Dave Fitzgerald and F2B Team USA--Orestes Hernandez, Derek Barry, Bill Rich, and Ryan Young--are taking off tomorrow for Gyula, Hungary for the FAI World Championships. Bill Lee is Team Captain, and Ted Fancher, Asst. Team Captain. There is a wonderful website covering the entire 2010 US Control Line Team:
http://www.2010clwc.org/. I highly recommend it.
Dave Fitzgerald is the defending World Champion and I can report that after a bunch of tinkering with his engine, fuel tank, and fuel lines, he is very happy with how his plane is flying and his engine is running-- to his mind significantly better than when he won two years ago, even though we all thought it was pretty near perfect then.
While Orestes has been having some trouble finding fields on which to practice this year, knowing him as I do, I'm sure he'll be looking to move up the leader board, which I'm sure he can and will do with any decent luck at all. At Landres, he was second only to Dave in the qualifying round, before falling back to seventh in the final round of the top 15.
I hear that Derek is fully ready, been practicing a lot, and raring to go, can't wait to get there and show what he can do. Derek has already been to the top rung of the podium, winning the Junior World Championship in 1996.
There is a rumor that PAMPA President Bill Rich has a a very fancy new stunt ship incorporating space age materials and building techniques.
And Junior Ryan Young accompanied by his grandfather Bill Rutherford and other family members has not one, but two new take aparts with which to do battle. Ryan is well practiced and prepared and there is no doubt in my mind that he will be among the very best of the Juniors if not indeed the best and moreover will give his senior team members real competition for the top 15.
So we've got a very strong team fully capable of bringing all the iron back home again, just like we did in 2008. Of course, there's always the matter of those mysterious foreign judges. So, everyone wish our guys the best of luck, stunt heaven conditions, great engine runs, and show our pride that we are so well represented.
Actual competition begins on July 23 thru the 31. Other websites with info include
http://bumacofly.atw.hu/wch/wch_index.html and
http://www.vicstunt.com/Aerobatics/World/World.htm