Please click here to scroll down to September 2000 for an introduction to Flyability's web-site.
To date Flyability has awarded:
...& since July 2000 Flyability has sponsored:
at least 130 Tandem Flights
For general information about hang gliding and paragliding please click here
Latest Flyability news & updates:
June 2010:
- Flyability is delighted
to support and promote the existence of Able
Pilot in the USA.
Able Pilot is a completely separate and independent organisation from Flyability UK but we do share and support common goals. Over the years Flyability has received many enquiries from around the world inc. the USA and it is now good to know that such an organisation exists as a point of contact and support for US residents.
The following text has been copied from the Able Pilot web site (original copyright respected).
"ABLE Pilot™ is a chapter of the United States Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association, Inc. ABLE Pilot™ Mission To help people with disabilities (spinal cord injuries, amputations, and neuromuscular disease) to safely experience the freedom, joys and sense of accomplishment of free flight that paragliding offers.
The ABLE Pilot™ program is a research and instructional program designed to establish and support the development and testing of formal paragliding, hang gliding and ultralight instructional protocol and methods for student pilots with various physical disabilities.
ABLE Pilot™ promotes development of pilot skills through sport and camaraderie of fellow enthusiasts in order to:
- Reduce social and recreational isolation often experienced by persons with disabilities
- Experience self-controlled three-dimensional movement through flying activities
- Provide opportunities to participate in aerial competitions on a more level playing field
- Enhance the diversity of the flying community Specifically, AblePilot™ shall: # Develop, test and advance formal paragliding, hang gliding and ultralight aircraft instructional procedure, protocols and technology.
- Promote communication and the free flow of information and ideas among members of AblePilot™
- Conduct educational meetings and clinics for the members of AblePilot™ and the public in order to increase both the safety and the enjoyment of aerial sports for the membership.
- Locate and/or develop hang gliding/paragliding sites appropriate for AblePilot™ membership.
- Represent the interests of the AblePilot™ membership before the general public, governmental regulators and governing bodies for hang gliding, paragliding, and ultralight aviation.
- Engage in any and all activities necessary to preserve the spirit and freedom of hang gliding, paragliding and ultralight flight for all interested persons regardless of physical ability."
February 2010:
-
There is now a new
November 2009:
- Flyability now has a facebook page here:
July 2009:
- Please find below details of the January 2010 disability awareness course that is to be run by the Lake District based Calvert Trust (to which Flyability has strong links). This course is not specifically aimed at the free flying community but it's content and aims are ideally relevant and suited to BHPA Officers, School CFI's, Instructors, Coaches, Pilots etc.
2010 Disability Awareness Course.pdf
May 2009:
- A Flyability thank you:
Dear Lakes Charity Classic Organising Committee and Cumbria Soaring Club.
I am writing to most sincerely thank you for your recent donation of £750 to Flyability from the proceeds of the 2009 Lakes Charity Classic event. Not only has the Lakes Charity Classic grown and developed into truly awesome and highly respected event but it is very impressive to see that you are able to raise and pass on such significant amounts of money in the form of donations to worthy causes.
Having just checked back in the Flyability archive, you may be interested to know that it was monies donated to Flyability from the 1996 Lakes Charity Classic that were used to conceive, begin and fund the first two historic Flyability pilot training scholarships. Needless to say, that student 'pilot' scheme was a great success and led to the establishment of the now permanent Flyability pilot training schemes that have been running with many notable success stories ever since. Not only has the pilot training scholarship scheme been extended to subsidise both student and club pilot training courses but the Flyability sponsored tandem flight scheme was also born due to the success of the pilot training scholarship scheme and its origins in being initially funded by donations from the Lakes Charity Classic.
To date Flyability has awarded 70 pilot training scholarships to people with varying disabilities and since July 2000 Flyability has sponsored and facilitated in excess of 114 tandem flights for people with disabilities.
Many of these pilot training scholarships and tandem flights have taken place within Cumbria and have involved local schools, pilots and members of the Cumbria Soaring Club. Thus, the past and continued support of Flyability by the Lakes Charity Classic and the Cumbria Soaring Club has been instrumental to our success and survival.
In these uncertain economic times when we are seeing a decline in individual donations and with the demise of regular funding to Flyability from the BHPA, your recent donation of £750 to Flyability is indeed very important, if not essential in enabling us to maintain our core aims, objectives, various schemes and indeed some modest development plans.
