By Davis Straub
Well, it is all over! Storms have soaked the tow paddocks and made them
un-usable. The 11th world hang gliding championships have come to an end.
The Hang Gliding Federation of Australia hosted this competition. The next
World Hang Gliding Championships are to be held in Italy, in Montecucco.
Hang Gliding competitions using tow launch techniques have been conducted
in the Central West Plains of NSW since the early 1980's. A series of tow
launch competitions started in 1983 with a small number of competitors.
Over the years this towing competition (known as the Flatlands competition)
has grown in size to become the largest competition in Australia. The
competition in 1996 attracted 180 entrants of which 110 were from overseas.
In 1997 the competition had 173 entries with again, over 100 international
pilots.
Broad acre farm techniques are a feature of the agricultural activity in
the central west plains. Some fields are 3 kilometers long by 2.5
kilometers wide. Towing operations in fields such as this can allow up to
40 simultaneous launches using 40 individual tow strips. One group of tow
strips is established along the length of the field and a second group is
across the field to allow for a variety of wind directions.
The "Flatlands" competition has traditionally been conducted in the Forbes
Area in NSW using wheat fields after the harvest. The tow lanes have been
mown into the remaining stubble. The stubble provides a mechanism for
binding the topsoil together and minimizes soil erosion due to the towing
activity.
 In the summer of 1994/95 the majority of the eastern half of Australia was
subject to severe drought conditions. The lack of rain meant that the wheat
crop could not be planted in the Forbes area. As a consequence the fields
normally used for the competition were not available. An alternative venue
(at Hay some 300 km to the South West of Forbes) was used for the Flatlands
competition in January 1995. Although plagued by poor weather, (more rain
fell in the tow field in the first week of the competition than had fallen
in the two years prior), the Hay venue was a practical alternative in
challenging (!) conditions.
 The general consensus amongst experienced competition pilots after that
years "Flatlands" competition was that Hay could produce better flying
conditions for the World Championships, but pilots of lesser experience
would have more logistical problems at Hay than at Forbes and so the World
Championships was held in Forbes
The "Flatlands" competitions were initiated with the objective of
establishing tow launch methods in providing valid cross-country hang
gliding competitions. Competitors to date have used a variety of tow
launching systems (listed in order of increasing popularity) including:
-
Car tow - using fixed length lines,
- Aero tow - using Ultralight tugs and trikes
- Payout winches
- ATOL systems
- Static winches
The tow fields used are chosen so that towing operations using conventional
two wheel drive vehicles is practical. Competitors typically tow to 1000
feet AGL. Experienced pilots expect to get away (in lift) on the first tow
each day. The activity in the tow field ensures that there are usually
plenty of thermals in close proximity.
COUNTRY RESULTS
| Place |
Points |
Country |
| 1st | 37725 | Austria |
| 2nd | 36525 | Germany |
| 3rd | 35646 | Italy |
| 4th | 35150 | Australia |
| 5th | 34635 | United Kingdom |
| 6th | 34498 | United States of America |
| 7th | 33582 | France |
| 8th | 32828 | Switzerland |
| 9th | 31135 | Brazil |
| 10th | 29425 | Japan |
| 11th | 26620 | Czech Republic |
| 12th | 23425 | Sweden |
| 13th | 21301 | Spain |
| 14th | 20072 | Holland |
| 15th | 19674 | Hungary |
| 16th | 18431 | New Zealand |
| 17th | 18124 | Norway |
| 18th | 17428 | South Africa |
| 19th | 16475 | Canada |
| 20th | 9808 | Luxembourg |
| 21st | 9625 | Ukraine |
| 22nd | 9587 | Ireland |
| 23rd | 4062 | Slovenia |
| 24th | 3316 | Argentina |
| 25th | 3072 | Chinese Taipei |
Individual Results (First six placings)
| Place |
Name |
Glider |
Nation |
Points |
| 1 | Gehrmann,Guido | La Mouette Topless | GER | 10296 |
| 2 | Bondarchuk,Oleg | Aeros Stealth | UKR | 9625 |
| 3 | Ruhmer,Manfred | Icaro Laminar ST 14 | AUT | 9461 |
| 4 | Suchanek,Tomas | Moyes CSX 5 | CZE | 9331 |
| 5 | Tastet,Serge | Icaro Laminar ST 14 | FRA | 9221 |
| 6 | Heinrichs,Gerolf | Icaro Laminar ST 14 | AUT | 9030 |
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