CRPAL airfield is located close to very nice small picturesque city Anthisnes. Approaching target area I was surprised by very ragged and hilly surroundings. From Prague it’s about 9 hours of driving over Germany and we started already morning; good idea. Let’s go point by point.
- CRPAL community celebrated 20 years anniversary of Summer Soaring F3B Criterium. Free beer for everybody. 01:00 Saturday morning we closed pub (social tent) by lighting iPhones with guys from from German FOO team. We had a lot of fun and it was not easy to stop my talking, sooooorry… (smile)
- Forecast for both days was quite strong wind (5-12m/s) and also very changeable weather, sunshine, rain, sunshine, rain…. Saturday was so so but Sunday was pure F3B hard core.
- Saturday I was in first duration group 8:00 morning. Not my favorite conditions. Anyhow I was able to fly full time with Stinger. When you look at my all duration logs during whole weekend I never met thermal. Last two durations I was flying ballasted (+200g), very late afternoon, under steel and windy sky. Also no thermal discotheque. Btw in F3B Jesenik I was flying duration +400g and that was very good decision. “Fly duration fast, fly just heavy, you will have more options, don’t be silly sheep waiting for cutting of”. Thanks to John “Tasmanian Devil” Skinner for this idea. If there is chance I’m testing this strategy since beginning of this year, so far it payed off.
- I was struggling with Stinger launch setup and still searching golden Section. Belgium was not optimum at all(!) I was changing launch setup before and during contest. I know stupid idea, but I was trying maximum. Many good friends helped me since beginning of this year (Jan Kohout and Jiri Baudis), but crucial was visionary document by Francesco Meschia “Dalla spanna al data logger” (PDF) and John Skinner’s advices how to interpret some XFLR5 simulations.
- Anthisnes was speed task festival. Very good conditions. More than one third of pilots (25) were flying sub 15sec. Spectacular!
- I was flying with my Stinger perhaps my best time on official contest 13.8sec. It wasn’t spectacular (at least for me) while I don’t remember too much from this flight (smile).
- Jiri Baudis was flying his new project FOSA xxx (ballasted for speed 4200g). He was trying to break World F3B Speed Record. In my opinion he was very, very close. B-base cut finished his chance, but his guardian angel had tough job. Jiri was trying to catch missed B-Base but suddenly glider disappeared for moment under horizon. Anyhow he came back with green corn juice on upper wing skin!!! Spectacular!? Lucky boy… (see picture above and the others at Frederic Belche Picasa album from this contest)
- Martin Herrig was able to fly 15 against 18 laps even after emergency landing (parachute on tail) in far corn field having only about 120sec to fly. Spectacular! P.S. Perhaps wouldn’t be so spectacular if he would meet in his distance group somebody from top-ten. Lucky boy…
- Andreas Herrig was very close to standing WR with his 12.80sec. It was deadly fast. He made only minor mistake on last lap, small correction, but it was not easy on turbulent south slope to keep always clean path. Spectacular!
- To place lights (ABCD..) in direct vision path lights/sighting devices over winches is not good idea. It’s expected it will generate permanent troubles. Especially if display is maybe only 1.5m above ground. Sorry Andreas I was shouting on you but to erect 4mx4m canvas in front of my eyes during contest flight when I’m responsible for lights it’s too big adrenalin even for me. No offense, everybody made (and is making) this mistake, me too. We should avoid that. Just image, one day every light caller/helper will have small wireless terminal in own hands with display and all information requested; even with with emergency button “Kein signal bitte…”. Also CD won’t be frustrated by four times asking helper somewhere to press working time button or relaunch button. CD will have all this control functions in handheld terminal. I was already asking HW+SW guru Tomas Bartovsky to think about this stuff. I have quite clear idea how it should look like.
- Reverse order speed. Several times I was mentioning that this rule recommendation I don’t understand. I see only negatives; complication for organizer (calculating, printing,…), nobody knows when he is flying, team members can be very close, top pilots are collected and if there is good air they again ream the rest of pilots i.e. we are loosing random factor. Can somebody present me just only one single positive?
- Denis Duchesne, Paulette Halleux and all people around CRPAL society made huge job. Super social Friday event, lovely Saturday evening event and meal with typical Belgium Pommes Frittes and starring DJ BoBo aka Steeve Hansoulle.
- Results at www.f3b.be
Last but not least I’d like to say thanks to Badesalz team; Martin Weberschock, Michael Mohr and Christof Sarter to allow me and Jan Kohout to join them.
Hi Roman, hi Honza,
it was a great pleasure flying with you !
Rock on and stay strong,
Michael