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YUGOSLAV GLlDING TEAM JUGOSLOVANSKA REPREZENTANCA V JADRALNEM LETENJU

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Jonatan Livingston Galeb! Drobna knjižica ameriškega pi­satelja, letalca Richarda Bac­ha. Je mar mogoče napisati lete­nju lepšo hvalnico, mu postaviti trajnejši spomenik, pokloniti lep­še darilo? »Rad bi le vedel, kaj lahko počnem v zraku in česa ne mo­rem. To je vse. Rad bi pač vedel.« Bolj kot vse drugo na svetu je JonatanL. Galeb ljubil letenje. I zobčila ga je pritlehnost in oportunizem tistih, ki niso prenesli različnosti. »N ekega dne J. L. Galeb boš spoznal, da neodgovornost ne prinaša nič dobrega. tivljenja ne poznamo in ne moremo spoznati, vemo le to, postavljeni smo na svet, da jemo, da ostajamo živi, kolikor dolgo le moremo.« Tako se je glasila obsodba. Ni se sprijaznil z drugimi ' gale bi, ki niso hoteli verjeti v blesk poletov; niso hoteli odpreti oči, da bi videli. Ni popustil. Znal je najti galebe, ki so mislili kot on. Za vsakega od njih je bilo najpomembnejše v življenju to, da se poganjajo in se bližajo popolnosti v letenju. Vse so podredili tej sli. Bili so imenitne ptice, vsi po vrsti; uro za uro so posvetili letenju. Odkrivali so nove, neznane možnosti. Spoznali so, da je življenje »še nekaj drugega kot jesti, ali bojevati se, ali imeti moč v jati«. Obstoji nekaj, čemur se pravi popolnost. Namen našega življenja je odkriti to popolnost in se ji približati. Svoj naslednji svet si izbiramo s tem, česar se naučimo v tem svetu. Ce se ne naučimo ničesar, bo naslednji svet enak sedanjemu, premagovati bo treba iste omejitve in enake svinčene teže. Je kaj podobnosti med tem, kar je počel Jonatan Galeb in nami? Smo kot zgodovinsko zrel in odgovoren narod spoznali, da preprosto ni »dovolj jesti, temveč leteti«. Da ni mogoče naprej, v sodobno, evropsko uspešno družbo brez temeljitih sprememb, brez konkretnega preloma v naši lastni zavesti! Da to ne bo nasilje nad sočlovekom, nad njegovim dostojanstvom, svobodo in prepriča­njem? Je ta silna želja po drugačnem življenju, ki se je zdaj sprostila v ustvarjalno energijo, mogoča kot verovanje? »Za letenje nisi potreboval vere, potrebno je bilo razumeti letenje«. Odprli smo novo poglavje v lastni zgodovini. Stopili smo korak v neznano. Ta proces je nezadržen. Vredno ga je zavarovati zaradi naše prihodnosti. Se včeraj se je zdelo to skoraj neverjetno. V Sloveniji in v Jugoslaviji. Zdaj je to tu. Smo mar pred časom? »Pred načinom, kakor leta večina galebov?« Najdalje vidi galeb, ki leta najvišje! Splača se prebrati to drobno knjižico. Vsakomur, ki ima rad modre širjave neba. Še posebej je lirična hvalnica življenju. In pogumu, potrebnemu, da se kršijo stara pravila in premaga odpor tistih, ki hočejo ostati pri starem. Toda preko tega pelje sleherna pot napredka. V vsakem človeku je dobro. Velja se potruditi, da zaznamo v sebi to dobro.

Milan Kučan Predsednik Predsedstva Republike Slovenije

President of the Presidency of the Republic of Slovenia

Jonathan Livingston Seagull. A short novel by the American no­velist and pilot Richard Bach. Is it possible to write a more bea­utiful hymn erect a more perma­nent monument to jlying" make it anicer present? "1 just want to know what I can and what I can't do in the air. That is all. I just want to know." More than anything else in the world, Jonathan Living­ston Seagullloved jlying. He had been expelled by the nar­

