| Sunday June 22 It was a busy day at
Kochubey, the Competition Headquarters. First the Jury had a meeting
with Event Director and his two close advisers, then we attended the
Press Conference, then General Briefing. |
|
|
|
|
| Sunday June 22 It was a busy day at
Kochubey, the Competition Headquarters. First the Jury had a meeting
with Event Director and his two close advisers, then we attended the
Press Conference, then General Briefing. |
 |
JURY MEMBER DON CAMERON AND JURY PRESIDENT JEAN-CLAUDE WEBER LISTEN... |
| ...WHEN EVENT DIRECTOR PIT THIBO EXPOUNDS A POINT FLANKED BY DEPUTY DIRECTOR JERZY CZERNIAWSKI AND SAFETY OFFICER MARKUS HAGGENEY WHO IS THINKING SOMETHING ELSE |
 |
 |
| PRESS CONFERENCE
IN THE AUDITORIUM OF KOCHUBEY. THE MAN WITH BLACK HAIR IN THE
CENTER IS ORGANIZER DIMITRI KLOKOV, THE EVENT PRESIDENT. |
 A VIEW FROM OPPOSITE DIRECTION AT GENERAL BRIEFING. |
The Kochubey that hade been so hard for me to find is a notable conference center with auditorium, many rooms for study and meetings, a hotel and a restaurant. Only when compiling this site I learned that it had been the mansion of Prince V.P. Kochubey, a close aid to Alexander I. |
 |
| BALLOONISTS IN FRONT OF THE MAIN ENTRANCE OF KOCHUBEY
PALACE, THE CONFERENCE CENTER THAT WAS OUR COMPETITION HEADQUARTERS. |
 |
| FIESTA PILOTS KEPT CHECKING IN ON SUNDAY. HERE GINTARAS
ŠURKUS PRESENTS HIS BALLOON PAPERS UNDER WATCHFULL EYES OF STANISLAW
FEODOROV, PRESIDENT OF THE RUSSIAN BALLOON FEDERATION. |
| Kochubey Palace was so close (see map) to Catherine Park and Catherine Palace --
named not after Catherine the
Great but after Peter I's second wife, Catherine I -- that I hade time
to take a quick look at the sights around the pond. |
 |
| CHARLES CAMERON DESIGNED THE
GALLERY THAT CARRIES HIS NAME FOR CATHERINE THE GREAT FOR RAINY DAYS.
CATHERINE INSTRUCTED HIM TO CREATE A COLONNADE FOR STROLLING AND
PHILOSOPHICAL DISCUSSION. A VIEW FROM OPPOSITE
DIRECTION. |
FIRST TASK
BRIEFING.  After airspace is explained and weather
forecasted Pit gives the tasks for the first flight. Take-off would be
in countryside, next to Tuutari Park, a ski resort 16 km by road from
Kochubey. The last 6 km take long time, due to condition of
the dirt road. It is still too windy when we arrive at the launhc field. |
 |
| AIRSHIP PILOTS
STUDY THE TASK SHEET WITH THEIR CREW CHIEFS AT THE FIRST TASK BRIEFING
OF THE 8TH WOLRD CHAMPIONSHIP. |
|
|
 |
| FLIGHT DIRECTOR
V.S. KARAVAEV FROM PULKOVO AIRPORT EXPLAINS THE
AIRSPACE THAT COMPETITORS ARE ALLOWED TO USE. WEATHER ADVISOR
MARTIN HARRIS PAYS ATTENTION. |
 |
|
STEWARDS PATRICK KEARLEY, KING OF CHÂTEAU-D'OEX, AND RICK WALLACE, AN AMERICAN AIRSHIP PILOT, A RARE THING. THEY ADVISE THE DIRECTOR AND KEEP EYE ON THE FAIRNESS OF THE COMPETITION. - RICK ON A YOUTUBE VIDEO DURING WOLRD CHAMPIONSHIP AT SCHIELLEITEN, AUSTRIA, IN YEAR 2000. |
| EVENT DIRECTOR PIT THIBO WAITS WHILE HIS INTERPRETER MS. ALEXANDRA TRANSLATES IN RUSSIAN: TASKS ARE GIVEN NEXT THING: DRIVE TO LAUNCH FIELD AND WAIT FOR THE WIND TO SLOW DOWN [CONTINUE TO FIRST FLIGHT] |
|
 |
