IN MEMORIAM BILL RILEY! PRIBINA CUP ‘s have been handed over to the winners!

THE PRIBINA CUP 2015

68 Pictures from April 10 by ELFO .
In this blog a few. All others at :
http://www.pribinacup.sk/2015/photos/?gal=day08_2015-04-10/2015-04-10_Day08_Starts_by_Elfo

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We continue where we stopped last time.
Last Wednesday was cancelled but on Thursday they continued again.
Accoarding to the meteorologist Ivo, the weather is influenced by the dry air, therefore we might expect just some cu clouds that will be drying out during the day and should not be very strong, up to 2m/s. The significant change is the wind that will be weak (finally 🙂 )  and the temperature will be much nicer, up to 18 C. Later in the afternoon cirrus clouds are expected coming from the north.”
So the pilots knew what to do. In each class racing tasks were set on this flying-day 5.

club class ; 244.7 km.
The 2d daily win for Roman [84.4 km. p/h. and 960 points] and finally a day with only ONE out landing in this class. 4 St. Cirrus gliders in the top and at spot 5 Benjamin in the LS 1f. Not yet a 1000 points day in this class.

15 m. class ;306.4 km.
4 German pilots started within 10 minutes from each other and won the day. Martin [Tronnier] in the 15m. ASG 29 was the fastest with 91.5 km./h. 10 Minutes later was the start from Patrick [Puskeiler ] in the DISCUS 2a and he finished with 83.4 km./h on the “clock”.6 Out-landings and 1000 points for the winner.

20 m. class ;307.3 km.
Best speed was for team POL from Poland with 97.8 km./h.Only one outlanding after 163 km.

open class ;320 km.
Already the 3d daily win for Matthias; 105,4 km./. and 1000 points. The runner up, Svend Andersen flew with a speed of 99.1 km./h.

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Flying day 6 , with one more day to go, started with racing tasks for all classes aiming to the north from 233 to 315 km. with the message that ” the air mass is drier than yesterday and there are blue thermals expected. First launch is planned for 11:30″ AND 
finished  with the message from the organizers;
Another day with flying in almost clear thermals. The first gliders took off at 11:30, the last ones just 44 minutes later. Thermals were not too easy to find and visibility was also not the best possible. It was possible to climb till 1400 meters at the beginning of flying, later, even up to 1900 meters QNH. Even if there was some wind blowing, it does not help on the slope, according to the pilots.”

What happened?
club class ;233.6 km.
Different daily winners this day with the pilots from Lithuania and Czech Rep. in the top 4.Interesting to see was that Roman did NOT fly. With one day to go the difference in time from the top 6 pilots was between 3525 and 3675, so EVERYTHING was possible.

15 m. class ; 301.4 km.
6 German pilots  on top, then Czech topper Miloslav [Cink] and then again a strong “field” of  5 German pilots.6 Out-landings and Martin [Tronnier] topped the overall list after this day. Before him …2 days for Patrick Puskeiler, [ who finished on spot 11 this day] and then 3 days for Miloslav!!!
Differences in the top 6 to start the last day with between 4041 and 4279, so also here a lot is possible.

20 m. class ;297.3 km.
3 Pilots in the top 3 with about the same daily speed of 105 km./h. from Poland, Slovenia and Austria. ALL 16 teams FINISHED!!!!Overall view from the top 4 for the last day starts; 4547 points up to 4798.Possibilities here as well as Wolfgang is only 36 points ahead of the Schefflers in the DG 1000/20m.

open class ;314.9 km.
With Leszek from Poland on top in the Jantar 19/18m. followed by Matthias and Helge with Swaantje , it was a just over and under 100 km./h -day.Except for day 2 Matthias topped EVERY day the overall score-list.With one day to go the differences are bigger between 1 and 2 [5175 and 4737] but between spot 12 and 2 all are in the 4000 points.

On the evening of day 6 there was a Farewell party which started just after 8 o’clock and ” the rock band is playing in the hangar. Very nice atmosphere is here. Goulash soup is tasty and free beer is always success.

