Jury Report on Free Flight World Championships 2011 F1E for Seniors and Juniors
FAI Jury
Srdjan Pelagic | Serbia | President |
Gerhard Wöbbeking | Germany | Member |
Andras Ree | Hungary | Member |
Dates
August 26 to September 3
Location
Zlatibor, Serbia
Information
February 2011, it was still in doubt whether the competition takes place or not. Due to the not refunded entry fees of the F2 Europeans 2009 the event was taken hostage until February 26th when it appeared on the calendar. That late start made preparations more difficult and may have lead to a decline in participation numbers as well. – Two bulletins were issued containing all necessary information. One meeting was organized for the team managers, main officials and the Jury.
Participation
20 juniors and 33 seniors = 53 out of 12 countries attended the championships. Figures for 2009: 22 juniors + 40 seniors = 62 out of 13 countries. The decline of 9 competitors may not necessary reflect a fading interest to the class than the uncertain situation before February 26th.
Accommodation
An all inclusive package of 295 Euros for hotel VIS plus meals and tasty lunch bags on the hill was a good offer. Most teams chose that place; it was not only a pleasant one with a very good restaurant, but as well very close to the site (10 minutes drive only). That hotel offered plenty of space for registration and processing and was venue of the banquet and closing ceremony.
Flying site
The competitions (including two World Cups offered the weekend before the championships) took place on a configuration of different slopes facing to all wind directions. The slopes are almost bar with deformed pines loosely spread, but in the deep cut valleys some trees grow to height. So retrieving could be a task resulting in schedules including half an hour break between the rounds. On both championship-days cars and tents of all teams parked on the flat top of the ridge, with the competitors walking to the respective slope elected by the CD and the Jury.
Competition
Four international F1E contests had taken place at the same venue, in 2008 and in 2009. Unfortunately, the conflict regarding the F2 refunds related the organisation team of the F1E events, and a new team had to be founded, lacking the experiences of the former events and omitting the opportunity to organize 2010 WCups. Given these circumstances, Contest Director (CD) Nicola Borovac and his team performed very well in close cooperation with the Jury. Smooth run competitions and no protest or official complaint were the final result. – During the team managers meeting the CD revealed that no tripods were available, nor the official binoculars could get adapted to them (not conform to SC4 Vol ABR B.9.2.).
On the juniors’ day (August 31st), a steady wind from northerly directions created good lift. Even the fly-off took place from the one slope elected in the morning. But during the seniors’ day (September 1st), the wind shifted slowly from South to North, making contest management difficult. Thanks to the Zlatibor issue of www.windfinder.com, CD and Jury were prepared. But since a forecast is not a guarantee, any change of the slope remained risky. The Jury insisted in fair conditions for all competitors during a whole round despite of the continuously turning wind. Finally, five rounds were flown on four different slopes.
Opening and Closing Ceremony
The Opening took place at an open stage in the centre of the city. Performances of local dancing groups and musicians were part of the opening, attracting many tourists (Zlatibor is a holiday resort). To underline the importance of the event, representatives of the Aero Club and the NOC delivered speeches. The Closing in the VIS hotel got good notes from the teams attending, especially because of the exquisite food and despite of the lack of cups and trophies.
Conclusions
Very good and successful championships, particularly if one takes the difficult circumstances of the preparation into account.