REPORT from Project 11/11/11

REPORT from Project 11/11/11

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Few months earlier, Partnership coordinator of 11Eleven Project asked me to participate in a world collaborative documentary, highlighting different ways of life around the world. He was looking for willing pilots, skydivers and just general people of the sky to contribute. Such an offer I couldn´t refuse ;)

I work as a skydiving instructor, pilot and wind tunnel coach. When I started thinking what to do for that special day, I wanted to do something that would be really nice and extreme, but not only for most of the people but for me as well ;)

As a result I decided to use this project as a perfect opportunity to show people, how can you spend time in the airspace over Czech republic and fly your body in different ways... And except for the activities that are on my list to do almost every day I decided to use this special day and fulfil one of my biggest dreams, to fly a jet aircraft!



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So I divided my day into several parts:

1) JET AEROBATICS with L-39 Albatros
2) FLYING ONE OF THE SMALLEST AND FASTEST PARACHUTES ALL OVER THE WORLD the Daedalus JVX 66
3) FLYING AND JUMPING WITHOUT PARACHUTES ON THE TRAMPOLINE
4) FREESTYLE PERFROMANCE IN THE WIND TUNNEL IN PRAGUE

For the first part of the program I choose the Aero L-39 Albatros from a Czech production line. The Aero L-39 Albatros was produced in large numbers by the Factories of Aero Vodochody, the worlds largest producer of military training aircraft and it is used as an agile jet trainer, tactical reconnaissance aircraft and light ground support fighter.

I was visiting pilots for about month and studying checklists, sitting in the plane for couple of hours just going through all the instruments and trying to adjust the seat to find out if I am not too small for it, but everything seemed to be ok!

The biggest possible risk was the weather. In the morning when I wake up, everything outside was just fog, fog, definitely not bluesky… but the forecast was good for the afternoon, so we were waiting and imediatelly as the mist dissapeared and the sun showed up, we started the operation!

I couldn’t believe the moment when the mechanic Franta closed the cockpit and I knew that it is coming! Ubelievable feeling! I was so happy, excited and curious! My first time in the jet fighter, woow!! 

In the next few minutes we are taxiing, taking off, doing some crazy aerobatics, than we fly to meet another airplane in the air to do couple of pictures, and it is time to fly home. 

I ask test pilot Vlada for inverted flight: once more, more, more, more…! Let me do one more looping on my own! ;) I don’t want to land, not yet!! Never!! But it is really time to get back to the ground and continue with the skyperformance 11/11/11. Just couple of pictures with the jet for sponsors and we are good to go skydive.

Friend of mine flew in with his little Cessna 182, I take my rig and here comes another crazy feeling for me. I just flew the jet few minutes ago and I am all high with the adrenaline, I am too excited and to be honest my brain is still flying inverted in the aerobatics airspace. 

But the sun is getting down and we have to go now. So I double check everything and again and again, try to concentrate my distracted mind on that skydive and I am taking off again, this time in a small Cessna 182 with one of the fastest and smallest parachutes all over the world on my back, the Daedalus JVX 66. I am trying to concentrate as much as I can. 200meters and I go for my final 270°turn, I have to go downwind for a nice shot, but the wind is not that strong fortunatelly! Everybody is watching, the pilots think I am crazy!

It turned out into a beautiful sunset jump! Perfect timing. I can even make it to my trampoline training.

It is 19,00h and I start feeling little bit tired! I start stretching before the training and than quickly film couple of flips and trampoline moves, I cant stay too long, because I want to make it to the final part of today's program! ;) It takes about half an hour to get there, as I sit down I start getting little bit sleepy, camera guy Roman is also getting little bit tired, I think he didn't believe we will manage to do everything today!

When we arrive at the windtunnel in Prague it is already dark, but just being there wakes me up! Nice staff guys are not even angry that I want to fly again that late and we go fly! The windtunnel in Prague is 4,3m wide, first in the world 5m high all glass, completely circular & frameless, high tech wind tunnel - indoor skydiving facility. Fortunatelly you can fly anytime, day, night, bluesky or heavy rain, doesn’t matter! We are the last flyers of the day.

I booked just 10minutes of sport flying, I think for today it is way more than enough! I have plenty of time to practice some of my freestyle moves and enjoy the 3Dfreedom of the flight at the end of the day! ;)

I would say, that 11/11/11 was my biggest project by now. Super nice and intense day! I am pretty tired now, but I have to do something like that again!

At the end of my report I would like to thank very much to all of the sponsors of my project and people who helped to make everything work!

Thanks to:

LE MIRAGE music club

RED BULL energy drink

CRENER helmet manufacturer

LARSEN & BUSGARD high quality electronic devices for skydiving

Vladimir Kvarda - L39 test pilot
Pavel Pichal - L39 owner
Michal Krechowski - professional photographer
Michal Budejovsky - professional photographer, cameraman 
Roman Vraspir - professional cameraman
Marek Brykner - video editing
Viktor Soukup - C182 Pilot
...and many others, without who it wouldn't be as perfect as it was! ;) 

Thank you everybody!