Glider teams from four countries racing the winds at McMinn County Airport

California resident Bill Gawthrop is towed up by Frank McDonald for a practice flight during the first FAI Pan American Gliding Championships being held at McMinn County Airport from April 3 through the 17th.
California resident Bill Gawthrop is towed up by Frank McDonald for a practice flight during the first FAI Pan American Gliding Championships being held at McMinn County Airport from April 3 through the 17th.

TRACK THE EVENT

Anyone wanting to keep up with the FAI Pan American Gliding Championship that begins Monday and continues through April 17 can find scores and standings at the following links. Live Tracking: http://glideport.aero/map?p=Contest:pagc2015&flat=1 Scores: http://soaringspot.net/1st_pagc/results Blog: http://soaringspot.net/1st_pagc/news Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pagc2015?fref=nf Source: FAI Pan American Gliding Championship

ATHENS, Tenn. - The sound of rushing wind will mark the beginning of racing Monday for more than two dozen pilots from four countries competing in the first FAI Pan American Gliding Championship at the McMinn County Airport.

Pilots will pit their soaring skills against the clock and each other in unpowered aircraft that use air currents to wing high into the sky over hundreds of miles of terrain in cross-country speed challenges.

FAI stands for Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, the international organization hosting the championship.

It's a first-ever event for the Americas and the brainstorm of Sarah Arnold, co-owner of Chilhowee Gliderport, just to the south in Polk County. She's the winner of the Sports Class Nationals in 2011 and a 2012 U.S. Soaring Team member.

"It's special because it's a continental championship. Europeans have had continental championships for 30 or 40 years," said Arnold, 35. "Back in the 1950s through the 1970s, the Americans were the big players in the world championships, but not anymore."

photo California resident Bill Gawthrop is towed up by Frank McDonald for a practice flight during the first FAI Pan American Gliding Championships being held at McMinn County Airport from April 3 through the 17th

American pilots haven't had a competition that uses the same rules as world championship events, which this competition does, so it will help Americans train to attempt to better their buddies across the Atlantic, Arnold said.

In this event, the teams competing represent the U.S., Canada, Argentina and Brazil and the biggest reward is getting the top honors among their soaring peers in the Western Hemisphere, she said.

On Friday, pilots started streaming in with the gliders packed into trailers pulled behind SUVs, trucks and cars. By mid-afternoon, the first planes were being hauled into the sky to practice.

Friday's weather wasn't perfect for practice - too much wind disrupts the thermals pilots depend on for lift and too many clouds keep thermals from developing - but partly cloudy skies and a beautiful landscape drew several pilots upward anyway.

"I'm glad to be here; I'm glad to be part of it," said Team USA member Sean Murphy, who said this was his first time flying in East Tennessee.

"The local topography you have here is very interesting. It's different weather patterns over the terrain and that has influence, too."

Murphy, 47, said he expects to enjoy working with others as a team.

photo Contest manager Sarah Arnold speaks to Frank McDonald Friday, March 3, 2015, before he tows a glider up for practice during the first FAI Pan American Gliding Championships being held at McMinn County Airport from April 3 through the 17th.

"The international rules allow pilots to fly together and to cooperate when they're on the same team. U.S. competitions are usually individual events, but I'll be paired up with another guy and we'll fly like a pair of birds, share information over the air frequencies," he said.

There are no limits to the number of planes cooperating together, but the desire for safety keeps the numbers small, said Murphy, one of the U.S. Team's 15 members.

Fellow U.S. team member Ryszard Krolikowski, a 57-year-old from New Jersey, says he's looking forward to competing on familiar territory. He competed in the sport-class nationals at Chilhowee Gliderport a few years back and has represented the U.S. in European competitions.

The Pan American event "is in its infant stages right now, but the hope is to grow big," Krolikowski said.

World championship events happen every two years and the Pan American contests will be scheduled in the off years, giving glider pilots world-class events to compete in every year.

The event in McMinn County consists of two classes of aircraft, the handicapped class and the 15-meter class, according to Paul Weeden. He's the "master scrutineer" at the event. That means he weighs, measures and makes sure everything on the aircraft meets competition and safety guidelines.

The handicapped class is made up mostly of older aircraft, some dating back to the 1970s, Weeden said. The "15 m" class is made up of planes that are newer, more recent designs.

Weeden said handicapped gliders weigh around 600 to 800 pounds while the 15 m class crafts weigh between 800 and 950 pounds. The 15 m class allows pilots to add water to ballast their planes with more weight, an advantage while gliding, he said.

Weeden noted that soaring competitions aren't much to watch except when the planes start out and when they come back.

"It's a very selfish sport," he joked. "It's mostly fun for pilots."

But Arnold said people can "spectate" online through blogs updated daily with competition scores and standings. People who still want to watch can see them take off, usually around noon to 2 p.m., and return to the airport, usually late in the afternoon.

Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or twitter.com/BenBenton or www.facebook.com/ben.benton1 or 423-757-6569.

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