SimplyGradient

Records, Records, Records

2012-01-13T12:17:00.000-08:00

Once again, thanks to the Oz Report.

Maltahohe in Namibia has seen the rigid out and return record broken twice on the same day with 386km and 388km.

The Australian Distance Record has been broken by Sebastian Benz with an amazing 360.47 km
from Deniliquin in NSW, Australia.

Kerio View in Kenya has been showing its Record Breaking Out and Return potential.

Season summary so far

2011-12-06T15:21:00.000-08:00

10 flights over 300km have already been flown this season.

The King of Big Distance flying is Brazilian, Marcelo PRIETO with 11 flights over 300km! (461,6km (Previous World Record), 414,7km, 402,0km, 371,0km, 364,7km, 348,4km, 348,0km, 340,4km, 340,2km, 320,0km, 302,0km)

Rafael SALADINI, BRA has flown 7 flights over 300km, Karel VEJCHODSKÝ CZE has now flown 6 and Olympio FAISSOL, BRA has flown 5.

21.11.2011 367.4km Rafal LUCKOS POL Ozone Mantra R11 Quixada, Brazil

04.12.2011 360.8km Karel VEJCHODSKÝ CZE Gradient Aspen 4 Riacho das Almas, Brazil

10.01.2012 359.5km Sebastian BENZ CHE Nova Triton Greenacres, Australia

03.11.2011 354.5km Josh DEGENAAR RSA Gradient Avax SR7 Copperton, South Afri

15.11.2011 336.7km Rafal LUCKOS POL Ozone Mantra R11 Quixada, Brazil

21.11.2011 319.0km Karel VEJCHODSKÝ CZE Gradient Aspen 4 Quixada, Brazil

29.11.2011 316.3km Karel VEJCHODSKÝ CZE Gradient Aspen 4 Patu, Brazil

14.11.2011 312.9km Martin BÜHLER LIE Ozone Mantra M4 Patu, Brazil

29.10.2011 311.5km Olympio FAISSOL BRA Ozone Mantra R10.2 Quixada, Brazil

26.10.2011 304.6km Olympio FAISSOL BRA Ozone Mantra R10.2 Quixada, Brazil

Texas Droughts

2011-12-06T10:05:00.000-08:00

According to Dave Prentice it was too dry in Texas last year for Record flying with clouds disappearing inland. According to the Oz Report the drought is set to continue into next year.

Wow

2011-12-06T09:59:00.000-08:00

Seeyou are working on a great new format. Thanks to the Oz Report for the link.

Matt Church leads the XC Contest!

2011-11-27T10:10:00.000-08:00

Congratuations to Matt Church who now has 5 200km flights to his name and leads the XC Contest with 1356.2km.

Matt Church flies into the British Record Books

2011-11-20T13:07:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Matt Church who has been flying in Quixada at XCeara 2011. He has already flown 4 flights over 200km with a personal best of 277.7km, the fourth longest flight ever flown by a Brit! His total of 6 flights is 1126.8km already the highet score ever in the UK Intenational XC League. Not bad for a competition that has been running for 20 days!

7 Summits Team, great film

2011-11-07T01:54:00.000-08:00

Great footage of the first of 7 summits, Kilimanjaro.

Longest flight of the year so far, Josh Degenaar

2011-11-06T15:25:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Josh for an amazing early season flight from Copperton in South Africa, 355km. He thinks that there was another 2 1/2 hours left in the day so the record was on! Even better, he did the flight on a Gradient SR7!

Olympio Faissol

2011-11-06T10:26:00.001-08:00

The Brazilians are on fire once again with Olympio Faissol flying his first 300km flight of the new season on the 29/10.

2011 world record encampment

2011-06-30T02:57:00.000-07:00

It looks like strange conditions aren't helping the World Record attempts in Texas.

Texas Record Encampment

2011-06-18T05:40:00.000-07:00

The OZ Report indicates that the hang-gliders are waiting in Austin for conditions to improve in Zapata. The Ozone Record encampment has had to be cancelled at short notice but Steve Burns is still able to offer a tow service for anyone who wants to travel independently. Give me a call on 07974208076 to discuss.

Amazing flying in the Himilayas

2011-06-09T09:44:00.000-07:00

http://www.thomasdedorlodot.blogspot.com/

2011-05-07T13:20:00.001-07:00

Gradient Montana 2011

2011-05-03T09:58:00.000-07:00

The Montana for 2011 is now available. It is the light weight allrounder. Ondrej Dupal designed the wing to be universally suitable for the target group of Walk & Fly mountain pilots. With the XC-qualities of the Montana 2011 large distances are also possible (Martin Mueller, 180km FAI). Its agility shows, in addition, its qualities in the Freestyle range. Flight figures such as SATs, Helicopters and Loops can be conducted without deformation of the profile. The lightweight construction developed by gradient provides a good compromise between weight and stability, as well as aerodynamic behavior in extreme situations (e.g. tendency to shoot forwards). For travelling, the Montana 2011 easily fits into hand luggage. The new Montana 2011 has a new color Design and is available in sizes 22, 24, 26, 28, 30. The glider has received the certification EN/CLTA 1-2. Series production began in April. Contact us for a test flight.

World Record on the Bi Golden XC

2011-05-03T09:51:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Brett Janaway for setting a new Multiplace 100km Out and Return Record of 31.9kph.

