Senftenberg
Germany
29-30 Mai 1999

Going out for the fourth time this month. This time it was Senftenberg. It was for us unsure whether we would go or not because Helle had an operation on the Wednesday before and she would decide if we would travel all the way to Senftenberg.
The trip takes at least 10 hours and we could leave earliest on the Friday before the competition. On Thursday she gave the green light (pain at home or on a combat field is not much difference she said.). Our friend Vincent was so nice to build up one of his tents and so the only problem for us was to pump up the air bed. Where do you find such mechanics??

We arrived at 12 O'clock in the night and counted only 8 pilots at that moment. Why is this competition so poor visited??
There is enough practicing area, there is a bar and the toilets are above combat standards.

Well, we had to do it with 10 pilots but this gave everybody enough time to practice. I believe we started at 11.30 and flew 2 rounds. Happily, because it was 30° Celsius and the humidity was rather high as well. Hard work for everybody but a good practice for Spain. This weather seems to be also hard for the engines. I had no problems to get enough speed out off my engines but had the feeling that there was not enough power in it, lost speed more than normal in the manoeuvres. Vincent Bernecker was flying with my WAK engines as well and lost against me for the first time this year. In Bitterfeld and Tautenhain he won over me using his AKN engines. Coincidence or not, I was happy to win over him and only against him I didn't break a model. I was as happy as a dog with 7 golden penises

During this competition I lost 7 models and as I can't remember that this ever happened to me before. Seems that I will fly my old models in 2 weeks in Sebnitz to save some of the new models for the European Championships. My new models are keeping more speed in the manoeuvres but it is for me a learning process to fly these models properly. I was used to my old models and therefore was used to anticipate in combat. With the new models I had (and still have) to learn to wait that little part of a second before following my opponent. In defending the new model is a great advantage as well but a little more difficult to handle after a manoeuver. It's a matter of time I hope.

Maybe because there were not so many pilots the bouts were of a good standard. Everybody had enough time to prepare and when the stress level is less the standard is higher, normally.

The final was between me and Lothar Hentschel both having 2 lives left. I won 2 times in a row so we didn't have to fly a third time.


Enough place to practice

The price giving was out side the restaurant and the first place was awarded with an aerial tour in a kind of Piper Cup. Because I don't like flying in real airplanes (Hanggliders are OKEE) Helle took the honors.

Again thanks to the organizer and we will be there next year again. Hopefully the competition will be held in September. Now we have had 4 competitions within 1 month. Then there will be Sebnitz in 2 weeks, European Championships, Amerongen and the season is over (for combat, not for team race).


Results

Place

Name

Country

Wins

1. Loet Wakkerman NED 7
2. Lothar Hentschel GER 4
3. Michael Prikker GER 3
4. Heinz Durner GER 2
5. Steffen Teubel GER 1
  Armin Muhlparzer AUT 1
  Andreas Wallner GER 1
8. Vincent Bernecker GER 0
  Andreas Hoffmann GER 0
  Johann Schwarz GER 0