The UK hang gliding comps committee are very keen to encourage new blood into the comp scene, and so the British Open series comp that is to be held in Crickhowell, SE Wales from 1 – 5 May will feature a new sports class, aimed at pilots who are new to or inexperienced in competitions. It will be run alongside the main competition though with simpler tasks with the focus on improving cross country and competition skills in a relatively stress free environment.

British Champion and Worlds team member Grant Crossingham has kindly agreed to act as mentor, and will be available to offer advice and coaching for the tasks throughout the weekend. In addition, there will be a series of lectures from top pilots should the weather prove inclement, or after flying if the forecast is good. There will also be a retrieve system in place with a dedicated driver and vehicle, included in the sport class entry fee.

Who can enter? All entrants must be pilot rated (to allow them to go XC) and be new, or relatively new to the British Open Series. Entrants do not need a ‘hot ship’ to compete – king posted gliders will probably be the norm for the sports class, but there is no restriction on flying a topless. A radio, vario and a GPS are required. If anyone considering entering does not have a GPS, there are a couple available to borrow for the event – please make a note on your entry form to that effect.

The cost will be £50 per pilot, plus the costs of the diesel used in the retrieve vehicle. A competition T-shirt, dinner during the Open Series social evening and mentoring by a British Team member are included in the entry fee.

The entry form will appear on the Open Series Web site, http://bhgc. wikidot.com/ so keep your eyes open! For further information please contact Steve Penfold on 07770 897419

Related posts:

• Tony Stephens wins hang gliding British Open Series 2010 Tony Stephens has flown his Aeros Combat to overall victory in the hang gliding British Open Series 2010....
• Sport Class (HG) Open The setting for this year’s HG Worlds, Laragne in the Hautes-Alpes, France, is also the playground of choice for a...
• British Paragliding Open series 2010 dates This year the BHPA will be holding the two legs of the British Open in the Soca valley, Slovenia and...
• XC-Open World Series 2012: registration open Pilot registration for the first two 2012 XC-Open World Series competitions is open ...
• XC Open World series 2009 is over 7 September 2009 saw the final day of the Piedrahita round of the XC Open World series, completing not only...
• XC Open World Series 2011: Portugal Martin Muller won the XC Open in Portugal with a 225km best flight...
• Bruce Kavanagh wins British Hang Gliding Open Bruce Kavanagh (Wills Wing T2) took first place in the first round of the British Open Series at the Long...
• Godfrey Wenness wins XC Open World Series 2011 Godfrey Wenness and Petra Zelwegger have won the 2011 XC Open World Series ...

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 12th, 2009 at 9:49 am and is filed under News. You can follow any comments on this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.