The Rich Matros Memorial Open X-C Contest
How to Join the Contest:
All SDHGPA Annual Members are Eligible
How to generate a track log and upload
Revised 05-14-2024
The Rich Matros Memorial Open X-C Contest is a chapter member XC competition based on open flight with non-specified tasks for pilots to make XC decisions on how to fly the day. There are both season long competitive and personal milestone awards. 

General Rules
  1. Pilot must be a full SDHGPA member in good standing on the day of the flight.
  2. Contest season runs from November 1st through October 31st of each year.
  3. There are separate contests for hang gliding and paragliding.  Scoring, awards, and the way distances are measured are different for the two.
  4. Pilots are encouraged to submit flights using Leonardo.  For the PG contest, this is required.  Otherwise an IGC file must be submitted to the contest administrator.  Submissions must be within 30 days after the end of the season.​
  5. ​There are competitive awards (1st, 2nd, 3rd) and there are T-shirt awards (for exceeding certain distances).  A flight may count for competition as well as for a T-shirt award.
  6. In the case of a tie in any category, the pilot's next longest flight in that category or site will be considered the tie breaker.
  7. For flights in Southern California, only non-towed, non-motorized foot-launched flights will be considered.  Elsewhere, flights from tow will be considered only for shirt awards, provided that the pilot was towed no higher than 3000 ft AGL.  For purposes of measuring distances, release from tow will be considered the start of the flight.  No flight will be considered if any part of it was motorized.
  8. All flights must be conducted in a safe manner and comply with the general top level and specific SDHGPA Site Guides.  Any flight that results in a documented legal infraction (FAA , Federal, State, or Local laws), will disqualify that flight from the contest.  Flights violating air space will be disqualified and not scored.
  9. Always ​Fly within the recommended operating limitations for your rating;  pay attention to changing conditions and weather forecasts. Flying into mid day and peak heating conditions should be reserved for Advanced pilots. Reference USHPA recommended operating limitations for your rating in the USHPA Pilot Proficiency System.
  10. Always keep your options open and have safe legal XC landing areas within reach.
  11. Cross-country flights from all of our sites fly over private property and/ or State Park land. You should familiarize yourself with the locations of legal landing zones and strict no landing areas before venturing XC. 
  12. Flying with a Spot or inReach Personal Trackers with a tracking option subscription is highly encouraged for safety and aids in retrieval. Joining and using LiveTrack24 is also encouraged. See the XC Safety & Retrieve section below.

Hang Gliding
  1. All flights must originate in San Diego County.  The only exception is for the 100 mile shirt award the flight can start anywhere.
  2. All distances will be measured in statute miles as geodesics on the WGS84 ellipsoid.
  3. ​The combined score is obtained by adding a pilot’s best scores in two of the following three categories with appropriate multipliers.  A given flight may only count in one category.
  4. These are the categories and multipliers for scoring:
  • Straight line:  Distance is measured from start point to end point.  The start point and end point can be anywhere along the flight path, not necessarily launch and landing locations. This is very close to max distance in Leonardo (any difference would be due to WGS84 vs. FAI Sphere).  The score multiplier is 1.0.
  • Out and return:  Out-and-return flights are considered complete only if the pilot records an end point within 400 meters (0.248548 miles) of the start point.  The start and end points can be anywhere along the flight path, not necessarily launch and landing.  The distance given for the out and return flight will be the "out" distance (from start to turn point) plus the smaller of the "out" distance and the "return" distance (from turn point to end point).  This means that if you fly back within 400m of your start, but not all the way back, your distance will be twice the out distance minus a "penalty" (up to 400m).  The "penalty" will be zero if you record a point within 400m of the start that is further from the turn point than the start point.  Also, the "penalty" is always less than or equal to the gap between the start point and the closest end point.  The score multiplier is 1.2.
  • FAI Triangle:  Triangle flights are considered complete only if the pilot records an end point within 400 meters of the start point.  The start and end points can be anywhere along the flight path, not necessarily launch and landing.  The start point will be the first vertex of the triangle.  The shortest leg of the triangle must be at least 28% of the total triangular distance.  The distance given for the triangle flight will be the sum of the first leg, the second leg, and the smaller of the third leg and the distance from the 3rd vertex to the end point.  This means that if you fly back within 400m of your start, but not all the way back, your distance will be the triangle distance minus a "penalty" (up to 400m).  The "penalty" will be zero if you record a point within 400m of the start that is further from the last turn point than the start point.  Also, the "penalty" is always less than or equal to the gap between the start point and the closest end point.  ​The score multiplier is 1.5.
  1. The pilot does not need to identify the points or measure the distances for the contest.  A program has been written that can analyze an IGC file and compute the best straight line, out and return, and FAI Triangle distances.
  2. A pilot must have a combined score of at least 12 to get a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place award.
HG Awards will be presented at the end of the contest season in the following categories:
  1. XC Competition: Best combined score from any two categories with appropriate multipliers: Grand Champion, 2nd Place, and 3rd Place.  The Grand Champion will have his/her name put on the Rich Matros Perpetual Plaque. 
  2. Shirt Awards: One shirt will be awarded to each pilot for his/her longest straight line XC distance passing the following Mile Marks:
  • A pilot's first flight of at least 10 miles  - launching within San Diego County (1st year achieving)​
  • Flight of at least 25 miles - launching within San Diego County
  • Flight of at least 50 miles - launching within San Diego County
  • Flight of at least 75 miles - launching within San Diego County
  • Flight of at least 100 miles, miles listed - launching anywhere


