Post 1.401 on January 25 2023.

2023 NATIONALS at WAIKIRIE.

Task 6 at day 9 of the Nationals showed a set task of 371 km. for open class. With a start at 1PM , Matthew and Pete left to race over the distance. With around 120 km./h they were back in 2.40; Matthew got 875 points and Pete 798.
Nearly the end of the comps, so start-games were played;
“A day of defending for me at the Nationals. Taylor departed first with two others, with the thermals great & to a decent height at the start time, I thought it was better to start 5 min behind him, rather than worry about Peter Temple & Matty Scutter behind me. My thinking was that if I get caught up in any sort of game with them, then Taylor will get the day win & be rewarded with his early start decision.
Unfortunately Matt & Peter are cunning & played the same on me, which linked Taylor & myself up – easy climbs marked all day.” more on Adam Woolley’s Gliding Adventures
Adam was 3d and Bruce 6th.
Task 7; 3 hour AAT,… Bruce was one of the 2 who flew over 100 km./h over 324 km. The other one was Lumpy in his Quintus; 105 km./h. He flew 315 km.
Bruce went as last on track and won the day.
Adam; “The scores are tied, it’s time for the big one! Scutter, Taylor & I are separated by 38-48 points going to the last day, fortunately it’s me in #1 spot atm, & they need to effectively fly further than me. I’m up for it Kasansky.”

As already mentioned by Adam, Matthew has chances too ;”second place for the day, which brings me within a whisker of first with one day to go.” Matthew Scutter’s Gliding
Bruce; ‘Today was a day of chasing sunshine and dodging shadows. This was in air that was quite similar to yesterday, as in blue and a bit crappy, but with less wind. The tricky bit was that we had bands of cirrus pushing in overhead, and the trigger temperature was critical enough to have the shadowed areas quit.”
Taylor’s Gliding Page

Task 8 VERY LAST DAY….383 km; and WHATADAY!!!!!

AND….his last story on the same site. What an effort and believe in himself.
Here is the NATIONAL CHAMPION ; MATTHEW SCUTTER.
“It’s all over – the last day forecast was a ripper and I knew I needed to deliver something special.
With both Bruce and Woolley in strong contention and Pete nearby there was no way to cover everyone and the only solution was to ditch everyone and go for a big day win.
I’ve been ‘working hard’ on relaxing in the glider because previously I’d land exhausted and burnt out every day from being tensed up and focused the entire flight, but there was no relaxing allowed today – I dosed myself to the eyeballs on caffeine and sugar, tanked the glider to the gunnels and aimed to just keep running at cloudbase and hope Wool and Bruce pushed too hard.
I made some fake starts and waited and waited until everyone left so I had the sky to myself, then cruised 110kts all day and only took 6kts, never getting out of touch with the clouds.
I’ve learnt a lot this week from some excellent competitors who’ve kindly punished me every time I blinked, and I’m very thankful to Waikerie Gliding Club, Mandy, Peter and many others involved in the organisation who ran a dream competition. We had almost the perfect task for every day, almost no outlandings and no hassle at all.”

So you have read Matties view on this last day which he started with 44 points less than Adam.
He “got” 846 points for this “coup”….speed 146 km.
In the end Bruce was runner up with a speed of 147 km./h.
Adam lost quite a lot of points on this last day. He dropped from 1 to 3, being 7th on the last day , he was 7th and “got” 579 points.
He started his day full of energy and hope “ Last day, let’s roll” Had a solid start at the correct time,7n kts, 7000 ft. kept pushing also after not the best lift under good looking clouds, though he had to dig himself out, and we know that costs time . In the end,…..”easy day, freaking awesome day, but I lost it“.
“If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry. My debrief on the day I lost the nationals, I think you’ll enjoy it – I’m still smiling, laughing, that’s racing.” he said on his last video to his RACEFANSSSSS………!!!!!in Waikirie.
Great when you are a gracious “loser”! Unlucky, but still looking ahead of making the team. He should be in it….
Bruce was runner up.
Bruce:’It was a smoking last day, and the best fun of the competition. Initially we had a 500km flight set, then it seemed to be very slow starting so we flew the B task of 385km. Once it fired up it improved very quickly… not super high at just over 8,000 feet, but the climbs were big and strong, and generally beautifully smooth. South, then east, north then home. What a ride!
Matthew Scutter had a great day, enough to jump into first place overall for another nationals title. I just pipped him in raw speed but stayed in second place for the day and overall. Sadly Adam had a low spot and it took enough time to get up and running to drop him back into third place overall. He’s been flying so consistently all competition and I was sorry to see him finish on a bit of a low note. It was the only day he was really off the pace all fortnight.”

Overall scores from this NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP;
1. Matthew Scutter in Diana 2 FES /15 m. with 5.932 points.
2. Bruce Taylor in ASG 29 E /18m. with 5842 p.
3. Adam Woolley in Ventus 3T/15 m. with 5.703 p.

Only 4 pilots finished the Nationals in sport class and as expected David Collins won in his ASW 20 with Bernie Sizer as runner up in the PIK 20; 5.773 points for 5.444 p.
David won 5 from 8 flying days out of 11 in total ,Bernie 2.

Thank you to Adam, Bruce and Matthew for sharing their “at the field” stories!!!

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Good news for female pilot Reiko from Japan;
“The experienced gliding instructor, professionally a helicopter pilot, has already traveled to almost every gliding destination on the globe, from Australia to Argentina and South Africa as well as the French Alps.
During her first flight experience in Namibia, she was surprised by the consistently very good cross-country flight opportunities. Reiko was flying an Arcus M mostly as a single-seater, and also in the club class version: fixed landing gear and no water ballast.
All the more impressive the flight performance of the petite Japanese without fear or reproach.“
On the last day of her 2 -week-stay in Veronica, on January 16, she flew a new Japanese 770 FAI triangle-female-record!!!
Good on her! Congratulations.

