Forbes Flatlands 2024

forbes clouds

We are once again hosting the Forbes Flatlands Hang Gliding Championships 2024.

This will be our 19th championships!

The 9 day event is scheduled for later in January 2024.

  • Practice day: Monday 15th January 2024
  • 1st Comp day: Tuesday 16th January 2024
  • Last Comp day: Tuesday 23rd January 2024

Towing will be from the "Bill's" paddock north of the Forbes airport. Fondly names BMIA or Bill Moyes International Airport

Our headquarters will be based at the Forbes Aeroclub as has been done the last few years. Having the HQ near to Bill’s paddock allows us to have a later briefing.

That way all the pilots come out to the Forbes Aeroclub ready to fly!

Registrations have already started rolling in and it’s exciting to see that we will be welcoming International pilots once again to Forbes. We will have 3 World Champions competing this year, the current Women’s World Champion, Alexandra Serebrennikova coming from Austria, a previous Women’s World Champion Francoise Dieuzeide-Banet coming from France and Attila Bertok, 2007 World Champion! We are expecting 30-40 pilots from 12 different countries including Austria, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, UK, and the USA Together with their teams and our crew we will tally approximately 80 visitors to Forbes for the 9 day event.

Pilots are attracted to Forbes as the area highlights the most important features of a successful hang gliding competition:

  1. Maximum number of flyable days
  2. Racing conditions with consistent and strong lift
  3. Readily land able terrain making for easy retrieves

With the recent rains in the Forbes area, we are looking forward to some strong but smooth lift. The open flatlands allow for stress free flying no matter how low one gets when trying to snag that illusive thermal. Forbes provides the safest conditions for pilots with wide open lift areas allowing pilots to spread out. Without the problems of unfamiliar wind altering obstacles.

The summer in Forbes provides cloud base with varying heights between 2000 – 3000 m agl with the best days reaching 4000 m agl!

The Aeroclub and launch arena is well situated only 8 kms to the Forbes town making for pilot comfort. We are grateful for the strong backing from the Forbes Council, local businesses and townspeople.

We look forward to hosting another successful competition providing fun, challenging tasks for all competitors in order to select a new Forbes Champion in both Sport and Open Classes.

 

Media

Forbes: One of the World's Best Hang Gliding Sites

Flying at Forbes

Forbes offers some of the most consistent hang gliding weather in the world. Smooth fat thermals, high cloudbase (up to 14,000feet) and hundreds of kilometres of uninterrupted terrain means that pilots are virtually guaranteed a non-stop competition. The past 4 years have seen the pilots fly a total of over 4600km with an average of 25-45 airtime per competition! Last year the organisers set the longest task ever in Forbes – 310km to Hay – the conditions that day were so good that almost half of the pilots flew the full distance!

In addition, of course there's the abundance of harvested fields for landing. We are very fortunate to have friendly farmers who are supportive of the competition and often lend a helping hand, a drink or food to weary pilots! One lovely famer last year even apologised for the overgrown weeds in her field!

Forbes

There are no mountains to jump off, so how do we get in the air?

How does being towed up behind a plane sound? Scary? Not really….with a valid aerotow endorsement, pilots of all levels of experience can tow behind a specially designed ultralight towplane called a Moyes Dragonfly.

Dragon Fly

For hang gliders, it's the perfect way to start a flight – it's fast and efficient because the experienced tow (or 'tug' pilots) drop the hang gliders straight into a nice fat column of rising air (we call them thermals)!

ready to tow

Leaving dolly

Of course, this depends on the Dragonfly pilots' experience. We may be a bit biased but we think we have the best tug pilots in the world here in Forbes!

Introducing a few of our favourite tug pilots:

Bobby Bailey - Team Tug Leader

Bobby

As the designer of the dragonfly, Bobby has countless hours of aerotowing experience. His gentle nature and knowledge about everything with wings is awe-inspiring. He leads by example and it shows in the way his team takes so much pride getting all the field airborne in the safest way possible and in the least amount of time.

Steve McCarthy

Steve

Steve is known as the 'mad flyer'! His first flight was being dragged by a very large box kite that he had built out of spruce and doped parachute nylon. Since this time he has gone on to fly Hang gliders, Trikes, Gyro's, Sailplanes, helicopters, dozens of ultralights and single engine aircraft. Throughout the year he assists in the running of Safety and Towing Clinics and takes his towing very seriously.

Pilots love him because he loves towing! He is always ready to take them up in the air and drop them into the right thermals FAST. He is also an all round great guy… softly spoken and down to earth. He has a few interesting flying stories up his sleeve too!

John Blain (or lovingly referred to as 'Blaino')

Blaino

Blaino has been around for a while (63 years to be exact!). He has been involved in the flying scene for 35 years, 10 of which he has been aerotowing. He claims to have towed more than 1800 people in his aerotow career. He is always good to belt out a tune on his guitar at the end of a great flying day!

