Episode 187- The ABC’s of Flying the World Cup

January 30, 2023

The World Cup is as high as it gets in competition hang gliding and paragliding. For many it is the ultimate goal in cross country flying. But getting an invitation to fly in the world cup isn't very straightforward. First there are the many organizations- the FAI, CIVL, PWCA, and a nations flying organization (USHPA, BHPA, etc.). What's the difference between Cat 1 and Cat 2? What is the WPRS and how does it play into selection? What are letters and why are they important? How do you make the World's team and how is that different from a world cup? The road to a world cup isn't very straight, but with a little clarification of the acronyms, and an understanding of how it all works together you can navigate the process quite easily.

mayhem

Gavin McClurg hosts a podcast (The Cloudbase Mayhem podcast) dedicated to free flight where he interviews the best pilots in the world to glean out what makes them great and contributes regularly to magazines like Cross Country and Parapente and many others.