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.
To be allowed airside all participants MUST complete a pink form and return it to the Lasham office in addition to attending an initial safety briefing. The pink forms can be collected from the Lasham Office (open 0900-1700) or by prior arrangement.
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. Additionally briefings may be saught from the saftey officer by prior arrangement.
Visitors may be escorted airside however MUST still complete a pink form and MUST be escorted by BHPFC Committee or participants at all times.
Some keen attendees are unable to make the arrivals day or are intent on coming early to set up their aircraft before the event.
As a result, the BHPFC decided to host a pre-briefing prior to the event.
The slides for this pre-briefing can be found below. Please note these are for reference only, reading these will not exclude you from the requirement for an initial safety brief.
Additionally find below the traffic light rules map, again for reference.
And finally the incident reporting form, again please report any near misses or actual incidents that did or could have caused injury to persons or damage to property.
https://forms.gle/xW1rSk1F784u7SBZ8
NOTICEBOARD: The noticeboard is now live, and can be accessed HERE. Please bookmark it for easy access throughout the week.
The noticeboard contains the schedule and all other important information.
Address: Lasham, Alton GU34 5SP
Site Map
Schedule of events – PROVISIONAL
Frequently Asked Questions
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. The cafés menu and opening times can be found here Menus | Mysite.
What accommodation is available?
Camping will be available on site with shower and toilet facilities next to the clubhouse. Camping will be charged £1 per person per night and £7 per tent for the the week, 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.
What do I do upon arrival?
Please first check-in to the Lasham reception desk upon arrival. There you will receive a pink for which must be completed. Everyday at 6pm there will be a daily briefing in the “brown elephant”. This is when we welcome any new guests from the day and present mandatory daily information. Here we can give you your wristband for event admission, handle attendance fees, and then you’re then free to join us on the campsite.
Because briefings are at 6pm, and you are not able to go airside until a wristband has been provided to you, we recommend that you do not arrive too much earlier than this. However, the clubhouse cafe and bar will be available throughout the day.
Documentation
The competition rules can be downloaded here:
2026 Aircraft entry forms can be downloaded here:
New team requirements for 2026:
All teams are now required to provide a pair of Baofeng BF-888s two-way radios in order to facilitate communication between aircraft on the field.
These are available for < £20 each and members of the BHPFC committee can guide you through the operation and set up during the competition week.
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 