Paragliding
  1. A pilot's score is the sum of the best Leonardo scores from each of the named Southern California sites during the contest season.
  2. If a pilot does not fly at a site, their score for that site is zero.
  3. A pilot must have a combined score of at least 30 to get a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place award.
  4. The 9 named sites (in San Diego County or Southern California Basin) are: Laguna, Horse, Blossom, Little Black, Big Black, Palomar, Elsinore, Soboba, Crestline/Marshall. (Note that Otay was removed from the list of sites starting in 2017).
PG Awards will be presented at the end of the contest season in the following categories:
  1. XC Competition: Best combined score: Grand Champion, 2nd Place, and 3rd Place.  The Grand Champion will have his/her name put on the Rich Matros Perpetual Plaque.
  2. Shirt Awards: One shirt will be awarded to each pilot for his/her longest straight line XC distance passing the following Mile Marks:
  • 1st XC Flight of at least 10 miles  - launching from named sites above (1st year achieving)
  • Flight of at least 25 miles   - launching from named sites above 
  • Flight of at least 50 miles   - launching anywhere
  • Flight of at least 75 miles   - launching anywhere
  • Flight of at least 100 miles, miles listed  - launching anywhere
A few notes about Leonardo (as of November 2017):
  • Leonardo measures distances as great circle distances on a sphere with radius 6371 km (the FAI sphere).  GPS instruments almost always measure distances as geodesics on the WGS84 ellipsoid.  The HG contest requires WGS84.  The SDHGPA IGC analyzer can do both, but defaults to WGS84.
  • Leonardo has no out & return measurement.
  • For triangle flights, Leonardo considers the course closed if the gap between start and end point is no more than 20% of the total triangular distance.  It subtracts that gap from the triangular distance to get the flight distance.  If the shortest leg of the triangle is no less than 28% of the total triangle, then it qualifies as an FAI triangle in Leonardo, otherwise it is a "flat" triangle.  The HG contest considers the course closed if the gap between start and end point is no more than 400 meters (400 meters comes from the FAI rules for setting records in closed course flights).
  • For triangle flights, Leonardo allows for the start point to NOT be the first vertex of the triangle.  (This makes it easier to fly a bigger triangle).  The HG contest requires the start point to be the first vertex of the triangle.​
Key for XC Safety and SoCal Retrieval:
  • Our SDHGPA Standard for GPS coordinates is Degrees Decimal format (DD.DDDD, -DD.DDDD) and what USHPA has adopted and is recommending as a standard at all national comps. Please take the time to set all of your GPS devices and display coordinates in your mapping program preferences to Degrees Decimal format (DD.DDDD, -DD.DDDD). 
  • Use a Spot or InReach Tracking device and use a Tracking Subscription: Also turn on device tracking when flying.
  • Tracking can also be set-up using several Smart Phone apps or GSM enabled Instruments. 
  • Join the SDHGPA LiveTrack24 Group : This Free service will combine all tracking ​Device Data into one location so that others can easily find you with limited communications. LiveTrack24 can fill in the location points between the 10 min satellite Tracking uploads via: Cell Phone , Personal Satellite Tracker (Spot or In-Reach), or GSM Instrument (or combination of all for best coverage and detail) 
  • Set-up Flight Start & End Tweets from your Device Account or LiveTrack24.
  • Also ask to be added to the XC Find California Tracking Group (if using Spot or InReach) :  Email David Wheeler at the email listed on the bottom left of the XC Find page. ​
Rich Matros Memorial Open X-C Contest History
​The SDHGPA was originally known as the Ultralight Flier's Organization, or UFO. The UFO was formed in 1973 and changed names to SDHGA in 1987. In 1994 the name was changed once again to the San Diego Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association or SDHGPA to better represent our growing paraglider pilot membership.

​Rich Matros was one of the earliest members of the UFO, and one of its strongest supporters for over 15 years before succumbing to cancer. The cross country contest was renamed the Rich Matros Cross Country Contest in 1988 to honor Rich and to recognize his years of contribution to our club and his passion for XC.