Bruce Crerar

Bruce

Bruce has been flying for 30 years in one form of aircraft or another. Since buying a dragonfly in 2005 he has clocked up over 1100 tows. Ever since Bill invited him to tow at the Forbes competition he has come back every year because he loves "The people, the big air and the fun we have!"

Forbes Soaring & Aero Club

Hanger

The Forbes Flatlands competition would not be possible without the support of the Forbes Soaring & Aero Club. We are so appreciative to have use of the airstrip every year, and for organising to keep the pilots and crew fed and watered in those hot days on the ground!

Rent your house or a room in your home or house swap

We already have pilots from Russia, USA, Norway, Germany, Holland, Italy and New Zealand signed up to fly in Forbes this summer as well as lots of pilots from all over Australia. Please contact the organisation if you are interested in:

  • Renting out your home while you escape the heat of summer in January
  • If you have a room or rooms to rent in your home
  • If you are interested to do a house swap with a pilot somewhere else in Australia or overseas.

For any accommodation or hang gliding or Dragonfly inquiries please contact Vicki Cain at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call Moyes Delta Gliders on 02 9316 4644.

(photos courtesy of Jamie Shelden, Moyes and Kathryn O'Riordan)

 

Media

World Hang Gliding Championships to be held in Forbes 2013!!

Hang Glider Landing

The Sydney Hang Gliding Club has been hosting hang gliding competitions at Forbes for the past 5 years consecutively.

Earlier this year we won bid to host the World Hang Gliding Championships in January 2013.

The FAI World Hang Gliding Championships takes place every two years. In 2007, Texas, USA hosted the event, in 2009 it was in Laragne, France, and in 2011 it's taking place in Monte Cucco, Italy.

Now it is Australia's turn to show the world's best pilots that Australia has a world-class site in Forbes, and is capable of putting on an incredible World Championship event!

100+ pilots from some 30 countries will compete in 2012. Each national team, comprising 4 to 6 of the country's top pilots, will participate, accompanied by a team leader, coach, and supporters.

Before the main event in 2013, Australia will hold the Pre-World's in Forbes in 2012. The Pre-World's is a mandatory competition for the World Championship. It allows the organisers to demonstrate that the site and the organisation are up to the FAI's exacting standards for Category 1 events. The FAI (Fédération Aéronautique International) is the airsports equivalent of the International Olympic Committee. A steward of the FAI will attend the Pre-Worlds and will report on the management of the event and capability to meet FAI requirements. They may make a number of minor recommendations to further improve the event for 2013.

The event will be called the FAI Hang Gliding Pre-World Forbes 2012 and takes place from 4th – 14th January, 2012.

The event starts with an official practice day (4th January, 2012), an opening ceremony (evening of the 3rd January, 2012) and 10 competition days, followed by a closing ceremony (evening 14th January, 2012) at which time the trophies and prize money will be awarded to the individual and team winners.

Each competition day the pilots will assemble at the Forbes Town Hall, the competition headquarters for a weather and task briefing. A course is set, depending on weather conditions, which may be in excess of 200km, taking in a number of 'turn points', and specifying a 'goal' landing field.

The competition will be held at the Forbes airport with the help of the Forbes Aeroclub. The pilots are aero-towed into the air by an ultra light aircraft called the Dragonfly. The Dragonfly is a purpose built ultra light for towing hang gliders. The pilots then fly the designated course which normally takes between 4-6 hours.

Dragon Fly Towing Hang Glider

At the end of each day's task, pilots submit their GPS track logs to the scorers. Points are awarded for speed and distance around the course. The competition is won by the pilot and team scoring the highest cumulative score. Consistency is essential and the key to success.

Hang glider on dolly

Scores will be posted at the headquarters each day. Photographs, task reports and pilot reports will be posted on the website daily at www.forbesflatlands.com

Due to the hundreds of pilots and supporters descending on Forbes between late December 2011 and January 15th 2012, the demand on accommodation will be high.

In previous years, some families have decided to 'house swap' with Sydney residents, taking the opportunity to spend a few weeks at the beach!

Here are some words from Paul Bennett, who house swapped with The Moyes family from Coogee last year:

"Our family were given the opportunity to do a house swap with Greg and Vicki who live in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs. We had never done anything like this before and thought if we don't do it now we never will, so we gave it a try. It turned out to be one of the best things we've ever done. Greg and Vicki had a fantastic house that was close to the beach, restaurants and shops. We spent a wonderful 2 weeks staying at their home last year.

Vicki's mother and father and some of the hang gliders stayed at our house. When we got home the house was neat and tidy and the neighbours commented that they hardly saw the hang gliders as they were out flying most of the time. House swapping is something that we would definitely do again."

Below is a testimonial from Mark Webb, a local Forbes electrician who has rented his house to Hang Gliders over the last few years:

"I really enjoyed having you guys stay in my place for your summer Hangliding Competition. I have always been happy with the condition my house has been left in. It has worked in well for me over the years, as I am a tradesperson and the building trade closes down over that Christmas- January period and obviously, the rent money helps out towards the costs of a holiday for me at the same time."

