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Event info

The number of spots reserved on July 1st will determine how many tugs we will have at Big Spring. If we have only 9 pilots “confirmed,” as is the case now, Gregg might be the only tug pilot there.


Pay $250 entry fee here: http://ozreport.

Expand page for more details

Flying site

Big Spring, one of the best cross country hang gliding competition flying sites in the world, is located in the Texas panhandle, USA. We usually fly big distances every day at Big Spring so be prepared physically.

Expand page for more details
Go to Pilot List
  • 125 Pilots max allowed
  • 5 Countries presented
  • 🏆 FAI Status = CAT 2 🏅
  • left before start of event

Prize funds and scoring categories

  • Open Class
  • Sport Class
  • Women's Class
  • Rigid Class
  • Swift Class

Event info

The number of spots reserved on July 1st will determine how many tugs we will have at Big Spring. If we have only 9 pilots “confirmed,” as is the case now, Gregg might be the only tug pilot there.


Pay $250 entry fee here: http://ozreport.com/2019BigSpringpay.php

Sign waivers: http://ozreport.com/onlinewaivers.php
or: http://ozreport.com/waivers.php

Click "View more" below (if there)

The 17th Big Spring Nationals, site of the 2007 World Hang Gliding Championship, the finest cross country hang gliding competition site in the World. Big Tasks (world records), smooth thermals, unrestricted landing areas, easy retrieval on multiple roads, consistent cumulus development at 1 PM, air conditioned head quarters, hanger for setup, free water and ice cream, welcome dinner, live tracking, many drivers available, strong safety record, highest pilot satisfaction rating.
Also easy airport access to Midland-Odessa airport, inexpensive accommodations, plentiful infrastructure (restaurants), great community support, superb meet director.

Practice, Check-in and Welcome on Saturday, August 10th.

Live tracking with Flymaster trackers provided.

The competition is USHPA and CIVL sanctioned so USHPA NTSS and CIVL WPRS points will be awarded

Maximum 125 pilots.

Helpful Instructions: http://ozreport.com/2019BigSpringhelpful.php

• Daily Prizes
• Event Tee-shirt
• Medical Emergency Service
• Food and drink for Competition Opening/Ceremony
• Brunch During Prize-giving Ceremony
• Separate mobile sized web page with organizer contact information
• Weaklinks
• Flymaster Tracker
• Live Tracking
• On-line Turnpoint Coordinates
• On-line airspace file
• On-line task maps
• Free Wi-Fi
• Weather Briefing on Pilots’ Phones
• Task Sent to Pilots’ Phones
• Access to Professional Retrieval Coordinators (Retrieval Goddess’s Retrieval Service)
• Hangar space for setup
• Free ice cream
• Free bottled water
• Use of an air-conditioned terminal/headquarters
• Port-a-potties
• Golf cart retrieval for landing near launch
• Lunch concession
• Pilot goody bags
• Help with finding accommodations

Flying site

Big Spring, one of the best cross country hang gliding competition flying sites in the world, is located in the Texas panhandle, USA. We usually fly big distances every day at Big Spring so be prepared physically. This is not Europe.

Big Spring, the county seat of Howard County, is at the "crossroads" of Interstate Highway 20, U.S. Highway 87, State Highway 350, Farm Road 700, and the Missouri Pacific line. The City is in a rocky gorge where the northern limit of the Edwards Plateau and the southern most hills of the Caprock converge. It is named for the "big spring" in Sulphur Draw, a historical watering place for coyotes, wolves, and herds of buffalo, antelope, and mustangs.

The McMahon Wrinkle Airport, formerly Webb AFB, has a ten thousand foot main runway and additional taxis ways.

The region consists of 904 square miles with a population density of 37.20 residents per square mile compared to a statewide density of 79.54. Howard County and Big Spring are located in an area where three ecological regions merge. To the north and east are the western Rolling Plains; to the south is the Edwards Plateau; and to the west are the southern High Plains (also known as the Llano Estacado or the Staked Plains).
When we are there in August it is normally dry although there are occasional thunderstorms. The prevailing winds are out of the south, but August winds are normally calmer than other summer months. Cumulus clouds appears almost every day at about noon.

We only fly at Big Spring during the competition in early August. Cloudbase varies from 7,000’ MSL to 12,000’. Elevation at Big Spring is 2,500’. Thermals are normally 300 to 600 fpm (your climb rate), although they can be 900 – 1000 fpm. The prevailing wind is south, but we come for the light winds and hope to do mostly closed tasks.
The inversion breaks around noon and we don’t start launching until we see the cu’s forming. Thermal activity lasts through 7 PM. We’ll normally start the tasks at 2 PM.

The reason why Big Spring is often called the best cross country hang gliding competition flying site in the world is proven by several record made there. For Example:

The longest task ever called and made in a competition was flown there with five pilots making goal – 215 miles (346 km).

The 100 km out and return world record rigid wing: http://www.fai.org/fai-record-file/?recordId=7858
Type of record: Speed over an out-and-return course of 100 km
Performance: 51.42 km/h
Date: 2003-08-02
Course/Location: Big Spring, TX (USA)
Claimant Davis Straub (USA)
Hang glider: AIR Atos C


Take off - 2,573 feet ASL - 32°13'5.93"N, 101°31'32.42"W
Winds: Southerly 5 – 15 mph
It is located on the town airfield.
Take off method: Dragonfly aerotow. 1 pilot at a time.
Precautions: Stay west of the main runway. Don’t fly low over any of the prisons.

