Alphen aan den Rijn Wednesday October 7 2009
Happy birthday to Simon and Kurt who both celebrated their birthday last Monday. Simon is 30 years old now, happily married and an airline pilot. Last I heard from Kurt was that he flew mail in Queensland.
And then if we are talking tow pilots , another of “our” former tuggies Charlie was father again not long ago. He and Bianca have 2 sons now. Charlie fulfilled his dream to be an agg-pilot.
Then the “fighting crew ” aboard of an Air India Airbus was in the news all over the world. Not something to be proud of. When you did not read it; a stewardess claimed that she was indecent “touched” by the pilot [s].That accusation initiated the fight ,first in the cockpit later in the aisle in front of the 100 passengers aboard. At that time , at 10.000 m. NO pilot was in the cockpit!
Pilots in Europe, also in Holland took action last Tuesday as they think that the CAO for work and rest is not good. Sometimes they have to work for 14 hours during the day and 12 hours during the night, without a pause even changing continents, which is not good for their rest . Only in Holland 4000 pilots are a member of the VNV [the union] .They had a “playful” action but at-least the European parliament has said” to look into the case”. They claim that safety in the air is so important that they SHOULD look at it !
Daylight saving has started in Australia, earlier then I expected as it is normally at the same time as we change in Europe. Nevertheless the first GREAT cu’s have been seen down under and Shinzo from Narromine used them to fly a very good 680 km flight to the West of Narromine.
In Europe the eye catcher on the OLC was the flight from top Czech pilot Petr Krejcirik last Sunday, flying a few times an out and return making a scoring distance 903 km , an outstanding result SO late in the season. Speed from 129 km/h is not too bad either in a Ventus 2 C 18 m. an reaching over 7000 m h. In his comment he says that he flew 1200 km over 8 turn-points!!!!
Even in Holland pilots flew , certainly for the time of the year super flights; 509 km from Soesterberg and 417 from Terlet in a DG 500 22m.
Rieti had a 447 km flight and…Dunstable in the UK an AMAZING as they call it their-selves, 449 km in an ASH 25.
Not only a good soaring season in most of the European countries but also a long one.
One more time news next sunday before I leave for Australia on Tuesday, after , I will only write when I have a laptop, sorry but ….that might not be too difficult as the tourist information centre in Tocumwal has computers as well.
See you on Sunday, cheers Ritz