VOTE: Did Worthing Birdman's new record holder reach the 100 metre mark – video and picture
HANG-GLIDER manufacturer Steve Elkins thrilled the crowds at Worthing Birdman when his first flight took him tantalisingly close to the magic 100 metre mark.
Click on the panel to the right of the screen to see Steve's flight and hear his thoughts about how far he flew.
His flight in the Condor class, recorded at 99.86 metres, shattered the previous longest distance and earnt him the title of overall winner of this year's event.
Steve from Derbyshire is a former member of the British hang-gliding team, and believes he passed the 100 metre mark, which would land him prize money of 30,000.
See slow motion video of Steve Elkins' landing by clicking here.
He told the Herald: "I looked up and saw the 100 metre mark and though, oh, that's good, but apparently they've scored it back and said it's less than 100."
"In previous years they've said they can't measure to an accuracy greater than half a metre.
"One of the other hang-gliding guys went out with GPS to measure where the buoy was, and because of the current he measured it at 107 to 110 metres away."
Worthing Birdman rules state: "The Aviator will be deemed to "cease to fly" when they stop moving forward and have any significant part of their legs or body immersed in the water, or when additional force is gained from any swimming stroke, push or jump from any obstacle.
"Touching the water does not count against a competitor during a flight and is discounted in all measurements. Video footage will be available to the judges in the event of any dispute."
Take a closer look here at the still image taken from video by Hot Dog Media, which shows the point when Steve's body hit the water on Saturday, August 22.
See video recorded from the Herald's live stream at qik.com/video/2623224
What do you think?
Do you think Steve's flight was longer than 100 metres?
Vote yes or no in the panel to the bottom right of the screen.
See the four-page Worthing Birdman picture special in the Herald on Thursday, August 27 for more on this story.
For more Worthing Birdman news click here.
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Monday 28 May 2012
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