Looks like she packed it to take along.
Posted on 06/21/2005 8:04:46 AM PDT by Dashing Dasher
Tomorrow marks the beginning of a little known international sporting competition.
The US Aerobatic Team takes on the world at Burgos, Spain. I would like to share my interest in this sport with my FReeper FRiends. I hope you find this interesting.
I am getting updates from three of the team members on a regular basis - plus there is a website that will have scores, updates, pictures, etc. keeping all of us FANS involved in the day to day competition going on in Spain.
This competition is held somewhere in the world every other year. Last time (2003), it was in Lakeland, Florida, USA. Trophies are given out for individuals and for teams. In 2003, the Russians placed 1, 2, 3, with the highest ranking USA Pilot, Robert Armstrong, coming in fourth place. The team results were Russia, France, USA.
These are the best (competition) aerobatic pilots in the world. The United States has a team of ten - six men and four women - who will be representing us.
Other countries we know will be bringing teams include Russia, Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, plus - who knows who else will show up... There is word we will see pilots - but maybe not whole teams from Finland, South Africa, Australia, Sweden, and Czech Republic. A minimum of three pilots is necessary to form an actual team.
The US Team will be flying several different airplanes. The American Made Zivko Edge 540 will be flown by Vicki Cruse, Janet Fitzke, and Kirby Chambliss. Also American Made is the Panzl S-330 which will be flown by Allyson Parker Lauck. Debby Rihn-Harvey has competed in the Worlds three times and David Martin, another WAC Veteran, will be flying the French made CAP-232. Robert Armstrong will be flying a CAP-231. Hubie Tolson, Michael Racy and Zach Heffley (our youngest team member at 24) will be flying the Russian Sukhoi 26.
Each competition starts with a Known also known as a Compulsory or Q program. Each pilot will fly the same sequence of maneuvers and will be judged by an international panel. The next program is the Freestyle. This allows each pilot to put together a sequence of maneuvers of their own creation.
Once the first two programs are flown, the first of the two Unknowns begin. These are a set of flight sequences designed by committee and given to the competitors 24 hours before they need to fly them. This is very difficult and is really separates the wheat from the shaft, if you know what I mean.
I will continue to update this thread to keep everyone up to date on what is happening in Spain. Please feel free to visit these websites for additional information – or if you have specific questions – let me know. I’ll try to answer them for you.
http://www.usaerobaticteam.com/htmlfile/index.php
http://events.fai.org/aerobatics/calendar.asp
Real... plus a little paralax.
He takes off and hovers right about the runway....
It scares me - and I'm fearless.
Is Patty Wagstaff no longer competing?
No, Patty has threatened to come back to competition for years. I would be awesome to have her back.
Airshow flying and competition flying are two VERY different animals. She is probably the most successful pilot at bridging that gap.
From Patty's website...
Patty's skill is based on experience. She is a six-time member of the U.S. Aerobatic Team that competes in Olympic-level international competition, and the highest-placing American with gold, silver and bronze medals, a three-time U.S. National Aerobatic Champion, an IAC Champion, and a six-time recipient of the "First Lady of Aerobatics" Betty Skelton Award. The first woman to win the title of U.S. National Aerobatic Champion, Patty has won the gold, silver and bronze medals in National as well as International Competition.
The US G'vt provide transport??
Inquiring minds and all...
VERY good question...
The USAF used to supply transport in a C5 (at a price - if I recall). Unfortunately, there is a war on and we don't have that priviledge anymore.
This year - a few competitors are borrowing planes and the rest shipped their's. One container didn't get there until Friday - when it was actually due a week or ten days before.
It's always a problem - then, you have to put it back together in a foreign country - bring your tools, and hope for the best.
It's a huge expense and a huge headache - plus - the time that is spent in transit - you aren't flying - which impacts your G-tolerances.
Thanks ...
Shame, for that cause, Boeing won't 'showcase' one of their 747 Frieghters...
...write it off as a Marketing Development 'expense'.
Many of the teammates had to put on fundraisers to afford to go to the contest. There is no $$ in this sport - actually - there is plenty of $$ in it - all flowing outward.
;-)
She had better luck than I did. I landed in a tall tree, was wondering how to get down when the branch (and subsequently some of my more important bones) broke.
Thanks for Tiny's story, very interesting.
Looks like she packed it to take along.
Two things that I have been told to have on me if/when I jump.
One is my cellphone - to call for help.
The other is a knife, to cut myself down from a tree.
It happens more than we'd like to think.
I hope you are okay.
Dasher
You have to admit - she was gutsy!
Golly, there was a movie with her or about her...
Can't remember, but yeah, gutsy and a bit crazy too!
I recovered completely, thanks, but it did end my skydiving hobby. Like Tiny, I miss it! It was even more fun than I thought it would be.
Roger that. Price of addiction ... literally!!
Cheaper than Coke? .... naw... probably not.
I've seen that done, and it is truely amazing !!!!! Can you do that ? (with a plane, I mean...)
Is she single ????
LOL... She's a single seater... does that count!?
Mine probably doesn't have the power to weight ratio needed to hover. He's got over 300 hp and probably weights less than 1000 pounds.
Mine is only 180 at 800 pounds.
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