| John Roake talks about.... MY TURKISH ADVENTURE |
| The 1997 World Class World Championships, Inonu, Turkey PART - II of III 
Monday, September 1The promised rain did not eventuate. The day dawned clear and by 11.30 am cu's were popping. Every one wanted to get airborne as quickly as possible. It did not last. I attended the first steward's meeting with the organisers and for me it was a change of hats, my time now to be spent monitoring the competition and trying to find equal ground for both competitor and organiser. Not that this was needed at this stage. 
We had prepared the ground work for the first briefing scheduled for 10.30
am and it was held with some decided efficiency. The translations were
good, the questions few, and the met somewhat abbreviated. The met man
proper had yet to arrive from Germany. The stewards recommended no task be
set and this concept was adopted. Just to get back into the air was all
that was needed to bring the moral back up to speed.European type meals had now started in the canteen. Excellent, packaged cut-lunches awaited us all. One country (Ukraine) arrived on site in the hope that a glider just might be available, but it was a forlorn hope. We quickly gathered the impression that the competition was definitely going to be fierce. If pilots had been thinking that the contest was going to be easy to win, they were about to be sadly disillusioned. On this free day with conditions 'so so', two pilots Janus Centka and Pawel Frakowiak (both from Poland) set themselves a 200 km task and completed it without difficulty. (Centka will be remembered for his consistent flying at Omarama in 1994 and 1995.) And there were more exceptionally skilled 'lower performance sailplane pilots' in these championships. Talking with the Danish team, I learnt that it cost them over US$3000 in petrol, and ferry fees to get through Europe, onto the ferry in Northern Italy and across to Turkey, so the hire price for the New Zealand PW5's was just about right. Winch or Aerotow? This contest was the first gliding championships ever, where a pilot could choose either an aerotow or a winch launch as any one of his three launches per day. Aerotow cost US$20 per launch to 600 metres (about 1800 feet) or US$5.00 for a winch launch which averaged about 450 metres. There was only one who winched launched on practice day one; "a perfect smooth launch to 460 metres, one of the best I every had" said pilot/team manager Diether Memmert of Germany, a veteran of over 2000 launches. Weighing of all sailplanes had started and the question of how much of a margin over 300 kgs would be allowed involved hours of debate to find a resolution, Piero Morelli holding out for a margin as much as 5 kgs over the manufacturer's specifications. I believed there should be no margin at all. The manufacturers clearly state that the glider should not be flown over 300 kg and any increase, no matter how small could be a reason for any insurance company to negate a claim. The stewards agreed, as did two members of the Jury, that if any of the six kilo ballast weights took the all up weight over 300 kgs max, the last weight must be removed. 
Weighing was a time consuming job. The seat pan was removed, the weights
inserted in their pockets and then photographed, pan screwed back in place
and then sealed. I did not envy those who had the job of weighing 43
sailplanes. The first one took three hours but the organisation got it down
to 15 minutes a glider. In addition to weighing, an aluminium set of PW5
profiles was used to ensure that no change has been made to any part of the
sailplane's original design. The scrutiny was very precise. The height level restriction was now raised to Flight level 13 and the area in which pilots could now fly was the total area set aside for the championships. Jaroslav Vach from the Republic of Czechia arrived on the field looking like nothing on earth with a four day beard. Three days in a car from Czechia; they motored down the Adriatic coast through Hungary, Rumania and Albania to get to Inonu. His infectious smile was just the same and we were both very happy to see each other. Tuesday, September 2. It was a nondescript day. One of those days that happen in spite of itself. The sky was completely overcast for most of it, although a few did venture out to fly. The majority stayed close to the airfield, potted around with instruments and/or got their sailplane up to the hangar for weighing. It was ingenuity and number of ballast types being used was amazing. Firstly, there was Polish system which was copied by the Turks at half the Polish price, and painted a ghastly Turkish yellow. The U.S.A. method of bags with lead shot, and the New Zealand Walker system with bags filled with sand. Some tried water. No two were the same, which presented a problem or two to the scrutineers. One