Grand Prix gliding

FAI Sailplane Grand Prix
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event FAI World Grand Prix 2012-2013
Sport Gliding
Founded 2005
Continent International (FAI)
Most recent champion(s) Italy Giorgio Galetto
Most titles Poland Sebastian Kawa (3)
Official website http://www.sgp.aero/

FAI World Grand Prix Gliding Championships are gliding competitions promoted by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) for gliders that are both more spectacular and more easily understood by the public than conventional gliding competitions.

Origins

Diana 2 racing glider over the Andes during competition training before World Grand Prix, picture taken from a rival's glider

Gliding competitions existed before the Second World War but as the technologies evolved, the performance of the gliders has taken them away from the public view. Furthermore the scoring is complex and gliders can start at different times. Proposals were made in 1970[1] but it was not until 2005 that first world gliding competition in Grand Prix format was held in France at Saint Auban. This was at the Salon Européen du Vol à Voile (European Sailplane Show/Exhibition) in 2005 as part of the FAI's marketing strategy to promote the sport of gliding by establishing annual international competitions.

Competition formula

In a gliding Grand Prix the gliders race in competition close together around a pre-set task. A smaller number of competitors reduces the risks of the simultaneous start. A place-scoring system provides rewards for excellence without unduly punishing a poor performance.

Scoring

Position  1st   2nd   3rd   4th   5th   6th   7th   8th   9th   10th 
Points 10 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

Tactics

See also

External links

References

  1. Discussions between Nicholas Goodhart, George B. Moffat, Jr., Richard Schreder and Smith
  2. 1 2 3 "The Evolution of U.S. Contest Soaring", John H. Cochrane, 2 October2010, Ralph S. Barnaby Lecture, faculty.chicagobooth.edu
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