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Flying Restrictions at Lough Bray and Maulin - 1^st March – 31^st July

A reminder to all pilots that there are flying restrictions at Lough Bray and Maulin. These restrictions are during the bird breeding season, 1^st March – 31^st July, to protect peregrine falcons nesting at both locations.

Flying Restrictions
Update: 1 August 2018

Flying Restrictions
Update: 1 August 2018

Flying Restrictions

This year Wicklow Mountain National Park (WMNP), the landowner at Lough Bray and Maulin, have renewed their Permit with the IHPA to permit paragliding and hang gliding within WMNP.

This permit allows IHPA members to paraglide/hang glide within WMNP, with restrictions. There is no flying at Lough Bray or Maulin between the 1^st March and 31^st July. Last year WMNP monitored the situation with both Lough Bray and Maulin having a successful peregrine nesting season, pilots were allowed to resume flying activities from early July.

You can fly at other sites in WMNP during the bird breeding season, but must first inform the WMNP Duty Ranger on 087 980 3899 of your planned flying activity.

When we receive confirmation from WMNP that we can fly at Lough Bray and Maulin you will still need to inform the Duty Ranger

Click >here< to view the full permit docment.

To fly in WMNP at any time you need:

1. To be a member of the IHPA
2. Have the relevant IHPA rating and insurance
3. Notify the WMNP Duty Ranger on 087 9803899 of planned flying activity.

Pearse Cafferky
IHPA Chairman

Update: 1 August 2018

FLYING NOTICE - LOUGH BRAY & MAULIN NOW OPEN

Lough Bray and Maulin are now open for all to fly again.

DWMNP has thanked the IHPA once again for their cooperation in respecting the WMNP restrictions. This year only Lough Bray Lower was successful with 3 chicks (2 male, 1 female) hatching and reaching fledgling stage.

Just a reminder when flying anywhere in WMNP please notify the Duty Ranger at 087 9803899, this requirement is for flying anywhere in WMNP at anytime of the year. If you don't get through, please leave a voicemail, with you name, number and where you are flying.

I'd like to thank all pilots for adhering to the restriction period in 2018, especially as with the good weather there were a good few flying days missed, and safeguarding our relationship with DWMNP.

Pearse Cafferky

IHPA Chairman

New Hang Gliding School in France - La Deltisterie

FFVL licensed instructors, Sam Duprat and Hervé Duplan have teamed up to offer both tandem experience flights and full courses hang gliding instruction in one of the finest hang gliding locations in the world. Irish hangies have been spending the summer months in Laragne since the early 1980s, flying some of the most spectacular Alpine scenery you can imagine. Can there be any better place to start your hang gliding career?!

Find out more about Sam's La Deltisterie school here.

During its recent Autumn meeting, CIVL Bureau reviewed reports from accidents, some fatal, in Category 1 and 2 events.

From these reports, a recurrent problem was identified. In degraded conditions (stall, spin…) some pilots were unable to reach and use their reserve parachute and fell to the ground. CIVL Bureau believes that these accidents might have been avoided if these pilots had been equipped with a second reserve deployable with the opposite hand compared to the main reserve or with both hands. This analysis is in line with the analysis of the Paragliding Competition Safety Task Force report (published in December 2011) concerning Piedrahita 2011 World championship accidents.