The flight was just before the end of the Namibian season ;
“The Bitterwasser season 2022/2023 is history.
This morning the last container with airplanes was picked up in Bitterwasser.
Between October 29th and January 23rd 856 flights (856 times “have fun” on the radio) with a total of 709,000 route kilometers were flown.
299 flights greater than 1000 km
2 x > 1400 km; 20 x > 1300 km; 48 x > 1200 km; 87 x > 1100 km
and a lot of flights that were just fun.
All this without any accidents and without any damage to the planes.
Many thanks to all pilots, guests and staff who contributed to this.
We are already looking forward to the season 2023/2024.“
Also the Pokweni gliders are in the containers.
Next year they all come back to Namibia after such a great year.
More stats in next weeks blog.

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Western Cape Regionals;

Weird weather in Worcester during these comps. 2 Days were cancelled, though a few flew nice distances and speed; on January 16, 3 from the 6 flying pilots that day, flew over 350 km. with a speed over 145 km./h for ZERO points. Task was a 2.30 AAT.
You would think a de-valuated day …..not cancelled….
So I decided to check with Sven about these zero points for nice distances. A simple answer; “the day was canceled before the gate opened – thereafter the weather improved and a few of us flew the task. This happened on the other two days as well.”
Well that says it all.
On January 18 a 476 km distances was set , task 5 and this time nobody finished , though Sven and Laurens tried hard and flew just over 110 km. That was it. No points.
January 19, task 6, had another long distance; 479 km. , only 7 pilots started and 5 finished the task…..for points this time.
Laurens won with 162 km./h. Andreas was faster , 169 km./h, but was punished for a low finish.
January 20 task 7 with 494 km.....LAST DAY!!!!! Another interesting last day with Laurens on 1 overall, 2.286 points, followed by Andreas with 2.135 p and Sven with 2.105.
These 3 pilots are going to decide who will be the winner from Cape Gauntlet Cup.
Guest Andreas was the winner of this last day and consolidated his overall runner- up- spot ; speed a whopping 171 km./h
Laurens won the day and the comps ;3.180 points and Andreas had 3.090 p. and Sven 2.990. He was 4th on the last day.
Laurens will fly the South African Qualifying Grand Prix in Worcester, straight after this competition. So does Andreas, Peter [Farrel] and Sven. They had great practice.
In 15 m. Findlay Smith [15 m. Ventus b]was the clear winner with 3.550 points more than 600 points on runner up Tokkie [Pieter Carstens] in LS 4.
In club the scores were CLOSE; USA pilot Brad Jackson won in his Ventus 2CM/18 m [handicap 120] with 8 points over Kevin Mitchell in DG 400/17m.
2 young men Wozniak & Groenwald, shared an Astir CS 77 and deserved, 1.117 points.

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The South African Qualifying round of the Sailplane Grand Prix at
Worcester will be held from the 22nd to the 28th of January 2023.

Also in Worcester this qualifying SGP, series IX with 12 participating pilots in 18 m. class.
You can follow the action on
https://glideandseek.com
Practice race ; Saturday January 21…...484 km
Uys showed his skills with a speed of 161 km/h. Oscar was runner up and our Dutch guest Erik Borgmann was 3d.
Race 1 on January 22;412 km….. Great race , with a regatta start at 13.44 and 5 pilots , from 10 starting, with about the same speed; between 143 and 145 km./h. Winning team , 1 and 2, was from Germany, Michael Pfennig and Mathias Schunk with Erik just behind them , then Oscar and Laurens.
Uys was unlucky with some penalty points for a too high start [56 sec]
“Fun first race at the SGP in South Africa. We saw great ridge riding and an exciting finish.“

Race 2; 549 km…..10 started and 10 finished the longish task. With 147 km./h Sven won the day; 10 points in the pocket. Good on him. As always there were some “mistakes” as a too low finish, a missed finish and a too early start.
Runner up was German pilot Lorenz Dierschk in JS1.
Laurens was 3d , Oscar 5th and Erik 6th.
“The 2nd race of the South Africa #SGP was fun with Oscar Goudriaan and Sven Olivier managing to take the lead. With the penalties, it is Sven who is winning the day.”
Full results at southafrica23.sgp.aero
January 24; was cancelled.
Race 3 ; 412.41 km is today, so next time the rest of thisSGP.

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The CLUB CLASS NATIONALS in ARGENTINA.
16 January 2023 – 27 January 2023

They did not have the best weather there in Pigüé. The pilots continued, but flew over the first 4 days only 1 task, on January 19, which was won as you can still see in my last blog by Jose Dentone.
Then another off-day, but January 21 showed a 2.30 AAT [task 6 on flying day 3] and the daily winner was again Jose…..245 km in 2.29; speed 98 km./h.
44 Pilots started and 2 were “out”.
Task 7 ; 2.30 AAT….changed in 2 hour AAT….and,…again Jose was the best. He flew 250 km. with a speed of 121 km./h.
In between Lucas and Damian moved up , after a daily spot 5 and 6, to an overall spot on 6 and 7.
Javier Gaude and Felipe Girado, familiar names , are on 2 and 3 overall, after 7 days and 4 tasks in total.
Task 8; 3 hour AAT....From 46 there are 40 pilots still in the race and 3 were out this day. A 1000 points-
day and those points were for Javier; 321 km in time 3.03; 105 km./h.
Jose, still on 1 overall was 7th [873 points]
Yesterday they had no task. More next week.

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New Zealand National Multi class championships.
Omarama
20 January 2023 – 28 January 2023

Quite a few championships at the moment. Here we go with N.Z.
On January 20 , 6 pilots started in open and 5 in racing class.
OPEN;
Task 1; 2 hour AAT..…283 km for Keith Essex in the fancy ASG 32 and the very best speed of all; 134 km./h. On day 1 already nearly 160 points ahead.
“AATs have been set for both classes. There is a front coming though soon and we’re gridding for a late afternoon launch with a 60% to 70% (depending who you ask) chance that we’ll get to fly the task. “
Task 2; 371.88 km....with 131 km./h. Keith won day 2 as well, after a rather late start.
Task 3; 3.30 AAT….500 km flown by ….Keith…. speed 134 km./h and number 1 again. Max Stevens was unlucky….out after 450 km.
Task 4; 2.30 AAT…..”Today the task setters are expecting it will take a while for the cloud base to lift so there is a later start with launching expected at 14:30.”
And indeed Keith started at 15.25, but no worries he still flew 368 km with a speed of 144 km./h. Back just before 6 PM for dinner.
Task 5; 389 km…..5 still in the race. Keith won, but was not the fastest as the ASH 25 flown by “a few” [Morgan & Hamilton & Oakley] was 1 km./h faster but had on handicap [114] less points.
Keith started as the last pilot at 14.45.
The lead from Keith is growing and growing; more than 600 points and 4 days to go.