row-mindedness and opportunism of those who could not stand anyone, or anything, different. "Some day, J.L. Seagull, you are going to learn that irresponsibility does no good. We do not and can not get to know what life is, all we know is that we are born to this world to eat, to stay alive as long as we can." Such was the verdict. He wouldn't agree with other seagulls who wouldn't believe in the splendour of jlying, who refused to open their eyes to see. He wouldn't give in. He managed to find other seagulls who believed what he believed. To them, the only thing that mattered in life was to move on and get close to perfection in jlying. Everything had been subordinated to this desire. They were great seagulls, each one of them, they spent hour after hour jlying. They kept discovering new, unknown possibilities. They learned that life was much "more than just to eat, fight, or be strong in a jlock." There is a thing called perfection. The purpose of our life is to find this perfection and get as close to it as possible. We choose our next world by what we have learned in this world. If we haven't learned anything, the next world will be just like this one, with the same limitations to overcome and the same lead weights to move .. Can there there be any similarity between what Jonathan L. Se­agull was doing and us? Have we as a historically mature and responsible nation learned that it is simply not enough "just to eat but that we have to learn to jly"? That it is impossible to grow into a modern and prosperous European society without thorough changes, without a complete break in our mentality? That this can be done without doing violence to our fellow man, his dignity, freedom, and beliefs? Can this yearning for a new life which has now released into creative energy become a true religion? "They did not .need any belief to jly, they just had to understand what jlying meant." We have opened a new chapter in our history. We have taken a step into the unknown. It is a process that can no longer be stopped. It is a process worth protecting for the benefit of our future. Only yesterday it seemed almost impossible. Either in Slovenia or in Yugoslavia. Now it is here. Are we before our time? "Before the way most seagulls jly?" It is the bird that jlies highest that sees farthest. It is a novel well worth reading. By all who love the blue of the sky. It is first of all a lyrical ode to life. And to the courage it takes to break old rules and overcome the resistance of.those who want to stick to the old. But this is what all progress has to surmount. There is good in every man. We should make every effort to bring out the good in ourselves.

528 kilometrov Frančka Mordeja

Vršac-Solun iz leta 1953 Ali si sploh kdaj vzamemo čas za razmislek o našem jadral­nem letalstvu, o deležu slovenskih letalcev , ki so v zgodnjih petdesetih letih dosegli še danes zavidanja in občudovanja vredne rezultate? Naša letalska zgodovina upravičeno opeva trenutke pred štiridesetimi leti, ko je država doživljala erupcij o novih letalskih konstrukcij, te pa so spremljali tudi vrhunski re­zultati. Tako še danes petstokilometrskega preleta znajavljenim ciljem celo najboljši ne morejo kar iz rokava stresti. Prestavimo se za 37 let, v leto 1953 in si zamislimo takšen prelet s sicer lepo, a leseno vajo, ki je zmogla pri hitrosti 65 do 70 km/h preleteti s 1000 metrov višine 28 kilometrov daleč. Skozi današnjo optiko je petstokilometrski prelet utopija. Vendar, zgodilo se je! Bil je 7. september, ki je dišal po jeseni. In v Vršcu je bil Franček Mordej. Tudi meteorolog Korsic, tudi Paja Crnjanski, vodja tamkajšnje letalske šole. Vreme, želja po rezultatu in odločnost teh mož so rodile uspeh. To pa je 528 kilometrov, najavljenih zjutraj v 'zape­čateni kuverti. Franček Mordej, do pred nekaj leti kapetan DC-9 pri Adrii Airways, pa o svojem diamantnem preletu takole: »Na obrazih prisotnih sem videl, da moje najave niso vzeli resno, vendar jim tega nisem zameril, saj sem, po pravici povedano, tudi sam močno dvomil. Vzletel sem tretji. Vajo sem odpel na 300 metrih ob 1058 v zadovoljivem termičnem stebru in jo zavrtel v ozkih krogih. Dviganje je bilo 1 do 2 metra v sekundi. Bazi oblaka sem se približal na 1200 metrov. V ploščatem, od vetra raztegnje­nem oblaku nisem imel kaj iskati. Ko je krilo vaje razparalo prve krpe megle, sem letalo usmeril na jug ... . . . Terene okrog Prištine in Kačanika sem poznal že od prej. Tokrat pa se mi je meteorološka situacija zdela boljša v smeri Vranja. Na višini 1300 metrov je pričelo dviganje slabeti in premeščanje krožnice ni pomagalo ... ... Imel sem dovolj višine, da sem se dokopal do pobočja Jastrebca. Računal sem na pobočni vzgornik ob močnem severozahodnem vetru. Svetlozelena barva obrnjenih listov mi je potrdila, da piha dokaj močan veter . .. .. . Skopje. Močna turbulenca me je silila v odločitev. Skopje je ostalo daleč desno. S pogledom sem ošinil vari­ometer. Nisem mogel verjeti: 2 metra dviganja v sekundi. Instinktivno sem zmanjšal hitrost. Iz tega so se rodili 3 metri. Naenkrat sem sprevidel: zajadral sem v val pred rotorjem valovnega oblaka ... « Mordej je v Solunu pristal po 6 urah in 45 minutah letenja. V Vršcu so ga tedaj imeli za pogrešanega. Da so ga na solunskem vojaškem letališču sprejeli kot deveto čudo, je razumljivo. S preletom si je Franček Mordej prislužil drugi diamant v zlati jadralski C znački. Ta prelet je dolga leta nepremagljivo blestel kot državni rekord, ki ga je presegel J ože Mrak z letalom meteor. Mordejev let iz Vršca v Solun je zanimiv še danes in vzbuja tudi v očeh sodobnih jadralcev, ki letijo z mnogo sposobnej­šimi jadralnimi letali, veliko spoštovanje.

