Masurel, Lemordant in fray for top spot at World Air Games
AEROBATICS COMPETITION HEADING FOR ENGROSSING FINISH IN DUBAI
The French duo of Olivier Masurel and Aude Lemordant were involved in a keen contest for top honours in the aerobatic competition at the end of the second day of the 2015 World Air Games (WAG) at the Skydive Dubai drop-zone yesterday.
Masurel and Lemordant — the only female pilot in this category — are part of a select eightmember group of pilots who have been hand-picked to participate in the demanding competition. The competition aeroplanes — each costing in excess of 500,000 euros (approximately Dh2 million) — have been specially flown in for this event by the pilots.
Aerobatics has around almost since the first flight of a powered aircraft. In the early years before World War I, aerobatics served as entertainment for crowds fascinated by the new aerial machines. However, later aerobatics became essential in a military pilot’s training that could be utilised during combat situations. Today, aerobatics is seen as among the most important and essential elements in making the pilot better in control of the aircraft. The competition is normally held in two categories, powered planes or gliders.
G-force and pilots
In an aerobatics competition, the pilot performs rolls and dives that put his or her body through positive forces up to nine times the gravitational force. But while going through the manoeuvres, the negative ‘g-force’ pushes all the blood to the brain, making it necessary for the participants to manage control of the plane and stay oriented enough to go through the routine.
Masurel heads the leader board with a score of 3,366.81 points for a 76.345 per cent tally, followed by Lemordant with a total of 3,299.05 points for a 74.808 per cent tally, while Mikhail Mamistov of Russia is third with 3,284.75 points and a percentage of 74.484.
Sponsored by watchmaker Breitling, Lemordant is the only woman in the field. But the 31-year-old knows she can hold her own and go for the title. “I am confident I can go all the way,” Lemordant — a Boeing 777 pilot with Air France — told News. “We have the best pilots here, so the only thing we can be assured of is the tough competition over the next few days.”
Russia’s Mamistov, currently third in the overall standings, Poland’s Artur Kielak, Nigel Hopkins of South Africa, American Rob Holland and Martin Sonka of the Czech Republic are the other notable entries in the fray.
Meanwhile, the paraglider competition also got underway at the beach drop-zone with reigning world champion Matiaz Feraric of Slovenia staying clear of the field despite a slight miscalculation on his first jump. The jumper from Slovenia struggled to judge wind conditions properly and landed a mere 28cm away from the bull’s eye target.
In the paraglider competition, pilots are towed up into the sky over the beach with a winch while also wearing a stud on their shoe that helps detect the electronic landing mat. Participants need to make a mandatory 12 jumps.