www.PSFmagazine.com | March-April 2018 | 5 4 | March-April 2018 | Powered Sport Flying FREE 2017/2018 CATALOG! 1-877-4SPRUCE VISIT US ON OUR NEWMOBILE SITE www.aircraftspruce.com 7 7 7 8 2 3 ROTAX 912 iS ROTAX 914 UL TURBO ROTAX 912 ULS ROTAX ENGINE HEADQUARTERS The CPS Facility at the Corona Airport has the latest tools & equipment to service all Rotax engines. CPS also provides full service & maintenance on LSA’s. CALL 1-800-247-9653 • WWW.CPS-PARTS.COM BRYAN TOEPFER CPS Operations Manager California Power Systems 225 Airport Circle Corona, CA 92880 951-549-7786 24-Hour Fax: 951-372-0555 Tech Support Hotline: 951-317-8677 SALES • OVERHAUL SERVICES • ROTAX PARTS • ANNUAL INSPECTIONS • TECHNICAL SUPPORT • ROTAX CLASSES Press Pass On a Friday in January, a host of competitors took off from Lake Wales Municipal Airport for Icarus X Florida, a 232 nautical mile race, which traveled to Palm Bay and Lake Okeechobee before heading back to the finish line at Lake Wales. Icarus X Florida forms part of the Icarus X Series, which this year consists of four races, which can be entered individually or as a whole, in the usA, South Africa, uk and Australia. Few pilots had anticipated such cold temperatures when they signed up for the Florida race, however, and on the first day the chilly weather, part of the record breaking cold snap on the East Coast, led to one pilot having to pull out as he became too cold to carry on. The rest of the field battled on, resulting in a close-fought race with several pilots neck-and-neck as they bedded down for the first night, wherever they could find somewhere comfortable to sleep. Come Saturday morning one of the pre-race favorites, Jon Eisele, a veteran of the us Marine Corps, had a mechanical failure, which effectively ended his chance of a win. This left two main contenders in the air battling it out for glory, with American Bryan Richards eventually being first across the line on Saturday evening, taking the title and winning a place in the Icarus Trophy (the larger scale paramotoring race taking place in southern Africa in July), before fading light stopped play for the day. While some of the remaining pilots managed to cross the line on Sunday, including Joshua Gantt who won the Spirit of Adventure Award for being the first person to complete an Icarus event in a trike, strong headwinds meant others had to sit out the day and wait until Monday to finish. Despite the chilly start, most pilots had an incredible time, resulting in a fantastic race above some of Florida’s most iconic landscapes. The organizers hope to bring the race back to Florida again soon. How to get involved Novice or expert you can get involved in the Icarus X Series or Icarus Trophy, as there are Race and Adventure divisions in both events. Head over to www.icarustrophy.com to find out more or to enter the 2018 Icarus Trophy or one of the Icarus-X Series events that will be happening over various weekends in the uk, usA, Australia and, the latest addition, South Africa. That is also where you can learn about the Icarus Trophy. Cold Weather Plays its Part in Icarus X Florida “Hey guys! Well the awards wrapped up at noon and everyone was in good spirits and seemed happy. Such a great group of guys. Bryan Richards won the Race Trophy, and Joshua Gantt won the Spirit of Adventure Trophy. He’s actually the first person that I know of to complete any Icarus event unsupported in a trike so quite an accomplishment. It was a pleasure, and the team and I look forward to the next one.”–Shane Denherder, Icarus X Series Chief
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