A 528 Kilometre Flight by Franček Mordej

Vršac - Solun in 1953 I wonder whether we have ever spared the time to think about gliding in Slovenia, the share of the Slovene pilot s who in the early fifties by their efforts contributed to the results which even today inspire both envy and admiration. Be that as it may, the time forty years ago when there was an outbreak of new glider designs, with which came Fop results, is well worth remembering. A 500 kilometre flight with a known destination has never been an easy task even for the best pilots. To today's pilots thinking back to that time 37 years ago, in the year 1953, and trying to imagine a 500 kilometre flight with a known destination in aVaja, a glider which was quite beautiful but which at a speed of 65-70 km/hr had a fines se 1: 28 only, such adistance would certainly seem pure fancy. Nonetheless, the flight did take place. It was on 7th December 1953 and the air smelled of autumn. Franček Mordej found himself in Vršac. There were also Korsic, a meteorologist, and Paja Crnjanski, head of the Vršac pilot school. The weather conditions and the ambition and strong will of these men combined to produ ce an outstanding result - a 528 kilometre flight with a known destination by Franček Mordej. Franček Mordej, until a few years ago captain of a DC 9 of Adria Airways, relates the story of his diamond flight: "1 could see it on the faces of the people around me that they hadn't taken my announcement seriously but couldn't blame them, for quite frankly, I had serious doubts myself. I was the third to take off. I released the Vaja at 300 metres at about 10: 58 in a satisfactory thermal and climbed in tight circles. The climb rate was 1-2 mIsec. I approached the cloud ba se at 1200 metres. I had no chance in the flat cloud spread by the wind, and when the wings touched the first patches of fog, I turned the glider south ... " "1 was familiar with the terrain around Priština and Kačanik from my earlier flights. On this flight, the weather conditions in the direction of Vranje seemed to be better. At 1300 metres the lift started weakening and even my manoeuvring did no good . . . I had sufficient altitude to get to the slope of Jastrebac. I counted on running into an upcurrent, with a strong anabatic northwesterly. The bright green of the upturned leaves confirm­ed my expectation of a strong wind ... Skopje. A strong turbulence was forcing me to make up my mind. In fact I left Skoplje far behind me to the right. I threw an eye on the variometer and couldn't believe my eyes: I was climbing at a rate of 2 mIsec. I instinctively slowed down: 3 ml sec. Now I knew what was happening - I had run into the wave preceeding the rotor of a wavy cloud." Mordej landed in Solun which was the destination he had announced in a sealed envelope after 6 hours and 45 minutes of soaring. At that time the people in Vršac had long taken him for lost. It is not at all surprising that his landing at the armyairport in Solun, aroused great wonder and admiration. With this flight Mordej won the second diamond in the gold C badge. For many years the flight had beed considered the Yugoslav record, and it was not until many years later that it was beaten by Jože Mrak with a Meteor. Even today it remains a great accomplishment, for such flights are regarded with great respect by today's pilots, who fly in modern gliders which have much better performance s than the wooden Vaja that Franček Mordej was flying.

