| John Roake talks about.... MY TURKISH ADVENTURE |
| The 1997 World Class World Championships, Inonu, Turkey PART - I of III 
To help promote the PW5 World Class in New Zealand, I dreamt up this crazy
idea of leasing 12 sailplane to pilots at the World Championships in
Turkey. The idea was to divert the sailplanes into Turkey en route to New
Zealand and save the New Zealand movement a heap of money. This is the story!
I had conjured up all sorts of expectations for Turkey but the realities
were that Turkey was nothing like I had imagined it to be. This despite all
the people I had spoken to and who had been there long before my current
adventure. Certainly I had been dealing with the Turkish Aero Club for
almost 12 months prior to arrival and I had found them to be efficient and
courteous and quite delightful to deal with, but these dealings did not
create a picture in my mind of what to expect of Turkey as a nation.
I had a tremendous weight of luggage that included the documentation and
some parts for our 12 sailplanes ; a couple of bottles of whiskey, a new
video camera, and assorted purchases from Bangkok, so I realistically
expected a hassle with customs. Not so. No immigration forms, a quick look
at my passport, and follow the green line. Bingo! Out into the arrival hall
of the airport less than 15 minutes after touchdown. No armed guards!
Pleasant people asking if they could help, as I must have projected a lost
soul look. My plane was 45 minutes early and my guide had yet to arrive.
On schedule, two from the Turkish Aero Club whisked me into their car, and
within 20 minutes I was on a bus headed for I don't know where, "but
someone will meet you" was the final words as the bus left before I could
get into my seat. "Your luggage is on board" (I hoped so!)
Inonu, my final destination is not on the main bus route, and I had to get off somewhere before its final destination. When that point was reached, I had my shoulder shaken and the conductor pointed to a man outside the bus. It was my guide to the final stage of this six hour journey from Istanbul to Inonu, the site for the first World Air Games and the first ever world contest where every pilot flies the same sailplane. It was good to catch up with Brian Chesterman and Edouard Devenoges. We had only seen each other a few days before in New Zealand, but they had arrived two days earlier and were well stuck in to preparing the 12 New Zealand sailplanes that New Zealanders were making available for the championships. Our 12 brought the competition total to 46. The day was hot, I guess about 26 c, but very pleasant nevertheless. A big change from the 15c at home and the 37c in Bangkok. Everywhere I went on the airfield I bumped into people I knew and this two weeks before the formal practice week. The Turk I had been writing to very formally over all those past months turned out to be one of a team of Turks I had met at I.G.C. in Paris, one I had had more than a few beers with, on one occasion. I was never good at remembering names. His welcome was exceedingly warm with much animated talk. I couldn't get to the hangar quick enough! It was an impressive sight to see 12 PW5's all lined up; most had a Kiwi head down inside them, readying them for their pilots. Edouard was quietly working away and at the end of day two, seven had been fitted with their New Zealand made Total Energy Probes. There were very few problems and at the end of day two, Stewart Barton declared that his ship was finished, his vario and radio fitted and the only thing he had to do was fit the wings, sign and hopefully read his hire agreement, and get a launch. It would be all go tomorrow. Brian Chesterman's ship would be ready next. Nothing was too much trouble to the Turks who were always close by ready to help. They seemed to have a small army on the field getting the site ready. I well knew what they were going through. The New Zealand team was not particularly happy with their accommodation. They were all sleeping in one big bunkhouse and I think they were a bit envious that I got my house on day one. By six o'clock that evening, we all adjourned to the bar where I tried to make sense of the Turkish money situation and their current 80 per cent inflation rate. I handed over a 250,000.00 lira note for a bottle of water and some tissues and got 100,000 lira change. The rule of thumb calculation was that 100,000 lira was the equivalent of about one New Zealand dollar. I thought there had been a gigantic major mistake and someone had made me a multi-millionaire after changing US $100 at the Istanbul airport. The meal that night I will declare to be "adequate." I was in my very comfortable bed by 7.45 p.m. and slept 12 hours uninterrupted. Second day in Turkey So day two of my Turkish adventure started. This was somewhat of a culture shock as Ruth Douglas and I walked to town. Here we were conveyed back into the 10th century. Nothing seems to have changed. Inonu is the center of a farming area, and they still put their goatherds out on the hills at night and keep them during the day in the barn under the house (?). Most of the houses look like they were built in the 10th century. The town roads are cobblestoned. The Moslem women still cover their faces and certainly do not appreciate being photographed. We crossed over a little bridge to see women washing clothes as they have done for centuries, against flat stones on the side of the river. Cars nil, the latest tractors and combine harvesters - plenty. Inonu promised some exciting exploration. 