British Records tumble.

2011-04-28T23:35:00.001-07:00

In an incredible spell of weather in the UK, 14 British Records have been broken in the last month.

On 26th April, Richard Westgate (Gradient XC3) and Mike Cavanagh (Ozone Mantra M4) broke the UK (Local) Distance around a Triangular Course record with an epic 90km flight from Ben Toaig in Scotland. Mike completed the task in 4hrs 8mins and Richard in 4hrs 22mins. They will share the record. The flights score 338 points in the UK XC League, the highest individual scores ever recorded.

Gradient Acro Video

2011-03-31T03:21:00.000-07:00

Gradient Freestyle Team

Superior from bernhard paraschach on Vimeo.

Amazing March Airmass

2011-03-31T03:06:00.001-07:00

This has been the driest March in the UK on record with an amazing airmass giving great flying conditions in the north of the country for the last 2 weeks. The Winter XC League has been won by Phil Colbert with a record score of 406.9km, including a 125.3 km open distance flight on 18th March (the earliest ever 100km flights), and a triangle in the Lake District scoring 94.2km on 25th March. The excellent conditions migrated to the Alps with stunning early season flying on 29th and 30th March. Gerald Ameseder flew a 219.1km FAI Triangle on 30/03 from Hochstein in Austria and Paolo Manfrin flew a 174.3km FAI Triangle on 29/03 on his Aspen 3 from the Eggishorn in Switzerland.

Texas Cloud Streets - from the Oz Report

2011-03-22T07:28:00.001-07:00

Bright 4 is South Africa

2011-02-20T11:09:00.000-08:00

Glider comparisons

2011-02-18T10:46:00.000-08:00

Craig Atwell tested the Gradient XC3 (EnD), Nova Mentor 2 (EnB), Ozone Delta (EnC), Gin Tribe (EnC) and GTO (EnD) at Devil's Dyke yesterday. All amazing wings but which one did he rate as the best handling on the ground and in the air ..... and the most fun...the XC3!

Record Encampment

2011-02-16T14:39:00.000-08:00

From the OZ Report.

2011-01-16T03:49:00.000-08:00

Heading for Texas! If the current La Nina conditions persist, Edinburg may be the place to go for World Record Breaking conditions this year. 31 Rigid and Hang Gliding Records have been set from Zapata (down the road) and Will Gadd set a previous paragliding World Record in 2002 of 423.4km. I am planning to run a Paragliding World Record Encampment from 17th June 2011 to 17th July 2011. Let me know if you are interested in joining us! La Nina does lead to increased hurricane activity which may spoil the fun.You can monitor the drought conditions here.

Gradient introduce the Bright 4

2011-01-15T11:18:00.000-08:00

Gradient has comes out with a new school glider, the Bright 4. It has passed the EN A certification in size 24, 26, 28 and 30. All sizes are available. The Bright4 22 will be coming soon.

The Gradient team took a lot of time to finalize the wings' development. The target was to create a wing for a wider range of beginners. According to Gradient director and developer Ondrej Dupal, it was the wings' safety that has been improved. For this, a lot of test flights took place in the rough conditions of world record spot "De Aar", South Africa. The gliders' characteristics and ground handling should achieve an effective and fast learning progress among new pilots. Easy take off and stable flight fit for beginners that are looking for relaxed paragliding fun. The Bright 4 comes in a brand new colour design: The Gradient wing got replaced by a big logo on the down sail. This matches with the upper sails colour combinations. Test reports will be available on DHV and Gradient web during next few days. Serial production for all four sizes will start at the beginning of January 2011, size 22 will follow in February-March 2011.

Where should you go to fly megga distances?

2011-01-15T11:16:00.000-08:00

Thanks to 'otto' on PGForum for compiling this list of 300km + flights.

Anthony Allen on fire!

2011-01-08T16:02:00.000-08:00

The last three days has seen South African pilot, Anthony Allen fly an incredible 141.1km, 137.1km and 173.2km from Pampoenfontein on his newly aquired Gradient XC3. The latter is the Western Cape State Record.

460km ??

2010-12-07T11:05:00.000-08:00

There is a rumour of a 460km flight from Copperton in South Africa in the last few days. If true one of the longest flights ever completed...watch this space

Update:

Essayez avec cette orthographe : French pilot Stephan flew 420 kms from Merridale, landing between Middelburg and Steynsberg. He is intent on coming back next year with a crew of Super Pilots and breaking Nevil Huletts 502km World Record.

Parapente Magazine 133

2010-12-03T14:32:00.000-08:00

A bit of news from the competition! The Nova Mentor 2 has just been tested by Parapente Magazine and they have measured the glide at 9.5, and a min sink of 1.05m/s. Amazing performance for an EnB glider and almost as good as the Ozone Delta (EnC). So what does an EnD give you thats extra...the Gradient Avax XC3 had an extra 0.8 on the glide, 0.06m/s min sink, 1kph trim speed and 4kph top speed. 2011 should be a very exciting year with further advances in performance and stability.

Is this the new face of footlaunched paragliding in the flat lands?

2010-12-02T14:18:00.000-08:00

Electric Ascent aids, the Charly Scott-E and the Skywalk E-Walk

and again!

2010-11-29T12:13:00.001-08:00

with another 300km flight on the 23/11! Oly now has 4 flights in the top 10 of the 2011 season.