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LAST DAY number 7 yesterday at NITRA:
Who is going to win???? Who takes the cup in each class home?
The weather was not easy as the organizers changed to task B before launching.An AAT for all classes.

club class; 2 hour AAT
On day 3 Michal Lesinger [ CZ-ASW 19]was on spot 9 overall after an outlanding.On the last day he was on the highest spot.One of the reasons his great flying on day 4, a day nobody finished but Michal flew 235 km. from the set 245.7 km.and on the rest from the days his consistent flying.
He won with 4247 points only just ahead of Boris Zorz [SVN] who climbed from 3 to 2.[4178]

15 m. class; 2 hour AAT
Martin [Germany] won the last day and with that the Pribina Cup.[4937]Only just ahead as well of Miloslav [Czech Rep] with 4894 and Patrick [Germany] 4738.
LATEST; Something weird in these scores.There is a difference in the soaring spot and the latest I got from the organizers. It says 1 Martin, 2 Alexander[ Spaeth ] and 3 Patrick.

20 m. class; 2 hour AAT
Don’t know what happened with the scores of Wolfgang. According to the daily day-7-scores the Schefflers out landed after 55 km. as well as Erazem after 22 km., VERY sad on the last day with their good positions, as both gliders were in the top 4 overall on day 6. Wolfgang was 3d on this last day. The total scores are a total mix-up so we have to wait till that’s changed.
LATEST: Got the scores without points; 1 Wolfgang and Josef from Austria, 2 Michael and Michel from Germany and 3 Katharina und Joachim also from Germany.

open class;  2.30 AAT
a ” REAL” open class glider won the open class on the last day; the ASH 25/26 m. from Helge and Swaantje. That brought them on spot 2 overall. [ 5523] Matthias was the CLEAR winner of the CUP with 5890, that ‘s really CLEAR. German pilot Kai Glatter in the JS 1 was on spot 3.

A nice competition to follow.Next year we continue!!!AND,…congratulations to all winners.

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———–

THE FIRST PAN AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP

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Picture shared by Sarah and courtesy Maria Szemplinska.

After 2 cancelled days ,the pilots could line up their glider on the strip.
The handicap class with 13 participants straight away had to go for it ; a 3.15 AAT.
A 1000 points day and 4 out landings
One of my USA friends,Tony Condon, who  flies this competition in the St. Cirrus,  mentioned :

” Continued my tradition of first day land out. 
It was a great field. Centered mostly cause the approach was between trees and that lined me up for this spot. Up the hill seemed wise since we got a lot of rain the last few days. It was a little rolly but nothing too bad, and about as flat as a pasture gets around here!

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courtesy Tony.

3 USA pilots topped the daily list, 2 of them started about 15 min. later than the rest.

In 15 m. class also 13 pilots and Jerzy [Szemplinsky] from Canada, a WGC competitor, was the winner of the first 1000 points.Same task , but 306.5 km. for the ASG29 and 281 km. in the Discus 2b from the handicapped class.Phil Gaisford , by the way, flying the Discus was about 10 km. faster and 36 km. further than the runner up, flying an LS 1f.

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As shared by the organizers.
Courtesy Maria Szemplinska

Day 2 started with the message:
“Today we were forced to plan on short, late-starting tasks that would take place in the clearing following the passage of a weak cold front. The cold front did arrive approximately on time, but the clearing did not.
With no chance for enough heating to take place for fair tasks, we cancelled the day in both classes at grid time.”
That says it all.

Day 3 was on Saturday with 272.8 km. for the handicap class and 316.8 for 15 m., later scaled back to 257 and 298 km. Finally a GOOD day, they hoped. But it remained hope, as not-to-forecast incoming cirrostratus clouds moved in . It was a valid day but nobody finished.
Sergio Reinaudo from Brazil,  got the 608 points for the day in the handicap class with a distance of 171.5 km. Tony was second and Jason, husband from tuggie Sarah ,both owner/operators  of  the Chilhowee Soaring Association,was on spot 4.

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Tuggie Sarah and pilot Tony, as shared on FB.

