Getting Close!

I've put my trusty Extra to bed for a month, and will be leaving for Brussels on July 28. That 6:00 AM departure seemed reasonable when I booked it, but now that the time is upon us, I'm not so sure! I wish that I could be joining my teammates for a week of practice, but I have to go where the plane is. I'll be practicing in St. Hubert, Belgium (SE of Brussels, near Luxemburg) with the Luxemburgian, Belgian, and Japanese teams, each of which consists of one pilot. We'll be coached by Catherine Manoury, ex French Team pilot, for four days. I have heard nothing but good things about Catherine; I look forward to meeting her.

On Aug. 4, the plane, a very nice Extra 300L, will fly to Radom, while Patty and I head for Warsaw by airline. I may get just one practice flight in the actual box on Aug. 5. At least I'll know the plane well by then. Patty will be recording for U.S. judge Tom Adams.

I've flown this year's Known a thousand times, I'm sure, and still don't like it much. My Free flies fast and is great fun, though it's hard physical work. I hope the judges like it as much as I do. I've been using a video camera in the cockpit for some self-critique. It's very useful, and I've put a video of my Free on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36kbyTfy4dI Watching the hands tells the story. There are no hard pushes in this Free. Most of the pulls are 7 to 8 g's. The music, by the way, is "Under Pressure."

Next post from Belgium!

Doug Sowder

Team Fund Raiser a HUGE Success

I want to thank everyone for making the USA Team fund raiser a HUGE success. Many of you followed the link on facebook " Send Spanky to Poland " and your contributions were very generous. The team will use the funds for Van rental , tools and supplies , Hotel rooms, and aircraft fuel while in Poland (just to name a few )....I can tell you from experience , the cost of this event is more today than when I went back in 2006. Most of you also know that every US team member is required to pay their own way ...your donations help defray this cost , and it is very much appreciated. thank you

The pressure is on to bring the gold back to USA !

The following were key contributors to the cause :

Lauire Ross - GES

Curt Richmond - Correctional Food Service

Paul Richmond , Maggie Richmond

Philip Blais - Blais Aviation Services

JT air shows

Randy Henderson

Mike Plyler

Patrick Clark

Mark and keighly Jacobson - Global Marc Aire, Inc

Craig Dobesh

Wingspread

Gulf Coast Pilot services

Heavy Ventures

Bradley Benski

Rick and Monica Nutt - FMI

Ben Morphew

BJ and Barbara Boyle - Boyle Aviation

FourWinds Aviation

Aerocountry EAST

Larry Gallaway

Mario Sinacola and sons

MOMO's Italian

EAA and AOPA

Mike Shell , Shannon Rodgers

Storrie Parachute Works

New Phase

Today ends ”W-2” week for me. During this period I flew Diana Towne’s Extra 300L- nice flying airplane! We had a camp with Ben. Gray and Tim also participated. Alan Geringer, as usual, provided expert coaching and wise advice. I had some mechanical problems, but thanks to help from my mechanic friends and luck it got solved quickly.
Less acro than what I would have chosen, what it was invaluable - and fun!

We got to visit famous Lycon in Visalia. As Gray put it we expected something like a sterile high-tech-shiny-rocketpowered-spaceship operation at Lycon,
but then we found out no, no shiny floors or glass encased testing beds, just very competent, smart and dedicated people working with engines that did in fact look like pieces of modern art. It was very interesting.

Tomorrow off to Europe! Thank you Diana! Thank you Alan! Thank you Paul! Thank you to all the friends who have e-mailed and called from so many and far places.

Reinaldo

Point of No Return Update

Here's a quick update to Reinaldo's last blog about our point of no return. I'm happy to report that we got word today that his Extra 300 and my G200 have been safely delivered, unloaded and now await our arrival for reassembly.

Reinaldo, Liz, Bryan Taylor, Gray Brandt, Tim Just and I will be converging at the Extra Aircraft Factory in Dinslaken, Germany on July 26th to begin the assembly process. It's an exciting time and a bit of a relief to get confirmation that the shipping process went smoothly and like clockwork, arriving precisely as scheduled. The team pilots have all been practicing at sites all across the US in preparation for immanent departure. Plans for assembling the team in Radom are being nailed down now.

It's hectic for me and I'm sure all the other team members, as we finish up the prep and packing process. It's amazing how many details have to be addressed for a trip like this. What a great adventure!

Bob