Task 6; 2.30 AAT…..indeed a bit boring but also very strong flying of Keith;1000 points for 343 km flying with a speed of 118 km./h.

Racing class…..please look at www.soaringspot for more about their scores.
In short…..on task 2 Tony Van Dyke won in his LS 8; 350 km…speed 107 km./h.
Task 3 ;3.30 AAT …won by Tony again 423 km…… speed 120,80 km./h. 4 pilots flying and 3 were in.
Task 4; 2.30 AAT and 319 km in his LS 8 for Tony . He is leading overall now with more than 250 points. Good on him. It’s quite a long time ago that I met him for the last time . Though he lives already for ages in N.Z. he still spoke decent Dutch.
Task 5; 280 km....Like Keith in open , Tony is winning often in this class, as he did today; 101.92 km./h.
Task 6; 2.30 AAT and ouch Tony was out after 104 km whilst Terry flew flew 249 km in time 2.33. He lost more than 500 points…….

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Some long flights, seem to just happen.
Normally you prepare, find the best option for a strong departure ,and a strong area to fly in weather-wise ,to reach the best result.
This is what happened to MASTER KILOMETER EATER Klaus Ohlman; 1.426 km. with a speed of 149 km./h. in the Antares 20. This time it was more ad hoc, no worries, he knows all wave-areas and all mountains.
He flew from La Cerdanya in Spain.
Gil Souviron started from Perpignan and flew in the STEMME 12, 1.380 km.
“between the decision to fly home and a very nice day in the Pyrennees there are always the adventurer is winning. So, to try something new, I decided to fly downstream at the end of the day to the famous airfield of Fuentemilanos. No regrets, tomorrow, I will try to go home with other means of transports, taking the trailer and make the long journey to get the glider home again. Great thanks for my friends, GiIl, who gave me the motivation, to use this beautiful day. Joan, who helped me so early in the morning and alerted his friends in Fuente. Phantastic day, nice evening with new friends, thanks Miguel,, and a lot of new stories to tell.
Great thanks as well for all the controllers who allowed to use their airspaces.” by Klaus.
Pierre de Broqueville used the same air/wave , started at St Gaudens in his EB 29DR, but had a more than bumpy ride;”20 m/s sink and then again 10 m. lift. Brrrr what a contrast “. He is a very experienced Pyrenees pilot.

More than enough news .
The WAGA state comps , in Beverley Australia are in full swing with 27 pilots, a lot for a regional competition and good pilots as well. What about Norm Bloch, Don Woodward and Greg Beecroft.
More next week.

Cheers Ritz

POST 1.400 on January 18 2023.

2023 AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS from WAIKIRIE.
10 January 2023 – 21 January 2023

In 1974 the 14th WGC was flown from Waikirie. George Moffat won in open class [Nimbus 2] and Helmut Reichmann in Standard.[LS2]
ZULU ROMEO..GOOD START, the video on you tube of this WGC is still famous!
Ingo lost the lead here on the last day, after a mechanical problem [airbrakes] . Straight after he was launched in ZR ,he had to land in the relight area again. After looking and repairing the problem, he started again.
Helmut was back after a fast run, not sure if it was fast enough he went for a 2d run,….. for Ingo there was no time for a 2d run. Helmut’s 2d run was slower ,but he still won, 29 points ahead, as his first score was the fastest. Scoring in those years was slower and pretty inefficient due to cameras and barographs.
Helmut’s extra run was not necessary ,but it shows how he eager he was to win his 2d title.
By the way for George it was the 2d title as well.
They both won already in 1970 in Marfa in Texas.
ZR has been on line for many years at Sportavia [SSC]

Back to Waikirie NOW!

OPEN /18m CLASS:
TASK 1; 1.45 AAT.…
The first day …January 11….showed in the end participation of all 11 pilots and smiling faces from the winners in open/18 m ,Adam [Woolley] …..Freakin cool glider, still can’t believe I own it. In 15m config, it just talks to me, carries the water so effortlessly & handles so beautifully, a little rocket ship …..and Matthew [Scutter] ….”when I started everyone else had left. I made good use of the storm convergence, took a few 4kts to keep the flight low risk, and got home with a respectable speed”….both flying in a 15 m configuration.
Adam called it a fantastic/sensational day, after they first thought they had to cancel the day.
“161kph!! And to think that we almost scrubbed today, turned out to be amazing” . They “found” between 7 kts and 11 kts, en route.
Craig Vinall, a local “hero” was 3d in his 18 m. AS 33es.
They all started after 3 PM.
Task 2; 255 km.…Bruce must have thought…I have an 18 m glider [ASG 29e],….. so I fly an 18 m. glider, anyhow if these were his thoughts I don’t know, but he won the day;112 km./h. and a rather early start.[15.06, Pete started half an hour later]]
Runner up was Pete who had already a great practice period behind him in Gawler and Matthew and Adam in their 15m conversion-gliders the Diana 2FES and the VENTUS 3T.
Pete and Lumpy were the last to go on track.{15.36]
11 started and 6 finished.
“Extremely challenging day – I was very concerned about the southerly and the influence of the flooded area on the later sections of the task, so I went with the big gaggle and played safe all day. Everything went to worms about sixty kilometres from home and the gaggle almost parked it at Renmark airport – late starter Pete ran into the back of us here and we grovelled away for a slow final glide.
Points defended with minimal risks required, so a satisfactory outcome.” Matthew Scutter’s Gliding
And daily news on Taylor’s Gliding Page
On Adam Woolley’s Gliding Adventures you can see and hear his daily update on video. “RACEFANS!!!!!!!!!!“….
Lumpy, also from Tocumwal was last and it is good to hear a comment from a good pilot finishing last, as well.
“Well that didn’t quite go to plan….
Very difficult day yesterday with a lot factors influencing the WX which I didn’t read correctly. There was certainly safety in No’s if the day didn’t go as forecast and the gaggle did really well to get around, especially navigating through the wetlands of Renmark.
My worst ever day result at a Nationals but I will draw from it and reflect on decisions made. I love that this sport can be so rewarding one day and bring you back to earth ( literally) the next, I’ve still got a lot to learn.”

