377 km. was on the task sheet for the teams flying this National 2 seater competition from Narromine.
Task 6 of this flying day 5 had a new daily winner. Ron and Mac. A tad slower than Adam and Keith , but the handicap[1040] from the Nimbus 3DM put them on spot 1;117,79, for 118,88 km./h.
Difference in daily points ; ONE!!!!
Task 7 of flying day 6; with 2 days to go this was an interesting day with a nice task…439 km….
Scores are close, not so much at the top as the Edwards brothers, lost some points but still have a lead of more than 150 points on David and Butch.
Numbers 3 and 4 are close ….4.200 for Allan and Harry [89 years old!!!!] who are by the way, only 100 points behind David and Butch and 4.196 for Mac and Ron.
Who has the best nerves!!?? EVERYTHING is still possible!!!!
What happened?
With 113 km./h Adam and Keith raced for the daily win and 1000 points, so climbing up 1 spot again.
Mac and Ron did well with 106 km./h meaning a runner up spot. Brad and Bill lost more than 200 points by being 6th for the day. They are still in the lead but with less than 100 points.
One more day…
Task 8 on flying day 7. 3 hour AAT, so “find yourself as many kilometers in 3 hours.”
Well, former world champion [in Uvalde in 1991] Brad is good in AAT’s so he and his brother won the last day; 396 km. in time 3.03, so a nice speed of 130 km./h. That means they stay on top!
But then,….Adam and Keith really flew a great end-sprint over the last day’s but not enough to be in the top 3, they ended on spot 4.
Dave and Butch were on a daily 3d spot and Mac and Ron on 4.
Allan and Harry lost more than 300 points being on spot 7 so the final results:
1. Brad and Bill[ Edwards] in ASG 32 M with 6.243 points.
2. David [Jansen]and Butch [John Buchanan] in the ARCUS T with 6.025
3. Ron [Sanders] and Mac [Ichikawa] in Nimbus 3DM with 5.915 p.
4. Adam [Woolley] and Keith [Gately] in Arcus M with 5.905, they came close!!!!
“Thanks foremost to Keith Gateley for another outstanding week together, we had an absolute blast! Shame about the 1st two outlanding days, but 3 day wins & 2 very close 2nd places following, allowed it all to be ok. We finished 3rd in the 20m class & 4th overall by just 10points – so close, yet two turns too far.” Adam.
Miles [Gore Brown] flew in the Duo Discus as coach from a few pilots during these nationals . Huge experience for new-to-be-competition-pilots. They were 6 overall.!!!
Allan and Harry 5th!!!! YES indeed, Harry is 89 years old!!!I spoke with him and his wife Wendy, in Lake Keepit last year and even on hot days Harry is still active as a young guy. Amazing.
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The next Australian National Championship will be the 2020 Club & Multi-Class Nationals between 12-20 March 2021. Due to Covid they will be flown then.
Only 18 entrants, but enough to make it a valid [ 7 needed] club class championship and combined also a valid 15 m./st class championship.
Open and 18m. have only 4 so they fly for the Covid Cup.
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Great weather down under, last Wednesday when I left you. Pete [Temple] managed to fly his 2d 1000 from Gawler , for the season, in his 18 m. ASG 29. Rather late in the season. In the end of November, early in the season, he flew 1.313 km. already.
Grant, who just , won the Horsham comps in club class , flew 556 [FAI triangle] in his St. Jantar from Tocumwal and with such great weather Swiss Chris flew as well;590 in his ASW 27.
“nice CU day with cloud-streeting in the evening, tricky to find thermals on the first two legs, better lifts after that, but maybe it was just me“
Bernie [Sizer] flew in his PIK 20 B, a nice 500 triangle .
Also Ingo went for a flight, in the Cirrus, with good old Bruce as his tuggie!
Narromine had great weather too.
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Also a few 1000 km. flights from Worchester…they have a few really good final- season-days…
Marcus flew already a 1000 on February 17 in the ARCUS M, then Sven [Olivier] flew one in the JS 1 on February 18 and on February 19 both flew over 800 km. TOP!!!
Sven about his 1000 k. ;”A late season 1025 km (and 1000+ olc points) it was hard work 
the first 6 hours was 90% of the flight 
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THE KEEPIT Regatta started on February 21.The practice day was on the 20thiest.
