The air over Husbands Bosworth in Leicestershire will be full of the best young gliders in the world all hoping to be crowned Junior World Champion at the two-week competition to find out who's top gun. The Soaring Centre plays host to the 2005 Junior World Gliding Championships where over 50 gliders from 17 countries aged 16 to 25 take to the skies. Taking part in Standard and Club classes, competitors will be looking down on you from a great height!
 | | Pointing the way? |
Team GB member Jon Meyer says flying in home air is a clear advantage in the championships. He says the team will be using their experience of gliding in English conditions to give them the edge. "The practice week here has been a really good experience, comparing ourselves to other teams and generally having a good time. "The conditions here are more tricky than in other countries. We have a got a definite advantage by being used to flying here," adds Jon. The gliders and their pilots are towed into the air by airplanes and when at the correct altitude, released into the air where they can glide for hundreds of kilometres during practice and competition flights.
 | | Team GB |
During races, gliders are arranged in a Formula 1-style grid format with rows of gliders stacked next to each other. Once in the skies, the gliders are released from their towing plane and the race is on. Races are from the start, around set turning points and back to base. The races are monitored and judged by officials using global positioning systems similar to those 'sat nav' screens you may have in your car to keep you on course. Competition lasts from Saturday 06 August to Saturday 20 August and the good news is you can go along and watch all the action! Visitors are welcome at The Soaring Centre during all days of competition. For more information, contact the venue on the number and email address above or by visiting its website via the link in the top-right of this page >>> | 
Watch footage of the event on the last day
