Worlds Epilogue

Worlds Epilogue (updated August 24th, 2015 by Dave)

Following the World Championships I had some down time and took a great week long trek around Switzerland and some of it’s neighboring countries. You can read all about it if interested here at http://reavilleswiss.blogspot.ca/

Many of the other Canadian Team members also traveled around the area before heading home. In fact Chad and Agnes are still in Poland somewhere as I write this :-)

I will now put into words what I gleaned from this Worlds “experience”. Having been a previous team member in 2007 and the manager in 2011 and 2013, I was really looking forward to getting to flying again and to do better. Ask anyone that posed the question to me about managing versus flying and the answer was always the same…. “I’d rather be flying!”

The Worlds was a roller coaster of emotion for not only me but for my teammates. I am also sure that others felt the same way… at least I believe that to be true.  You arrive with great expectations of yourself and the excitement of the event builds as you put planes together & charge up batteries.  You meet old acquaintances and new, talk shop then head to the first practice field driving in a strange land with your body clock telling you to go to sleep!

For the first time together as a team, you take your turn flying with everyone watching to see what you’re bringing to the table. You take off at a strange field trying to digest your flight, trimming and adjusting to get into the “comfort zone” you’re so accustomed to back home. Then to build on it each time while applying changes and accepting constructive comment from everyone. It’s a fine balance to try and build towards perfection when your asked to critique others and also to accept it at face value. Too much information overloads you and too little, like “That was a great flight”, really adds nothing. Our team was very good at this and we all worked hard to improve the rough edges as much as possible.

At the end of the first day of practice I was feeling good about my flying and made a concerted effort to enjoy the beautiful scenery and overall experience of being at the worlds. The jet lag was being overshadowed by adrenaline as we transitioned into the Swiss time zone. We succumb to one trait that is hard to break and that is eating late. Try as we might, I never really got a lot of sleep as our days started early and our nights seemed to always go long.

The practice flights the next day progressed and then other teams started to arrive. We took note of the flying styles and the speeds. Some are big and fast paced, others slow and methodical. I could fall asleep at the start of the maneuver and wake up to watch the end :-)

The elements are the exact same but the technique to deliver it in front of the judge is the question that we needed, or at least felt we needed to answer. What to do? Change? Stay the same? Contra versus non-contra? We watched numerous other teams fly including the Japanese team members with their big & faster approach compared to us.  Their planes were a mix of monoplanes and biplanes, glow and electric but flew a similar style. The quality was excellent and I felt for the first time, I was clearly way out of my league. I would not call it depression exactly but it was an additional burden in the back of my mind.

Our processing day came and the pressures of getting weighed and measured and then sound checked was evident for some. When you’re not 100% sure of db readings it tends to become a detraction and leads to elevated levels of tension. We did a good job of slowing the pace and it all worked out fine for our entire team. Next was our official flights and for us it was at the end of a long day. We ended up being the last team to fly at site #2 and it was deserted. This was a good thing as we had less pressure on us to put up some magical practice flight. I was just happy to get to fly!

Our flying times were now set and the plan was taking shape for day 1. I was flying opposite Michi at a different flight line and never had a chance to see one of his P-15 flights. As we practice together back home I really wanted to see one. Didn’t happen.

My first official flight came during the end of the day in a rain storm. I have never flown in rain before so I had set up early and took the time to build a protective cover for my TX. Chad had told me that in Europe they fly all weather baring low ceilings and hurricane winds of course. It worked well and even after a short rain delay I took to the skies. I felt I had a good round going but my rudder servo stopped responding during the hourglass. A range of emotions started to arrive in my head as I gave up on the flight and returned for a landing.  This was not what I came here for. Once on the ground I felt a surge of great disappointment, not for me personally but for my team as a whole. Never had a servo fail before but as they say “$hit happens"…. but why did it have to happen now, at the Worlds, during an official flight?  Arghh!

My emotional roller coaster was heading down and fast as I was so pi$$ed at the lost opportunity. We changed out the servo and checked everything to ensure it functioned normally and it did. All my team stayed around while this was completed even though the rains continued and the place was deserted. I had many hands helping to disassemble the planes and I was very appreciative of the support.

The next three official P-15 flights never really came together at all for me. With the scoring system spitting out numbers almost live it was a different dynamic when you walked back from the flight line. Everyone, except you and your caller, knew your score and how you ranked. The silence became deafening as everyone gave you “space”. You immediately knew how you did.

I was personally disappointed that I didn’t reach the potential that I was capable of and in the end, never really contributed to the teams performance. Luckily the other team members had better flights and we did ok finishing 10th overall. Chad came 21st after the semi’s, Michi 46th, Ethan 51st and myself 81st.

The emotional roller coaster took another plunge as I was now finished from competition. Our entire team, with the exception of Chad whom made the semi’s, was in the dumps as we tried to dissect what had just transpired. We all felt we did not live up to our potential and I am certain many teams felt the same way. It was a tough day for many.

The next day the team’s dinner conversation turned to what planes we observed and liked and then to the upcoming team trials… hey they are less than a year away! Who’s going to compete? What plane to get? Contra or no Contra? Electric or glow? The mood swung upwards and we had a great chat about the future. My wife Kelly, who has been with me through the whole RC experience, the good, the bad, and the ugly, turned to me and said “Why do you guys do this to yourselves?”  :-)  I wish I knew!

The Swiss did a masterful job of hosting the Worlds and I congratulate them for the effort. The opening ceremonies and two hour air show set the bar going forward. The flight lines ran smoothly for the most part (it was an active airport) and the online updates helped you plan for your actual flight time. The scoring system coupled with the big screens gave the spectators and competitors an almost instant result and added a new dimension to flight debriefing :-) The banquet was top notch…. yes it was another late dinner but that’s how we roll at the Worlds!

The city and surrounding small towns were all so neat and tidy and the people we met so welcoming. The practice fields all took on an international flavor with different languages and accents piercing the air along with local club members who came out to say hello will not be easily forgotten. 

The biggest take away for me was to simply to not worry about what the other guy has or does. Thinking that you need to have a certain type of plane or power sources is a fool’s game. Simply get the plane that you like, whether it’s a biplane, monoplane, contra, electric or glow and go fly it the way you think it needs to fly.  Make it smooth and graceful and accept and embrace critique from your peers. Practice with others and enjoy the camaraderie and the whole experience!

The second takeaway is to be prepared for the ups and downs that will undoubtedly happen. Managing this aspect at the Worlds or in life in general, will allow you to enjoy the these experiences all the more.

Hope you all enjoyed the team’s blog. It was fun doing it and now becomes a permanent online record of our efforts.

Dave