Hang Gliding and Paragliding Volume 44 / Issue 3: March 2014 | Page 51

TOP Launch queue. BOTTOM Girls fly, too.
Photos by Angela Albota.

Waypoints can be downloaded before
the weekends from the website. Pilots
can sign in and pay each morning,
submit GPS for scoring on Saturday
evening, and email tracklogs for
Sunday’s task. This procedure has run
well and means a smoother experience
for all participating. Keeping track
of large numbers of pilots has been
difficult; however, the buddy system
that allows pilots to sign in their buddy
pilots as safe has proven to be a success.
The only issue then is retrieving them.
The dedicated website for all
information for the league (www.
santacruzparagliding.com) has proven
to be a great resource for keeping
pilots informed throughout the season.
Several additions to the website helped
everyone, including online pilot registration using a Google form, a page to
help “first timers” understand what to

expect, and several pages on strategies
and tips (http://www.santacruzparagliding.com/NCXC/strategies.html).
One page put together with help from
Google Earth shows how to fly some
of the typical tasks with altitudes
required for transitions. Check out the
article on flying competitions written
by TimO. This should be given to all
pilots once they get their P4.
As in the previous year, scores are
now posted on the Leonardo website
(http://norcalxcleague.pgcomps.net/
comps/), which gives pilots the opportunity to view their flights, download
their tracklogs, and play animations for
the competition.
I have been running the league for
10 years, and perhaps one of the most
rewarding aspects of the league is
watching how pilots’ abilities improve
over the years. It is great to see all

pilots progressing. The league meets
most definitely take over where formalized training stops in providing pilots
with a chance to fly with very skilled
pilots and learn from them.
In an effort to attract more of the
newbie pilots, the 2014 League will
have a Sprint League. This league will
be for pilots flying EN-A and EN-B
gliders only. Tasks will be even more
modest, with fishbowl-type tasks and
distances under 30km. The aim is
to nurture pilots for the main league
whilst still providing the rewards of
making modest goals and flying with
friends.
I look forward to more leagues
around the country, so that our pilot
quality continues to improve and we
reduce pilot attrition. With the 2014
season about to kick off, it would be
great to see new pilots coming out to
the league to see what they have been
missing. Keep it fun, and see you in the
air!

Dates for 2014
Venues to be decided and
published on the league website.
March 22 and 23
Sprint Preparation weekend
March 29 and 30
April 26 and 27
May 24 and 25
June 14 and 15
July 27 and 28
August 9 and 10
August 30 and 31 & September 1
September 27, 28 and 29
- OR October 4, 5 and 6

HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

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