My China visit results
Contest basics
- I’m withdrawing my CD position resignation. After Laiwu and ASFC (Aero Sports Federation of China) visit at Beijing, talking to Lei Wang (CIAM/FAI China delegete) and LuXin Zhang (ASFC Vice Director) I’m convinced this F3B World Championship in China will be successful event.
- We go flat; after rejecting contest site in hilly region we selected new locations on flat area fulfilling all F3B standards. Final one will be confirmed soon. GPS coordinates will follow.
- We agreed contest site and accompanying activities time schedule with deadlines, will be continuously checked and elaborated
- Kyle and Tim were asking some questions. Starting September 12, contest site should be ready for training flights and also guarded. Yiwen is checking for address where you can ship and store your F3B stuff using your freight agent.
Beijing, Temple of Heaven
Observations
- To cut long story short, China was for me shock! In positive meaning!
- Chinese people which I met were very friendly and relaxed, this is my personal experience. I’m not talking about negotiations and decision making; it’s a bit more complicated story.
- I was feeling very safe, everywhere. Night Prague is dangerous jungle comparing to night Beijing.
- Don’t expect you can talk English to anybody on the street. For emergency purpose you can printout your hotel address or any other expression/word in Chinese and show it to people. It’s not bad idea to bring GPS device.
- You should plan some free time for sightseeing at least at Beijing, visit Great Wall etc. Perhaps you are not in China every month.
- At Beijing Capitol International Airport (BCIA) and Jinan airport there are many possibilities how to exchange money. RMB (Yuan) is not convertible currency, perhaps you can’t buy it at home.
- At BCIA you can buy local SIM card. You will obtain local tel. nr. of your full time team dedicated English speaking assistant. You can call anytime. SIM card you can buy (China Telecom 120RMB, 20RMB credit, rechargeable) at every public telephone stand area at airport. There is usually lady nearby which will sell you one.
- At BCIA there is free WiFi internet. Nearby mentioned telephone stand there is special terminal where you can generate login and password based on your Passport ID to access internet.
- As mentioned several times there will be free transport from Jinan airport to hotel in Laiwu (60km, 50 minutes). Sure you have also free shuttle bus from hotel to contest site and back (15km, 20minutes).
- To rent a car in Laiwu is nearly impossible, too small city (1mil inhabitants; you are in China). You can rent a car in Beijing and maybe in Jinan(?). Beijing to hotel in Laiwu is about 550km. Petrol price is about 9RMB/liter. Chinese highways are German grade if not better. Be careful no highway service assistance or every 1km alarm spots. Max. speed limit is 110km/h. Traffic in Beijing is really strong (anyhow, everybody is relaxed) but a little bit outside city center it’s without any problems. Chinese love horn. You have to pay highway toll. If you have intension to rent a car you can contact Yiwen.Niu. No idea if your driving license is valid in China, check.
- Hotel Xin Bai Grand Hotel in Laiwu is nice four/five star(?) standard. Very good Chinese food in buffet style. Perhaps don’t expect some “western” kitchen style, there are few Mc’Donalds or KFC’s in big cities. Chinese bier (Yan Jing) is not bad, at all! Believe Czech chap.
- All teams will stay in one hotel, while all hotels are booked due to CIAF (Chinese International Aerosports Fiesta). We will be also part of this event and we will attend opening ceremony at Saturday, September 22 at Xueye Lake.
- There is free internet connectivity in Xin Bai hotel, but only wired (UTP). Don’t expect miracle connectivity speed. Provided UTP cable is not too long. If you want play with notebook in bed, bring longer aprox. 4m cable. Facebook, Twitter, Youtube you can forget, banned. I guess also your SMTP server service will not go through. You have to use standard web browser interface to send mail.
- My Czech power plug fits to wall 220V/50Hz outlet without any problems, no reduction necessary. Anyhow there are not many wall outlets in hotel room, bring splitter.
- I was personally testing winch battery Varta Blue Dynamic type 6-QW-700-HD 70Ah/500A SAE /BIC (meets F3B rule standard) which will be offered to all teams. It’s very good battery. Using my Argus tester I measured three following values on “out-of-box” piece i.e. no recharging:
1.measurement 12,56V/563A CCA 4,71mOhm
2.measurement 12,56V/582A CCA
3.measurement 12,56V/600A CCA
Dear Roman,
Will the battery provided free of charge , or buy it or at some rent and deposit?
For importing the equipment to China, my personal experience is:
Disucss and check clearly with the respecitive freights agent about import duty etc , especially there are “electronic equipment” on the sailpanes.
Johnson
Hi Johnson,
batteries will be perhaps rented to teams. Will be specified soon.
As regards import to China, you are correct, everybody should observe that.
To all foreign friends,
Please note that 1 October is the National Day of China. It really worths spending some relaxing days after the WCH in Beijing. You will be regretted if you miss this.
Johnson Yeung
Hi Roman,
Thank’s for your huge work. We are still preparing and this encourage us.
Hope a lot of team will register now that more confidence is here.
Have a cool rest and hope we see you soon
Sylvain
Hi Sylvain,
let’s see if my report will encourage more teams to enter.
Mr. Vojtech,
Would you know if we will be able to set winches at both directions as done at Ivancice in 09?
Regards
Glauco Lago
Team USA
Hi Glauco, sure, both directions, North-South
Roman, thanks for all your hard work and taking on the contest director position. This World Championship sounds like it will be a great one!
Relay our thanks to our Chinese hosts as well if you could. Without their cooperation and flexibility we wouldn’t be where we are now!
Thanks again,
Tom Kiesling
Hello Roman, thank you for undertaking the task of making the visit to China worth while for us. sorry for this thanks being late, I have only just discovered your report. Please can you add me to news emails if possible so that I can keep team SA informed.
I note entry is due end of June, is the entry form available with a bulletin?
Thanks again.
Craig
Hi Craig,
unfortunatelly I don’t run any mail list regarding WC in China. Either go to my Twitter account, subscribe RSS, visit sometimes this website or official chinese F3B WC 2011 website. Entry form should be part of Bulletin #2 which should be out every day. Deadline for entry will be perhaps mid of July.
Hello Craig, you can good to Team USA website to find the form.
Johnson
Team Hong Kong