Bruce Goldsmith Design

Парапланы с индивидуальностью

Основатели Bruce Goldsmith Design

Она начиналась как небольшая компания, работающая в гараже, но Bruce Goldsmith Design в настоящее время является ведущим производителем качественных парапланов и оборудования, связанного с парапланеризмом. Отдел исследований и разработок, вдохновленный Брюсом, базируется на юге Франции, где всегда светит солнце; офис распределения в Австрии, а завод в Шри-Ланке.

Семья BGD сильна, и мы все связаны нашей любовью к парапланеризму. Наша миссия - делиться своим спортом с друзьями и семьей. Нам нравится чувство связи с воздухом, и наши продукты разработаны с учетом этого. Мы производим безопасные, веселые и новые продукты, которые всегда поставляются в изысканной упаковке и инновационным качеством, которым славятся BGD.

Основатели Bruce Goldsmith Design

Директора

Брюс

R & D

bruce@flybgd.com
Брюс Голдсмит

BGD назван в честь Брюса, управляющий директор и руководитель группы разработчиков. Полет в ДНК Брюса. Он научился летать на дельтаплане в качестве студента-инженера в London’s Imperial College в 1980-х годах и быстро достиг вершины британского дельтапланеризма, выиграв Суперлигу в 1991 году. Он был в британской команде дельтапланеризма в течение десятилетия с 1986 года, и стал дважды чемпионом Великобритании по дельтапланеризму. С 1989 года он также входил в британскую команду по парапланеризму, трижды становясь чемпионом Великобритании по парапланеризму, и получил звание пилота WPRS # 1 и Чемпиона Мира в 2007 году.

Родившийся в Лондоне Брюс сейчас живет на юге Франции со своей женой Арной и тремя детьми. Основатель Airwave Paragliders and Ozone, он разработал для Advance два года, прежде чем основал BGD в 2012 году. Писатель, докладчик и преподаватель, Брюс регулярно ведет колонку в журнале Cross Country и является президентом APPI (Ассоциация пилотов-парапланов и Инструкторы).

Брюс

Арна

Marketing

arna@flybgd.com
Арна Голдсмит

Арна была первой исландской женщиной, которая начала летать на дельтаплане в возрасте 17 лет, ее отец дельтапланерист переманил ее из парашютного спорта. Он купил ей дельплан Wills Wing Harrier, и это была любовь с первого взгляда! Арна участвовала в нескольких кельтских кубках в Ирландии и Уэльсе, встречаясь со звездами Британской лиги, но она не знала Брюса до случайной встречи на автостоянке на юге Франции в 1997 году.

Когда тестпилот Брюса потерпел крушение и уничтожил ее новые дельтаплан от Airwave Magic, он одолжил ей параплан, который положил начало ее карьеры на параплане. Арна и Брюс поженились в 1997 году, и Арна много летала, сопровождая Брюса до 14 соревнований в год. Затем, в течение нескольких лет полеты отошли в сторону, потому что Арна сосредоточилась на семье но теперь дети выросли, и она вернулась в небо, где ей и положено, на BGD Magic.

Арна

Кристоф

Финансы

christoph@flybgd.com
Кристоф Шеер

Полетная карьера Кристофа отчасти началась благодаря его девушке в то времемя, в далеком 2002 году. Он научился летать на параплане возле своего дома в Вольфсберге, Австрия, и сразу же влюбился в спорт, полетав на своем параплане Airwave несколько больших маршрутных полетов и побив рекорд в 100 км с большим отрывом. Он продолжал соревноваться в высшей лиге Австрии. Инженер по профессии, его трудовая жизнь вовлекла его в ряд крупных строительных проектов, включая строительство мостов через Австрию и Сербию для PORR, одной из крупнейших строительных компаний Австрии.

В 2012 году Кристоф соблазнился другой жизнью, и покинул строительный мир и объединил усилия с Брюсом и Арной в новом захватывающем проекте - создании BGD. Кристоф все еще живет в Вольфсберге со своей женой Милой и сыном Максимилианом, где он управляет европейским отделением BGD из офиса и распределения в Австрии.

Кристоф

Crew

Tyr Goldsmith

Tyr Goldsmith

Test pilot, graphics

tyr@flybgd.com

Tyr was born into paragliding, being the son of Bruce and Arna. He graduated as a product designer, and has combined his in-depth knowledge of the sport with a youth and enthusiasm that stretches across the whole spectrum of paragliding from accuracy to acro, XC and full-on racing. He has been a full-time test pilot for 5 years, and is deeply involved in every detail of paraglider design.

Shun Hanada

Test pilot

shun@flybgd.com

Shun is from Fukuoka, Japan. He started flying at the age of 15 and has been passionate about the skies ever since. Competing in both cross-country and accuracy, he has earned several victories and podiums at competitions in Japan and abroad. He joined the BGD R&D team as a test pilot in 2025, helping to develop and refine new gliders while travelling the skies around the world.

