MERRY CHRISTMAS, dear friends !!!!
My goodness me , I felt very much “clipped” without my writing,first the older news as it was all quite exciting here over the last days, then today’s news in another blog!!!!
But …..I am back on track on December 24, just to wish you a great festivity season and share more news!!
December 23;
As always ,….Bill got me out of trouble. “I see the problem and will get it fixed.”
A huge THANK you to him!!! AND eternal gratitude!!!!
This time I was not hacked but “ The backups have used up the disk space and I need to get some of the backups deleted. This will take a day or so. I am working it now. It will all be back up soonest.”
You always see,…..just when the highlight of the 2017 -soaring -season here in Tocumwal occurred, with the arrival of 3 JS 3 gliders from JONKERS in South Africa here in Australia and the very first…, my blog gave up!!!!!.
BUT,…working in word now to copy and paste later.
The 3 gliders are in Lumpy’s hangar; a nice Christmas “ present ” for him, one for Butch and one for Norm.
I hope they will have many great and safe flights in them.
Only looking at them makes one SMILE. They are just beautiful and it struck me how small the canopy is, high yes but not big.
Majestic wings. Sorry I missed the tip.
Joergen and Lumpy were working,[ some finishing-touch-stuff,] on all 3 gliders to get them ready for the Nationals early January in Waikirie. Most was done already by the Jonkers factory.
Also the registration on the trailers has been done.
When they finished their jobs , I was allowed to make some pictures.
The fuselage is big enough for a tall bloke as Lumpy, who fits in nicely.
A very happy chappie!!!!
He also demonstrated the electrical extension of the jet sustainer to bring him home if necessary.
Trailers are part of gliding so part of this photo session.
One of the 3 JS 3 trailers was in the hangar BUT, there was still a JS 1 trailer too.
Got some pictures from friends as well ;
Took time to photograph some pictures from the new hangars as well. Quite a few new ones and the very old one from John Williams who taught both my “kid’s” how to fly.
I heard that Butch and Pam will be soon in Toc for a few day’s to collect their glider and travel to Waikirie and we still expect, Pam and Gerrit, William and Evelien and Mac and Akemie after Christmas, as well as Simon, Tony and Jo.
In the afternoon yesterday ….SNAKE ALARM.…..
At 2.30 there was a snake alert at this hangar. I was not allowed to enter it ,so I stayed in the house built to the hangar.
A big one who seems to live under the concrete of the hangar just there were you enter the door. Noticed 2 holes where they go in and out so we are going to close them. Scary stuff.
Later I heard that they live their already many many years and making noise and NOT STEP on them would do the trick???!!!
At 4.30 Jamie , “our” engineer , whose business is called Border Aviation and also a tuggie in the far past and now, was the first one to take up one of the 3 Raptures in 18 m. conversion to the AUSTRALIAN skies AND in TOCUMWAL , a well known gliding place for ages!!! LP was airborne,…it’s quite some news here in Australia. Very first JS 3 /18 m. in Australia and airborne NOW!!!.
The first 2 flew with Attie and Uys [Owners of the Jonkers business]in Benalla in 15m. conversion during the WGC.
Just before we had a nice chat with Dennis Macstead,who dropped in and who was a young tuggie here in the late 80thies . He is the same age as our Dennis and did the towing here at Sportavia the year later when he finished high school and his flying license. Now he flies around as a captain on an A330 Airbus.
Both Dennisses flew together in one of the Blanik’s in that time.
Dennis here with Bruce and Bruce and George earlier in the work shop..
Dennis is Michael’s older brother, the same who flew me 2 years ago from Melbourne to Hong Kong where he lives. Also Michael was in the past a tuggie here. It ‘s great to see how all those tuggies did well. Tomorrow it seems Inge arrives here as well, another tuggie here at Sportavia.
Some just-funny-day-to-day-pictures from Bob the dog [from Colin].
Glad to be back starting the new blog now!!!
Cheers Ritz