First 300km of the year from Quixada

2010-11-21T07:43:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Olympio Faissol who flew 300km on 18/11 on his R10.2.

Quixada time again!

2010-11-15T10:22:00.000-08:00

Quixada providing consistent flying again with a season best so far of 280km. Also, the Western Cape in South Africa is 'going off' with some great flights by Legendry pilot Anthony Allen, back from a long sabatical. Conditions stayed good to the west during the last La Nina event.

Gradient Aspen 3 unofficial World Record

2010-11-14T12:55:00.001-08:00

On 09th November, Mariano Vissania flew 341.8km from Aero Rufino in Argentina, a new unofficial World Record for the En C, LTF 2 Class. This beats Simon Headfords British (National) Record of 338.2 km flown from De Aar in South Africa and is currently the longest flight of the season.

La Nina forecast to be strongest since 1955/56

2010-10-24T08:37:00.001-07:00

UK Paragliding XC League 2010

2010-10-23T06:16:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to all participants in this years Paragliding National XC League for making it another record year. Again, in terms of total KM flown, the top three pilots would have won any previous year.

The League was won by Richard Westgate (Gradient XC3) with 837.5km, the highest total KM ever accumulated (an average of almost 140km per flight!). This is Richard's third XC League win and his second in 3 years. The end of the season battle is summarised here.

Mark Jones on his Avax XC2 was 10th with 623.0km (and 2nd in the Serial Class) and in the top 50, 16th Philip Wallbank (3rd Serial Class) 552.1km, 24th Jon Collie 474.7km, 26th Julian Robinson 465.9km, 27th Ian Miskin 464.0km, 28th Burkitt Rudd 458.1km, 29th Graham Richards 449.4km, 30th David Thomson 432.0km, 41st Martin Nichols 344.7km, 48th Gary Puhl 324.8km.

Gradient did well at Club level again with the following podium places:

Avon League: Graham Richards, Aspen 3, 1st; Martin Nichols, Aspen 3, 2nd
Condors League: Simon Fouracre, Aspen 3, 3rd
Cumbrian League: Burkitt Rudd Avax 1st
Dover League: Tim Pike, Avax XC2, 2nd
Gap League: Mark Jones, Avax XC2, 2nd
Joint Services League: Alistair Andrews, Aspen 3, 2nd
Thames Valley League: Mark Jones, Avax XC2, 3rd
SHPF League: Julian Robinson, Avax XC2, 1st; Ian Miskin, Avax Xc2, 2nd; David Thompson, Avax XC2, 3rd
SMPC League: Ian Miskin, Avax XC2, 1st
Wessex League: Shamus Pitts, Golden 2, 1st;Martin Foley, Aspen 3, 3rd

Gradient Avax XC3 tested in latest Parapente Magazine

2010-10-06T08:10:00.000-07:00

Philippe Lami has just tested the Gradient Avax XC3 (24) for Parapente Magazine (no.132, 6th October 2010)

The glide was measured at 10.3 (at 39kph), top speed at 59kph, min sink below 0.99mps and a fast trim speed at 40kph.

This confirms the fantastic performance that I have experienced, having flown this wing for the second half of the season.

Jochen Schweizer on a Gradient Tandem

2010-10-05T13:47:00.000-07:00

The end of a dream - for now

2010-10-02T14:53:00.000-07:00

My brothers Guy's amazing Swift Display Team had a spectacular incident last month at the Shoreham Airshow. Luckily, pilot Mike Newman, will make a full recovery.

Walter Neser in action, from Extreme Wildlife, BBC Wildlife Films

2010-10-02T14:33:00.000-07:00

Flying with the Vultures at Thabazimbi, South Africa. To wet your appetite this winter!

The Distance Record Season is almost upon us

2010-10-02T14:01:00.000-07:00

GRADIENT XC AFRICA OPEN 2010
De Aar, South Africa, 27^th November - 4^th December 2010
Entry Fee: R1000.00 per entry & includes:
A winch release, T/shirt, scoring or wireless internet for uploads (avoid cues),
winching facilities, Prize giving function, medals for each class, briefings, weather reports,
Cell phone tracking & local maps. Excludes recovery!

Your first 100km in the UK

2010-09-30T10:29:00.002-07:00

Current UK Paragliding XC League leader, Richard Westgate, will be offering one to one guiding next year to any XC pilots who want to extend their personal bests, with the aim of flying over 100km. You will pick up more top tips in one day than a year of flying on your own. Flights can either be one to one on radio or tandem. Let Richard take care of site selection and navigation around airspace and concentrate on the magic of a long XC. Phone 07974208076 for prices.

Vne

2010-09-27T13:07:00.000-07:00

A good demonstration of Vne

La Nina is back

2010-09-07T05:57:00.000-07:00

With a moderate La Nina developing expect an increase in frequency and strength of hurricanes and more old hurricane track low pressures systems hitting the UK. It is expected to be a wet windy Autumn and Winter. Also it will be wetter than normal in northern and eastern Australia and eastern South Africa but drier on the east coast of Brazil. So head for XCeara this November!

British Paragliding Cup success

2010-08-25T10:15:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to Richard Butterworth (Gradient Avax XC2) for winning this years British Paragliding Cup.

There were 9 Gradient wings in the top 20.