pilot had a mammoth Turkish/English dictionary as part of his ballast, someone obviously apprehensive about any outlanding. There were a number of unhappy pilots that have to carry up to five six kg blocks. This moved the C of G too far forward for comfortable slow speed thermalling and started arguments between the pilots and organisers. Lighter pilots were at a disadvantage with ballast stowed in the forward ballast compartments as recommended by the aircraft manufacturers. No practice task was set; it was a bit of a worry that the forecast predicted that the current weather would last through to Friday. It was essential that the organisation be trailed under competition pressure. All leases (with the exception of the Russian lady) were now flying their sailplanes and everyone seemed satisfied with what we had provided. As an aside, the Israelis had to deposit US$27,000 to get their sailplane into the country. Few realised that Turkey is a mammoth country of 65 million people and customs office procedures apparently varied from border crossing to border crossing. Spirits were high, and it was great to catch up with many people who had been to Omarama. Wednesday, September 3. A totally overcast sky as we went into our executive meeting at 8.30 am. The preliminary forecast declared that it was unlikely to lift and that rain would follow. As it turned out they were completely wrong and by noon, the sky cleared, thermals popped and there was a wild panic to get airborne. Again no task was set but pilots scattered all over the competition area with only one land out, the team captain/pilot from Germany. 
Meanwhile the debate on the ballast almost turned nasty with some of the
younger/lighter pilots rebelling against the decision of the experts to
load ballast in strict order from the front ballast position (beneath the
seat pan) to the back position. Meetings went on to midnight in an effort
to find an acceptable alternative, with calculators working overtime.
It transpired that the ballast stowage arrangement provided by the Warsaw
University was only a recommendation, not based on any calculations, the
recommendations being originally interpreted as the only acceptable stowage
positioning. Not so according to the results produced from exhaustive tests
carried out in a special weighing session using the same pilot and varying
the different ballast distribution positions.Meanwhile the Turks were busy helping repair the Israeli PW5. It was trailered from Israel in an open trailer with no floor. Can you imagine how it looked with its road rash, the result of a foolish decision? The more you live in this country, the more attached you become to the people. I have yet to hear anyone, pilots, managers, or crew, speak derogatorily about them. The are true gentlefolk, nothing is too much trouble and they are an absolute delight to be associated with. For my money, the World Air Games can be held here as often as they want and I believe I was lucky to be a part of it. It was certainly more enjoyable than many world championships I have attended. Thursday, September 4 Whilst I was suffering (again) from the third world war going on in my stomach during the night, the 'experts' worked well into the morning considering the results of their deliberations over the ballast problem. Oran Nicks and Piero Morelli made a decision to reverse the stowage plan for ballast and this was announced at a special meeting of team managers at 0900 hrs. The day looked marvelous and at the official briefing at 1030 hrs a task was announced with the first launch at 1300 hrs. Some still had to be weighed, but most calculated that they could fly the 190 km task and be back before 7.30 p.m. for weighing. Weighing was supposed to be completed by nightfall, but this was not achieved. The competition keenness was now upon us. While the pilots flew, support groups and crews sunbathed, some under apple and pear trees that were full of fruit, some around the swimming pool. Tony Timmermans, the New Zealand team manager was on top of the bluff hill in front of the airfield with his radio urging the team on. The temperatures rose to about 27 degrees. It was an exceedingly pleasant day, and I hoped was the forerunner of a number to come. Bruno Gantenbrink arrived, belatedly from Germany. His glider had arrived a week ahead of him. He was not a happy chappy. He had four kilos of ballast in the fuselage under the fin, and this had to be removed before he would be allowed to fly. Tail ballast was prohibited in this contest. The adrenaline always starts pumping in me when I see returning sailplanes after the completion of a task. Despite their small size, and with a number crossing within seconds of each other, the PW5's could easily be mistaken, side on, for 18 metre ships; they produce the same sound as their bigger brothers at speed. 