Landing - 2,500 feet ASL
There are plenty of places for landing in the area. Cotton fields, peanut fields, open plowed fields, grass and bushes in uncultivated areas. The towns are very spread out.

See flying site videos:
The 2007 Worlds:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9IapewHfEY

Spot Landings:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFyDADuSLeo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUfMbbhYPpk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KITzUrOTi_o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZX0RYTUybGk

Selection and entry fee

125 slots available. Sign up and pay early to reserve a spot.

Entry fee $250, Aerotow fee - $600 - due at check-in (If paid by PayPal there is an additional fee.)

Flex wing, Sport Class, Women's, Swift and Rigid wing classes.

Your waivers and payment here: http://ozreport.com/2019BigSpringpay.php

Aerotowing on the practice day is an additional $30/tow.

After the registration please follow your status on the Pilots tab. Here is an explanation of statuses:

Missing Requirements – Registered but we have not received (and reviewed) signed waivers and medical forms nor received payment.

Waiting for payment – Registered and received and reviewed signed waivers and medical form but not payment.

In progress – Registered and received payment but not signed (and reviewed) waivers and medical form.

Confirmed – Registered and received and reviewed signed waivers and medical form and payment.

Waiting list - (this is the default that Airtribune sets automatically when you register) probably we haven't yet set you as "Missing Requirements," which we do unless we see that you have done more than register. Otherwise the waiting list will be for pilots who are confirmed but not until after July 1st.

Pilots must be confirmed by July 1st. If not they will be moved to the waiting list (if confirmed) and allowed into the comp only as places are available.

Prize fund and scoring categories

Trophies as per USHPA rules.
Daily prizes are given out from the sponsors.
Depending on the number of entrants there may be prize money.

General schedule

Official Registration (check in): Saturday, August 10th, 10 AM – noon, 1 PM – 4 PM at the airport terminal

Welcome Dinner: Saturday, Saturday, August 10th, 7:30 PM.Location TBD.

Mandatory Safety Briefing: Sunday, August 11th, 10:00 AM at the terminal

Official training day: Saturday, August 10th

Contest flying days: Sunday, August 11th through Saturday, August 17th

Prize-giving & Closing Ceremony: Sunday, August 18th, 10 AM at designated hotel

The hours are subject to change. Any changes before the start of the competition will be posted on the website. After the start of the competition, changes will be announced by the Meet Director at the Team Leaders briefing and posted on the official board at headquarters.

Daily schedule

On training and competition days:
9 AM: Headquarters open
10 AM: Task and Safety Committee meetings
11 AM: Pilot briefing /Task briefing
12:30 PM: Take-off window opens:
7 PM: Scoring office opens
10 PM: Provisional results

The daily schedule is subject to change. Any changes to the schedule before the start of the competition will be posted on the website. After the start of the competition, changes will be announced by the Meet Director at the Team Leaders briefing.

Accommodation and Activities

Accommodations: http://ozreport.com/accommodations.php

More here: http://ozreport.com/pub/images/BigSpringHotelInformationTripAdvisorOrder.pdf

How to get here

Big Spring is in central Texas on the south end of the panhandle. The airport is on the west side of town. Go to the airport terminal.

Nearest commercial airport is Odessa-Midland about an hour away from Big Spring.

None
Big Spring, Texas United States

Plane

The nearest international airport is in Dallas.

Downloads

Waypoint files

Organizers

Belinda Boulter
Meet Director/Meet Organizer
Davis Straub
Meet Organizer

Contacts

Socials

Confirmed
Selected
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# Name Nation Sponsor Glider Status
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Men
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# Name Sponsor Glider
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Category Tagline Participant Email Phone Description Price
Please sign in and register before posting your own classifieds.

Tasks and results

Task 1

11 Aug, 2019

Class 1 — 139.7 km — Race to goal

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Task 1

11 Aug, 2019

Class 1 Sport — 69.9 km — Race to goal

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Task 1

11 Aug, 2019

Class 2 — 89.0 km — Race to goal

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Task 2

12 Aug, 2019

Class 2 — 166.6 km — Race to goal

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Task 2

12 Aug, 2019

Class 1 — 151.9 km — Race to goal

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Task 2

12 Aug, 2019

Class 1 Sport — 75.6 km — Race to goal

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Task 3

13 Aug, 2019

Class 1 — 99.4 km — Race to goal

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Task 3

13 Aug, 2019

Class 1 Sport — 39.7 km — Race to goal

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Task 3

13 Aug, 2019

Class 2 — 78.3 km — Race to goal

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Task 4

14 Aug, 2019

Class 1 — 118.0 km — Race to goal

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Task 4

14 Aug, 2019

Class 1 Sport — 58.3 km — Race to goal

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Task 5

15 Aug, 2019

Class 1 Sport — 32.8 km — Race to goal

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Task 5

15 Aug, 2019

Class 1 — 73.4 km — Race to goal

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Task 5

15 Aug, 2019

Class 2 — 92.2 km — Race to goal

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Task 6

16 Aug, 2019

Class 1 — 145.1 km — Race to goal

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Task 6

16 Aug, 2019

Class 1 Sport — 109.9 km — Race to goal

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Task 5

16 Aug, 2019

Class 2 — 240.4 km — Race to goal

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Task 7

17 Aug, 2019

Class 1 — 64.3 km — Race to goal

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Task 7

17 Aug, 2019

Class 1 Sport — 38.3 km — Race to goal

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Task 6

17 Aug, 2019

Class 2 — 83.6 km — Race to goal

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