PW 5 World Contest

The World Class (PW-5 sailplane) National Contest was held at Marfa, Texas

June 19-29, 2006

8 days of racing, good times and new friends. Patrick Tuckey of Fort Worth, Texas was named 2006 World Class Champion.

Marfa Gliders is open year-round, so sailplane pilots and crews are welcome to visit us in west Texas, sample our legendary soaring conditions and set World Class records. Please let us know your plans regarding a visit. Email us at marfagliders@aol.com

For visiting sailplanes and crew, we have compiled a "Pre-Marfa Projects" file, along with our "Marfa Accommodations and Activities" file that we can email to you upon request. The Pre-Marfa Projects include suggestions on preparing your glider, trailer and crew car for the trip to west Texas. Oxygen, land-out kit, drinking water and crew radio considerations are among the tips, originally created by the late Fritz Kahl, Contest Manager at the legendary Marfa contests of the 1960's.

Soar the "dry line" of the famous Marfa Dewpoint Front! Check our Marfa site-specific soaring forecasts on "Dr. Jack's" soaring weather website. Marfa Airport (KMRF) field elevation is almost 5,000' msl. Cumulus cloudbases during the summer may exceed 17,000' msl. For planning, obtain a current El Paso Sectional Aero Chart, and the WAC Chart CH-23.

Reserve your accommodations now in Marfa (3 miles south of the airport), or in Fort Davis (18 miles north). Bill Shurley's RV Park on the Marfa Airport is ready (No tents. Hard-side RV campers only).

We invite you and your crew to visit Marfa and fly your PW-5 sailplane here anytime of year!

First time at Marfa? Here are some excerpts from our "Pre-Marfa Projects" email file:

1. You must bring a crew. (Veteran Marfa pilots Bill Snead & John Byrd always have a crew.)
2. No dedicated crew? Before coming to Marfa, we'll need to talk ahead of time.
Why? We cannot guarantee / provide help to go find you if you land off-airport.
Limited aero retrieves from far-distant airports / few private runways.

3. Install an oxygen system. We recommend Aerox brand. Our refill hose fits standard CGA 540 fittings
4. Double the drinking water capacity in your glider cockpit. It's DRY here so you must drink more water.
5. Install a tall antenna on your crew car. A magnetic mount 5/8 wave at wingsandwheels.com is excellent.
6. Cellphone service is very poor away from the airport. Cingular and Cellular One signals are fair.
7. Assemble a serious landout kit. Request our "Pre-Marfa" Projects file for the checklist.
8. Bring spare parts such as tires, tubes, wingskids, the PW-5 elevator pin, etc.
9. Repack your trailer wheel bearings and make your trailer extra-roadworthy.
10. Obtain the current El Paso sectional chart and WAC CH-23 for planning your flights.
11. Bring your own weak link with a Tost ring on the glider end, and an eye splice loop on the other.
12. Come to Marfa anytime during the year and practice!

The 2006 World Class Contest Staff:

Contest Manager: Burt Compton
Competition Director: Charlie Spratt
Scorer: Rick Shepp
Line Chief: Dennis Wright
Social Events: Ann Byrd
Bookkeeper - Kathie Compton

Representing the SSA and the Republic of Texas: SSA State Governor Tom Pressley

To honor our local hosts who organized and worked so hard at the National Contests beginning at Marfa in the 1960's, and the 1970 World Soaring Contest, we are pleased to announce the following:

Honorary Contest Manager: Georgia Lee Kahl (wife of Fritz Kahl)
Honorary Competition Director: Bill Shurley
Honorary Line Chief: Dub Poulson
Honorary Senior Towpilots: Joe Moore and Gene West
Honorary Weather Advisor: Ron Lewis

All these folks worked those legendary 1960's contests. We owe them all a big "thank you" for encouraging us to establish "Marfa Gliders" in 2001, and for helping us bring back a National Soaring Contest to Marfa in 2006!