Task 3; 3 hour AAT...so better weather and a good task. BUT,….it’s awful when you prepare for such a start and you have a flat tire!!! That happened to Matthew.
“I had not one but TWO flat tyres this morning during gridding, which caused a bit of excitement and left me launching a bit late and overheated, but thanks to Jack and Mandy I got away with it.
High and fast day, blue locally with cumulus at FL130 on the hills to the west. It was strong enough that I wasn’t concerned about flying alone so I made a start by myself and barely saw anyone the whole day.”
Matthew Scutter’s Gliding
AND,….his first day-win during these Nationals with Adam as runner up and Bruce as number 3.
Matthew; 414 km in 3 hours. Adam about the same 425 km in 3 hours, for 1000 and 982 points.
All 11 started and finished.
AND,…Lumpy was 4th!!!WITH the highest speed however; 144 km./h. over 437 km.
Adam; “Another cracking day at the 18m nationals, loving getting to know the V3 in 15m config, little rocket with great feel! A very close 2nd today to Matty Scoote” more on Adam Woolley’s Gliding Adventures

“Unfortunately the internet was down at Waikerie which has taken the OGN tower with it, so sadly no live tracking for Day 3 until further notice.“
Task 4; 311 km….”Big windy cu+wave day with a late start and an early and sharp finish, I made a really clean start just about the perfect time of day as cumulus were forming ok track and didn’t give too much away to the wave starters behind me.” as Matthew started his blog, but then it went wrong for him, why and how you can read in Matthew Scutter’s Gliding
Daily winner was Pete with Adam, Lumpy and Bruce following.
Matthew was 7th and lost some points .He got 453, Pete 593
4 Flew with a speed of over 160 km/ph. Lumpy in the Quintus even with 167 km./h.

January 15……REST DAY!!!! Time to “listen” to Lumpy, who after a bad day recovered very well.
“The WX although seemingly looking great ( based on the speeds ) has been very challenging, with shortish tasks, it’s all been about the timing. Picking the right time to start to maximise the best of the conditions. When your racing with pilots who make every second count, leaving to soon or a tad too late will cost you positions.
Over the past two days, we haven’t had flights all under Cu, so it’s been very tricky to work out what part of the flight you’d like in the blue ( cause it’s going to happen ) and how you transition too and from these different air masses loosing the least amount of momentum. It’s been interesting to see the different thoughts and strategy’s as these flights unfold.
The two days have seen me with the fastest times, however the handicap pulls the points to reflect a fair race ( as it should ) but it’s nice to be up there again !“
AND to Bruce;“I tried hard to ignore the booming sky behind me and to make the best of things in front of me. Despite being really high the climbs were not super strong. 7 knots was pretty normal, with one that was 9 for quite a way, but heights were now up around 12,500 feet and it was lovely and cool. Strange to look down and know that it was 42 degrees on the ground!” much more on Taylor’s Gliding Page
After 4 days the overall scores look like this;
1. Bruce with 2.812 points. 2. Adam 2.803 p.3. Matthew 2.705.
An exciting 2d week to go!!!!

2d Week…..
January 16...no flying. Day “canned” as they call it.
January 17; challenging..…would they be able to fly??? Yes they were…..and HOW!!!!
A 2 hour AAT was set and many flew over 300 km and with GREAT SPEED; winner Craig in his AS 33es had a speed of 157 km./h!!!!|
Craig started as last raced over the circuit, passed them all and was back after 2 hours at the dot!!!!!
All 11 started and finished. 4 Pilots flew over 150 km./h. Adam was runner up. Matthew 5th.
Bruce who was 4th mentioned ;“Home safe, another exciting day. The task was near perfectly set (again) and there ensued many and varied ideas about how to approach it.” much more in his Taylor’s Gliding Page
Matthew;“The weather forecasting was trickier than the flying today – approaching front with 45kt gusts expected to go through Waikerie at 2.30pm meant a very small window.” Matthew Scutter’s Gliding

SPORTS CLASS;
Task 1; 2.15 AAT…..
5 pilots in this class and the winner was David Collins in ASW 20. He flew 260 km. in time 2.17 and had a late start. [15.28] Robert from “the Alice” started an hour earlier, ….after 35 km he was out in his Cirrus. ” First day of the sports class nationals, first day in a paddock for a long time…. Bugger, got it all wrong today.…”
Hopefully many more days to come. Bernie [Seizer] in his PIK 20B was runner up.

Task 2; 2.30 AAT...they all started within 15 minutes but after 3 PM. Bernie won the day flying 247 km in time 2.38,41. David was runner up.
All 6 started and 1 pilot was out.
Task 3; 2.30 AAT….Same task than the day before, but more kilometers flown. Bernie did well again with 287 km in time 2.29. David was runner up again; 800 for 731 points.
Task 4; 208.97 km....It’s either Bernie or David, they are a real match for each other, though David was quite a bit faster during this task; 138 km./h for 119.
January 15; RESTDAY!!!!!
After 4 tasks it is; 1.David with 2.702 points.2. Bernie with 2.655p 3. Sid with 2.365p.

2d Week;
January 16...cancelled, not a good beginning of the last week.
January 17…2 hour AAT….task 5 was again between David and Bernie. David won the day with 276 km with a speed of 125 km./h. Bernie flew 249 km with 117 km./h.
Robert did not start.
January 18, it looks like NO FLYING TODAY IN BOTH CLASSES.