For any accommodation inquiries please contact Grace Cain at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or for any Forbes hang gliding inquiries please contact Vicki Cain at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call Moyes Delta Gliders on 02 9316 4644.

Looking forward to seeing you all in January!

Media

Hang Gliding Pre-Worlds Forbes 2012 - What it takes to win!

The Sydney Hang Gliding Club has been hosting hang gliding competitions at Forbes for the past 5 years consecutively. Earlier this year we won bid to host the World Hang Gliding Championships in January 2013.

So, what's involved in a hang gliding competition?

A big competition generally lasts 7 to 12 days. Every day a different task is set. This will depend on what direction the wind is blowing, the strength of the wind, chance of rain and the height of cloudbase. Last year every task was over 100km. The course involves flying from point A to point B (goal) with several checkpoints in between. Each pilot has a GPS which tells where each point is. They stay in the air by finding thermals in the air (thermals are rising columns of air triggered by the sun heating the ground). The pilot who makes it to the final checkpoint in the fastest time scores maximum points and is declared the day winner. The pilot with the most points at the end of the competition wins!

Sometimes pilots do not make it to goal and have to get some help to get out of a tricky spot!

unusual retrive

In the event of a non-flyable day most pilots take the chance to explore the area around Forbes or take it easy by the pool!

taking it easy by the pool

The Forbes competition is a big event in the hang gliding calendar, and to win is a big honour as most of the top pilots in the world attend. Last year, Australia's own Jonny Durand took the title! [image of jonny raising trophy]

What does it take to win?

It takes a lot of good judgement, skills at spotting thermal triggers and climbing well in thermals once you have found them! A pilot also needs to be 'flying fit' both mentally and physically because they sometimes have to stay in the air 8 hours at a time. To keep energy and focus levels up they bring water and snacks on board during their flight.

What does it take to win?

Drivers wanted

Hang gliders always need drivers to follow them as they are flying in the car and bring them back to Forbes after a days' flying.

Who qualifies? Anyone with a driver's license who wants to join in the fun and excitement of the competition and get paid for it!

What's involved? The drivers will be needed for the whole 10 days of competition. The pay varies but is generally around $100 a day (even if there is no flying you will still get paid for that day). Normally the pilots will supply the retrieve vehicle and the radios. All the driver has to go is make sure to follow the pilots as they fly to goal and reach them in a timely fashion. It's a great way of seeing the action first hand and getting to know pilots from all around the world.

Use of radio and gps would be useful but the team will teach them that anyway.

Houses still needed

We are still looking for accommodation for pilots and their crew during the competition from 1st to 14th of January (and possibly a week before). We can also do 'house swaps' which involved swapping your home with a pilots home in another part of Australia.

It's a perfect opportunity to escape the heat of Forbes and get paid for it!

For any accommodation inquiries please contact Grace Cain at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or for any driver or other Forbes hang gliding inquiries please contact Vicki Cain at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call Moyes Delta Gliders on 02 9316 4644.

Media

Australian National Hang Gliding Championships 2014

  • Forbes: One of the World's Best Hang Gliding Sites
    Forbes offers some of the most consistent hang gliding weather in the world. Smooth fat thermals, high cloudbase (up to 14,000feet) and hundreds of kilometres of uninterrupted terrain means that pilots are virtually guaranteed a non-stop competition. The past 4 years have seen the pilots fly a total of over 4600km with an average of 25-45 airtime per competition! Last year the organisers set the longest task ever in Forbes – 310km to Hay – the conditions that day were so good that almost half of the pilots flew the full distance!
    read more...
  • Hang Gliding Pre-Worlds Forbes 2012 - What it takes to win!
    Registration for the Hang Gliding Pre-Worlds opened in July and already the pilots are signing up to be a part of it. Over one hundred pilots, plus entourage are expected to arrive late December this year to join in the competition to become the 2012 Pre Worlds Hang Gliding Champion.
    read more...
  • World Hang Gliding Championships to be held in Forbes 2013!!
    The Sydney Hang Gliding Club has been hosting hang gliding competitions at Forbes for the past 5 years consecutively.
    Earlier this year we won bid to host the World Hang Gliding Championships in January 2013.
    read more...

Videos

Forbes Flatlands - practice day (2011/12)
by .

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Forbes - one of the most suitable places on the continent for hanggliding XCountry flying. World Hanggliding Championsship will be held there in January 2013.
Here are some emotions from a training day. Footage is filmed by Gerolf Heinrichs and Lukas Bader, the interview is made with Vicki Cain, the organiser of the hanggliding worlds. Enjoy.

 

Forbes 2012 last day

Forbes 2012 pre-worlds hang gliding championships. Point of view from the ground crew. This was task 8 on 14 January. 100 pilots flew 80,000 km and 4000 hours over the 8 tasks. 1500 launches. (Video : by Bruce Wynne)

 

Slide show of the 2010 Competition

 

A video about Forbes and hang gliding. Originally created for use in the bid to host the world championships in 2011.