'em, the BHPA is our structure and PSC is an important component of that, and membership gives you access to that framework. To remain a functioning part of this whole, there are endless background tasks to fulfil: maintaining records of members and their qualification levels, administering the cash that flows in and out, keeping track of safety issues, liaising with relevant bodies over site access and dealing with complaints . . . you get the picture.

A looming threat on the horizon is the proposed expansion of the Leeds Bradford International Airport controlled airspace. The initial plans could severely curtail our options for XC flights towards the east coast, and are a threat to our fellow pilots in the Dales, Cumbria and Derbyshire. To this end we are going to create a new committee post of Airspace Officer to monitor developments and liaise with BHPA, CAA, the General Aviation and Gliding community and our neighbour clubs. This is the kind of background work that is essential to maintain our ability to enjoy our most unique and wonderful sport(s).

To carry out this work needs willing volunteers from the membership; we call this group 'the committee' but really they are simply members who are putting a bit back into our sport - sometimes remaining in post year after year because no-one else is daft enough to do it. Every year, all members of the club are offered the opportunity to offer their services; the following list shows the present members of the committee in case you don't know who they are, together with an indication of their intention to stand for re-election, nominations received to date, and a brief summary of what they do, in their own words, in addition to what it says in the constitution and BHPA documents:

Position

Name

Standing again?

Nominations

Duties

Webmaster

Carl Fairhurst

Yes

Responsible for managing the hosting, application and content of the Pennine Soaring Club website and the domain registration. Working with the other member of the committee to ensure that content and events are posted promptly and available to be linked from emails or Facebook.

Secretary

Brian Stewart

Paul Hester

Maintaining a written record of meetings, correspondence with third parties, legal documents and proceedings. Being the focal point for external bodies communicating with PSC.

Chairman

Graham Jones

Yes

Coordinating and chairing committee meetings,

Sites Officer

Andy Archer

Yes

Building and maintaining relationships with our site owners, tenant farmers, statutory bodies; in fact anybody who has an interest in the land we launch from, fly above or land on. Quickly dealing with issues that could escalate into the potential for losing a site and being a single point of contact for site issues for those interested parties and club members alike.

MembershipSec

Jim Ashley

Yes

Keep and update membership data base using information from treasurer / online bank. Contact members when subs due or overdue / incorrect. Check members BHPA membership up to date. Contact / welcome new members - distribute helmet stickers.

Social Sec

Graham Jones

Arranger of club and social nights.

Chief Coach

John Murphy

Yes

a) Organise and co-ordinate coaching within their club.

b) Provide information, guidance and help in a safe, proven manner to club pilots qualified for the activity undertaken.

c) Encourage pilots to use the club coaching facility through promotion and education.

d) Establish and maintain an effective coaching team within the club.

e) Establish and maintain an effective liaison with the Club Safety Officer

f) Supervise and monitor the development of potential coaches, and select and appoint

Club Coaches and Senior Coaches.

g) Operate safely within their known skills and personal environments in accordance

with the recognised procedures and regulations contained in the TM.

h) Improving their own flying and coaching skills and knowledge in various ways, including studying the TM, handbooks, articles in Skywings (especially the Safety Matters Page) and Incident Summaries and Safety Notices.

i) Promote the use of the Incident reporting scheme within the club.

j) Maintain and promote a positive attitude to the sport, the FSC and the BHPA.

k) Maintain an effective liaison with the FSC. Chief Coaches should have regular contact with the FSC, and in particular they should keep the FSC fully informed of new ideas or any difficulties occurring in their clubs.

l) Organise and supervise pilot exams and lectures.

In addition, to become a chief coach the BHPA advise that the candidate should be:

a) Hold a Senior Coach or Club Coach Licence.

b) Possess P rating with good active experience.

c) Be recommended by his/her club. (Chairman’s signature required.)

Treasurer

Richard Chadwick

Bank and keep a spreadsheet record of all receipts paid to the club (income) and pay and record all the bills (expenses like site fees, comp fees, website fees and trophies etc.).
Produce a set of annual accounts to present to members at the AGM.
Organise and deliver the Christmas bottle run to the farmers and residents most affected by our sites.

Safety Officer

Phil Wallbank

Brian Stewart

Act as the local technical officer. Disseminate Safety Notices and information within the club. Act as a technical reference source within the club. Support the coaching team in their efforts to ensure that accidents and incidents within the club are reported to the FSC. Maintain, through a programme of continuous education and encouragement, an awareness of flying and technical safety standards within the club.