But back to gliding! Stewart finally got airborne, but not before the Turks
with some efficiency scrutinized all the paper work. Brian's rental Suzuki
Jeep arrived and he drove the hire people back to their depot some 40 kms
away and got his first taste of driving on the right hand side of the road
and "mingling" with the renown "mad" Turkish drivers. He made it back
without mishap.There were five Polish Wilga tugs on the field. To this add four dual drum Tost winches. The airfield is a grass strip about 1.5 kms in length, north/south and definitely influenced by a sea breeze which seems to creep in about three in the afternoon. The location itself is not dissimilar to Omarama. There is a big bluff at the south end of the field which is closer than Omarama's Horrible and is at least 1200 ft high. The ridge about 12 kms long. They winch and aero tow, but it appears that winching is the primary means of launching for single seaters. There is only one big hangar. But imagine this - a line up of 26 flag poles as one would expect at a World event. On August 20, the New Zealand flag was the only one flying. Thursday, August 21, 1997 Inane is 2700 feet above sea level which obviously accounts for why the evenings were so refreshingly cool. The previous day's temperature was indeed pleasant. Stewart Barton enjoyed his first flight and blew off a couple of locals in a thermal or two. The sky had a typical Matamata thermal day look about it which spurred the team on to get more of the sailplanes ready. Stewart reported that he only managed a consistent three knots of lift. His concentration was somewhat interrupted by two NATO Phantoms which passed with about a 1000 ft separation. Stewart at 6500ft (QNH), 500 below maximum allowed, described the event as - "awesome". For Southern hemisphere folk a spectacle was provided by a flock of over 200 storks. In one closely knit thermal, the whole 200 circled above the field and gained height before settling back on the dorm. I had promised Edouard Devenoges that he could test fly his own ship, so it was next on the get-ready list. The exasperating news of the day was that there was to be no cross country flying beyond a five mile limit before August 30, something we tried without success to get amended. One of NATO's biggest European bases was only 40 kms from Inonu. Brian Chesterman elected to fly with one of the local instructors for his first flight and off he went with a woman instructor, with some 2000 hours experience (Gliding). She was originally one of Tony Timmerman's pupils when he was instructing at Inonu. During the flight they thermalled with a flock of migrating gannets, on their way south. Brian immediately thought of the Air New Zealand advertisement, the scene certainly not dissimilar to their current advertisement on New Zealand television. Brian was keen to see want was in store for him and find out what the immediate countryside could provide. Having an instructor on board meant he could relax and not have to concentrate so much on the flying. During one part of the flight our intrepid aviator from Touring was sung to by his very good looking lady instructor singing as he described later, "in a beautiful Turkish voice." On landing Brian asked what she was singing about, and was told that it was really "something of a love song." History does not record the ultimate outcome of all this, but Jan Chesterman was scheduled to arrive in a day or so. By the sound of it just as well! Over dinner the previous evening, Brian relayed his experience at the local Turkish Bath where he and a couple of Kiwis investigated the scene on their first night in Turkey. It was hot and the massage (by a male) was indeed vigorous. Amid the laughter the story provided, one gathered Brian enjoyed it immensely. The cost for the session including massage worked out at NZ$6.00. Apparently not the scene for the faint hearted as rigorous (read vigorous) is somewhat understating the workout. Inonu township 'Inonu' means the town in front of the caves. The bluff which borders the airfield continues along to the town, and from the square you can easily see the caves for which the town is famous. Ismet Inonu is their favoured son and his family many generations previously must have changed their name to that of the town. Ismet Inonu (born in Inonu) went on to become Prime Minister of Turkey and subsequently President before he died in 1973 at the age 89. Internet connection I really had my tongue in my cheek as I tried to find a telephone connection with the same plugs we use in New Zealand to send my first bulletin via Internet from my Powerbook laptop. The Director's computer was connected to the telephone for his faxes, so by merely removing his plug and fitting it to the back of my laptop, I had an immediate connection. Much to my surprise, the first try at getting a connection to Wave in Hamilton was successful. The miracles of modern science never ceases to amaze me! The New Zealand camp was in fine form. I can't remember the number of world championship events I have been to, but the camaraderie in the New Zealand team seemed as good as any. 