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On January 11 , an other SUPER-Namibia-SOARING-DAY, my friends Patrick and Roy declared and completed 1.267km task with 3 TPs @ 143kph from Bitterwasser!!!
Great result. I am very pleased for them.
“A grand day out today for Patrick Naegeli & I.
We declared a 1.267km polygon and took off at about 1020 and started the task at 1038.
Felt like a hairdryer at the launch point, 15-20kt wind and temperature 33C.
So set the task directly downwind first. A good plan as the wind at altitude dropped from 34kph on the first leg to 18kph in the middle and end of the flight.
We finished at 1932hr so the average speed on the task was 142.4 kilometres per hour.“
Apparently this is the first flight from Bitterwasser over 1.250km., 3 or less turning points which were pre-declared before take-off in a two seat glider. If so,…CONGRATULATIONS and SO DESERVED!!!!
https://www.onlinecontest.org/…/gliding/flightinfo.html…
They flew 1.307 in total and that was NOT enough to top the day.
That spot was for the Twin Shark with Bernd Dolba flying from Veronica; 1.338 km [1.263 FAI TRIANGLE]
AMAZING 5 x a 1300 km flight and many FAI TRIANGLES, what a year!!!!!
It seems the weather predictions are spot-on as well.
Belgian pilot Johan Luyckx flew in a Ventus 2CXM/18 m his 1.250 FAI Diploma!!!!1.297 km with 141 km./h. also from Bitterwasser.
On January 12 another 4 flights over 1.300 km. …..one in a Ventus 2CM/18 m. by Markus Langemann from Pokweni. He started in Pokweni on the 19th of December and flew till now 10 over-1000-km-flights.
34 Over 1000 km-flights in total last Thursday.
On FRIDAY JANUARY 13 only ONE 1000 km flight flown by young Fillip Jonker in his JS 1 from Douglas in S.A.

Yesterday , and it was already January 17 …pretty late in their season, BITTERWASSER still had 6x a 1000 km flight with even an 1.202 in the magic ARCUS M by Bernd [Goretzki] with Florian in the back.
And put 2 top pilots in such an Arcus M, Reinhard [Schramme] and Stefanie [Muhl] and they fly nearly 1.200 km. as well.
4 from the 6 flew an FAI TRIANGLE!!! TOP!!!……Lothar in a Ventus 3M.

KIRIPOTIB, is already slowly starting to look back at their season and what season they ALL had in Namibia.
Could this be the best ever Namibian season???
Eager to find out!!!
“It’s colorful at Kiripotib – we enjoy international flair. This season we were happy to welcome guests from 14 nations: Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Slovakia, Poland, England, Slovenia, Spain, France, USA, Canada, Germany and Austria.

They are still flying. On January 15 they still had 4 over 500 km flights. Yesterday still 2x over 600 km.

It’s nice to see that between all those “power-flights” from Africa, in fancy gliders, you find 2 former top- hang -glider- pilots, flying from Narromine down- under in an ASW 20; Tomas [Suchanek] 723 km and Atilla [Bertok] 692 km/650 FAI triangle .
Both once flew a hang glider competition in Tocumwal with us. It might even have been a world championship??

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The British Women Pilot’s Association handed over in the beginning of this year a Special Recognition Award for 2022 to Liz Sparrow.
“Liz worked tirelessly to ensure WWGC 2022 was a success, giving up her chance to compete for Team GB in order to take on the role of competition director.”
A very much deserved recognition for her hard work. I totally agree!!!!

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The WEST CAPE REGIONALS started on January 14 in 3 classes at Worcester.
Open with 10 pilots amongst them 1 HC. 15 m with 3 and club with 4.
I concentrate on open, but you can find all scores on www.soaringspot.com
On day 1 a task from 426 km was set. An International top 3 for the day. Laurens [Goudriaan] from South Africa as number 1 with 149 km./h.[JS 3] Runner up Andreas Spielmann from Switzerland with 147 km./h [ JS 3] and a strong “combi” in the Arcus from the USA and New Zealand, Nick [Bennet] and John [Coutts] on 3.[ARCUS M]
day 2; 279 km....Sven[84 km./h.] and the STEMME S12-pilots [77 km./h] flew the task, but it turned out an invalid day, as the rest did not fly far enough or did not fly at all.
day 3; 2.30 AAT....5 Pilots flew the task but AGAIN it turned out an invalid day. A pity for the USA/NZ combination in the ARCUS M as they flew 367 km with a speed of 148 km./h.
They , Nicolas and John mentioned ;”Day cancelled again. We flew the task anyway, with a speed of 148kph.” And shared this picture.

Task 4; 2.30 AAT….yesterday…..won by Sven, good on him. Only 7 were scored and only 2 were “in”. Sven and Laurens; both flew 265 km , no they did not start together, as Laurens started about 15 minutes earlier, but they had the same speed106 km./h. and about the same points;535/532.
Sven moved up from 5 to 3 [1.249 p] with a few more days to go and Laurens clearly leads now ;1.416 points. Andreas is in between them with 1.266 p.
All scores still preliminary.

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9th NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP for CLUB CLASS in ARGENTINA
Pigüé…16 January 2023 – 27 January 2023

45 Pilots fly in this Club Class for the National Argentinian title from Pigüé ! Never heard from the field, BUT, never too old to learn.
Task 1; 3 hour AAT….so the “little ones” straight had to go for “a few ” kilometers. And they did!!!!
Well known pilot Javier Gaude was the daily winner in his DG 200 with 343 km in time 3.07, speed 110 km./h.
Then 4 ASW 20 gliders with among them Jose Dentone and 3 LS 4 gliders with p.e. my soaring mates, Lucas and Damian Goldenzweig.
Task 2; there was NO TASK 2.
More next week.

That’s it for now, more than enough news for this week.
Cu next Wednesday.
Cheers Ritz

January 11 2023; POST 1.399.

FAI SGP XI QUALIFYING ROUND AUSTRALIA.

