Competition and Records
HPAC offers its members a national competition program: SOP 290 Competition .
Competitions are a way for pilots to improve their technical, sporting, and decision-making skills by interacting with other pilots in a fun but competitive environment. By flying in synergy with other pilots of differing skill levels, pilots can improve their own skills by direct observation and personal experience, while at the same time, providing a benchmark for novice comp pilots to compare with and aspire to.
HPAC is committed to improving pilot skills and a safer sport by providing competition opportunities for individual learning experiences, providing the means for determining the Canadian National Champions, providing funding to our top pilots so they can represent Canada at World Cups and World Championships, and by working with pilots to problem-solve any comp issues which may arise.
Types of Competition
There are three realms of competition that are active in Canada for both hang gliders and paragliders.
- Race to goal competitions: the standard way to compete, a super intense, super fast, race around a set course. There are typically a Canadian Hang Gliding Nationals and a Canadian Paragliding Nationals every year along with a number of regional and local racing competitions.
- XCanada: a nation-wide cross country competition. Record your cross country flights with a GPS and upload them! See XCanada. Required to compete: HPAC membership and an awareness of airspace regulations. If you are flying in class E airspace you must have taken the HAGAR exam.
- Canadian Cross Country Records: along with declared records, which must be planned in advance, there are a number of open records which can be claimed after the flight. An FAI sporting license is no longer required to claim Canadian distance records. However, anyone planning to beat a world record in Canada or abroad will require an ACC Sporting License Form . Please contact HPAC’s Records Chair.
Competition
If you are a first-time competitor, look here for some useful tips for your first race-to-goal competition.
Pilots are ranked on a cumulative point system based on their performance at competitions. The point rankings determine the qualification for membership on the Canadian team, members of which can compete in international competitions for Canada.
Upcoming Competition Events
HPAC-sanctioned events in the current calendar year can be found under “Events” on HPAC’s Official Facebook Page.
Pilots should utilize the HPAC Airspace Checker, in order to familiarize themselves with the airspace adjacent to the competition location.
For Meet Directors
Meet Directors should be fully familiar with the Canadian Competition Rule Book. They should also follow the Guidelines for Holding Competitions in Canada.
Safety is a core value for all HPAC-sanctioned events. Meet Directors should place strong emphasis on SAFETY and follow the Competition Safety Management Guidelines.
Records
“Chasing Records” is another way to compete. In this case, instead of participating in organized competitions, pilots can choose to compete against an existing Canadian or world record by potentially setting a new one.
To familiarize yourself with the types of records and with the rules related to each type of record, please consult the FAI Sporting Code and the FAI Sporting Code Definitions for each class of record.
For the procedures to make a record claim in Canada, please look here. You can always contact the HPAC Records Chair for any additional information.