It is with great sadness...

IT IS with great sadness and deep regret that we must report the death of competition paragliding.

Cat-1, as we all knew him, died of asphyxiation during the 2011/2012 season. After a long and troubling illness, he finally passed over on Saturday when finally succumbing to Dual Reservitis.

After years as a victim of various illnesses it is, to some extent, a relief that he will suffer no more.

Since 2010 he had suffered consistent bouts of "Manufacturer Over Enthusiasm", including "Chronic Carbonitis", as we all know, a crippling disease if not diagnosed during the early stages.

Following these "technological advances", during the summer of 2011, he went down with a near-terminal case of "Pilot-Over-Confidence" with devastating consequences. Ever since, he's suffered varying forms of chronic "Over-Regulation", a sad sight for sure. From these early signs I think many of us knew it was just a matter of time, and we made our peace.

Many of the nails in his coffin have been thanks to the slow and painful onslaught of further equipment demands as he was transformed into a twisted shadow of his former self. Bent double under the weight of the "new requirements" it has, as you well know, been painful to watch. This was not the man we knew and loved. This was not the free spirit that we remember reaching for the skies, with the wind in his hair, his fingers caressing the b-lines and leaning well back on full bar at 50m to snatch that €54.99 trophy.

The coroner is expected to investigate, but we all know what the predictable conclusions will be. It is, without doubt, a sad case of regulators failing to regulate with a "soft touch" and pilots failing to understand that they could have helped.

If only either group could have been sufficiently arsed to talk to each other more we might not be getting our black suits dry-cleaned and booking a half-day off work next Wednesday.

CAT, we will remember you for what you gave us. We will never forget. [well actually we will - Ed]

By request of the family, no flowers please.
Donations are kindly welcomed for the "Blozone Fucked It, You Bought It, The Bureaucrats Reacted, And Now You Pay The Price Research Foundation". [Easy tiger - Ed]

Pie in the Sky
Funnier than the 1972 "Robert Livingston Seagull patio door" accident