The SGP in Gawler with 5 pilots flying in 18 m. gliders, finished after 6 races!
More about race number 2: in my last blog I mentioned already the winner Pete, [Temple] ….but there were no points on the scoring list then.
Now they are; Pete got 4, Geoff [Brown] 2 and Matthew [Hutchinson] 1 point.
David and Mac got ZERO points , as they were out of the boundary after 25 km.
Race 4; 273 km...won again by Pete for 6 points and all 5 pilots got points.
Pete in his ASG 29 flew around with a speed of 108.8 km./h.
Runner up was Mac, in Adams VENTUS 3T with 106.7 km./h for 4 points.
3d; Geoff in the JS1 with 105.3 km./h.
David in the JS 1 got 2 and Matthew in the VENTUS 2CXA, 1 point.
6/7 kts thermals en route , not too bad,…..and in the end from the border control, 30 k out he stumbled into 7.5 kts climb again , took a few turns and off to “home” ,was what Pete mentioned after the flight.

After 3 races and 3 to go it’s Pete on top overall ,with 12 points, followed by Geoff with 11 and Mac with 8.
Race 4; another day …258 km. was set….and all got points again. Pete won the day ,but they flew in a “5-formation-bunch/gaggle” from start to finish, so speed between 115 and 117 km./h..
So “all” going out and coming in around the same time.
Race 5..381 km.…and hang in as it is getting boring, but Pete won again, a longer distance however and a very nice racing speed from 152 km./h!!!! Great conditions, good air.!!!
A high day as well 9000 ft., they could just skip the first thermals after start and go on track straight away.
Also Mac and Geoff flew over 150 km./h!!
Mac was runner up and 1 minute behind Pete. “Again,” he said with a smile.
With one day to go Pete leads with 24 points, but there is still a “fight” going on between Geoff and Mac; 17 and 16 points!!!!
Race 6 out of 7 day …last day ;had over 300 k again; 314 km. and sadly enough,….an off-day for Geoff who was out after 178 km. loosing his runner-up -spot. Pete and Mac were the best with a speed of 149 and 148 km./h.
With a trough predicted they hoped to be on the easterly side of it for even faster speed. The really high fast, cool, comfortable day was not really there .They hoped for 170 km./h ,but 150 km./h is not bad either.
“After 6 Races on the final day Gawler provided magnificent soaring conditions. A trough crossed the task area bringing 12,000ft plus  cloudbases and 10 kt plus climbs throughout the task area.”
SO IN THE END THERE WAS A CLEAR WINNER; PETE TEMPLE with 30 points.
Mac was runner up with 19 and Geoff third with 17.
Nice race!!!! Pete’s wife ,Mandy, was the competition director, [as she was in Lake Keepit during the WWG] and all went smooth and fine, she said with a big smile. She is good, also as Aussie TC.
Several videos are on YOUTUBE.
Sean did a good PR/coverage-job.

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Good weather at more places in Australia. In the East my friends Gerrit and Pam flew 929 and 652 km in their EB 29R and ASH 31/21 m. Speed 121 and 109 km./h. [January 7]
Back to the West again…..Horsham this time, Jarowslav in his PIK 20 b flew 661 km.
And,…The Australian Nationals are soon in Waikirie and some as Lumpy, practice already; 616 in the Quintus M.
Bruce Taylor was on his way.

And Adam was on his way too;
“My commute to the 18m nationals, about 36hrs on a jet straight from pickup in Bangkok to Adelaide (4 sectors). I’m just arriving in Gawler now for the last day of the SGP, they’re up there enjoying a 12,000′ CU day.” And more blogs to enjoy. Adam Woolley’s Gliding Adventures

The Australian Nationals will be flown from January 10 [ practice] till January 21 in Waikirie in 2 classes; open/18m and sport class.
They had their first day TODAY. A 1.45 AAT for open /18m won by Adam, who mentioned; .
“Day 1 of the Australian 18m nationals, I’m flying in 15m configuration in order to learn how to find this beauty before the pre-world’s in March “
Preliminary score;586 points for 161 km with a speed of 161 km./h. Craig Vinall was even faster in his AS 33es, but he flew 297 km.
Bruce was 4th and Pete, who rushed from Gawler to Waikirie 6th. So did Geoff and David ;7th and 5th for the day.
Here is Matthew [Scutter] about day 1;
“I had to withdraw from the 20m nationals due to a date change, which left me without any competition practice prior to the 100% selection event in Narromine in March, so instead I decided to drag my little 15m glider to the big boys 18m nationals in South Australia.
I was quite behind the 8ball for the first day, not quite focused or in the right mindset. I compounded this into blowing the start, needing a ‘relight’ while I could see competitors just a bit further away climbing through 10,000ft.
When I started everyone else had left, so I resigned myself to just putting up a clean flight to salvage the points. I made good use of the storm convergence, took a few 4kts to keep the flight low risk, and got home with a respectable speed.
More tricky weather to come.” Matthew Scutter’s Gliding
2.15 AAT in Sport class and only 4 started and 3 finished.
More next week!

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Still great soaring conditions in Namibia. Sometimes the day starts a bit later , there are weaker climbs and a lower cloud base, but in the afternoon convergences “rescue” the day and a 1000 is still possible.
“1000km rescued by an excellent western convergence at the end.” Patrick.
Even a nearly 1.250 was flown in a Quintus M from Bitterwasser on January 4.
Last Sunday Simon Schroeder , one of the young German hotshots flew in Guy’s Quintus M.a new distance record with a speed of 154 km/.h. ; 1,445.32km/1,278.47km FAI.
“What a day!!!
Started very early this morning and initially had difficulties making good progress in the headwind. Everything was blue.
 When we got to the cloud base it was relatively relaxed. The convergence wasn’t quite as pronounced as you can sometimes experience here, but I still progressed fast enough to break the kilometer record.” by Simon in his OLC comment.
More about the young ones below .
The first 23 flights on Sunday January 8 on the OLC were over 1000 km. a total of 27.
6 flights were over 1300 km.
4 flights over 1200 km. amongst all those flights, 6 FAI triangles over 1000 km!!!!!
What a season they have in Namibia!!!!
Bitterwasser, Veronica, Kiripotib and Pokweni ,…they all shared in the 1000 km-plus–happiness and euphoria.
Simon flies in Namibia since December 20 . He flew 4 days in the EB 28 all over 1000 km. On December 26 a 1000 in the ARCUS M.
Then a flight to get used to a new type, the Quintus to fly with that glider on January 6 and then on January 7 and 8 a 1.247 and 1.445 km. flight , both FAI triangles as well.
Pffff…he must be worn out ,but full of adrenaline! And he is YOUNG.
During those 8 flights he was 64 hours in the air.
“7-year-old record topped – Bitterwasser again basis for a new distance record in Namibia.
The 2022/23 season seems to be a very special one. We have been able to watch countless thousands enthusiastically in the last few weeks. So it was only a matter of time that the seven-year-old distance record of 1434 km by Matthias Arnold from 2016 would be set.
Yesterday was the day: under optimal conditions, Simon Schröder raced to a new absolute kilometre record over Namibia with the Quintus provided by Guy Bechtold. OLC – onlinecontest.org

