European XFC in the bag.

[Kiwi]

Well hang on to your hats Ladies and Gentlemen, if you thought the XFC was a home grown wonder, then you better look at what these guys are doing over the other side of the pond. Our very own Mr Mark Earl Leseberg and Mr John Glezellis, hosted by the infamous Ivan Krill (of Krill Models fame) took the weekend off from the US of A and went touring in the Czech republic to schuss out the scenery and bring home some wood.

You do not need to be clairvoyant to see that our Euro neighbors know how to put on a show, just take a look at the thread European XFC coverage? and see if you're not drooling over the event.

All we can say from here in Flying Giants Headquarters is way to go boys, what a show. You certainly put on one to remember.
Mark, John, congrats from everyone here for making the time to get over for that event. To everyone who participated or attended what can I say. This hobby is just getting bigger and better and shows no sign of slowing up for anyone. We are sure proud to be a part of it here in the FG hood.
To Ivan and all the event organizers and helpers, hats off to you guys. It's not an easy task to run an event that big.

We sure hope to see this one again next year and for sure here at FG we will be looking at how to get closer to the event with information and media coverage.

[Vic3D]

Is that Gernot Bruckman in 1st place?

[david_lepore]

Yes he is !!!

For me he is one of the best freestyle pilots

[Boulder]

Great write up Kiwi, and congrats to all the pilots!!

[TheTank]

BAD ASS!!!!!!!! Nice work John, Mark, and Gernot!!!!!!

[hipollito]

Gernot is a really really good flyer a love the way he flies, awesome, Congrats mark and Jhon!!!

[RMaia]

	Quote: Originally Posted by hipollito
	Gernot is a really really good flyer a love the way he flies, awesome, Congrats mark and Jhon!!!

Yeah!!! His foamie videos are my favorites. Awesome skills!!

[John Glezellis]

Hello Everyone,

I finally have Internet access and wanted to take a moment to talk about my experiences at the European Extreme Flight Championships.

First, I want to thank Ivo Krill (jr and sr) for their help as well as the Krill team. If it were not for them, it would not have been possible for me to compete with the Katana as I lost my primary model during practice on Thursday night, and we had to leave on Friday for the competition!

OK, from the beginning…

Sunday, August 19: The flight into Vienna was great… the interior of the Austrian Airways jetliner was well decorated and all stewardesses had little red dresses…a very nice “first impression” . I arrived in Vienna where I met up with Ivo Krill. From there, we drove to Hluk (where the Krill factory is located). I picked up my Katana (that Daniel and Jiri Hrachovec built for me) and programmed the model in my Futaba 14MZ radio. From there, we drove to the practice site where I was able to put in one flight before it rained. At the practice site, also, was Ido Segev and his caller / helper, Adi Kochav. Both Ido and Adi are great people, and I want to thank them for their support and help with my Katana. Also, Ido flew extremely well.

Monday, August 20: A tour of the Krill Factory (and all of the pretty women that work there) ... Then, practice, practice, practice… not much else aside from the fact that the hotel shower did not have a shower curtain, most of the restaurants close early (except for the “gas-station” sandwiches… you’ll have to ask Beavis), and 99% of the television channels are in Czech…well, somewhat expected

Tuesday, August 21: Spent half of the day working on my Katana adding a third aileron servo per wing half. Visited a local hobby shop and some outdoor café’s… very nice!

Wednesday, August 22: Went with Ivo Krill to pick up Beavis from the airport. He also liked the Austrian Airways stewardesses lol Anyhow, after about a 2hr drive, we were back in Hluk to program his Yak 55.

Thursday, August 23: Mark and I went to the practice site where he test flew his Yak 55 and I continued practicing with my Katana. Mark battled engine problems for most of the day, and my engine quit on my final practice round, which resulted in the loss of my Katana (only the wings and the tail surfaces survived the crash). Mark and I drove to Hluk to begin working on a new Katana as we needed to leave for the competition the following day! After starting construction on a new model at about 8pm, we were finally done with the airplane at 5am… a very long night! I need to thank the Krill team, and especially Ivo Krill Jr and Sr for their help and for making this possible.

Friday, August 24: Mark and I arrived in Znojmo at about 4pm and quickly assembled our models as I needed to “test-fly” my new Katana, and he needed to get more practice on the Yak 55. We were both able to get in two practice flights and attend the pilots meeting.

Saturday, August 25: Our stressful week just got more stressful… Mark and I could not start both the Yak or the Katana on Saturday morning. After changing out the ignitions, all problems were resolved and we began the competition. At the end of the day, we both made it into the semi-finals (as only 15 from the 25 competitors progressed into the semi-finals). However, Saturday night made up for everything… the flying field turned into a disco!!! Aside from mixed drinks, there was a DJ on site with lights, fireworks, the Krill women , and much more! After a long night of dancing and partying, we headed back to the hotel…the Europeans definitely know how to party!!

Sunday, August 26: Spent the morning recovering from the night before… just kidding. Seriously, though, one flight was flown for the semi-finals to determine the top finalists (only 5 pilots from the 15 would progress into the finals). The entire list of pilots (in order of placement) are as follows:

1. Gernot Bruckman (AUT)
2. Sebastiano Silvestri (ITA)
3. Mark Leseberg (USA)
4. John Glezellis (USA)
5. Irwin Baumgartner (AUT)
6. Fabien Turpaud (FRA)
7. Alexander Mettel (GER)
8. Ido Segev (ISR)
9. Julien Hecht (FRA)
10. Daniel Hrachovec (CZE)
11. Filippo Materazzi (ITA)
12. Boris Beiglboeck (AUT)
13. Alberto Carallo (ITA)
14. Axel Libert (BEL)
15. Jens Van Dorpe (BEL)
16. Bernhard Kager (AUT)
17. Michael Allmer (AUT)
18. Luis Ramirez (SPA)
19. Jiri Mikeska (CZE)
20. Marco Mazzucchelli (ITA)
21. Dietmar Waltritsch (AUT)
22. Thomas Sidler (AUT)
23. Martin Pasacek (CZE)
24. Christian Gassner (AUT)
25. Wolfgang Krahofer (AUT)

I will be in the Czech Republic until Wednesday… I had a great time here. I need to thank Ivo Krill, all of the event coordinators, Desert Aircraft, Phillip Barnett, and of course, all of my other sponsors. Regarding the event, the flying was top-notch, and the hospitality was amazing. I will definitely be back here in two years, as well as the German Acro Masters next year. Next event… off to Tucson!

I am about to head out, and resulting, will not have internet access until tomorrow. I will post pictures of both the competition and the Krill Factory in the morning.

Best Regards,
JPG

[xtra330]

nice write up John....and congrats on the finish, also to Mark. Alot of people just under estimate how much talent it takes to take a new plane, dial it in and to finish in the place you guys did! Very Respectable job guys!

On that note..how was the 55M? is she a keeper and does it need to be refined a little bit more?

Joe

[Morelli]

Congratulations to Gernot Bruckmann!!!
Weatronic is proud to announce that Gernot became first of the European Extreme Flight Championship (EXFC) in Znojmo,Czech Republic on 26th of August. Gernot Bruckmann uses our weatronic Dual Receiver 12-20 R. http://www.weatronic.com/cms/index.p...emid=2&lang=en

Rolf A. Westphal, weatronic gmbh, Germany

[G_Rod22x]

Good Job John!...way to fight through all the issues.

Catchy name for a contest too.

[bodywerks]

little Hanno takes first! kid has style!