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