More Manfred
I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the many who helped make Manfred Radius' airshow act a success. I would also like to now say I have done the proverbial "walk a mile in another man's shoes" and sincerely appreciate what Manfred goes through as an airshow performer. When he said he needed two hours to brief us - he wasn't kidding - and we know sailplanes! The team showed up at 0900 each day to help him get his plane to the show line, then helped with setting up the pyro loads for the wingtips ( the night loads were something to behold! amazing! ) they then worked with a very changeable schedule to get the plane in the air, stay clear while other teams did their shows - then rushed to the centerline of the runway and set up the ribbon for the inverted ribbon cut! After that they cleared the ribbon and hardware - caught the glider and got all clear of the runway in record time so the next act could legally begin. Our team did great! The Saturday team stayed until 9:00 PM to set up the night show - here it took Manfred five hours to build up the pyro for that event - and they did a super job of getting things put together - then worked with way too many mosquitos ( I swear some of those bugs were big enough to deserve their own "N" numbers) and got the night show off in fine order. Afterward we chased the glider down the runway - with the wingtips on fire from the pyro, put out the fires and recovered the glider to the hanger. A very long day indeed! The club can be proud of the actions of these volunteers!
– Dave Newill

A NOTE FROM MANFRED:
Hi Keith, thank you for your kind message! I too enjoyed working with you at the Indianapolis Airshow 2003. As you know, my performances are not a one-man job. I need a lot of help. Without your valuable assistance my performances would not have been possible. It was a good thing that I left the Indianapolis show already on Sunday afternoon. You may remember that I had a long trip ahead of me, to Portland, OR. On my way I had to bring my van twice to the garage. Monday morning I found a puddle with radiator fluid under the front of my van. The valve which controls the heater was leaking. I had that fixed in Cheyenne, WY. Next day there was another leak. This time it was the heater core. Since the garage didn't have the part on stock, I asked them to disconnect the heater. Before I went home after the show in Portland I had a new heater core installed there. By the way, the show in Portland went very well, we had great weather. It was my last show of the season. Thank you for your help in Indianapolis. If you see your club, please give my regards and thanks to the rest of the glider crew. All the best!
– Manfred

Friday's practice crew (left to right): Mike Nichols, Lynn Joyce, Manfred Radius, Keith Marshall, Dave Newill and Jim White.	Manfred instructing the troops Friday morning.	New rule for operations - it takes a minimum "two" people to bring back the tow rope! Dave Newill assists Lynn Joyce in this delicate procedure.
Going over procedures with John Masella.	Cutting the ribbon inverted. (courtesy Manfred Radius www.radiusairshows.com)	Nightime pyro act. (courtesy Manfred Radius www.radiusairshows.com)