Cuba's retro rides

A vintage car drives by a mural showing Fidel Castro, Jose Marti and Che Guevara,
in Havana, August 2009. REUTERS/Desmond Boylan Reuters / Thursday, August 13, 2009
A vintage car drives by a mural showing Fidel Castro, Jose Marti and Che Guevara,
in Havana, August 2009. REUTERS/Desmond Boylan Close

Fake news and paucity of true information is very dangerous, says Aleida Guevara

Dr Aleida Guevara’s famous surname still evokes adulation among admirers of Ernesto
‘Che’ Guevara, the Argentine revolutionary. His iconic image, with his beret,
intense, faraway look and brooding visage, snapped by Alberto Korda, has become a
symbol of resistance and idealism. Beneath a black-and-white photograph of Che’s,
which has pride of place in Politburo member MA Baby’s house in Thiruvananthapuram,
Aleida, a medical practitioner like her father, settled down to talk about her
father, his legacy and how present-day Cuba continues to be stand up to the
economic blockade imposed by the US. With the help of an interpreter, she answered
questions in rapid-fire Spanish, choosing each word carefully and insisting that
the interpreter get the import of each word correctly. In the summer of 1959,
Guevara had visited India as Fidel Castro’s ambassador on a goodwill trip to 14
countries. Sixty years later, Aleida visited Kerala and Delhi to celebrate the 60th
anniversary of the Cuban revolution. Excerpts from an interview... What is the
image of your father that you carry with you? I was four when he left and so I
don’t have many images of Papa. He was a great leader and revolutionary for many
but for us, he was our father. He was a happy man, very fond of his children. Since
you have followed in Che’s footsteps and become a doctor, what do you think is the
biggest challenge that medical practitioners face today? No child should die
because of lack of medicines. We might be able to help but we can’t because of the
restrictions. As a result of the blockade, we have been forced to explore and
research alternative medicines and native herbs that were used by Africans to cure
different illnesses. The two years I spent in Angola were difficult. I was upset
and shocked to see people dying of cholera. It is impossible to think of such a
thing happening in Cuba. There is nothing as precious as a child’s life because
he/she is the future. I was able to save many lives there but we also lost many.
Only those who see it as a vocation should choose the medical profession. Don’t
become a doctor to become rich. Become one to serve the people. If you cannot
empathise with the pain of a patient, you should quit. How has the economic
blockade of the US affected the Cuban economy? In many ways. For example, Japan
can’t buy the iron Cuba is rich in. If they do that, the US will not buy a thing
made of that iron from Japan. To give you another instance, Cuba needs rice.
However, we don’t cultivate enough of rice. So, we have to import. Although good-
quality rice is there in India, the US will not let Indian farmers sell the rice to
Cuba. They won’t allow commercial activities. Donations are different. As a result
of the blockade, Cuba, which is very advanced in health care and medicine, is
unable to sell their breakthrough vaccines and treatments to other countries. We
have vaccines for lung cancer and certain other lifestyle-related illnesses. But we
are unable to market it. Organisations like MediCuba Europa, a network of
associations and NGOs that works in the public health scene in Cuba, as a mark of
solidarity, helps the country procure raw materials for some of the medicines and
helps in marketing it too. The Centro de Estudious Che Guevara had published the
iconic The Motorcyle Diaries? Are there any plans for new books to tell his story
anew for a new generation? The Centro de Estudious Che Guevara, which had
posthumously published the iconic The Motorcyle Diaries and other books by Che
based on his notes and diaries, will be publishing a book on his travels to India,
Egypt, Syria and so on and his interactions with Jawaharlal Nehru and other world
leaders. Did you ever, at any point of time, want to take off on a motorbike to
understand the world and the people from a new perspective? (Laughs) I don’t like
two-wheelers. My youngest brother, Ernesto, is very fond of the motorbike and loves
travelling. Is there a kind of pressure because you are your father’s daughter? And
how do people in Cuba see Che’s four children, Alieda, Camillo, Celia and Ernesto?
There are three groups of people. One group sees us as Che’s children and gives us
a lot of love and tries to take care of us; the second group feels that since we
are Che’s children, we must be role models for society. The third group treats us
as any other Cuban. It is my mother, Aleida March, who told us that as Che’s
children, we would receive a lot of love from people and to be polite to all. She
made sure that we had a normal childhood without any kind of privileges. What, in
your opinion, is the biggest challenge that we face in the world? Apathy and
indolence. If values and ethics disappear, existence itself is endangered. We are
witnessing how that has affected countries like Syria that is caught in a civil
war. The world is not reacting enough against such situations. Similarly, many
countries are turning a blind eye to the US political interference in Venezuela.
Fake news and paucity of true information is very dangerous. As a result of that,
person’s choices and thoughts could be moving in the wrong direction and that could
be dangerous for society. For instance, the Amazon is the largest lung in the
world. But it also has large deposits of iron. The large-scale mining there is
destroying the forest. Do the people living there know how dangerous the
destruction of the rain forest is? We can live without iron but not without oxygen.
Any regrets about your father’s choices? No, not at all. I respect his decisions.
However, I wish we had more time to spend together as a family. How would you like
future generations to remember Che? I don’t know how the future will see Che and
his work. I hope they try to learn about Che’s ideology and the ideals that
inspired him. I hope they remember his unrelenting fight against imperialism,
oppression and poverty.

