05/09/2026
https://www.paraglidingforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=p84832
Dear all!
It is time to say thank you!
It is time to pay tribute to one of the greatest figures our sport has ever seen!
I am opening up a chapter of history here so that you all understand who has left us recently!
The DHV’s bold, unilateral move—taken against the wishes of all manufacturers—led to the founding of the PMA in 2007.
The DHV’s authoritarian leadership sought to secure the association’s monopoly through a shrewd strategic move.
All the manufacturers were opposed to it. The PMA wanted the EN: an internationally harmonized documentation system.
But we would all have lost that battle! The DHV board intended to secure the backing of the annual general meeting and then submit a draft of a new testing standard to the LBA (Federal Aviation Office)—purportedly "agreed upon by all parties"—that was designed solely to differ from the EN!
The board had already largely won the delegates over to their side.
But there was one person they hadn't reckoned with: Toni Bender!
When Toni stood up and laid out the manufacturers' position, the whole situation turned around!
He was the hero to all the pilots present. He was the "all-time champion," the film star, and the very first professional test pilot.
—and ultimately, *he* was the most powerful and influential man in the room!
The LBA was informed of the manufacturers' opposition. It instructed the DHV to "consult" with the manufacturers. The round table was established, the EN standard was revived, and—eventually—both the DHV's monopoly and the old LTF system were abolished.
Toni Bender was not only the first test pilot under the LTF system; he was also a member of Working Group 6 from the very beginning and played a decisive role in the ultimate breakthrough of the EN standard!
Typical of Toni, he never made a big deal out of it.
But in effect, Toni Bender was the father of paraglider tests as we know them today.
I was always a huge fan of his!
Thank you, Toni!