In the 15 meter class the best distance 127.7 km. was flown by USA pilot Erik Nelson in the VENTUS 2AX. Jerzy [Canada] was 3d [120 km.]
More in my Wednesday blog.

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To finish ;
IN MEMORIAM 
BILL RILEY.

A Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Late Mr CHARLES WILLIAM “BILL” RILEY will be held at The Tocumwal Bowls Club at 2 pm on TUESDAY ( April 14, 2015).  Prior to the service, a documentary “Quiet Challenge” relating to Bill’s involvement with the establishment of Sportavia will screen at 1.30pm.
As was written on April 10 in THE AGE.

Bill was a great guy with a vision, an entrepreneur to the fullest and a great mate.
When we visited Australia for the first time in the early eighties, we ended up after a short time in Mildura ,at Sportavia in Tocumwal and got to know Bill the owner and his son David, who worked on the gliders in the workshop.
We shared  several Christmas dinners with Bill and and his wife Val and I will always remember the great stories; he was a born story teller. Often those stories were about the WW2, where he flew the 4- engine- flying -boat ,the Sunderland, as member of the 10th squadron, dealing with anti submarine operations.

Bill is the founder of Sportavia and put Tocumwal on the map.He did some great PR in Europe certainly Germany to get overseas pilots to fly at the just by him bought WW2 airfield with 4 huge hangars. He created rooms for the guests in one of the hangars  and lived there by himself in a small apartment [I lived in it later for a few years].
A bar, dining area, office and work shops were part of the imperium/empire. Around the hangar for soaring, a native garden arose.

For the action at the field he bought several heavenly blue Holden’s , all with a white roof. I owned one for a few years, totally restored. His biggest PR tool, was Ingo. Everybody wanted to fly with Ingo, so guests arrived, more and more. Bill supported Ingo during his soaring career and visited all WGC’s Ingo participated in.

In 1987/88 our son Dennis, was allowed to make some more hours after he finished his study as airline pilot. He loved to go back to Tocumwal and do some towing there.When he crashed on January 3 1988, with the Belanca Scout VH-ADP, our families were ONE in sadness, Bill lost the son of his friends.
He then  did n’t want to continue with the flying operations and sold it to Don Escott and Jeff Close.
We later bought Don’s shares and when we started together with Jeff, we lost him , when a Swiss pilot pulled up and hit the Blanik with Jeff and a student. All 3 died.
As you can see life is not always a bed full of roses.

Over the last couple of years Bill got more and more problems with dementia. The picture in my last blog shows Bill when he still remembered me.[2011]
One year later he only smiled to me.

Val kept me informed about his health and last week I knew I would not see him anymore during my next visit. David called George to tell us that his dad had died.I got a mail from Chrissie , with Denise, one of the 2 daughters from Bill, to tell me her dad had died.
Will have to go to the cemetery where more and more friends are buried around Dennis.

My deepest sympathy goes to his children Denise ,Chrissie and  David and their families.And of course to his wife Val, who not always fit herself, took care of him at home, as long as she could.
Bill would have turned 91, 2 days after his funeral.

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With Val, June, me, Stuart and Chrissie and Bill.

Rest in peace dear Bill.

Other views on Bill;

As Judy Renner wrote to the members of the SRGC:
He had a vision for the future of gliding and he managed to achieve that in Tocumwal.  The whole of the gliding movement in Australia has been touched by Bill’s influence.  Just to mention a few of his achievements, he established the gliding school, Sportavia,  he imported the Blanik to Australia, and who hasn’t flown one of those wonderful gliders. He also imported the IS28B2 and the IS29, the Phoebus, the Pik 20, the Pilatus B4 and the Spurber Motor Glider.  He also flew one of three IS28M2 gliders half way around the world from Romania to Tocumwal. This was quite an adventure and a feat.”

” Gone … But not forgotten! One of aviation’s true characters!

” He brought gliding a big way in Australia in the 60s/70s r.i.p” 

flying legend – R.I.P. Bill”

CU next Wednesday when it is supposed to be 25 dgr. C, here, a real summer day
Ritz

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