Post 1.548 on October 2 2024

South African Nationals at Potchefstroom
28 September 2024 – 5 October 2024

They fly in 3 classes , club , 18m and 2 seaters., with 30 participants.
First day on September 29 with in each class the same racing class.
Task 1 in club ; 238.70 km race …..cancelled
Task 1 in 18 m; 273.80 km…..cancelled
Task 1; 2-seaters; 273.80 km….cancelled

Task 2 in club; 1.45 AAT….with a rather late [early birds started about 20 minutes earlier] start at 13,53 for Jason Adriaan, who won the day in his LS3A with 157.09 km and a speed of 89.76 km./h.
Runner up was Wayne Schmidt in his ASW 27; 155.14 km and 88.65 km/h.
So a pretty challenging day for the clubbies.
Task 2 in 18 m; 2 hour AAT....8 started and finished and best for the day was Mark Holliday in an ASW 27 with 222.25 km and 111.12 km./h. for 446 points.
Runner up Oscar in his JS3/18 m with 222.14 km and 111.01 km./h for 387 points.
After he flew with some of the participating pilots in Uvalde, Finish pilot Pasi Pulkkinen flies in this class in a 15 m JS 3 and finished on spot 7.
Task 2 in -2seater-class; 2 hour AAT.…nobody flew. Laurens was supposed to fly with Markus Geisen in the ASG 32 MI and I guess Tomas Rendla [Czech Rep] with Steehman in a Duo Discus.

Task 3 in all classes ;CANCELLED!!!
TODAY;
“Good morning – another morning with blue skies and sunshine, but a stiff little breeze and fairly cool temperatures. Yesterday they were hoping for better conditions from today – let’s they are right. It certainly has not been the best of weather as yet.“

——-Queensland State comps continued and are over now, AND ….in a weird way.
When they cancelled on the 25th, all pilots took their gear and left home, so no 3 more competition days without pilots. That was it!!!!
Weird!!! But only a state comps!!!The weather might be the spoil pot.
Club class;
Day 4 on the 25th, had for the 2d time, Daryl Speight in a Discus b at the podium. “Tocumwal” Grant was runner up in Discus A.
No flying anymore so winners are Daryl and Michael , equal on spot 1 overall with 33 points, whilst Grant has 28.
Sportsclass;
Ray Stewart [JS3 /18m] won all 4 flown days and as there was no flying anymore, he leads with 40 points. Good to see Lisa [Trotter in LS 8/15m] as runner up with 22 points. Scott was 3d with 20 points.

——Terrible rain, due to hurricane Helene , ruined the hangars and gliders in the USA from the club where a lot of pilots enjoyed their wave flying; Shifled Field.
North Carolina was hit hard. In total at this stage around 150 people died. SAD!!!!! And it will be more.
New world champion Sarah mentioned; “I’m heartbroken for our friends at Shiflet Field where we have so many happy memories from wave camp.”

–—-Till now the OLC was the “provider” for news of the Dutch Soaring Cup. From October 1 2024 they change to WeGlide as official platform. The Dutch Gliding Association is grateful to the OLC for their valuable support for Dutch Cross Country Gliding over many, many years .
The Dutch GP organizers added;
“At the start of the cross-country season 2025 our national aeroclub KNVvL has gone into a partnership with WeGlide.
I think we all recognize the tremendous push the OLC meant for cross-country flying in the Netherlands (and globally) but that it is time for this new kid on the block in order to take cross-country and competition flying to the next level.
We see this as a great opportunity in combination with the Dutch GP to further stimulate and find untapped potential of new talent.“

Talking about WeGlide, they have shared a great story on Sebastian Kawa in their magazine about his Gliding Expedition to Pakistan.
It starts with “Kawa has already won 18 gold medals at world championships. This year, he skipped the worlds. Why did Sebastian choose an expedition to Pakistan over the World Championship in Texas? Let’s find out” You can now too!
https://magazine.weglide.org/sebastian-kawa-gliding…/

——Talking about the OLC; The 2024 season was over on September 16 and the 2025 season has started.
The OLC champion for 2024 is Gordon Boettger with 9.052.63 points. He also had the best flight; 3.143.77 km with a speed of 186.42 km./h. Flown from Minden -Tahoe in the USA.
With this flight he got the distance record too. All flown in the ARCUS J.
Most flights/kilometres were made by Nicolas Bennett a member of the Minden Soaring Club; 68.208,63. WOW!!!!! I noticed him in different countries around the world. Runner up was Lasham pilot Garry Coppin with 64.150, 20.
The stats for Bitterwasser were , as every year pretty clear; 624.853,94 km. ,flown by 117 pilots, during 779 flights.
The next busiest airfield was Puimoisson; 533.433,62 km, flown by 201 pilots ,during 1211 flights.
Then,….Pokweni [spot 6] , Kiripotib [spot 4] and Veronica [spot3] all 3 in Namibia and Fuentemilanos on spot 5.
Busiest CLUB; the Minden Soaring Club!!!! 403.517,24 km flown by 42 pilots, during 793 flights.
Followed by the Dutch Gliding Club de Gelderse from Terlet; 344.877,86 km, flown by 90 pilots during 979 flights. Well done!!!!!

