Bognor Birdman - August 2003
As the Birdman event was so disappointing at Eastbourne Birdman in 2002,
we went to the equivalent Birdman flying contest (or should that be
jumping) at Bognor instead the following year - and it was ace!
Pity we didn't get there earlier to bags a better view of all those
intrepid Birdman trying to fly the furthest from Bognor pier though.
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At Bognor they had a number of giant video screens so the crowds could
keep up with the crazy Birdman contestants jumping off the pier,
attempting to win the £25,000 prize on offer to fly over 100 metres.
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We were a little late in arriving and this was the best view we got of
the Birdman contest initially. The big arrow points to the action
on the end of Bognor pier. Yes, that's Belinda's head to the
right!
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As you can see we were some way back from the pier so the binoculars
came in handy for a close-up view of the Birdman jumpers in their fancy
dress clobber.
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We found a nice little spot for our picnic lunch here just off
Bognor seafront, away from the crowds, but we could still hear the
amusing Birdman commentary.
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Crumbs! It's Mike making a mess on our new picnic rug.
Afterwards, we had difficulty packing it up into its bag again, it
never did fold up as small as when it came out! Anyway, following
lunch...
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...we managed to find a closer place on the beach and got a better view
of the last half of the Bognor Birdman event, including seeing Sir
Richard Branson's huge Concorde balloon soar into the sky.
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Here you can just about see a Birdman participant flying off the launch
pad (circled). The binoculars made everything clearer of
course. For a better view, check out our Bognor Birdman video clips!
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Splash down! But no-where near 100 metres, so no winnings for
this bold Birdman! The nearest managed about 83 metres, see our tourist resources for the Bognor
Birdman website and results table.
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Mike in his element, camcorder in hand, what a Kool Dude! The
Birdman jumping went on for some 2½ hours with excellent commentary
through the PA and close-up action from the giant video screens.
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Here's Virgin Atlantic boss Sir Richard Branson on the stage at the
Bognor Birdman presenting prizes while wearing a, er, Concorde.
Earlier, he'd launched a giant replica of Concorde away into the
stratosphere.
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We found a great looking Crazy Golf course just off the seafront at
Bognor so enjoyed a game (and a few laughs too). Here, Mike's
tried to whack the ball through the rotating sails of the windmill -
many times!
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All in all we enjoyed a terrific day out at the Bognor Birdman event
despite being unable to get very close to the action. Moral:
leave earlier and bag a better vantage point before the crowds mount up!
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