Oz Report

The scooter tow clinics

200+ tows, and 50 instructor/students (Blue Sky, Virginia)

Steve Wendt <blueskyhg> writes:

The Blue Sky/Wills Wing scooter clinics in Florida at the Florida Ridge and Wallaby Ranch went well and were a big success.  We put over 50 people through the clinics with no mishaps.  I spent twelve days on the road completing them and had participants from all over the US and Canada, as well as Ecuador, Mexico, Guatemala, Norway and the Netherlands.  Everyone enjoyed the new video that Wills Wing had produced by Ryan Voight, and the presentation of the materials.

Thanks again for your support on these matters and I hope there is continued support for more of these clinics sponsored by Wills Wing and hopefully the USHPA.

We've planted the seeds, now let's hope it grows and bears fruit!

Discuss Scooter tow at the Oz Report forum

Paragliders doing a small triangle record

No one tried to do this before (Plaine-Joux, Passy, France)

FAI sends:

Female paraglider pilot
Speed over a triangular course of 25 km
Plaine Joux (France)
24.12 km/h
Fiona MacASKILL (UK)
Advance Omega 6
17.04.2007
Current record : no record set yet

Discuss FAI record at the Oz Report forum

HANG-ON Hang gliding Competition

It is going forward (Sugar Hill west launch)

MPH Sports <mphsports> writes:

Lakeview, Oregon, July 22-28, 2007

We here at MPH SPORTS are excited to bring you HANG-ON and it is shaping up to be a great hang gliding event!  As the organizers of successful competitions, we have the experience to make this a terrific HG comp.

For those of you who don’t know me, I am a hang glider pilot (30+ years), a para pilot, a private pilot, and a glider pilot.  I have entered many competitions over the years and I understand what makes a great comp.  I have always said that a sanctioned competition is the best environment to sharpen pilot skills, attain new information and grow as a pilot in a short amount of time.  Where else can you weigh your decision-making skills against so many other pilots (some better than you) that are trying to achieve the same goal?  Competitions are where I have had my biggest jumps in my flying skills and SOME OF THE MOST FUN!

HANG-ON will be a sanctioned hang gliding event modeled after the successful format developed by MPH SPORTS for Rat Race paragliding competition.  To date, Rat Race is the most successful ongoing US PG competition ever.  Last year, it sold out (110 pilots) in less than 48 hours, four months before the event.  The success of the event is largely due to the strong competition organization, pilot participation and mentoring program.

The goal for Hang-On is to provide a safe and educational training environment in the competition arena.  To achieve this, MPH SPORTS has rented a great headquarters with multimedia and wifi at the fairgrounds in Lakeview.  The HQ will be used as a meeting room, classroom and party room.

At HANG-ON headquarters, we will have GPS training before the competition.  Pilots can also expect to have classroom training time in the evenings and as weather permits.  As with the success of the Rat Race, we will encourage experienced pilots to participate in the training and sharing of knowledge.  We will promote a mentoring program that pairs more experienced comp.  Pilots will those who are not as experienced.

Lakeview, itself, is infamous for being a great hang gliding destination.  It is known as the

“Hang Gliding Capitol of the West”.  The Lakeview locals love pilots and the flying conditions are great at that time of year.  The LZ’s are big.  The terrain itself lends itself to pilots of different skill levels.  Therefore, there will be different categories for rigid, flex, sport, and single surface.  We intend to have tasks that are appropriate for each group - tasks that are both do-able and fun.  Since “Hang on” requires a H3 rating with turbulence and XC endorsements, I will be in Lakeview a week before the competition in the roll of observer to sign off pilots in special skills.

HANG-ON event organization will be top notch and promises many perks that you do not receive at other competitions.  My wife Gail has organized five Rat Race comps and loves doing it.  For HANG-ON, she is partnering with the Lakeview Chamber of Commerce and together they have planned great pilot parties with food and live music.

