Newsletter – January 2025

The Launch | January 2025

Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association of Canada (HPAC)

From the Admin’s Desk

Happy New Year!

We hope you all enjoyed the holiday season and are looking forward to a safe and adventurous flying year.

While the weather has kept things fairly quiet flying-wise in Canada, we have been busy here at HPAC! Read on to meet our new Board members, to nominate your fellow pilots for awards and to read about the new funding system replacing the provincial fees.

new funding system Document

Martina Lang
admin@hpac.ca

Award Nominations Now Open

It’s that time once again – please take a look at our award criteria and nominate someone deserving for an award! You can recognize another pilot, an instructor, a volunteer…anyone who makes a positive impact in our community.

Remember – you must be a current member to submit a nomination. Please forward your choice(s) to the office (admin@hpac.ca) along with a brief description of why you are nominating them. The awards and their criteria are listed on our SOP page (click on “SOP 500” link to read):

SOP Page

The Board votes on the awards at the Annual Directors Meeting which takes place at the end of February.

Please submit your nominations by February 15, 2025

2024 Awards

Certificates for 2024 were sent out to the pilots who nominated the recipients, and photos are starting to come in of the presentations.

We had 2 awards given out in BC:

Safety Award – presented to Jeremy Séguin. Daisy (who nominated him) had this to say:

“I would like to nominate Jeremy for the Safety Award for his service & dedication towards promoting safety within our sports. He has gone out of his way to encourage safety within our sport and has always looked out for the safety of other pilots as well.”

(photo courtesy of Greg Martin, WCSC President)

Domogoj Juretic Leadership Award – presented to Moon Choi by Greg Martin, nominated by Daisy as well. Here is why she chose Moon:

“I would also like to nominate Moon Choi for the Domogoj Juretic Leadership Award. He’s always very responsive to all types of questions and very active in the WCSC chats. He has helped to push the conversation in unexpected ways and continues to be a leader that people look up to but also is always willing to share a wealth of knowledge.”

(photo courtesy of Greg Martin, WCSC President)

We are looking forward to receiving photos of the other awards being presented and will share them in future newsletters!

Board Notes

We held elections at the end of 2024 for 4 regions – BC, Prairies, Ontario and Atlantic.

Elections

We welcome back Tyler (BC) and Jon (Prairies) for another 2-year term on the board, and 2 new members as well!

Kevin Thomson is our new Board Member in Ontario and Christopher Ball is the Director from the Atlantic region.

It’s great to have a hang glider pilot back on the board – Kevin is looking for ways to get more HG pilots learning and a part of our organization. Christopher is keen to get more pilots signed off in the Maritimes as well and grow their flying community.

Website

We are getting close to the finish line to have the membership area of the website updated soon, and are now looking for help with the rest.

HPAC is inviting members to submit a proposal in response to our Request for Proposal (RFP) for website services. We are seeking a professional and experienced vendor to provide ongoing maintenance, performance optimization, technical SEO, and support for our WordPress website, which is built using the Divi theme and hosted on Amazon Lightsail.

(RFP)_ Website Vendor for HPAC

Safety Notes

The Safety Committee would like to remind you to please send in any accident reports (even from years past) to help them compile statistics and improve overall safety in our sports!

Please use the following link: Incident Reporting Form

Transport Canada

Help Us Identify Winch Launch Operations Across Canada

Transport Canada has reached out to us regarding winch launch operations used by hang glider and paraglider pilots. They are working on updating the Airman Information Manual to help improve airspace safety by raising awareness about winch launching and how other airspace users can avoid inadvertent encounters with cables.

To assist with this, we need your help!

If you are aware of any winch launch operations in your area—whether they are used for hang gliders, paragliders, or powered paragliders (PPGs)—please share the following information:

  1. Location: General area or specific site where the winch operation occurs.
  2. Type of Winch: Payout, static, or other.
  3. Users: Whether it’s for hang gliders, paragliders, or other disciplines.
  4. Maximum Altitude: Approximate height achieved during winch launches.
  5. Frequency: How often the winch is used (e.g., regularly, seasonally, occasionally).
  6. Land Use Agreements: If known, whether these operations occur on private land, public land, or water (e.g., for SIV courses).

This information will help Transport Canada ensure safer skies for all users and promote awareness about winch launching in Canadian airspace.

How to Submit Information

Please send your responses by January 30, 2025 to the office or towing@hpac.ca. If you know of pilots who run winch operations, please forward this message to them so they can contribute as well.

We understand that some winch operations may be informal or privately managed. If that applies to you or someone you know, we encourage you to still share the details to the extent you’re comfortable. This effort is purely for safety and awareness purposes.

Thank you for your cooperation in making our airspace safer for everyone!