2nd Tony Spirling Gradient Avax XC2
7th Dave Thomson Gradient Avax XC2
8th Tony Bradley Gradient Avax XC2
13th Raffaele Lagrutta Gradient Avax XC3
15th Gary Jackson Gradient Aspen 2
16th Mark Riches Gradient Aspen 2
17th Alan Ford Gradient Golden 2
19th Malcolm Grace Gradient Avax XC2

Sheryl Cameron was 2nd best female on her Gradient Aspen 2 in 22nd

XC3 glide is impressive

2010-06-16T10:19:00.000-07:00

The only problem with the XC3 is getting down! Charles Norwood flew the length of the Coombe landing field like this!

Avax XC3 30

2010-06-16T09:40:00.000-07:00

A correction to the table below. The XC3 30 is certified 110-130kg.

Gradient's new Felix Wolk XC3 video

2010-06-14T16:33:00.000-07:00

Another massive triangle in Scotland

2010-06-14T16:06:00.000-07:00

Following on from Julian Robinson's excellent 53.1km triangle from Squrr Finnisg-aig on 25th May on his Gradient XC2, Ian Miskin has just flown a 54.4km triangle from Glencoe, also on an XC2. The weather in Scotland looks great for tomorrow as well (15/06) so watch this space!

Mark Riches on Aspen 2 wins first round of BPC

2010-06-14T15:59:00.000-07:00

Congratultions to Mark Riches who won the first round of the BPC in the Borders. He completed 17.5km of a 38.3km task. Tony Bradley (XC2) was 4th, David Thomson (XC2) 6th and Tim Pilling (Aspen 3) 8th. Most pilots were awarded points for landing to assist Matrin Sandwith who was helicoptered off after a minor accident.

XC3 wow

2010-05-18T00:22:00.000-07:00

I have just done my first flights on the XC3 (132km and 109km) and I can realistically say that it is the best glider that i have ever flown. despite the high aspect ratio, launching is effortless and handling is incredible. The wing is beautifully coordinated and is equally able at carving out flat turns in weak lift and sitting in a high banked turn in strong stuff. The leading edge is stiffened with 'strimmer cord' and feels very stable, even flying at the bottom of the weight range I had no handling problems in rough air. The glide is amazing and fast at trim speed (40kph), the speed bar is light and useable. The wing is so reassuring that within 30 minutes I was thermalling with one hand taking photos and gliding at 1/3 bar with my hands off the brake handles. If you are ever thinking of giving up paragliding give this wing a go and rediscover the dream!

Gradient XC3 is here!!

2010-04-15T02:42:00.001-07:00

Give us a call on 07974208076 or email rich@born2fly.org.uk to place your orders!

SimplyGradient email change

2010-04-02T15:50:00.000-07:00

Due to the massive amount of spam hitting my current address, I have changed my email address to rich@born2fly.org.uk.

Gradient XC3 28 certified

2010-04-02T13:32:00.000-07:00

Turnpoint reports that the XC3 28 has been successfully certified.

Felix Hoddinott

2010-03-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

British pilot Felix Hoddinott is having some great flying on his Gradient Aspen 3 in Bir. From 14.03 to 23.03 he flew nearly everyday and managed an 80km and 110km flat triangle. Felix is also currently third best Brit in the 2010 XC Contest

Gradient XC3 almost here

2010-03-28T05:42:00.000-07:00

The Italian Gradient importer says that he tested the Avax XC3 in Bassano. The glider is confirmed as a 3 liner, rigifoil, arc on the rib at the height
of the B, new diagonals, aspect ratio 6.8. Quite similar to XC2, handling more straight, even more agile and nice!
The leading edge gives the impression of great solidity. Speed system on 2 pulleys, is soft and the wing speeds up a lot just touching it lightly. Speed increase is considerable. Ondej Dupal is happy with the result; he said the leading
edge is very stable and he tested the wing up to 68 km/h (this won't be the trimming for the certification). He states that for gradient this is an innovative wing with big performances and is very nice to fly.

More Gradient Golden 3 information

2010-03-09T05:46:00.000-08:00

The Gradient website has more information on the Golden 3 and a great video

The G3 manual http://www.gradient.cx/res/files/golden3_en.pdf is also out on the Gradient website:

• The Golden3 has a new elliptical shape that includes a slightly positive
contortion of the leading edge. This means that the "ears“ (stabilo) of the
canopy are slightly swept back in flight.

• The Golden3 has a new aerofoil section to achieve the optimal balance
between performance and stability. The aerofoil’s characteristics deliver
maximum stability over as wide a speed range as possible.

• Special attention has been paid to the position, area and shaping of the cell
openings to ensure high stability over a very wide speed range (ie angle
of attack). Graduated-sized cell-openings help to increase stability and aid
pressure distribution within the glider.

• For better distribution of the forces within the canopy, diagonal segmentedrib
technology is used. The forces in the wing are carefully calculated and
balanced to give a flawless sail presentation and an intuitive feel to the flying.

• A special three-level line concept with progressively differing diameters means
the top-level lines are made from very strong Dyneema Liros DC. All lines have
the advantage of spliced loops giving maximum overall strength, durability and
the lowest possible drag.

• Four sets of lines (A, B, C, D) are used for the upper suspension system. The
upper C and D lines then combine lower down, so the glider has only three
risers. This helps to reduce drag and gives a simple line layout, which pilots
will appreciate during pre-flight checks and on launch.

