posted Mar 4th, 2008 - Most of the regular visitors at the NSL website have probably already noticed that a new video of the Valentine's Meet 2008 was uploaded and has been available for a day or two. Airspeed Odyssey's Center Inside, Andy Delk, creator of the Airspeed's Odyssey 2007 DVD, kindly provided the footage of the team's first competition jumps this year.

Rounds 2, 3, 4 and 5 are already available for reviews. NSL-TV and Airspeed Odyssey will try to catch up with Perris Fury and Canada Evolution, who are both already at Round 7, as soon as possible.

The first Odyssey videos of competition jumps from the Pilatus Porter clearly show the challenge for the teams, even the best ones in the world, that have been familiar with the left-hand door exits from mainly Twinotters.

Airspeed Odyssey finds back quickly to the team's usual speed in each round. However, the team was surely pushed back to a different point in time. The NSL News reported from last year's World Challenge 2007 how Odyssey's team captain Craig Girard excitedly announced a new approach to 4-way competition performance.

He said in the interview with the NSL News at Bodyflight Bedford that he felt like driving a car around the race track with the gas pedal always in full acceleration. He saw no reason any longer why teams would not be able to go at full speed right after the exit. He expected much higher scores than known by then very soon:

"Once the 4-minute benchmark for the mile was broken there were no limits any longer. Nobody thought it could be done, and look where the runners are now."

Airspeed Odyssey followed up on the promise a few months later with a 26.0 average at the Malesvky Cup 2007 and never looked back for the rest of the 2007 season. The team's handling of exit, subterminal moves and the whole first page was new in the sport, and it was based on left-door experiences.

The videos of the Valentine's Meet show that the situation has changed for the team of the year 2007. The Odyssey members are cautiously checking the shape of the exit formations and handle the subterminal phase with a highly alerted approach, as well. The usual Airspeed pace comes back after a page with caution.

Airspeed Odyssey is obviously still in a learning phase of the Pilatus Porter, after not too many training jumps from the right-hand door to date. Odyssey pulled the Bipole of Block 14 in Round 2 as a complete formation. However, exit formation in Round 3 was a Side Body for the team, although the sequence began with a Crank (N-E-P-5).

Odyssey used an easier exit formation for the Side Flake Opal of Block 3 in Round 4, as well. The transition from the Stairstep Diamond to the beginning of the actual sequence and the first scoring formation did not take too long. It was still an unusual maneuver by the top contender for the gold medals this year.

The exit T of Block 22 (T - Chinese T) in Round 5 was not a complete formation, as well. Tail Mark Kirkby is usually already on the second grip of the cat piece in the rear when the first video frames appear for judges and audience.

The Airspeed Odyssey situation at the top pages of the first four videos surely looks like a step back in time. However, it ony means to the team members that there is work ahead, and that was no news in the Airspeed quarters. Odyssey knew from the beginning that the exits from the right-hand door would be very challenging.

And that's all it is for the Arizona team - a challenge. Exit, subterminal phase and the whole first page will most likely look different already at the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2008 in ten days. No doubt, Odyssey will eventually become familiar with the Pilatus Porter and try to get back to last year's point in time where the real Airspeed began with the exit.