The 2010 - Paramotor Flight Challenge    

will run over three months, starting 1 March 2010 and ending 30 May 2010.

• All PPG pilots across South Africa are welcome to participate
• No entry fee for participants!
• Prizes up for grabs
• It’s a fun challenge intended to boost confidence & skill levels of pilots by exploring new fields, doing flight planning & navigation.
• Fly with a buddy, in groups, or solo, just as long as you have fun doing so.
  

• Twenty points for each launch commencing a flight.
• An additional Twenty points for your FIRST launch from any field during the challenge.
• Two points for each km flown (measured straight line from takeoff to landing, or via turn points)
• Twenty points for each landing after at least one leg of 5km flown.
• An additional Twenty points for your FIRST landing at a field during the challenge.
  

• Best total score. (Overall & Novice)
• Best single flight (Overall & Novice)
• Best top 5 flight average (Overall & Novice)
• Most distance covered (Overall & Novice)
• Most fields visited (Overall & Novice)
• 
  
  • (Novice = Pilot that has not participated in any competitions or challenges before)
    

Some basic rules on how to build up your score
(Please print this page and keep with your flying gear, to refer to as required.)  

1. NB! For any flight to qualify you need at least one of the following
   
   1. If returning to the same field. Cover a minimum of 5km to a turn point before returning to land.
   2. If flying to a new field to land. If fields are 5km or more apart fly straight line, if fields are less than 5km apart then fly two legs of more than 5km via turn point before landing at new location
      
2. Distances for scoring are measured straight line between fields and/or turn points.
3. Valid turn points are: Any airfield, airstrip, helipad, paragliding site (either take-off or the landing), any major geographical or topographical feature which can be spotted from a distance without the aid of a GPS (mountain peaks, major road, rail, river, or coast intersections), PPG fields, etc.
4. In order to claim a turn point, you must fly clearly AROUND the turn point. It must fall within your GPS tracklog. So if you are approaching a turn point that will require a Left-turn towards the next turn point, go around the right-hand side of the turn point. This is most important... if you fly 50km to a turn point, and another 40km from that turn point, but you miss the trumping by only 50 meters, you will score a direct line from the previous to the turn point following after the one you missed, which could cost you valuable lost score (and time).
5. You may fly via flying fields as turn points without landing there, distance will be measured via the turn points en-route.
6. Fields may be used as turn points as often as you wish but each leg must be at least 5km long.
7. You must be on the ground at each field for a MINIMUM of 60 seconds and put the wing down! No touch and go's will score!
8. To continue scoring for the same flight, a MAXIMUM time on the ground between landing & takeoff  is 10min. Should you spend more time on the ground before take off, scoring for a new flight will start.
9. Refuelling means the end of your score for that flight. Thus a scoring flight would be as far as you can go with standard or extended fuel tanks without refuelling.
10. GPS, compass and/or maps may be used.
11. All correct radio procedures to be followed.
12. Airspace restrictions to be honoured.
13. Acquire prior permission where required (private land, active airfields, etc)
14. Flights may be undertaken in group loose formations (to have a buddy nearby) or solo.
15. Each pilot scores individually, even if you fly in a group.
16. You may have surface support for recovery from your final destination or unplanned out landings, also to transport fuel for you.
17. Evidence of each flight required.
    
    1. Preferably GPS tracklog
    2. Signed witness verifications, accompanied by digital pictures and marked up map.
       

• All established airports, airfields, airstrips, helipads, etc, etc except those that require transponders. (OBTAIN PERMISSION BEFOREHAND from private owners, airport managers, etc)
• Established (unpowered) Paragliding takeoffs or nearby landings - choose only One per site i.e. EITHER the takeoff on top of the hill, OR the paragliding landing field at the bottom, not both! Keep safety in mind.  Please respect unpowered paragliders, remain well clear and engine off or idling while in the lift-band.
• Established PPG flying fields
• Any other fields you consider suitable for flying PPG in terms of safety, topography, permission required, proximity to buildings, power lines, roads, etc and most notably, absence of built up area to fly over safely. Lawn farms would make great additions, as would beaches (away from the public), sports fields and country clubs (with permission of course).
• NB! To qualify as a “field” the area has to be accessible by car to within at least 50 meters.
  

• Name of field (if its not an airfield and you are the first to fly there, you have the honour of naming the field)
• Co-ordinates for the field, from a GPS or read off a map
• Address or driving directions to get to the field by road
• Ownership of the field (regardless of whether airfield, farmland, golf-course, public land, etc)
• If it is a private field, name and contact number of owner /manager. If public ground, then indicate under whose jurisdiction is falls (e.g. which municipality).
• If it is an airstrip, then direction of runway, approx length of runway, approx width, surface (grass, gravel, tar, etc), indicate how much other land (other than the runway) is suitable for PPG launching/landing,
• If road access is via locked gate, name and number for contact to gain access.
• Appropriate radio frequencies for the area. (124.8MHz if no specific frequency is allocated)
• Airspace restrictions in the area.