Hungary's Attila Bertok has won the 2025 Forbes Flatlands Hang Gliding championship for 2025 - his fourth in five years.
Bertok had an outstanding start to the competition and his consistency proved key as he totalled 4643 points of a possible 5000.
Gliders converged on Forbes for the annual competition and although there were some tricky conditions mid-week - storms and high winds - they flew five days out of the available eight.
"Considering we had those strong southerlies we were very lucky," Vicki said.
This year's competition was again very competitive, with gliders set tasks including one to Narromine and others a triangle returning to base near Forbes.
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"Each day the maximum points you can get is 1000 and (Attila) was very consistent," Vicki said.
Bertok won task one with 1000 points - the maximum score; then placed third on tasks 2 (834 points), task 3 (924 points) and Task 4 with 881 points.
He came in second on the final day with 904 points.
In second overall in the open championships was Gordon Rigg from Great Britain with a total 4236 points, third was Oval Opsanger from Norway with 4071 points.
First of the Australians on the leaderboard was Jon Durand, himself a past open title winner, in fourth place and fellow Australian Craig Taylor in fifth.
Richard McLeod from Victoria backed up to win the sports class for the second year in a row.
Overall the week was an incredibly positive experience for both returning pilots and those who made the trip to the central west for the first time.
"They're already talking about coming back next year," Vicki said.
"And it'll probably be the same dates, just starting the day after (the) Elvis (Festival)."
First time Forbes flyer Nicholas Orand from France said he had heard about the competition and just had to make the trip for the experience.
"Coming from France to fly the flatlands requires a lot of prep work but the outcome is well worth it on many aspects," he wrote to Vicki afterwards.
"This year’s flying let us imagine how great the place can be, the breathtaking Australian country side and wildlife, and most of all, the welcoming and supportive attitude of all I met these past 10 days."
He extended thanks to all the organisers, tug pilots and support crew who make the event possible.
"Thank you Vicki and Moyes for all you do. I am flying back to France with great memories," he wrote.
This year marked 20 for the Forbes Flatlands Hang Gliding competition, which returns to our local skies each January.
It was a special milestone, but also a time to pay tribute to Bill Moyes, Vicki's father, a founder in the sport, who passed away September 24, 2024.
Bill Moyes was known as "Birdman", taking to the skies in the 1960s, claiming the first soaring flight for this type of aircraft at Botany Bay and setting records for height, free flight, and long-distance towing.
He toured the world as a performer at festivals, fairs and shows, and even into the Grand Canyon.
He also teamed up to develop the dragonfly, the light aircraft that even today launches the pilots and their gliders at the Forbes Flatlands competition.
His honours included an OAM and an Australian Sports Medal for Moyes' contribution to sport; he was presented with a Smithsonian Institute Invention Award for technical development; and the Federation Aeronautique Internationale's Gold Air Medal for contribution to development of hang gliding.
The paddock where the pilots launch is affectionately known within the competition as Bill Moyes international airport.
Top nine out of the top 10 pilots at this year's championships were flying Moyes Gliders.
One of the aspects of presentation night is drawing a land holder raffle as an expression of thanks to all the farmers around the region whose properties the gliders land on. This year it was Paul Egan at Cooks Myalls.
