ORGANIZER CONTACT:
Club Halcones
General Director
Daniel Vallejo
+573004396101
copaatmoxferaopenfai2@gmail.com

Monday, 5 February, 2024 to Sunday, 11 February, 2024

HQ : Club Gorrones HQ

Roldanillo is the principal home for paragliding and hang gliding events in Colombia. Located on the west side of the Valle del Cauca at the foot of the Cordillera Occidental the town sits at an elevation of 966 meters and has an average annual temperature of 23°C.

Flying conditions are generally ideal in January and only a handful of tasks over the past few years have been cancelled. Out and return and cats‐cradle type tasks of up to 120km have been successfully flown in recent events using goals to the north, centre and south of the Valle de Cauca.

Primarily an agricultural region, the Valle de Cauca has excellent infrastructure and plenty of open space to land. Main highways runs along the east and west sides of the valley connected by secondary roads. The central valley area is bisected north‐south by the Cauca river. Agricultural roads and tracks provide access to farmsteads and plantations.

The task area is characterised by the foothills of the Cordillera Occidental to the west, the wide open agricultural valley and smaller grassy hills to the east. Primarily a sugar cane growing area, the valley is easily out‐landable in safety. Very few areas are fenced and access is generally unrestricted. Occasional inundation from the Cauca river presents the only landing hazard in certain areas (dependant on preceding rainfall).

Grape plantations and military bases are off limits. These areas will be marked on maps. Goal fields are available in abundance although must be selected on the basis of the cropping and harvesting cycles. They will be defined and verified by the organisation at least 2 weeks prior to the competition.

Airspace and Other Restrictions: There are airports at Cartago in the north and Tuluá to the southeast that have infrequent military traffic. The Meet Director and event team have daily communication with the air traffic controllers and radio contact during the task.

There is traditionally an extremely high level of cooperation with the civil aviation authority, air traffic control and the event organisation. In previous events domestic flights have been rerouted to avoid the task areas.

The area south of Tuluá has a ceiling of 9000 ft (approximately 2700 m) while to the north is 10,000 ft (approximately 3000 m).

Roldanillo and Valle de Cauca is a ‘friendly’ site suitable for all qualified pilots. The conditions are generally light with 3‐4 m/s maximum climbs. Wind is usually negligible.

The only area of strong climbs and known possible turbulence at the quarry to the south is avoided through sensible tasking.

Close attention is paid at all times to the meteo forecast to ensure tasks take pilots away from the mountains in the later parts of the day to avoid any leeside rotor due to the Pacific breeze.

Thermic breeze enters launch at around 9:00 am and tasks traditionally start at around 11 a.m. Breeze is generally very light throughout the launchable window with conditions occasionally becoming tail‐wind if the meteo indicates a strong Pacific breeze.

Site Safety Record: The area has an excellent safety record with few incidents. Thermic conditions are generally regarded as light and conducive to safe tasking for all levels of pilots. The few accidents in recent events have been generally caused by aborted launches or by inexperienced pilots failing to consider the necessary glide to the valley after thermalling up behind the take off area.

Take off “Aguapanela” D01 N 076 W April 24 14.00 12 41.00 1860

Competition tasks setting issues at Roldanillo:
Tasking will generally keep tp the following established logic:

1. Up to start: Start cylinders will be selected to allow pilots to climb and stabilise in various points close to the western foothills and Roldanillo in areas of known thermic activity. Experience and local knowledge allows us to select points that give various options for gaggles to wait, thus relieving congestion.

2. Start > midday : Flying in the western foothills to take advantage of thermic activity before the valley heats up and becomes active.

3. Midday > early afternoon: Flying out & return or cats cradle type tasks in the valley and utilising the eastern hills.

4. Goal: Located in the central / eastern part of the valley. The end of the speed section will be a cylinder, size & position to be decided by the task setting committee. The goal will be either a cylinder or a line for the end of task.

Maps of task area: Pilots will be issued with an A3 printed waypoint map showing waypoints, restricted areas and topography. Excellent base maps are available from the Colombian cartographic institute.(www.igac.gov.co). Large scale task maps will be available at launch / pilot briefing.

