British Pilot Ben Dry Sets New UK Paragliding Distance Record
British paraglider Ben Dry has established a new straight-distance cross-country record for the United Kingdom, achieving an impressive 334.9km flight from Llangorse in Wales to the East Suffolk coastline on Saturday, 1 August 2026.
The remarkable journey adds 5.6km to the previous benchmark of 329.3km set by Mark Watts in 2025. Interestingly, the flight also surpassed the long-standing UK hang gliding record of 330.2km held by Carl Wallbank since 2015.
“It was a magical day,” Ben reflected. “Realising I was going to break the record gave me a real sense of achievement. Getting those extra couple of kilometres to do it properly felt really good.”
The Flight Details
Flying a Niviuk Peak 6, Ben launched at 10:21am and remained airborne for 9 hours and 50 minutes. The route followed a similar west-to-east line as the previous year record flight, crossing from Wales through the Midlands to the East Anglian coast.
One of the biggest challenges was navigating airspace restrictions. “It was difficult keeping out of the 6,500ft airspace midway through, and even the 7,500ft airspace after that,” Ben explained. His maximum altitude reached 7,900ft during the flight.
The conditions varied dramatically throughout the day. Early turbulence made for intense flying, with Ben describing moments where the wing felt like it had been “whacked with a cricket bat.” By evening, however, the air became gentler, offering a more relaxed conclusion to the epic journey.
About the Pilot
Ben, 41, is originally from South Africa but now lives near Stroud and has been flying for around a decade, primarily in UK conditions. A professional classical cellist, he draws interesting parallels between music and flying, particularly around maintaining focus and concentration.
“Sometimes when getting low, I can find myself almost panicking,” he admitted. “I tell myself to just observe, see what you can see. If you focus your eyes on noticing something – a bird doing something, for example – that puts you in a much better state to remedy the situation.”
Record-Breaking Weekend
The flight topped the international XContest league for the day. Fellow pilot Richard Butterworth also broke the 300km mark from the same site, while at least 21 paraglider pilots achieved 200km flights across the UK during this exceptional soaring weekend.
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