[Qi]

Fantastic flying. Congrats to both..........

[knumbknuts]

redditors should upvote this link for a little press for the sport:

http://www.reddit.com/r/aviation/comments/w1kzl/hang_gliding_world_record_smashed_with_477_mile/

[danmoser]

I'm so impressed by both these pilots and the modern ships they flew ! WOW !!

I am amused by the fact that it takes them just as long to drive back to Zapata from their North Texas LZ than it took them to fly there.

As far as I know, the foot-launch (not aero-tow launch) distance record is still held by Larry Tudor from his 309 mile flight from Rock Springs, WY in 7/1/1994 ... is that correct??.. if so that record is now over 18 years old !!

[rongleason]

I believe that flights out of Rock Springs WY were accomplished via winch towing.

[Paul H]

So what is the longest foot-launched flight? Was it from a Wyoming site?

[Fred Wilson]

Where the heck has that USA Records Website got to? Forgot the url.
_________________

http://ozreport.com/compWorldRecords.php

Jonny's 500 KM (311 miles) foot launch world record, Canungra, Queensland, 2006

"Starting a little after 8 AM. 28 1 36.73 S, 153 9 48.38 E, Canungra, Australia (Canungra, Australia)

Vicki Cain <vicki> writes:

Wednesday 6th December, 2006, Jon Durand http://jonnydurand.blogspot.ca/

Jon Durand Jnr. Foot launched from his home site at Beechmont, Queensland.
At 8.10 am, with 4 weet bix in his belly, in a 10 kph Southerly he flew for just over 10 hours landing at 6.15 pm, 70 km north of a town called Roma.
A distance of 500 km + some metres, maybe .05

His car and driver Anthony made a round trip of 1650 kms, they arrived back home at 5.30 am Thursday morning.
Jonny will give a full report in the next few days. And oh he was flying his Moyes LitespeedMoyes Litespeed S 4."

[Fred Wilson]

There is a story here from Johnny Durand dated a year earlier.
Not sure if this is the same flight (March 2005) or if the 2006 flight beat it by a few Km.
(Two different drivers mentioned in each story.)

Read this story at http://ozreport.com/9.057#1
If so, I have not found anything published anything on the 2006 record. Including his track log.
This even after heaps of pressure from friends...

Maybe it can be found way back on his blog...

[Fred Wilson]

Found it

United States Free Flight Records http://siterecords.blogspot.ca/

See also: http://www.fai.org/civl-records
________________

(editor's Footnote: Jonny Durrand's foot launch flight from Beechmont is the longest flight from a mountain or hill side launch.
It sets the new Australian record and was longer than Kevin Christopherson's 287 miles (461 km) from Whiskey Peak, Wyoming.
It is longer than Bruce Barmakian's 306 miles (492 km) in the rigid wing from Ord Mountain California.

[Andrew Vanis]

so is it johhny that got it?

http://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2012/07/05/3539490.htm?site=centralwest

5 July, 2012 10:42AM AEST
Aussie hang glider soars to a new world record
By Skye Shannon Overnight in the United States the world record for free distance hang gliding was smashed by an Aussie man.
0
Download this mp3 file
Johnny Durand was in the air for more than 11 hours as he travelled over 760 kilometres through the extreme gliding countryside of Zapata in Texas, USA.
The previous world record for a free distance hang gliding flight was set in 2001 by Austrian pilot Manfred Ruhmer who was gliding for 700.6 kilometres.
Yesterday Australian Johnny Durand and another man Dustin Martin broke that world record by 61 kilometres.
Colleagues says this is an amazing feat which would have been extremely challenging physically - the men were gliding without the help of an engine, covering a distance further than Sydney to Brisbane!
Johnny Durand says even though both men have successfully broken the previous record, they won't know who the current world record holder is until their flight paths are analysed.
If Durand is unsuccessful, he says he'll consider another world record attempt in the same location within the week.
Collegues are already calling Durand the Cadel Evans of the hang gliding world.
Johnny says he'll post a video of his flight on his blog as soon as possible.
The World Championships for hang gliding will be held in Forbes in January 2013.

[Fred Wilson]

Nice to finally see it making main stream news.

They got Johhny's blog url wrong though. Its http://jonnydurand.blogspot.ca/

Pete Lehmann's The Zapata Chronicles - 2012 http://wre500.blogspot.ca/

Dustin Martin's blog: http://dustinhoflies.blogspot.ca/
hopefully he will start using it more than once every few months!

- I am waiting with baited breath for the story. Dustin promised Davis a good story about the last hour of that flight.

Dave Prentice's website: http://earthcog.com/
- great to see him recovered from that horrific PG accident a couple of years ago!

[Cal Glider]

[therms]

congrats awsum effort,well done to both,and a hell yea to jonny a fellow gold coast local pilot

[JR]

Downloading the record flight - Dustin almost knicked restricted airspace.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gEyhSpXVlM

JR

[JR]

BTW, I tried to get this link to appear as a viewable window to the video. I tried clicking on the YouTube button before and/or after the link, but that didn't work nor did using the URL button before and after/or after the link. What am I doing wrong?

JR

[Fred Wilson]

[Avolare]

The youtube above of the download was too funny

[Fred Wilson]

More news from the Zapata Tx World Record Encampment

Glen Volk is closing in on the Straight Distance to a Declared Goal record flight today with several hours of daylight to spare.
His goal is Sterling City. (Slightly NW of San Angelo)
http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=28376&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=100

Spot track: http://chorlton.homeip.net/spotmap/zapata.html

6:30 PM local time, and he is now past the 250 miles (400 Km) mark.

Are you thinking about next year's holiday's plans now?

[tom emery]

Incredible! Anyone know if it made the "news"? Now THAT would be amazing.

[rongleason]

next to a building, with easy access to paved roads north of Eldorado TX.

Great flight Glenn

[miraclepieco]

If in Jonny's position, I would have abandoned the "official" world record attempt
and flown until well after sunset and tried to break 500 miles. I have vivid
memories of Jerry Katz (100 miles), Larry Tudor (200 and 300 miles) and
Manfred Ruhmer's (400 miles) milestones, but have little recollection of the
interim distances. Few will remember an oddball number like 470 miles, but I
guarantee that EVERYONE will remember the first pilot over 500 - official or not.