With sincere thanks for your generosity, to all those that attended or contributed to the event and for all of the hard work that must go into organising such a fabulous Lakes Charity Classic.
Regards,
Steve Varden.
On behalf of Flyability. Flyability is a registered charity (no. 1059197) in England and Wales.
May 2009:
- The Polish paragliding open welcomes paraglider pilots with disabilities from around the world.
"With growing number of paraglider pilots overall, small wonder there is also growing number of actively flying disabled pilots. More often than not, their disability is directly connected to paragliding. Yet they continue to fly, providing us with testimony both of their personal strength and of our passion. Out of respect for their perseverance we would like to create an opportunity to meet each other at our Polish Open competition, to be held 1-7th August in Sopot, Bulgaria.
We are ready to provide transportation to launch site (chair lift combined with ATV quads on the ridge), support in take-off and retrieve when necessary (of course we hope everybody will make the goal :)
If enough pilots show up, it is possible to have a separate classification, effectively equal to first unofficial European Disabled Paragliding Championships. While we believe such a competition is an excellent opportunity for integration of entire flying community (in fact it takes place in every moment on take off, during task and in the evenings), we also think that scoring disabled pilots in general classification is not entirely fair (as they can't operate speed system, have worse weightshift possibilities, can't take the same risks etc)
All in all, we believe that having such competition will provide the disabled pilots with great opportunity to fly in new interesting mountains, general audience with a great positive feedback and perhaps offering a boost to all those afraid to return in the air.
See you in the skies above Sopot range!"
January 2009:
- The Flyability Trustees
have just agreed the following revisions and increases to Flyability tandem
flight subsidies and pilot scholarships:
- Tandem paraglider flight, up to: £60
- Tandem hang glider flight, up to: £100
- Student Pilot Scholarship, up to: £375
- Club Pilot Scholarship, up to: £375
- Specialist equipment grant, up to £750
June 2008:
- Flyability is delighted
to announce, support and promote the existence of Flyability
Ireland.
Flyability Ireland is a totally independent and separate organisation from Flyability UK but we have been very happy to help and support this new organisation to 'get off the ground' with the sharing of some advice, experience and equipment.
Although not yet a registered charity, Flyability Ireland has very similar aims and objectives to Flyability UK and we wish them all the best for the future. For more information please see: www.paramotoring.ie/flyability_ireland.htm
November 2007:
Details of the May / June 2008 Flyability sponsored specialist paragliding course are now on-line.
- This course is designed for people with physical disabilities including visual impairment. Using specially designed flying equiment and radio contact in flight, this allows everyone, including wheelchair users to fly solo after the initial tandem flight training.
September 2007:
- Flyability is extremely grateful to Airways Airsports who recently raised £1250 for Flyability during their annual fly-in and barn dance. Airways have been great supporters of Flyability over the years and many Flyability sponsored tandem flights and Flyability pilot training scholarship have been undertaken at their Derbyshire flight park.
On-line donations
- You can make a donation to Flyability by visiting our Flyability donation page, and or via Paypal by clicking the button below. Donations can be made by credit card or debit card or from your Paypal account so you do not necessarily need to have an existing Paypal account in order to make an online donation to Flyability.
- Flyability has now received a cheque for £2860.50 from the sponsored Caledonian Canal canoe paddle team (see: www.caledonianchallenge2007.co.uk). This is a significant and impressive donation to Flyability and we are sincerely grateful to Pete Fottrell and his team members for raising these funds for Flyability. This donation will help to keep all of the Flyability schemes going and should enable us to initiate some new projects - so watch this space!
April 2007:
- Flyability is grateful and wishes the best of luck to Pete Fottrell and his team members who intend to raise some funds for Flyability by canoeing the Caledonian Canal. For more details and to sponsor the team please visit: www.caledonianchallenge2007.co.uk
February 2007:
- Details of the June 2007 Flyability sponsored specialist paragliding course are now on-line.
- This course is designed for people with physical disabilities including visual impairment. Using specially designed flying equiment and radio contact in flight, this allows everyone, including wheelchair users to fly solo after the initial tandem flight training.
August 2006:
FLYABILITY @ HOMEGROWN
Do you use a wheelchair or have a disability? Come and find out how YOU can learn to hang glide or paraglide at the Homegrown Festival!
