31st Ljubljana Cup Report

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ARK KOMAROV…LIFE BEGINS AT 40!!
31st Ljubljana Cup for Space Models - 9th to 11th October 2009 ~ Kamnik ~ Slovenia

by Stuart Lodge

 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

ARK Komarov 2009