Not all flew the task, the three New Zealanders did, but their time was
slow. The winner for the day achieved 79.26 kph as opposed to Bill Walker,
the leader of the Kiwis at 55.62 kph. For the New Zealand three it was
their first attempt at team flying. It worked, although as Bill said, we
need to "smarten up our act." They were aware of where they were wasting
time. Brian Chesterman's comment was "we were just holding back."
The French were first and second, Italy third with the Czechia pilot,
Krejcirik fourth for the day.Karl Striedieck (USA) got a warning from the championship director about unprofessional flying in the circuit and landing, which certainly made everyone aware the Turks had no intention of wavering on safety. Karl's performance left a lot to be desired. There was a good omen in the sky that evening as we exited the dining hall. There, very bright in the totally clear sky was a new moon, immediately along side the Northern Hemisphere Evening Star. It looked just like the Turkish flag in reverse. There was not one person at Inonu who didn't want to see these Air Games a big success and hopefully this was a good sign. It was market day again in town and the girls found all sorts of bargains for those who were "keeping the home fire burning" for their pilots in Turkey. Friday, September 5. During the night, the German meteorologist, Carsten Lindemann, arrive from Berlin. His fame as a soaring forecaster is legendary and I expected to have numerous opportunities of discussing gliding with him. He was sharing my chalet. He was made very welcome at briefing, and gave his first forecast. But I race ahead. When I went into breakfast at 0730 hrs, the whole area was covered in fog and you could not see more than 25 metres. It slowly lifted and by 0830 hrs the sky was totally clear, no cloud, but a cold 10 knot breeze from the east. I rushed off to our 8.30 am executive meeting which took so long briefing was deferred to 1100 hrs. Carsten's met was very precise and his forecast accurate. Blue thermals, 1 to 1.5 m/s, winds decreasing slightly, totally clear sky. The organisation set a task of 159 kms. Take off was to the east, a runway that had never ever been used before for the launching of sailplanes. Previously when it blew from the east they simply didn't launch. Why? Don't know. The launching was exceptionally slow with two tugs out of the air. THK (the aero club) promised more tugs for Sunday. Not all attempted the task. Bill Walker and Stewart Barton got to over 7000 ft asl and waited for Brian Chesterman. Brian couldn't find a thermal strong enough to take him up to his fellow team members, so he suggested they go on without him. Bill and Stewart got around the task, albeit somewhat slower than the winner, but nevertheless made it. Meantime, back on the ranch, Brian went nowhere other than into a ploughed paddock and a several hours retrieve, although as the crow flies it was just over the back of the hill, south side of the 'drome. But, before the launch, I saw what must be regarded as something unique. Sitting over lunch outside the canteen, we spotted several storks flying overhead. They joined a big thermal almost immediately above us. This was the start of a flock of storks, about 40 to 50 wide, and over 1 km in length. They passed directly over us, into the thermal, climbed and then headed out again. They were at an estimated 1200 - 1500 feet and were on their migratory track south. I don't think I would be exaggerating when I say there was not less than 10,000 storks in the flock. There were now 24 countries and 43 pilots. The countries count about the same as St Auban. The youngest pilot was 20 (from England) and the oldest 68 (from Brazil) the pilot who managed to get a loan of a sailplane from Italy. Some pilots still had problems. Bruno Gantenbrink had removed his lead (3.8 kgs) and glassed over the hole in his fuselage, Steward Barton was prohibited from carrying seven litres of water, and there was still one PW5 with 1.8 kgs in the tail. This sailplane, number five from the manufacturer and owned by a native of Holland was flown into Eskisehir (by freighter). The Dutch pilot declared that the factory had placed the lead after manufacture when it was found the C of G was beyond limits. But changing the subject to scoring, the Turks had developed (originally from a Slovenian European championship) a scoring program in Excel for Windows 95. Experience with the program showed that the results were well presented and for a world championships or a nationals, it left little or nothing to be desired. I am amazed at the number of pilots who come to championships without even a screwdriver. The Japanese pilot didn't even have an electric variometer; this had to be ordered from the USA after he got to Inonu. Were it not for Edward Devenoges, I don't think he would have been in the air even yet. However it kept Edouard occupied