Shun Hanada
Abel Varga

Abel Varga

Test pilot

abel@flybgd.com

Abel is from Hungary, and has always been drawn to the air. He comes from a flying family: his dad was a paraglider pilot, and his mum a hang glider pilot. He first took to the air with his dad on tandem at the age of two, and there has been no stopping him since. He set a Hungarian national paragliding record in 2024, flying 330km across the whole country, virtually border to border.

César Arevalo

Acro test pilot

cesar@flybgd.com

César is a professional acro pilot from Colombia. He has been flying since the age of 11, and started working as a tandem pilot at just 14 but acro has always been his number-one passion. From his first competitions at just 19, he quickly rose to the top and has stood on many podiums in individual and synchro categories.

César Arevalo
Mila Scheer

Mila Scheer

Office Manager

Mila@flybgd.com

Mila lives in Wolfsberg, with her husband Christoph and son Maximillian, where she helps manage the Austrian office and distribution centre.

Maria Baumgartner

Accounts / Book-keeping

MARIA@FLYBGD.COM

Maria works in the accounts department in the Austrian office. A mother of two, she loves to travel, and enjoys skiing, snowboarding and tennis in her spare time.

Maria Baumgartner
Maja Keber

Maja Keber

Warehouse manager

maja@flybgd.com

Maja works in warehouse management in the Austrian office. A proud mom of one she loves staying active and exploring new places with her camper van. In her free time, you’ll find her paragliding, cross-country skiing or snapping pics to capture those awesome moments.

Kay Arianpour

R&D project manager

kay@flybgd.com

Kay is a paraglider pilot who is enthusiastic about hike & fly, and a kiteboarder who likes to go far in the sea. He has been a computer programmer since 1994. He lives in Fethiye close to the famous paragliding site of Ölüdeniz, and is here to boost the BGD IT infrastructure.

Kay Arianpour
Nikola Dukleski

Nikola Dukleski

Software developer

nikola@flybgd.com

Nikola has a short history of flying, but a passion for writing long lines of code. An in-house developer, he is responsible for the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, making sure every part of the process runs smoothly. He lives with his wife and his two children next to the oldest lake in Europe, Ohrid. He loves playing guitar and travelling.

Media

Anthony GREEN, Test Pilot/Social Media

Anthony GREEN

Graphic Design / Film

ant@flybgd.com

By age 16 Ant’s passion for adventure led him to paragliding. He has flown competitively since 2004 in acrobatics and cross country. Studying film, business and math he has been with BGD since the start bringing all the wild colors to the products. Ant is currently our graphic and in-house film guy and lives and works out on the open sea.

Charlie King

Marketing & Communications / Team pilot manager

Charlie@flybgd.com

Charlie’s first paragliding flight was in 1994, a 21st birthday present that sparked a lifelong passion. She loves hike-and-fly adventures and being in the mountains whenever she can. Originally from the UK, she now lives with her family in southern France. She’s a desk jockey, working on BGD’s newsletters, manuals, and brochures.

Charlie King
Agata Dominguez

Agata Dominguez

Social Media & communications

agata@flybgd.com

Agata is a bubbly Spaniard, based in Interlaken. A graduate in journalism, filmmaking and motion graphics, she is also passionate about photography and of course, paragliding. She’s been combining these passions since 2015, and is our social media guru. You'll find her, always smiling, with a camera on take-off, or working behind a screen.

Anna Darchenkova

Media creator

ANNA@FLYBGD.COM

Anna was born and raised in the Caucasus mountains. She started paragliding in 2007 and was instantly hooked. She is an interior designer by trade but has put her artistic life aside for now and made paragliding her life. Anna is working and traveling all over the world. She is a highly skilled media creator.

Anna Darchenkova

Sales agents

Blaise Brogan

Blaise Brogan

Sales Team Leader

blaise@flybgd.com

Blaise learned to fly in 2009 and soon after became involved in guiding and social media for PG/PPG brands. A former tree surgeon and windsurfing instructor he has always sought adventure. He works with RISE Paragliding in SIV and ACRO, and this role was instrumental in bringing about the EPIC FreeStyle. Blaise heads up BGD's sales team and looks after our UK sales.

Alex Schweig

Sales Austria and Germany

alex@flybgd.com

Born and raised in Peru but now based in the Austrian Alps, Alex is on a lifelong quest to discover and master all types of flying, from coastal soaring, to acro, hike and fly, and most recently, the Paragliding World Cup. An avid outdoor sportsman, he now manages BGD Sales in Austria where his colourful personality is a match for the most colourful brand out there!

Alex Schweig
Aritza Iruarrizaga

Aritza Iruarrizaga

Sales Spain

aritza@flybgd.com

Mountains have always been part of Aritza’s life. A mountain guide and paraglider pilot since 2009, he is now an instructor with his own school in Spain, Escuela Vasca de Parapente. His teaching approach is based on safety, techniques and a true understanding of flight. He is always striving to develop new equipment and training concepts. Aritza looks after BGD’s sales in Spain.