SO, in conclusion, the shirts and trophies are already ordered.  The scorekeeper is booked.  Other than typical weather, the only thing left to make this an amazing event is you.  Please help us spread the word!  Go to http://mphsports.com or http://hangoncomp.com and sign up.

Better yet, sign up and bring a friend.  They will thank you later.

Discuss Hang On at the Oz Report forum

Canungra Record Challenge

(This topic is in: Apr.25 Mar.22 Dec.19'05 -> )

A wee bit of bad weather at first. (Canungra, Australia)

raef mackay <raefon72> writes:

Well the Canungra Record Challenge has finished and turned out to be great fun.  The bad weather from Manilla slowed us down as well and we lost a few weeks however the sun came out and the sky around Canungra was once again filled with gliders. 

It wasn't easy getting the big days some pilots got over the 100km a few times but the air on the other side of the range shut them down. 

Our best overall pilot was Warren Simmonsen, who applied himself early and was prepared for the competition, with pre determined tasks.  Our runners up were Trevor Purcel second place.  Brandon Odonell Third, Brandon was our only para glider entrant and managed to get away from the crowd with a 130km flight past Towoomba.

In all I've had good feed back from pilots stating they haven't done a comp that requires so many triangles and out returns as these are the biggest point scorers and I am expecting a bigger crowd next year.

Discuss Canungra at the Oz Report forum

Flytec Race of Champions, Day Two

From heroes to zeros, and vice versa (Quest Air)

The flight and the task.

Those who are first shall be last and shall be eliminated.  It's a cruel world, but it's a fair world.  Only Primoz survives among the top three finishers yesterday after today's race.  And he who crashed on the first day got first on the second.

The forecast called for 10 knot east winds turning more east southeast around 5 PM.  The top of the lift and cloud base was predicted to be 6,200' and the lift was forecasted at 600 fpm falling to 500 fpm at 5 PM.  Looked like a good day.

The wind was a concern, but it looked like there would be real clouds so that would help us get upwind.  We called at 95 km (paraglider) task out and return, upwind to the south east to the grass strip on highway 27 at Gore, just north of Davenport, and back to Quest. 

There was talk later of a tougher task, a triangle, but that fell through in discussions at the staging line with intimations from Mikey Barber that the sea breeze would come through from the east and shut it down.  I don't know why I listen to Mikey and his sea breeze talk.  He never seems to get it right.

I took off first a few minutes after 1 PM hoping to get way way upwind and to run down highway 27.  It was an hour and fifteen minutes before the start window opened at 2:15.  The others took off shortly therefore, but no one joined me 7 miles out (2 miles upwind of the start circle) near 27 over Claremont.  I just stayed at cloud base for the next hour.

With no one joining me I should have realized that this strategy was not going to work.  I was going to be on my own and that is no way to fly fast, especially upwind.  Speaking of wind, the wind was already southeast as I headed over Claremont between the lakes. 

I didn't see any other pilots but they were gaggling up inside the start circle to the south along the course line nine kilometers away from where I was circling.  David Guiducci and another pilot were circling just outside the circle.  This came back and bit David when he didn't come back inside the start circle enough and missed the start time.

The pilots were all bunched up and high when the start window opened and they were off to the races.  I was way to their east and never saw them.

The gaggle flew together and made the course in an hour and forty five minutes flying under cloud streets.  Four pilots made it back to the goal line within one second of each other, but David was eliminated as he didn't get his start time.

Gugga won the day after crashing on the first day.  Nene was second and Paris was third.  They came in with just enough space between each other side to side.  Almost every one made it back to Quest.  I came back much later having flown the task on my own.  There was a convergence line pretty much from Wallaby to Clermont and it was easy just to stay under it on the way home.

The race is on for tomorrow with the ten remaining pilots.  It looks like a day to try to set the distance record so Bo and I will be trying for it. 

I have called a tentative task for the remaining ten - Avon Park and back.  218 km.  A ten mph head wind going down there.  Noon start window.

Discuss Flytec at the Oz Report forum

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