By Valerie Sliker

Around the third week of April each year, 65 pilots spend a week soaring 5,000 feet above town with no engine and very little navigational tools.  Pilots and their families from almost every state in our nation visit our beautiful edge of Aiken County, SC for seven or more days.  That’s 200 visitors patronizing our local businesses and entertaining our kids, encouraging them to pursue their dreams.

The Soaring Society of America’s Region 5 hosts the Region 5 North contest in Perry, SC each year, maxing out with 65 pilots & a long waiting list of hopefuls primarily due to the excellence of Al and Rhonda Tyler's air-strip, the high level of expertise Tyler demands, & the social camaraderie of any sport's seasonal kick-off event.  The Perry event is the only contest in the United States that has the maximum of 65 pilots and a waiting list.  It’s the best attended regional competition in the entire country and it’s right here in our little slice of Aiken County. 

In this area, 4,000 – 6,000 feet altitude is expected for a glider.  In this contest, 4 – 5 hours in the air is typical.  Everything depends on the weather, the thermals.  The pilots have an estimated start-time each day, but it all depends on the weather.  

The Region 5 North contest has four different classes for competition, mostly based upon wing size.  The Open Class has the biggest wing span, 20 meters.  Then there’s the 18-meter class, the 15-meter class and the Sports class.  Each class has a daily winner.  Add up the daily points and the cumulative points for the week is the winner in each class.  The Soaring Society keeps the records and a pilot’s ranking helps them get into the busy contests, like Perry’s.