There will be no war (owing to Russian diplomacy)

people driven by common passion will always find common language …In the ream of politics it can go either way, but people driven by common passion will always find common language even though their mother tongues differ.I have already mentioned the Sarangkot mountain, which has been taken over by fraternity of paraglider pilots. Similar atmosphere can be found on glider airports. And not only during recreational visits to international centres like St.Auban, Vinon, Omarama or Gariep Dam (at these places holiday atmosphere is a given by just their nature) but also during top competitions. Show me one sport in which your competitors would share their equipment or help you repair yours in case of damage. In spite that people are very ambitious, and there is a joke :

• What is the difference between Good and a pilot?

• Good does not think he is a pilot….

A man is only a man and drive to compete is a natural thing for a human. This is one of major factors stimulating progress of human race.

So it happened that two true Giants of gliding met in Nepal. Klaus Ohlman who has not left too much room on the World Record score table for others and Sebastian Kawa, who collects World and European Champion titles the way no one has done before. They both are doctors. Both of them were drawn to Nepal by pioneers dream of meeting the Himalayas in a glider. A poem by Słowacki comes to mind: not enemies have met, but two Gods on their far Suns. Those that expected an element of fight here will be disappointed. There will be no war. The very base concepts underlining their expeditions were different. One involved many people, organisations and institutions had been built for a few years prior to this years departure foe Nepal. It utilises two absolutely wonderful Stemme machines able to cover 1700 km and reach the altitude of 9000m. Klaus’es team used them to fly to Nepal all the way from Europe. Lots of shipping hassle was avoided in this way. Sebastian’s team had to struggle with logistics. Sebastian’s intention is to explore the flying in Himalayas, finding areas best suited for the sport of gliding. His project is run by spontaneously created group of people that came into being in September when a chance of renting a glider showed up. The fact that the glider (Schelicher’s ASH26Mi) has been generously let to Sebastian’s team by Jens Kroeger, a German pilot who lives in Poland and Klaus’es Stemme is partially manufactured in Bielsko-Biała, in Poland (close to Sebastian’s home) adds special flavour to the whole situation. Though pilots’ paths cross quite often and they knew each other from a distance only now the fate embodied by Natasha has put them at one table. Yesterday at Moon Dance cafe a Polish-German-Nepalese-Finnish group of pilots hosted by the Russians spent long time on lively discussions. Obviously the 'Katiusha’ song had to show up…Tomasz Kawa