A fabulous day of aviation fun for the whole
family...
Find out more about the air display on the 6th September at Lasham Click Here >>
About the Grand Prix
The second biennial UK Sailplane Grand Prix will be held at Lasham Airfield near Basingstoke, Hampshire in September, when 20 of the UK’s top pilots will compete over five days for a place in the World Sailplane Grand Prix next year. A special public day, which will include static and flying displays, is scheduled for the final day of the race on Saturday, September 6.
A new gliding competition format, the Sailplane Grand Prix has a simple regatta start and a first-over-the-line finish that is designed to be exciting for spectators, and in a bid to raise the profile of a sport dominated by British pilots, more attractive for the media. The start will take place overhead and the course will bring the pack across the airfield mid-race. GPS and satellite technology will enable spectators to follow on-screen the progress of aircraft before they pass overhead and return again for a high-speed, low-level racing finish.
Competitors will start at the same time and height, and race across country for several hours at speeds of up to 140mph. Finding the strongest thermals and climbing in them as quickly as possible is key to glider racing, and if pilots squander the height gained by flying too fast for the conditions, a forced landing into farmer’s field is the price they pay.
At the first World Grand Prix in New Zealand in 2006 each glider carried mini-cameras while a helicopter camera ship followed overhead. Images and commentary were transmitted back to a big screen on the ground and fed to on-line viewers across the world; the same people who turned the Americas Cup into a media event were behind the technology and worked their magic once more. While video feeds aren’t planned for September, live commentary and tracking technology will again bring the race to life.