V se več preletenih ur in kilometrov Čeprav so prizorišča jadralnih letalcev oddaljena in gledal­cem odmaknjena, pa tudi v tem športu ni subjektivnih ocen - vsi rezultati so merljivi, pa najsi bo na klubski ali na svetovni ravni. In če si pobližje ogledamo dogajanja v slovenskem jadralnem letenju, bi lahko dejali, po rezultatih sodeč, da se premika na bolje. V minuli jadralni sezoni so slovenski jadralci preleteli toliko kvalitetnih kilometrov, kot bržda še nikoli doslej. Jadralna sezona 1989 bo zapisana v zgodovino našega jadralnega letenja po devetnajstih več kot 500 km dolgih preletih, ki pilotom štejejo za enega izmed pogojev za diamantni C - visoko priznanje F Al. V tem pogledu so bili še najbolj aktivni člani celjskega aerokluba, saj je kar trinajst njihovih jadralcev zmoglo to razdaljo. Mlajši celjski jadralci imajo za samozavesten pristop k letenju dovolj razlogov - izvrstno klubsko organizacijo, ki ne dopušča improvizacije, vsem sposobnim pa nudi mož­nost za uveljavitev. Za uveljavitev mora biti kakovost letenja mlajših pilotov na visoki ravni, saj starejši jadralci z izkušnjami še vedno letijo - za prestiž. Celjsko jadralno vzdušje morda še najbolj nazorno odseva ta rezultata Franca Peperka, dolgoletnega reprezentanta, in mladega, komaj 18-letnega Uroša Kočevarja. Peperko, že dolgo nosilec diamantnega C, je lani s 630 km zabeležil svoj najdaljši let. Kočevar pa je preletel 467 km - le malo mu je manjkalo, da bi se vpisal med »diamantne« pilote. Stopinje mladih utira Teodor Mirnik, drugi najmlajši jadralec z diamantom. V plejadi najsvetlejših s 500 km letom je treba omeniti še Tomaža Berginca, Janeza Črnaka, Janeza Hab­jana, Mira Kočevarja, Žana Pižorna, Janeza Poglajna, Marjana Skalickega in Andreja Pelikana. Celjsko navdušenje za polete z mednarodno veljavo se očitno prenaša tudi med jadralce bližnjih severneje ležečih klubov - Miran Pečolar in Boris Perše sta nosilca kakovost­nega letenja v Slovenj Gradcu, Jožetu Verdevu pa gre to mesto v velenjskem klubu. Diamantno serijo je na svetovnem prvenstvu v jadralnem letenju dopolnil LjUbljančan Marjan Medič. Pomemben del kakovostnega letenja se je odvijal na medna­rodnih tekmovanjih. Med svetovnim prvenstvom v Rietiju 1985 in svetovnim prvenstvom v Dunajskem Novem mestu so se naši jadralci dokazali tudi na evropski sceni -predvsem v konkurenci klubskega razreda. Za jugoslovansko reprezentanco pa ostaja izkušnja s SP v Dunajskem Novem mestu. Naši reprezentanti so merjenje moči z najboljšimi zaključili s priokusom zamujene prilož­nosti. Ivo Šimenc in Boštjan Pristavec sta v standardnem razredu pristala na 20. in 34. mestu, Marjan Medič pa v IS-metrskem razredu na 35. mestu. Končnega vtisa, ki ga kažejo kruti rezultati neprizadetemu opazovalcu, ni mogoče popraviti, vendar pa je treba reči, da rezultati sploh niso tako slabi, da bi morali zmajevati z glavo. Pristavec in Medič sta plačala davek, ki se mu novinci na velikih tekmovanjih težko izognejo. Njune dnevne uvrstitve so bile nekajkrat visoko nadpoprečne, lahko bi dejali vrhunske. Tudi Šimenc se ni uspel izogniti slabemu štartu, kljub vsemu ?,Ja je 20. mesto v svetovni eliti spoštovanja vreden rezulta , š'e}5osebno če vemo, da je zbral skoraj 80 odstotkov točk zmagovalca. Svetovno prvenstvo v Avstriji ja potrdilo dober organizacij­ski pristop jugoslovanske reprezentance do tekmovalnega letenja, ki traja že od rimskega SP, ko je Šimenc osvojil izvrstno 8. mesto. Trdna organizacijska zgradba projektov, ki se imenujejo svetovna in evropska prvenstva, so utečena. To pa je pomembna odskočna deska za pilote.

More and More Hours and Kilometres Even though gliding contests take place in the air, away from spectators, there is no subjective evaluation of the results in this sport either - all results at either the club or world level are fully measurable. Looking at the results obtained by Slovene pilots over the recent period, it can well be said that they have been improving. Last season Slovene glider pilots logged so many hours and recorded so many kilometres as hardly ever before. In the history of gliding in Slovenia, the 1989 season wiH be marked by 19 diamond 500 kilometre flights which is one of the conditions for winning a diamond C Ca high award of the F.A.I.). The club with most diamond flights was the Celje Aero Club at which 13 members achieved the necessary stan­dards. The young pilots of the Celje Aero Club have reason enough for their self-confident attitude towards gliding: an excellent club organization which permits no improvisation, whilst offering all promising pilots a chance of establishing themselves. But their flying has to be at a high level, for their elder and experienced colleagues stiH fly as amatter of prestige. Two results obtained by Franc Peperko, for many years a mem­ber of the Yugoslav National Team, and Uroš Kočevar, a young pilot of only 18, are the best testimony to the atmosphere at the Celje Aero Club. Last season Peperko, who has won his Diamond C many years ago, recorded his longest distance ever with a 630 kilometre flight. Kočevar recorded a flight of 467 kilometre - just alittie under the distance for him to be one of the 20 pilots who flew a diamond flight. The young pilot to pave the way for the junior generation is Teodor Mirnik, the second youngest pilot ever to win a diamond. The enthusiasm of the members of the Celje Club for flights with an international significance has obviously been catching upon pilots from the neighbouring clubs north of Celje. Miran Pečolar and Boris Perše are the leading pilots of the club in Slovenj Gradec, Jože Berdev in Velenje. Marjan Medič from Ljubljana completed the diaJllond flight series at the 1989 World Gliding Championships. A number of oustanding results was obtained in competitions at the international level. At the 1985 Rieti and 1989 Wiener Neustadt World Championships, Yugoslav pilots,obtained seve­ral good results at the European level; as well, these results were obtained in the Club Class events. For the Yugoslav National Team, the World Championships in Wiener Neustadt proved a useful experience. The competition against the best pilot s in the world left them the bitter taste of a lost opportunity. Ivo Šimenc and Boštjan Pristavec placed twen­tieth and thirty-fourth in the Standard Class events, with Mar­jan Medič finishing thirty-fifth in the IS-metre events. The final impression an indifferent observer might get from the merciless figures can't be helped; nevertheless, it has to be said that the results are not that bad that one would have to shake one's head at them. Pristavec and Medič paid the price that novice pilots usually pay at major competitions; however, on several days their results were far above the average, even very good. Šimenc didn't manage to avoid a bad start either; his twentieth place among the best worldwide is nonetheless amajor accomplishment, particularly since he attained almost 80% of the points sc6red by the winner . For the development of gliding in Yugoslavia, the World Cham­pionships in Wiener Neustadt meant a continuation of the well­organized approach to competition from the Rieti World Cham­pionships when Ivo Šimenc obtained an excellent result by placing eighth. Projects such as World and European Champi­onships are based on a solid organization structure, providing a strong support which the pilots competing in the air can rely upon.

