The Barron Hilton Cup (BHC)[1] is a worldwide soaring contest, founded by Barron Hilton, Chairman of the Board and President of the Hilton Hotels Corporation, and the late Professor Helmut Reichmann in 1981. The BHC is also co-sponsored by the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS). The winners of each two-year competition period are invited to a soaring week at Barron Hilton's Flying-M Ranch in Nevada USA.[2]
Since 1986, the BHC has been recognized by the International Gliding Commission as an Fédération Aéronautique Internationale first-category event. The purpose of the competition is to promote long-distance gliding and to strengthen gliding contacts between the participating nations.
The competition area is divided into five geographic regions of the world.