Alphen aan den Rijn Wednesday October 26 2011 ritzdeluy@hotmail.com
picture from archive.[Bruce Cooper]
Back to the basic’s of this blog SOARING. Rugby , was world-wide on TV ! 250 ooo people celebrated in Auckland the glorious win of the rugby players. “The excitement was a knife-edge-affair ” as my Kiwi friends called it, ….but is over now!
Though in the future more sport, as speed skating will start and I am a big fan of that sport. So you might find soon a few sentences about that as well, when I am over-excited!! Sven Kramer is back!!!!
In Germany the team-members for 2012 were mentioned for each class. We all know they have always very strong teams. It is interesting to see that in some classes ; the oldies are still going strong”. I mean with old not so much in age as in “being in the team for years and years and years”. Some with a break in between. Names; Holger Back,[ sportsoldier in 1987 in Benalla and flew first 1000 km. in Tocumwal] Reinhard Schramme [ he was in 1991 in Uvalde] and Holger Karow. Of course Michael Sommer is part of this team as well in open class.
Also some of the juniors will participate in the BIG comps, as Patrick Puskeiler and double junior world champion Filipe Levin.
In each class 4 pilots only in open they have 5 due to the fact that Michael is World Champion and for that reason EXTRA.
Also interesting that their long- time -team- coach for all comps when possible, Uli Gmelin, has qualified for a team-spot in the 2 seater class.
Holger ‘s ;Back and Karow in 2006 and again in 2012.
As well as Michael Sommer and Reinhard Schramme.
All of them TOPPERS!!!!
pictures from my present-cd from Eskilstuna.
Not long and the international gliders will arrive in harbours in Africa and Australia. Hopefully great summers will make the pilots happy, as it is quite an effort to get gliders there and to travel to these great overseas destinations. Some stay for the whole period, travelling up to unpack and pack the container theirselves and in between for some, there is time for some looking- around!But soaring is the main goal!
The OLC will be more busy again and with comps in those parts of the world, the site soaringspot as well.
Talking about the OLC. Mr. OLC himself, Reiner Rose, was honored last week in Belgrad with the FAI Lilienthal Medal, during the FAI General Conference over there. So well-deserved!!!!I hope to talk to him during the Dutch Soaring Day on November 26 where he is one of the guests.
Leonardo Brigliadori, who does n’t know his name. WGC winner in Rieti, competition director from the JWGC at Rieti in 2007 and from the WGC for unflapped gliders in 2008. Together with his son Ricky writer of the book “Competing in gliding”.
And …….since October 2008 the president of the Italian Gliding Federation [FIVV] . On October 23 2012 he resigned !
I have been a few times in Rieti , loved each of those years , but found out / noticed , certainly at top events , that there were a lot of people involved in setting the strategy. I stayed and will stay out of the Italian soaring-politics, but strongly believe things will be OK for the future!
Leo to the right with Rainer top coach from Germany
A little while ago I spoke about Helmut Reichmann and also about the best sellers he has written. I noticed a more recent best seller from Bernard Eckey “Advanced Soaring Made Easy”, has been translated in German now. The English version can be easily bought on line at several book providers. [about 58,91 US dollar]
Bernard was our guest in the past at Sportavia. He has been born in Germany but is a through Aussie now and lives in the West of Australia. His book has a new 2d edition!
Talking about the West of Australia a killer-shark has killed 6 divers/swimmers in recent times. Last one is a USA diver only 32 years old. Witnesses claim they saw a white shark. Those sharks can get up to 6 m. long! Since 2000 it is allowed to kill them even when they are rare. Lot’s of tunafish thrown in the ocean has not yet helped to catch the fish. In the past it was fact that only one person a year died by a shark-attack.
Not only Dutch passengers but from more parts of Europe, got the fright of their lives on Monday, while waiting for a flight from Faro in Portugal to their destination. At 5 AM, part of the roof disappeared in heavy weather. A whirlwind lifted the roof of the Terminal and heavy rain did the rest, to shock them. Air traffic controllers stopped all incoming and out going flights till the weather improved! Specially Transavia [ Dutch passengers] and Ryan Air [ passengers from the UK] had several flights at that time. Transavia changed direction to land at Sevilla and Malaga. The terminal was one mess!!!
10 People had [minor] injuries.
Ireland had a “cloud- burst” on Tuesday and Dublin looked like a swimming pool. In a few hours so much rain fell, as normally falls in a month. Sadly one helping police agent was hauled by the water.
That’s it you are up to date again. By the way I am going to share my blog in soaring cafe once a week. TOO much Ritz is NOT good!!!!! So there will be a weekly entry and a more detailed topic.
Cheers Ritz