—-No F16 fighters anymore in The Netherlands . A few stay for practice , but not to “work” anymore. A lot of spotters waved them out, on Spetember 24, when they flew over Dutch soil for the last time. An end of an era. Volkel was the place where they started and returned to, flying, weather permitting , over most of the airfields they have been at in the Netherlands.
European Airshows  mentioned “Farewell to the Dutch Vipers!
Today, September 27, 2024, the Royal Netherlands Air Force will bid a heartfelt farewell to its iconic F-16 Fighting Falcons after 45 years of dedicated service with a final round flight over the Netherlands, culminating in a special ceremony at Volkel Air Base“
https://www.europeanairshows.co.uk/…/dutch-vipers-final…
About 24 go to the Ukraine.
A member of the Spotting Group Volkel   had his camera on burst mode and this turned out to this pretty nice /spectacular picture.

Birdman99 Aviation Weblog  ;” The very final landing of an operational RNLAF F-16 at Volkel Airbase, the Netherlands. Next to it flies a Belgian Air Force F-16BM with Air Force Photographer @cristianschrik in the back seat!”

——-Dutch Sailplane Grand Prix;
“With the season 2024 in the Netherlands coming to its close, it’s time to pick up where we left with our preparations for the first Dutch Qualifying Grand Prix in May 2025.
This means finishing the local procedures, issuing our first information bulletin and very important, start working on our social media plan. We have some great ideas!
Happy to see so many pilots have registered, 45 in total, way too many of course, but we plan to close registration in January 2025 to see the final list based on the IGC-ranking.
One of the pilots who registered , is Stefan Langer the winner of the 11th series and current 18m world champion Stefan Langer“
https://sgp.aero/netherlands2025

Talking about the Netherlands:
Some interesting facts only for those who don’t know my first country. My 2d country of course is Australia more specific, Tocumwal in NSW on the mighty Murray River and it is fabulous to see that the love for travelling-down- under, which George and I started in 1984, is followed now by the rest of the family. Dexter is moving for a year to Australia. He arrived this morning with grand dad.

Interesting facts  
17 Facts You May Not Know About The Netherlands: ONLY WHEN YOU ARE INTERESTED!!!!!
1. The Netherlands is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, with over 17 million people living in an area of about 41,500 square kilometers.
2. Approximately one-third of the country lies below sea level, and much of the land has been reclaimed from the sea through a system of dikes and polders.
3. The Dutch are among the tallest people in the world, with an average height of around 6 feet for men and 5 feet 7 inches for women.
4. The Netherlands has the highest concentration of museums in the world, with over 1,100 museums spread across the country.
5. Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh produced over 2,100 artworks during his lifetime, including iconic pieces like “Starry Night” and “Sunflowers.”
6. The Netherlands is the largest exporter of flowers in the world, with the flower industry centered around the famous flower auction in Aalsmeer.
7. Dutch cuisine features dishes like stroopwafels (syrup waffles), bitterballen (deep-fried meatballs), and haring (raw herring), which are enjoyed by locals and visitors alike.
8. The Dutch are avid cyclists, with over 35,000 kilometers of dedicated bike paths crisscrossing the country.
9. The Dutch national color is orange, stemming from the royal House of Orange-Nassau, which has ruled the Netherlands since the 16th century.
10. The Netherlands is home to the world’s oldest stock exchange, the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, which was established in 1602.
11. Dutch artist M.C. Escher, known for his mathematically inspired optical illusions, was born and raised in the Netherlands.
12. The Dutch language has contributed many words to the English language, including “landscape,” “cookie,” and “yacht.”
13. The Netherlands is known for its progressive stance on social issues, being one of the first countries to legalize same-sex marriage in 2001.
14. Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport is one of the busiest airports in Europe and serves as a major hub for international air travel.
15. Dutch windmills, such as those at Kinderdijk, are iconic symbols of the country and have been used for centuries to pump water and grind grain.
16. The Netherlands is famous for its cheese, particularly Gouda and Edam, which are exported around the world.
17. Dutch tulips became so valuable during the 17th century that they caused an economic bubble known as “Tulip Mania,” with bulbs selling for exorbitant prices.

Well, you are more than up to date now, so CU next Wednesday.
Cheers Ritz