We shared some red wine for dinner that evening (NZ$3.50 a bottle) which
for a non red-wine drinker like myself seemed to be not too bad at all. But
the Turkish beer was good and very enjoyable. A can, 1.5 times the size of
a New Zealand can, sold for less than NZ$1 at the canteen, paid for with
that same multi zero note, 100,000 lira.My notes for this particular day record the obvious and the inevitable. It would not be an occasion without Brian Chesterman losing something. True to form he lost the Export C of A certificate for the sailplane he was to fly and as you can imagine had everyone running round in circles. But not Edouard Devenoges, the sailplane's owner - . "It'll turn up" he said. Friday, August 22, 1997 The pressure was now off the readying team as at day's end all the T.E. Probes were installed, all the Turn & Slips removed and the sailplanes lined up for their test flights. So while the small but very willing team of workers in the hangar got on with their job, the rest of us made our way into town (walking again) to look at the Inonu's once-a-week market day. Set up in the middle of the town you could buy anything at prices you would never have thought possible. Quality didn't seem too bad either. The more memorable part of the visit was (a) the hot air balloon that was launched from airfield drifting overhead the market at 500 feet and the huge line up of farmers (fifty or more) waiting to get into the bank to see the bank manager. With their harvest now in, they had need of funds to tide them over until their crop was sold. Brian Chesterman reckoned that the valley was one of the most fertile cropping areas he has ever seen. We said goodbye to John Griffin and Ruth Douglas (Press Officer for the 95 Worlds) (both from Tauranga) who had spent five days at the airfield and were now headed for Syria. Brian and John Griffin both bought woolen sleeveless jerkins for the farm. As thick as four/five blankets. (Price NZ$25). We all "lashed out" and bought a set of brass goat bells something that will make a constant reminder of Turkey when hung by our front doors. Well, we turned the airfield up side down looking for the missing C of A, and it was not found until almost 4 p.m. Meanwhile the morning cloud cover burnt off as predicted but high cirrus rolled in from the north after lunch cutting off a lot of the heating. There were a few visible thermals around, but it was decided that the pilots would not fly. Some went looking for accommodation off-drome for some crew members that had yet to arrive. New Zealand was still the only team on site. The meals improved, markedly although what we got for lunch was always repeated for dinner. Never a fan for rice, I found myself compelled to eat some and it proved to be not so bad either. The ever friendly Turks were always cheerful, always had a wave for you and went out of their way to assist. There was (at this stage) no increase in prices just because there was a World Championship about to be launched but how they kept a check on things financial seemed rather obscure. Work on the airfield and the facilities continued at a rather frenzied pace. Lawns were mowed, buildings painted, concrete laid everywhere, new sealing in places, the swimming pool fixed, the list of jobs achieved went on and on. Even hot water started to flow, albeit at limited times. We returned some hospitality in the evening by showing the two New Zealand videos, and whilst the majority could not understand a word of what was being said, it was gratefully acknowledged and they obviously enjoyed them, especially the facial expressions of Lucy. Bank Manager's nightmare Everywhere you go in Turkey, you see thousands and thousands of half finished houses, most not to a stage that they are livable. It seems you get a grant to build and by the time they get the outside up and ready to start on the second story, they have run out of money, price increases due to inflation having headed the owner off. Sometimes these half finished houses will remain in this state for 10 to 15 years, until the owner has found or saved enough money to finish the work and pay the taxes applicable on finished homes. It must be a bank manager's nightmare! Saturday, August 23 The weather was more of the same. Dull, cool, overcast mornings, which eventually burnt off and unlike the previous afternoon produced a much better thermalling sky. Brian and Stewart headed off by car, to look at turn points from the ground believing that the day would be a non starter for good thermalling. Of course with Brian heading the contingent of four Kiwis, trouble inevitably followed. If it wasn't good looking girls wanting to take Brian to a hotel for whatever, it was the local army taking exception to Brian pointing his video camera at them. The latter episode being just a little more than serious. Nevertheless, I don't believe they found any turn points, ending up viewing several factories, an exquisite thermal hot springs complex, an ideal motel; and to all this add the fact that they got hopelessly lost. As Brian relayed later, he steered his team home by a bearing against the sun (?). The day saw no flying, but Edouard finally finished all the T E probe installations for the Kiwi owned gliders as well as fitting two units he sold to the Turks. Fourteen installations in less than five days was no mean task and he was to be congratulated for his tenacity and the quality of workmanship. The afternoon presented an opportunity for me to talk with the Championship Director over a cup of coffee. I think the first time he really had any time available. Some interesting facts surfaced:
