Alphen aan den Rijn Sunday September 25 2011 ritzdeluy@hotmail.com
From several places in Europe gliders are now on their way to either Africa or Australia. From Hamburg 4 containers packed in Mengen in Germany are now on their way to Bitterwasser in Namibia. Another 2 containers from Illingen will follow soon. It looks like a busy year in Bitterwasser! Good on them! After a bad summer more pilots need good conditions for soaring to be happy and Namibia is one of the best places to go to.
Other containers , I know of, have left for Gariep Dam, Corowa and Stonefield.
Talking about a bad summer, today it is 24 dgr. here!!!And what’s more…. it will be like this for the next week. Let’s wait and see!!!
Ever heard of the Bunyan Wavecamp in NSW ? I had not and I lived for 11 years in Australia and spend a total of 23 winters over there.
Time to give you their latest news by Stuart Ferguson send via Jo: THANKS!
—-” Todate [as on Thursday September 22] we have flown every day with only Tuesday seeing 10 or so gliders returning about midday before a line of rain and snow passed over the airfield.
Wednesday has been our best day yet with some pilots climbing to around FL200 in blue conditions up over the main range with one venturing briefly south into Victoria; we also
congratulate one visitor who will be making a Gold Height Badge claim; its smiles all round
at Bunyan.
There are two rules to enjoying the Bunyan Wave Camp
1 – You have to be there
2 – You have to take a launch
Just to let you know!!!!
And…got more!
—-After a week of thermal and wave conditions on Day 7 of the Bunyan Wave Camp lived up to reputation – with conditions aloft ideal for wave at 6:30am as the first gliders were positioned on the grid conditions on the ground were calm, but at 500ft it was a different story as the combination flew through the wind shear; then it was the wild bucking bronco ride before reaching the laminar flow. By 9:30am the tugs had to be put away due to 40kt + gusts on the ground (it was gusting so hard that full coffee cups off tables).
5 Diamond Heights were flown 😉
How was your day?—–
Sad news as well as Karl-Heinz Schneider died, age 55 only. Karl Heinz was the son of Walther ,who supplied SO many people with his LS gliders as manufacturer of this business kin the past. Who has never flown in an LS glider?? Nearly everybody , is nt it?
Had not seen him for a long time, but as far as I remember his health was never the very best.
See also ; www.soaringcafe.com
This weekend [23-25] the European Women gather in Amstelveen not far from Amsterdam. The 7th AWE [ Aviation and Women in Europe Conference] has 10 great guest-speakers one of them Frank Versteegh former Red Bull Racer and now still involved in air shows, [ he was in Reno when the P51 crashed] , a stewardess , a female airline captain and more . It is good to see that more and more women in the aviation world gather, as not long ago the soaring-ladies did in France and Holland. When you are interested look at;
www.aweu.org
Today the State Comps started in Warwick. Yesterday they had their practise day and today they started with a 3 hour AAT for club class, 313 km. for standard, 353 for 18 m. Scores are coming in now so if you are interested look at www.soaringspot.com
It looks like the toppers are winning this day, as in Bruce Taylor [JS1] and John Buchanan [ ASG 29] in 18 m. with at this stage 1000 and 956 points.
70 Pilots in 5 classes, as they also have a combined 15m/standard and 18m/open class.
The East of Australia starts the season with good and interesting weather. Look at the flight yesterday from Geoff Pratt on the OLC. Starting with the Morning Glory and back with thermals; 941 km. [833 FAI triangle!!!!!] in a PIK 20E !!!!!! Good on him!
So you are happy and excited to have seen the Himalaya from above , flying with Buddha Air, ready to tell “the world “about what you have seen , on the way back to Kathmandu airport ….. and so the plane [ Beechcraft] crashes in rain and fog….no stories to tell anymore and huge sadness for families in India, Japan , Nepal and the USA and for the family of the crew of 3. 19 People died !Very SAD!!!!!!
It is good that vintage gliders are not forgotten! Some pilots really love to take their toy for a flight on nice after-summer-days as we have now here in many parts of Europe as there is a strong high over Central Europe. On Facebook I read that they loved their flight. Found a few vintage planes in my archive from Lars Ake Allerhed during the WGC opening in 2006 in Eskilstuna. Enjoy!
Ritz