Benedikt Bös

Sales Germany PPG

benedikt@flybgd.com

Another medical man, orthopaedic technician and prosthetics-maker Bene was infected with the flying bug at the age of 16. Powered paragliding is the bug that has bitten the hardest, and Bene is an international competitor in classic and endurance paramotoring. He is also a PPG test pilot and has headed up BGD’s motor division since 2013.

Benedikt Bös
Claudia Riquelme

Claudia Riquelme

Sales Latin America

Claudia@flybgd.com

Claudia started paragliding in 1994, and since the beginning of the millennium has worked as a professional journalist and translator specialized in paragliding and paramotor. With a deep knowledge of the sport and the Spanish-spoken scene, she oversees our sales in Latin America.

David CHAUMET

Sales France

David@flybgd.com

David CHAUMET works with R&D, and runs a service center. He has been flying sailplanes, paragliders, hang gliders, and UL aircraft since 1989 and was part of the French hangliding and paragliding team from 2002 to 2008 winning several world championship podiums in class 5 hang gliders! He's specialized in composite materials and electrical engines for aeronautical applications. Check out his electric Swift and electric paraglider.

David CHAUMET
Kris Holub

Kris Holub

Sales USA

kris@flybgd.com

From Boulder, Colorado, Kris represents BGD for the sales team in North America. He left behind a career in robotics engineering to pursue full-time paragliding. Flying since 2015, he now uses his analytical background and personal passion to teach SIV and aro professionally. He also pursues race-to-goal competition, big air XC in the United States, and deep adventure vol-biv in Patagonia.

Masta (Francesco Delpiano)

Sales Italy

MASTA@FLYBGD.COM

Masta, born Francesco Delpiano, was infected with the paragliding virus in 2012 during a trip to Nepal. In 2018, thanks to his friend Malcom Deodati, he started flying under the colours of BGD. He lives with his partner Alessia and his son Theo in the north west of the Alps, works as a show technician and keeps an eye on sales for BGD. If he doesn't answer the phone he is probably smiling under the clouds or on a mountain take-off somewhere!

Masta (Francesco Delpiano)
Naveen Ravi

Naveen Ravi

Sales India

Naveen@flybgd.com

Born and raised in India, Naveen played competitive basketball until the age of 21. He discovered paragliding at 23, and XC then Acro soon followed. He has worked around the world in social media and completed a BA in International Business Management. Naveen is based in India for most of the year, but works in the UK at a paragliding school during India's monsoon season, and in Ölüdeniz for the same school teaching SIV and Acro.

Navid Saleki

International Paramotor Sales

navid@flybgd.com

Half Swedish, Half Iranian, Navid grew up in Sweden and has lived in many places. His background is in mechanical/business engineering, and he has been passionate about extreme sports since he started learning to ride a bicycle. After reaching the top in freestyle BMX riding he turned to the sky. After skydiving and paragliding, now his big passion is paramotoring. Navid is rooted in the paramotor and paratrike world.

Navid Saleki
Özlem and Sinan

Özlem and Sinan

Sales Turkey

caliskan@bruce-goldsmith.com

Özlem and Sinan met at university in 2010 – Özlem studied Chemistry, and Sinan Physics Engineering. Their shared passion for paragliding brought them together, and they started their careers together as instructors at the Turkish Aeronautical Association (THK) before relocating to Ölüdeniz. Sinan loves both XC and Acro, and is in the Turkish National Cross-country Team; Özlem focuses on her passion for creating engaging content that shares the beauty and thrill of the paragliding world.

Raphael Laghi

Sales Brazil

raphael@flybgd.com

Coming from a family of pioneering pilots in Brazil, Flying is part of Raphael's DNA. He has been flying paragliders and paramotors since 2008 and works as an instructor and tandem pilot in Sri Lanka and Europe. He is passionate about XC across Brazil and paramotoring over the Amazon. Raphael knows our paramotor range well and is our international paramotor sales guy.

Raphael Laghi
Val Tanniger

Val Tanniger

Sales Switzerland

valentin@flybgd.com

Valentin has been flying since the age of 21, first on planes, then moving to paragliders, drawn to it by the simplicity of an aircraft in a bag you can hike with. He loves flying vol-biv with friends, or combining it with skiing or biking – he is an avid cyclist. He studied geomorphology and is cares deeply about our environment.

Yan Chen

Sales Southeast Asia

yan@flybgd.com

Yan discovered paragliding while in Nepal in 2012, a life-changing experience that led to her quitting her management consultancy career to pursue her love of free-flight. With a background in journalism and public communication, Yan is now a paragliding freelance writer and Chinese interpreter / translator, sometimes she’s even the Chinese commentator / host in flying events. Yan currently lives in Spain, and looks after BGD’s southeast Asia sales.

Yan Chen