Bobby posted this as a comment, but it deserves a post of it’s own.

Greetings All! Not sure where to post this question on this site, but am looking to buy a good used wing here in Taiwan. Preferably DHV 1-2 for 80kg- 100kg pilot. Don’t have much to spend but am trying to get back into the sport here in Taiwan.

I am a P3 rated and a commercial tandem instructor for hanggliding as well. I also fly with a motor at times so the wing would ideally be able to use for both free flight as well as motorized flight.

Would really appreciate any help on locating a wing here and helping me get back to cloudbase. Been grounded way too long!

If anyone has a glider for sale they can reply in the comments. Bobby, welcome back. I can think of at least one person who would love to have you as a mentor with tandem HG flying.
I will check my sources in Europe to see if we can find you a good used glider.

No, I don’t intend to go crash it into anything… the title is borrowed from an old Boom Boom Satellites tune.
This is my new ride, the replacement for the old red parawagon. It’s a 2008 Subaru WRX-S 230… not a true wagon anymore, more of a 5-door hatchback really.
Yes, I am addicted to Subarus. New one is also 2.5 liter, but is turbo. Audio is stock at the moment but that will change soon.
Thanks to Marty McFly for the photography.

Advance are ceasing production of the Omega7 in preparation for the launch of the Omega8 in 2010. At the moment all sizes are available, though some popular colors are in limited supply. Contact Les now for a special deal on this fantastic glider. Supply is limited and when these gliders are cleared out there will be no more Omegas until the 8 arrives.
Don’t miss this chance.

Jaco Herbst has taken delivery of a new tandem glider in preparation for his attempt to wrest control of the skies from the paragliders and repopulate the air with hang gliders. While it’s true that the number of active HG pilots has fallen precipitously in the last 10 years, Jaco has the enthusiasm to bring the sport back from the dead. So far he’s managed to drag one willing victim into one of these metal-framed deathtraps and more may follow. Of course Taiwan is like many other countries in it’s steady drift of pilots from hang gliders to paragliders. When I first flew in Taiwan there were 20 or so active HG pilots, now there are only a few. Diversity is good, I’d like to see more hang gliders up there.

You can read Jaco’s account of his maiden voyage and watch a (heavily edited) video here:

The Oz Report - Hang Gliding - WILLS WING DEMO DAY (in Taiwan).

Perhaps one day passenger Larry will recover enough from the shock that he’ll be able to speak again and then we’ll hear the truth about this flight.

Advance has a new flight suit for 2009 and it’s not just the colors which are different this year. The designers have revised and revamped several areas of the suit to create a garment even more comfortable and practical than ever.

Advance have adopted the idea of Body Mapping™, a trendy phrase for sports clothing that works. The idea is that textiles are specifically developed for the different requirements in various areas. The results are materials which adjust themselves according to temperature (eg. Thermore), or combinations of sophisticated material mixes. Advance first introduced this principle with the Thermore Jacket, and now use it in the various fabrics to meet the widely differing demands of a flight suit.
Compared with the previous offering additional insulation is used at the extreme exposed places such as knees, wrists and neck. Freedom of movement and ventilation at the back has been specially considered.
The new model uses a new softshell material for the back, where improved elasticity and breathability further improves the freedom of movement and wearing comfort.
The new Flying Suit has three differently insulated warmth zones. The knees, the main problem when flying without a speed bag, have additional insulatation with a breathable warm lining. The back, where breathability and movement are most important, is made of an elasticated soft shell fabric without insulation, thereby maximizing breathability. The remaining parts of the suit consist of the familiar, windproof, breathable and water-resistant Supplex material. A light insulating layer keeps a comfortable environment in these areas. This layer is fleeced where worn next to the body and smooth in the sleeves to make it easy to put on.

There are also new jackets and other garments in the line-up this year, which you can browse here.

I added some maps to the site pages with (of course) the locations of the launch and landing places, xc flight tips, tracks etc etc. Check the Saichia map below for an example.

Regular readers will have noticed that Wings Taiwan upgraded to WordPress 2.7. All of the content is now dynamically rendered on posts or pages, and all the old static .php pages are gone or soon gone. Please leave a comment if there’s something you miss from the old site or anything you don’t like about the new one.

I hope you like the new look and find the functionality more friendly. This is the Atahualpa theme with some custom tweaks of my own, plus some plug-ins. I will miss hand-coding stuff but it seems that era is gone. I will be testing out other tweaks and widgets in the coming months so be sure and click on that RSS feed button and keep up with the news.

Parapente magazine has tested the Sigma7 and has published a test report. Here’s an English translation.

SIGMA 7 – Translation of the test report in the french parapente mag
Advance was born 20 years ago, with the very first of the Sigma dynasty. Created by Robert Graham, flown in
competition by Xavier Remond the famous winglets first saw the light of day – and every Advance wing since has
inherited these little features …
The Sigma 7 (seventh generation) is still directed towards the same group of pilots - adventurous thermal hounds
scanning the distant horizon. As a high performance intermediate the Sigma needs good piloting technique, both

Continue reading Parapente magazine test Sigma7