HGFA Skysailor Magazine

SKY SAILOR 3 March | April 2018 T aking place between 29 December 2017 and 5 January 2018, the Forbes Flatlands Hang Gliding Championships saw over 60 pilots from Australia and across the globe participate in an event that has seen over 20 championships during its impressive 30-year history. “Forbes Flatlands is one of my favourite competitions around the globe as it consistently provides great weather and racing conditions,” acknowledged renowned Pre-World Cup winner Jonny Durand Jnr who achieved second place. “It’s the biggest competition on the Australian circuit and plays host to many of the world’s best pilots who travel far to fly in what is considered one of the best competitions.” The eight-day competitive event saw 30 Aussie pilots compete and conveniently took place at ‘Bill’s Paddock’, north of ‘Bill Moyes International Airport’. Being a comparatively locally based pilot, hang gliding veteran Guy Hubbard can proudly admit to having competed at every single Forbes Flatlands during its three-decade history. Therefore, he can certainly be considered somewhat of an authority. “Forbes is a marathon compared to most competitions,” considers Guy. “There were fantastic conditions this year and it was one of the best Forbes I’ve been involved in as far as those conditions go. The tasks were all good, especially with 17 pilots making goal on the 400-km task, which was completed in a really fast time too. Overall I was very pleased with my performance.” Other pilots considered the tough and challenging weather conditions and positively acknowledged that it occasionally took them to breaking point. “Forbes is, in a good way, a very challenging competition and it was probably getting toward the upper limits of what I could handle,” admits pilot Tony Armstrong who has now completed his third Forbes Flatlands event. “Definitely, the highlight was making the goal on the longest task day. It was incredible to actually break that distance. The vistas when you get over 12,000ft, where you’re jumping from cloud to cloud, were pretty incredible and it was also incredible to actually break that distance. Overall, it had some of the most challenging conditions I’ve ever experienced in my time.” The undeniable highpoint for fellow pilot Josh Woods was achieving a podium place. “I came third place so that was a highlight for sure and I was really glad to get onto the podium as it’s a big competition,” he says. “We flew a massive task to Manilla; it was 388km and I made it! It was my personal best distance, so it was pretty amazing to beat that. Flying up into the clouds and getting to 12,000ft was pretty spectacular.” Josh does admit though that the weather conditions were some of the most demanding that he ever experienced. “It was great for going hard and racing and just being in the air – there were big sinkholes, so the thermals were quite strong and a bit of a vario rise sometimes. However, I like them like that!” he laughs. “A 1,500ft/min climb… it’s pretty extraordinary when you’re going up that fast and once you hit a few thousand feet, you can physically see yourself climbing into the sky!” As a hang gliding location, Josh looks back at Forbes Flatlands fondly, particularly for its handsome natural vistas. “It’s just an amazing place for flying. The little hills there, the great landing paddocks and just the overall layout of the land you fly over is simply amazing with that extraordinary tapestry of colours.” The Forbes Eye View The biggest competition on the Australian circuit, the 24th Forbes Flatlands Hang Gliding Championships brought out the best in its enthusiastic Aussie pilots, who were happy to divulge their personal experiences. Visiting Pilot Membership Those pilots requiring a Visiting Pilot Membership please go to [www.hgfa.asn.au] and select: HGFA Office Manager Forbes 2016 gaggle Photo: Courtesy Moyes Gliders