It's on: 10th & 11th Nov 2017 in Gloucester, NSW...
After crappy weather grounded the Australian X Series back in June it's back and the outlook is good for a proper good sky-battle for the trophy. Meet at Gloucester Airfield, our start and finish line. Spectators, friends and family are most welcome.
Friday 10th November 2017
12:00 Pilot registration open
14:00 Pilot briefings - compulsory for all pilots
16:00 Race launch
Saturday 11th November 2017
19:00 Race course closes
20:00 Prizegiving ceremony and finish party
Sunday 12th November 2017
Casual fly in open to guest pilots.
16:00 Site closes.
Start, Finish & Fly-in Location: Gloucester Airfield, NSW
Meet the Racecourse: 341km of Australian splendid-ness
The race director, and course designer, is none other than dual Icarus Trophy champion, High Adventure Paragliding founder and chief instructor David Wainwright.
Total distance: 341km
Launch Gloucester Airport to checkpoint 1, Walcha Airport - 122kms
Walcha Airport to checkpoint 2, Wauchope - 123kms
Wauchope home to Gloucester Airport - 96kms
Course legend for ITX Oz: Gloucester Airport - Walcha Airport - Wauchope - Gloucester Airport
Course Highlights
Gloucester played host to the Australian Paramotor Championships this year and it's easy to see why this is a cracking spot for it:
Walcha, checkpoint 1, has a population of 3,000 people, and 750,000 sheep. Insert own punchline here. Chance to fly over the Apsley Gorge, and the stunning Open Air Gallery should not be missed.
Wauchope, checkpoint 2, has a Giant Red Bloodwood tree called Old Bottlebutt, in the Burrawan State Forest. You should probably not try and land out close to there.
Sign up and registration
Places are limited and cost AUD200 per pilot. For that you get a shot at a real trophy, a satellite tracking device, flight following by the race crew including SOS button, live tracking on the Icarus Trophy map for everyone to follow your race, a comprehensive race and tracking briefing from Dave and his team pre-launch, a launch and finish party to galvanise and congratulate/commiserate plus a snazzy t-shirt and camping at the start and finish.
What's the point?
Other than having a bloody good weekend of flying, the winner of the race class will get a free entry into the Icarus Trophy, the mother of all aerial adventures in 2018. That's a whopping $2,200 worth of prize pot. Both race and adventure division winners will receive a trophy.
All successful adventure and race class pilots will be deemed fit and qualified to enter the Icarus Trophy.
Now what?
Hit that button below and get your name in the hat. Places are limited to 20, across race and adventure class.
What is the Icarus X Series?
The mighty Icarus X Series follow the same basic format; a looped A-B-C-A route of around 200 miles, designed to get the might-be Trophy Pilot dried behind the ears, bloodied of the nose, and ready to take on the main race, or at least knowing what homework he or she has to do. It's too far to complete in a day which means pilots must stay out overnight and consider their survival kit, their refuelling options, their XC strategy, and their equipment strategy.
The rules will mirror the main Icarus Trophy, meaning that Adventure Class pilots can freestyle a little and get as much or as little flying and back-up as they like. Meanwhile, in Race Class, pilots are scrutinised closely and can only advance forward by means of flight - the fastest pilot home wins their place on the main trophy, and a place in the (soon to be coveted) ITX Hall of Fame. Live tracking means Adventure-Mums can follow the action along with the race directors, and the pilots can head out into the wilderness knowing that if it all goes tits up they have a line of communications with HQ and someone will notice.
All this in a friendly fly-in format, meaning that cautious pilots or newbies can come and watch and fly round the launch field, or learn about the sport, whilst eating salt and fat-laden produce from a mobile catering van, and applaud the flying aces as they head out, and return.