Za nami je naporna in v uspesna sezona

Blage zime in napolnjen urnik tekmovanj v zadnjih letih so povzročile, da za najboljše jadralne pilote skorajda ni več mrtve sezone. To še posebej velja za sezoni 1989 in 1990, ko so imeli piloti vrsto napornih tekmovanj.

TEKMOVANJAJADRALNIH PILOTOV V LETU 1990191

Od 29. 4. do 11 . 5.1990 Evropsko prvenstvo v klubskem razredu na Danskem v kraju Arnborg

Od 20. 5. do 10. 6. 1990 Evropsko prvenstvo v F Al razredih na Poljskem v kraju Leszno

Od 2. 6. do 10. 6. 1990 Republiško prvenstvo v Murski Soboti

Od 7. 7. do 21. 7.1990 Državno prvenstvo v Subotici z mednarodno udeležbo.

Od 12.8. do 25.8. 1990 Mediteranski pokal v Rietiju - Italija

Od 27. 4. do 5. 5. 1991 Republiško prvenstvo v Slovenj Gradcu

Od 26. 5. do 8. 6. 1991 Državno prvenstvo v Banja Luki

Od 29. 6. do 14.7. 1991 Svetovno prvenstvo v ZDA v kraju Minden (Nevada)

Od 13. 7. do 26. 7. 1991 Evropsko prvenstvo v klubskem razredu v ZRN v kraju Landau

Povečan kvaliteten nalet, vrsta osvojenih športnih značk in solidni tekmovalni rezultati v letu 1989 (pet dnevnih uvrstitev med prvih deset na XXI. Svetovnem prvenstvu v Avstriji) so se nadaljevali tudi v letu 1990, ko sta naša trenutno najboljša pilota Kolarič in Pristavec presenetila vse prisotne na 5. Evropskem prvenstvu v F Al razredih na Poljskem. Njuno 6. oziroma 8. mesto v skupnem seštevku z zelo majhnim zaostankom za zmagovalcem in vrsta odličnih dnevnih uvrstitev kronanih z dnevno zmago v standardnem razredu zagotavlja, da se počasi vračamo v svetovni vrh, kjer smo v šestdesetih letih že bili. Teamsko delo, dobro sodelovanje pilotov v zraku, uspešno izvedene priprave, sodelovanje športnega psihologa, dobra tehnična opremljenost in uglašena zemeljska ekipa, so dejavniki, ki omogočajo doseči vrhunski rezultat. Zatika se predvsem pri prostem času in pri denarju, saj so tekmova­nja jadralnih pilotov dolgotrajna in draga. Z velikim razumevanjem posameznikov in podjetij, kjer so piloti zaposleni, uspevamo reševati tudi te probleme. Pred zahtevnim nastopom naših pilotov na XXII. Svetov­nem prvenstvu v kraju Minden v državi Nevada (USA) čaka reprezentanco še ena težavna naloga - nabava novih vrhunskih letal v standardnem razredu. Kljub zaostrenim gospodarskim razmeram upamo, da bomo skupaj strli tudi ta oreh in tako omogočili našim tekmovalcem, da se bodo lahko enakopravno merili z najboljšimi na svetu. Vsem, ki so nam kakorkoli pomagali, se zahvaljujem v imenu celotne reprezentance z željo, da bi tudi vnaprej uspešno sodelovali.

Miran Ferlan vodja reprezentance v jadralnem letenju Manager of the Yugoslav Gliding Team

After a Busy and Successful Season Owing to the mild winters and full competition schedule over the recent years, there is hardly any dull season left for glider pilots. This has been particularly true in 1990 when glider pilots will be competing in a number of contests at the highest level.

