Page 19 - MFWDec 2023

The 2023 Free Flight World Championships, Moncontour,
France, 12-19 August 2023 Chris Murphy

This year’s FF world Champs were the largest ever-with some 460+ competitors from
41 countries participating. The reasons for the extra large gathering were twofold-the
postponement from 2021 to 2023 due to Covid-19 meant that the Champs now
overlapped the biennial European Junior FF Championships-to be hosted by the
same organizers, at the same venue-and the decision by the FAI to allow 4 member
national teams in each class-with the proviso that at least one member had to be
female. This change was enthusiastically adopted by quite a few countries-including
the USA-with 10 female fliers in F1A, 6 in F1B, and 2 in F1C , whilst the twin events
resulted in extra large number of competitors, officials, helpers and supporters. The
scheduling issues were solved by combining the opening and closing ceremonies for
both events, and alternating the flying days between the World Champs one day, and
the Euro junior events-which worked well and provided a welcome rest day for those
not directly involved with the Junior events.

The venue was Moncontour, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of western France-the Competing nations flags were
same venue and organizers who hosted displayed around Moncontour
the 2013 FF World Champs. The NZ team,
including helpers and supporters-
assembled-from various points of the
compass –the USA, NZ, Lebanon in early
August, to both acclimatize, get familiar
with the area and practice ahead of the
Champs. For some of us-myself, Antony
and Laraine Koerbin, Roger and Lindy
Morrell-it was a return to the sights of a
decade ago; for the remainder of the team
and supporters it was new and interesting
t e r r i t o r y. A c c o m m o d a t i o n w a s
decentralized-some of the team staying a
holiday home in Moncontour, my wife and I
in a B&B in St Jean de Sauves, and Dave
Ackery and his partner at an equestrian
New Zealand Free Flight team at the opening ceremony
riding school not far from St Jean de
Sauves-in both our cases a mere 5 mins
drive from the actual flying site-a cropping
farm complex on the outskirts of St Jean de
Sauves. This year the organization was a
great deal better than a decade ago-a
secure camping site right beside the flying
site; better organized car parking; a large
rigid marquee for dining and briefings-
including bar facilities- and portacom
cabins for the administration and
communications.

Model processing was handled very efficiently.
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