The first hang gliding event in the 2023 British Open Series of competitions attracted six members of the Petersfield-based Sky Surfing Club – and five of the group came away with trophies.

Grant Crossingham and Justin Needham entered the Class One (flexwing) category, Tim King, Neil Atkinson and Nigel Bray took part in Class Five (rigid wing), while Maciej Wolaniecki was a contender in the Club Class for newcomers.

The competition was held in the Yorkshire Dales over five days.

Wolaniecki said: “This was my very first hang gliding competition. My goal was to learn from the experienced competition pilots and enjoy myself.

“The event also marked my first visit to the Yorkshire Dales – I liked the vastness of the landscape and the spectacular views from the ground and from above.

“We were also lucky with the weather, which was sunny, warm and dry nearly all the time.”

Needham added: “The Dales were very beautiful in the strong sunshine – for once T-shirts and shorts replaced the usual beanie hats and rain jackets!”

The fine weather was accompanied by strong easterly winds, which limited the number of days for flying.

Only two scoring days were possible, but the conditions proved to be quite remarkable.

The winds on the subsequent days proved too strong to hold further flying tasks.

Scores were therefore tallied and prizes awarded.

In Class One, Needham placed second and Crossingham third. In Class Five, Atkinson came second and Bray third. In the Club Class, Wolaniecki took first place.

Brian Parkins