Competition

This page lists a variety of resources available regarding competition flying, from the competition calendar, to the national ladder. There are also other club based competitions - best to contact your local club for more information.

  Competition News HGFA Competition Committee  
  Competition Calendar HGFA Competition Organisers Handbook (word .doc)  
  Competition Results Competition Manual (.pdf file)  
  National Ladders  
  National Records FAI Sport Licence Listing  

Competing in FAI Sanctioned Events?

 

You Need to be on the FAI Sport Database

From January 2009 FAI Sporting Licences will only be valid if the name of the holder appears on the central FAI database. Your points awarded at sanctioned events will not be counted unless you are registered.

 

To register in the FAI Central Database you need to provide details on yourself using the FAI Sport Licence Form.

The form is made up of a number of fields. All fields must be completed.

The form will not be valid if there is no:

    signature;

    date; or

    HGFA number

 

Most fields are self explanatory however the following are clarified:

Licence Number (HGFA number)

Licence valid from (Date sent to HGFA Office)

Licence valid to (Expiry date of Current HGFA membership)

 

NOTE: The Sport Licence is only valid for the term of current HGFA membership and must be renewed by submitting a new form upon renewal of your HGFA membership.

 

SANCTION FORM

 
  Sanction application form apologies for the return to word files  
there was just too much spam coming thru the online version.
  Technical matters Scoring, ranking and GPS info  
     
 

History of the Australian HG Open

 
  History of the Australian PG Open  
     
  Competition Mailing List  
  Competition Links Page  
     
   FAI Fédération Aéronautique Internationale  
   CIVL Commission Internationale de Vol Libre  

Why compete?
One really popular aspect of hang gliding and paragliding is competition flying. This not only lets you see how good you are compared to the next pilot, but also lets you improve your skills by learning from the better pilots' techniques.

And in case you've only just got your license, don't worry - there are lots of different kinds of competition, so you won't be asked to fly against world champions the same week you finish your beginner's course. Many clubs hold really basic challenges that absolutely anybody can enter and win, but they do provide an insight into how competitions are run, and how to learn from other more experienced pilots. At the other end of the scale the top class pilots earn their living from being professional comp pilots, and travel the world doing what they love best while being paid for it. What a life - but you have to be very good!

Competition flying usually asks the pilots to complete a set route, or task. This is either a straight line to a set destination, or a circuit of several points that have to be visited in order. Points are gained by getting there first, by being more accurate flying over the turn points than the other pilots, or by flying farther if that is what the task demands. Generally, competitions are held over several days to allow fluke wins and tricky weather conditions to be evened out over a period of time. So skill will always come out on top. Tasks are checked or validated by using cameras to take photos of the places visited, or by using GPS waypoint marking - but both these obviously demand extra equipment and flying skill the absolute beginner may not have. Once the pilot has done well enough in a number of local competitions, they may be selected represent Australia and to fly overseas and in international competitions.

Club and social competitions are generally less demanding and often include things like spot landing accuracy, glide distance attempts and even fancy dress too. Some bigger clubs hold competitions against each other - these are a good stepping stone to the more serious events if you fancy mixing it with the top gun flyers but don't want to enter a top level competition.

For most competitions, you will need a current model wing (flying in a really old or ragged out wing won't really prove anything), a camera, and a vario. Many also stipulate a reserve parachute and a UHF radio, and some require you to have a retrieve driver and car as well to fetch you from wherever you end up. All this does mean a bit of extra outlay if you intend to become a serious competition pilot. But for end of the day talk, and for hearing endless stories of narrow escapes and amazing flying feats (sometimes imaginary, sometimes real) there is nothing like a competition. Give one a try and see how much your flying improves.

 

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