Mark Bignell
After a little diversion with Skydiving I discovered Parascending in 1993. I was hooked!
I leaned to fly square paraglider at Fly High in Kent with my Mentor and great friend Charlie Grantham.
I did what all new pilots did, I was there every weekend with my family, rain or shine all summer. By August it was the nationals at Middle Wallop and I entered as a novice and came second.
I was soon ordering my new canopy, Sportlite 324. We had to have a logo and after a vote from the kids Superman it was.
Of course that meant everything I got for Christmas and birthdays had Superman logos, sock, pants, coats, cups.
I competed the next year and got best newcomer.
I was never going to compete with Sky Gods like Andy Shaw and Mick Woodcock so I started to get involved into the competition organisation and was trained buy Taff Walker on the finer points of recording.
In 1998 I was awarded the Nigel Legg prize.
By this time I was now an instructor and I was training new pilots most weekends or flying Scouts on rounds and tandems.
Foot launching for me was never very rewarding on my Big X or Black Magic.
One evening at Fly High we decided it would be a good idea to tow 5 canopies all at once. It was pretty successful all the pilots got good height and we had something new to talk about (every time we went to the pub) you know how it goes remember when we …….
In the old days most clubs would organise an accuracy competition. At Fly High it was usually held near St Georges Day and there were a lot of uniforms!
Time passed and Matthew ordered a UP Ascent Paraglider. I was fired up again and now I don’t fly anything else!
I have flown in many places all over Europe and the UK.
One day after UK squad training I heard someone say we need a team manager and before I knew It I was UK Paragliding Accuracy Squad manager and on the BHPA Accuracy Panel.
These days I am the Accuracy Panel Chair and I do what I can for the Governing body CIVL.
My focus is getting Paraglider pilots to fly accuracy and to find ways to get more money into the UK accuracy discipline.
I am proud to have been recognised twice by the BHPA with certificates of merit.
With Andy’s and Myri’s help I am sponsored by a number of companies
I dont just fly paragliders I am also a keen angler and regularly fish the Great Ouse, which is 100m from my back door.
