Dunstable hang gliding and paragliding club

Welcome to DHPC

Dunstable Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club is a small club with about 150 members. We can be seen flying the chiltern hills in Bedfordshire and Bucks.

We have 3 free flying sites; Sharpenhoe Clappers, Chinnor and Dunstable Downs and also have access to flying fields for SPHG (powered Hang Gliders and Paramotors).

We are a BHPA registered club but we cannot teach you to fly. For that you need a BHPA registered school.

Once you are qualified we do offer an active coaching scheme to help you safely improve and expand your flying.

To join the club please vist the members resources website and click Join group. You must be a BHPA member.

Please note:

Dunstable Downs operates in restricted airspace under a Letter of Agreement (LOA) with the CAA. The LOA can be found on the members resources website

Pilots must have been briefed and signed off before being allowed to fly this site. Please read the Site guide and legal requirements.

Member Events

Congratulations to the 2011 Award winners

Awards were presented to:
Adam Collis - Throwing Silk - Painting from Lucien Simon
Andy Smith - Tree Hugger - Painting from Lucien Simon
Cris Kent - Most improved PG Pilot
Bill Bell - HG Pilot of the year
Karoly Magyesi - DHPC XC League Winner.
Jon Powell - Clubman
Markus Kinch - Best Video

T Shirts were awarded to:
Mark Atkinson - LIFE GUARD
Pete Cornish - Two Sheds
Markus Kinch - BANNED from middle take off

Thank you's
Bob and Rita Perkins Holmbeck Farm
National Trust who own Sharpenhoe Clappers safer site
Nigel Hewitt - For many years of tankard making
Hugh Ginty - Tireless chainsaw efforts

Thank you to everybody that helped at the scrub clearances.

New sign in/out procedure

A simpler approach for signing in/out has been agreed with Andrew Roche of LGC.

The CRSA is always active (for the parties defined in the LOA) during the day time. The CRSA is also known to our members as "The triangle" and is the airspace up to 1500'AMSL.

So, it is no longer necessary for the first person on the hill to visit LGC and let them know when we are going to fly in the CRSA. Although you may of course call them out of courtesy to alert them to our presence.

The only time members need to visit LGC is when they require access to upper airspace (above 1500'AMSL) and this is done by 'signing in' on the board.

The new rule with immediate effect is as follows:
1. When you require access to upper airspace 1500 to 3500 AMSL (defined in the LOA as Gliding Area 1) then you must write your name, BHPA number, aircraft type and colour, expected finish time and date on the white board in the entrance lobby of LGC.
2. When finished flying you (or another member) should remove all names from the board.

There are situations when you can not get access to the board to remove names so,
3. When signing in or out please remove all expired entries on the board. These can be identified by the historical date in the date column.
4. You may call LGC when landing out after and XC.

I have updated the white board with a date column and some instructions:
"Sign in on this board ONLY when you require access to above 1500' AMSL"
"Please complete all columns"
"When signing in or out please remove all expired entries"

Notice to members - Court Order

Please be advised that Symon Petrou is making a claim against the club and its members for compensation due to injuries sustained in an incident at Dunstable Downs on 10th October 2009.

The order (which we are duty bound to publish online and make available to all members) can be viewed here: