Tocumwal NSW on Ocrober 29 2006

A few latest -news- stories by RITZ.

Well, Denimpie first!!! For all who have stayed with us, Denim was the stripy cat from Ritz. For 10 years she lived in the hangar and she made lots of friends. She is a brave cat , walking around with baby tiger snakes and even baby brown snakes!Today she moved to her NEW home. A very sad moment for me, but I know she will be taken care of as nowhere else. Sue and Nathan are taking her to Cooma and as Sue took care already of her during my winterstop in Holland, she now first walked to her instead of me.A good sign of friendship!
Denim says hello and farewell to everybody who petted her!
Next story to follow! Ritz

Latest news by Ritz.

Australia/Tocumwal.
Lot`s of stories when you talk with friends. Yesterday Glenda and Ross dropped in and we had a nice time catching up with a lot! Jo and Tony dropped in this morning to see how we are. They were on their way back from the Nationals and Tony flew as coach in a double seater with a student with 400 hours and they got 3d in open class. More results later.

Looking back at all the young ones since 1984 when I visited for the first time, we took care here of a great group of new young pilots. Cameron starts flying in Hong Kong after flying for a Thai company in a 747 as first officer.He now starts on a 737 800 for a Hong Kong one. The world is small as he caught up there with Belgium friend Danny who lives also in Hong Kong.Danny and Rudy and Chris and more friends from the Keiheuvel club visited us regurlary. Also Michael flies for Cathay Pacific and the other Michael, we called him Tom Cruise, flies in Hong Kong. So a lot of our tuggies have done well. Inge flies as a captain on a 737 and Anthony flies for Quantas, James flies or flew for Malta Airlines, Bones flies in Darwin on amfibians, Akhil in Africa doing geographic- low- flying and earning good dollars.Dennis flies as a captain for Australian and Kurt flies somewhere in Queensland. I forgot a few and I do not know about a few, but I hope they all do well too.

Lot`s of wind again, but warm and dry. On ABC News I heard that half of the farmers all over Australia suffer the drought (3 years now in a row) and they have put 500,000,- aside for relief as well as 5000,- for families who need councelling after what they go through! Pretty sad!!!!

Will be back tomorrow, cheers for now Ritz

Latest news by Ritz

Australia Tocumwal:
Think I will never stop looking at the skies. It is so built in , in my system.This morning early , though I was only awake at 10.30 the sky up North looked great and clouds on a very blue frame of sky, were already high and looked more then inviting. At that time there was nearly no wind from the N. and it was already HOT. Today we go over the 30 dgr. mark again!At noon the Northerly picked up a bit, but cloud streets were EVERYWHERE, with as far as I could a bit of overdevelopment up N.

When I looked at the different gliding places around they do some flying but not so much yet.Kingaroy had on the OLC an over 400 km flight. A lot of our customers have moved to Corowa and I am sure they will have a good alternative there. Weather is the same and if they like mountain flying they even have the mountains close by now. Daan ,Geoff, Anders, Junzo and Yoghi , will go there and I wish them great and safe flights.

For some of our guests we went to look at caravan sites at Benalla and they were more then friendly there and showed us all around. We have had contact with Narromine too and will go to visit them soon and George and Diana visit Corowa today.

Ron House is busy to clean his van to move it away.Ray Waller and Gregg Mags have moved their caravans already and so did Mike Toth. He had the easy job as he bough a place to built a hangar at John Williams entrance.
Bill and Val Riley arrived back from their holiday in Queensland and dropped in to see me and I will go and visit them for a bit longer. Bill Harvey and Bob Smith are very busy with the Scouts to get them in perfect condition for the auction. Debbie works hard in the office to have all paperwork ready.Tony will be here soon and we are going to look at making SOARING.EU look MUCH better!!!!

That `s it for now , will keep you posted!!! Ritz

Latest news by Ritz.

