SEN issue 1111 - 6 July 2007
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- Category: Archive 2007
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Table of Contents - SEN 1111
- A few thoughts on Odessa.
- The Brits and Proper Planning
- WC Coverage
- F1C and Juniors
- Spring to a Selig
- A World Champs thoughts on Odessa
- Abad to Zulic
A few thoughts on Odessa.
From: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
1. The arm is now pinned and will be a permanent hazard re x-ray machines.
As it was the right arm I am now growing a beard, it is matching the rest of
the cioffure, being all grey and stubbly. June is not impressed with me, the
arm or the beard. The promised "when I get back" jobs are now on hold!
2. The plastering of the arm involved some rather neat pre-preg epxoy
bandage. I have been promised details, it could be a useful material.
3. Chris Edge forgot an incident in that John Carter had to tow that large
milatary truck out of a muddy area with his hire car. Well that's the way
round John tells it.
4. Regarding images. I had intended a CD of the champs, but it got cut
short! The idea was to raise money for the UK team travel fund. I will edit
down the shots I have in the next few days. The camera got a bit carried
away and got its focal length all confused during the dancing displays! So
it will be 5.00GBP or 10USD post paid for a CD.
Michael J Woodhouse, Norwich, UK.
Mike
I did see a number of people applying the maxim - the difference between a rental car and a jeep is that a rental car can be driven anywhere... The other incident s involved that application of [mainly] Ukranian man power, rather than military might.
The Brits and Proper Planning
From:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
After the WC, we all got on a bus and headed to the Metropolis (a disco style bar/resturant establishment). I got into one of the few empty seats next to a white haired gentleman. Because the ride took over two hours (the driver got lost, I think) I ended up talking to the man next to me. He had an accent and I asked him where he was from. He commented, "South Wales". I made some remarks about the lack of luck that the Brits had. He shook his head and said he knew all about it. As we continued talking, he made a simple statement about how he knew all about the incidents- his words were "Yes, I know all about it because I am the team manager!" Enuff said....
As far as Stafford's hitting the wires and burning. We were parked next to him (John had the pleasure of giving him some fuel line) and we got to see the remains of both the burned up model as well as the mid air. The thing I will remember is the stench in the car. I wonder what the car rental place thought when they returned it...
From: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
I just would like to say 'thank you' for the almost moment to moment coverage at the WC. The stories about each day really made me feel as if I was there. Thank you so much all of you for emailing on this event and especially thank you to Ken Bauer for his super excellent coverage of the events. He really covered each day thoroughly, and I felt as if I was there through all of it, wind and all! I know it takes a lot of time and writing to cover these events in an email for SCAT; but, we, back home, really do appreciate it; I know I do and my husband, if he were still here (Allen Brush) would also.
Again, thanks. I thoroughly enjoyed all of it.
Tina Brush
Editor's Comment
One off the things that is nice about the European is summer is the long evening when you can fly. Even in Odessa which is in the southern part of the Ukraine it was flyable until about 9. This made for very long days. Getting up for a 5 am breakfast to be on the field for at 6 for the 7 am first round. The regular rounds finished at about 2 when it was back to the hotel for Lunch. This would be followed by housekeeping such as a supermarket run for water, etc Then back at 6 for the 7pm flyoff and dinner at 10pm after the last flight. This was the routine for all members of the team, every day during the champs itself because if you were not flying you were helping the team members. Fortunately most of the retrieves were not 3.5Km like one of my flights but never the less it was significant effort. So for Ken to write what he did on top of that it was a big effort and in deed is very much appreciated by all.
Juniors and F1C
From: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
I would like to respond to John Lorbecki's statements regarding young flyers flying F1C. In 1984, at the Junior World Champs, all of the power flyers had to fly F1C type planes. At the conclusion of that meet, the US flyers had 1,2 and 4th place in F1C. The 4th place just happened to be my grandson who had straight maxes through 5 rounds. In the 6th round, the Seelig timer broke and he had an overrun and of course a long, long flight. Unfortunately, the plane was not returned in time to get a second attempt in that round. He maxed out in the 7th round and ended in 4th place due to the 0 for the 4th round. The point is the kids had to use F1C. and did very, very well. At the conclusion, I suggested, and I think everyone else thought the same, they should drop to a 1/2A type airplane which became the F1J as we know today. John did very well and I am pleased with his performance against the best Open flyers in the world. Great!
Tom Kerr
Editor's comment ..
In adding to what Tom says, both the cost and complexity of F1Cs have gone up since 84. In watching John, who is a strong young man and others just handle the models at launch time and on retrieval a younger person would have had difficulty, unless he was as big as Austin! On the cost there a number of modelling families that have more than one member in the Junior program and an F1C model costs about twice one of the other classes. I thought that John had nice, well trimmed airplanes that got to a respectable height but as Papa John observed horsepower is the game.
A World Champs thoughts on Odessa
FroM: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
comment: It's 5 AM on July 6th and I'm still comming to grips with jetlag and 33rd place. A tough competition with plenty of weather but in reflection not too much wind. There's something intimidating about hearing gliders on tow smacking the ground up and down the line as you are towing and I think that's probably the main reason I missed. It wasn't too much wind as I realized after the drop when I just decided to tow for the rest of the contest. Kite until you want to check, one circle was easy (again that sound of carbon and aluminum booms snapping around you)....was that Brian that just got hit by a solid Russian flyer towing in...but even with a line tangle, not that hard. So I think what US flyers have to realize is it's easier to win a flyoff with 20 flyers than a great weather flyoff with 50 but we have to get more comfortable in the breeze. Are models so expensive that 15 miles per hour wind costs us too much when we smack 'em...that may be a problem. You can't bring that attitide to the W/C becasue the best in the world don't have that mental state. That's my initial reaction to glider in Odessa.
The rest....great work by the orgainzers (really Victor Stamov and family) and that was very well done throughout the event...I can relate to weather problems. The team? Something may have been lacking from Argentina but I can't put my finger on it...the chase teams were terrific and Blake did his usual excellent job of putting together an effective strategy. The site...it's a great site, the biggest "field" I've ever seen with some uneven ground that left it's mark on the chasers legs and lowbacks but this little used military base was plenty big. The Black Sea (pronouonced Biloxi) nerby likely lead to variable weather but you should have been there the week before or the week after.
Those are intiial thoughts, all in all a great time, had fun with the supporters and team...and if that young punk Lorbiecki * get's that pathetic Ford Fiesta in my way again, he's going into the wall (smile). The driving in Ukraine, is a whole new story. A lot of new friends and new places to stay if I get to Europe or Australia and even the North Koreans smile if you give them water, otherwise....they don't. Thanks to the team, the AMA that helped send us and Victor for a great job putting on the champs....more later.
Mike McKeever
Editor's note - Mike you might have regarded John as a punk,... but that's not the works I heard come from the ladies ..
Abad to Zulic
SEN is about FAI Free Flight and we encourage particpation from all sportsmen around the world. Recently we have various USA people writing about Odessa and few additional remarks from our Brit friends. We all appreciate that for many readers English not your native language, please do not let that stand in your way. We have had contributions from Abad to Zulic, so don't be shy.
................
Roger Morrell