WMC 2005 Diary 
An account of the world microlight championships, Levroux, France.
By Rob Hughes, tel: +44 7977 147690 email rob@orleton.co.uk
Friday August 19th
Not much to report today, in fact it feels very much like the calm before the storm.
The French are still working furiously to get all the systems in place - what a mammouth task it is trying to please everyone.
The good news is that the food here is really good, a great deal better than most other recent championships. At least we can go
into battle on a full stomach.
Practising has been carried on in earnest, although the wind has been blowing a steady 15kt+ all day, and the long term forecasts are for
much of the same. Mike Campbell-Jones has his work cut out organising his first PPG world championship. The PPG-ers are very much part
of us this year, sharing the same camp, in the early days of the event flying out of the tents and over the parked planes with inches to
spare... much to the horror of the classic competitors. Still, they have to get up at 5.30am every day...
We're so lucky that the French have installed a sound system - very useful for us doing the organising, not so good if you don't like the 'muzak'
that's now a regular feature of daylight hours. It's all beginning to fall into place, we've got a wifi network covering the whole camp, and scoring
methods using the MLR recorders are working. After a faltering start, we're gearing up for a very busy championship and some devilishly difficult tasks.
Rob Keene breaks out into a beaming grin every time he starts to explain what cunning plan he's devised to sort the great from the also ran. The
tasks are scored so that everyone has a chance of winning, and not just the best plane. We Brits don't have the best planes, but we sure do have many of
the best pilots. Hopes are high, and the mood in the British camp is very optimistic. All we need now is for the French to realise their beer is awful
and to start importing some proper stuff.
More news tomorrow, Opening Ceremony day.
Not much to report today, in fact it feels very much like the calm before the storm.
The French are still working furiously to get all the systems in place - what a mammouth task it is trying to please everyone.
Practising has been carried on in earnest, although the wind has been blowing a steady 15kt+ all day, and the long term forecasts are for
We're so lucky that the French have installed a sound system - very useful for us doing the organising, not so good if you don't like the 'muzak'
More news tomorrow, Opening Ceremony day.
The good news is that the food here is really good, a great deal better than most other recent championships. At least we can go
into battle on a full stomach.
much of the same. Mike Campbell-Jones has his work cut out organising his first PPG world championship. The PPG-ers are very much part
of us this year, sharing the same camp, in the early days of the event flying out of the tents and over the parked planes with inches to
spare... much to the horror of the classic competitors. Still, they have to get up at 5.30am every day...
that's now a regular feature of daylight hours. It's all beginning to fall into place, we've got a wifi network covering the whole camp, and scoring
methods using the MLR recorders are working. After a faltering start, we're gearing up for a very busy championship and some devilishly difficult tasks.
Rob Keene breaks out into a beaming grin every time he starts to explain what cunning plan he's devised to sort the great from the also ran. The
tasks are scored so that everyone has a chance of winning, and not just the best plane. We Brits don't have the best planes, but we sure do have many of
the best pilots. Hopes are high, and the mood in the British camp is very optimistic. All we need now is for the French to realise their beer is awful
and to start importing some proper stuff.
