Happy days

Ivan and I on the opening ceremony with team India.

Geoff over Avila

Lots of pilots are still here in Piedrahita, conditions are really good. Today some pilots set a task around the valley and others went cross country!
I had 5 1/2 hrs flight out and return to piedrahita - Avila and back. around 100kms. Geoff and I flew most of the time together and just before the pass we separated and I lost contact with him.


Everyone is really chilling out, the mood on launch is very relaxed. A lot of camaraderie. I liked to see the Chilean flag blowing by the gentle breeze on take off today.

Ivan Anissimov - As the comp ended...

Spanish beds are shorter. I can reach both ends when stretching in the morning, but in evening I shrunk somehow. I haven’t seen fly screens in Spain yet. May be mozzie that I killed few days ago was the only one in whole country? Or may be it arrived in my baggage somehow? I hope mozzie is not endangered species in Europe…

As comp ended, that would be end of the blog, I guess. I am thinking about keeping writing, may be in more serious form about Killing the Bastard and other flying tips. For that stuff I might use blog that Martin created for me. I want to thank all of you, who support us with you positive comments. It does mean a lot to us. Usually I’m only checking my email once a week. But here I start doing it twice a day! I haven’t seen negative comments yet, and I like it that way. May be putting them in “deleted items” folder directly would save time, money and good relationship. Life is like pedestrian crossing, and right now I am not on white. FFAI is something dirty and bloodsucking, stacked to the bottom of healthy body of pilots. Now it rules it. It make its own rules and imposing it on us (see section 7b etc). Some of them is good, some ok, some is just common sense and a lot of them is plain bulls#¥t. FFAI also provides comp sanction and WPRS ranking. Comp sanction is needed mostly for WPRS ranking, as comp organisers looking after safety, etc. It is quite obvious, that WPRS ranking is not working for Australia, as well as for the most of non European countries. Our pilots have to go overseas (if they can afford it) to improve their ranking. Of course they are getting experience as well, but what happens to their ranking in next couple of years, if they only flying in our comps? Where all this experience disappeared? How is it reflected in their ranking? The very fact that our pilots have to fly overseas comps to improve their rating is a good indicator that WPRS ranking is not working properly.

Why do we keep paying FFAI and CIVIL? Mostly because we don’t care. All it takes to make them disappear into thin air is take control of our money and stop waisting it on bunch of bureaucrats with very poor safety record. First revolution was birth of World Cup about 20 years ago. The only mistake was that FFAI and CIVIL was left intact, they weren’t replaced with organisation, respected by most of the pilots and working for the pilots. Now we have this chance. Cut them off our money and they will die. Internet based ranking systems are available now and could be design to be fair for all pilots. Wouldn’t it be nice, if after FFAI/CIVIL statement about closure of 12th World Championship, pilots come up with statement about opening of The First Non Sanctioned by FFAI/CIVIL World Championship and keep it running with implementation of upgraded safety measures, offered by pilots working group. Most of the pilots were ready to continue this competition. Even if organisers weren’t ready to take the risk, organisation of the comp could be taken over by new group of people with assistance of current organisers. That would have been real World Championship and possibly last nail for FFAI and CIVIL coffin! By the way, FFAI is not spelling mistake, you can work it out. Unfortunately, time is lost, chance is gone, we got what we deserved. Two pilots died doing what they loved. FFAI and CIVIL will keep going with their terrible safety record. Hungarian pilot collected about 50 signatures for suing FFAI and CIVIL for retracting their sanction after pilots comply with all their requirements. Frustration and disappointment are suitable words today for me. Most people went flying, it is a beautiful day. I need to get my head straight first, I can’t fly yet… This is, as usual, only my point of view at this point of time. It is not my intention to upset any person, especially fellow pilots, who volunteered their time and energy for improvement of our safety under current system. Their efforts are greatly appreciated by all of us.

Ivan & Dave's proposal for alternative comp format

Just to let everyone out there know that Ivan and Dave, after discussion with the rest of us plus some Kiwis really tried to rescue the comp by contributing to a working group and coming up with a way of task setting that would improve safety. I'll leave it to either of them if they want to explain details. As you've read, it was to no avail, the comp is over, but Ivan, Dave, your efforts were much appreciated, and I do think the proposal was a good one.

Antje

Thanks to Dave, our Team Manager

A big thanks to Dave for doing a great job as a team manager. Not only did he sacrifice his own time, money and opportunity to fly, but he kept us organised, helped launching, briefed and debriefed, and went to a series of meetings that I would have really struggled to put up with.

And he complied with Ivan's request and was always positive :-)

Thank you, Dave, you helped me a lot, shame it's all over already.

Antje

and more.

Civl have suspended the certification of competion class gliders, this means that the worlds 2011 is over. In another statement by the organiser's, they said that the 2 tasks will score and this championships is valid, so there will be a prize giving and closing ceromony tomorrow.
I would like to thank the organiser's for there extreme hard work through the recent difficult days, they have done an amazing job, i would also like to thank all those that have supported the team and of course i would like to thank the team themselves, they are great guys ( and gal ), they showed themselves as great sportsmen and as great ambassador's of Australia.
The organiser mentioned somthing of a serial world championship here next year, i feel the history of competition paragliding has turned a corner, one that i have looked around before ( those old enough will remember the serial class days ). I only hope this new direction is a safer one.
Thanks
Dave

It's officially over

Comp is over/canned/stopped, look for official wording at Piedrahita2011.com

I'm going freeflying next week and a bit, hope the rest of the team will join me, and I hope there will be retrieves of some sort.