Roldanillo take off video

Selections :
Entry Fee is € 260

Insurance.
Pilots must have an insurance with a coverage for paragliding in Colombia, the pilots must verify the validity of their insurance administered by the government or private company in the country where the competition takes place (Roldanillo-COLOMBIA).

It is strongly recommended to inform the local contact of your insurance company to avoid delays.
It is the responsibility of the pilot to ensure that their own insurance coverage is adequate.

Requirements for participants (pilots)
– Valid FAI pilot license
– Flying equipment: Wing, harness, rescue, helmet, radio, GPS (All the equipment must be in perfect conditions)
– Radio
– Paid registration fee.
– Complete registration form filled before comp starts
– Accept and Respect local valid regulations and laws.
– Medical insurance. With coverage for paragliding practice in Colombia. Must present contract copy . If pilot does not have this insurance, it must be purchased locally.

The entry fee includes:
– Shirt
– Waypoint list
– Transportation from Roldanillo to the take off
– Retrieve on main roads for daily tasks
– Daily snack and hydration
– Map
– Live Trackers

Note: The use of 2m radios for national and foreign pilots in this event will be managed by local authorities. The communication system will be as follows: a radio station with air band and 2m radios operated by qualified people with valid licenses. This radio station will be in charge of communication between ATC (air traffic control), meet director and will be generating reports in case of emergencies, rescue and other needs between pilots and the organization.

Documentation to provide at the local registration:

FAI Sporting Licence
National Licence
Signed Application form
Signed Waiver/Release form
The organiser wishes for you to provide a summary of your experience on arrival.Experience summary required

Identification documents needed
Liability Insurance
Rescue/Medical Insurance

Cancellation policy:

REFUNDS
Any pilot who cancels their registration will be given a refund as follows:

– Cancellation date more than 20 days before competition start date: 50% refund
– Cancellation date less than 20 days before competition start date: 0% refund

07:00 – Headquarter opens
08:00 – Transport to take-off
10:00 – Meet Director / Task and Safety Committee meetings
10:30 – Pilots briefing / Previous task official results / Task definition
11:00 – Take-off window opens
16:30 – Scoring office opens
20:00 – Provisional results

There are a lot of kind of Hotels, farms, rooms in houses that you can book for your accommodation.

There is a local assistant service www.roldanilloeasy.com

HQ : Club Gorrones

To get Roldanillo you can arrive by airplane to Pereira city, Armenia city or Cali city, then you need to get a taxi or a bus to Roldanillo will be around 2 hours aprox. (We suggest use google maps to know the best airport and transportation option for you)

Plane :
Most international flights layover in Bogota’s “El Dorado International Airport”. The international and domestic terminals are connected by a shuttle. From Bogota take the quick domestic flight to Armenia, Pereira, or Cali where you can easily find ground transport to Roldanillo. For cost and convenience we highly recommend you fly into Pereira.
If you would like the organization to pick you up from Cali or Pereira please contact us with a detailed itinerary and plan. We would also appreciate a call or email during your layover in Bogota confirming your on time arrival.
Local airport taxis are safe and offer competitive pricing for 1 or 2 pilots with gear. Groups should contact the organization for pickup. Budget travelers can find buses to Roldanillo from Pereira, Cali, or Armenia. The bus terminals and airports are separate.

Pereira
Recommended city to fly into. 1 and 15 minute drive to Roldanillo.

Cali
The second most important airport in Colombia. Cali’s “Alfonso Bonilla Aragon” airport services domestic and international flights and adds new international routs regularly. 2 hour drive to Roldanillo.

Armenia
Smaller airport and city with less service. 1 and 30 minute drive to Roldanillo.

Bus

From the bus terminals in Pereira, Cali, or Armenia look for the Roldanillo’s local bus company De Occidente for safe and comfortable transport.
De Occidente: www.deoccidente.com/roldanillo/
The company is comfortable servicing international Paraglide pilots and very helpful.