Paraglider
Past Tasks
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17/06/17
Task Distance: 36 km
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Stopped 
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16/06/17
Task Distance: 39 km
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Finished 
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15/06/17
Canceled
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14/06/17
Task Distance: 38 km
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Finished 
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13/06/17
Canceled
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Results
Blog
Prize giving
Event info
2017 SA Nationals - Barberton Paragliding Open will be held over seven days
between 10 June 2017 and 17 June 2017 with no rest days. The
competition is being hosted by the Lowveld Slope Soaring Club.
Barberton is South Africa's premier winter flying site, as Porterville
in the Western Cape is to the free-flying community for summer flying.
Also, several South Africa paragliding Nationals have been held in
Barberton. Local Rules
2017 SA Nationals - Barberton Paragliding Open
Local Regulations
1. ENTRY
1.1. The Championships are open to all Member and Associated Member countries of the FAI who may enter any number of competitors not exceeding 110.
2. GENERAL COMPETITION RULES
2.1. REGISTRATION
On arrival, all pilots shall report to
the Registration Office to have their documents checked and to receive
supplementary regulations and information. The end of the official
Registration period is considered to be the official start of the
championship. The following are required:
2.1.1. Pilot qualifications
2.1.2. Evidence of competitor's nationality
2.1.3. Pilot's valid FAI Sporting Licence
2.1.4. Receipt for payment of entry fees by the closing date.
2.1.5. Satisfactory evidence of glider airworthiness
2.1.6. Certificate of Insurance as detailed on Entry Form
2.2. The Registration office will be open from 16:00 to 20:00 on Saturday 10 June 2017 and again on the morning of 11 June 2017 between 07:00 and 08:00. The closure of Registration is considered as the official start of the competition.
2.3. There will be a Pilot Briefing at the Meet Centre at 09:00 on Sunday 11 June 2017.
2.4. ONLY official recovery vehicles and vehicles with SAPPI permits obtained from the organiser will be allowed through the access gate to Lone Tree Hill.
2.5. ALL persons including pilots and spectators need to complete a SAPPI indemnity before permission to access Lone Tree Hill can be granted.
3. REST DAYS
There will be no official rest days.
4. COMPLAINTS AND PROTESTS
Pilots are invited to first settle any disputes with fellow pilots before lodging a complaint.
Should
the dispute not be settled, a complaint may be made to the Meet
Director or his deputy, by any pilot, in writing, to request a
correction. It should be made with the minimum delay and it will be
dealt with expeditiously.
If the complainant is not satisfied with the outcome the pilot may make a protest in writing to the Meet Director or his deputy.
The
time limit for protests is 4 hours after the publication of the
provisional task results or the results of the complaint, except that
after the last contest task it is 1 hour. The protest fee is R500. It
will be returned if the protest is upheld.
5. TAKE-OFF METHODS
5.1. Foot Launch from hill site. Take-off site is Lone Tree Hill. Details can be found on the Map.
6. RADIO TRANSCEIVERS.
There are only 2
frequencies that can be used during the competition. The first is the
Flying and Safety frequency of 141.600MHz and the second will be the
Retrieve and Coordinating frequency of 141.625MHz. There will be no
“team frequencies” and pilots are not allowed to receive information or
assistance via any communication. Radio frequencies are meant to be
kept open for communication. Only frequencies allocated by the
organisers may be used.
7. RETAKE-OFF
A competitor will be allowed a second re-launch to attempt the
task within the stated take-off period. A failed take-off attempt or
safety problem arising immediately after take-off which results in a
landing will not count as one of the permitted number of take-off
attempts. However, the pilot's take-off time will be taken from the
time of the first take-off attempt if a ground start is specified. A
re-launch pilot will not take priority over other pilots who have not
yet launched at all. All pilots wishing to use the retake-off must land
in the official “Turkey patch”. The official transport will leave
“turkey” 45 minutes before the close of the window.
