21.6.2014 – Opening ceremony

The day started normally with briefing, but the weather didn’t allow setting a task, as there was going to be rain showers all day long. Local flights were possible. Lucky for us, the weather cleared up for the evening as we had the opening ceremony outside. Before that we had “flag-raising exercise” and I heard myself volunteering raising the SIL (Finnish Aeronautical Association). I must wonder why I did that, because usually I have been seen with my camera and taking photos of the ceremony. As I think back now, I should have not changed my place and should have stick with my camera. I will remember it next time.

Ceremony was short (as usual in Finland), first PIK 5 was winch launched to the sky, and it did some circling above us and landed as close as possible of the crowd. The FAI flag was given to Heikki by the pilot of PIK 5. Then it was our time to raise the FAI and SIL flags, Finland’s flag was up already as it was Midsummer Day, the day when flags are on the poles from 18 o’clock from Friday until 21 o’clock Saturday.

Then we raised all the flags one by one while the particular team was cheering. If someone wonders the order of the flags (not Argentina, Australia, Austria etc..) But Finland, South Africa, Germany etc..reason for that is that we were told that we have to put Finnish flag first, and rest of the countries has to be arranged by the French names of the countries, like in Olympics. Well, I have never heard or seen that before in other competitions, but if someone wiser than you tells you what to do, then you do it, don’t you.

Then Heikki and the president of SIL and our patron gave speeches, everything was done in half an hour or so. After the ceremony people were invited to the opening party to the hangar, arranged by Cafe26.

We left quite early, as I was still a bit tired of Friday and the excitement of losing the bike.