Alphen aan den Rijn February 17- 2008
I think it was the Dutch winter of 1984/1985, when 2 top pilots Kees Musters and George Schuit, tried to beat Ingo Renner on his home field in Tocumwal Australia. I said,”tried”.
When the Dutch team met the Australian team in the summer of ’84 during the pre-worlds in Rieti [Italy] , a longtime friendship started and still goes strong!
That same summer Kees and George had a few in the bar of the Dutch Gliding Center Terlet {Arnhem} and after they “made this world a better one”, they decided to go to Australia and fly there, which also was a training for the ’87 World Comps in Benalla not far [about 100km. S. ]from Tocumwal.They were both going there.
At the bar was another Dutch pilot Jan, listening and he said ……if you are going to do this , can I come too? No worries!
In their innocence the boys organized TWO containers, each container filled with ONE glider IN a trailer, open class of course!In one container was also the fuselage of one glider in the other the wings, as indeed Jan , the guy on the bar “took a lift “to Oz.
An unforgettable holiday and years to follow with summers AND flying in Oz.
Beating Ingo on his home field?????
Well, on one of the days they thought they “had ” him!! They both really had a great and fast flight and they were a bit more used to the Ozzie weather. So happily they were discussing their flight on the way back to the hangar, nowhere one glider to be seen, so they must be first in. Hurray!!
BUT…………IN the hangar was Ingo, already finishing the cleaning of his glider after an even faster flight .So…they did not beat him, but altleast they were faster then the other overseas guests, practising for the World comps.
Kees was of course World champion in Hobbs, but sadly died in 1987 in a hanggliding accident in France.
Why this story? You might have seen the Corowa site with the pictures of the gliders in the different containers. NOT ONE IN A TRAILER, but 5 or 6 depending on the seize in ONE container.A cheap and safe way to fly your OWN glider overseas!They do a great job!
Containerpacking, means the end of another season and the beginning of the European season. So we are a bit in an ” in-between-period”. We do have fantastic weather here and sometimes you can feel thermal activity on the ground. No clouds at all but…a bit cold. We had minus 10 last night in some places and plus 4 during the day. My bulbs in the garden peak their little heads out of the soil and I hope they are strong enough to survive.
Time to have a little look at the statistics!
Good friend Hans Wiesenthal is with a huge marge the winner of the ALL_FLIGHTS_OLC_FAI_2008.With nearly 22.000 km flown in Gariep Dam in 34 flights, he has had a great year.
Good friends Pepe, Bruce, Harry and Daan are within the first 10 of this list.The best FAI_flight in MY opinion was, the flight from Gawler in an LS 4 ;1021 km.For more info please look at the “onlinesite “.
An opening of an exhibition today so I better leave you, to dress up for this occasion. Cheers , see you next week,
Ritz.