19th
NOVEMBER 1969 was to be a massive day in Space Modelling. Joze Cuden and
Vojko Kogej – both young teenagers – got together and formed
Astronavsko-raketarski Klub, Vladimir M. Komarov. The most dreamy excesses
of youth could never have envisaged the impact ARK Komarov was to have, over
the next four decades. ARK Komarov is the greatest Space Modelling Club on
the planet. The 31st edition of the Ljubljana Cup not only commemorated 40
years of the Club, but also remembered the wonderful Vladimir Komarov. The
podiums were the most keenly contested all year, as the massive entry from
Slovenia, Switzerland, Serbia, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Russia,
Germany, United Kingdom and Croatia came to pay homage.
S3A-Parachute Duration
Innovation…flown on a calm still Friday afternoon, to prevent running over
into darkness on Sunday, like 2008! And what an event it turned out to be –
with a massive Czech presence. Juniors, Jan Srsen, Nikola Vavrikova, Jakub
Kacha, Julius Benak, Viktorie Trzilova & Martin Pavka looking to put one
over on their famous seniors! Lots more in the mix, with Jerzy Boniecky,
Krystof Przybytek & Pawel Janisiewicz (all-POL), Goran Timotijevic, Danilo
Budimir & Vlada ‘Chirpy’ Cipcic (all-SRB), some of the favoured chasers.
Maximum 300s scores flowed like a mountain stream, the sky black with
parachutes and losing a second would surely put a competitor outside the
top-10. Naturally, a flyoff was needed, with the Czechs filling first and
second spots and local Mitja Zgajner third…all three juniors! Innovation…the
Czechs – from RMK Krupka, in northern Bohemia – annexed all team awards…a
real Czech-wash! Great podium:
1 Jan SRSEN jnr
CZE 300 300 300 = 900 + 420s
2 Nikola VAVRIKOVA jnr CZE 300 300 300 = 900 + 358s
3 Mitja ZGAJNER jnr SLO 300 300 300 =
900 + 339s
S4A-Boost
Glider World Cup
Weather2umbrella?!? Yup…Saturday morning was GRIM! Pouring rain reduced the
underfoot to squelching mud and promised a thoroughly awful day – forecast
truly shocking. The scoring in these conditions was shocking too – 15 zero
scores in round 1 from a startlist of 30…experience seemed the most vital
ingredient. Only 12 zeros in round 2 and attrition was starting to shortlist
the podium placers! This event was to prove one of the finest hours of Mike
Francies (GBR), holding his game together whilst all around were losing
theirs. At the death, top Serb Zika Josipovic’ consistency proved the key to
the Golden Dragon, Mike superb in 2nd, with Czech, Jaroamir Chalupa, in 3rd.
This was Hell on Earth!
1 Zika JOSIPOVIC SRB 116 140
180 = 436s
2 Mike FRANCIES GBR 110 115 180 = 405s
3 Jaromir CHALUPA CZE 118 90 180 = 388s
S6A-Streamer
Duration World Cup
But suddenly it got better...the Sun!! Massive startlist of near-60,with all
going to the rampa with big dreams. Zoka & Radojica Katanic, Vlada Cipcic &
Danilo Budimir (all-SRB) and Leszek Malmyga, Jerzy Boniecky & Zacharias
Przemyslaw (all-POL) looked best placed to do some damage. But the Roman
Emperor, Antonio Mazzaracchio, proved he’d lost none of his aplomb, with a
consistent line of scores in less than helpful air – no 180s maxes in ~180
flights. But Leszek Malmyga is World Cup winner:
1 Toni MAZZARACCHIO ITA
114 127 129 = 370s
2 Leszek MALMYGA POL 122 121
116 = 359s
3 Vladimir CIPCIC
SRB 115 121 118 = 354s
S8E/P-RC
Rocket Glider Spot Landing World Cup
A truly great S8E/P line up to clinch the 2009 World Cup. Mitja Zgajner,
Blaz Grgic, Tomaz Starin (all-SLO) looked well set up; Eduard ‘Wow-wow’
Wowry, Pawel Janisiewicz, Ryszard Gorka & Krzystof Przybytek (all-POL)
definitely favourites; Mike Lehmann, Turi Hunziker, Daniel Studiger & Martin
Eichenberger (all-SUI) could ruffle some feathers…as could plenty more. The
flying standard was stunning and UK’s Mike Francies seemed to have done
himself no favours during the opening shots and Nige Bathe paid dearly for a
poor round 2 flight. Mike did brilliantly to make the flyoff round and 5th
place, but the podium was all spit and Polish! ..a great result that lifted
the World Cup for Eduard Wowry – a truly great 2009:
1 Eduard WOWRY
POL 1000 998 1000 + 980 = 3978pts
2 Ryszard GORKA POL
998 970 1000 + 956 = 3924pts
3 Pawel JANISIEWICZ POL 987 935 1000 +
927 = 3922pts
S7-Scale
World Cup
The best Scale line up ever seen at a Ljubljana Cup. The total of twenty
included six Arianes, of various marques, by Marek, Martin & Bedrich Pavka,