Paragliding and hang gliding give you the freedom of the skies, and with specially-adapted equipment you can learn to fly solo.
Come and find out more or even take a taster tandem flight with an instructor at the Homegrown Festival, near Builth Wells in mid-Wales, 8-10 September 2006.
Pilots from the charity 'Flyability' will be on hand to show you the equipment that's used.
"Flyability does not simply take people with disabilities flying, but strives to motivate people with disabilities to become involved in the sport of hang gliding and paragliding and to train as pilots."
The Homegrown Festival is a big paragliding and hang gliding festival, with aerobatic shows, trade show, food, beer tent, live music, talks and much more. Come and join us! For more on the festival check out www.homegrownfestival.com, or call 01273 673000
Stop-Press: There are still a few places left on the 2006 Flyability sponsorsed specialist paragliding course. See below and or click here for more details.
March 2006:
- 'Hedley Paraplegic Fly-in'. Flyability is helping to spread the word about this event: "This is a new and exciting Canadian venue with 'huge air' potential. Besides paragliding there will be many attractions,mountain films, salmon BBQ's, evening film nights, seminars, and multi-sport festivities." For more information click here & see: www.explorex.net
February 2006:
- As featured in January's Skywings, Flyability Scholar, George Ransome's, account (& photo's) of his dramatic and determind ambition to free fly solo is now on-line.
October 2005:
- Details of the June 2006 Flyability sponsored specialist paragliding course are now on-line.
- This course is designed for people with physical disabilities including visual impairment. Using specially designed flying equiment and radio contact in flight, this allows everyone, including wheelchair users to fly solo after the initial tandem flight training.
January 2005:
- The Flyability Trustees
have just agreed the following revisions and increases to Flyability tandem
flight subsidies and pilot scholarships:
- Tandem paraglider flight, up to: £50
- Tandem hang glider flight, up to: £90
- Student Pilot Scholarship, up to: £350
- Club Pilot Scholarship, up to: £350
- Specialist equipment grant, up to £750
October 2004:
- This year XC-Mag
are kindly donating 20% of the profits of the sales of their Fly Forever
calendar to Flyability. They hope to raise over 2000 Euros for Flyability
by the end of 2004 - so why not buy yourself a fantastic calendar and support
Flyability at the same time!
- Renowned photographers Jerome Maupoint, John Heiney, Jimmy Hall and Christian Pondella have teamed together to shoot an exclusive set of images for our 2005 Fly Forever calendar. From the burning oranges of Monument Valley to the peace of the Swiss Alps, from hang gliding loops over Norway to XC flying over England... these images capture everything that's good about flying. Printed in a giant 420 mm x 300 mm format, they are sure to keep you fuelled through the 2005 season.
You can purchase the 2005 calendar from www.xcshop.com
June 2004:
- Details of the June 2005 Flyability sponsored specialist paragliding course are now on-line
-
Visit the Flyability stand at the Donnington Mobility Road Show, 17th, 18th & 19th June 2004 (Outside stands 29/30). For more details on the event click www.Justmobility.co.uk
The Flyability stand space at the Donnington Mobility Roadshow has been kindly sponsored by Quadtech - Quad Bikes, see them next to the Flyability stand.
December 2003:
- Additional drawings and details of the Sanderson High-Low-Tech paragliding buggy have been added
November 2003:
- Details of the June 2004 Flyability sponsored specialist paragliding course are now on-line
October 2003:
- We have an update on the paragliding buggy from Poland with story, some fantastic photo's and mpeg video clips.
- Details of January 2004 disability awareness course have been added.
July 2003:
- The Flyability Pilot Scholarships scheme has now been extended to cover a subsidy of up to £150 towards club pilot training costs. So the total Flyability scholarship funding available to help with both student and club pilot training can now be up to £450.
February 2003:
- The specialist equipment pages have been updated and now include details of a new paragliding buggy from the USA
- Flyability would like to thank the Cumbria Soaring Club for its recent donation of £500 which was raised at the 2002 Lakes Charity Classic. The Cumbria Soaring Club have been long standing supporters of Flyability since Flyability's beginnings in the early nineties. It was a donation from a previous Lakes Charity Classic competition that prompted and funded the creation of the Flyability Pilot Scholarship Scheme. This scheme was initially 'piloted' by funding one hang gliding and one paragliding training scholarship. It has been so successful that we have now awarded 39 such scholarships and are expecting to award another 8 in 2003.
