Bognor International Birdman

Where: Formerly Bognor, Sussex at the Pier (Formerly at Worthing, Sussex - from the Pier)
When: Formerly a Weekend in July/August or occasionally September
Time: Formerly From 11.30 Saturday, 12 noon Sunday

 

Birdman

The Birdman competition was when humans strove to become airborne using only manpower to propel them off the pier….usually with predictable results! There were  usually three classes in the competition : Leonardo da Vinci class in which competitors used their own homemade self-designed craft; Condor class in which competitors used hang-gliders or similar craft; Kingfisher class in which fun flyers, often in fancy dress and/or raising money for charity, launched themselves with little hope of anything other than a speedy plummet southwards into the briny. The potential rewards were substantial – as well as prize money for each class, there was the elusive £10,000 reward for anyone who could fly over 100 metres. The action formerly took place over two days, then on the Sunday only. You could expect plenty of thrills, spills and chills with 30,000 visitors. The competition began in the early 1970s and moved venue a few times, settling in Worthing from 2008 after 29 years along the coast at Bognor, then back to Bognor in more recent years.

Helpful Hints

It was cancelled for 2020 and  2021 and hasn’t been staged since. Future dates are yet to be confirmed -there have been no updates on the Facebook page for some time.

Anyone could go to spectate, but competitors must be over 18 and the entry fee was £50. And remember that the platform is 30 feet high above the sea! Most recently it was held every other year in odd numbered years so the last one should  have been 2019 on Sunday 1st September (it’s often in August but not this time) but has been cancelled, apparently for health and safety reasons.

There was a big screen so spectators could see close-ups from the platform and the commentary was easily audible all along the beach to the west of the pier. It was fairly easy to get a good view as many of those watching sit on the pebbles or on deckchairs at the front of the beach.

Be aware that for safety reasons some of the timings could be altered or even cancelled in response to weather conditions.

Click here for the event Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/bognorbirdman/



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