2026 Icarus Cup
The 2026 Icarus cup competition will be held at Lasham Airfield in east Hampshire from the 4th to 12th July.
SAFETY FIRST:
The Icarus Cup is held on an ACTIVE AIRFIELD which presents significant hazards to everyone airside, both Icarus cup participants and other airfield users.
Before accessing airside all participants MUST complete a pink form and return it to the Lasham office. In addition all participants MUST attend an initial safety briefing prior to accessing airside
Safety briefings will be given at the start of the welcome briefing and every daily briefing. After being briefed, participants will be issued a wristband. These MUST be worn at all times when airside.
Visitors may be escorted airside however MUST still complete a pink form and MUST be escorted by BHPFC Committee or participants at all times.
Please find information about the competition below:
Address: Lasham, Alton GU34 5SP
FAQ:
How much does it cost?
Attendance at the Icarus Cup will be charged at £5 per day or £35 for the whole week. This can be paid via MemberMojo. (https://membermojo.co.uk/bhpfc/store)
What about the poor marshals?
Our (mostly) cheerful marshals are crucial to running the Icarus Cup. On flying days they mark out courses, score events and ensure everyone’s safety. When we’re not flying they can show visitors around the aircraft and answer any questions. The daily attendance fee is waived for all active marshals on a given day.
What facilities are available at Lasham?
Lasham has just opened it’s newly refurbished clubhouse with bar, café and lounge area.
What catering options will be available?
The Flight Deck café at Lasham airfield serves breakfast, lunch and dinner made to order all week.
What accommodation is available? Camping will be available on site with shower and toilet facilities next to the clubhouse. Camping will be charged (price tbc) per person per night, payable at Reception in the clubhouse. The bunkhouse at Lasham is also bookable by contacting Lasham Gliding Club directly.
Where will the aircraft be kept? Aircraft will be stored in large marquee hangars on the south side of the airfield. Camping will also be in this area. A detailed site map will be available closer to the event.
The competition rules can be downloaded here:
Note: the individual task scoring will be updated for 2026, with the revised rules to be published shortly. Contact the committee for details.
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 