The Walker family arrived at 5.30 p.m. Bill was in great heart, still full of ideas and very keen to get in the air and try out his new PW5. He had never flown one, so the following day would tell. Gallop was on our list of "must see" places, but somehow time past so quickly that we never did make it. New Zealand was still the only team on the airfield. Sunday August 24. We were often woken by the goatherds returning from the bluff hill immediately behind the field on their way back to their barn for the day. The bells are a joy to listen to, but few appreciate that the scene hasn't changed much since at least before Christ. The bells are the same, the donkey unattended still leads the herd back down the hill, whilst the goats are protected by the same Turkish dog, (Anatolyan Karabish) that from about three months of age on, live and grow up with the herd it never leaves. As the dog's age advances so does its aggression towards protecting their charges. What has changed is that these dogs are very susceptible to rabies so one treats the scene with complete respect, not wanting to get involved in any way with the dog which looks something like an Australian dingo. Brian Chesterman was videoing the scene, and one dog gave notice of his possible future intentions. Brian reported that his only avenue of escape was up a lattice power pole, but it never came to that. Well so much for the history lesson on Turkey, a country that is absolutely fascinating. We often saw riots being reported on TV. We asked someone to translate and find out which country it was in and why. "Turkey, Ankara and Political" was the reply. We never did find out what it was all about, but someone suggested that perhaps the folks at home had had TV reports on riots in Turkey and were concerned about our welfare. 
Despite the best laid plans of mice and men, the New Zealand pilots did not
count on the gliding site shutting up shop over the week-end. No gliding,
no tows. The boys tried to move management, but without success. It meant
according to them bringing back ground crews, fire crews, tow pilots, etc,
etc; the list was endless, so the New Zealand pilots had to accept that
they will not fly again before the Monday.Meanwhile there was some disquiet in the camp as it was learnt that the Turks could not accommodate the big Kiwi crew contingent that is being assembled. There was to be eighteen Kiwis (including pilots) on the drome. The organisers said "On site fullahs - New Zealanders - Six."It was not the end of the world, a motel cost was only NZ$ 20 per room (for two persons) plus the cost of transport. Inonu and surrounds is definitely not on the tourist scene. Bo Nilsson (Wellington Club) and his wife Laurell and I took off just before lunch in Brian Chesterman's Jeep for an exploration of the countryside. We ended up back in 2000BC or so it seemed by the living conditions of some of the villages we saw. Nevertheless we hit a small town, some sort of a tourist resort with thermal pools, in time for lunch. Not having a word of Turkish between us, we decided that the selection from the menu had to be like throwing a dart at a map, pointed to an item on the menu and waited for the result. Jolly damn good it was too, although perhaps the meat defies description. We sat out on the footpath 'a la Paris', enjoyed the scene whilst watching our meal being prepared on the barbecue on the edge of the road. Please delete all previous reference to Turks being reasonable drivers. The week-ends see the idiots get out onto the roads; they can best be described as lunatics. Apparently there is a philosophy that god will take care of you. That doesn't seem to work as Turkey has the highest road-accident statistics in the world. (Over 10,000 road deaths last year). We celebrated Edouard Devenoges birthday (?) at dinner, and Billy reported that he had almost finished installing his panel. New Zealand was still the only team on the airfield. A remarkable country of contrasts Turkey is a remarkable country of contrasts. Yesterday we saw the organising committee spent the day installing their weather satellite receiver, a new concept developed for PC's, a constantly updated picture, with a frequently changing commentary, prepared by the providers, a private company in Germany. The US$10,000 package was as good as any I have seen at a world championships, and certainly better than what we provided for pilots at the New Zealand 'Worlds' in 1995. They were keen to show me a live picture of the weather in New Zealand and I saw the snow the country was having. All this, but they could not produce hot showers for the team on a regular basis. Yesterday was Billy's forty ninth birthday, celebrated by still having his head in the cockpit with his soles exposed. It seemed to be taking a little longer than expected to