Post 1.429 on June 28 2023.

CAMPIONATO Italiano in CLUB CLASS and UNICA and for beginners.
Italian Nationals……Ferrara…..16 June 2023 – 25 June 2023

After 3 days they continued with the NATIONALS at Ferrara. More and more they only fly during the weekends in Italy.
On Friday tasks were set but not flown. We had terrible weather here too, like in the UK, France, Belgium and Germany. Flooding again and severe thunderstorms.
But that weather went through quickly, blue skies appeared and it was hot again. Up to 33 dgr C here in The Netherlands last Sunday.

UNICA;
Task 4; 2.15 AAT….not flown.
Task 5; 400 km,…..that’s better the Italian soaring weather was back. Ricky was just a tad faster than Davide; 110.91 km./h for 110.57 and with 110. 40 Roberto Pinato was close by as well;1000,994 and 992 points. All 23 in this class started and 2 did not finish.
Task 6; 2.15 AAT.….22 pilots started on this last day and 21 finished. Davide in his 18 m. JS3 flew 269.39 km in time 2.21.49, so a speed of 113.98 km./h. and was with that speed the last daily winner.
It was less than a tad, 113.96 km./h for runner up Mauro Brunazzo.
Roberto Pinato who was on spot 1 overall in his JS 3 every day except for day 1, was on spot 15 with an 81 sec. penalty for a low finish.
He lost over 600 points and with that his title, but was still on the podium.
Giorgio was 18th.
1. Davide Schiavotto in JS3 /18m with 3,722 points. National Champion, congratulations.
2. Lucio Bordin in JS 3/18m with 3,667 p.
3. Roberto Pinato in JS 3/18m with 3,624 p.
Ricky missed out on 20 points [3,604] to be on the podium.

CLUB;
Task 4; 215 AAT,…..not flown.
Task 5; 299.62 km..…3 flew faster than 90 km./h. Giacomo Dall’Olio won the 1000 points for a speed of 99.82 km./h in an ASW 20a. Another glider , same type , different pilot, Lapo Busi, was runner up ; 95.44 km./h.. Lapo won already task 2 and 3.
All 20 started and 2 were “out”.
Task 6; 2 hour AAT….183 km for Luca [Monti] and Lorenzo [Monti] both starting and finishing and flying with 90 km./h. with a rather late start at 15. 15. Both flying a LAK 19.
19 started and 17 finished.
Overall, Luca [Urbani] who was 3d for the day passed Lapo.
1. Giacomo Dall’Olio in ASW 20 with 3,342 points.
2. Luca Urbani in Discus 2a with 3,273 p.
3. Lapo Busi in ASW 20a with 3,234 p
On spot 4 Luca Monti missing out on 3 points; 3,231 p.

They had another class during this competition; promozione, with 7 pilots eager to get higher up in the soaring world and in class. Winner AND CHAMPION, was Andrea Paganin in LS1f with 2,495 points. The runner up , Luca Leone had 2,274 p.

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AMSTELGLIDE 2023

In the Netherlands we have several 2-day-comps. This time Soesterberg is the host. Here “lives” the club from AMSTERDAM….the ACVZ.[ Amsterdamse Club voor Zweefvliegen]
2 Classes looked ahead a a great soaring weekend as the weather was hot ,but very blue!
Tasks were set for club with 18 participants among them 2 ladies , Sanne from Deelen and Sophie from the student club of Delft and open had 17 pilots several well known to me , as father and son Daan and Thijs Pare both flying a Ventus.

Club class flies on June 24
task 1; a 3 hour AAT…… 310 km. was flown by Jeroen van Dijk in the LS 3 WL. After 10 flying days during the Dutch Nationals he was already in a good flow and he was winning now with 90 km./h. Soesterberg is his club.
Runner up in a St. Libelle was Daan van Kol, also a local pilot.
16 Started and 12 finished. Looking at the ladies; Sophie did not start and Sanne was out .
Task 2; 266.84 km.….and again Jeroen wins the day; 100 km./h the only one over the 100 km. mark.
With that he is of course the winner of this 2-day-competition;1,858 points. Daan is runner up [9th for the day] with 1,667 p.

Open flies on
task 1 ; 353.60 km..…All 17 finished but the speed was not high, so it was more or less “fighting” in the blue. Team Simon van den Eijkel and Jeroen Verheul won in the Duo Discus XLT; 98.09 km./h.. Runner up team Rik van den Boer from the Belgium club Albatros flew the same glider; 94.76 km./h. Only 1 pilot flew over 100 km./h ;Max Leenders in his JS 3 TJ/18m.
Daan and Thijs were on spot 7 and 8.
Task 2; 302.56 km..…also here the same winners as the day before; Simon and Jeroen. the Belgium friends, Rik and Tom, were also runner up again. No news that those 2 teams won the comps. 1,831 points for 1,742p.
Only 13 started on day 2.

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AUSTRIAN NATIONALS in 4 CLASSES
Mariazell 23 June 2023 – 1 July 2023

In between, the Austrian Nationals have started as well in 4 classes.
They started with a “no task day” on June 23 as the opening was on that day and on June 24, but on June 25 the pilots had to go up in the air. But then it was straight GOOD.
There are 4 classes 15 m with 17 participants, 18 m with 23, 2-seaters with 12 teams and open with 16.
A total of 68 among them several “big” names.