Australia/Tocumwal.
I promised to find out about the THE FRIENDLY GAMES in Alice Springs. So here is some info, but you have to be quick if you are interested as it starts today and goes till October 28 2006.
In their announcement they write: Come and play the masters way with over 4000 athletes across 34 sports participating in a week of celebrations like no other!!

The Alice Spring Masters Games gliding competition will be held by the Alice Springs Gliding Club. Classes available in single -and two seater–other classes decided on final entries.
More info you can get from our good friend Simon Holden ( 0418 897 256)or read their web site : www.alicespringsmasters.nt.gov.au
Enjoy!!!!!!!Wishing you GREAT FUN , Simon!!!!!

I also wrote to you about Marina`s husband Giorgio Galetto from Italy, visiting Australia. He will be here to do performance coaching in december and January and he will ” Coach the coaches”.
Unfortunately Marina could not come with him, she takes care of their daughter and is very busy with the preparations for the Junior World Comps in Rieti in 2007 together with Leonardo Brigliadori, who will be the director. Their website will be up and running soon.
Giorgio will coach and fly on different places and for Australian Magazine Readers they can find the info on page 30 and 31 from October`s Magazine.I am sure there will be also some info on the GFA website.
I know Giorgio and he is the most lovely person , a great pilot and he was World champion in 1999 and he and Marina live for our gliding sport. Enjoy his lectures, briefings and flying to the fullest!!!!Wish I was still here in OZ, to listen to him , but my departure is already on the 20thiest of November.

The wind is GONE!!!!! Finally. We had up to 50 knots wind here. Today is sunny and warm up to 28 in the shade , no clouds but on the ground we could see good thermal activity.It is dryer then dry, which is very bad for the economy as lot`s of farmers suffer. The weed is so bad that farmers put their cattle in to eat it.Pretty sad!!!

It is 4 PM now and Eddie started at 9 and is still busy. I just see him pass by! Good to see that atleast “something” is flying here.

Latest news by Ritz.

Australia/Tocumwal.
Sorry to all pilots and friends who have never been at “our” gliding centre, but the next couple of weeks the news will not be European but Australian and from Tocumwal. Today I use the sun room , where many of you have written emails to friends and family on the other side of the world.Dundee has allowed me to use his laptop and all is working fine.

We just said good bye to John Nugent who had a lovely stay here and enjoyed as much as we did , yesterday evening`s 2 cm thick T bone steak, prepared by Dieter on his BBQ.John was very sad to see the empty pool , the yellow grass etc as Sportavia meant a lot to him!
Also Swiss Chris was here with his daughter to collect his glider CH from Corkey `workshop. It is ready for a new season , but where……???
Tim and Laurel stayed for the night and Tim prepared his caravan , which he specially bought for his gliding weekends here in Tocumwal, to let it go “somewhere”.
We all know more after the auction, atleast that`s what we hope.

In between Eddie was pretty busy flying around with students/guests in the brandnew and very goodlooking 2d Jabiru. They operate from the North side of the WW2 hangar and they are called: Australian Sport Aviation.
For all European pilos who flew with us in the past and go flying in Benalla, Corowa or Narromine now, they are still welcome to fly with Eddie or Don ,only now in a Jabiru. You can contact them per email on
edmadden at iinet.net.au or
donaldescott at hotmail.com Sorry but ” at ” is the sign I can`find on the computer but you KNOW!

Aircraft hire cost (using Jabiru aircraft):
-$ 140,- inc GST per hour for all training dual or solo and on solo nav training. Cost includes all pre flight and post flight briefings.
-$ 100,- incl GST per hour for solo flying (non training) .You have to have a pilot certificate .
-$ 100,- incl GST Trial Instructing Flights approx 30 Minutes flying time.

Membership cost: You must be a member of Recreational Aviation Australia. Don and Eddie can sign you up as a temporary member or 2 hours flying membership free , read no cost!!!
Per year you pay $132,- you also receive a monthly magazine. It also includes a student pilot`s license and operations manual.

