Xandi asserts HIs rank among world's best acro pilots in Lugano on NIKITA

August 13th -15th, 2010, 4th Swiss Acro Championship and FAI Acro World Cup in Lugano, Monte Generoso, Swiss.

The Swiss Acro Championship and the FAI Acro World Cup were rained off. Because of the persistently bad weather only one run could be flown for the Solo discipline and one for Synchro. With it the competition is not valid. But Xandi achieved with its NIKITA a splendid 5th place among the world's best in this one solo run. Congratulation! Unfortunately his synchro run with his partner Bernd Hornböck was not so happy ...

Xandi's summary of the acro competition:

"On Thursday evening Bernd and I came to Lugano to register for the competition. We were astonished that many pilots did not come due to the bad weather forecasts at all.

The first task was valid for the Swiss Acro Championship in the Solo discipline. This run could be completed almost without weather problems. For the Synchro discipline the first six teams could take off only after 4 hours. We - the team Austria - took off as last but one team with start number 9. Only after other 2 hours we got the all-clear.

While the 3 km long approach to the flight box it began to rain. I knew exactly that NIKITA with water drops on its upper sail wouldn't be appropriate for aerobatic manoeuvres any more. I figured out during training that with a weat wing the Infinite Tumbling is not any more possible.Bernd knew also that with a weat wing the run would be much more difficult to fly.

By the long waiting on the take off, the pressure to complete at least one task moved us to begin with the program in spite of the doubts. It came like it had to come. After the third round in Infinity my NIKITA ran out of momentum and I fell with head and hands into the canopy. With luck and skill I gain control of the situation and fly again straight ahead after 100 meters altitude. However, with the continuation of the synchro programme I noticed that there was something wrong with my glider. Canopy deformations occured - never happend before. The investigation of the glider has lasted another two hours, but nothing could be discovered.

Unfortunately, we couldn't apply detailed video analysis, because the new helmet camera was torn from the helmet with its attachment. Afterwards the cam fell into the lake )-; The chances for another test flight were very low, since the weather forecasts announced rain. So we decided to leave the competition. I will check my glider at home at lake of Ossiach.

The result after the landing of the solo run within the Swiss Acro Championship (until then everything was still fine ...)
1- Felix R
2- Horacio L.
3- Pitocco H.
4. Raul R.
5. Xandi
6 Cyrill Planton
.........
"

Next FAI Acro World Cup 2010: 25th - 29th August Acro Austria, Gerlitzen, lake of Ossiach