• The main C-lines are connected to the karabiners through loops, allowing for
easier adjustment when your glider is serviced.

Where are the Vultures?

2010-03-08T16:25:00.000-08:00

I had one of my top 10 flights of all time a few years ago with legend, Walter Neser at Thabazimbi. Here's why...

XC 3 Photo

2010-02-28T16:17:00.000-08:00

Brad Nicholas reports that Gradient expect the XC3 to be entered for certification in March. It will be a 3 liner with plastic arc reinforcements, leading edge reinforcements and special diagonal ribs too. AR is 6.8. Five certified sizes are planned........ Can't wait!

2010 UK XC League now live

2010-02-12T16:19:00.000-08:00

John Stevenson has done an amazing job with the new UK XC League.

New features include

Automatic flight entry
International league
Payment can be made with PayPal
Flights displayed in XC Player
Flight statistics
View flights for All Years
and you can add a story about your flight.

David Thomson is once again winning the Winter XC League on his Gradient XC 2

Crazy Water Landing

2010-02-11T11:47:00.000-08:00

This has just come to my attention! Cris Miles at Annecy with Flyeo. Very funny. Thanks to Judith Mole's blog for the link.

Gradient Golden 3 should be ready by March

2010-01-10T11:24:00.000-08:00

More information on the new Golden 3

De Aar triangle

2010-01-06T14:15:00.000-08:00

De Aar isn't just a windy, open distance site. Great 156.3km triangle on 20/01 and 110km triangle on 05/01 from Joost Visschedijk.

British Record Encampment

2009-12-28T04:01:00.000-08:00

Simply Gradient will be running a UK Record Encampment to try to break the magical 200km in the UK. Two weeks in May (14th-31st) to exploit a record breaking NE'ly and two weeks in August (7th-20th) for a classic NW'ly or SWl'y. We will travel to the best sites on the day anywhere between the Peak District and the South Coast. You will be able to follow the action on this blog with SPOT. We will concentrate on team flying and 2m radios and a winch rating will be required. If you are interested in joining us please call me on 07974208076. (Flying a Gradient Glider is not mandatory but it may help!)

Beautiful Golden 3 Images

2009-12-16T12:31:00.000-08:00

Golden 3 28 certified

2009-12-10T10:31:00.001-08:00

The Gradient Golden 3 28 has successfully passed EN-B certification ! Sizes 24, 26 and 30 will follow soon.

Karel does it again! XC3 leads the XC Contest

2009-12-06T05:20:00.002-08:00

Karel Vejchodsky flew another 340.7 km from Vosberg (De Aar) yesterday, Jana Kratka (Aspen 3) flew 253.9 km and Jan Kratky (XC2) 252.8km. Climbs topped out at 15,000ft over the high plateau.

'Another nice day in South Africa, north wind in the begining and slow part until DeAar, than conditions improved a lot and I was able to fly another 300 flight. The last part above plateau was amazing with beautiful sunset at landing... New Avax XC3 will be amazing XC machine. '

South African cloud base going crazy!

2009-12-05T16:41:00.000-08:00

Two potential record days before the thundery breakdown on Monday and yes that is a 19,000ft cloud base. Go team Gradient.

Update 06/12, heat low breaking down quicker than expected so no record unless you can stay south of this lot!

The inversion finally breaks!

2009-12-04T07:43:00.000-08:00

Great flights yesterday from Karel Vejchodsky (Gradient XC 3) and Jan Kratly (Gradient XC 2) of 342.6km and 340.2km from Vosberg in South Africa. Climbs took them to 14,500ft with a flight average of 50kph and the longest flights of the year so far.

295km on the XC3

2009-12-02T05:15:00.000-08:00

The Gradient team have travelled further west to our old hunting grounds near Branvlei for a World Open Distance Record attempt. Karel Vejchodsky flew 295.3km on 30/11 in 5 hours 22 mins on the XC3 proto, landing close to De Aar. Conditions didn't look classic with climbs topping out at only 3000m but it was windy and the average speed was a good 55kph ....

'My landing was quite interesting as I was going backwards a lot, I unclick carabins and jump out the harness cca 1 meter above ground. My first and hope last similar experience... :)'

If you want to fly 300km go to Quixada, Brazil

2009-11-27T15:07:00.001-08:00

Although the Official Results haven't been published yet, it looks like the XC International Meeting 2009 and XCeara 2009 were a great success again. Alfredo Studer, who we met a couple of years ago in South Africa, is currently winning the XContest 2010 with flights of 318.6 (08/11) and 301.8 (04/11) flying the new Swing Astral 6, Kamira Pereira broke the Female Open Distance World Record twice with flights of 330.3km (14/11) and 326.1km (08/11)! and Washington Peruchi flew 330.4 (14/11). Thats three 300km days in a week! Why would you want to go anywhere else!

Keep an eye on South African weather - again!

2009-11-27T14:48:00.001-08:00

With an El Nino in force, the weather is South Africa is likely to be dry and hot! One of the best forecasts come from the South African Weather Service which has its own aerosport section

Have a look at the latest Satellite and Rainfall overlay, Thunderstorm probability, spot graphs showing expected Convective Cloud Base and Thermal Strength. The De Aar 5 day forecast is here. Wind guru provides usefull weathermaps.

Look out for 20,000ft ft cloud base, with zero thunderstorm probability and a strong WNW airflow and perhaps even 500 km won't be safe.