and he made a little bit of pocket money. He worked on the Japanese sailplane for almost two days. I had the afternoon off and went to Eskisehir with the Timmermans who wanted a few things. This was my first trip off the drome in the daytime for over a week. Eskisehir is a busy town. The traffic incredible, and walking shoppers shoulder to shoulder. Most things were cheap and the quality not too bad either. Five pairs of woolen socks NZ$ 9.00, leather belts $ 8.00 and their chocolate is about a quarter the cost we pay retail in New Zealand. On the way to Eskisehir (about 40 kms away), we passed hundreds of tractors and four wheel trailers. Farmers all having their wheat, oats or barley weighed, prior to delivery to whoever is the end buyer. They queue for hours to get their turn. The following day was opening day, I was busy editing speeches translated into English for the organisation. I had already written one speech for the Championship Director in English and it was translated into Turkish, both versions to be presented. The mind boggles . . . . Saturday, September 6. It was 'Opening Day'. And what a beautiful morning presented itself. It remained warm all day. Test flying only, was permitted and all sailplanes had to be back on the ground by 1500 hrs. Some went shopping, others drifted away from the field to relax. Most were back on the drome before 1600 hrs. for the opening ceremony at 1700 hrs. We had several meetings during the day to resolve last minute problems, but there was keen anticipation building in the pilots who were now ready to get on with the job. After all there were three past world champions amongst the list of competitors, so this was not going to be just some week-end romp. The stakes were high, the biggest prize ever offered at a World Gliding Championships, a PW5 worth in New Zealand terms around $25,000. This prize was not peanuts. This was, without a doubt, the big league. The Poles were to be congratulated; no German manufacturer had ever offered such a prize for a World Championship. 
But every so often you get a story that is an absolute pearl. One such gem
found its way to my computer and goes something like this. . . . . Brian
and Jan Chesterman arrived in Istanbul about three weeks previous to
opening day, Jan to go holidaying with her daughter, whilst Brian headed
for Inonu to practice. Away on holiday Jan discovered she had mistakenly
taken a glider instrument with her, so immediately thought she had better
send it on to Brian. Deciding she didn't need a certain dress until the
opening day, it proved to be ideal packing for the instrument in question.
It duly arrived, Brian unpacked the parcel barely noticing the dress
packing. Several days later, wanting to clean his glider, Brian was
surprised to find a convenient bit of old rag in his gliding kit, so he
tore it up to use as a drying rag for the sailplane. Enter Jan! Dress
please! Err.. Err.. History does not tell us of their private conversation,
but Jan now dressed in a woolen skirt attended the opening ceremony. I saw
her with the team. "Love your dress Jan," came the comment from me. The
look returned was not one filled with delight. I'll bet this is going to
cost our absent minded friend a small fortune before he gets home. However,
Edouard Devenoges had the last word and in his usual dry laconic voice
added insult to injury by declaring "It wasn't much good as a cleaning
cloth either."The opening ceremony was a simple, but quite impressive affair. It was pleasantly warm, and we listened to speeches in both Turkish and English, together with a display of Turkish folk dancing. (I know now where Tom Richardson got his two spoon trick from. These girls used wooden spoons like castanets). After several short speeches it was all over in 45 minutes. The pilots and crews were invited to a cocktail party where Turkish Raki seemed to be the flavour of the day. The party went on till after 1930 hrs. Somehow the organisers got their times mixed up and set dinner and the first briefing, both for 2000hrs. Result - briefing cancelled to 0930hrs the following day, the first contest day. Just as well! Some (pilots and crew) had had their fair share of Raki. However for those in the know, you were brought back to the reality of exactly where you were when you learnt that there were at least 12 armed security guards mingling amongst the guests and that they had been on the airfield since we arrived. I spent the rest of the evening in a meeting that went on to almost 2300 hrs. Our endeavours to ensure that every PW5 was as identical as we could make them, was proving to be not as easy as we expected. The pilot from Holland was able to prove his tail weight's origin to our satisfaction so at the eleventh hour and fifty ninth minute he was permitted to compete. It was an enjoyable day for pilots and crews. Nice cool nights that allowed for good sleeping. The contest proper