Competition Sec

Simon Blake

Yes

Coordinating all aspects of local and UK competition, supporting and encouraging Pennine pilots to push their flying to the next level by setting targets and flying competitively: scoring the Parlick Grid Challenge, setting and scoring competition tasks at, liaising with the organisers of the BP Cup, liaising with neighbouring club Comps Secs to arrange rounds of the Advance BCC when possible, promoting XC league flying and especially declared flights by helping pilots plan, fly and submit their tracklogs to the league.

Editor

Tony Colombat

Yes

Current: Produce the monthly newsletter, coordinating input from members, BHPA, advertisers etc.

Proposed: Disseminate this information across PSC webpage and Social Media.

Power Sec

Simon Scott

Yes

Provide a PSC point of contact for Paramotor and Powered HG pilots who fly within the Pennine Club area or are PSC members who wish to also fly PPG/PHG. Liaise with pilots in local groups/clubs to attempt to mutually promote powered and free flight foot launched aviation, the PSC and the BHPA. Promote the PSC as an inclusive club that power pilots can be part of.

Airspace Officer

New post

Phil Colbert

Liaise with BHPA, CAA, neighbouring clubs, General Aviation and Gliding community etc. regarding all airspace matters affecting our members.

Just because there's a name against a post doesn't mean you can't volunteer for it - most of us will be happy to step aside to allow in fresh blood. No matter whether you've amassed hundreds of hours or are still counting your airtime in minutes, if you want to get involved and give something back to our fabulous sport, just put yourself forward. So if you think this is for you then to nominate yourself for any post please send an email to secretary@penninesoaringclub.org.uk before 31st January 2017. Voting to decide any contested positions will take place at the AGM.

Extract from Club Constitution:

3.1 The AGM shall be held between February and May

3.2 Reasonable notice of the AGM shall be given to members and the following business shall be discussed.

Election of Officers
Report from the Treasurer and any other members of The Committee
Revision and amendment of rules and regulations where necessary.
Other items of which due notice will be given.
Any other business (no voting allowed).

Re Item 3.2, any member wishing to propose an item for discussion must submit it to the secretary (secretary@penninesoaringclub.org.uk) by 31st January 2017.

So, the AGM is an important instrument in the operation of the PSC and, by extension, free flight in the UK. Thus it is your chance to question the committee members on past actions and propose ways in which you feel the club could progress,

Be there.

Brian Stewart

Secretary

PennineFest 2016 Report

Thu, 08 Sep 2016 19:05:00 +0100

What's in a name? Parafest? Penninefest? Whatever, the annual PSC piss-up fly-in gave the weather gods the opportunity to throw their worst at us. Again. Somebody must have made the right sacrifices somewhere as the strong winds that had us worrying about the marquee carrying us all on a mass XC never arrived. All we got was some rain. Lots of it. All day Saturday.

Friday

The working party assembled promptly at 9AM in the showground to put up the marquee. All went smoothly - Field Marshal Winterbottom's directions to the erection team included orders that all upright members were to be fully inserted and rammed home with powerful thrusts. Then he went round checking them anyway. Group Captain Jones offered advice and guidance and even managed not to get in the way too much. Air Vice Marshall Wood carefully carried in the beer kegs and connected the pipes, and once General Innes's barbecue was in place, we were good to go, amusing ourselves getting Wing Commander Scott's monkey bike as muddy as possible.

Aviation was committed by those with the foresight not to sample the amber liquids too early. The Wing Commander manfully carried up his hang glider and showed how it's done, while a couple of brave souls launched their floppy, flappy things - Air Commodore Maxwell even scraping into the show field with a low pass over the Brickhouse Caravan site (the bill for removing the boot prints from my caravan roof is in the post, Billy). Back in the field, tents were put up, caravans and motorhomes sited and beer was drunk.

Saturday

The day dawned grey and evolved into wet as well. So no change from normal Penninefest weather then. Fortunately we had the Chipping village hall booked for bad weather contingency, and Ed Cleasby had graciously offered to switch roles from comp meet head to motivational speaker. While nobody in the room bought his protests of being 'only an ordinary pilot', Ed delivered an inspiring lecture/talk/discussion focussed on getting out of the comfort zone of local hills without the hassle of going abroad for adventures. His presentation - Flying in Scotland (Subtitled Broadening Horizons - You don't have to leave the UK to get the best flying in the world) was aimed at encouraging recent pilots to experience new places and conditions to expand their experience. Ed reckons we have the best diversity of conditions in the world and illustrated this with a sample of flights which left a lasting impression.

Tinto - one of his favourites, can be busy in a good forecast but promising a high cloudbase, good air. Important to be aware of the proliferating wind farms and the wide open spaces.

Sron a Gharbh Choire Bhig (HRA) NW Highlands. This was an adventure flight across Loch Shiel from Loch Linnhe. Plenty of intimidating wildernesses on this route unless you know where the roads are.