8. TASK PERIOD.
Times of the window
open for take-off and times for the closing of the window, turn points
and last landing will be displayed on the Taskboard on take-off. Any
window extension policy will also be displayed on the Taskboard. The
minimum period of time that the launch window will remain open for the
day to be considered valid is 1 minute per pilot. Launch Window
Extension Time will be announced at the task briefing and may only be
used when the launch has been closed for safety reasons.
9. WIND SPEED
The maximum wind speed in which a task shall be at the discretion of the Meet director and the advice of the Safety committee.
10. SCORING
10.1. FS Software by FAI will be used with GAP latest scoring formula. Leadout Points and Drop task will be used as well as Arrival Time points.
10.2. It is the Pilot's responsibility to ensure that their tracklogs are submitted to LiveTrack24.com. Instruments/Trackers/Smartphones should be configured to transmit to LiveTrack24.com
10.3. In the event that there was an error in the transmission of the tracklog, it is the Pilot’s responsibility to download his/her tracklog in IGC format (with a valid G-Record) from their own flight instrument and upload it to the relevant task on LiveTrack24.com.
10.4. Pilots should ensure that they keep a copy of their tracklog in IGC format with a valid G-Record should the organisers request a copy for validation. Preferably this should be kept on your flight instrument but a downloaded copy would be acceptable as long as it contains a valid G-Record.
10.5. Team Scoring – Teams must be announced before the first task and consist of 4 pilots and all for pilots will score.
10.6. For the scoring purpose, guest pilots are counted as competing pilots.
10.7. Scoring a stopped task. When a task is stopped, the pilot’s scores will be determined from their GPS track log position 5 minutes before the time that the task was stopped. The Altitude of the pilot at this time will also be used in the calculations of the final points.
10.8. The map datum used will be WGS84 and the format for coordinates will be
ddd mm.mmm'
10.9. Scoring will be done according to the FS Software scoring programme, the version using the GAP 2015 scoring formula. GAP parameters will be discussed and decided at the Pilot Briefing. The following parameters are a guideline and must be voited in at the first briefing before task 1.
- Nominal distance = 35 kilometers
- Nominal time = 1 hour
- Number of pilots expected and goal = 20% of pilots that took off
- Goal score is calculated by time difference
11. THERMALLING
All pilots must read and understand Chapter 16, Thermalling Rules and Procedures of the FAI Sporting Code Section 7B
12. GLIDER RULES
12.1. Only certified gliders are allowed up to EN 926 or LTF 91/09. It is not permitted to modify the glider in any way, except for the length of the brake main-line.
12.2. The pilot must fly in the homologated weight range.
12.3. Uncertified sizes of a certified model that was available for sale earlier than 1st November 2011 will be permitted.
12.3.1. Registration database: On registration, pilots have to specify the model, size and the serial number of the glider to be flown during the competition.
12.4. Gliders will be checked after a complaint. In addition, the MD or TD can request that any pilot is checked. Every pilot must give his glider to the organisation for checking or comparing immediately upon any such request.
12.5. Checking methods:
12.5.1. Comparison with other gliders of the same model and size.
12.5.2. Verification from manufacturer in regards to line configuration
12.6. The TD will nominate a skilled person to check.
12.7. Two levels of Penalties may be applied:
12.7.1. 1st offence: Zero in the task.
12.7.2. 2nd offence: Disqualification from the competition.
13. WEIGHT CONTROL
13.1. Pilots should specify their weight on the website as well as the glider weight range. This weight can be checked at the event registration by the staff and corrected in the database.
13.2. Pilots may volunteer to check their weight (at registration or on take-off) and adjust their weight (before task briefing).
13.3. The pilots may be checked before taking off or after landing. If there is any doubt, their nominal weight will be checked again immediately.
13.4. If their all-up weight is out of their glider’s weight range, they will be penalised without tolerance on the measurement.
13.5. If they are carrying over 33 kg of equipment, including ballast, they will be penalised without tolerance on the measurement.
13.6. Penalties for weight infringement: 1st offence: Zero in the task, 2nd offence: Disqualification from the event.
14. PENALTIES
14.1. Cloud flying:
1st offence - zero for the day; 2nd offence - expelled from the competition
14.2. Wrong turn direction:
1st offence – warning; 2nd offence – 100 points then doubling for every offence after that.
