Congratulations to Sergey, shown here on the field at Radom in front of someone's Extra. Sergey won a gold medal-- first place of sixty-three pilots --for his performance in the free. Overall, Sergey was sixth, behind two Russians and three Americans.

Rob Holland from Chapter 35 took second place overall. Jeff Boerboon and Hector Ramirez of team USA took fourth and fifth. The overall gold medal winner was Alexander Kurylev from Russia.

Contest scores at CIVA

The US team took second place, behind the Russian team and ahead of the French team.

For a brief moment in time, Sergey was in first place overall. Six or eight pilots remained to fly, including the two Russian pilots who came-out in first and third-- Alexander Kurylev and Mikhail Pereverzev.

It's an anomoly of the "fair play" scoring system that Rob can move from fourth to second and Sergey can move from first to sixth, even though both of them have already flown.

Our very own Sergey Prolagayev is pictured here on Thursday, August 3rd in the AWAC parade for the locals. Note the shirt, from our most recent Kathy Jaffe Challenge, bearing the Chapter 52 logo. Great choice!

As of August 8, the AWAC Qualification round is completed. Free flights have begun. Slowly. Weather has been interfering badly with progress of the contest, and shows no promise of putting-on a straight face.

Sergey placed 18th out of 63 pilots, in the top third. Our new Northeast region director from Chapter 35, Rob Holland, placed fourth, right in there with the Russians. This is an outstanding performance for the US team. Jeff Boerboon and Hector Ramairez from Team USA placed 10 and 11. A strong showing all around!

Here are some links for AWAC information, and the US Team site.

Weather in Warsaw (city nearest Radom)

Area map from Google

Satelite image of Radom and the airfield with street overlay from Google Maps

Contest scores at CIVA

United States Advanced World Aerobatic Team web site, including photos.

The official AWAC web site.

The boy done good !

Not a lot of people know it but Chapter 52 has one of it's own competing in the AWAC 2006 in Poland. "But we have no local members on the US team !" I hear you say. Correct we don't but we have the team captain for the Ukrainian team. My friend, coach, CIVA rep and all round good egg Sergey Prolagayev.

You may know Sergey from such recent trouncing as Maytown, The Kathy Jaffe Challenge and more. He is the very humble and VERY good aerobatic scientist that we all know. Scientist, yes because Sergey as most of his friends from the FSU (Former Soviet Union) do he reduces flying aerobatics to a science of action and reaction. There is only ever one way to fly and that is the right way. No such thing as reading from books just a right way and a wrong way.

It obviously works because Sergey is quickly earning a title as the man to beat in advanced in the NE. He is flying the Ukrainian team SU-29 in the contest and has already left the country to attend a training camp prior to flying to the event which starts on the 3rd Aug 06 a Link to the site for the contest can be found here at the AWAC web site. He may not bat for the national team but he is ours and we all wish him the best of luck and look forward to drinking heavily when he returns with some wood and some gongs.

For those who don't know Sergey he is the good pilot on the left not the wanabe on the right.

GOOD LUCK SERGEY and take no prisoners.

Gus Fraser (grasshopper)

There are eighty competitors from twenty-three different countries competing at the Advanced World Aerobatic Championship (AWAC) this year in Radom, Poland. Qualification flying begins on August 3.

The Qualification program, "the Q" as they call it, has been published and is reproduced for your enjoyment here. Did you know that at the World competition, the Qualification flight determines your order of flight for the contest and nothing more? Of course, you can fail to qualify; but, few go to the expense of regestering and attending if they can't make the Q. The competitors that do best in the Q get to fly last.

It isn't supposed to make a wiff of difference to the judges how you placed in the Q and whether you're one of the last to fly; but, we all know it does.

This is the same sequence the IAC Advanced competitors have been flying this year. We generally use the CIVA knowns for IAC Advanced and Unlimited.