Carn Liath, Cairngorms. This was in the N-S Cup and the first time Ed had flown across the Cairngorms. A big walk in, even before climbing up to takeoff near the high summit, required a lot of commitment, given 7/8 cloud, almost no wind and just a small patch of sunshine. Dramatic improvement got everyone away to cross some of the most intimidating terrain in the UK. Phil Wallbank told of 4 hour walk out and of Mike Cav's low save when he frightened a herd of deer into releasing a thermal. Ed flew to Aviemore and along the Spey valley, happy at last to follow a road with big fields.

White Corries gives an easy approach via a chair lift. This was an early attempt at a triangle, crossingmagnificent scenery again, but a big storm just after landing was a reminder of the need to keep watching conditions in the big stuff.

There were even quizzes and tasks to keep us awake amused:

Part 1 This was 'Name the Sites'. 4 photos of UK sites, and name the odd one out & why. Only 3 pilots guessed even 1 out of of the 4, and to our shame, one of them was Pendle. Commander Baillie (Parachute Regiment) got the tie breaker, so won an instrument bag.

Part 2. Identifying six Manufacturer logos. Commander Baillie was on top of this too, getting 4 out of 6, but everyone else had a real life and hardly knew any, so Simon won the windsock as well.

Task: Navigation task to set up a route from turnpoints was a great lead-in to the afternoon's session focussing on instruments and how to use them.

Thanks so much Ed, for sharing your insights into paragliding and how to get the most out of it. I'm certainly inspired to get out among new surroundings.

Saturday evening saw the straw floor in the marquee disappearing into the mud. The recently-demoted Flight Sergeant Wallbank (decommissioned for insubordination: suggesting to the Group Captain that the curry night was an indulgence too far) remained on camp sentry duty to guard the bar. He and his loyal band of followers had the arduous task of sampling the beer every few minutes to ensure it remained drinkable. It's a tough job. . .

34 or so (including a scattering of WaGs) enjoyed an excellent curry (or vegetarian alternative) in the Sun, in the new Swallow's Nest extension. A great night had by all, which continued into the show field where the General's pyrotechnics kept all amused. A ton of wood disappeared into the firepits - apparently the IPCC have since issued warnings of a sudden spike in CO₂ emissions and a 1 degree global temperature rise.

Sunday dawned with clearing skies, but even the most 'glass-half-full' optimistists couldn't predict any aviation today. Many hands made light work of taking down the marquee and clearing the field. Big thanks to everyone involved in rescuing what could have been a soggy disaster and turning it into another successful event; after all there are worse ways to spend a wet weekend in Lancashire. Special mention for the General - delivering the barbecue, firepits and pyrotechnics; the Air Vice Marshall for sorting the beer and the bar; Squadron Leader Ashley for taking the muddy marquee home to wash and dry; the Group Captain for fretting about everything - ensuring that it was all in place beforehand;

Well done all.

Private (2nd Class) Stewart

Pennine Summer Curry Night

Thu, 16 Jul 2015 19:03:00 +0100

Graham Jones has again arranged for a PSC summer Curry night at the Sun Inn in Chipping on the 14th August 2015 at 7:30pm. If you would like you go can you please let Graham know, either by the Facebook event or via email to gkjones@btconnect.com.

Last years event

Pennine Soaring Club Articles

Edenfield Lambing Closure

Edenfield Lambing Closure Update

Winter Hill – New Gate Code active from Fri 10th Jan 2025

December Club Social Night

Pendle Hill–East Face

Back to Normal, at last

Returning to Flying

Lancashire Live Paragliding Article

Covid-19 May Update

No flying, New wing

CAA Airspace Classification Review 2019-2020

Hen Harriers

A Grand Day Out

Ripon XC

Lasham Judicial Review on Airspace

Flight Diary–Parlick to Haltwhistle

SIV Club Night at the Sea View Inn

Jocky Sanderson SIV Evening

PSC Social Night 12th November 2018 - Richard Carter's 300Km Flight

To leave or not to leave?

PennineFest 2018

AGM 2017

Pennine Soaring Club

AGM and Committee Meeting 13 February 2017, Sea View, Chorley.

AGM Report

Chairman’s review (incorporating Social Sec)

Treasurer’s report:

Membership Secretary’s Report

Competition Secretary’s Report

Secretary’s Report

Safety Officer’s Report (delivered by the Secretary)

Editor’s Report (delivered by the Secretary)

Chief Coach’s Report

Power Officer’s Report

Sub-20 Officer’s Report

Election of Committee:

Presentation of Awards

2017 AGM

Date: 13th February 2017

Venue: Sea View Inn, 2 Preston Rd, Whittle-le-Woods, Chorley PR6 7HH

PennineFest 2016 Report

Pennine Summer Curry Night

Date: 13^th February 2017