Ondrej Dupal testing proto XC3 in South Africa

2009-11-27T14:14:00.000-08:00

Ondrej Dupal has returned once again to one of his favourite winter testing locations, De Aar. With him, he has Gradient’s expected replacement to the highly successful Avax XC2. The design brief for this replacement is a new high-end wing that’s resolutely targeted within the EN D category. We are anticipating a very high performance serial racer to take on the best of the rest in this hotly contested category, combined with all that ‘sweetness’ in both handling and feedback which has become a trade-mark for Gradient.

News has recently been supplied to Burkitt Rudd that Ondrej is very pleased with performance tests of the proto XC3's. What is know is the Gradient team has two protos with different aspect ratios, one with 6.5 and the other 6.8. However news about line consumption and layout etc is still a mystery.

The wing should be certified in early 2010!

Simply Gradient sponsor the XC League

2009-11-25T15:05:00.000-08:00

£1000 and a trophy for the first total score (6 flights) of 1000km or more in the UK

Prize from Richard Westgate at SimplyGradient

This prize is not specific to any year. It will remain on offer until it is won.

All flights must be valid scoring flights in the UK National Paragliding XC League.

XC 3 proto cleans up at the XC Africa 2009

2009-11-23T05:59:00.000-08:00

Karel Vejchodsky was 1st and Ondrej Dupal 2nd in the Gradient XC Africa 2009 event.

The weather only allowed 3 tasks

The day after the competition finished, it looks like Ondrej Dupal had another good flight as reported on the Gariep Dam blog.

Sunday, 22 Nov. 2009:

The day started good. All took off early and some good distances were reported. Uwe & Ru¨diger flew 848km and Hans Wiesenthal 814km. The first long flights of this season at Gariep. In the afternoon Ondrej Dupal from the Chech Republick caused some excitement with his unexpected appearance. He flew with his paraglider from De Aar and landed nicely between the Nimbus and the Blanik on the apron.

XCeara 2009 starts in 21 days

2009-11-01T14:32:00.000-08:00

The most successful big distance flying competition starts again on the 21st November. XCeara 2009 - The Cross Country Classic is the 13th such event. Last year 3 pilots (Marcelo Prieto, Rafael Saldini and Frank Brown) broke the World Distance Record from the site with 461.8km. The competition bosts 100% flyable conditions.

Gradient Golden 3

2009-10-30T06:11:00.000-07:00

Gradient's Director and Chief Test Pilot,Ondrej Dupal has just released this photo of the all new Golden 3. Gradient aim to start putting the Golden 3 through the certification process within the next month starting with the size 28.

We have yet to get all the info about this new model, but it has a new profile and less lines and we are lead to believe it will be faster on trim, slightly more damped but with, according to Ondrej, "perfect turning".

What's certain, is it will supercede the very popular Golden 2 which certainly has been a real success within the area in which we serve; with many of our 'newer pilots' having chosen this wing, they have found themselves with a near perfect flying partner, which have regularly taken them to the 'top-of-the-stack' above their local sites; instilling confidence and opening up great new vistas for them.

With Gradient's impressive track record in producing exceptional, class winning models. It is going to be a much easier decision this Christmas as to what to place on this years 'Dear Santa Letter' !

Gradient 2009 XC League Results

2009-10-30T05:40:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to all participants in this years' UK XC League for making it a record year. In terms of total KM flown, the top three pilots would have won any previous year. Best place Gradient Pilot was Philip Wallbank in 5th with 576.5km and he also wins a prize for the longest flight on a DHV2 wing, 151km from Eyam Edge on 22nd August on his trusty old Aspen. This was also the 7th best flight of the year! Julian Robinson was 6th with 554.4km and Ian Miskin 9th with 548.2km on their XC2's. Judith Mole was 3rd best Woman with 270.9km on her Aspen 2.

In the Local Leagues:

Avon League: Martin Nichols Aspen 2 3rd
Cumbrian League: Burkitt Rudd Avax SR8 2nd, Ben Keayes Avax XC 3rd,
Gap League: Mark Jones Avax XC2 2nd
Pennine League: Philip Wallbank Aspen 1 1st
SHPF League: Julian Robinson Avax XC2 1st, David Thomson Avax XC2 2nd, Ian Miskin Avax XC2 3rd
Wessex League: Paul Hawkins Aspen 2 1st, Gary Puhl Aspen 2 2nd, Shamus Pitts Golden 2 3rd

Congratulations to Gradient Pilots in the UK XC League

2009-06-17T16:59:00.001-07:00

Gradient Pilots are storming the 2009 British Paragliding XC League with 5 Gradient Gliders in the top 10.

Congratulations to Bryan Hindle (Gradient Aspen) for completing the longest UK flatland triangle ever flown on the 4th June. The flight of 50.5km was from the Malverns and took 3hrs 36mins.

Ian Miskin managed the longest flight of the day on 14th June with 136.4km. Taking off from Wether Fell in a round of the British Paragliding Cup, Ian managed to get to goal (24km) then keep going, landing on the coast 5hrs and 42min later!