Pavel Brony, Zdenek ‘Coca’ Kolar (all-CZE) and Marian Gres (SVK) and three
Saturn 1Bs of Vlada Cipcic, Zika Josipovic & Miroslav Stancevic (all-SRB). A
mixture of other prototypes, like Alja Makuc & Uros Jenko’s (both-SLO) Nike
Hercules; Taurus Tomahawks of Nikola Vavrikova jnr (CZE) & Jan Srsen jnr
(both-CZE) and Nike Tomahawks of Miodrag Cipcic jnr & Danilo Budimir (both-SRB)…to
name just a few. The standard of the whole entry was amazing, with judges
Nikola Cvjeticanin, Primoz Kuhar and Miodrag Cipcic busy for hours. The Sun
Gods smiled for the qualification flights and the large crowd was treated to
a real feast of multi-staged, spectacular boosting. Crucial…with three
models tying in static judging with 711 points, ‘Chirpy’ Cipcic on 712 and
‘Coca’ Kolar with 709, there was nothing in it whatsoever! And boy, they
went for it, Bedrich Pavka winning narrowly and doing enough to clinch the
2009 World Cup. Oh, this was wonderful…
1 Bedrich PAVKA CZE Ariane 44LP
711 + 167 = 878pt
2 Marian GRES SVK Ariane 1-01
711 + 162 = 873pt
3 Martin PAVKA CZE Ariane 44LP 711
+ 150 = 861pt
S9A-Gyrocopter Duration World Cup
Another massive entry, aiming to set the World alight. These birds are
getting better all the time and UK’s John Jacomb came to Ljubljana on the
back of three straight wins at the 5th Catalunya Cup, 2009 British Nationals
and 1st Equinox Cup. Plenty of others to spoil the party, like Jonas Buechl
(GER), Toni Mazzaracchio (ITA), the Pavkas + the rest of the Czechs and a
load more. But JJ’s luck ran out this time, in the wake of another amazing
Bohemian Rhapsody. And Leszek Malmyga had another World Cup to cherish!
1 Marek PAVKA CZE
180 131 180 = 491s
2 Julius BENAK jnr CZE 180 168 131 = 479s
3 Jonas BUECHL GER 150 180 144 = 474s
OddRocs
The usual lunacy! And naturally, John Jacomb the maddest of them all flying
a Skeleton from the Graveyard! Jonas Buechl flew a Russian Cosmonaut and
John Ellins a shade saner with a Shuttlecock. All flew well, with Gold and
Bronze Dragons going to the two Johns!
Why did it have to end?!? ..Srdjan Pelagic (SRB), Jiri Taborsky (CZE)
and Joze Cuden (SLO) presided over just about the best World Cup of 2009 –
and there were several contenders for that crown. RSOs Marjan Cuden and
Andrija Ducak performed in exemplary fashion throughout. No praise can be
too high for everyone on the organizing committee, under the eagle gaze of
Contest Director, Tone Sijanec. Your scribe attended as a guest of ARK
Komarov and played press reporter and photographer exclusively.
Vladimir M.
Komarov Commemoration - 16th March 1927 to 23rd April 1967. But who was
Vladimir Komarov? ..the first Cosmonaut to die on a space mission, the
parachutes of his craft failing on re-entry to earth’s atmosphere. He is an
icon, because he took what was meant to be Juri Gagarin’s second shot,
knowing the Soyuz’ capsule recovery system was flawed. Also the first astro/cosmonaut
to take part in two space missions, first riding Vokshod 1 on 24th October
1964, after being Juri Gagarin’s back-up two years earlier. Fate selected
him over CCCP’s greatest hero for the inaugural boost of Soyuz 1. On the
re-entry to earth’s atmosphere on 23rd April 1967, the parachutes detached
from the capsule, which plummeted fatally into Orenburg Oblast. He is
remembered by FAI by the Vladimir Komarov Diploma; Asteroid 1836 is named
after him; a Moon crater carries his name – Neil Armstrong even laid
remembrances during the Moonwalk; a former CCCP cosmonaut tracking ship also
bears his name…and a little club in Ljubljana.. Vladimir Mikhailovich
Komarov was 40..
Monday saw ARK
Komarov setting up exhibits at the Tehniški muzej Slovenije at Bistra, near
Vrhnika – about 25 km from Ljubljana . The event was Dnevi astronomije in
astronavtike - Days of Astronomy and Astronautics – and featured Aerospace
lectures and presentations for the coming week. Prof Gennady Poltavets, head
of the Aerodynamics faculty at the Aviation Institute of the University of
Moscow was on the list of presenters...as well as having flown at 9 World
Cups this year!. I was honoured to assist putting the display together in
the company of Joze Cuden & Vojko Kogej and other ARK Komarov members. The
event proved to be as fantastic a success as the Ljubljana Cup.
SACL 16 October
2009
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