Tag: Featured

Thank you to High Adventure Paragliding for sharing this short post on Facebook.

That’s a big call! I think we can do better though half way through the straight through Paramotor course.

It’s so good to see all the students progressing so far we racked up about 4 hours each in the air today and about 15 flights each. This is how you start your journey to mastery

It was 60 years ago in September 1963, Australian inventor John Dickenson set out to build a water ski wing that could be released at altitude and glide to a safe landing.  John’s developments leading the way for sports aviation globally.

In the years that followed, adventure-seeking pilots turned hang gliding and other free flight sports such as paragliding and microlight flying into a world-popular pastime that only continues to evolve in 2023.

The initial water-towed delta wing kites first flown at the 1963 Grafton Jacaranda Festival, by Rod Fuller, were a simple format that launched from the water in an awe-inspiring display to anyone who had ever dreamed of flying.

This inspired many and was quickly followed by the invention of the foot launched hang glider in 1970, with weight shift microlights introduced in the late 1970s and hill launched paragliding establishing in the early 1980s.

Today with more than 3,000 Sports Aviation Federation of Australia (SAFA) members taking to the skies annually across all disciplines, it’s fair to say the sport has really taken off.

While the first governing body was founded in 1974, it was four years later that the Hang Gliding Federation of Australia would be formed to ensure the safety and enjoyment of the sport for recreational and competitive pilots. In 2019 HGFA became a company limited by guarantee, now known as Sports Aviation Federation of Australia.

It is estimated that up to 20% of pilots compete in a variety of competitions in Australia and overseas and the increasing popularity has resulted in successful competitions being held annually in Australia. Many attract international competitors. Weather conditions and COVID restrictions have temporarily impacted some of these events in recent years.

But despite recent adversities, the number of competitions has grown since competitions began in February 1976 when the inaugural Australian Hang Gliding Championships were hosted at Mt York in the Blue Mountains, NSW.

Today, competitions are held in picturesque locations all over Australia that most of you would know and love including Bright in regional Victoria, Gold Coast hinterland, the mid-western region of NSW and coastal destinations on the east and west coasts.

SAFA members are made up of…

• 20% Hang gliders
• 72% Paragliders / powered paragliders
• 8% Microlights

With safety being our number one priority, the correct training is a crucial aspect of SAFA and a primary reason for the creation of the governing body, to ensure pilots have the experience necessary and practice safe flying. Pilots are required to keep up to date with operations manuals and undertake training with qualified instructors, whilst complying with national laws and regulations.

Creating pathways for female, new and junior pilots is a key focus for SAFA in 2023 and beyond to ensure the longevity of the sport and increase participation numbers across Australia.

Diversity in our sport is also important and each year we see an increase in female participation with approximately 9% of SAFA members being women. Several clubs have created more opportunities for female pilots with introductory classes and Women with Wings events to keep them engaged and grow membership numbers.

The growth of sports aviation across the world is clear with an expected >4% increase annually in the hang gliding market between 2023-28 and an increase of 5.28% for paragliding in the same period.

SAFA is a member of the World Air Sports Federation which hosts an average of 745 events globally each year across many disciplines including hang gliding and paragliding.

This is an exciting statistic as it shows that there are many more aspiring pilots out there to be discovered and given the rare opportunity to see the world from a truly unique perspective – with a bird’s eye view.

We thank all our members for helping SAFA go from strength to strength and look forward to continuing this exciting journey with you all into this year and beyond.

Building a strong foundation for the future of sports aviation, a Toowoomba Club, Wicked Wings, joined forces with a neighbouring club, Fly Killarney in 2009 to create one of the most scenic and expansive flying locations in South East Queensland.

Pilots soar from all over the state to experience this picturesque part of Queensland with the clubs flying sites spanning from east of the Toowoomba range to west side of the range all the way down to Killarney.

Before taking over management of Fly Killarney, Wicked Wings was first established in 2005 by Matt Fox, a local Toowoomba pilot who wanted to create a fun and safe club for all pilots to enjoy.

Club Secretary Sonya Fardell said despite the club only having 23 members, they had a large number of flying sites, spread over a distance of 75km.

“We are a very relaxed and welcoming club and have pilots come from neighbouring clubs to fly at our flying sites,” she said.

“This area is so renowned for flying. The Killarney sites offer not only spectacular scenery but also a very friendly and supportive local community.

“We may be a small club, but we have a large number of flying sites and launches that will take any wind direction. A big thank you goes to the members for maintaining these launches.

