THE LOOK
Nery Bernard
Nery Bernard flew in the early days of FAI team racing, before there were any rules against whipping. He flew up to the 1962 World Championship at Kiev (the site of the 1998 World Champs) and then retired. I met him a little after that and we spoke through an interpreter. He was perhaps in his mid forties at least and he and his club, apparently, had been on the wrong side of a reorganization of the Belgian Aero Club which had caused him to give up competition.
His airplane was one of the first to attempt a really attractive look in a racer at a time when the operational problems of flying and the poor condition of the European economy so few years after world war II made it difficult to fly at all, much less make it 'pretty'. The finish was "Highly polished red and blue."
The photograph and drawing above are of the famous, and much copied "Startiger". The photo was taken at Kiev, the last contest he entered. The drawing is taken from a contemporary publication; one should note that the time quoted was set when towing the aircraft was required. The speed is not so surprising as the fact that the pilot could fly it with two others while whipping that hard. The 4:21 time referred to was recorded in the 1959 Criterium when Bernard/Stouffs At this time 0.25mm lines were used and whipping was explicitly permitted. |
Bernard and Stouffs flew as "Ecure Tin Tin". Tin Tin is a famous Belgian cartoon character, a teen age boy with a white terrier "Snowy" who have many adventures together. |