Ozone NZ at the 2019 FAI Paragliding World Championship
The 2019 FAI Paragliding World Champs has kicked off today in Krushevo, North Macedonia. ONZ team pilots Louis Tapper and Richard Castro are both competing in the event which goes for nearly 2 weeks until August 17. Both flying the Ozone Enzo 3, Tapper and Castro are up against approx 150 other pilots where they will battle it out over 12 days for the coveted title of FAI Paragliding World Champions. A maximum of 10 tasks will be flown, with one mandatory rest day.
During the event the pilots launch sometime after noon and fly a pre-set cross country course of anything up to 200km. They must tag turn points as they fly, the fastest pilot around the course wins the day. The pilot with the most accumulated points at the end of the competition wins the title.
The first task merely a few hours ago was an 81km triangle in the Perlagonija Valley with 138 pilots in goal.
Ozone R&D Team Pilot, Honorin Hamard (FRA) was the winner followed by Ferdinand Vogel (DEU) in second and Pierre Remy (FRA) in third. All flying Enzo 3s.
In recent years the town of Krushevo has established itself as one of the best free-flight competition arenas in the world. It has hosted numerous high-level competitions including the FAI World Hang Gliding Championships and Paragliding World Cup. This is the first time Krushevo has hosted the FAI World Paragliding Championship, and it is said to be the best time of year for flying in the region with predictable weather almost guaranteeing perfect flying conditions over the 12 days.
Key dates for the competition include:
- 7-17 August: Competition flying days
- 18 August: Prize-giving and closing ceremony
You can follow the competition and track our ONZ team pilots Tapper and Castro via the events Live tracking site here.
Event links:
- Official website
- Live tracking
- #pgworlds2019
Fly Ozone!
Check out the ENZO 3 online here