“Admittedly, the Quintus is also the optimal weapon for making kilometres,” said Simon in his commentary on the flight.”
8 January 2023 is definitely one of the most outstanding days in recent years.”
January 9, the first 29 flights are over 1000 km. and another 4 completed 33 flights.
15 of them FAI TRIANGLES!!!!!
All in Namibia.
It’s such a SUPERB season.
NO WONDER that at this still early stage,…..as the season is not yet over, …. Bitterwasser tops the Stats from airfields with 106 pilots flying 741 flights and till now 609.662,63 km.
Interesting,…VERONICA …not that long ago not even on the list ,is runner up at this stage with 87 pilots flying 523 flights and 405.811,93 km.
Yesterday another 17 x 1000 plus including 5 FAI TRIANGLES.

And look also at the skies last Saturday in Bloemfontein in S.A!! 670 km. by Dutch pilot Ronald in a JS 1, member of the Delft Student Aero Club.

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WEGLIDE has a nice story about all the young German “hotshots’ flying those amazing flights in Namibia, on the last day from 2022 and the first day from 2023.When you missed it, here you are;
“What happens in Namibia, when early developments make an unusually early start possible? The young guns finished 2022 properly. On the last day of the year, three gliders tried to squeeze the maximum out of the desert. Together, they covered nearly 4000km.
Let’s start with the top-pointed flight. Max Schäfer & Eva Schröder lined up for a big L with two long legs along the famous edge with defines the border between the Namib- and the Kalahari Desert, congrats.”
In my last blog I wrote about those fabulous flights. Here are some links to the flights;
1.373,98 km @ 143,04 km/h on https://www.weglide.org/flight/229179

“Now a special one! Tore Graeber & Simon Schröder aimed for a big triangle. They headed into South Africa turned west and flew deep over the Namib back north. In the end, they completed an unbelievable 1300km FAI, congrats”
So a huge set, TRIANGLE over huge areas, qua weather and land. The first one in Namibia, and that says something!!!!! Also my congratulations!!!
1.335,27 km @ 143,34 km/h on https://www.weglide.org/flight/229176,229166

“Nils Fecker headed for a big triangle too and challenged Tore & Simon. Slightly ahead, Nils, unfortunately, made a mistake near Gamsberg and had to use the engine to get back to Bitterwasser. But that’s gliding as Nils mentioned correctly in the comments: “An expensive lesson. Everything can’t always work out.”. Nevertheless an amazing flight as well“
1.267,58 km @ 144,79 km/h on https://www.weglide.org/flight/229166

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And to finish some nostalgia for me, not for my family as they were in Tocumwal!!!!
Pictures from the BELANCA SCOUT, VH-SFO, loved by all in the family and flown in the far past by Dennis [1987] and Inge and a huge amount of tuggies, now by George and Diana and the last winters by Grietje from Corowa.
And now by more family members…it really is a family affair and I share it with you…..when it makes me happy , it might make you happy too, specially those who visited Tocumwal.
Dexter is not on these pictures as he had to fly home earlier because of school, but he flew as well.
By the way Inge’s husband Rodger flew with Diana in the IS 28 too. He was solo a few years ago.

And then,…it’s evening in Tocumwal and slowly one by one they depart from Tocumwal, back to Amsterdam, one to Sydney and 2 to Perth. Tomorrow everybody should be home again.
AND,…though I was n’t there I had as much fun with their stories and pictures.

They went hiking in the Grampians as well.

Cheers Ritz
To finish ;

POST 1.398 on January 4 2023.

2022, was not the best year for many of us. The war in Ukraine, the sky-high rise of gas and oil and the economical prices going with that, climate change problems as flooding, landslides , fires , hurricanes and damaging cyclones , extreme cold and the final convulsion of COVID,…they all had a huge impact on many of us.
Also on me…..after having been miserable tired and without energy for 7 months, thanks to the MODERNA- booster-vaccine I got on December 2021, I slowly get back in the “normal” routine again. Pffff……
I am ready for 2023.

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The 12th Women’s World Gliding Championship is open for entrees/registrations!!!!

1 July 2023 – 14 July 2023, The Garray Airfield, Soria

“See the world’s top sportswomen race their gliders over 14 intense competition days and thousands of kilometers to become World Champion.  Watch the mass launch of up to 60 gliders, follow them on live race tracking. It’s a great family day out with fun gliding-related activities for the kids, air and ground displays and street food stalls.“
https://wwgc2023.org/

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Not long and the Namibian rain season will start. BUT,…. what soaring-season they had!!!!
On December 27 they had already a “sneak preview” of what’s going to happen.

BUT,….it’s still too early for full rain days so THE VERY LAST DAY of December was AWESOME in NAMIBIA, with 27 flights over 1000 km and 2 with more points than anytime before. Both from Bitterwasser , both in an ARCUS M and both with “a Schroeder” in it. Maximilian Schaefer and Eva Schroeder and Tore Graeber and Simon Schroeder. First 1.300 for Simon.
“Good forecast by Topmeteo – great weather in Namibia!
An early start at 10 a.m. under clouds that is rarely experienced in Bitterwasser!
First east to prepare a triangle for the day.” more comment from Maximilian on https://www.onlinecontest.org/

Being at the right spot at the right time,…so important for 1000 km-chasers.

