Hang Gliding and Paragliding Volume 44 / Issue 3: March 2014 | Page 45

L

ast summer, a new and engaging competition for
Utah pilots—The Point Rat Series, a cumulative race-to-goal event—was introduced at the
Point of the Mountain, Utah, in conjunction
with the Utah Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association
(UHGPGA). Designed with the intention of giving pilots
an opportunity to practice using their flight instruments
for course navigation, learn tactical course planning and
encourage increased airtime and community, the Series
was a wonderful success on all fronts. (http://www.uhgpga.
org/event/point-rat-series/)
Masterminded by Neil McGarry, with scoring support
from Nate Johnson, the Point Rat Series uses scoring and
task-setting concepts commonly seen in XC competitions.
However, some interesting variations from the usual weeklong race event keep pilots learning and expanding their
abilities.
Each month of the summer, starting in May, a new task
was released that was active for the entire month. Pilots were
allowed to complete the course as many times as they liked
during the month, with their fastest time at the end of month
being their final score. In order to spread the scoring responsibilities, pilots were asked to email only the tracklog of their
fastest time by the last day of each month. At summer’s end,
the lowest score was dropped, after which a cumulative score
was tallied to determine the winners. There were multiple
categories in both paragliding (A, B, C, D, Open, Tandem,
Women) and hang gliding (Single-surface, Topless and
Kingpost). 
The format of this event encouraged pilots to see the same
task through different eyes, as conditions varied throughout
the month. Some days produced buoyant conditions, with
pilots getting stinking high and hitting all turnpoints in one
climb, while lighter days had people scrambling back to the
ridge between every few turnpoints to tank up. As the task
was repeated, routes became more efficient as optimized flight
paths between cylinders were found.
We often hear talk of the importance of knowing what
gear to fly in, and this event was great at showcasing how and
when to use this skill. By approaching the same route in a
variety of conditions, pilots learned when it was advantageous
to be mashing bar or slowing the roll to make the most of
light conditions. Many participants commented on how the
task kept them engaged and, therefore, encouraged them to
stay in the air longer than usual—sometimes completing the
task multiple times in one evening.
Personal achievements were also reported in flying out
of the comfort zone of the ridge, venturing farther out into

the city of Draper than ever before. There was the occasional land-out, which is a huge part of distance flying and
an important lesson to learn. When going XC, a pilot must
be aware of all potential landing options; training to keep
options open and flexible will cultivate a strong ability to fly
farther and land safely. The routes created kept pilots within
range of safe and accessible landing areas, even if they weren't
considered as such before. 
FS, the official CIVL XC competition scoring software
(fs.fai.org/), was used in conjunction with GAP 2011 scoring parameters (fs.fai.org/trac/wiki/GAP2011) to score the
event. They used lapsed time starts, and participants were
required to download their tracklogs in the correct format. It
was decided to make all cylinders 400m and all starts “exit”
cylinders, mostly for ease of entering the task into the flight
instrument. As many of the group had not used their instruments in this way, it became a huge sharing environment as
more experienced club members stepped up to impart their
knowledge to the newer guys and gals.
As the tasks were run, many things were learned. Neil
received input in designing the routes from Jim Hull, Ric
LeBlanc and Karl Yates. The tasks were designed in sprint
LEFT Blake Pelton and Loren Cox working a
thermal together over the grassy POTM launch.
ABOVE Blake Pelton and Loren Cox turning and
drifting towards the upper bench. The POTM is
a great place to learn to track thermals with the
wind. Photos by Neil McGarry.

HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

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