Airships over Ingria
Hot Air Airship World Championship in Tsarskoye Selo
as seen and told by a member of the Jury

Jacques-Antoine Besnard and Gennady Oparin flying at Airship World Championship on June 26 2008 in Tuutari, Russia

OSCAR LINDSTRÖM, a balloon and airship pilot from Sweden, had injected me with interest in hot air airship competitions during a 2005 balloon competition in Rakvere, Estonia. That  -  and good luck  -  had propelled me to be a member in the International Jury of the 8th Hot Air Airship World Championship that took place in Tsarskoye Selo, Russia, in June 2008. A cocktail of my personal impressions, memories, ramblings and plain information follows. Opinions and possible misunder­standings are mine. [CONTINUE]

Text and snapshots: copyright © 2009 by Risto Jalava