2240 milliard litres of water, that was the head- line on Monday in most of the Dutch papers AND on TV. Normally this amount falls in the WHOLE month of October; not this time. Last Sunday was a day to only look outside and see how the water created little lakes on the street and garden, for sure not to be on the road.
This , even in Holland,not too normal phenomena created problems as flooding of cellars, aquaplaning and damaged tulip bulbs, who are not allowed to be wet longer then 24 hours. We might have expensive tulips next year …as well as potatoes.
Part of an historic quay in the heart of Utrecht collapsed.
Picture from ANP.
Kingaroy started with a practise day on Monday and the 50 competitors participating in the 52 Multi Class Nationals , in 4 classes, had a 2.30 AAT in standard class,[ 14 pilots] 2.15 in 15 m. class [ 16 pilots] and 2 hour in 18 m. and open class.[20 pilots]
FABULOUS to see that Dutch NUNA 7 racer Annemiek Koers , who is flying the St. Cirrus from Adam , participates in a soaring competition down under as well. Good on her! Sharing two “loves in her life” in one visit !!!
She was there anyhow, winning the Solar Challenge, though it is a couple of days driving from Adelaide to Kingaroy.[from West to East] But enough pilots from Gawler to take her with them, when necessary.
The practise day was flown by about 35 pilots and with 6 tugs they were all up in a flash.
On October 15 it was all about the REAL thing!
As Mandy mentioned { I got permission to share her news} ;
“All gridded, and weighed, ready to go with first launch at 10.45am.
300+ tasks for the short wings and 400+ for the big wings.”
” Forecast is 28C with light winds, with strong climbs to 10,000′. Should be going to 6000′ at launch time. Still blue. Tomorrow is forecast to be similar.”
Mandy sharing news via the GFA and her husband Pete flying in 15 m. class in Kingaroy
Who did what on day 1???
The 15 m. class is a very interesting class from the 15 participants 10 are potential winners! Lisa Trotter in her ASW 20 A was the best on day 1 winning with a speed of 128 km./h. the 336 km. task.
In 18 m. class more or less combined with open, [ same task etc]the winner was Tom Claffey and even not feeling TOO well, he won the 1000 points. Both Tom and Lisa flew the WGC in Uvalde!!!
Tom Claffey and Lisa and Peter Trotter, both participating!!!
At 12.30 Tom started together with Arne and David [Jansen] both ALSO in Uvalde. Arne finished as runner up, but David unfortunately lost nearly 800 points on this day for his 228 km.
I guess that’s 1 potential winner less, though you never know, as David is an excellent pilot. Still about 6 from 16 potential winners in the race.
They looked ahead that evening at a maybe even better day as Mandy wrote before she went to bed;”Great excitement tonight with the prospect of Cu’s for tomorrow.”
Day 2 in Kingaroy:
“We have woken to a “Uvalde Sky” with flat bottomed Cus lined up in streets as far as the eye can see. Briefing is at 9.30am with first launch at 10.30am. 15m and Open have 500km tasks, Std at the back of the grid have 400km.”
Is n’t that a great beginning of a soaring-pilots-day!
But then you still have to fly the distances, as some pilots were worried about the high clouds!
In 15 m. Mac [from Japan] won the 1000 points [ speed for both 128.5 km./h] and shared them with Pete Temple. In the still preliminary scores from today it looks like EVERYBODY flew the task[ no scores yet for Shinzo]
In 18m./open it was David Jansen who straight away turned his less good day 1 in to a winning day 2. His speed; 139.9 km./h!!!!!!
In St. class all pilots finished!! Best speed for the winner 123.2 km./h.
More on Sunday! For the results you can look also at www.soaringspot.com
And more about the comps at;
https://www.facebook.com/theGlidingFederationofAustralia
Talking about the World Solar Challenge; in another class the Technical University of Eindhoven won the race!!!! They heard this on Sunday evening in Adelaide. This is all about a FAMILY CAR, called Stella. They stayed ahead of the Aussie and German team!!
On November 22 the ZES , the universities soaring club has a symposium in Eindhoven to finish the year of their 50thiest anniversary and one of the team members will talk about this race!
Overseas soaring in NZ [Omarama] had a big day on Sunday with Finnish pilot Jyri Laukkanen flying 836 km. in an LS 6 with winglets!!!Nice speed as well; 142 km./h.
The OLC started their new season on October 14 and by now all different winners in all different countries are known. Congratulations to all. Close by it was Alfred Paul Alfers who won for Holland , for Belgium Wim Akkermans who will be a proud daddy before the last OLC – day in 2014 and in Germany it was Mathias Schunk.
In 2014 the first to add their flights on the WORLDWIDE list, were the pilots from Mount Beauty, where the CFI, Mark Bland had a tough day in Victoria to fly the ASK 21 MI over 169 km.. His mate Craig Collins, who flies in Kingaroy, had an easier day flying in 15 m class the 336 km..
Let’s wait what the new season will bring for all pilots!!!
Courtesy Ian Cohn
By clicking twice you can read it.
Anyhow day 1 from the 2014 season OLC was topped by Ben Loxton who flies the Kingaroy Nationals. No secret that at the moment the airfield of Kingaroy, which is host for the Nationals for the 3d time, shows the most kilometres flown; at this stage 5.516 with as runner up Mid Atlantic Soaring with 627 km.
Ben ; the first “topper” at the OLC 2014.
CU next Sunday
cheers Ritz