Post 1.528 on August 19 2024

IT STARTED!!!!!!! This interesting, 38th WGC, qua pilots, setting and weather , has had it’s first day and as we all know a first day can make or break you. But,…on the other hand ,”it’s only over after the last glider is in on the last day” .
It’s easy to write after I wake up in the morning fresh and well rested. Tasks have been flown ,whilst I was a sleep, so I try when hands and neck co-operate to write a bit more than the doctor allows me, as as always “old news is no news” certainly not when important comps are on.
Here we go, looking at the 3 classes ;

38th WGC
 18 August 2024 – 31 August 2024
Uvalde – Garner Field, United States,

Sunday August 18 task 1 ;
18 m; 532.63 km…..When you start a WGC with a speed of 154.04 km./h , then you have done something good! The French ,for sure motivated and coached by the very experienced TC Eric, who was there already earlier, started with 3 pilots, at 14.52, not too early, not too late and flew themselves in the daily top 3.
Christophe Abadie was the daily winner followed by Anne Ducarouge [ 153.09 km./h ] and JDBarois.[152.60 km./h. ]All 3 fly a JS3.
Stefan Langer only lost 20 points this day in his AS 33me [152.45 km./h.] and Arne Boye Moeller was 5th with 149.74 km./h.
Only 1 pilot from 32 in this class did not finish.

20m multi-seat; 4 hour AAT…..16 teams started, so 32 pilots up in the air and  Keith Essex & Marju Rossi [New Zealand] in the ASG 32MI were the daily best; 570.71 km with 140.14 km./h. Kilometre- eater Keith, strikes straight away.
Fine result as well for good old , with respect, Karl Striedeck and his much younger team pilot Sarah Arnold. I know they have practiced a lot together, so I expect a lot from these 2 top pilots.
Except for the last 2 pilots ALL pilots flew over 130 km./h, so all pretty close on this first day. Highest points achieved 1000 lowest still 706!!

open class; 526.75 km… We were ALL looking forward to see how the “fine/petit ” JS5 would fly against the “mighty” EB. That was clear on day 1. Daily winner Sylvain Gerbaud in the EB 29R [start at 14.46] flew around with 159.63 km./h. BUT,….Oscar Goudriaan [start at 14.29] in the JS5 was runner up with 156.15 km./h. so not a big difference with the big bird with long wings.
However he had to share the points , each 959, with Dutch hope Francois Jeremiasse.
Only 1 day, but we keep an eye on this “matter”. Interesting. Both are top pilots.
From 17 only 1 pilot was “out”.

Very much news on this WGC, so I try to share a few words from a few, per day, the rest you can read in their blogs
Matthew; “Cracked the seal on WGC2024, with about 900 points for the day. I had made the perfect start into straightforward cu conditions, nearly catching the lead gaggle on the first leg, but pushed too hard to seal the deal and joined a climb they were marking too low, missing the bubble and having to take something weaker.” Matthew Scutter’s Gliding

Adam; “930pts to kick off the competition, very pleased! We set off with the Brits & French at altitude, running nice energy lines out of the gate. Funny though, I never felt at any point in the flight, that I was pushing. I never really trusted the sky today, hence the 100kt average cruise speed. The sky looked similar on the practice days, yet was happy to cruise 110kts. Anyways, seemed to work well today & kept us out of trouble.” Adam Woolley’s Gliding Adventures

Pasi; “First Worlds contest day in the books. 4hr AAT. Had an awesome start (started last) and the first leg was booming until it wasn’t. Had avg speed to first turn 150+ kph. Didn’t take the 6 knots when I should of. Got bit low, 2nd leg had 2 choices. Take more kms to south and come back over blue hole or go norther. We took the ladder. Really didn’t catch a good climb until after 2nd turn. 4m/8kt avg to cloud base and the throttle on.” Pasi Pulkkinen is from Finland where I got to know him his blog; Gliderpasi

Rich Owen from the media team; “The gliders were ready early this morning and placed on the runway/taxiway well before they needed to be. The weighing team did a great job getting all the gliders across the scales in a timely manner.”
“The pilot’s meeting was a little more serious as the safety brief was given by Mark Huffstutler.”
“I hope everyone enjoyed watching the flights using live tracking. We have several links to watch on our platforms. You should try puretrack.io. It seems to provide the best experience.”
Much more on WGC Uvalde 2024 the late report.

“What an incredible start to the competition at the 2024 World Gliding Championships! The JS5s soared to new heights, showcasing their remarkable performance and precision in the skies. Pilots flying these state-of-the-art gliders demonstrated exceptional skill, making the first official day truly unforgettable!
From optimized speed to outstanding thermaling capabilities, the JS5 proves itself as a formidable contender. We can’t wait to see what the rest of the competition holds for these amazing aircraft!
Jonker Sailplanes

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCMENT!!!Yesterday we posted that the Dutch Team attempted to depart with the FAI flag at the opening ceremonies. The report was in error, the Dutch Team DID NOT ATTEMPT to steal the flag. A young, unidentified gentleman who was wearing an all-orange shirt was the culprit. I apologize to the Dutch Team for the error.” WGC Uvalde 2024
I could n’t imagine already who could do such a thing!!!

That’s day 1 with task 1 covered. More tomorrow;
Tasks for Monday August 19 are
Task 2 18 m; 4 hour AAT, same for the 2 seaters and open class.

Great areal pictures by Paul Remde who flew for a quick over- view from gliders at the airfield with contest manager Mark Huffstutler, in his Helicopter. Rich was in it too.
I got to know Mark during 2 comps in 1991 as TC for the Dutch team and in 2012 as editor for Soaring Cafe. He is a very loyal, friendly warm person totally involved with ALL what flies!!!
Paul did some interviews with pilots as well as I noticed on FB.WGC Uvalde 2024
You can view all the photos from the flight on Flickr using this link:
|https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBE2EY

Here are already 2;

CU tomorrow with news about task 2.

Cheers Ritz