Introducing The Kraken

“She’s a wing of legends. The Kraken is the ultimate 'party in the front and
business at the back', she's super responsive and holds tight when pushed hard. She
is the canopy equivalent of Che Guevara, Marilyn Monroe and Brian Jones all in one.
The Kraken is a must have for any wingsuiter and will have the pilot grinning ear
to ear as they fly back to whatever landing area they can make it to. Kidding.
Kinda.” We have released the Kraken, finally! Designing the Kraken was a long
process because it was new to us: the Kraken is our very first wingsuit specific
parachute. Traditionally NZ Aerosports has focused more on flight performance than
on opening a canopy in a wingsuit wake. So it took us a few years, but ended up
with a very technical end result: a canopy full of cool features and ideas that
makes it very different from any existing wingsuit canopy. The result is a low
bulk, long lasting canopy with very reliable and stable openings that lands like a
dream. Typically, canopies low(er) in aspect ratio and ellipticity (fat 7-cell
canopies) have better heading performance, and stability in flight. The problem
with this is that wings shaped like this are not exactly renowned for their glide
performance and sharp handling. The solution to this problem was a combination of
ideas floating around the head of NZ Aerosports’ aeronautical engineer Julien
Peelman, and the production and test jump team. We looked to our deep understanding
of modern day wings, aerodynamics, and type of ingenuity that produces world class
skydiving parachutes – our trademark. Key features of the Kraken 3D Designed: We
are now using Catia V5 to design canopies. This is one of the most advanced 3D CAD
softwares available. It gives us more freedom to design the canopy down to the
finest details and helps generate the most accurate panels possible. The result is
a more accurate shaping, a smoother surface, and better aerodynamic efficiency. CFD
Tested: The Kraken shape has been tested using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics),
which gives us, among other things, a better understanding of her behavior in
turbulence and during recovery. Photo Chris Stewart Anticipating the zag: First
debuted in our Crossfire 3, The Kraken is designed so its panels are designed
directly in the shape they will have during flight by taking into account the Zig-
Zag distortion. This spreads the load evenly through the fabric and makes the wing
more structurally efficient. New Rib Shape: The Kraken has benefited from research
on rib shaping that was originally used to design our new range of hyper-
performance wings, Petra and Leia. New Crossport Design: Crossports have been
strategically placed in the Kraken to have the least influence on the upper surface
shape while allowing a good air circulation between the chambers. They are bigger
toward the center of the canopy to help with symmetrical openings. They have also
been designed with an elliptical shape that optimizes their area while reducing the
upper surface distortion. Powerband: We've added the split leading edge Powerband
to all our new canopies since we pioneered it with Petra. It allows us to better
control the aerodynamic shape in the nose area, which prevents parasitic drag.
Curves in the right places: We’ve realised that by sewing our reinforcing tape in
parabolas (arcs) on the ribs, we spread the load applied to the top surface more
efficiently, meaning less distortion and a more efficient top surface. Don’t say
slit: We’ve put a vent on the lower surface to help promote fast center cell
inflation. This means better, more on heading openings in the messy wake of a
wingsuit. It’s not a gaping hole like a BASE vent, it’s a… horizontal opening...
that seals after full inflation. There’s a hole in my slider?!: We became so fond
of vents that we put one in the slider! We found that by creating a channel for the
air to go straight through, we reduced the crazy oscillation often seen during
parachute openings. Those oscillations can contribute to off headings etc, so
that’s nice! Big holes: To help out its closest neighbors, the crossports leading
from the center cell to the closest outboard cells are enlarged. Promoting