Flyability maintains a small pool of specialist flying equipment that is used to facilitate flying for people with disabilities. This flying equipment is used for tandem flights and during specialized Flyability pilot training courses. It is also available for loan to BHPA schools, clubs and pilots for Flyability use.-
The Flyability owned tandem paraglider has now reached the end of its safe useful life (I'm very pleased to say that we've worn it out!) so we are replacing it with a new one. This donation of £500 from the CSC will be of significant help in the purchase of the new tandem paraglider.
Sincere thanks are sent to the Cumbria Soaring Club, its members and the participants of the 2002 Lakes Charity Classic.
November 2002:
- Details of January 2003 disability awareness course have been added.
- Details of the July 2003 Flyability sponsored specialist paragliding course are now on-line
May 2002:
- The Flyability Pilot Scholarships subsidy has now been increased from £250 to a maximum of £300 per scholarship.
January 2002:
- The specialist equipment pages have been updated and include:
- More details of the paragliding wheelchair from Australia
- We have some great photo's of a Polish paragliding launch buggy,
- And some photo's of Greek wheelchair paragliding
- Gary Majourau describes his one-handed paragliding technique and equipment.in The Joy of (one handed) Flight
- New entries have been added to the Flyability Guest-book
A big thank to to everyone who has sent material for inclusion on the Flyability web site.
November 2001:
- Details of January 2002 disability awareness course have been added.
- Details of the August 2002 Flyability sponsored specialist paragliding course are now on-line
September 11th 2001:
CAA Bans All Flying on Wednesday 12th September
Information regarding Restriction of Flying Regulations
June 14th 2001:
Please click here for the latest BHPA news on the Foot & Mouth epidemic:
Latest BHPA Foot & Mouth news & links
Despite the continuing foot & mouth situation, many BHPA schools and clubs are now operating. Please click here for a list of :
BHPA registered schools & clubs that are operating.
April 5th 2001:
FOOT & MOUTH DISEASE UPDATE
The BHPA provides the following advice to all pilots
All BHPA members should be fully aware of the highly infectious nature of Foot & Mouth disease. It can be transferred on your boots, clothing, wings etc.
February 2001:
ALL Flyability FLYING ACTIVITIES HAVE BEEN SUSPENDED DUE TO THE FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE CRISIS THAT HAS HIT THE UK
Please treat all UK farmland flying sites as CLOSED until further notice:
Due to the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease, all BHPA members and prospective pilots should be fully aware of the contagious nature of this disease. All members should keep away from any livestock or farms.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) provides a great deal of information on this crisis. See the MAFF foot and mouth disease pages.
January 2001:
- The specialist equipment pages have been updated and now include details of a new paragliding wheelchair from Canada.
- Flyability is delighted to welcome a new sponsor in Cross Country Magazine. The coming months will see some joint initiatives between Flyability and Cross Country Magazine - so watch this space.
October 2000:
- The Flyability photo-gallery is now on-line and has been updated with descriptions of each photograph.
- Details of Jan 2001 disability awareness course have been added.
- Details of the Aug. 2001 Flyability sponsored specialist paragliding course are now on-line.
- Details and contacts have been added of the numerous independent Flyability associated projects around the UK.
- The specialist equipment pages have been updated and include details of a new paragliding wheelchair from Australia
Hello and welcome to the official Flyability web-site. This new site represents our desire to move all our Flyability information, content and printed fact-sheets onto the web. In doing so it will hopefully be more readily accessible to a far greater number of people.
The site is most definitely still under construction and development - so please bear with us. Notably, the addition of numerous illustrative photographs to many of the pages and the construction of an extensive Flyability photo-gallery will follow in the coming weeks. So please check back every so often and/or join the Flyability e-mailing list.
To complement our Flyability Pilot Scholarship Scheme, the web site launch coincides with the launch of our new Flyability Sponsored Tandem Flight Scheme. This new tandem flight scheme is intended to give many more people with disabilities the opportunity to experience and enjoy the thrills and exhilaration of free-flying.
I hope that you find the Flyability web-site useful and informative, if you feel motivated and/or inspired by what you find here then all the better!
Please take time to browse and if you experience any problems with the site please let me know and I will fix them.
Thank you for your time.
Steve Varden, (Flyability Secretary & Web-master).
