April….Soaring at it’s best and at it’s worst …here!

What a fantastic day of soaring! Varese Martigny Aosta Zermatt...” Aldo Cernezzi was ecstatic about flying in this area and shares it with us in pictures. Of course still a lot of winter-snow on the mountains, but spring is there.
France, Italy ,Germany and Switzerland were the places to be for Europe. Flights up to nearly 800 km. in cold but good conditions.

Making new friends high up.
Pictures Aldo Cernezzi

Over Easter there was NO soaring here, it felt like winter, with hail and snow and ZERO dgr. C. brrrrr……..
We had a WHITE EASTER!!!!!!!!!!!!! So did Denmark ,..but that is more “normal”.

Easter Monday in Holland!!!!!


Luckily Easter Saturday was pretty good here, with one 600 km by Sikko Vermeer in his ASG 29 E/18m. and 9x 500 km.-plus flights!!!

Easter Saturday Weather…as shared by Marion.


In Germany kilometer-eaters Alexander Mueller and Michael Sommer, took their EB’s out for an EASTER-flight and flew 983 and 1000 km flying from Bayreuth and Oberhinkofen!!!
The Southern part of Germany had no problems with the tough NW wind, it created here, high waves,…no not for soaring….but on the coast and dykes.

The Hahnweide, Bamberg , Unterwoessen and Burg Feuerstein had great soaring conditions as well.
So did parts from N. Italy, where Giorgio [Galetto] flew 729 km. in his Ventus 3F/18m. from Thiene with TP’s in Lienz Nikolsdorf [Germany] close to Austria and Lesce Bled in the NW of Slovenia, using the Alps for height.
All in all 677 pilots enjoyed Easter-Sunday in their glider.
Yesterday Alessandro Brusca flew from Aosta a 1.158 km. flight in the Ventus 2cxa 18m. At one spot he had 6418 MSL/3408 AGL.
Aosta is a great place to fly your 3000 or 5000 m. height but for skiing as well, you travel high up in the mountains to Pila and off you go on skies down again. Have been there a few times.

Also the UK had great but cold conditions to fly. Whilst we were looking at snow flakes falling down, they had that super polar air with great visibility on Easter Monday. The BGA shared this picture from Alex Holswilder.
Garry Coppin and Andy Aveling flew from Lasham a 684 km. flight in the Arcus T.

Polar airmass with a 7500′ cloudbase in some parts of the UK today – Alex Holswilder posted this pic taken near the Wash

Well, it’s still snowing here and we have about 5 cm. now. More south in Limburg….15 cm!!!!
Mind you only 2 weeks ago we had 26 dgr. C here.
Accidents and incident and traffic jams are the result.
4 Seasons in ONE day!!!!!!A weird spring.

Corona vaccine for me on Friday and on Mai 14. We are still in a lockdown here.
Not so much soaring news so I finish with a beautiful picture shared in “glider forever”.

“Schempp-Hirth Ventus – Pilot : Paolo Angelini ( ACAO )”
Courtesy Nicola Calo’

Back next Wednesday with hopefully real spring weather here and NO problems after the first vaccine.
Cheers Ritz

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