2009 World Champs - finished

[LarryMcG]

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE _ NO SA PARTICIPANTS

http://www.czechinfo.aero/wmc.aspx?lokID=2


The 12th FAI World Microlight Championship officially finished
Saturday 22.8.2009 :: Miroslav Oros :: 575x
Shortly after 3 p.m. local time the 12th FAI World Microlight Championship in Jihlava was officially finished. Pilots from four countries became World Champions - Jan Lukes from Czech republic, Alojzy Dernbach from Poland, Rob Grimwood and Andy Aiken from United Kingdom and Pedro Nogueroles and Manuel Giron from Spain. more photos


The weather was favorable throughout the whole competition and only turned its back on us at the very end. The closing ceremony had to be moved into the main hangar due to rain. After the welcome speech of LAA President Jan Brskovsky a special guest, Czech member of Parliament Mr. Milan Bicik addressed the audience. Before the announcement of the official results organizers took the liberty to award the oldest and youngest participants of the Championship - Israeli team's fifteen years old navigator Ben Wiessloviz and British team's navigator Allan Weatherall who is pushing 70. The Fair Play award justly went to Ukrainians Yuryi Yakovlev and Igor Pugach who returned some of their points after finding and reporting a mistake in scoring of a task.




The official closing ceremony proceded by awarding medals to the following participants:




RAL 1

1. Jan Lukeš (CZE)

2. David Headley (GBR)

3. Libort Frebort (CZE)




RAL 2

1. Pedro Nogueroles and Manuel Giron (ESP)

2. Ondřej Šilhan and Martin Dalajka (CZE)

3. Jurij Jakovlev and Igor Pugač (UKR)




RWL 1

1. Alojzy Dernbach (POL)

2. Lukáš Hynek (CZE)

3. Reese Keen (GBR)




RWL 2

1. Robert Grimwood and Andy Aiken (GBR)

2. Petr Chvojka and Jan Lorenc (CZE)

3. Simon Baker and Anita Holmes (GBR)




TEAMS

1. Czech Republic

2. Poland

3. Great Britain




Despite the fact that the Czech Republic was appointed to host the Championship just months prior to the event the organizers have done a great job organizing such a successful competition. The pilots were flying practically every day, sometimes virtually dawn to dusk.

[Nkwazi]

What happened that there were no SA Competitors??

[topflight]

There were probably no sponsors for the SA guys....we have the best pilots but most of them cannot afford shipping there trikes to the championships, I think

[Gaylord Focker]

Think the credit crunch is hitting hard on most folkes

Its just really sad that the bigger organizations couldnt help out with some kind of sponserships .HELL if i had a helping hand i would be there like FRED BEAR i wouldnt mind representing my country could you just imagine it . GAYLORD THE WORLD CHAMPION.

It really sucks we couldnt be there

[LarryMcG]

We had guys who were keen to go - who went last time, but apparently they were not good enough to participate this year???

Then, we had team members who went last time and were well placed, but couldnt make the nationals, so once again coudnt go.

Very disappointing, as all the hard work from establishing a team over the previous two comps is lost, and a new team will have to start over.

L

[Inge]

I was there as a navigator, representing the first international participation with a three-axis from Old Norway. As a first timer I was in for a very steep learning curve, and finished near the end of the list, but the experience is priceless. We only had our organisation pay the entry fees, and paid for all the rest ourselves. This included an 8 hour ferry through Denmark and Germany to the Czech Republic, an experience in its own right.

From your messages here I gather that you have to qualify in the nationals to go to the World Champs? My understanding is that each country gets to have four or five teams in each class. Is it possible that you talk to your organisation? Wouldn't it be a good idea that teams with a proven national or international track record get a free pass to attend without having to make your nationals? Especially when you ended up with no South African participation at all?

Cheers from Norway,

Inge

[LarryMcG]

Hi Inge

Nice to hear that you participated, and enjoyed it. I went for the first time two years ago, and agree, its an experience of a lifetime!!!

Yes, we need to meet certain requirements to compete internationally, and apparently nobody met those requirements this year.

We had a different National comptetion director in 2007, and he managed to put together a team, of some experienced guys, and some "novice' guys, which worked well, so we were in the process of building a national team, with more interest building from guys to compete.

We had no sponosorship at all, other than what each person could arrange for themselves, so our big problem from this side is the expense of getting there, airtickets, registration, shipping trikes over in a container, accomomdation etc, but we still had a few guys who were prepared to go, including the guys who came second in weightshit 2 seat class.

Hopefully we can start working on a team for 2011!

[Wargames]

Hi Larry,

Nice info.

Do anybody know what the requirements is to go to the championship??

Regards,

[Tumbleweed]

Heard the real competitors were saving themselves for the real challenge- The Numbi African Cup.

[ZS-NEL]

What happened that there were no SA Competitors??

After a sex test it was found that the SA entries were all female and not male as indicated.

[gertcoetzee]

Do anybody know what the requirements is to go to the championship??

$$$$$

[AndyG]

Speak to Craig Couzens(Solo Wings) one of the finest MPL pilots in the country and he will let you know of the expense and red tape involved.

Cheers,

[LarryMcG]

For those - from SA - who would like to participate in this type of thing, obviously first requirement, as discussed is the money. Budget would need to be about 30 - 40 K, for the actual trip. (but worth every cent)

That doesnt take into account any pre trip expenses, practice tasks, meeting, dinners, presentations etc.

So, thats a good starting point. Next, practice comp flying, with help from previous entries, or guys who know comp flying.
Fly plenty, enter into all SA comps, and then the nationals.

Do well, prove yourself, and you might get in.

Bear in mind, you actually have to have a 4 stoke engine, if you are serious. Look at the comp results posted above, and see that for the economy task / thermalling, the two seat trikes were up for nearly 4 hours - on 10 l fuel. So, learn how to thermal. The guys with hanggliding / gliding experience have a big advantage. Your trike must use a max of 8 l an hour, 6 litres better. In solo class, 4 - 6 lt, as you will only be given 8 lt fuel.

More 3 axis participation would be great, but this becomes even more difficult to get the planes to some far-off place. Last time, we had 6 dual teams, and 3 solo, in trikes only. A full team is 6 from each discipline - so 24 teams (dual and solo, weight shift and 3 axis.

If we started working on a team, and sponosorship etc now, we could be back in the running, in two years time. Venue will depend on who has put in a bid to host - talk is of IsraeL???

LM

[Tumbleweed]

Maybe a stupid thought here, but;

Why can't a host country provide the trikes through a local manufacturer? Sounds ridiculous, but works with great success in the yaghting comps.

Trikes/ yaghts are sold off as demos / to schools/ auctioned (with reserve) and the exposure to international markets is priceless. Recouperate some payback to supplier by way of entry subsidy, get the tourism industry to subsidise, I see oppertunity.

At least the winner will compete against identical machines and certainly warrent being the champ.

[Nkwazi]

Any news on SA's bid to host the 2011 champs?? I'm sure there will be many, many pilots looking to make the SA team if that happens.