Bottom line: this is a great soaring video, one of the best! It ranks with the New Zealand videos and the classic The Sunship Game. This one is a must-have for every soaring pilot. You will enjoy watching it over and over again, and you will automatically go to it when entertaining guests who know nothing about your life's passion. A Fine Week of Soaring is 69 minutes of top notch cinematography. Numerous camera positions were used, including tail top, wing tip, cockpit fixed and hand held. Realistic, SeeYou replays help viewers to understand thermaling, ridge running, and racing tactics. The sound track is noise free and the commentary is clear and intelligible.

Mandelbaum wrote the script for general audiences. He explains technical terms so that no commentary is needed when showing this to the uninitiated. He does this in an unobtrusive way that's not off-putting to experienced pilots. Power pilots, who always say they need an engine, just might get the idea from this video that they really don't and that there is a lot more to flying than they thought.

A Fine Week of Soaring is a great video for soaring pilots thinking of entering their first competition. Although the video covers the event from many perspectives, mainly it's from the perspective of a contestant. It should go a long way in relieving the concerns of pilots thinking about competing.

Virtually every experience of flying a contest is shown, including arrival at the airport, greetings, glider assembly, task planning, pilot meetings, launches, in-flight cockpit activity, landings, retrieves, scoring and checking the daily standings. Then there are ancillary experiences like cookouts, softball games, the charming local scenery of Amish country with its cows, barns and horse drawn buggies.

The main feature of the video is Karl Striedieck flying a Duo Discus. You will hear a running account of Karl's in-flight decision making, the clues he notes for thermal and ridge flying, and his whistling abilities. You will witness a few zero-to-hero scenarios, and several scenes of flying versus Heinz Weissenbuehler. There are some really great shots of ridge racing. There is a close encounter with a hawk and unbelievalbe 4 to 7.5 kt lift in 5 degree weather with snow and overcast conditions. A good bit of footage is spend on Karl's soaring career.

The secondary feature is of the video is George Moffat reminiscing about competition flying in the old days. This is accompanied by numerous shots from The Sunship Game, in which he wins his first national competition at Marfa, TX in 1969.

One interesting scene is of Charlie Spratt planning a task using his marvelous, low-tech, string-board flight planning "computer."

Landing options around Mifflin County, in some places, are poor to non-existent. One nice feature of this video is a scene with Hank Nixon telling his story of redemption in which he lands in a lake one year and wins the nationals the next.

One foot note: It may be that the real star of this video is the Duo-Discus. After the contest Karl went out and bought one. What an advertisement for this fine glider!