ECPC The East Coast Paragliding Championship

ECPC LaBelle, Florida

Come enjoy the world class flats of Florida with many 100 km tasks, in the East Coast Paragliding Championship. Strong lift and epic cloud streets have drawn top pilots from around the world to Florida for more than 80 years!

ECPC 2025 LaBelle, Florida

April 20 to April 25

Entry fee is $300, 10% goes to prize money, and includes t-shirt, XC retrieval, scoring, awards ceremony and dinner. Tow/retrieve fee is $300.

We average 5 out of 6 days flown and many pilots fly personal bests, scoring, prize money and awards ceremony.

Registration

Pilot List 5 pilots registered

Name Glider
1 Thomas Mccormick Ozone Zeno 2
2 Steve Messinger Ozone Rush 6
3 Moacir Thiele 777 Queen 2
4 Dennis Johnson Ozone Photon
5 Phil Cunningham Niviuk Artik R

Transportation

ECPC is hosted in LaBelle, Florida. (see map below)

Most pilots fly into either Fort Myers or West Palm Beach (FLL). Fort Myers is the closest airport - a 45 minute drive away. FLL often has more frequent and cheaper options - a 1.5 hour drive away. Because our event HQ is located in a more rural area of Florida, many pilots will want the convenience of a rental car to get around to their lodging and dining needs. We encourage pilots to share rides and rooms whenever possible, and they can coordinate through the NeverLand Flight Park Facebook page. Airport pick-ups can be arranged for a fee. Contact Neil Sirrine for details and scheduling.

The event is Headquartered at the Glades RV Resort in LaBelle, Florida. Transportation is provided daily from HQ to the launch site. Each pilot will also be retrieved from the XC task route to goal. If you pass goal and decide to fly further, retrieval will be up to you. Pilots are encouraged to ride share and can use our NeverLand Flight Park Facebook page to organize this.

Scoring

Each pilot must have an approved GPS device that can record their track log from each day's flight. These tracks should be downloaded and emailed to our score keeper. We use FAI-approved score software, following the established rules and using the standard algorithms.

Waypoints

You can download the waypoints for the competition here

Lodging

Glades RV Resort:
6 cabins for rent which have a small kitchen and can house 2-3 pilots per cabin.

Port LaBelle Inn:
Will offer a pilot discount if you stay for the week.
Speak with Terry at:
(863) 675-4411

LaBelle Motel:
(863) 675-2971

The Rivers Edge:
(863) 675-6062

LaBelle Woods:
(863) 675-3641

Camping:

Ortona Lock:
Improved camping sites and rv hook-ups with hot showers and laundry facilities
(863) 675-8400. Camp fee is $30 per night.

NeverLand Flight Park:
Improved camping: We have water and electricity now! $10 per night one adult/tent. $5 per night each extra adult.

What to bring

Most of you have this figured out, but just in case you need a check list:

  • Clothes for hot and cool conditions. It's commonly quite hot and humid on the ground. It can be cool at cloudbase which is commonly at 6-7000 feet, but mostly it's a perfect 65 degrees.
  • Rain gear, if desired - it can rain at times and some rain gear may be needed if you plan outside time.
  • Tow bridle and hook knife (these are also available on site for purchase if needed).
  • Radio capable of transmitting on 148.500.
  • Cell phone capable of sending your location to the retrieve driver is recommended.
  • FAI-compliant GPS or flight instrument capable of recording your flight track in a compatible format.
  • For those who plan to camp at NeverLand flight park, remember to bring everything you need - this is primitive, dry camping.
  • Sunscreen.
  • Bug spray.
  • Extra water and snacks.

Weather

We can't control it, so we plan well and work with what we got! The ECPC is held during what is statistically proven to be the best two weeks of the year, with an average of 5 out of 6 days flown. We have a team of experienced pilots who are constantly evaluating the weather and sharing the analysis with pilots during each day pilot briefing. Our best conditions are anything with the word South in it, and our worst is North and Northeast. We have good flight potential to both the East and West.

Weather in LaBelle now few clouds



Name Total
Kelton Kenney 289
Tom Lanning 952
Dustin Pachura 1,714
Dennis Johnson 218
Austin Wadsworth 332
Zakey Faieq 162
Christopher Dunlap 133
James Culver 77
Philip Armstrong 1,121
Moacir Thiele 397
Mark Wagner 97
John Buterbaugh 1,211
John Gallagher 590
David Prentice 1,094

How to get here