The soccer competition in Alkmaar between AZ and PSV was great fun! Loved it!
“Grabbed” straight away by the Mascottes…………. and the PSV players warming up for the match.
The Good Better Best day was not in the order I thought, in my last blog, as the best day last weekend was clearly on SATURDAY , though some pilots still were a bit disappointed with the weather that day. It seems after the forecast they expected MORE!
From Holland pilots tried to fly to Hamburg, but it ended up around the Bremen area, where it spread out ….still NOT BAD EITHER!
703 km. direction NE from Soesterberg. Thermal activity was good , bit of a tough wind, sometimes blue, sometimes over cast as high clouds were blocking the sun, but also good lift.
One of the pilots said to others in the sky,” I am going to Hamburg , are you coming along?” So a few did!
More great flights from Holland. In the top 25 from the OLC I counted 8 flights from Holland on Saturday!!!!! All between 600 and 700 km. For Holland this is just good!
Sunday here was a nice 300 k day !
With ” Weak wave, good ridge, great thermals. Excellent conditions to the south, weaker, lower, and snow showers to the north.” Michael topped the OLC that Saturday flying from Atlantic in the DISCUS 2 with just over 1000 km. and also flight number 2 on the OLC that day was good as Brian flew 927 km. from Ridge Soaring in a PIK 20 b, with “smooth/strong ridge till sunset.”
My LASHAM friends had a good day as well with Roy flying 500 k. in the ASG 29e. The juniors were ready on Sunday , the last day of their training camp at Lasham, with no good weather to start the week with, but building up to a good finish.
As shared on FB.
The UK junior team [ from l to r] Luke Dale , Sam Roddie, Charlie Jordan , Oliver Barter and Matt Waters , without Matt Davis plus TC Pete Masson…………. and flying high!
On Monday it was already day 7 of the Prievidza comps. Zbigniew “found the groove” and won on Saturday and Sunday in the 15 m. class. His mate Sebastian won in the mixed class on Sunday , so with a new week to start ,an “sprint to the finish” to win each in their class had started. Sunday was n’t even a brilliant day , as the weather fore cast was not very optimistic. But during the day it improved!
As seen on their site www.fccgliding.sk on day 8; Look for many more good pictures at this site.
Under GALLERY.
Here are some hard working people there , we should not forget!
Monday had good task , not an AAT but a race from 344 in the mixed class and 314 in club and 325 in 15 m.
Though the first launches were postponed to 11.30, pilots had a good day.
In the mixed class the German ARCUS t team won the day with 137 km./h, while the best speed was for Petr Krejcirik with 140 km./h. in the Ventus 2CX /18m.
In the club class 3 Hungarian pilots put their strengths together and were 1-2 and 3.
110 km./h in a Jantar is not bad. 2 Of them started together and the other one joined in and within 10 minutes of each other they finished .
In the 15 m. class 2 Polish pilots bundled their strength and won the day each in LS 8 with 128 km./h.!!!
On Tuesday , day 8, an AAT from 2 hours in the mixed class and Sebastian showed his class by winning the day with 258 km. in 2 .01. He is on his way to the top and moved overall to spot 3 not 100 points behind Pavol who defends his spot 1 by being 2d for the day.[249 km. in 2. 05.]
A bit of an off-day for Roman, who proudly was the number 1 overall for ALL days except day 1; he ended on spot 28 loosing more than 200 points. A pity!
Relaxed pilots in sunny conditions in Prievidza as seen on their site, where many more recent pictures are on;
http://www.fccgliding.sk/
With a 9 AM briefing this morning you could expect long tasks. Today ‘s tasks have been set and for the mixed class it will be 580 km. a day “to separate the boys from the men,” as they say!
In club class today; 514 km. and in 15 m. they have today 535 k. Looking forward to the results tonight and than only 2 days of soaring to go as Friday will be the last day!
www.soaringspot.com
The new ASG 32 from Schleicher will be on display in Friedrichshafen. This is the new flapped 20 m. 2 seater and it will be interesting to see how it compares to the ARCUS.
Here some pictures from the Dutch dealer for Schleicher Rene and I share them for the not-FB-fans!;
The brand new ASG 32!!!
Courtesy Rene de Dreu.
Love the affiche from the 7 th WWGC in France. REALLY try to be there for a few days. Not sure only how to get there.
As shared by Jarislav and the WWGC on FB.
Some news from Australia about future comps; The multi class National will be flown in Kingaroy in October 2013; www.kingaroynationals.com
And …….specially for the young ones who want to practise in Narromine for the JWGC ;
—-” Please see the below details of this years Joeyglide competition. Joeyglide also provides coaching for young pilots not able to, or ready to fly in the competition. I would encourage you to promote Joeyglide to your junior club members, who are looking to compete with like minded junior pilots, further their cross country skills and meet other junior pilots from around the country.
Furthermore, as this year is the 10th Australian Junior Nationals, we will be having in conjunction with the Final Night Dinner, an informal 10 year reunion, and would like anyone who has participated in Joeyglide in any facet to attend. Please contact me directly to RSVP.
Place: Narromine, NSW – Home of the Junior Worlds
Dates: Saturday 7 December to Saturday 14 December 2013 (Saturday 7 December being the official practice day)
Final Night Dinner: 14 December 2013, venue TBA.
Entries Open: Monday 25 March 2013.
Entry Fees: $150 competition entry, $100 coachee entry (please note that the entry fee’s will increase to $250 and $150 respectively after 1 November 2013).
Over the next few months we will be providing more details and specifics about the competition. For further information and to keep up to date with the day to day developments, please see:
www.joeyglide.com.au and The Aus Junior Gliding Facebook Group
If you have any questions or queries, please contact me directly.
Thanks,
Liam Donald Comp Director Joeyglide 2013
Email: ldonald87@hotmail.com
The March-April Newsletter from the Perlan Project is on line! Interesting news about the progress on construction and more is to be read on;
http://perlanproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/The-Perlan-Project-Newsletter-March-April-2013.pdf
To finish , an IN MEMORIAM for a good friend, fine colleague at Sportavia and true gentleman BOB SMITH. Bob joined us in Tocumwal as a mechanic on our tugs , 3 Bellanca Scout’s and even built one, number 4, from parts of a Tasmanian wreck ;VH-PEV. How proud he was! I was there when tuggy Bill, made the test flight,…of course with bubbles after AT the field!
He also was the mechanic on the Dove and Albatross and made several flights in them with Bones, Giles and George.
When I was in Tocumwal in January I caught up with him twice. I knew he was terminal ill. Last Sunday afternoon he died. He specially travelled back from Darwin where he lived the last couple of years to work as mechanic on Mallards for Paspaley, to die “at home” . Bones, flying as Chief Captain on the Mallard at Darwin and knowing Bob’s experience in Tocumwal on the Albatross introduced him and his wife Margareth to this new life in Darwin and his new job.
It’s getting [too] crowdy at the Tocumwal cemetery as lot’s of friends are already there. May he rest in peace!!
Bob second to the right……………………………and a recent picture on the boat at Darwin, thanks to Bones!
Ritz …..on April 24 2013
ritzdeluy@hotmail.com www.soaringcafe.com www.glidinginternational.com