symmetrical central inflation means promoting on heading openings! Keeping it
short: Shorter lines mean more flight stability, and easier rectification of any
pesky line twists – both good things for the whole wingsuit deal! High-tech, low
bulk: Because it’s 2019, we haven’t used untreated cloth (F-111) for our wingsuit
canopy. Instead, we’ve tracked down a low bulk ZP (treated with silicone) fabric,
and used that for the majority of the wing, with the Powerband and top center panel
made out of standard ZP for extra longevity. Riser equality: We’ve included a bit
of internal structure that means your bridle will load both your risers more evenly
during the early stages of deployment. Because of how it looks, we’ve called it the
‘Bow-tie’ – and as we all know, equality is classy! Photo Chris Stewart Little tail
thingys: Mini-ribs in the tail of a canopy sharpens its profile, which reduces drag
and increases glide performance by “a lot more than we thought”. This translates
to more fun in the sky, and a better flare on the ground. 7 cells are not usually
known for their amazing flare power, so it all helps! Improve your pull-out game
with a snatch: Symmetry is good, and so it is with your pilot chute. We’ve
discovered that using snatches help with our wingsuit openings, so we have stocked
up on them and highly recommend to purchase one with all Kraken purchases! Inward
Rotated end cell: While most ribs are perpendicular to the lower surface, the end
rib is rotated inward to reduce the size of the end cell and prevent it from losing
its shape. This reduces tip vortices and induced drag. Photo Chris Stewart New line
trim: Despite being a relatively docile canopy, the rectangular planform has been
compensated with a trim just a notch steeper than you would think. This helps with
up wind penetration, fun and is one of the reason for the great flare. New
Stabilizer shape: The shape of the stabilizer has been modernized to prevent it
from flapping too much in flight. It also helps the slider to sit in the right
position. Custom Sizing The Kraken is available in any size between 119 and 189 so
that you can get the perfect wing loading for you at this stage in your canopy
progression. See the Kraken’s key features interactively on
Emersya: https://emersya.com/showcase/5GFIH0C9Q0 Key flight characteristics of the
Kraken Openings The modern day wingsuit is capable of incredible glide, but this
efficiency brings its own set of complications when designing a parachute to match.
The biggest factor is the turbulent wake formed behind the wingsuit – right where
the parachute is deployed. Kraken openings are quick but not hard – you’ll feel
inflation immediately. The vent helps control the heading. Once the center cell and
adjacent cells inflate, the canopy slowly pressurises with a predictable
reliability. The Kraken will sail on level seas even with linetwists! Inputs
Intuitive and precise, each input delivers a predictable response. From opening to
landing the Kraken is a confidence builder. Toggles Big inputs will produce an
immediate response - the pilot will feel in control from first point of contact.
Stall point The slow flight characteristics were a very important design factor for
the Kraken, so there is plenty of warning before she stalls, and will recover to
normal flight in an easy and stress free transition when slowly letting the toggles
back up. Rear risers There’s lots of feel and response – the Kraken has fantastic
glide! Milk those rears and disprove the myth that all wingsuiters land off! Front
Risers F is for fun! Yep, the Kraken can dive! Performance The Kraken has loads of
zip! Fly her nice and slow for those busy landing patterns when you want lots of
vertical separation. Or dive her at the ground and drag some turf. There’s plenty
of fun to be had! Recovery Arc The recovery arc is longer than typically
experienced with similar 7 cell designs. For someone who wants to have their cake (
a nice sensible wingsuit canopy) and eat it too (swoop the shit out of it), then go
go go! Flare The Kraken has a wide range of performance, the flare is one of the
most important aspects - she wont disappoint. Those nil wind tiptoe landings will
feel very natural. More information available from: