NEWS

05/08/2015

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COLLISION

British pilot witnesses mid-air collision in Le Grand Bornand, France

UK pilot, Bob Moore, witnessed a mid-air collision above Le Grand Bornand, France in July of this year.   Landing to assist the pilot proved impossible on the steep slope and Bob chose wisely to land in the official landing field below in the village to report the incident.

On the ground, he met the second pilot involved in the collision who fortunately, although painful, only suffered line burns to her legs, but who said that both pilots were equally at fault.  The pilot who threw his reserve was winched to hospital with a broken arm rib and later telephoned Bob to ask him about the collision and video footage.

If you witness a collision and are able to land to assist a potentially injured pilot, make sure you can do safely.  As Bob realised it is not always possible, so landing somewhere safe nearby to call for help is sometimes the best option.

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31/07/2015

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AIRSPACE

Google wants control of low-level airspace

Google wants to define rules on the use of airspace below 500ft, so that their Project Wing delivery drones can operate without collision with other aircraft.

The proposal calls for low-altitude airspace used by any craft in flight, including emergency helicopters, commercial craft, drone other aircraft hobbysists, to continously transmit their identification and position to an Airspace Service Provider, which would then be monitored by computer.

Dave Vos, head of the Google Wing Project, says that the low-altitude airspace is largely unregulated and urges that there is “a lot of business to be done there by using drones for package delivery and other services”.

His request would take the airspace away from air traffic control authorities which would have an immediate effect on Class G airspace.

Read the full report here

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09/07/2015

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COMPETITION

France’s Elite at the Open du Lac d’Annecy

  • Goal at Perroix landing field
  • Roc de Boeufs
  • Crossing Lake Annecy looking South
  • Villaz Turnpoint 1
  • Competitors at Montmin Forclaz

Rock the Outdoor has been at one of France’s top ranked league competitions this weekend, the “Open du Lac d’Annecy”.

This Elite competition event attracts some of the countries top ranked pilots as well as being used as a training ground for France’s Young Hopeful’s, the “Jeunes Espoirs”.  One of many weekend comps on the French comps calendar, the Open du Lac d’Annecy is one of the most popular. When conditions are good, tasks between 50-100km are set over the scenic and often initimidating terrain of the Alps.

Meet Director for the competition, Fred Escriba, will be looking closely at the weather before task setting this weekend.  Strong conditions and over development in the afternoon will see shorter but more complex tasks involving crux turnpoints, preventing pilots using the usual milk-runs to reach the cylinders.

Big names like Jean-Marc Caron and Lucas Bernardin will be looking for some fast racing using the generous terrain and valley winds to obtain maximum points for the French League; the accumulation of these at the end of the season enables France’s top pilots to be selected for their Nationals, for which only 130 places are offered.

Although the Open du Lac d’Annecy is a French League event, if there are spaces available, visiting pilots can enter by turning up on the day (providing you have and IPPI5, competition insurance and current license).  The competition is not a Cat2 event, but for the small entry fee of €40, you get to play with the hot-shots plus all the added luxuries of launch transport, packed lunch and retrieves.

Saturday saw a 61km task around Annecy in 1hr42mins won by Yoanne Chavanne with an average speed of 36km/hr!

Sunday’s 44.7km was won by Julien Wirtz in 1hr53mins.

The overall event was won by Julien Wirtz; the Women’s event, by Bénédicte Saury-Jourdan.

Open du Lac d’Annecy and Scores: http://parapente.ffvl.fr/compet/2558

FFVL Competitions: http://parapente.ffvl.fr/competition/infos

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17/02/2015

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NEWS

French authorities recall the “no-fly” zone as pilots are spotted over Mont Blanc

For all the keen pilots out there who think that top landing the highest peak in Europe may be on the top of your wish-list for this summer, think again.

Mont Blanc together with the French Federation of Free Flight have just issued an official communiqué outling the dangers of flying in and around the Mont Blanc massif during the summer months.

Conditions during the hottest months of the year produce strong thermals and a turbulent air mass, both of which are not for the faint hearted.  The Federation advises that only very experienced pilots should venture beyond the valley and the Massif, and that flying over, or top-landing on the Blanc Blanc itself between the 1st July until the 31st August (inclusive), is strictly forbidden. Pilots will be sanctioned for breaking the law.

