“EVERYONE WELCOME” AT THE 17TH FAI WORLD MICROLIGHT CHAMPIONSHIPS 2022
“EVERYONE WELCOME” AT THE 17TH FAI WORLD MICROLIGHT CHAMPIONSHIPS 2022. Due to a two-year postponement, the 17th FAI World Microlight Championships will finally take place in Hosn, Czech Republic in the year 2022.
It is widely anticipated that this contest would set new benchmarks in its field. Pictured above is event organiser Ji Neas, who lays a premium on making everyone feel welcome. To entice newbies to the sport, he plans to host a global fly-in where fans from all over the world may come together to support their favourite teams.
For pilots who have never competed before, the first-ever Microlight Navigation Camp will be held in the days leading up to the competition, teaching them all they need to know about the routes, scoring systems, and other aspects of the tournament. Neas is also excited to help newcomers to the sport of navigation acquire knowledge and skills.
Neas is an experienced event planner, having worked on projects like the 2020 Czech Open Microlight Cup and the previous Czech Microlight Championships. The Petr Tuek Navigation Cup is another tournament that Neas has organised regularly. It is a 10-round, one-day navigation competition that takes place on the weekends from April through September.
We interrogated Neas to find out the specifics of his training for the 17th FAI World Microlight Championships.
Do you have any experience competing against other people?
In order to participate in navigation microlight competitions, I did, in fact, get my pilot’s licence over eight years ago. In 2016, I qualified for and competed in my first international mountaineering competition in the FAI World Mountaineering Championships in Popham, Great Britain.
After that, I went to the European Microlight Championships in Hungary. Now that I’m a dad, family comes first and I find that I enjoy planning more than improvising. My wife is the navigator for our AL2 crew whenever we are able to find a babysitter, and we have a lot of fun competing when we do. We plan to resume competing as soon as our family has grown a little bit more.
When planning a world championship, what challenges do you face, and what are the rewards?
Our biggest challenge is getting people interested in participating in events again after the world has changed so drastically over the past two years. It’s reasonable that individuals are more hesitant to put themselves out there, and this is reflected in the low turnout for some events. That’s why this year we’re working extra hard to make it fun for everyone.
I’m most excited about the friendly rivalry and forging new friendships with my fellow pilots. And it isn’t until the game is over and I’m happy with how things turned out and everyone is content that I can relax and feel at peace with myself.
If you were to ask someone in the Czech Republic about microlight flying, what would they say?
Our microlight team is very motivated. They put the past two years toward intensive preparation. The vast majority of our pilots are young adults under the age of 30. Both the AL1 and AL2 categories are fully staffed, with the AL2 category consisting of an all-female crew. Our team’s goal in WL2 is to successfully defend the championship we won last season.
In Hosn, could you give us some history of the neighbourhood we’ll be exploring?
Hosn airstrip provides all the conveniences pilots need and a distinguished past in aviation. In addition to holding the World Championships in gliding and aerobatics, it has hosted a number of regional contests in the past. Our property also has a paved runway and a fueling station, in addition to lodgings and dining options.
Do you want to send a message to your potential rivals?
If this is your first time entering a competition of this scale, you should not let that stop you from entering. Participants interested in learning more about navigation can attend a camp conducted by experienced teachers, some of whom hold official titles. Registration is open until the start of the event, so let’s make the 2022 championships extraordinary!