2024 Icarus Cup
The 2024 Icarus cup competition will be held at Manston Airport in east Kent from the 15th to 23rd of June.
Entries for the 2024 Icarus Cup are now open. The entry form and rules can be downloaded here:
Please find information about the competition below:
Address: Manston Rd, Ramsgate CT12 5BQ
FAQ:
What facilities are available at Manston? Showers and toilets will be provided on site, along with briefing / social marquee.
What catering options will be available? We have arranged for an on-site caterer who will be serving breakfast, lunch, and evening dinner meals available to purchase from the main event marquee during each day of the championships. Example menus:
Breakfast: sausage / bacon / egg baps, plus cereal or non-cooked option, with tea, coffee, or water.
Lunch: selection of grab and go sandwiches or salads, with tea, coffee or water.
Dinner: 1 x meat, 1 vegan, 1 x fish dish with starches and vegetables, with tea, coffee or water,
Meal themes will vary, with BBQ evening and other themes i.e. Italian, Chinese, Indian food. More detail to be provided soon.
The Naafi Café at the RAF Manston History Museum serves serves homemade breakfasts, family favourite light bites, such as sausage rolls, breakfast butties and a delicious range of homemade cakes and afternoon teas. Opening hours 10:00 to 16:00.
What accommodation is available? Camping is available on site with shower and toilet facilities. We cannot confirm at this time if we will be able to provide power hookup for the campsite / camper vans, but power will definitely be available in main marquee for charging devices. Campers are asked to pay £5 per person per night.
If you prefer not to camp, we have two recommended options within 5 minutes drive:
The Premier Inn Ramsgate (Manston Airport) hotel and the Holiday Inn Ramsgate both offer low price hotel rooms approx 2 miles from the championship site.
There are also various holiday parks nearby with static caravans and similar.
Where will the aircraft be kept? Manston airport kindly provides us with a hangar in which the aircraft can be kept. The hangar has large sliding doors and electricity and is located near to the runway.
Why Manston airport? Manston airport allows us to fly at any point in the day or night (with the exception of brief intermissions due to possible helicopter operations on the airfield) and provides us with excellent facilities for attendees and aircraft.
We are holding a joint event with the BOPC (https://ppgcomps.co.uk/). The BOPC will not interfere with Icarus cup flying in any way, but will make for great company when not flying!
About the Icarus cup
The Icarus Cup is owned by the Royal Aeronautical Society and the first competition was held in 2012 at Lasham airfield. The Icarus Cup is awarded to the winning pilot, who scores the most points across 7 different flying tasks, and prizes of £1000 and £500 go to the 1st and 2nd placed teams.
The aircraft must all be heavier than air and able to be propelled solely by the physical efforts of the pilot. A series of tasks are available and the teams elect to fly as many of these, and as often as they wish in order to score points. These include distance, speed and slalom courses along with the Jacobson figure-of-eight, a highly demanding task completed for the first time in the UK at the 2018 contest by Niall Paterson.
Other challenges included in the competition are part of the series of Kremer Prize tasks, two of which remain to be claimed. See The Kremer Prize in the “more” dropdown menu.
BHPFC 