The no-fly zone map : http://www.pghm-chamonix.com/2012/08/19/info-parapentistes/

Official communiqué : http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000019720348&dateTexte=

More about flying in Chamonix: http://www.fly-chamonix.com

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01/07/2015

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COMPETITION

Red Bull X-Alps : new in 2015 is a one-day Prologue on July 2

go to the Red Bull X-Alps web site

Follow the Red Bull X-Alps on ROCK THE OUTDOOR’S Monitoring Dashboard

In partnership with Red Bull X-Alps press department, ROCK THE OUTDOOR has secured a privileged source of live information, giving you all the up to date news and info as it happens. Rock the Outdoor have created a “dashboard” which will enable you to follow each pilot at every stage of the race, with news, live tracking, pilot progression and a daily round-up of events.

Discover the Dashboard Monitoring

The “Power Traveller “Prologue” is a new edition to Red Bull’s X-Alps

Participants will have to complete an out and return circuit in the Austrian Alps of Fuschl am See. The first three athletes to cross the ligne will each be given a 5 minutes head start ahead of their competitors on the 5th July.

But that’s not all:  thsee three athletes will also be given an additionnal  «Nightpass » enabling them to travel through the night and gain an extra advantage over their rivals.

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26/06/2015

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COMPETITION

Clément LATOUR will not participate in this year’s Red Bull X-Alps because of injury

ROCK THE OUTDOOR Team in Salzburg for the X-Alps

ROCK THE OUTDOOR will be closely following this event.  The Team will be in Salzburg on the 3rd July to meet the organisers and pilots in person, and will be reporting on the opening ceremony and first minutes of the race direct from Austria.

In partnership with Red Bull, ROCK THE OUTDOOR have a special XAlps “dashboard”, where you too can follow the race “live” and keep yourself up to date with all the latest info and the stories from your favourite athletes.

Clément Latour, one of the favourites in this year’s Red Bull X-Alps, had to make a tough decision to pull out of the race because of a recurring pain to his hip, caused from substantial and repetitive impact.  Clément told us just over a week ago of the physical pain he was experiencing but wanted to wait for any signs of improvement before making a final decision to withdraw from the race.  A difficult one to make, particularly after the many months of intense tarining and personal investment needed to participate.

ROCK THE OUTDOOR are very sad for Clément and his Team, who we had chosen to support in the race as one of his sponsors, but his decision is a wise one.   As he told us, “There was little possibility of me being able to deliver 100% in terms of performance and our ambition for the podium. It would have been physically too painful to participate and unwise to begin the race under the circumstances with such looming uncertainty.”

Clément finished in 2nd position jointly with Antoine Girard in 2013.  His withdrawal gives Chrigel Maurer one less contender to keep an eye on, but there are still a number of others to watch who are at top of their game.

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17/06/2015

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SAFETY NOTICE

Gin Gliders Important Safety Notice! Genie Race 3 harness

BEFORE

AFTER

It has recently been reported that the main rescue bridle failed at the shoulder connection points following a parachute deployment on the Genie Race3 harness, says Gin Gliders.

Gin followed up with a close investigation, which revealed that the connection point may have already been weakened by a previous reserve deployment. Further tests on other Genie Race3 harnesses have concluded that the main rescue bridle connection exceeds the minimum certification standards. Tests on the shorter front rescue bridle connection have demonstrated that it is ok to exceed 2000kg.

Gin Gliders requests that any pilots having previously deployed their rescue parachute should re-check their rescue bridle connection points prior to their next flight.

see article on the website of GIN

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15/06/2015

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COMPETITION

FAI Cat2 – Iceland Paragliding Nationals 17-21 June 2015

Source : Airtribune

Source : Airtribune

The competition will take place from the main take-off area of Mt Burfell, Reykjavik in Iceland, located in the southern part of the country. Iceland is an incredible country to fly in, with almost 24hrs daylight, and although most tasks will be flown from Mt Brufell, the weather will dictate which other sites may be used during different days of the competition.

Competition, transport and accommodation details are available at Airtribune’s website

source photo : Aitribune
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