Hi, When I started gliding in 1974, Foka was still a glider a young pilot could only dream about. Eventually I did my 500km diamond in one of them, SP-2414, downwind run across Poland, from one boarder to another, east to west, landing next to a Soviet military airfield that did not exist on the map. It was a beautiful glider to fly with very unique flat body position in the cockpit. With the spoilers fully extended, one could dive vertically, standing on the rudder pedals, looking down to the ground. Really great memories.
... and from the same source a short film about the Waikerie 74 championships. http://www.flyingtv.pl/film,lotnictwo62,filmy-30,ile-10,samolot-110.html Few years later, in Leszno, I converted to my first composite glider, it was the Jantar Standard 1, "SW" you can see in the movie. The Open Jantars got sold after the championships by the Polish team, one of them, is the "GOD" and it has its home in Bacchus Marsh. Regards Jarek > Paul Mander <[email protected]> wrote: > > Small world, Jarek. > Having finally got to look at the footage, I see Foka IV, competition > number > 70. That was in 1965. > In 1969 Mike Timbrell, a couple of other Sydney Tech Gliding Club > members > and I bought a Foka IV from the Bathurst Soaring Group, a syndicate of > eight > that included Merv Waghorn. They had owned the glider for a few years, > so it > must have been imported soon after 1965. It had competition number 70 on > the > fin, in exactly the same style as in the film. > I think there is a strong chance that this is the same glider. I did my > Silver and Gold flights in it, and thereby established some great > friendships with members of the old Concordia Gliding Club during their > camps at Forbes. > We had that very rigging tool, never had a problem but one had to be > careful > with alignment. > Sadly, the glider was written off in a take off accident; the Foka IV > had > huge spoilers, far too much drag for a mere Auster to overcome. > It was an interesting glider, all wood, having no spar. It depended on > its > thick plywood skins for the wings' strength. We encountered glue > problems > which thereafter always lurked, in my mind at least. Might have been a > good > thing that it went. Apart from that, I've always thought it to be the > best > wooden glider ever made. > Another connection; I was taken for my first glider flight in 1968 by > Peter > Hanneman, ex RAF Red Arrows and recent New Australian. What chance that > he > was flying one of the (?) Hawker Hunters in the Opening Day aerobatic > display? Peter may even have had a hand in the glider's purchase and he > lives in Bathurst. Mike Timbrell is in a position to check, and I'm sure > he'll let us know. > Thanks for the memories. > Paul Mander > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Jarek > Mosiejewski > Sent: Wednesday, 18 May 2011 6:44 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: [Aus-soaring] Fokas - South Carney > > Something about Fokas but on much happier note. > Recently discovered in the archives, Polish propaganda movie about the > 1965 > World Comps in South Cerney from the Polish team perspective: > http://www.flyingtv.pl/film,lotnictwo62,filmy-0,ile-10,samolot-415.html > If you can bear the comments in Polish, a very slow server and lengthy > socialist propaganda scenes, there are some interesting moments showing > the > world comps in the 60b, including a Foka being rigged with the proper > T-wrench. > > Regards > Jarek Regards Jarek _______________________________________________ Aus-soaring mailing list [email protected] To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