So you know a bit more about flying with Eddie and Don or alone in a Jabiru. It is a cheap way of learning how to fly in a power plane and lots of friends have put this extra dimension of flying in their log book.Specially for overseas guests it is a cheap way of converting to an Australian license.The Jabiru is designed to take full advantage of the new Australian Aircraft Operating orders (CAO 95.55) which now permit this class of aircraft ,registered by the Recreational Aircraft Association and piloted by an RAA certified pilot to fly up to 10.000 ft AMSL & outside controlled airspace . A RAA pilot may operate from licensed airports and may also, by endorsement , carry a passenger.
More info you can receive from Eddie and Don also on their mobile phone: Eddie 0427 534122 and Don on 0429 001605.

Latest news by Ritz

Australia/Tocumwal;
Today I saw one of the gliders from the first hour depart out of the hangar. The ISB 29 FT was collected by Doug Baker , who specially drove up from the Bleu Mountains to get the vintage glider.It will be flying now from Temora airport.It arrived in the hangar in 1974 so more then 30 years it was in Sportavia’s vintage WW2 hangar
. They had their own hangar- cupboard for loose items to not loose.A bit of a sad moment !!!

The weather is great with lots of sunshine and nice great and high looking clouds. Just what we want for gliding……but……
Luckily there was a tough wind which would have spoiled a nice afternoon.

Ingo Renner was there in the afternoon to welcome all of us. Diana and George and Dundee and I are at the camping area.Jari from Finland is coming soon too. Let’s see what is going to happen. Nobody knows exactly what’s on and we all wait for the auction and the last minute decisions from some people still involved in negotitiations.

The work shop people are in full action to have all gliders and 4 scouts ready for next weekends auction on the 28th. Everything is prized ans has numbers. On my washing machine was a sticker too but luckily no number, I would not have liked to bid on my own “old but still goodworking machine” . I saved in the end my technics stereo set!!! Will keep you informed! Cheers Ritz

Latest news by Ritz

Australia/Tocumwal.
After an uneventfull flight I arrived 2 nights ago in Tocumwal. So for the time being it will be news from HOT Australia.Not a lot to say about gliding in OZ atleast not from Sportavia , as everything seems to be ready for the auction on October 28. LS 4 gliders and the 4 tugs have a lot of interest, but also the commercial dishwasher and chairs from our restaurant .

Caught up already with all staff involved, as there are Bob and Bill and Peter , all still working in the workshops. The Dove and Albatross are in the hangar which is good to see. Debbie is still in the office. In the evening I caught up with Eddie and former owner Margareth.

It seems that there is some kind of Australian Air Games in Alice Spings and I will find out what exactly is going to happen there.

From my friend Marina I got the news that her husband Ghiorzo will be in Australia too, for 1 month.

Not much more to say as we have to go and pick up Dundee from the busstop in Cobram.Temperatures are in the high 20thies going up in the low 30thies and even with my arrival in Melbourne it was 27 dgr.It is VERY DRY!!!!! So not a good time for the farmers!

Will keep you informed. From warm Australia best regards. This month till the 20thiest, which will be my departureday from OZ again, I will come back regurlary to keep you informed about the sad finish of the once biggest gliding school in Australia and hopefully with some good gliding news from Benalla, Corowa and Narromine. Ritz

Latest News by Ritz

The Netherlands.
Wow, it took more time then expected to keep in touch with you. Luckily Mike Mike is active enough with great stories about competition flying and I hope you enjoy them !!!

What happened with me!? First I could not get into my stories anymore, but DOWNUNDER I have my friends Tony and Phill and Phill got me back into action.
Then I stayed for 1 month with a friend and she HATES computers , so no luck to do something there. I am back “home” now and thought before you all forget about me , I better write straight away , so here we are.

