Welcome to the UHPC website.
The Ulster Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club
The Ulster Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club (UHPC) is the only hang gliding and paragliding club in Northern Ireland and is affiliated with the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (BHPA). We are recognised by SportNI as the governing body for hang gliding and paragliding in Northern Ireland. In addition, we welcome paramotorists and powered hang glider pilots, whose flying activities closely align with non-powered equivalents. |
Paragliders flying at White Mountain |
![]() Photograph: Paraglider ready for takeoff
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In the last few years foot-launched powered flight has become deregulated. This allows members to attach a simple power unit onto either a hang glider or paraglider and take off from a flat field, climbing to several thousand feet. The pictures here are of Donal Hamilton flying over the Silent Valley on a misty morning and Gary McKie flying a paramotor over the Ards Peninsula. Flying a hang glider or paraglider with a power unit encompasses a broad range of skills, so to progress safely in these disciplines it is a good idea to master unpowered flight before considering strapping an engine on.
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Donal Hamilton - powered hang glider |
Gary McKie - paramotor |
Further Information about Paragliding, Paramotoring or Hang Gliding
There are many good descriptions of Paragliding, Paramotoring and Hang Gliding on the internet. Here are three sites which describe them quite well:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraglider
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramotor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hang_gliding
Or contact the club treasurer (Maurice McBride) by e-mail
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Why not join our club today? You can also join the club by downloading the membership form below. It is in PDF and Microsoft Word formats and should be posted/emailed to the address on the form with a cheque made payable to the UHPC for the appropriate amount. Full membership of the club has recently been reduced to £12 for the current year and runs from 1st April to 31st March, with discounts depending upon when you join. Upon commencing a Club Pilot Novice course with one of the four local training schools, free UHPC membership is available for one year - use this form. Visiting pilots are encouraged to join and get access to our sites guide and lots of local knowledge. Details are on the membership application forms below.
Club Membership Form (pdf)
Club Membership Form (doc)
New School Member Application (doc)
You will need Adobe acrobat to read PDF files. It can be downloaded from here free of charge.