World class hang gliding instructor Willy Dydo of Santa Barbara, will compete on the USA team in the 2023 Hang Gliding World Championship in Macedonia, Aug. 6-19.
This will be Dydo’s third time competing outside the U.S., and his first time competing on the USA team in the World Championships. He recently won the Canadian National Competition in 2022, which contributed to his position on the world team this year.
Dydo will be one of 130 pilots from 25 countries competing for the world championship title. To be selected to compete, Dydo qualified based on the scores from his recent competitions. He is currently ranked fourth of the eight pilots on the USA team, and 96th of 872 competing pilots overall.
The competition happens every two years, although the last one was canceled due to COVID-19.
Dydo will be flying a fresh sail for his glider, sponsored by Wills Wing, a company based in Mexico. He will be flying a high-performance model, called the T3, in this competition.
Throughout the 10 scheduled flying days, contestants are rated based on performance during a Race to Goal format. They will be given a new task to fly each day and accumulate points throughout the competition. Results will be based on distance of the course completed as well as speed.
Just north of Greece, Macedonia offers abundant lift, creating ideal racing conditions and allowing for lengthy flights. The race will take place in Krushevo, in the Southwestern part of the country near the Pelagonia Valley, at around 4700 feet elevation.
For the past 12 years, Dydo has worked as a full-time hang gliding instructor in Santa Barbara, offering hang gliding instruction and tandem flights. He is the only active instructor in central California.
Flying over 220 miles in one flight — from Lone Pine flying North into Nevada and back — Dydo has come within five miles of beating the world record for “out and return” distance flying, logging a total of ten hours in the air without stopping.
“Willy is the most humble guy I know,” said Jeff Galvin. “He would never brag about his accomplishments, but he is the real deal, living the life in every way.
“I think he flies 300 days out of the year; it’s something special. He’s a world class pilot and people come from all over the world to learn from him.”
“As an active member of the local flying community, Willy has given so much to each one of us in different ways. He really deserves to win,” said Norman Krogn.
Find out more about the competition and live track the event at https://civlcomps.org/event/hgworlds2023.