Post 1.557 on December 4 2024 AND ……4 blogs to go.

The Australian multi class nationals flown in 2 classes 18 m and open, continued ,but initially more with talking than flying.
It RAINED!!!!
So on November 28 , 29 and 30 ...NO FLYING.….BUT better weather was expected!
I know , that on non flying days the pilots meet and talk and talk and talk. Everybody can say what ‘s on her/his mind. For sure with the troubles ahead of the comps…. TALKING was necessary!!!!
On December 1 their meteorological summer started and our winter. Yes indeed we had minus 2 dgr. C ,but sunny and blue skies during the day.
Sunday December 1…with a 3 hour AAT the comps continued again . A task around the airfield to fly 3x!
It was looking and waiting ,what this day would bring.. Later on the day showers were expected . The first pilots however could leave at 1 PM.
Task 7 on flying day 4;
3 hour AAT for both classes!!!! It turned out a GOOD day with Norm as winner in 18 m flying 391.33 km with 119.99 km./h. for 1000 points! Only one out-landing by Jacques in his JS 1C a real nice local pilot!
In open it was Tobias with 318.80 km. with 104.47 km./h the only one over 100 km./h. also for 1000 points! Allan was 3d.
“Awesome that we got a task in, certainly the best one for the weather we had.”
“Today was a day not to lose” more on Adam Woolley’s Gliding Adventures

Monday December 2; both classes got a set task of 386.56.
It was a day for Adam to quickly forget, but …..he explained with a “smile” how he ended up back at the field using his engine and hard to be said but ,also loosing the comps!
“Today was a day that I really wished I had my 18m tips. Currently I’m flying in 18m class in 15m config – with the wrong handicap (by 0.005 to 0.025, depending on how crazy you want to stick to the national rules).”
There is a video on which he explained what happened on his site.
In 18 m it was Lumpy who won the day; 131.55 km./h Lumpy is really doing better than any year before and Uvalde might have been, what he needed to get to these results.
Runner up was Norm, [128.59 km./h] who I met in the past at many Nationals, and on 3 was Ray.[123.54 km./h. ]
From 9, 2 were out after 182 km.
In “open” class Allan was the best with 123.58 km./h , with ARCUS M team CHA as runner up [127.40 km./h handicap 1055] WOW, this was his 37th Nationals!!!!! Just excellent!!!!And as said a lovely guy!

What they did n’t know on the morning of December 2 was,….that this was in fact ,their last day!!!!! The weather was not good enough to set another task. So a pretty bad end of the nationals for Adam [his reflections are on his site “ What did I forget? That this nationals is also the 18m team selection for the POL WGC. If I had remembered this at the time, I probably would have played my cards correctly. Unfortunately, I’m now ranked #3 to go to Poland, the upside, that if one of the two above me choose not to go, then I’ll receive the funding by the smallest of margins..”
and a great one for Lumpy; his very first Australian title.
“Don’t give up on your passions and dreams ! If you have to work harder to achieve them, then reward is that much sweeter
Today I released a goal I put on myself forty years ago and it was worth every bit of the struggle.
Australian National 18mtr Champion “

Final scores after 5 out of 8 days in 18 m class!
1. Lumpy Paterson in JS3 /18 m with 4,319 points. Congratulations Lumpy!!!!
2. Norm Bloch in JS3 /18 m with 4,277 points. Great to see how GOOD you still fly!!!!
3. Ray Stewart in JS3 /18 m with 4,240 points. Good on you Ray!!!

Finals scores in “open” class also 5 out of 8 days!!!
1. Allan Barnes in LS8 with 4,779 points. Top job Allan!!!!
2. Tobias Geiger in Ventus 2/15 m with 4,627 points. Well done Tobias!!!
3. Atkinson & Durand in the Arcus M with 4,211 points. GOOD!!!!

Some more short news:
—–DUO DISCUS -story! We all know the Duo Discus as a “working horse”. Training, checks etc BUT …you can fly SUPER overland flights as well in it. Justin Wills with a guest Julian ,from the Romanian Airclub, proofed it by flying 1.214 km with 146 km./h!! 9 hours and 19 minutes!!!
GOOD ON THEM!!!!!!
Wave up to 8324 m MSL.

Kelvyn from the USA, flew an ASG 29E/18m and called it a “Stonking wave day.”. He flew just over 1000 km!!!

……..Namibia had a bit of a quiet time. Still good flights but not every day a 1000 k as some expect/ hope for! Last Sunday Russell [Cheetham] flew a 1.007 km again from Kiripotib.
Tobias [Welsch] flew from Bitterwasser a 1.014 km flight. The last 6 ,were on November 25 and another 8 on November 24.
On December 2 the over 1000 km-flights were back at Veronica and Bitterwasser. Wilfried Grosskinsky flew his EB with one of his 1000-km- students Nils over 1.017 km.

——THANKSGIVING; Hope all my USA friends had a happy day with lot’s of good turkey WITH stuffing, and still energy enough for those who wanted ,to visit the shops on BLACK FRIDAY.

—– Australian Junior Soaring “JOEYGLIDE KICKS OFF IN JUST OVER A MONTH, 12TH OF JANUARY 2025! GET EXCITED! IF YOU HAVEN’T PUT YOUR REGISTRATION IN YET, GET IT IN NOW! SPOTS ARE FILLING QUICK.”
Adam wrote about it ;“Hard to believe, but this year is the 20th anniversary of JoeyGlide – super cool to still seeing it run since I was involved in it’s inception, & initial event in 2004/2005“

——Dutch Sailplane Grand Prix
“Last Saturday I got the opportunity to present next year’s Sailplane Grand Prix to the board and members of our club the Gelderse Zweefvliegclub at our general meeting.
6 months and counting to the start of the first ever GP taking place in the Netherlands.
We plan to close registration in January 2025 and send out our first information bulletin as well as local procedures.
We’re looking forward to this event in May 2025, where the world’s best pilots will be competing!”
https://sgp.aero/netherlands2025

——I found my memory sticks but one way or another I cannot see the pictures , so no pictures as promised from Rieti.
I do have pictures from another airfield I frequently visited and that’s the KEIHEUVEL in Belgium.
These are from 2020.

And what about Benalla....? In the simulator in 2013!!!With Benalla -icon Graham Garlick.

That’s it!!! Sinterklaas ahead, a short visit to Luxembourg to see Indya , my birthday, Christmas and the start of the New Year in which we NOT meet again!
Weird feeling but good , better for my health.
Cheers Ritz