There are 29 pilots flying in 2 classes; club [16] and sports [13] .
Day 1 with a 3 hour AAT in sports was won by Matthew Scutter in his Diana 2, with the FES; 352 km in time 3.08.
Matthew was runner up on day 2, a 2 hour AAT, won by “the meteo man” from the WWGC , Dave Shorter in his JS 1. Speed 132 km./h over 267 km in time 2.01.
Day 3 [ 3 hour AAT] was for Matthew again;357 km. in 3 hours at the dot!!!!!
“Lots of moisture around, so most clouds did not work. Slower down South but better and higher up North.” Matthew Atkinson who flies the Ventus 2C/18m.
In club the 3 hour AAT was won by Ray Caldon flying an LS 6 /17.5 m.[290 km. in 3.06.
The 2 hour AAT by Vic Hatfield in a G 103 Twin III SL and the 2.30 AAT by Sophie in her LS 4.[226 km. in 2.30 at the dot!!!]
It looks like the days on soaringspot are a bit mixed up.
no task today yet, so more next week.
More comps in Australia as this one; the GCWA Club comp.
“The Gliding Club of Western Australia is trying a pilot and glider handicapped competition format. It will be held a few times a year as a 4 day, long weekend format. The idea being more people can make 4 days than a week and it is easier to organize well than a weekend competition. We have a wide range of pilots and gliders from Ka6 to JS3 so we use variable distance by handicap but the same route to allow us to race together. We have a Grand Prix start and the first back is the winner. We sometimes have other task to suit the weather and other events, like Round the Clubs.”
They flew between February 19 and 22 and the first 3 days were not too good, looking at the weather.
Monday was a bit better with a 300 k AAT, but not all pilots could fly the task…..only 5 went up.
That day James Cooper flew from Cunderdin 829 km [798 FAI triangle] in his ASH 31/21 m.
Lumpy in his JS 3 638 km.
Western Australia has great late summer/ early autumn weather.
As shared by the Cunderdin Gliding Club of western Australia
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R.I.P. HANS WERNER GROSSE…..such a kind person, a real soaring hero…an epic pilot. There is much more to say about him, but you probably have read it already. I got to know him at a WGC ,I believe Paderborn and from when he flew records from the “heart of the continent”, Alice Springs. He called then to us/ George in Tocumwal to check the weather circumstances and after being fully prepared, he flew another record. GREAT personality. GREAT pilot. GREAT guy.
98….a superb age!!!!
JONKER Sailplanes shared this sad message;
“The gliding world has lost one of its greatest pioneers Hans-Werner Grosse passed away at the age of 98, finishing the last chapter in an amazing life story, filled with great gliding experiences.”
More on Jonker Sailplanes
ALL magazines have the news as Aerokurier.de and many individuals shared it as well.
Kiki; “Hans-Werner is now flying with the angels . A great pilot and a very friendly person . RIP”
British Gliding Association
“We are sorry to report that the gliding legend Hans-Werner Grosse has passed away. His 1972 flight of 1460 kilometers from Lübeck to Biarritz in southern France made Hans-Werner Grosse a legend of distance gliding. He died on February 18th at the age of 98.“
Also in the Volo a Vela
And https://nordicgliding.com/
And many more……so it should be, he was important for soaring, specially for long distance flying!!!!!!
R.I.P.
As shared by Aerokurier and many others.
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Bizarre weather in The Netherlands. Last week we had minus 17 here in this region, and now 20 plus!!!!
From skating on rivers and lakes ,we saw with in a week people go for a dive/swim in those lakes or rivers. WEIRD!!!!
BUT ….I LIKE IT!!!!!
CU next week. Still spring weather whilst the average temperature for this time of the year is 7!!! Today we have 20 again, most probably the hottest day ever on February 21 here, will be beaten today.
Though we “suffered” from red sand in the higher air levels, as the Southern wind from Africa brings this sand from the Sahara. No rain, so the higher levels are full of sand , hence less sun. BUT ,…we do not complain.
Sahara-sand has disappeared ,…sun is shining like in summer!!!!
Cheers Ritz