Life is a bit complicated , when you have to travel around. For that reason I was happy to go and live in my OWN brandnew house. But….instead of being ready somewhere in the end of September , the house will be ready mid November. Reason to change all my plans again and move to Australia before moving in. So I will leave in a week for Tocumwal again to say farewell to ALL my friends , which will be pretty sad as I loved them all.
It is also a farewell from a great life- style I had, with my friends wo were running the Gliding Business in Tocumwal with me and with lots of fantastic people , pilots, friends who came back and back again to fly with us and who supported us till the end and still now.
I will miss EVERYBODY, so you can imagine that the last couple of weeks were not easy. It hurts to see the truth!
But…life goes on so do I.
From Tocumwal I will keep you informed.
The big auction from gliders, tug’s and everything we used in the bar and restaurant, workshops and office is for sale now, in a big auction and though I hate to see that the “owner” who sells, earns money in such a way , you might be able to find something to your liking.Info will be soon at www.sportavia.com.au

I will stay in Australia for only 1 month! But I will make time to talk to the webmasters to get this soaring.eu blog in a more fashionable way to you.Plans are “cooked”at the moment.

I have been also invited by the Dutch Gliding Association to attend 2 seminars about promototion of topsport .
Will keep you informed about that too. This will be on November 25 and December 2 as far as I know now. This Wednesday I will visit the KNVvL in Papendal.

In between I try to pack to have my removal straight after coming back in November. Luckily I had great help from George and Diana to organize my removal in Australia.So hopefully before the new year starts I can live in peace again, this time in Holland.

The last 5 days were filled with an Art fair in Haarlem.Antique paintings and modern ones , ONLY on paper and unica’s, were hanging in a great old building in a very small street were you could only enter, when the owner of the house opened a gate.

Though we have a few nice days with temperatures around 20 again, which is high for the time of the year,summer is over and great flights in Europe are rare.So we are going to look what’s going to happen in South Africa and Australia as lots of pilots are planning on disappearing the cold ,to enjoy the summer in those parts of the world.Corowa in Australia is expecting 4 containers with European gliders this season and everything is packed and on its way.A few of Sportavia glider pilots will fly there this season and I am sure they will have a good time.

That’s it for now. Next news will be from sunny Australia ! See you then, Ritz.

Latest news by Ritz.
September 12 2006.
After the flu, which really hit me and made me feel miserable for weeks and all kind of troubles “going” with a removal from Australia to Holland, we are back on track. Luckily George [Topics by Mike Mike!] has kept you informed with his very interesting articles about competition flying!I hope you enjoyed reading them.

After the great and “hot”, better said hottest July in history, we had the wettest August ever in history, here in Holland and in most parts of Europe. The last couple of days are great again , with blue skies not as beautiful azur- blue as in summer, but still blue with nice white clouds, so gliding can still continue in Europe in autumn!

You can even fly at night!! Please read the next article I received from Lucasz Mazur from Leszno in Poland.

POLAND;
Glider Night Flying in Lesno;
Are you bored with glider flights during daylight? Would you like to try night flights? We are not using tow planes , but whinch to take off!It is probably the only place in the world with this type of take off during night!Just come to Leszno and try!!
We are starting with the flights from 23d of September.
The cost for one flight is 50 zl.
Please visit our last year night flights gallery at ;
http://aeroklub.leszno.pl/new/gallery2/main.php or
www.aeroklub.leszno.pl/new/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=125

So far the message I received from Lukasz.If you are interested you can contact Lucasz Mazur at
info@aeroleszno.org

Thanks Lucasz!

If you have some nice and interesting news , please do not hesitate to contact me or use the comments under the stories! Thanks!

Australia;
The die-hard Sportavia fan must have seen on internet that since a few days the selling list of gliders and tow planes which are for sale ,are published on the web site. It is with “bleeding heart” that I read it and got lots of comments on it already.

Some friends are still busy organizing the new club; this club has NOTHING to do with Sportavia!!!It will be at the same field but from another spot!!!

