Hang Gliding and Paragliding Volume 44 / Issue 1: January 2014 | Page 52

teams here, it just couldn’t happen. Still, I am sure they had
fun and “turned in lift” as much as possible. They placed
eighth on task 1 and ninth on task 2, to round up a seventh
place in the overall results.

Young Guns
Last on this list, but absolutely not least, these pilots have
already demonstrated an eagerness to improve in our sport
and an ability to do that. Mike Bilyk and Florian Gostner
were able to surprise everybody and spice up this comp. It
was nice to see that although they had never met before,
they became a team. On both tasks they managed to stay
very close together and even crossed the line at exactly the
same time on task 1. They came in ninth that day, which
probably made them thirsty for a better performance, so
for task 2, they were determined to improve. On task 2,
neither of them was the fastest individually, being third
and fourth for the day; however, since this was a different
game altogether, Florian was able to be the “fastest-slowest
team member,” so these “young guns” won the second task.
Ah-maaazing!

T

he first day, Friday, conditions were not good,
so the day was cancelled and pilots got a day off.
Saturday and Sunday, though, ended up being
decent, allowing for two tasks.
Task 1 was a 46.2mi out-and-return race to Leesburg,
with mild conditions that were good enough for 21 pilots
to make it in. The fastest pilot flew the task in 1:55:59 at an
average speed of 35.9km/h, while the last one in flew it in
3:18:05 at 21km/h average speed. The Italian Dream Team
got a 53-point lead over the Felicione Team that was just 7
points in front of the Moyes Boys.
For task 2, conditions were better. Therefore, a 72.3mi
triangle was called and, since the points between the teams
were close, the game was definitely on. Pilots were considering different possibilities and the best strategies, all of
which were unknown territory for them. This was an excit-

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HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

ing task to follow and explore as well and, as frustrating or
nerve-wracking as it may have been for some in the air, the
show for the spectators was incredible. Twenty pilots made
it in, with the fastest time being 2:54:03 (38.4km/h) and
the slowest 3:47:02 (29.4km/h), with a 53-minute difference. Some pilots might have flown more aggressively or
differently had they not been tied to their partner’s performance. For instance, Christian took the last climb—about
6km before the end of the speed section—all the way to
4000 feet, before starting his glide to goal and crossing the
cylinder at 2600 feet. This is definitely not his usual goalcrossing style! This task was worth 1000 points, but what
mattered were the 800 points his partner got.
James Stinnett came into goal seven minutes later, but
many thought he had been the first one in, since Christian’s
arrival had been easy to miss. Moreover, as James was on
his final glide, at a more “traditional” altitude, Christian
had already gone back almost 1.5mi to the east and 1.5mi
south, trying to locate his partner. As Christian was on
his final glide, James was still six miles out, about to go on
final.
Another amazing scene that afternoon was watching the
arrival at goal of the Young Guns. Mike Bilyk flew in five
minutes after James, while his teammate Florian—a couple