complete his panel. Stewart meantime scoffed at the others as his PW5 sat at the front of the hangar rigged and ready to go immediately the weather obliged. Operation Housing was the task of the day. There was a closed hotel close to the airfield with the 18 beds required for the Kiwi team. It occurred to Stewart Barton that they might reopen the bedrooms for the team. However the organisation stomped on that idea, as being an unsafe environment, and requested that Stewart not pursue it further. It was later understood why. The closed hotel in reality is a brothel. Now doesn't this conjure up all sorts of scenarios for the New Zealand team. We walked into town after dinner to see Inonu's night highlights. The chill evening air necessitated that all wear jackets. Pretty quiet, an occasional tractor and trailer returning from the harvest, one car, two shops still open at 8 p.m., a mob of sheep that we disturbed in the middle of the town, a herd of goats going somewhere or other and all curtains drawn in the houses that front the road side curb. Eight Kiwis and their noise was the only life in this village of 4000 people, but at least we were being accepted and made welcome, but the initiative had to come from us for the first contact. And why are we still the only team on the field? The truth eventually came out. The Swedes, we learn wanted to be as early as us, but were declined. New Zealanders got preferential treatment because we supported the organisation by providing the major foundation for the contest, the 12 New Zealand PW5s. Monday, August 25. The biggest news of the day was that a cup of coffee had gone up in the canteen from NZ$0.50 to NZ$0.80. It was not inflation I am told; only that coffee prices world wide have gone up and the increase had only just reached Turkey. Flying wise there was almost nothing to report. We woke to a continuation of the previous day's unsoarable weather. More than an inch of rain fell at the airfield in the afternoon. Stewart Barton, Jan Walker and I joined Chesterman tours for the afternoon and we headed out to Esikisehir, to see if we could find closer accommodation for the crews, whilst the other three wanted to cash some travellers cheques. We made it into town without too much trouble (about 40 kms from Inonu) and the first bank didn't want to know the trio. On into the center of town and a bigger bank where they presented their credentials, their ancestry, their passports, their everything to cash some VISA travellers cheques. This exercise took over an hour. Whilst all this was going on, and although not having a need to have more cash on hand, I thought I would try the cash 'hole in wall machine' with my New Zealand Visa card. I remembered my pin number. In goes the card; message "What Language?" English. "Pin Number?" Pin number goes in. "Amount required?" It gave me a whole range of values, so I selected the highest (about NZ$200). "One moment!" A pause, "BINGO" out comes the money to the absolute disgust of my fellow travellers. Herein lies some sort of a message. We discovered Turkish Delight is a Turkish Delight. We each bought a box which didn't last long when we re-joined the team. Later that evening before tea we took the 'track' up to the top of the bluff above the airfield. The track is precarious, but the view from the top unbelievable. The scene took in the whole airfield, the town and the valley beyond - which certainly was something to behold. On the way up we ran into that flock of storks I mentioned earlier and from a distance they are big enough to look like sheep. We managed to disturb a few and they took off. They have a glide angle that would do credit to many a glider. On the way back down, we past near a herd of goats, only to disturb their guardian dogs. They didn't take kindly to our presence and made a charge at the Suzuki Jeep. Two would have torn it apart if they had had a chance, whilst the third dog remained behind to look after his flock. The behaviour of these dogs has to be seen to be believed, but one thing for sure, the team will not be walking to the top of the bluff. Never! The team had started to wonder if there was going to be competition? Perhaps we had come the wrong year. New Zealand was still the only team on the field! Tuesday, August 26 The day dawned clear and bright. Huge towering cu's filled the sky from about 10.30 a.m. on and the best we could do was a promise of a launch at 1.15 p.m. - Guess what - it started to over develop and rain. Nevertheless, Stewart Barton got away for a short flight, whilst Billy (Mr five by five) Walker took a tow and tested out his PW5. Five minute tow, five kilometres from the airfield, five minutes free flight from 1500 feet into a five kilometre just harvested paddock, all in a PW5. Not a happy first flight for Bill. Edouard Devenoges was in the seat of his beloved GPD (Papa Delta or Periodic Detention whichever you like) for its test flight. He then handed his sailplane over to Brian Chesterman for the rest of the competition. Brian's flight was as ignominious as Bill's. Whilst all this was going on the weather recycled and improved, and Stewart took a second launch and was away for over two hours. Edouard also test flew Tony Davies' GSD