GLIDER EVENTS 1990191

April 29 - May Il, 1990 European Club Class Championships -Arnborg, Denmark

May 20 - June 10, 1990 European F.A .I . Classes Championships -Leszno, Poland

June 2 - 10, 1990 Slovene Championships - Murska Sobota

July 7 - 21, 1990 Yugoslav Open Championships­Subotica

August 12 - 25, 1990 Mediterranean Cup - Rieti, Italy

April 27 - May 5, 1991 Slovene Championships - Slovenj Gradec

May 26 -June 8, 1991 Yugoslav Championships - Banja Luka

June 29 - July 14, 1991 XX//nd World Championships - Minden, Nevada (USA)

July 13 - 26, 1991 European Club Class Championships­Landau, West Germany

ln 1990, glider pilots in Yugoslavia have again increased the number of glider flight hours, they have won a number of badges, and have contiuned the solid competition reSUltS recorded in 1989 (five placings among top ten in the XXI" World Championships in Austria). At this year's European F .A.1. Classes Championships in Poland Kolarič and Pristavec, presently the best Yugoslav pilots, surprised everybody by placing sixth and eight respectively, very little behind the winner and with a number of outstanding day results which culminated in a day win in the Standard Class. These results are a testimony that Yugoslav pilots are slowly winning back the place among the best worldwide which they had already had in the sixties. An excellent team work, a close collaboration between the pilots in the air, the assistance of a sports psychologist, a high quality technical equipment, and a well-run ground crew are all factors which have helped the team obtain top results. Our greatest difficulty lies is the lack of spare time and funds, for gliding contests last long and the costs are considerable. The understanding and support of individuals and of the companies in which the pilots are employed help the team solve these problems as well. A difficult task for the team to solve before the XIInd World Championships which will be taking place in Minden, Nevada (USA), will be to acquire new top Standard Class gliders. Despite the current economic difficulties in Yugoslavia we hope to overcome this difficult problem as well, thereby making it possible for our pilots to compete on an equaf basis against the best pilots worldwide. I would like to take this opportunity to express on behalf of the Yugoslav Team our greatful appreciation and hope that our collaboration will continue as successfully in the future as well.

,MIRAN FERLAN, 1951 , meteorolog, vodja in menedžer jugoslovanske reprezentance v jadralnem letenju od leta 1984. Miranove odlične organizacijske sposobnosti so omogo­čile našim najboljšim jadrakem udeležbo na evropskih in svetovnih prvenstvih v Italiji, Franciji, Avstraliji, na Finskem, v Avstriji, na Poljskem in pri nas. Ob delu na ljubljan­skem letališču Brnik se je specializiral tudi za meteorologijo jadralnega letenja in njegovi nasveti so za slovenske jadralce dobrodošli tako v vsakdanjem letenju kot na tekmova­njih.

IGOR KOLARIČ, 1954, živi z letalstvom od svojega dvanajstega leta, ko je v rojstnem Ptuju začel modelirati . Se vedno ga najdemo v najstarejšem slovenskem mestu, sedaj kot jadralnega reprezentanta in kapetana JAT­-ovega boeinga 737 . Državno zlato iz leta 1981 in 1990 ter evropski bron klubskega razreda v Rietiju in 6. mesto standardnega razreda v Lesznem so Igorjevi najvidnejši uspehi. V jadralnih letalih je preživel 1600 ur in preletel 48 .000 kilometrov.

ŽIVA FRENC, 1938, je profesionalni pilot, kapetan JAT-ovega letala DC 10. Z motorni­mi letali je letel že več kot 14.000 ur, z jadralnimi pa dobrih 4.000. Je dolgoletni član državne repre entance in najuspešnejši pilot na domačih prvenstvih, saj je naslov državne­ga prvaka osvojil kar štirikrat.

BOŠTJAN PRISTAVEC, 1963, študent strojništva, je na lestvici jugoslovanskih re­prezentantov Clrugi. Z udeležbo na svetovnem prvenstvu v Dunajskem Novem mestu je Rridobil svoje prve mednarodne izkušnje, ki jili je nadgradil z 8. mestom v Lesznem 1990. Kot pilot Alpskega letalskega centra Lesce­-Bled je s 1500 urami in 50.000 kilometri dober poznavalec letenja v hribih in obetajoči tekmovalec.

JANEZ STARIHA, 1949, pilot cessne citati­on v Iskri, ima za seDoj burno pot profesional­nega pilota, saj je od 5800 ur naletel kar 1500 ur v deželah Centralne Afrike. V četrt stolet­ja, kolikor leti z jadralnimi letali, je kot član Aerokluba Ljubljana preživel v zraku 2100 ur in preletel 50.000 kilometrov. Na državnih prvenstvih je zmeraj visoko uvrščen, bron pa je osvojil tudi na evropskem prvenstvu klub­skega razreda v Lescah leta 1984.

MIRAN FERLAN Born: 1951. A meteorolo­gist at the Ljubljana airport, Miran has been Manager and head of the Yugo slav Gliding Team since 1984. His excellent organizational abilities made it possible for the best Yugo­slav glider pilots to compete in the European and World Championships in Italy, France, Australia, Finland, and Yugoslavia . Miran has specialized in the meteorology of gliding, and his ad vice and experience have been of great help to pilots in every day flights and in competition.

IGOR KOLARIČ Born: 1954. Igor has lived for flying since he was twelve when he first started flying model plane s in his home town of Ptuj. He stili lives in the oldest town in Slovenia, now member of the Yugo slav Gli­ding Team and captain of a Boeing 737 of the Yugoslav airline JAT. He has been employed with JAT since 1977 and has logged over 6000 hours of flight . His best result s are the national title in 1981 and a bron ze med al in the Club Class competition at the Rieti Euro­pean Championships. Igor has 1600 hours and 48000 kilometres of glider flight .