Antje

and more

Civl have stopped the competion on a temporary basis and may resart when a safer format is put forward. Many pilots ,team leaders and organisers are deep in disscussion about an xc open formular that has been suggested. Much disscussion to be had and any decissions will be aired here.

Day three

The Australian team would like to express our condolances to families and friends of those who left us unexpectently yesterday. Rip

Today is a day off in respect for those pilots.

Task 2

Both boys in goal.

1st task

All Aussie pilots are back in Piedrahita, safe. Ivan made goal despite flying with a faulty tracker, Felipe was about 37 k short. Geoff and Antje were somewhat short too !!! There should be a few get pinged for airspace violations and are now wishing they uploaded the airspace file. results will be up later.

Task 1 - Goal at 154 km - the view from the ground

Task 1 is running as we speak, and Felipe at 95 km seems to be in the 2nd Gaggle - go Felipe. Ivan's last live tracking point (see piedrahita2011.com) is at 45km out, I think he's on the ground, Geoff seems to have gotten washed off the pass at 31 km out (known Piedrahita difficulty #2 - sinking air behind the pass for several kms) and yours truly sunk out right at the start, scratching all the way to the ground (known Piedrahita difficulty #1 - it is after all a North facing, shallow slope, and I can verify that this is not conducive to thermal formation). It was windy on launch, but not as bad as yesterday. Good luck to those still on course. And for myself, I guess I'll be well rested for a new day tomorrow.


Antje

congested goal

Yesterday was a practise task which was short and succsessful with most reaching goal, ( all Aussies made goal ). Today is the official first task . The forcast looks good for a few days so expect some ever changing results to come flowing in.

Dave

The opening ceremony finished with most pilots tucked up in bed ready for the practise task with the exception of 50% of the kiwi team. at least someone is making use of the 2 story mobile disco .

Dave

Opening ceremony

Great opening ceremony, done in a typical Spainish/Piedrahita style. Its now 11:20pm and the town party has just started, the 2 story mobile disco thing is pumping out euro pop at an head splitting volume and i belive is suppossed to go on till 3 am. world champs Spanish style, Nice.

Dave.

Were here

Antje testing the new fai approved harness

The complete Aussie team are now here in Piedrahita and ready to do battle. All 3 blokes and 1 sheila have succsesfully passed all the very strict rego requirments. Additional to the team is myself as team leader and general dogsbody. My logistic skills were tested this morning at rego, helping some of the guys with there paperwork, there is so much paperwork and checking to be done it took about 2 hours to complete, then you had to go to another building to have your gear checked. The organisers seemingly had it all under control until the fai guys stepped in, and then the system all fell apart and instead of having your glider/lines, harness and helmet checked they just checked helmets and pilot weights !. All in all, cat 1 rego = organised chaos . Some have gone flying before having to return this evening for a mantatory pilot breifing and opening ceremony.

Dave Gibbs

1st day in Piedrahita

After a 10 hour flight 3 days in Shanghai another 10 hour flight 3 days in Germany one flight of 2 hours and 1 day in Madrid, I finally arrived in Piedrahita after a short bus ride. Got my accomodation sorted and a lift up the hill straight away in a BMW, it was good to arrive in style. hehehe
The french team is here and several other pilots are training for the worlds, yesterday we had a light westerly breeze and we set a 100km task out and return.
I was so excited to try my mew wing, I received it at about 6 weeks ago but the crap winter in Sydney didn't allow me to try it out. The sky was full of Ozone wings, and the R11 are really the best wing around.
we had a gaggle of about 10, 15 pilots and the only non R11s was myself with the new Tracer and a polish guy with the UP XR and and the black icepeak 5 of Jean mark Caron.
Piedrahita is amazing, powerful thermals and big air. it only gets dark here at 10:30 and yesterday at 6:30 we still had thermal of + 5.
Our task started with a ridge run, a turn point over the flats one turn point 44 km at west and them goal in Piedrahita.
The R11 are the wings to be beaten but the Icepeak and the UP are not too far behind. I think the Icepeak 5 climbs really well. My wing is completely different from last years, it's heaps more stable and easier to fly, more collapse resistant and when on glide I didnt feel the R11s had an advantage.
We flew for almost 4 hours and I was always with the leading gaggle, the begining of the flight on the flats we had super rough stuff, I think the thermals weren't well defined and I just couldn't find a good core, I think no one could really do. On the way back it was a differnet history, nice big well difined climbs.
It was hard to go down and land due to the abundance of lift.
All in all it was great to be in the air again and having the cofidence I have a good glider, from now on the plan is to train a bit more, rest and concentrate and be ready to the real deal.
We still have a few more days of training to get to know the area better and get to know the infamous convergence lines of Piedrahita.
The rest of the Team will arrive in Piedrahita today. It will be good to catch and hear the stories from the Nordic Open where they did really well.

Stay tuned.

Felipe Rezende