which performed faultlessly. It was our intention to test fly every sailplane before we hand them over to the hirer. This we hoped to complete before week's end. There was no damage in the unpacking of the two containers of sailplanes. One or two minor marks, but nothing of consequence. We were watching over your charges like babies, and the owners had a guardian angel in Edouard Devenoges. Tony and Julie Timmermans arrived. They had had money problems too. Their 'hole in wall cash Visa card' didn't work. In fact it swallowed it up when the pin number wasn't accepted. God! its tough being an international traveller these days! After numerous calls to home etc, they promised a new card in 72 hours by going to a nominated Bank in Eskisehir. Lucky them. The evening meal was a hilarious affair. Billy came in for more than his share of ribbing. He was unable to comment on how his PW5 performed. "Goes into a paddock nicely" was his only comment worth recording. It was my turn to buy the wine. Red. NZ$3.50 a bottle. Very drinkable for someone like me who never touches red. We couldn't buy a drinkable white wine in Turkey. There are numerous mosques in Inonu and around nine o'clock each evening they invite their devotees to prayer. They all seem to compete against each other for support, all have high powered public address systems, and all seem to try and attract their worshippers in different ways. On a still night the combination was devastating. With Tony Timmermans now on the scene he was able to sort out the majority of accommodation problems, with six moving from the bunk houses into some of the flats. They had a big team of gardeners at the airfield and the beds were well tendered and looked particularly colourful. There were lots of pot plants, roses in flower everywhere, all in anticipation of the teams soon to arrive. It was a very colourful scene. Meanwhile the New Zealanders dominated the competition scene at Inonu, they were the only team on the site. Wednesday, August 27 It was a beautiful morning, a glorious soaring day. The first real strong thermal day since we had arrived. It was all hands to the deck to get the sailplanes out and rigged. Time was running short and we still had a lot of test flying to do. Edouard Devenoges and I were the only non competition pilots named in the insurance policy, so the testing was over to us. Edouard flew Graham Player's PW5 for about three quarters of an hour, whilst I did the test flight on Doug Hay's bird. Neither of us had any problems and in fact the conditions were so good I stayed up for 2.5 hours, my first long soaring flight for some time. There was still a restricted height ceiling of 7000 ft in place and I reached that in less than 15 minutes off tow. Thermals strengths were as high as eight knots, and in fact it was hard to stay out of the thermals. They seemed to be everywhere. Visibility ? well that was another problem. You could not see more than 10 kilometres, in fact 8 kilometre from home, it was hard to find the airfield. New Zealand's three pilots were working on a team approach to the championship. Billy was ecstatic about his PW5 now he had had a good long flight in it. There is absolutely no difference between any of the PW5s, so the contest was surely going to be one of skill. So the serious side of our Turkish adventure was about to commence with the team flying every possible day. The French, Dutch and Swedes arrived. Fred Weinholtz, the chairman of the International Jury flew in from Germany, so there was a decided quickening of pace about the place. I now had to distance myself from the team and join the Jury and Stewards and assume my official role. We drove almost 35 kilometres that evening to a restaurant. The meal was expansive, (but not expensive). About 12/15 courses were on the table at one time. They had some unchilled white wine. The meal was excellent and everyone enjoyed it immensely. The total cost was 208million lira, which worked out at less than NZ$16.00 each including tip. Thursday, August 28 A forlorn Stewart Barton knocked on my door. He had just been informed that there would be no more flying before September 1, the start of the official practice week. I couldn't believe it. New Zealand it seemed could not have any advantage over the late arrival teams' whilst the organisers had made a promise to the NATO controlled Turkish Airforce that there would only be test flying, maximum limit - 30 minutes. I got steamed up and first solicited the help of Fred Weinholtz. He proclaimed it was hopeless to seek a change in attitude, but nevertheless we jointly approached the organisers with some determination. That bore no fruit whatsoever. The decision had been made in Ankara, (the headquarters of the Turkish Aero Club) and they were immovable. They had made a promise to the Airforce to gain their three weeks of airspace and no variation was possible. Disaster! The team had worked hard for the past week getting their own gliders ready, as well as helping prepare the other nine for the pilots yet to arrive. Tony Timmermans, the New Zealand team manager, then attacked the organisation with an impassioned plea, again without result, so we finally had to accept defeat - no further