RE: World Championships Experience
Dave Guerin has posted the warmup pilots for the World Championships via email, with schedule. The warmup pilots will alternate between morning and afternoon, and have backups for each site two deep to allow for any technical issues, and to assure the competition proceeds. Warmup pilots include myself, AC Glenn, Dave Lockhart and Andre Bouchard. I'll be conducting demonstration fligths for the judges as part of judging training on Sunday, 24 July. Flying rounds begin for the pilots representing 35 countries on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday with P-11 sequence being flown on sites 1 and 3.
I would be remis if I did not, as in the past, give a tribute to Andre Bouchard. When I was just a kid, probably 13 years old if my memory is correct- I went to the local flying field in Valley Forge Park and saw a young man (probably about 4 or 5 years older than me) practicing 8 point rolls with an EU-1A pattern plane. I remember clearly, like it was yesterday. It was a late fall day. I remember those 8 point rolls each one on a wire. That man's name was Andre Bouchard. It was one of those inspiring times that got me into pattern flying.
Preparation continues. I have stopped flying P11 all together. The only thing I'm flying (probably like most of the other competitors) is F11 and unknown sequences and maneuvers. I am burning between 3/4 and 1 gallon per day flying in the evenings after work and on weekends.
So that's the update for now.