“The continuation of this sport in Australia is dependent on the generosity of the landowners so we are very lucky that we have made and maintained a good relationship with the landowners over the years. Their support is greatly appreciated.”

Sonya said their club is also welcoming to up and coming pilots but encourage them to visit their club first.

“We always want to grow our membership and grow our sport. It’s great to be able to share our knowledge and skills with other pilots and we encourage anyone to come visit our club and meet with us,” she said.

“We are both paragliding and hang gliding friendly and on occasion collaborate with neigbouring clubs with weekend competitions.

Sonya said Wicked Wings is proud of their little slice of paradise with a goal to continue to grow their membership in the coming years.

For more information on the club visit: wickedwings.com.au.

From competing on the world stage as three times world barefoot skiing champion, 13 times barefoot Australian champion and holding the World barefoot speed record, Brett Wing is ready to take his feet off the ground and find his wings, reigniting his love of hang gliding after being absent from the flying scene for many years.

Having been inducted into the Skiing Hall of Fame, Brett said his love of flying was a natural progression from his love of skiing.

“I was really young when I first got into skiing and it was being on the water being towed by boats that originally got me into flying a hang glider. Back then I was flying a flat kite and then evolved to a delta kite,” he said.

“It was a time where Bill Moyes was making waves in the sport getting it off the ground and I wanted to be part of that. It wasn’t until I was 20, with the help of Steve Moyes that I really got into flying.

“Although the sports are quite different (skiing and hang gliding), they are also very similar as they are both high adrenalin. But to be honest, that’s not why I love them both- even though that’s what people think. For me it goes beyond the adrenalin rush. With hang gliding, I love the aircraft and the feeling I get, the freedom of flight when you are up there. There isn’t a care in the world. It’s the same with skiing. It’s a feeling of release within both sports.

Brett said after having a family, he gave up flying as he had limited time to fly. It is only recently that he has decided to find his wings again and take to the sky.

“Several years ago, I thought I’d like to get back into the sport but all the data I had, had been lost. Thankfully Ken Hill hooked me up and has helped me re register as a SAFA member and has helped me go through the motions to get back to flying,” he said.

“He’s kindly taken me to the Mt Tamborine take off site and the club house. I’m now looking at buying a new glider so I can get back flying. It’s very exciting. Flying is very therapeutic. Witnessing the amazing scenery from that high up is breathtaking. There’s nothing like it.”

27/08/2019

Flying across our great country, witnessing the vast, rustic red desert of WA to the crystal clear coastline of Byron Bay, was all in memory of legendary weightshift pilot, John Oliver – a tribute flight flown by friend, Mark Rindel from Mount Waverley.

Achieving an Australian first feat (the lightest aircraft to ever cross the country) as well as flying from the most western point at Steep Pt to the most eastern point in Byron Bay, Mark Rindel flew around 6000km in his nanolite aircraft – an average of four hours in the air each day.

“John Oliver was a great friend and we had talked about flying this journey together to highlight our sport and promote nano lights,” said Mark.

“Unfortunately, John got ill and passed away. He wasn’t able to take the flight. I decided that I wanted to continue our plan and honour him at the same time.”

John was a prominent weight shift pilot, renown across the world for his flying abilities and wonderful personality. Along with his extensive flying skills, John also ran the Melbourne Microlights Training School, giving novice pilots the chance to spread their wings and experience the thrill of flight first-hand.

“Flying across our country was a dream come true, the beauty of the desert below, the openness, the colours and serenity,” said Mark.

“With my ground support crew, I was able to fly a total of 95 hours in air, flying across beautiful sights like the Great Dividing Range, Ayres Rock and Lake Eyre.”

“In the 32 days it took there was only one day where the winds were too strong and I couldn’t fly, but the rest of the time I was able to fly, before landing and finding a clearing in the bush to camp for the night, out in the elements.”

Mark is very grateful to his support crew and the assistance they provided in ensuring the journey was a success. Without his wife, and Neil Cocks and his team, there was no way he could have crossed the deserts. Fuel, water and food all had to be carried for up to 10 days at a time.

Not only did he showcase the thrills and capabilities of nanolite, but he was able to achieve the lifetime dream of his friend, John Oliver.

“The Aeros ANT(the nanolite Mark used) is slowly changing light sport aviation in Australia. John’s famous term “peasant aviation” is now alive and well. For too long people have been trying to go faster and more technical when what they really need is safe, dependable and affordable flying machines,” said Mark. The story of Mark’s adventure was picked up by Victorian media outlets and received publicity in the Monash Leader and Herald Sun.