Alphen aan den Rijn    Sunday March 13 2011   ritzdeluy@hotmail.com

  picture by Bruce Cooper

Just when you think it is enough now with all those natural disasters  a new wake up call, on Friday morning,  this time in Japan. At 3 o’clock PM , local time,about 135 km to the east in the ocean, the epic center which was undeep ,caused straight after the quake a tsunami with waves up to 10 m high causing an unbelievable disaster. 8 Military planes were send up in the  air straightaway  to oversee what was happening and to be honest I could not believe my eyes!!! This powerful water took EVERYTHING, houses , boats, people ,a whole infra structure just GONE!!!! In Sendai the whole airfield was in no time under water , people on the roof of the terminal building. Tokyo , to the S of Sendai, felt it and nuclear plants were stopped, the airfield closed , monorail and trains were on hold and it got even worse with huge fires at oil plants causing explosions as well.
Looking at the pictures there will be many veryvery sad casualties in Japan.Today I hear that they fear for more then 10.000
Just not to comprehend!!!!
The entire pacific coast got a warning and they had more time to go to higher spots, even a warnning for Australia and New Zealand.But only 3 small harbour places at the USA coast had problems.
I straight away wrote all my Japanese friends but I knew that there was no power , so no electricity so no way to tell me if they and their family and friends are safe. I do realize, but I had to do it.
Then Mikiko was the first to react; They were fine, could not go anywhere after work,no bus, no train, no nothing; they had to stay with the parents in Tokyo and their little daughter had to stay at the nursery.They hoped to see her the next day which happened,but…they are all safe , that’s the most important.Even their house is OK.
Hisashi is OK as well. It seems the Osaka area had no impact except for some small tsunami’s. Good to hear! Yoghi is well ;minor damage over there. The rest has not yet answered.
Big worry still the nuclear plants.
Received this picture from Shige, Mikiko and Chihiro this morning, after the ordeal they went through.

Some of my glider friends tried to get 99 people in a Fokker 100 within 99 hours  to be the quickest to win free accommodation in Berlin and a free city trip to that fantastic town Berlin. The weekend will be on March 25 to fly back on March 26. Great idea, but I was already busy that weekend.

Better news ,[ for what it is worth after this disaster], for Holland as on this same Friday morning, we got the news that “our” 3 hostages in Libya were freed with help of our diplomats and the Greek diplomats.On Saturday morning the female pilot and 2 men crew arrived back home, glad to be free after 12 very uncertain days. A rescue effort went wrong , but they were released earlier then expected and hoped for.Libya keeps the helicopter, but “who cares”.

With the 20 m. 2-seater class allowed for the 2014 WGC [in Finland] , National Aeroclubs   introduce during their Nationals this class as well. So over the next years pilots are going to qualify for this event as well. In Australia, they have announced their Multi class Nationals for the end of January in NARROMINE. Of course the 2 seater class can start with qualifying already.
The sports and clubclass Nationals will be held  again in Benalla, between January 2 and 13. Just to inform you in time.
In Holland we have a 2 seater 20 m class as well this May. By the way 25 pilots will participate at this stage in this multi class event, but till April 24 you can enter. At this stage only 3 2-seaters, but I know more will follow.

With 617 km. Cross Country and a speed of 127 km./h,  Oscar Goudriaan had another good day, last Wednesday  in South Africa in his JS1 relevation.
Loved the you tube link on Facebook to a video from the JWGC in Finland in 2009.[www.youtube.com]

Phenomena! They are special!!!Look at the link to the Morning Glory site about phenomenal clouds in the North of Australia. Thanks Gerrit! As soaring pilot you should love this!!!

http://www.morningglorycloud.com/

Never to old to learn. I thought I was pretty well informed in the aviation world in Holland now I am back for 4 years. But no! For the next Dutch Nationals I offered the team,  to help to find my own accommodation. I lived at Terlet in the weekends for many  years in the past. We sold however, our caravan before we moved to Curacao. With other words I know a few people.
Now I am allowed to live in my “own” caravan again during the Nationals. The new owner Jaap has no time to much involved in his business ….the in 2007 founded Amsterdam Airlines!!!!!
Pardon me? So this way I found out that they fly with 2 A 320’s and one on order; on their site I found;
 —-Amsterdam Airlines is set up as a fully certified operator according to the highest standards from the start. This way we can satisfy the air transport requirements of our partners and respond to the demands for safety, reliability, quality, value and security in all its activities.—
Amsterdam Airlines operates in the business-to-business market and serves the following market segments

• Full Charter All-Economy services on selected routes on behalf of other airlines, tour operators, goverments and ad-hoc services for incentive and group travel

• ACMI (wet lease) services for other airlines
  So now you are informed as well!!! Cheers Ritz