SAFA Skysailor Magazine

16 SKY SAILOR June-July-August | WINTER 2026 In 2026, the formula worked beautifully. Twenty pilots gathered at Forbes for three days of towing, thermals and shared adventure. By the end of the weekend, more than half the field had achieved personal bests (PBs) and several pilots had reached their first ever goals. Most importantly, everyone left with a huge smile. Forbes Floater Festival 2026 Left: Chris Sutton on his way to goal Shaking off the cobwebs The festival began on Thursday afternoon with practice tows for around 10–15 pilots who hadn’t towed in some time. It was the perfect warm-up – a chance to dust off the cobwebs, get comfortable behind the tug again, and sort out the little things before the real flying began. By Friday morning, the excitement around the airfield was building. Day 1: A fast start The opening task was a short 23km run to the north, perfect for easing pilots into the competition. Conditions were friendly and the race was quick. The day’s winner reached goal in just 26 minutes, ahead of Adrian Bosco, Jonny Durand and Geoff English. However, the stopwatch only told part of the story. Wiley tripled his previous PB distance, landing just short of goal after an impres- sive flight. Sharat and Doug both complet- ed their first cross-country flights, huge milestones on the very first day. The festival had officially begun.