ŽIVA FRENC Born: 1938. Captain of a DC 10 of the Yugo slav airline JAT, Živa has flown over 14000 hours in powered aircraft and 4000 hours in gliders. For many years member of the Yugo slav Team, he has won four national titles and is the most successful pilot in Yugoslav Championships.

BOŠTJAN PRISTAVEC Born: 1963. Bošt­jan, who is a student of mechanical engine­ering, is the second best glider pilot on the Yugo slav Team. He gained his first experien­ce in international competition at the World Championships in Wiener Neustadt. Boštjan, who belongs to Aero Club ALC Lesce-Bled and has over 1500 hours and 50000 kilome­tres of glider flight, is quite familiar with soaring in mountaineous terrain . He is unqu­estionably a promising competitor.

JANEZ STARIHA Born: 1949. Pilot of a Cessna Citation with Iskra, Janez has had a varied career, for he has logged over 1500 of his total 5800 hours in the countries of Central Africa. In the 25 years since he first soloed, he has had over 2100 hours and 50000 kilometres of glider flight. Member of the Ljubljana Aero Club, Janez regularly place s high in the Yugoslav National Champions­hips. He al so won a bronze medal at the 1984 Lesce European Championship.

VOJKO STAROVIČ; 1952, diplomirani pravnik, direktor obalnega letališča v Porto­rožu, je Jugoslavijo zastopal od leta 1981 na ba1kanskih, evropskih in svetovnih prven­stvih v jadralnem letenju osemkrat. Državno zlato je osvojil v rojstnem Celju leta 1985, svojim 2300 uram in 69.000 preletenim kilo­metrom pa je lani dodal še izkušnje trenerja jugoslovanske re rezentance. Vojko skrbi s skupinico zanesenjakov tudi za afirmacij o in popularizacijo jadrlllnega letenja v Sloveniji.

MAKS BERČIČ, 1951, profesionalni pilot, apetan letala dash 7 slovenske letal~e druž­

be Adl'ia Airways. Leti v Aeroklubu Ljublja­na, katerega upravnik j bil od leta 1976 do 1980. Z jadralnimi letali je naletel 1800 ur in 39.000 kilometrov ter bil že nekajkrat uvrščen

ožjo državno reprezentanco.

IVAN FILKO, 1948, je kot profesionalni učitelj jadralnega letenja v Aeroklubu Novi Sad in tekmovalec preživel v jadralnih letalih 2200 ur in l'eletel68.000 kilometrov. Čepyav je dosegel a.06re uvrstitve na tekmovanjih v goratih območjih, je Ivan specialist za letenje nad ravninskimi pokrajinami, kakršna je do­mača Vojvodina, kar je dokazal tudi na med­narodnem prvenstvu v Madžarski z uvrstitvi­jo na odlično 5. mesto.

MIHA THALER, 1943, je profesionalni pi­lot, kapetan instruktOF in voaja pilotov na letalu Airbus 320 v floti Adria Airways. V zraku je preživel več kot 10.000 ur z motorni­mi letali in 2300 ur z jadralnimi letali. Bil je dvakrat državni prvak . in je dolgoletni član reprezentance. Kljub velikim obveznostim v službi najde vedno čas za »najlepši šport na . svetu«. Letalstvu je predan z dušo in telesom.

FRANC PEPERKO, 1945, diplomirani strojni inženir v Klimi Celje, je državni prvak iz leta 1984 in naš najbolj izkušeni reprezen­tant, saj je pričel zastopati državne barve leta 1966, na svetovnih prvenstvih pa je nastopal že trikrat. Sedmi v državi je preletel diamant­nih 500 kilometrov - z doma izdelanim jadral­nim letalom muha. Skoraj bodo minila tri desetletja, odkar je Franc prvič sedel za krmilom jadralnega letala v Aeroklubu Celje, svojih 2600 ur in 68.000 kilometrov pa je naletel na petindvajsetih različnih tipih jadral­nih letal.

VOJKO STAROVIČ Born: 1952. A lawyer by profession, Vojko is Manager of the Porto­rož airport on the Adriatic coast. Since 1981 he has competed with the Yugoslav Team in seven Balkan, European, and World Champi­onships. In 1985 he won the Yugoslav Cham­pionships"Wmeh !ook place in his home town of Celje. Last year Vojko, who has since 1967 logged 2300 hours and 69000 kilometres in gliders, enriched his experience as the coach of the Yugoslav Team. Vojko has for years been working with a group of enthusiasts involved in promoting the sport in S ovenia.

MAKS BERČIČ Born: 1951. A pilot by profession, Maks is captain of a DASH 7 of the Slovene airline Adria Airways. He is member of the Ljubljana Aero Club. Betweeu, 1976 and 1980 he arso was the club manageF. Maks has flown a glider over 1800 hours and 39000 kilometre s and has competed with the Yugoslav Team in a number of international contests.