was just around the corner. Sunday, September 7. It was hard to imagine, but I had now been in Turkey 20 days. For me personally, the championships began with breakfast at 0700 hrs followed by a meeting 30 minutes later in the hangar to resolve a weighing problem. The first briefing at 0930 hrs went amazingly well. We had prepared the ground work well, but most of the credit must go to Fred Weinholtz who had been working his butt off to ensure that the event was a success. The day dawned cloudless, and was about 18 degrees at 1130 hrs when the pilots were rebriefed and task 'B', the shorter one selected. The task was to the south, a total of four turn points with an overall distance of 161.8 kms. Launch was delayed until 1230 hrs, then 1300, a trigger temperature of 22 degrees being required to start thermal activity. It was still a degree or two away. There was a solid inversion at around 4800 feet asl. Suddenly the temperature increased in what seemed like a couple of minutes, the sniffer aircraft was gaining height and it was all go. First launch 1330 hrs. It was absolutely fascinating to see winch launching going on in parallel with aerotowing. Six only chose the winch, but it was quick, efficient and cheap! Nevertheless the whole field was launched in 45 minutes, a major improvement on all previous times. The launch went like clockwork and the gate opened at around 1440 hrs. They did not hang around for long and were quickly out on track, but not before we saw 15 or more PW5 sailplanes in the same thermal above the field. Spectacular! Amongst the first land out reports received, was one from Pappa Delta; Brian Chesterman had not made a good start and had landed half way down the first leg. An hour later land out reports came in thick and fast, although the interest was interrupted by five almost unknown pilots crossing the line. Unfortunately none were Kiwis. But the thrill for those five pilots quickly disappeared into oblivion. I have never in all my years in gliding seen such a shambles that resulted from 38 landouts. Some 32 gliders landed in the same area. They all missed getting over the hill and home by less than 200 metres, although some tried for 40 minutes before the thermal activity finally died. Trying to marry pilots with crews became a nightmare. The Turks were ill prepared for such an event and the Turkish phone system didn't help. One pilot reported six sailplanes in the same paddock and got cut off detailing information on sailplane number four. Two were never logged as located, until detective work found out the true state of affairs from returning crews much later in the evening. To add to this chaos, one over zealous Turkish retrieve crew who only wanted to help by being part of the organisation, were given instructions to locate and return a glider 50 kilometres out. Seeing a glider in a paddock at 25 kms out, they said 'This one'll do!" and proceeded to help de-rig and return it to the field. Can you imagine how that upset the retrieve operation, a domino effect took over. The proper crew couldn't find their pilot, whilst another pilot waited until after midnight to get the use of one of the trailers. There were only eight trailers for 14 gliders so some had to wait for the second use of a trailer. Chaos is really an understatement and at one stage we had the search and rescue on alert about to start looking for two Japanese pilots. It transpired they were amongst the first to land, but were also cut off by the phone getting their message through. The farmer's phone batteries did not recover enough power to make the next call for over four hours. Fun, Fun, Fun! Both Billy Walker and Stewart Barton were amongst those who failed to crest the hill and were as the crow flies, only 15 kms from home. Nevertheless a four hour retrieve. The post mortem on this fiasco was very humorous to reflect on, but it was not so funny at the time. The Turkish outlanding office crew are young chaps, with a reasonable command of English, but not particularly good organisers. But they were most importantly, willing! They wanted to help and I took over a training program for them, and set up a system for them to use. These youn-g chaps came in for a lot of unnecessary and somewhat unjustified abuse. But as stewards we were united in demanding a communication aircraft each day there were outlandings, up as high as 6000 feet agl. The five finishers (and the 38 non finishers) devalued the day to a maximum of 771 points, but nevertheless a very useful lead for those that made it. Pawel Frackowiak, a Polish pilot, who has been trying to get into their international team for years was the winner for the day at 64.35 kph followed by the 68 year old from Brazil. Pedro Toquero from Spain, Alvaro de Orlean-Borbon's crew member number two, (the first broke his arm,) was third. Alvaro's father died and he offered his aircraft to his crew member at the last