FIVL president Luca Basso writes on 08 Aug 2011:
Yesterday the Italian Paragliding Championship (FAI2) concluded. It is very important to report you what has happened because it was the first important high level competition with certified glieders.
Only CERTIFIED GLIDERS WAS ADMITTED.
THE NUMBERS:
- 132 pilots
- 5 valid tasks for 321,7 total kilometers performed
- Total flight time medium for any pilot: about 25 hours (the start time flown must be added – about 35/45 minuts for any task)
- about 3500 total flight hours (all pilots considered)
RESCUE PARACHUTE LAUNCHING: ZERO
INCIDENTS IN FLY: ZERO
PILOTS PRECIPITATE IN GROUND/TREES: ZERO
SAFETY PROBLEMS: ZERO
PILOTS INJURED: 1 pilot in take off area that was dragged in the field by wind in the take off area in inflating his glider (wind in take off from 15km/h with to 25 km/h when gusts arrived).
FLIGHT CONDITIONS: The conditions were not easy (in two tasks some pilots called "level 2" and one pilot called "level 3"). The take off was windy and even some parts of competition field (many pilots entered in downwinds each day or landed without consequences in downdwinds). The tasks were run in mountain conditions and even in the flat lands and little hills in front of mountains. So the test was quite complete. Good thermal activity (from +2 to +5/6 an smoother conditions in the flat). In some parts (not every day) pilots were in medium/strong turbulence because of the fact that a strong thermal activity (bowls) gathered with wind.
GENERAL COMMENT:
The Italian championship was a very significant test for serial class competitions (five days – not banal flight conditions, many km run, many flight hours, different conditions from strong to smooth).
We did not have any (!) problem of accidents, no parachute launching. The atmosphere was relaxed for safety, and pilot did not have significant problems with safety even if the flight conditions were not so easy. In a task or two the take off conditions were considered borderline but manageable by pilots.
The competition was very exciting for sport (continuous and daily changes in the classifications of pilots). Most pilots had experienced the effective sensations to have the chance to win any task (task n. 5 was won by a pilot from Sicily with a Poison-Skywalk that was not so experienced in competitions).
ABOUT WINGS
Pilots say that serial class wing move more and close more. But they have no problems in control. Some collapses happened (one important about 80% after take off when the pilot was about 40/50 m. over ground – underwind because the wind in take off for about 1 minute has suddenly rotate) but any glider could be manged by pilots. Wings demonstrate to be safe in case of difficult landing in "venturi" zone or underwind zones with medium/strong wind.
MY PERSONAL COMMENT
The Italian Championship demonstrate that we can run competitions with serial class at a high level. The best pilots (as Donini, Vitale, Biasi, Littamè, Vitale & C.) in any case were in the first positions in any task and they could play their chances to win the task or the competition. SPORT AND SAFETY WON THE CHAMPIONSHIP.
Many many pilots are very happy to fly in competitions with serial class (only a group of about 10 pilots, or less, are still convinced that the open class is better). I heard many comments by pilots and in most cases the pilots are strongly convinced that the championship was really better with serial class and not only for safety, even for fun and sport. Many pilots with their new R11-Icepeack-boom8, where happy to have leaved home their new two liners. Their left home their anxiety with their 2 liners. They say they enjoined much better the competition and use their mind to strategy because the mind was free from anxiety and for strong focalization in controlling the glider. They verified that competitions with serial class are as technical as competitions with open class (in strategy), but absolutely safer. They had much fun!
Even some top-pilots have experienced that "serial class" is better than actual open class.
Many pilots of "second" or "third group" say that they could fly with champions and so they learned more "how to fly in competitions".
CONCLUSION
I personally think that in paragliding (and of course hang gliding) the most important think is "the mind of any pilot". The new rules changed the pilot's paragliders but not the pilot's mind. So the better pilots are still the better. Nothing changed in the pilots values. Something important changed in safety.
I do not forget that many people from home could see the competition with "live traking" and they enjoined.
Most of all we are very happy because accidents are devasting for the image of paragliding: for the first time in the last 2 or 3 years we had a competition with the newspaper, television, media that have described our sport and not our injuries!
Regards
Luca Basso president FIVL |
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