So Bitterwasser topped the last day of 2022 on the OLC , BUT, also did so on the first day of 2023 with WOW flights again; Maximilian and Simon flew 1.298 km in the ARCUS M. …1.054 FAI triangle. As they mentioned; BITTERWASSER SIMPLY THE BEST!!!!
My Lasham mates Roy and Patrick have flown 3 x till now and a glorious 1.292 and 1.140 are added in their log books. Their day 3 was different; 452 km.
“Good conditions to NE but as we headed south from Kentucky there increasing shower activity towards Bitterwasser so we turned back. An easy run home until the last10km then moderate to heavy rain so an interesting cross-wind landing.“
Yesterday; 811 km. Their mates Andy and Garry were the only ones to fly over 1000 km. on the OLC ; 1.100 to be precise , even able to share a great picture…yes from showers.
Garry; “Landed just before the storm arrived!“

South Africa is going strong too. On the 28th of December, Worcester had 2x a 1000 by Karin and Markus [1.008 km] in their ARCUS M and by Sven, [1.125 km] in his JS 1B…their Worcester MAGIC is working again. Both with a speed of 140 k/ph.
Sven flew a 1.110 km. flight also on December 24. For Karin it was the first flight back in “their” Worcester.

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There is a nice way of looking back on 2022 on WEGLIDE. This one is about club class and involves a Dutch pilot.
“Best of WeGlide 2022
Today is our ‘Club Class Special’, and what a year it has been for the clubbies. They prove that you don’t always need expensive machinery to achieve awesome long-distance flights. Here is one of our favorites:
Jeroen van Dijk from the Netherlands launched at Soesterberg Airbase 09:10LT in his LS3 for a flight that would be engraved into his memory for a lifetime. In 10,5 hours, Jeroen crossed the whole of Germany from West to East and eventually landed in Strunkovice, Czech Republic with 1021km flown. A mega achievement!
Two months later, he proved that this wasn’t just luck. This time he made the 4 digits again with his LS3 and managed to get back to his home field!

1021 km @ 97 km/h

Soesterberg @acvz

LS3

10h 37m

Head over to WeGlide to see the full flight:
https://www.weglide.org/flight/160672
This flight was on May 28 2022 AND, I missed writing about it, as I was on my annual holiday with the high-school friends, but you know it now. GREAT EFFORT.
Belated congratulations Jeroen!!!!

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There is a small airfield close to Minden and nearly as well-known as Minden; TRUCKEE!!!!!
“Loving the Winter Wonderland, but looking forward to our 2023 season opening day too!” by Truckee Tahoe Soaring Association

Another small airfield Porta Westfalica, now in Germany, is the host for ridge-soaring-[hangfliegen] guests as Tudor, who flew in his St. Cirrus WL, 416 km. on December 30.
He shared this picture. More pictures on the OLC .

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The FAI SGP Qualification from the 11th series started on January 2 in GAWLER in Australia.
They continue to January 8. Their unofficial practice started on December 31.
5 Pilots amongst them Pete Temple and Mak Ichikawa, both in the back.

The official practice day was GOOD; not a huge task 355 km, but excellent soaring conditions, what about….40 dgr. C, light sea breeze, thermals at launch to 7,000ft and Cu to 14,000ft in in the east of the task area. Not many flew….but the 2 who did really practiced interval’s and starts.
Race 1 on January 2…2023!!!
“CANCELLED
The main issue is that the upper air is still too warm. The temperature would need to reach 34C break through the inversion. The maximum temperature is forecast to be 31C.“
https://australia23.sgp.aero/…/race-day-1-2-january…
Race 2 on January 3; 235 km and won by gentleman Geoff, who saw that Pete and David in front of him, got into problems and lost height, so he decided to stay careful and as high as possible. On the last leg they had better circumstances along a convergence line. Geoff flew with a speed of 105 km./h. He was the only one without penalty seconds for a too high max speed at start.
Mac was runner up; 103 km./h. He flies in G1, the Ventus 3T, from Adam Woolley.
Race 3; today…237 km.… preliminary won by Pete, but all were “punished”.Rules are strict in the SGP, so they should be.
Pete had not the best start. He went through the gate first but saw behind him that all others had a “monster climb” . They were kilometers ahead and 1000 ft higher. But Pete managed to “get” them one by one, finding 5 to 7 kts thermals, to bring him home.
But at this stage they all have still 0 daily points.

When you like VIRTUAL GRAND PRIX better here is the link to the scores for race 1, with 44 participants world wide.
“Virtual SGP: All results from Race 1 are available!
Congratulations for this first win, Marcelo!” FAI Virtual Gliding

https://www.condor.club/comp/besttimes/0/?id=22325

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AUCKLAND SOARING CHAMPIONSHIP 2023
 Drury, New Zealand 1 January 2023 – 7 January 2023

They, the Auckland Gliding Club, started full of optimism but after ONE day they could unfortunately only share his message;
“Attention soaring enthusiasts! It is with a heavy heart that we announce the official cancellation of the Auckland Soaring Championships for 2023. Despite our optimism and the promise of a great New Year, the weather forecast for the next six days is simply too bleak to ignore.
However, we did at least have one rewarding day of soaring, and we finish on a high with most pilots enjoying the flying and our assistants having a great day as well.”
Next time BETTER!!!!

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Right on those last days from 2022, a few people passed away. One of them the POPE Benedictus XVI, the first pope in 600 years, who resigned but also one of our well known gliding mates;
“I have the sadness to inform you that Jean Claude Lopitaux did his last flight yesterday.[December 30]
He was world champion in 1989 in Wienerneuestadt ( Austria)
He was very active in the defence of airspace for gliding.
He was sick since several years.
Blue sky Jean Claude. RIP” by Kiki.

Not too much news today,…maybe that it was 18 dgr. C here… PLUS…, the warmest ever last-day-day-of-December!!!AND,…the warmest ever January 1 2023.
Not much snow in the winter sport areas from Austria, Switzerland and France, so quite a few accidents and incidents. It looks like spring over there.
Cheers Ritz