Gradient Bi-Golden 2

2009-06-12T08:26:00.001-07:00

After 5 years of loyal service ( & 1 World Record and 4 UK (Local) Records), Gradient have officially announced the replacement of the Bi-Golden; with a new tandem glider, the Bi-Golden 2. The brake pressure of the Bi-Golden 2 is lower than its predecesor and the wing is lighter making launching even easier. It has a slightly wider weight range (additional 10kg on the 42) and both a higher trim and top speed (achieved by long (8cm) trimmers). According to Gradient director and test pilot Ondrej Dupal, the Bi-Golden 2 should hit the primarty target of professional tandem pilots who appreciate agile flight characteristics. The direct and easy handling should also suit those wanting to fly long cross country flights. The glider also features the ability to' lock' big ears in place.

Test reports are here for the 42 (140-220kg) and the 39 (115-180kg). The Para2000 report is here.

The wing is available in 3 standard colour combinations and custom colours with a white underside for those wanting to add logos.

Adam Ingram practicing in Turkey

2009-06-10T12:15:00.000-07:00

Amazing video of top UK Acro pilot Adam Ingram practicing on his Gradient 7 in Olu Deniz. Check out the Anti Gravity Website here.

Aspen 3 by Peter Volf

2009-05-27T09:52:00.000-07:00

Peter Volf has recently posted these great photos of the Gradient Aspen 3. Have a look at his web site here.

On top of the World!

2009-05-21T07:01:00.000-07:00

Ok not Gradient related but my sister, Pam Westgate, has just become the 25th British Female mountaineer to summit Everest (and probably the first to do so on her birthday!). She summited this morning at 6.30 (local time) with climbing sherpa Chewang Palden Sherpa.

The summit was reported as totally beautiful. The weather was clear and not very cold, until the wind picked up after 5am. The views from the summit were incredible. The cloud level was down around 20,000ft, making all the valleys a picture of roiling clouds, with the higher peaks all around rising starkly into the clear air.

Julian Robinson tops the British Paragliding XC League

2009-05-14T14:45:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Gradient XC2 Pilot Julian Robinson who is currently sitting at the top of the XC League with 456.1km. His impressive 108.5km across the Highlands is currently winning the prize for 'Highest Scoring Turnpoint Flight on an EN C' in the league.

Andy Pilmmer 2nd in first round of the BPC

2009-05-14T13:42:00.000-07:00

Another happy customer was able to show the rest of the field what can still be done on a trusty Aspen 2. The Borders British Paragliding Cup/ Scottish Open competition got this year's UK XC Comp scene underway, although only one day was possible, due to the great British Weather.

This is what BPCup pilot Andy Plimmer, who was 1st sports class and 2nd placed overall, had to say.

"After a wet and windy first day, conditions soon transformed into what turned out to be an epic days flying. The task a 46k race to goal at Hawick seemed ambitious initially as the very light WNW breeze played havoc with the field coming from all directions but the right one. A chance thermal from right of launch gave a slow scrabble up for a lucky few, one of whom was myself, this enabled connection with proper thermals and the game was on."

His plan was to try to stay high,based on the fact that the route had some long crossings of high remote moorland and to fly conservatively which hopefully would avoid any hot-slog walkout to the nearest road if he tried to rush to much.

"By climbing when able and progressing steadily I got past the worst bit until a long glide across the last valley left me a bit desperate 10km from goal. Some bumpy air and sniffs of lift drifted me on until a good climb from cut forestry got me up in company with an other lucky pilot. Now goal was in site and it was a calculated gamble to leave before my friend and dash for the cylinder. He stayed climbing for two more circuits which was just enough to give me 20 seconds lead and 2^nd place in the Cup. An entertaining landing in the middle of a cricket match was improved by several beers from the pavilion. Later pilots had the full hailstone and big lift experience as the day over-developed as predicted, this caused several to ping into airspace at over 5500ft".

"Brilliant views of both East and West coasts will stay with me for a long time and I really recommend the area if you get a chance."

Great to see that the Gradient Aspen 2 can still do the business.

David Prentice hurt

2009-05-14T13:27:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week, Gradient Pilot, David Prentice, legendary Hang Glider and Paraglider pilot, was severely injured during a training session in Florida.

After reconstruction of his right arm and stabilization of spinal injuries, David has been released from the Hospital with the hope of full recovery over time.

The OzReport comments here. Unfortunately, Dave was not insured and his wife Rasa and new son Sky have no resources to fall back on and face astronomical medical bills. If you can help in anyway please look at his website or direct contributions can be made to:-

David and Rasa Prentice
7485 Prairie Road NE
Albuquerque, NM 87109

2nd flight on Aspen 3, 108km

2009-04-23T16:53:00.000-07:00

I have finally had a chance to fly the Aspen3 myself and what a great wing. Lighter handling than the Aspen 2, faster trim speed and better glide. The speed bar is also light and very useable. On 22nd April I managed to get away from Golden Ball (Thames Valley) and landed over 4 hours later just north of Milton Keynes for a straight line flight of 106.2km. The Aspen 3 does not have the 'flying on rails' feel of the XC2 but the passive stability made it a much more relaxing flight.

Triangle Planner

2009-04-17T13:53:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Tom Payne for this incredible defined task planner.

Gradient Avax XC2 take 1st and 2nd in Winter League

2009-04-03T17:41:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Dave Thomas for winning the British Paragliding Winter XC League with 288.3km. Ian Miskin came second with 173.0km. Both pilots fly Avax XC2s.

Aspen 3 is here!

2009-03-25T14:51:00.000-07:00

The Aspen 3 is finally here and the colour scheme is growing on me!