15 m ;
Task 1; 313.93 km....David Richter-Trummer in a H 301 Libelle won day 1 with a speed of 78.60 km./h His handicap is 100. Runner up with 999 points was Raphael Gramer in LS 4 [525 k]
Also in this class 1 pilot from Germany and 1 from Czech Rep.
17 started 8 finished, so a tough day.
Task 2; 511.34 km….No doubt,….David is in good soaring mood so is his Libelle…..flying 511 km. He won again; speed over this rather long distance during a competition was 89.38 km.
17 started and only 10 finished.
Task 3; km…according to the local weather station the temperature at 10 was 16 dgr. C, with 89 % clouds and not a lot of wind 13 km./h.

18 m;
Task 1;485.32 km...5 German pilots in this class and one of them Tilo [Holighaus] yes from Shempp-Hirth won day 1 in his Ventus 3 with a speed of 106.38 km./h. Runners up Peter Hartmann in JS 1C and Heimo Demmerer in Ventus 3 . Both pilots fly a lot in Italy as well. I met them several times at the CIM in Rieti.
23 started and 19 finished among them Werner Amann, Uys Jonker from South Africa and good “old” Reinhard Haggenmueller. He once flew {somewhere at a WGC?} a great DEMO, I never have forgotten, scary but so good.
Task 2; 508.23 km….Peter , used to mountain flying, was the best; 113.70 km./h Uys did well over those Mariazell mountains; runner up with 111.53 km./h.
22 started and 19 finished.

2-seaters and open class as they are about the same with the same tasks;
Task 1; 428.71 km….a Dutch Austrian combination won task 1; Mathijs van Houweninge & Aurel Hallbrucker in the ARCUS M; 111.32 km./h. BUT…they had to share their first spot with TOPPERS as Andy Lutz and Wolfgang Janowitsch [Happy birthday Wolfgang] a former double 18 m. WGC champion.[2003 Leszno and 2018 in Hosin]
When Wolfgang wins he can be truly/intense happy. See picture
Task 2; 573.88 km….Andy and Wolfgang were the daily winners; 106.77 km./h then only ones over 100 km./h so a tough day in the office.
Tougher even for Mathijs and Aurel who stranded when they were nearly home; “out” after 523 km. loosing 468 points on Wolfgang and Andy ; from 12 starters 6 were in.
From the 16 in open class 6 were out.

They did NOT FLY yesterday.…NO TASK.
Today they fly…in ALL classes…2.30 AAT’s. 15m 2.30 AAT
More next week.

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—–It’s mid winter in Australia but some of my mates had a good Sunday last week.
From Bunyan Gld close to Canberra [South] Justin Fritzgerald flew in wave a yo-yo-flight from 791 km over the mountains from the Great Dividing Range with a speed of 167.54 km./h in a 15 m. Ventus CT. Good on him. He stayed East of Mount Kosciuszco, [2230 m. the highest point], where I once drove over with Brutus in our car on our way to Canberra. Pretty special that high mountain-range with its trees. Still not sure if it was a good idea to travel that way, sometimes it was pretty scary, but we arrived safe in Canberra.
Also a nice flight from Bunyan in an LS6 by David McIlroy;246 km.
5 Pilots noticed the potential good wave flights and went for a ride.
My mate Gerrit flew in his EB 29R a distance of 261 km and another good mate Butch flew in his AS 33es/18m. 242 km. Nice winter-day out from Kingaroy more in the East of Australia.

Not long [July2] the WWGC starts in Spain. Most ladies have arrived already. Some even practice for 2 weeks.
I will follow them , of course and wish them ALL…… GOOD LUCK and SAFE FLIGHTS.
47 pilots in 3 classes….16 in Standard Class, 12 in 18 m and 19 in Club Class.

Also the German team has arrived with 10 pilots!!!
From July 2, the gliders will take to the skies around Soria (Spain) for the Women’s World Cup. With them, of course, the German team with the pilots:
Ilka Elster-Back – LS8 e neo
Cornelia Schaich – LS8
Karen Wilken – LS8
Sabrina Vogt – Discus 2a
Anja Barfuss – ASG 29 Es 18m
Sandra Malzacher – ASG 29 18m
Katrin Senne – JS3 18m Jet
Ulrike Teichmann – LS4
Carolin Rothardt – LS7
Daniela Wilden – LS7 WL

AND …. Eric Napoleon announced the arrival of his French team in Spain; 9 pilots.
Alizée Petit – ASW 20
Aude Grangeray – LS7
Louise Rodriguez – LS7
Anais Gaubert – Discus 2A
Marilyne Abadie-Bérard – Discus 2A
Aude Untersee – Discus 2A
Mélanie Gadoulet – JS3/18m
Astrid Galaret – JS3/18m.
Anne Ducarouge – JS3/18m

The “girls” from the USA, Kathy Fosha [ ASW 20] and Sylvia Grandstaff, [ St Cirrus] both were in Lake Keepit as well [and as far as I remember not in HusBos] , have arrived as well.

The Netherlands will be represented by Lizzy [van Zomeren] .Tough job for a sole pilot ,but she will do her utmost best! AND,…she can make quickly new friends….
You surely remember the smoke at days at the WWGC in Lake Keepit [2020] due to many forest fires.
In Spain no fires but only smoke; not good either,… this smoke arrives from the CANADA fires. I noticed it on TV and it looked a bit “creepy”, orange/red skies at places .
Matthew Scutter from SkySight shared this picture;

CU next week
Cheers Ritz