flying until September 1. The silly rule however excluded Edouard Devenoges and myself, who still had six sailplanes to test fly. But to reinforce the decision made in a show of some strength, the Turkish Airforce overflew the airfield at noon. Seventeen Phantoms in formation, practicing for Turkey's Independence Day on Saturday. The team celebrated Bo Nilsson's birthday, (with a cake) and lots of wine at dinner. We all joined the French for a drink or two after. Meanwhile, the team made plans to leave Inonu and have a look at the sights and return to start practice proper before the Monday. Edouard and I felt a little guilty. Edouard was launched into the air to test fly Murray Thomas' GJO, whilst I followed in Bruce Bartley's GZX. I defied the limit and had a glorious 1.5 hours in Bruce's sailplane. Quickly up to cloud base in 6-7 knot thermals and a scamper all over the valley within the limits prescribed. Meanwhile the birthday party was a huge success. But every so often someone makes a statement that goes down in history. Obviously the talk around the dinner table centered on the grounding, but the remark that made us all sit up and take notice came from Brian Chesterman. Unquestionably peed-off with the grounding he described the situation as devastating to himself "a finely tuned sporting machine." This brought forth laughter that would have been heard in Istanbul. I am under threat of death if I report this, but being a true reporter (the truth at all costs), "I must publish and be damned". Edouard and I as 'True Britains,' stayed behind to test fly the final four PW5's in what promised to be exceptional soaring weather. Gosh it was difficult to be humble! Friday August 29 Another tremendous soaring day, much to the disgust of the New Zealand pilots. Only the Timmermans, Edouard Devenoges and myself now remained at Inonu. The day remained clear, hardly a cloud in the sky, likewise hardly a sailplane flying in what was the strongest thermalling day to date. And not a Phantom to be seen. Edouard test flew Eric Stannard's glider prior to handing it over to Motohanu Oda from Japan. Edouard said it was the best one he had flown, even better than his own. I managed (?) almost two hours in Des Temple-Cox's GAT. I had the variometer off the stops at times, although perhaps it was averaging four to six knots over the day. However the down was equally as strong. The temperature was in the high twenties. Ridiculously, all other sailplanes were grounded. I opened the brakes at 3500 ft to come in and land. There were signs that the day was decaying with the arrival of the sea breeze which comes in from the north. Tony, Julie and I spent a memorable evening dinning out at a trout farm, that I am sure only the locals would know about. It took some finding, but we did and had an exceptional meal. Cost including wine NZ$11.00 each. Saturday August 30 Another clear sky greeted the early risers. The Germans had arrived followed by the Australians, who quickly hunted me out as I landed from the last test flight. I had flown the Aviation Sports Club's sailplane for an hour and forty, in what can best be described as very turbulent thermals. There was not the same pleasure in this test flight. The thermals were broken, the tow was rough, and there were long periods waiting for the sky to recycle. It was a very disturbed sky. The predicted front had started to move in. Nevertheless I climbed to 4,200 feet agl, the maximum allowed. All of New Zealand's twelve PW5's had now been test flown. I enjoyed this part of my Turkish Adventure. Edouard Devenoges even suggested we should find some fault with them all and start all over again. The highlight of my day was an invitation from the Inonu Airfield Complex Manager to join thirteen others to a dinner party that started at around eight p.m. It was held in a gazebo type structure in the picnic ground adjacent to the airfield, and we were treated to an amazing meal. The guests included, the World Air Games coordinator, Fred Weinholtz, Cambridge Aero Instruments manager - Rick Sheppe, Oran Nicks (USA) who was on the original PW5 design selection panel, the FAI coordinator for gliding section of the games plus championship officials and couple of others I did not get to meet. Ice cold soup, entree of meats and salad, and for a main course, whole lamb roasted on a spit. Sweets included every imaginable fruit from cherries to melon, pears to peaches. (They grow the best fruit I have ever tasted in Turkey.) We did not rise from the dinner table until just before mid-night. We had all drunk copious quantities of the Turkish drink 'Raki'. It has an aniseed taste and turns white when you add water. Conversation of course centred around the World Air Games, and Turkey is to make a determined effort to stage them every four years for the first four games. It was pointed out that September is the only acceptable competition month for all countries, both northern and southern hemisphere, a time when no other major competition takes place. Turkey is the only country that can provide acceptable weather at that time of the year. During the meal, I learnt that Turkish history records that long before any one else ever flew, a Turk crossed the