Resources useful to Pilots
Below are a bunch of websites that might prove useful. If you know of another one that should be here, please contact us and we'll add it. Thanks.
Increasingly Telegram is replacing more traditional locations (such as Facebook!) to discuss and plan flying activities.
Download the app onto your phone and then join these four groups. Please remember to read the pinned rules - essentially you must use your own full name on the groups.
Make sure to familiarise yourself with the location functions on Telegram. Being able to drop a pin at launch or landing is very useful for co-ordinating groups of pilots and retrieves.
Scottish Telegram Groups
XC Flying Scotland: https://t.me/joinchat/CfKFcU_ZUm6PJO_DXYwQRQ
XC Retrieve Scotland: https://t.me/joinchat/CfKFcU8zjgSHQYTAS-S0Yw
Local Flying Scotland: https://t.me/joinchat/CfKFcUUsWt9sEsT8aOfM1g
Flying Chit Chat Scotland: https://t.me/joinchat/CfKFcUmZTLHYjihW8mnkig
"The League" is there to encourage pilots to fly cross-country and to provide them with the means of recording and measuring their achievements compared to others. It is a great place to record your flights, and to compare them with others.
The SHPF runs a league for Scottish pilots, or rather flights that take place entirely within Scotland. This links directly to the SHPF League.
XC Find is an incredibly useful tool which plots your tracklog from your Spot or inReach onto a map. This allows friends to track your progress in real time as you fly across Scotland, and would allow them to know your location in the event of an incident.
It also publishes your status message from your device. "I have landed safely."
Its also just a fun place to see how everybody did on an epic xc day.
The SHPF make a financial contribution to XC Find every year on behalf of members of regional Scottish clubs.
XC Planner is a handy app for planning your next epic xc flight and sharing it with your buddies in a format that flight instruments understand. Its that simple - explore and enjoy.
Many people's first port of call when trying to assess the wind conditions and potential for thermic conditions. On the menu on the left look out for the 'Press for Full Parameter set' button and then scroll to the bottom for the Star Rating - Foot Launchers option. We're all on the look out for large areas of 4 and 5 star ratings over the Highlands!
Very useful for determining wind speed, strength and consistency throughout the day at any given location.
XC Weather can be book marked onto your iPhone home screen for quick mobile access.
Fly Bubble have superimposed some of the most useful RASP elements onto a map of flying sites. Its a handy weather app for pilots.
Windy
A lovely visualisation of the wind. Seems pretty accurate too. Well worth a look when you're trying to figure out where is flyable.
MWIS is an excellent website aimed at those wishing to access the Scottish mountains. It is tailored and designed specifically for walkers and climbers and is generally very accurate.
They publish daily reports of observed and forecast, avalanche, snow, and mountain conditions at the 5 most popular areas of Scotland during the winter season. With a continuing pilot period for the Torridon area.
Real time and historical weather data from various sites of interest around Scotland. Also a real time precipitation radar.
Real time weather info from a weather station at the top of the Nevis Range Ski Centre gondola.
ViewRanger is a superb mapping & GPS app for your phone, allowing you to purchase and download detailed maps of the whole of the UK if you wish. It will show you your location, record GPS tracks, tell your friends where you are and much more.
Widely used by paragliders to analyse the terrain and find the best route to launch.
Co-ordinate your retrieve
This app has been widely adopted by pilots accross the UK. Not only does it offer group messaging to help co-ordinate plans for a day, but it also allows you to post a map of where to are - very helpful for co-ordinating retrieves and lifts home!
If you add the app to your phone you then need to request to join 'XC Flying Scotland' and 'XC Retrieve Scotland'. Contact us and we'll explain how.
Everything you need to know about enjoying the Right To Roam in Scotland, in a responsible and sustainable manner.
Ever wondered exactly how to attach your brake handle to your brake line? Here are two options.
Ever wondered where to go if you want to fly as many 100k's in a year as possible? XC Weeks can help you. It shows you where and in which week you'll be able to fly 100km based on the top 25'000 100km flights of the top ranked pilots in that category.
Render a panorama from any point in the Scottish Highlands. The resulting image is annotated with peak and top names. Not much to do with paragliding but a fantastic tool for anyone that loves the hills.
Beyond Extreme - based on the shores of Loch Ness - is a BHPA registered paragliding school, which also offers tandem flight experiences.
Please note that Beyond Extreme is in no way affiliated with the Highland Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club.
A free online mag with an Apple and Android version avaialable in the app store too.