This glossy full colour magazine is distributed by mail to around 6,500 BHPA members each month as part of their membership package. The British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (BHPA), based in Leicester, is the governing body in the UK for hang gliding and paragliding. When you show that you can safely and confidently get yourself into the air and down again, your instructor will start to progress you to take-off points higher up the hill. In his non flying life Ed has a background in IT though he managed to escape the office, and hankering for the high life, switched to tower crane driving for three years.

This form uses Javascript and Cookies, please make sure both are supported by your browser before submitting your membership or renewal application. The questions are all designed to address issues that you may come across in your flying career, from obtaining an accurate forecast, to safely planning a cross country flight and avoiding areas of controlled airspace.You open the boot and don flying suit and boots, then lift out your incredibly light flying machine in its carrying rucksack and trek off a few yards to where your friends are preparing to fly. A team of 4,768 people managing and developing 2,951 parks across the UK, 184 elected to serve and support our Branch network, we remain a connected Association and a true demonstration of teamwork and strength in numbers. For people wanting to learn to fly speed gliders, whether existing paraglider pilots, those with previous experience of air sports or those with no previous flying experience at all, proper training at a BHPA school is essential to understand the particular risks in speed flying. I hereby apply for BHPA Membership as indicated in the options selected above, and confirm that the information I have given in this membership application is correct and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

The aim of this badge is to allow the club pilot to leave the hill and fly cross-country using thermal lift.

Paul first joined the BHPA Executive Council in 1998 and took over the role of Skywings Director, previously undertaken by Mark Woodhams. Most flying sites in the UK have rules of operation, often agreed to after hard fought negotiations with the land-owners or tenant farmers. Most schools offer training in a wide range of flying disciplines, so it's important to understand the differences between the disciplines before choosing a school.