Vicki Cain <<email>> writes:

The Forbes Flatlands Hang Gliding Championships is on again next year 2009. The tentative dates are as follow:

Dates: Practice Day Friday 2^nd January 2009

Competition Dates: Saturday 3^rd January – Sunday 11^th

9 Days allowing for 1 rest day

This year most pilots flew an average of between 30 – 40 hours.

Next year will be offering different categories to encourage all pilots to come and try the Forbes flying and towing experience.

Open Class Category (aimed at pilots who are looking to get on their national teams, or close to it. The top twenty on any national ladder.)

A Class Category – For pilots that have never been in the top 100 WPRS (CIVL world ranking system: http://civlrankings.fai.org/?a=326&ladder_id=1. Same tasks at the Open Class. Scored together with the Open class, but singled out for recognition.)

Sport Class – Shortened Task - GPS required - Open to all gliders (For less competition experienced pilots who want to learn more and stretch themselves with less than herculean tasks. Launching a bit later than Open and A Classes to get the better part of the day for the shorter task.)

Club Class - Duration and spot landing – Open to all gliders (For pilots who want to learn to aerotow, would like some extra attention and help, want to practice their thermaling and landing skills and hang with the big dogs. Launching after Sport Class. Must land before sunset.)

Aerotow endorsement course or aerotow training available every morning starting at 9 am

Competition Fees $200

Aerotow Fees $350

Book your place by entering online at http://www.moyes.com.au/forbes2009.

$200 competition fees must be paid by the 25^th November, 2008 to secure your place. Entries will close 25^th November 2008. Any unpaid entries will be deleted from the list. We are going to strongly enforce this policy this year so we can be sure to have enough tugs for towing. Tow fees to be paid at registration in cash only.

Every pilot must register before going to the airport on the practice day. Registration will start at 9 am at the Vandenberg Hotel.

Volunteers are welcome, for pilots, we can make arrangements so you can work for free fly tows and lunch. Jobs include launch marshal, dolly running, tow lane set up, and hangar handyman (includes getting yelled at by Bill).

Vicki and Bill Moyes have a great idea here to open up the Forbes Flatlands experience to a lot more pilots who might have shied away from it given its heavy emphasis on World class level competition with so many pilots coming from Europe and the US. These top experienced pilots really enjoy coming to Forbes because of the great long distance (and triangle and out and return) cross country flying, but they do kind of push aside the Australian pilots and sort of take over their competition.

Now you can fly at the Forbes Flatlands and don't have to feel that you have to compete against all the top pilots in the world as though it were the Worlds. Look at the four competitions above and see where you feel like competing. The first two will fly the same big World Class tasks. But the pilots opting for A Class will also be divided out (in addition to being scored together) for their own ranking against each other.