14.3. Dangerous and aggressive flying
1st offence – warning; 2nd offence – 100 points then doubling for every offence after that.
14.4. Aerobatics after reaching the goal line:
1st offence – warning; 2nd offence – 100 points then doubling for every offence after that.
14.5. Top Landing after the launch window is open
1st offence – 100 points then doubling for every offence after that.
14.6. Failure to report back: Responsible for the costs of search and rescue.
14.7. Too much ballast:
1st offence – 100 points; 2nd offence – zero points for the task; 3rd offence – expulsion from the competition
14.8. Glider modification
1st offence - zero in the task; 2nd offence - disqualification from the competition
14.9. Weight infringement
1st offence - zero in the task; 2nd offence - disqualification from the competition.
14.10. Unpermitted vehicle on the Lone Tree Hill access roads or take-off area.
1st offence – R500 fine of the vehicle owner and 0 score for the day for ALL pilots in the vehicle.
2nd offence – disqualification from the competition of ALL pilots in the vehicle including the vehicle owner.
Airspace
Info about Flying here
Barberton is a town in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa, which
has its origin in the 1880s gold rush in the region. It is situated in
the De Kaap Valley and is fringed by the Makhonjwa Mountains. It is 43
km south of Nelspruit and 360 km to the east of Johannesburg. The
mountains around Barberton are amongst the oldest in the world dating
back 3.5 Billion years, and these mountains include some of the oldest
exposed rocks on the planet. These volcanic rocks, which scientists call
the Barberton Greenstone Belt, have given up direct evidence of
conditions of life on the surface of the very early earth. The site is used exclusively for winter flying, where thermal strengths can vary from less than 1m/s to approximate 5m/s, with an average around 2-3m/s. The flying day usually starts around 12pm, although flying from 10am is not uncommon. This is a summer rainfall region, so rain is not anticipated, with temperatures varying from around 10 degrees C in the mornings to 28 degrees C in early afternoon.
The site has been used for more than 20-years, initially by hanggliders, but now predominantly by the paragliding fraternity. During the last couple of years, the site has delivered an average of 5 successful task per competition, with the other days often flyable, but not "taskable". The best flying takes place between about 12:30 am and 3:30 pm, with tasks usually set to start at about 1.pm. Task distances usually varying from 40 to 60km. While the site does not hold any South African records, flights of more than 100km have taken place to the west.
The site takes a northerly and northeastly wind, with take-off a trigger on the mountain. Cold fronts brings southerly wind and makes take-off impossible.
Berg winds from the west are usually our only concern, although these are forecast beforehand.
Post frontal days usually result in the base lifting to greater than 3000m ASL, i.e.,.more than 2000 m above the valley floor.
Winds NE and NW. Access to the site is via a gravel road, and transport to take-off will be provided by 10-seater busses. Take-off comprises a grassy knoll, with the ability to layout up to eight gliders, depending on the wind direction. Top landing is possible for experienced pilots but is not recommended for low air-time pilots.
Only a limited number of private vehicles will be given access to the mounting owing to constraints imposed on us by the land owner.
Landing Golf Club - 830 m ASL. (-25.7907903, 31.0401911)
A grassy field on the territory of the Golf club
Waypoints
FS GeoFormat CompeGPS GPX KML CUP
Printable Waypoints Map
How to get here
By Plane
Car
Accommodation
If you have any questions about the place or need a wider list of accommodations please visit the town’s website http://www.barberton.co.zaArea Info & Activities
Gallery
Selection and entry fee
- Pilot qualifications
- Evidence of competitor's nationality
- Pilot's valid FAI Sporting Licence
- Receipt for payment of entry fees by the closing date
- Satisfactory evidence of glider airworthiness
- Certificate of Insurance as detail on Entry form
Entry fee
The entry fee includes
- T-shirt,
- map with turn points,
- regular transport up the mountain until 45 min before window closes,
- recovery along roads,
- medics on standby,
- prize-giving meal.