One of the greatest things about soaring and soaring contests are the people you meet. And amongst the greatest of them must count Makoto Ichikawa. I first met Mak in Mafikeng and have seen him at every overseas contest i have flown in since (save for Sabina Glide). In Sweden i was certain that he would be on the podium (with 3 days to go), unfortunately it did not turn out that way. Today, he goes into the last day of the pre-worlds in Lusse in second place in the 18m class. It is going to be a difficult day and i hope the soaring gods will look favourably on him. Herewith a full interview with him, posted by Stefan Maikowski (answering some of the enigmas that surround Mak, and obscuring others).
Our most welcomed guest Makoto Ichikawa
Makoto is a frequent participant of international competitions and also often takes part in Nationals as a guest on a wild card. As many of us can't remember Japanese names well, most people just call him Mac.
Probably many of us are a bit shy to get in contact with him, so it's no wonder, that some rumors have spread. One of them is that he's one of the very few pilots, who gets paid for flying competitions and participating in Gliding Championships.
In our interview he cleared up this misunderstanding. Up to 1999 indeed, he did earn money as an instructor and also was sponsored for his participation in international competitions. Ever since he's been paying his own way, and has to take vacations for the competitions like everyone else.
People also wonder why he is walking around a lot with a white mask on his face. In the middle of heavy exhaust fumes in Japan this is quite normal, but we don't see a need for this out in the country, where the air is clear. The explanation is simple again, Mac suffers from an allergy and protects his nose.
At the Lilienthal Glide he is doing very well and is currently in the third position. On the first days of the competition he didn't do that well. He first had to get used to the ASG 29, that a friend has lent him for the competition, while his own Ventus 2Cx is being used by someone else. Most of his miles he flies in Europe and Australia. Thus his glider is normally stationed in Europe. Back home in Japan – he lives in Tokyo – he has a syndicate share in a LS8. So he is very familiar with most glider types. In the Ventus he enjoys the use of the flaps to set the speed, when racing to the next thermal.
Asked for his favorite gliding sites in Europe he mentions besides Lüsse, Lezno Poland. His first gliding coach came from Poland. And in the 1993 World Championship he flew a SZD. About Lüsse he likes the uncomplicated flying in a flat country with good chances for cloud streets forming on windy days and huge fields making outlandings easy. That's quite a different story in Japan. There, the gliding season is much shorter than here. The best months are January to May and September to October and average distances to be flown range between 300 and 400 kilometers due to an oftentimes low cloudbase.
Also wave flying is possible above the Japanese mountains, where altitudes up to 7000 meters can be reached. As one would expect, due to his Japanese modesty he fails to mention, that it was him, who flew the first 1000 kilometers distance in Japan in wave flight in a Nimbus 4 together with his copilot Inagaki.
stefan.maikowski[at]maikoal.de
Probably many of us are a bit shy to get in contact with him, so it's no wonder, that some rumors have spread. One of them is that he's one of the very few pilots, who gets paid for flying competitions and participating in Gliding Championships.
In our interview he cleared up this misunderstanding. Up to 1999 indeed, he did earn money as an instructor and also was sponsored for his participation in international competitions. Ever since he's been paying his own way, and has to take vacations for the competitions like everyone else.
People also wonder why he is walking around a lot with a white mask on his face. In the middle of heavy exhaust fumes in Japan this is quite normal, but we don't see a need for this out in the country, where the air is clear. The explanation is simple again, Mac suffers from an allergy and protects his nose.
At the Lilienthal Glide he is doing very well and is currently in the third position. On the first days of the competition he didn't do that well. He first had to get used to the ASG 29, that a friend has lent him for the competition, while his own Ventus 2Cx is being used by someone else. Most of his miles he flies in Europe and Australia. Thus his glider is normally stationed in Europe. Back home in Japan – he lives in Tokyo – he has a syndicate share in a LS8. So he is very familiar with most glider types. In the Ventus he enjoys the use of the flaps to set the speed, when racing to the next thermal.
Asked for his favorite gliding sites in Europe he mentions besides Lüsse, Lezno Poland. His first gliding coach came from Poland. And in the 1993 World Championship he flew a SZD. About Lüsse he likes the uncomplicated flying in a flat country with good chances for cloud streets forming on windy days and huge fields making outlandings easy. That's quite a different story in Japan. There, the gliding season is much shorter than here. The best months are January to May and September to October and average distances to be flown range between 300 and 400 kilometers due to an oftentimes low cloudbase.
Also wave flying is possible above the Japanese mountains, where altitudes up to 7000 meters can be reached. As one would expect, due to his Japanese modesty he fails to mention, that it was him, who flew the first 1000 kilometers distance in Japan in wave flight in a Nimbus 4 together with his copilot Inagaki.
stefan.maikowski[at]maikoal.de
He is certainly going to be a force to reckon with next year (especially if he is going to be flying a JS1???). But for the moment watch the results at Issoudun where he is flying next.
Sven
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