Newcastle Hang Gliding Club

ARE YOU THE STING KING?

The Sting has been around for a long time now.
It was Airborne’s first production hang glider back in 1990 and has been owned and loved by many pilots here in Australia and overseas. It is a user friendly design that lets you enjoy coastal cruising or cloud hopping cross country missions on the one wing. Many people choose the Sting as their weapon of choice.

The design has evolved over the years with the latest version, the Sting3, causing a bit of a stir. With its long legged glide, effective VG and sweet handling, we should see the Sting continue strongly into the future and put smiles on the dials of those that choose to fly them.

So with all this history and promising future, a few of us thought it might be nice to have a gathering… A chance to celebrate all things Sting…
…a STINGFEST no less!

And being pilots, we’d need do a few things that pilots do… like fly – perhaps even indulge in some friendly competition. But hey… what a competition! A sky full of Stings all going hell for leather, laying it all on the line to earn the title of… “The Sting King”! Friendly be damned – this title is worth at least seven national champion trophies, and will be envied by all.

Of course the pre-thermic mornings would be a great chance to have a natter on things of interest, and in the evening glass-off, some spot landing and towing practice might be fun. And then there’s the other essential activities involving food and beer and tales of “there I was”. All must haves for any serious hang gliding event.

We’ll have an instructor to do endorsements and some clever types to talk on things you may or may not know (Aerotowing for fun, where are the thermals, why is the Frenchman’s coffee in town lukewarm, etc etc) And there will be other Sting pilots – discerning, well thought of types with rugged good looks and a devil-may-care attitude that screams “hold the sugar AND the milk”.

A weekend in late February seems like as good a time as any, and Denman looks like the perfect place for this inaugural STINGFEST. We will have a back up weekend a fortnight later (just in case the weather gods are stroppy) and more details will be posted here as they come to hand.

Things you will need include…
1. Your Sting (any size, any model)
2. Current HGFA membership plus intermediate (or better) rating.
3. Tow bridle & hook knife( there will be some available for purchase on site)
4. Aero-Towing experience (otherwise practice flying your Sting fast).

Costs will be minimal to encourage as many as possible to turn up and make this event truly memorable.
And it certainly will be memorable for all who attend, if only to find out who amongst this rag-tag squadron of misfits is…THE STING KING!*

See you there.

*best said slowly.

PS I've already picked some volunteers to help out and will be notifying them shortly.
Also very keen for suggestions on this thing - feel free.