Dara Hogan <<dara.hogan>>
writes:

The outgoing PG Competitions Officer (PG) of the Irish hang
Gliding & Paragliding Association, Rafal Obora, smashed the Irish XC record with
a flight of nearly 78km (over 48 miles) on his last day in office - 6th April
2013. His excuse for arriving late to the IHPA AGM was accepted! The previous
record was held by Tom Cardas who flew 65km on 10th April 2011 from Mount
Leinster to beyond Ashford, County Wicklow. Here's some video from Rafal's
flighht.

http://vimeo.com/63959992

Rafal and his flying buddy Mariusz flew from Mount Leinster and they landed just
north of Rathangan, County Kildare in the same field. Rafal reached cloudbase at
4,600 feet. Lubor came close landing at 73km. Here's Rafal's track:

http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/733903

Rafal, Mariusz and Lubor are "new-Irish" who emigrated from eastern Europe to
Ireland at the height of the Celtic Tiger. Their flying skills have made a huge
impression on the local Irish flying scene. In recent years, the local Irish
pilots have experienced significant adverse weather with non-existent summers.
The spring months of April and May have proven to be the best flying months.