moment and he wasn't wasting the opportunity. Then followed Pedro A D Sa'e Melo from Portugal flying in his first competition. (They are just starting a gliding organisation in Portugal, a country with only five sailplanes.) Fifth was Nino Perotti from Italy. A list of unknowns. The well known names were the also rans who now had a bit of catching up to do. At 1000 hrs the following morning there were still some sailplanes not back on the drome, pilots having decided to picket their sailplanes out overnight. Monday, September 8. It was another cloudless sky. Quite cold in the morning, but by 10 00 hrs exceptionally pleasant; the forecast was for the thermals to start popping before noon and actually lasting longer than the previous day. But . . . . decidedly weaker, so the task selected was again 'B' the shorter one, at 154. kms to the south. Two turnpoints. Again, an inversion prevailed and the pilots had to work in a band of less than 3000 feet. Brian Chesterman contracted a terrible doze of influenza and looked like nothing on earth. I doubted whether or not it was wise for him to fly, but he did. Launching started earlier and those with the fastest times were those that left after the main bunch. They had markers most of the way to the southern turnpoint. We had bets as to the time that would be taken for the task. Most went for 2.5 hours and sure enough that was exactly how long it took. First one, then three, then one and then a gap back to the main bunch which seem to flood over the line. Climbs ranged from 1.5 to 2.5 m/s maximum, certainly not a booming day, but nevertheless a true tests of a pilot's skills. Fastest time was produced by Henry of France at 68.41 kph. Talking with Billy Walker later, he declared that this was the best contest he had ever competed in and he certainly is now a fan of the PW5. A big plus he finds is the comfort of the sailplane and he is getting great satisfaction in competing with his piers on an equal footing. "Here I am in the same thermal as Janus Centka, and Bruno Gantenbrink, and I know my machine is exactly the same as theirs," he said. Bill and Stewart crossed the start line with Bruno and were together at the turn and were still together 35 kms out from home. But Gantenbrink beat them home by ten minutes. Bill said "We have built up a phobia about getting across the ridge line back into the Inonu airfield valley and we spent too long topping up just to make sure we got home. Although we are flying lesser performing sailplanes it doesn't in anyway compromise the intensity of the competition." Bill came home at 60.23 kph (13th) and Stewart a 59.68 (18th). There were fourteen outlanders including Brian which was certainly understandable in his present condition. His flu was not helped either by a four hour or more retrieve. Nevertheless, he covered 90 kms The organisation took a giant leap forward in efficiency and in fact it was almost impossible to find a weakness. The Turks responded well to suggestions and we now have a championship that is being administered as well as the best. The spirits around the "5 pm drinks table" outside Bill's chalet were high. So the score sheets reads as follows:
Four of us walked into town during the evening. Most of the shops were still open at 1900 hrs. Two cars had a traffic jamb, whilst we decided against having a "hambug." The evening was still and warm, and many of the airfield workers that were in Inonu wanted to stop and try to have a conversation with us. It was a fun outing with great company, a laugh a minute. I think I walked more in the previous three weeks than I have in the past 30 years. With no car, you either walk or stay put and staying put doesn't have much appeal. The waistline was finally starting to shrink. Not much but I pulled the old belt in a couple of holes. However, before the day was over, I felt I had to write about Turkish toilets. The majority are the "squat" type and cause some amusement (and some embarrassment) for a few who have never seen them before. And if you are not used to them, somewhat of a fine balancing act is required to be successful. I was one of the lucky ones, I had a pedestal toilet (a la New Zealand) in my chalet. Angela Sheard (my fellow steward) had the Turkish design. Seeing a small jug beside the toilet and a tap in the house she is occupying, she decided it was necessary to do her flushing by hand, a job done laboriously for nearly ten days. Imagine her disgust when this morning she discovered above eye level, up the wall, an obscure chain, which when pulled brought forth a flood of water, something she had been missing all her time in Turkey. But our American friends had a different perspective of the situation. Also faced with the same Turkish ablution facilities, they confiscated a white plastic chair, a product found almost anywhere in the world. They then cut a hole in the seat and placed it over the Turkish