01/05/2026
Milang Open F5J International
📍 Milang, South Australia
🗓 April 25 - 27th 2026
The Milang Open F5J International was moved from its normal March time slot to the Anzac Day weekend, and 27 pilots got to fly in much more pleasant conditions. Mid to high 20 degrees C, very light to near FAI limit winds, sunshine, fog and a bit of rain. That all made for an interesting mix of flying conditions, and as always, Milang presented some very challenging air.
We flew 15 rounds of ten-minute qualifying heats across Saturday and Sunday, and then 3 rounds of 15-minute flyoff heats for all competitors on Monday morning. That was followed by a BBQ lunch and the presentations.
Pilots came from New Zealand, NSW, Victoria, WA and SA and represented the best pilots in Oceania. It was a NZ 1-2 in qualifying, with Joe leading Kevin at the front. The tricky conditions made for a larger-than-normal spread in the scores, with everyone other than Joe taking a ‘hit’ in at least two rounds. Pike Prestiges were the most common airframe, followed by Plus X’s and Sensors. Jeti radios were the most widely used. This event was the first of 3 trials to select the Aussie team for the 2027 F5J World Championships. Nick Chabrel, Andrew Meyer and Marcus Stent came out on top.
Monday morning saw fog delay the start time by one hour, and then the conditions were very light and surprisingly buoyant. Round One saw most pilots get close to their 15-minute flight time from moderately low launches. It was Round 2 in Group A that really spread the competitors, with some pilots hooking up in a nice thermal downwind but then being caught out bringing their lightweight gliders back to the spot, with 5 of the 9 pilots failing to get back to register a score. Round 3 saw the wind pick up a little, and most pilots then flew heavier models and got their time.
The next big event on the RC Gliding Calendar is the LSF Tournament at Jerilderie in NSW on 5/6/7/8 June for F3J on the Friday and F5J on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. This event will be Team Trial #2.