Bospherous sea at its narrowest point (about two kilometres) in the early 1600's. They genuinely believe that they were the first to fly and have maintained an ever increasing involvement in aviation. Therefore as the birthplace of flight their government is providing all the necessary support. Toast followed toast, the laughter got louder and louder as the evening wore on. Always interested in words, I heard a new one which is going to appear in Gliding Kiwi, in many future issues. It is particularly descriptive of the Turkish scene. "Yok." It means 'It doesn't exist and I am sorry you asked the question. We had two interpreters at the table. The welcome was indeed genuine and Athey expressed great appreciation to New Zealand for providing our twelve sailplanes. They asked for 24 for the next World Air Games in 2001. We were reminiscing about the friendships at the table. Fred Weinholtz recalled that he and I first became friends in 1968 in Poland, so there was a bit of nostalgia in the scene too. One of the surprises to me (and no doubt was to Graham Player) that the Russian pilot that was to fly his PW5 was a women. It never dawned on me to seek the sex of the pilot, when we signed up leases from around the world. And it was at this dinner party I learnt that the Turkish Airline THK is own by the Turkish Aeronautical Association. Finally, the evening ended with the playing of the new World Air Games anthem, composed specially for the event. Written by an obscure hotel pianist in Istanbul, with words and singing by a Cuban women singer, it is a delightful piece of music with a definite Latin beat. The singer sang "Spread your Wings" in Turkish, Spanish and English - like no other anthem I have heard. Very memorable. August 30 is the nations foundation day. The day, Ataturk, declared Turkey a nation apart from the Ottoman Empire in 1923. TV was full of parades all day, and the military might of the country was on show. It was Ataturk who changed the Turks way of writing from the Arabic lettering to the Latin type we use today. It was Ataturk who formed the Turkish Aeronautical Association, and he is still respected almost like a god. His forward thinking has definitely made Turkey the place where east meets west. Sunday, August 31 The predicted rain never arrived. In fact it was a good thermalling day, a day on which task setters would have easily set something to the order of 250 - 300 kms for the PW5's. There was definitely a quickening of pace on and around the airfield. More and more competitors arrived. The Brazilians arrived, as well as the Poles who had driven overland all the way from Poland. Even though it was Sunday, the 17 groundsmen were hard at work. Chipping weeds by hand, (I don't think they have heard of Roundup) mowing vast areas of grass with domestic push rotary mowers; all his whilst the International Jury got down to protocols and setting some recommended parameters for the organisation to accept. The word was out that the Italians would arrive by Hercules per courtesy of the Italian Airforce. With a landing scheduled to made at the NATO base at Eskisehir a second determined Brazilian found a spare PW5 in Italy and was able to hitch a ride for it in the Hercules. The total field was now declared to be 43. I was relatively busy handing over sailplanes to hirers and getting sailplanes cleared to fly with the organisers. All were keen to get their first flights under their belts. The Turks permitted test flights only; some were declined launches just to have a Sunday afternoon ride. The New Zealand tourists (pilots) who left the camp three days previously all returned full of the wonders they had seen in Turkey. Bill Walker did over 1000 kms in his car in the three days and was very enthusiastic about the country. Equally so was Stewart Barton and crew. Seems Malcolm Stuart had fun videoing the nude bathers on the Mediterranean beaches where they ended up. The temperatures were at least 10 degrees higher in the south as compared with Inonu. PW5 owners will have heard about the unjustifiable costs the Poles wanted for lead ballast. The ballast was required at these championships to ensure that everyone flew at the same all-up weight. Few felt justified in ordering the costly weights from Swidnik, so to resolve the situation the Turks made a mould and poured lead ballast weights for the competitors. Full marks to the Turks. Unfortunately, the organisation had made no arrangements for a daily bulletin and I was requested to undertake this job in association with fellow steward, Angela Sheard. I was not so keen as I felt I already had enough on my plate. Angela made a gallant effort to produce several, but the computing facilities and printers available made her job an almost impossible one. |
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OTHER ARTICLES OF ASI FEBRUARY'98 ISSUE | News In Brief | Letters To The Editor | World Records | | Simulated Flying - Birth of A New Air Sport ? | | World Gliding Championships In Your Home Town | | John Roake talks about...My Turkish Adventure | | The 41st Gordon Bennett Race | | A microlight look at the 1st World Air Games |  More articles on Gliding
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