How about heading for Australia when things get cold and dreary here in the northern hemisphere? The Australian organizers have put together a couple of great competitions (and there are additional competitions happening also) for January. They have made it so you can come to Australia after Christmas and enter two top flight competitions. And for those of you who can come early, they've got two additional top flight competitions.

http://www.hgfa.asn.au/Competition/compcalendar.htm

Canungra Classic 2007, 13 - 20 Oct 2007

The Canungra Classic happens in the tropics in the spring so the flying is likely to be good. It might be a little early for foreign pilots (but that didn't stop Chris Smith last year), but if you can get there it's a great start to the southern hemisphere flying season. You can see how it went last year here: http://www.ozreport.com/10.213#7

Gulgong Classic 2007, 18 - 24 Nov 2007

Billo and Airborne start off the early parts of the summer season with a really fun competition in the wine growing country west of Newcastle. They had spectacular conditions there last November, with pilots getting to 14,000'.

Forbes Flatlands (NATIONALS), 6 - 13 Jan 2008, (Practice Day 5th Jan)

Vicki Cain is putting on the Forbes Flatlands again with Drew Cooper as the meet director. We had a great time this year, and I look forward to having a great time next year. You can see how it went this year starting here: http://ozreport.com/11.002#0 and then click the right pointing red arrow at the top of this issue of the Oz Report to read the next issue.

You'll notice that the Forbes Flatlands start off the new year on the 5th. Gives you plenty of time to have Christmas with the family before abandoning them for your own selfish purposes.

Bogong Cup, 16 - 23 Jan 2008, (Practice Day 15th Jan)

Carol (organizer) and Heather (meet director) want us back to the foot hills of the Kiewa and Ovens valleys just to show that they can have great weather there after all (as we have had on so many days before). You can find out more than you've ever wanted to know about the Bogong Cup in any of the 310 Oz Report articles about it here.

NSW State Titles, (Manilla), 23 Feb - 3 Mar 2008

We "end" the season with the always exciting NSW State Titles that takes place at Mt. Borah near Manilla in northern New South Wales. We had a great time this year. You can read about it starting here: http://www.ozreport.com/11.024#6.

I tried with all my might to get the NSW Titles to happen "soon" after the Bogong Cup, but no luck there. That would have been a great marketing tool for these competitions. You could much more easily get foreign pilots to come for three top flight competitions (and bring their WPRS rankings to help up the value of these competitions) if they were close together. Now the NSW State Titles drops back to also ran status, in spite of having Jonny Durand and Lukas Bader.

I tried really hard to get the Australian meet organizers to think about the big picture. About marketing their country and its greatness to the rest of the world. I have to assume that they get it, but that other considerations are just more important to them (or somebody). Very disappointing to me. Maybe they just assume that folks can come and spend six months there (not a bad idea).

Our plan is to be there for the Gulgong Classic and the two competitions thereafter.

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