EAC 2010 - 17th FAI European Aerobatic Championship

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Thursday 18.2.2010 :: Lubomír Vrba

That’s who we are

The Airport Prilezy was found in 1957 in times when we searched for alternative place for temporarily closed airport in Karlovy Vary. The building started in the area of two former radar station buildings. These were there as a vestige after German Army. Gradually
the hangar and the wooden ground-floor house were built.

This temporal airport has been in operation since March 1958. It wasn’t easy because the grass VPD had to be still adjusted and the activity was sporadic. At the end of 1959 almost all pilots returned to home airport in Karlovy Vary and only two pilots stayed: the
chief and a trainer. The airport in Prilezy should have been closed. But….

Since those days we have started to write the history of the Air Club Touzim. Instead of flying we focused on recruiting new pilots. The interest was considerable especially from the side of youth in the neighborhood. Soon the number of members grew up to 25.
There was active club again and the airport was gradually repaired and constructed.

From 1966 to 67 the Czech Republic Army built a grassy backup military airport with the length over 2400meters. This change resulted in secrecy and slow decline of motor division. In another way the airport was still alive. And thanks to that fact there was some
modernization and mainly flying possible.

Already in 1997 we organized first international glider competition and other competitions followed. In 1998 we bought ultra-light towing airplane and we become the pioneers in towing gliders by ultra-light airplanes. The progress in flying involved also other
activities – paragliding. For couple of years we focused on training and in 2006 we already took a part in organization of the Czech Championship in motor paragliding at our airport.

The year 2006 was a breakthrough for other reason as well. We were involved in organizing Karlovy Vary Cup – International Championship in acrobatics of motor airplanes for the first time. We had been asked for help because the repairing of airport in Karlovy
Vary. We had only few weeks for preparation and in spite of a different surrounding, the cup went very well. The competitors ranked in all four categories and we could see here also foreign machines 29 and SU 31 or Extra 300 for the first time. Because of good
conditions and organization all next Karlovy Vary Cups are held at the airport of Air club Touzim. This year it will be the fifth one.

SU 29

A year later 2007 we already had at our airport the international Czech Championship in acrobatics of airplanes and together with that also the first year of a new acrobatic competition WAC. The interest was large and we had 40 pilots on the list. The shots from
this competition you can watch on the pages of EAC 2010. Next Championship was waiting for us in 2009.

Not even this event was the last. Our pilots compete in a glider acrobatics for four years and as soon as possible we tried to organize the Czech Championship in a glider acrobatics. The first one was in 2008 and the second one a year later.

Functioning cooperation with the judges and pilots led us to an idea of trying to organize some kind of European aerial competition. At the end of November 2009 we were authorized by FAI with organization of EAC 2010. Even though the time for preparation is
short, we will do everything so that the participants of this top competition would remember this championship as a good one.

AK Toužim

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