Fire delays solar race! Pictures from LangleyPark!

 Todays pictures; courtesy Mattias Hemborg

Alphen aan den Rijn    Wednesday October 19 2011     ritzdeluy@hotmail.com

Told you in my last blog about the famous solar race from Darwin to Adelaide. Unfortunately bush fires at Tennant Creek, stopped all cars for one day. On Tuesday they continued over the Stuart Highway first slowly through smoke then with speed, but…followed by clouds and their goal was in clouds as well. The Japanese University car is upfront , followed by the Dutch car.

I also mentioned the last landings on Langley Park. I heard already that it is very early in the season, very hot in the Perth area, up to 36 dgr.C. One of the [glider]-pilots attending was Owen with his LS8/18m.. He flies with the Beverley Soaring Society! His glider in the static show has 1025 hours out of 375 flights.

 

Proud owner Owen Jones with his 18m. LS 8.Picture courtesy Vanessa Johnson.
Here is a photographic display of the static show and for those interested in vintage planes, here are  a few. Thanks Vanessa!
I liked her comment; “I just took pics of the planes I thought looked nice – only a few had signs up and I am not expert enough to name them. Certainly the number of vintage planes on display suggest there are a lot of men about with very big sheds (and long-suffering wives, I suspect) ;-)”

http://www.dropbox.com/gallery/22661457/1/Langley%20Park%20Fly-In?h=1a208d

The season started in Australia so I got some news from Jo. First the entries for the 31th club and sports class at Benalla. [02/13-01-2012] Good old Tim Shirley is the CD and still going strong as in the past.  Benalla Rural City and the winery Tallis wines are the headsponsors as last year.
-A final reminder that early bird entries for the Nationals (with guaranteed places for fully paid seeded pilots and the lower entry fee) finish at the end of October.
The entry form is on the website at
www.deltaone.id.au/Benalla2012
The event has proved to be popular – there are 62 entries currently, and we can take a maximum of 70.  However, we have only six in the new 20 metre 2 seater class and we need 8 to make a championship class, so if you or anyone you know has an eligible 2 seater, please encourage them to come along.

Interesting news as well about gliders for sale in Australia. For those who are interested here is the link;
-As suggested by one of Aus-soaring readers, I have set up
http://www.glidersales.com.au
To list your gliders and equipment for sale at no cost till sold or
withdrawn from the market,
email me at GJS2@internode.on.net.
Small photos are welcome.
Prospective advertisers are welcome too.:-)

After 6 days of flying the Ceres regionals in Argentina finished. Lucas Goldenzweig setlled himself on a 3d place in LS 4 . ONLY AAT’s over there with 2 hours, 2.30 and on the last day 3 hours; 247 km. for the winner in 2.59 and 1000 points for Sebastian Lungo who won the last day and the title in this class in a Standard Jantar!!!

 

Great clouds in Sweden by Mattias Hemborg

The competition in Israel at Megiddo;  Arnon Jaffe , who flew in the past with us at Tocumwal had a nice 303 km. distance [AAT]  in the ASW 24. I once saw a really interesting video about soaring in Israel. Megiddo is in the heart of  the Yisrael Valley and the club has a fleet of 24 gliders , half of them privately owned. They have 2 tugs . I am sure all of them have been happy yesterday when their country fellowman Gilad Shalit returned back to home- soil, after being kept in prison for 5 years by Hamas.Gilad is the very first prisoner who comes back home alive , but…in exchange for 1027 Palestinians.

While looking at Hallo Deutschland on TV,last Monday I saw the impact of a glider after it crashed on a golf course! Was not a nice sight. People who were playing golf , saw it happen very close by and of course reacted pretty shocked. The 38 year old pilot , who was as they mentioned, very experienced, did not survive the huge impact on the golf grass. Nobody else was hurt.  The airfield he wanted to land on was just a bit further. Very sad!!!!

 

Late finishes in Sweden by Mattias Hemborg.

As life goes on,  it was good to see that German friends Stefan Soell and Aljoscha are back in Tocumwal. After the check flights , father Stefan flew his own LS 4, KYO, already for atleast 16 years maybe even 20 years stationated and on line at Tocumwal and his young son Joschi his first SOLO -flight in the IS 28. Good on him. Great to fly together as father and son, what pleasure!!!I know Stefan already from the period Joschi was only a baby and now he flies solo. I guess he is must be 14 now!Time passes! Ouch!!!Congratulations Joschi!!!

Talking about Tocumwal; It is a small world , our SOARING_WORLD!!!!! I had contact with John who lives in the USA and guess what ???? He send me the next [ I share only part of it]  mail;
—I have flown at Tocumwal with Ingo in fact in the early eighties and had a cracking good time. Ingo and I flew the Caproni on a 300k record which was really a high point in my soaring. I then flew a Kestral and several other great gliders and really enjoyed my stay and the flying.—

 

Finishes at Eskilstuna by Mattias Hemborg.

CU on Sunday. cheers Ritz { you can click on the pictures to enlarge them}

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.