Thoughts from above…. and a bit from the ground too

23.5.2012

It was time to travel to UK. The Glider nationals. Scary, and yet so exciting!

I drove to Tampere and picked up a friend. He dropped me off to the airfield and is going to take care of my car during my trip. Excellent service I’d say J

I like Tampere airport. There is a lot of traffic. Right when I walked to the plane, one of our F/18’s took off. I just love the smell of jet fuel in the morning… well, afternoon, and evening goes too. Nice way to start the trip!

After takeoff it was rather easy to keep track where we were going, but after the Baltic sea I was completely lost and only could guess where we were. I don’t know if I ever get tired of staring out of the window of an airplane. I was reading part of the journey – the judging rules of course, but couldn’t help taking peaks out of the window every now and then. The view is spectacular! No clouds, sunny day, and all you can see, is the sea. Then you see a coast, reaching to the sea. Seems to be longest white sand beach (or so it appears to the plane, 10km high) I’ve ever seen. It looks like an island. Might be one close to Swedish coast. But I am just guessing. Then there is more coast line, then again sea. At some point I saw oil riggs down there, or that’s what I think they were. Definitely not cruise ships, but there was a few of those too. The closer we get to UK, it seems to be getting a bit of foggish hazy and I really can’t see the horizon.  Nor the ground or sea anymore. There as a good turn here, and a the plane seems to be going down so we’re getting close.

This trip is a good opportunity for me. Even I am not in a rush to the CIVA list as a judge, this gives me a good perspective on few things. First, how things are done somewhere else than in Finland. I have only judged in Finland and been an assistant in a CIVA contest. Now this is a National contest in a different country. I am getting an assistant from there, and the second challenge is here. All the conversations, figures, everything in English. Good thing the “aerobatic language” is pretty similar in Finnish too. One might call that “Finglish”

Time to close the computer, we’re landing.

24.5.2012

I arrived to Stanstead perfectly on time and a colleague picked me up. Thanks to Charles, I got to Saltby well and safe =) Although I must say, the traffic is freaking me out. The bigger roads were ok, but small roads are just scary, the cars DO drive on the wrong side of the road. Besides, already twice I have tried to go in to the car – the wrong side… :D

Welcome here was warm and nice, a many familiar faces! Good to see people. Airfield is quite big and with a  lot of small bunnies everywhere and birds.  Pheasants and Quils and something I don’t know  the name in English.  Big birds anyway.

The accommodation at Cross Swords Inn is perfect. The hosts of the pub are great and the food is delicious. The place has 3 guestrooms and I am staying in Fishwell cottage, a nice twin bed room! I got a basket of food with me in the evening after dinner for late night snack or breakfast. Of course I enjoyed it this morning, only to realize you could get breakfast from the airfield. Need to try that tomorrow, with a full English breakfast.

View from front of the Pub

The Pub itself, the Cross Swords Inn

I'm staying here, the Fishwell Cottage!

 

Contest director Chris Cain

Paul Conran & Maz Makari

Chief Judge Manfred Binder and wife

Just finished a briefing, no flying yet, but preparing everything.

So, Briefing postponed, next briefing at 11.

Season start for me...

Today was the first day of the first aerobatic camp. Or it was supposed to be. Weather seriously sucked the whole day. Spent most of the day indoors, but spent it good. Checked one free program, read the rules and finally got out and built half of the box with a bunch of people. It took less than an hour to set up 4 first box marks. We'll (they'll) continue tomorrow, then check the places from air and do the final adjustments. The trick is, the box is slightly (app, 500m) in a different place than last year. To enable better (and 2 other) judging positions.

It was delightful to return to Oripää after the winter. The new hangar is up and *HUGE*. There is already 6 planes in (2 Christen Eagles, 2 Pipers, 1 Ultimate and 1 Pitts), and there is still a lot of space!

Sorry about the photo, it is taken with my phone but you'll get the idea.... 

Several people has already arrived, and first glider just drove here, SZD-59 Acro. Two YAKs has been "on hold in Lahti, there is complete CAVOK over there... But, now it looks like there is a chance, the clouds are climbing up so we'll see. 

I need to go back to home for one night, my kid has an English test tomorrow at school, but we'll be back tomorrow afternoon and hopefully catch an airfield full of action! I sure need the practice on judging, next weekend I'll be judging at UK glider nationals in Saltby. This is a great opportunity for me to start the "judging carreer".  And will be great to see familiar faces!