24 July, from the crew dude

G'day all!

Well, despite that cheerful-sounding greeting, nothing went to plan.  The plan was that I'd crew for Eric - you know, get the glider ready, check that everything was in place, all that sort of thing.

OK, perhaps not quite "nothing".  He got scrutineered OK, and the glider's weight was checked and ballast adjusted appropriately, all good.  Paperwork OK too.

Then the wheels fell off.

A day or two earlier, I'd mentioned that it'd be nice to get an aerial shot of either the grid, or the tie-down area, or even both, and then publish them.  Late yesterday, Eric returned from somewhere with a real surprise - apparently he'd teed up a flight in the German team's Arcus for me!  Meet the German team manager right after briefing today.

This was done.  So the flight was arranged - and then the team manager talked to both Eric and myself as if it was already taken as read that we'd BOTH fly it.

We got it ready, while he briefed us on various aspects of it - including the sustainer system which we hoped we wouldn't have to use.

Then towed it out to the grid, and found ourselves near the front.  By now there at least 5 tugs, so we had next to no time to don the parachutes and get in before we're hooked on, wondering how the tug would go lugging 750 kg of glider and pilots into the air.

Got airborne, then to Ostrow where the European championships have just ended, and back.  For me the first flight in an Arcus, unfamiliar glider, first flight in Europe, unfamiliar territory, first - well, a lot of things really.  And a big bunch of other gliders in the air too, with the Flarm and other equipment making noises that actually mean something, not like the aussie flarm at all.  Distance to Ostrow and back is only 180 km or so but I wasn't out for sheep stations, with that number of unknowns just a leisurely jaunt would be OK.

And even better - both of us from Balaklava - go Team Balak!!

Yep, hardly anything went to plan.  If this is the way things go, I hope nothing else goes to plan either!

Oh, and Eric's 28?  Sat on the ground all day looking forlorn.