piece of porcelain art. Something definitely a little more comfortable. And just to prove they were patriotic, they hung 'Old Glory' (the Stars and Stripes) over the back of the chair. Oh! the ingenuity of man! Tuesday, September 9, Day III The meteorologists were quite enthusiastic about the day. The stability had eased, the inversion lifted to above 6000 ft and they predicted thermals would be at least 2.5 m /s. A most encouraging forecast but for the third consecutive day, a blue cloudless sky. The tasksetters set a 207 km task with two turnpoints to the south. We thought that the day might just be the first 1000 point day. The forecast favoured an early start, so launching began at 1230 hrs. Efficiently carried out, the gate opened at 1345 hrs and at 1430 hrs they were all (with one exception) overhead the airfield. Only one pilot had set out on track - the German lady pilot, Gudrun Haas. The temperature on the ground at 1430 hrs was around 25 degrees. At one time I counted 32 PW5's in the same thermal, and I was glad I was on the ground. I can't remember ever seeing that large a number in the same thermal. It was a case, of "I'll go if you go." No one wanted to be first. Most had realised that in these continuing blue skies and their blue thermals, someone needed to be a marker. Finally, the Germans took off and it was a wild scatter to get over the start line and follow the leaders. But those of us on the ground watching all the tactics being played out, were also watching time ticking by. At 1430 hrs, pilots needed a minimum of three hours to complete the task. With an increasing wind, now around 10 - 12 knots on the ground, the pilots would be heading back into this which would add to the time required to make it home. Would the thermals continue through to and after 1730 hrs? Would there be another mass land-out and the problems we had at the close of Day 1? The sea breeze came in from the north and the drop in temperature was quite noticeable from about 1600 hrs onwards. Haze started to develop and whilst there were signs of whimpish cu's about, we could visibly see the day deteriorating. Nevertheless 13 pilots made it home, one did not start, and 29 landed out. Fortunately most within six to eight kms of the airfield. They just couldn't get onto the last 10 km ridge run which would have seen them complete the task for the all important speed points. The ridge was working, but only just. My job for the afternoon was to select and reweigh at least three sailplanes. I must have walked a zillion miles into the middle of the airfield each time I selected one and walked with it to the hangar for the reweigh. No problems. Just as we had finished the last one, the Italian, Nino Perotti, presented his glider to us to show the result of a mid-air strike along his port wing. As far as we could gather, he was swiped by Pawel Frackowiak, the Polish pilot who was so alarmed, he decided to land. This despite assurances from his team mate, Centka that he could not see any damage as they flew together. Centka's action could have cost him a days points as he lost a lot of height in the inspection process. He was one of those that ultimately landed five kms from the airfield. Nine pilots landed within eight kms of the field. Having just completed the initial inspection of the damaged sailplane, I was then rushed into a Wilga tow aircraft to man what we called "Inonu Air." Designed to provide communication with downed pilots who could not get to a phone. They needed an English speaking person, so this was another job for the stewards. We climbed to 7000 ft above ground, located the missing sailplane, got his co-ordinates and was back on the ground in about 30 minutes. All accounted for. Two pilots landed on goat tracks right on top of the ridge, and got to bed well after midnight. The Indonesian pilot had a heavy outlanding accident, and stoved in his main wheel, whilst the twisting of the fuselage popped his canopy which was broken. This put him out of the contest. Meanwhile, the Portuguese pilot who was fourth on day one, was getting low over the field after his first launch. Rather than struggle, he decided to land and take another launch. Too late! He was unaware of the rules and the launch line had closed with the result that he got no points for the day. Bill Walker was ecstatic about his day. He enjoyed it immensely, but admitted that the 33 sailplane thermal was too much for him to handle and he vacated it for a less busier one. Both Bill and Stewart ended up only metres apart when they landed. The winners time was 72.88 kph, Engström, the Swede was going from strength to strength, and had a 300 point lead. Two of the Australians flew well, Gilbert 7th for the day, and Maurie Bradney 10th.
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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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