The Bill Moyes Flight of the Year Award

In memory of Bill Moyes, founder of Moyes Gliders, we're proud to honour the most inspiring hang gliding stories from around the world. Whether it’s a flight that left you in awe, brought a deep sense of accomplishment, or created an unforgettable moment — we want to hear your story.

Congratulations to our June winner, Ryosuke Hattori

Ryosuke has been flying for 25 years, yet the magic of hang gliding continues to ignite his spirit.

After a truly special flight this January, he was reminded that no matter how many years you’ve spent in the air, the sky always holds new wonders - ready to inspire and surprise us all.

Ryosuke, your $200 Moyes voucher is on its way, and you've officially earned a spot in the Grand Final draw later this year. Well done!

Here is his story:

Cloud surfing at my home site

It was January 26th, 2025, at Mt. Ryumon, Wakayama. I was expecting a good, ordinary winter flying day—but it turned out to be an epic one, with a view far beyond my imagination.

A strong northeast wind had been forecast. It took a while on launch to find proper timing in the slightly rotor-ish wind coming off the ridge to the right of take-off. It was around 1 PM when I finally launched (apologies to the pilots waiting behind me). At first, the air felt slower, and the wind wasn't as strong as I had expected from the ground—but it picked up as I gained altitude.

As I climbed closer to cloud base, around 1,400 m, I found a ridge-like lift on the upwind side of the cloud. I slowly climbed, playing around the cloud's edge, enjoying the broken spectacle—diving in and out, watching myself reflected in the white mist.

Climbing above the cloud base along the edge of a cloud ridge isn't something I can do on every flight, but it does happen occasionally. I mostly fly in areas influenced by sea breeze, which often causes a convergence of different air masses and cloud base heights. So, at that moment, I still hadn't realised how unusual the conditions were.

But then, it changed.

I began to find more consistent lift on the upwind side. I started circling in solid lift, climbing steadily. My shadow appeared on the cloud below, turning in sync with me, framed perfectly by a circular rainbow.

Eventually, I reached 2,000 m—600 m above cloud base and near the cloud tops. To be honest, I started to feel a bit uneasy. What should I do now? I wondered. I didn't fully understand what was enabling me to get so high. Was it some kind of local front? Would it suddenly become turbulent?

After a moment of hesitation, I decided to push into the wind and follow the planned task route I had set before launch. As it turned out, I wasn't able to climb that high again for the rest of the day, but I still enjoyed some fun racing in what turned into an ordinarily good (but fast!) flying day.

After the flight, I learned that a friend was flying 2,300 m above me. He had followed the cloud line sideways into the wind and made it nearly to the coastline.

Despite my earlier concern, the air was quite stable—even with wind speeds above 10 m/s above the cloud base. An experienced pilot later commented that it was likely a kind of wave lift. It's a bit of a shame—I could have made more of it if I had understood the conditions better.

This flight reminded me, once again, of how much I still have to learn. Even after 25 years of flying at my home site, there are still unknowns—and unknown joys—to discover. That's hang gliding!

About myself:

I was born in 1982 (currently 42 years old) and started hang gliding in 2001 when I entered university. I learned to fly at Kyoto Air Sports, where Mitsuya Sakamoto was my instructor. The take-off and landing skills he taught me still form the foundation of my flying today.

I now live in Osaka, Japan, with my wife and daughter, and I work in the IT industry. I mostly fly at sites in the western part of Japan, averaging around 50 flights or 100 hours per year.

What I love most about hang gliding is the feeling of absolute freedom in the sky and the deep sense of synchronization with the air. For that reason, I prefer flatland flying over mountain flying. Because altitude above ground tends to be higher on the flats, I feel freer, with more options and fewer concerns about landing. It also gives me a stronger sense of flying with the air on a larger scale.
Unfortunately, there aren't many opportunities to fly in true flatland conditions in Japan, which is why Forbes in Australia is my favorite place I’ve ever flown. (I sometimes catch myself dreaming of flying at Forbes even when I’m back in Japan.)

My goal in hang gliding is to become more in tune with the air and to make the most of the weather conditions on every flight. I don’t know how far I’ve come or how close I’ll get to that goal in the rest of my flying career — but I’m enjoying the journey.

Best regards,
Ryosuke Hattori

How to Enter:

• Write about your most inspiring flight (minimum 250 words).
• Include photos or videos to bring your story to life.
• Submit via the Dropbox link below:
• https://www.dropbox.com/request/hYqCEArKJSzSjaS2qcYK
• or email to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  Note: Your flight must have taken place in this calendar year.

Prizes:

• Monthly winners will receive a $200 voucher and entry into the grand final.
• The grand final winner will get a $1000 voucher and their name engraved on the Bill Moyes Flight of the Year trophy!
• The winners will be chosen by the Moyes family. The monthly winners will be announced in the first week of each month, and the grand final winner will be revealed in January.

We can’t wait to see your stories! Fly high, share your journey, and celebrate the spirit of flight with us!