IVAN FILKO Born: 1948. A gliding instruc­tor with the Novi Sad Aero Club and compe­titor, Ivan Filko has 2200 hours and 68000 kilometres of glider flight. Even though he has obtainea good resu1ts in mountaineous terrain, Ivan is a specialist in flying over flat terrain such as his home province Vojvodina which he pro ved by placing fifth in the Hungarian Open Championships

MIHA ::rHALER Rom: 1943. Miha, who is a pilot, captain instructor and head of the pilot s of the newest Airbus 320 of tlie Slovene airline Adria Airways has flown over 10000 hours in powered aircraft and 2300 hours in gliders. Winner of two national titles, he has for many years been membet of the Yugoslav Team. Despite the considerable demands of his professional career, Miha stilI fmds time for gliding, "the most beautiful of all sports", into which he has put his heart and soul.

FRANC PEPERKO Born: 1945. Employed with KLIMA, Celje, Franc is a mechanical engineer by profession. He has been on the team since 1966 and has since represented Yugoslavia at three World Championships. He was the seventh pilot in Yugoslavia ever to fly a diamond 500 kilometres which he did in a Yugoslav design called Muha. It was a1most thirty years ago that he first flew a glider at the Aero Club Celje. Since then he has flown 2600 hours and 68000 kilometres in 25 diffe­rent glider types.

IVO ŠIMENC, 1954, diplomirani elektroin­ženir, zaposlen v Iskri - CEO, je bil državni prvak v letih 1979 in 1986 ter dvakrat zlat na evropskih prvenstvih klubskega razreda (Les­ce 1984 in Rieti 1986). Se nihče ni presegel njegovega najdaljšega preleta nad Jugoslavijo - 700 kilometrov. Izkušnje svojih 2100 ur in ' 84.000 kilometrov bo poizkusil preliti v tre­nersko delo.

ŽAN PIŽORN, 1957, diplomirani inženir strojništva v Elektro-strojni opremi v Tito­vem V:elenju, je v reprezentanci debitant. Aeroklubu Celje je v 15 letih z jadralnimi letali naletel 1100 ur in 25 .000 kilometrov. Po nekajletni odsotnosti s tekmovalnega prizoriš­ča je lani z odličnimi rezultati ponovno opozo­ril nase.

SERGIO GOBBO, 1950, oblikovalec in foto- . graf živi in dela v Grožnjanu v Istri . Od mladih nog zaljubljen v modro in zmerom razpet me morjelJl in nebom. Zračna foto­grafija je n jeg!:):vo delo i konjiček . Avtor mnogih uspelift reklamnih akcij a podjetja v gospo(llfrstvu in turizmu. nan tudi kot pro­jektant otroškili igrišč in igrač .

ADRIA AIRWAYS

IVO ŠIMENC Bom: 1954. An electrical engineer by profession, Ivo is employed with Iskra - CEO. He has won two straight national titles (1979 and 1986) and two stra­ight European Club Class titles (Lesce 1984 and Rieti 1986) and has recorded the longest distance ever flown over the territory of Yugoslavia (over 700 km). In the future, Ivo will try to benefit from the experience of his 2100 hours and 84000 kilometres in gliders to become a trainer.

ŽAN PIŽORN Bom: 1957"7Žan is a mechani­cal engineer by profession and is employed in Elektrostrojna oprema of Titovo Velenje . New on the Yugoslav Team, Žan has in his 15 ears as a gliaer pilot flown 11 OO hours and

25000 kilometres in glider,s. ~fter several years of absenee from competition, last season he again recorded severalo tstana ing results .

SERGIO GOBBO Bom: 1950. Designer and photographer, Sergio live and works at Grož­njan in Istria . At a very early age he has fallen in love with the blue and has ever since been caught between the sea and the sky. Aerial photography has been his job and his hobby. Author of many success ful promotional cam­paigns for the industry and tourism, Sergio also is well-known as a designer of playgro­unds and toys .

Generalni pokrovitelj jugoslovanske reprezentance v jadralnem letenju Official Sponsor of the Yugoslav Gliding Team

Publikacijo »TIHI ŠPORT VIŠIN« je izdala Zveza letalskih organizacij Slovenije • Foto: Sergio Gobbo • Koncept/Design: Gobbo/Kump • Tekst: Milena Cestnik, Miran Ferlan, Tone Polenec, Niko Slana. Prevod: Marija Rupar. Tiskala Tiskarna Mladinska knjiga, LjUbljana 1990.

This booklet has been published by the Slovene Aeronautic Association. Photo: Sergio Gobbo. Concept/Design: Gobbo/Kump • Text: Milena Cestnik, Miran Ferlan, Tone Polenec, Niko Slana. Translation by: Marija Rupar. Printed by: Tiskarna Mladinska knjiga, Ljubljana 1990.

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