This is the lucky
guy, Wayne Ginther, just seconds after returning from his 80 mile
winning flight in the Waterville, Mansfield and Chelan area.The 1997 Blanik Fun Meet (see photos at bottom of article) turned out to be a mini-meet held at Wenatchee,WA, over the Labor Day Weekend. Originally the intent was to hold the event at Arlington WA where there is the largest concentration of Blaniks in the Pacific Northwest. Due to the prospect of rainy weather there that time of the year, busy power traffic, and several recent non-glider incidents there which made the airport management anxious, the event was rescheduled to the dryer and emptier part of the state. The local club at Wenatchee, Cascade Soaring Society, extended its hospitality and welcomed the participants to three days of Soaring Fun.
All clubs and individuals with Blaniks from within a 300 mile radius were invited. Five crews seriously indicated that they were planning on coming. Eventually other commitments, illness etc., cut the number of participating crews down.
All three days the weather was cooperating, allowing multi-hour flights. Friday was the day to get acquainted with the local ridge and the fields beyond. Saturday a 40 mile out-and-return flight was flown to Waterville, and on Sunday an 80 miles flight extended to Mansfield and Chelan. Attending by remote was one L33 pilot attempting to add his five-hour leg to his Silver Distance at nearby Ephrata.
Blanik America and the LET factory helped sponsor the event by providing certificates of appreciation to the pilots, a set of gold pens for the runner-up team, and a hand-cut crystal vase crafted in Bohemia for the winning team. The Cascade Soaring Society also helped sponsor the event and provided excellent camaraderie, assistance with launches, and had everyone over for a delicious BBQ Saturday evening. The event was also attended by pilots and crews from Richland, WA, the 100-mile distant home of Columbia Basin Soaring Association (the self-proclaimed motorglider capitol of the world).
On Sunday evening after the planes were disassembled and readied for the return trip to their home bases, the participants gathered for dinner and the presentation of awards in a local restaurant. The contest committee awarded the runner-up prize to pilot Rick Gulewich and his crew Cheryl. The first prize went to pilot Wayne Ginther and his crew Judith.
Thanks to excellent weather, great sponsorship, and enthusiastic people, everyone had a wonderful time. Next year's Blanik Meet is already in the planning. It will be held on the East Coast and announcements will go out still this Fall. So get your trailers ready and start talking to your crews early. You don't want to miss this fun event!
PICTURES FROM THE 1997 BLANIK FUN MEET
This is the lucky
guy, Wayne Ginther, just seconds after returning from his 80 mile
winning flight in the Waterville, Mansfield and Chelan area.
The weather was good on all three days, with 9,500' cloud bases on Sunday, providing just enough challenge for the pilots.
There were no outlandings and no one dinged their ship.
Shown here is Rick Gulewich with N281BA which he shares
with his partner, Jim Leedy. Rick's crew and wife Cheryl helped
not only Rick get up in the air, but also assisted other pilots
on the flight line.
The thermal sniffer was Jim who was scouting the skies early in his Taifun motorglider.
Wayne returning from one of his flights
Relaxing after their flights,
several of the participants enjoy hearing the secrets of
competition soaring and record breaking from past National
Soaring Champion, Rudy Allemann (in white cap), who gladly shared
his time and experience.
Receiving the 1997 Blanik Fun Meet trophy from LET factory representative Vitek Siroky is Wayne Ginther (foreground). The trophy was a hand-cut crystal vase crafted in Bohemia.
We hope to see more of you on next years' Blanik Fun Meet pictures!
Off to the next adventure ...
