Only 4 more sleeps till the Willi is officially on!

If you are registered for the Willi, you should have received an email from us last Friday with the subject, "Willi Preparation". If you didn't get it, check your spam folder or go here...
https://thewillixc.com/news/b/willi-preparation-20230721

Please take care of the steps described there as soon as you can. Resources, especially internet access, can be limited on-site. The information requested is important to setting up the comp infrastructure for fair competition and your safety.

Those who have been completing the prep have asked some good questions. Here are the answers...

What is the schedule for the comp?

Things kick off informally on Friday (27th) evening about 6:00ish with a pilot gathering at Willi HQ. Come share some of our sponsor beer courtesy of The Establishment and Bow River Brewing, meet the Willi Team, and hang out with your fellow competitors. We can also help with your preparation for the comp. Or, go flying if conditions allow and join us later - we'll still be there.

Willi HQ can be found in the "big, white tent" at Skyview Ranch.

The rest of the week a typical flying day looks like this...

8:30 - Breakfast: Our self help breakfast bar is free for competitors, $5.00 for everyone else except $2.00 for kids under 12.

9:30 - Pilot Meeting: A daily review of the previous day's flying followed by a briefing on expected weather, rules and restrictions, and other notes of interest. Every meeting ends with a draw of competitors present for great prizes donated by our wonderful sponsors.

Please plan to attend at least the first meeting, Saturday (28th) where we'll cover pilot communications, retrieval procedures, local airspace, no-land lz's, flight reporting, etc. Pilots new to Golden should also attend a short briefing that will cover local flying conditions.

11:00 - Up to Launch: You are responsible for arranging your own ride to launch, but feel free to ask us if you're having difficulty. There are generally enough rides to go around and we won't leave you in the LZ.

1:00-3:00 - XC Conditions Turn On: It's the mountains, so you never know, but this is typical.

3:00 till who knows - Tracking & Retrieval: Dannie, our Safety Guy, will be tracking pilots till the last of you are down and safe. Retrieve vehicles will head out approximately 2 hours after launch turns on and continue till everyone is home.

6:00ish - Bomb-out Burger Bar: Join your fellow competitors for a little food and refreshment, featuring our great food courtesy of Patric Stettler of P.S..Modern and of course, our sponsor beer.

The Willi ends Sunday Aug 6 with special flying challenges that day and an evening of awards, food and fun at HQ.

What about the fire situation?

At this time of year, fires are always a risk. In our 26 year run, nearby fires have only stopped our flying on a few occasions. Sometimes we have to be creative, but we'll do our best to keep flying. Dannie, our Safety Guy, and others monitor the fire situation closely, including contacts in the fire service. We will establish temporary restrictions on the competition as required to keep everyone safe and allow the fire suppression operations to proceed without interference from us. Information regarding the current fire situation and restrictions will be provided at each morning pilot meeting and communicated to comp pilots via our WhatsApp channels.

Is there anything else we can do?

Yes! Get your gear together and get some sleep. Any time you have left, please spend it thanking our sponsors with your business. Each and every one has helped us pull together an event we hope you will enjoy.