Germany;
Hopefully you have followed the Qualifying Grand Prix in Germany.
Congratulations to Uli Schwenk and Tassilo Bode for winning the these comps in Hahnweide and ofcourse: GOOD LUCK GUYS in New Zealand!

South Africa;
The next qualifying Grand Prix will be in Bloemfontein in South Africa ,where good friend Dick Bradley will host the pilots between December 3 and 9 for more exciting Grand Prix Flying , before the very best all meet in New Zealand again for the GRAND PRIX!

See you next time, enjoy flying or thinking about flying in Australia or Africa, in our winter time. Cheers Ritz.

August 19 2006.

Latest News by Ritz

Today as promised the story from young Belgium pilot Bert Schmelzer jr., who won Spagetti glide [Pre World Junior Gliding Championships ] in Rieti in Italy, then Klippeneck as team with his younger brother Tijl and now Bert flies on invitation [ by Tilo Holighaus] in the qualifying German Grand Prix in Hahnweide. What do you want more!!??? In between he studies architecture and will leave mum and dad for a while from September onwards, to do this in Madrid for half a year.So Spain here he comes!!!!

Both Bert jr and Tijl , have been brought up in a gliding world. Dad Bert and mum Hilde both fly and even the grand parents were wellknown glider pilots. It is very SPECIAL to hear that Bert ‘s crew in Hahnweide will exist out of his girlfriend Lies and….his GRANDMA , who flew in the early 50thies SG 38 and Grunau Baby at Venlo Airport in the Netherlands.
Their club now is at Keiheuvel Airport and they are members of the German -side; Vierssen.
Bert will fly with his standards class glider Discus 2 AX in the Racing Class as they had no time to organize another glider, but I am sure he will do well with a less good performing glider. He is such a talent, so is his brother Tijl .
Bert and Hilde were frequent flyers in Tocumwal with us in the past , so I know them pretty well and can say that with the Huybreckx family [also Keiheuvel in Belgium] , they belong to the nicest gliding families I know in the world.

Enjoy the story. It will be put on today under topics. Soon we will have Topic’s by MikeMike 1.2.3 etc and General topics,1-2-3 etc but for now I am sure you can find it.

What’s happening more in Europe!?
Germany; Hahnweide
As said the Qualifying Grand Prix will be flown in Hahnweide with 20 competitors on invitation.They start on the 19th-27th of August.
Most of you will know what the Grand Prix tries to do. They want to promote gliding in a different [better] way , more visible on big screens , at home via vPos on your computer and at the place itself. 2 Pilots can win per qualification and the World Grand Prix will be in New Zealand. After Hahnweide there will be one in Bloemfontein in S.A.
Different to other comps is the Regatta start. All pilots start together and the winner is the one who is back first.Points are different too, as the number 1 gets 10 points and so down to 8, 7 etc.A bit like Formula 1 racing.
I remember a lecture I think in 91 in Uvalde in a huge sports hall, where this system was promoted and not all of us believed that this could work, we smiled and thought; we will see!!! Here you are it is ALL happening!!!

France; Issoudun.
This weekend the Pre European Championships finish in Issoudun. They flew from August 8-19 with 105 competitors. These comps were also the French Nationals . The practise week had some good days with up to 850 km.flights; the competition week had also rain and lot’s of wind.In the end they “only”flew for 3 days!!!
One accident with an outlanding, had as result that the French very experienced pilot died next day.Another very tragic loss of life in gliding and lot’s of very sad people around the pilot. Why, still all those accidents???!?I do not know…but we remain, “just” human beings!
On August 16 you can see an “hommage”to the pilot,Anthony Roe.
For results you can look at- aciss.free.fr -and click on championship.Today is the last flying day , but it is cancelled too and…the prizegiving for 3 days is tonight at 8.

That’s it for now, the sun is shining and a bit of a walk would do me fine. Have a nice weekend, Ritz