The wing has been certified En C and has passed on the 'safe side' of the catagory. The performance looks good with a predicted glide of 9.0, min sink of 1m/s and a top speed in excess of 55kph.

Have a look here at the test reports here

24 (70-85kg), 26 (80-100kg), 28 (90-115kg) and 30 (105-130kg).

Aspen 3 28 Certified

2008-12-30T13:58:00.000-08:00

The Aspen 3 should be ready by the end of January 2009. Rumours are that the 28 has just passed certification Cen C

2 NEW WORLD RECORDS

2008-12-15T02:20:00.000-08:00

On Sunday 14th December, Nevil Hulett flew the first ever 500km flight on a paraglider from Copperton in South Africa. He also broke the Distance to Goal record at 402km. The flight took 7 hours 40 mins at an amazing average of 65kph.

The forecast was for perfect zone close to the trough line with a 15,000-18,000ft cloud base and 5m/s thermals and strong winds from the WNW.

James Braid reports:-

The conditions were really strong, high clouds, strong winds, strong thermals, just the stuff one needs. Unfortunately, only a handful of pilots in the world can handle that kind of flying.”

Other pilots choose not to fly as it was 'technically blown out'.

Congratulations to Nevil. It is great to see the Record back in South Africa!

For more news see ParaglidingForum and FlyGirls Website

STOP PRESS Nevil has downloaded the flight log here. 503.6km straight line using WGS84 Ellipsoid!! (One airspace bust to resolve before ratification - Airway W81 and , um, landing in another country!)

On the same day a group of Atos pilots who have been at a record encampment at Postmasburg to the North West had some great flights. The longest was Toni Raumauf who flew 527km (but his flight goes through Kimberley and Blomfontein CTR's, lets hope that Neville's flight is deemed legal)

Big Distances in South Africa

2008-12-03T03:53:00.000-08:00

South African Gradient importer, James Braid, reports that flights of 342 and 321km were made from Groblershoop (100km SE of Uppington) on 1st December. The day started perfectly but high level cirrus later in the day shut things down. The pilots landed near Colsburg with one pilot climbing at a sustained 10m/s along the way.

Longest flight of the 2008/2009 season so far

2008-11-26T10:52:00.000-08:00

Martin Gorayski flies 371.9 km from Quixada and leads the FAI World XC Online Contest and the World XContest

Gradient Aspen 3 Proto goes well in South Africa

2008-11-26T10:28:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Ondrej Dupal (Gradient Director) who put the Gradient Aspen 3 proto through its paces winning 2 tasks at the De Aar Pre-Xc Open. The glider should be ready by March 2009.

The competition was won by Nevil Hulett (Mac Para Magus 6) with Adam Dolezal 3rd (Gradient Avax XC2 - 2nd Serial), Jon Pio 4th (Gradient Aspen 2 - 1st Sports), Ondrej Dupal 5th (Gradient Aspen 3), Damian Sykes 6th (Gradient Aspen 2 - 2nd Sports) and ... Des Pansi 8th (1st Female).

The competition was marred by the death of competitor Wojciech Siudek from Poland. It looks like he died from Impact Trauma after hitting or turning low to avoid power lines 160km down route. Our sympathies go out to his family and friends.

New South African Ladies Open Distance Record

2008-11-16T08:33:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Des Pansi who has just set a new South African Ladies Distance Record at the pre XC Open at De Aar. Ondrej Dupal won the first day with a flight via 3 turnpoints of 247.6km on a prototype Aspen 3, Adam Dolezal was 2nd with 238.7km (Gradient Avax XC2) and Des was 3rd with 210.1km also on an XC2. Clean sweep for Gradient! The weather forecast is looking great for the next few days. Have a look at that cloud base to the north!

Fly Pics

2008-11-13T11:04:00.000-08:00

I have just set up a Picasa Account and will be adding web albums in due course.

Link to South African flights

2008-11-12T14:44:00.001-08:00

Here

Very Cool Speed Flying Video - Dave Edwards in New Zealand

2008-11-09T12:30:00.000-08:00

Big Distances in Brazil

2008-11-09T09:25:00.000-08:00

Pilots at the XC International Meeting have been logging some impressive flights. On 2/11, Spanish pilot Lary Pino flew 298.8km in 8 hrs 24 mins and on 7/11 Swiss pilot Simon Brulisauer flew 282.85km on a Gradient XC in 8 hours both from Quixada. Simon is currently leading the 2009 World XC Contest . Also check out Leonardo .

The 500km chase continues

2008-11-08T04:43:00.000-08:00

Pilots all over the world are on the hunt for the first 500km flight on a Paraglider. In Brazil, the amazingly successful Sol Northeast Expedition which broke the World Open Distance Record last year with 461.2km has started. Also in Brazil, the XCeara Free Fly XC International Meet runs from 1st -21st November, and the XCeara 2008 Cross Country Classic from the 22nd-30th. In South Africa, Des and Arnold are hosting the Pre-XC Open event in De Aar from 15th Nov -22nd Nov. FlyGirl has a list of registered pilots and their gliders. The most favoured wings.... Gradient of course! Two Slovenians ?! are teaming up with South African Gradient importer, James Braid, for another record attempt from 28th Nov to 16th Dec.

The ENSO cycle is still neutral and is forecast to stay that way into early 2009 so watch this space!