Alphen aan den Rijn Sunday January 16 2011 ritzdeluy@hotmail.com
Today I added a lot of pictures to the diary published on January 5 AND a short funny video about the bubbling mud, have a look when you are interested! Just scroll down! Thanks!
Feel sorry for all pilots waiting for nicer weather, but more then for them, I nearly cry for all who suffer, due to this “bloody” rain all over the world. People got killed in the Philippines, in Brazil, Shri Lanka, in Australia and even here in Holland [ one guy drowned when he tried to save his doggie; the doggie is fine!] , where on a much smaller scale flooding is bad in the South.
El Nina… they call the culprit in Australia, with all info why this happens, but…to stop it would be better.
If you look in the smiling face on a picture of a 13 year old young boy, who asked the rescuers to safe his 11 year old brother first and who then drowns together with his mum ….heartbreaking.
This is enough weather-disaster, hope it stops now for the rest of 2011 !!!!
While half of the world suffers from water, 70% of the USA suffers from ice/snow. It is a weird world/ climate !!
Back to soaring. No extra news at this stage on Springhill as the owners are first going to marry in February, so that costs a lot of time and energy. I figured out how to put pictures on, so here are the very first ones, from the future bride and groom, ready after this big event to look at all possibilities for their fantastic estate, Springhill. You can only see the taxi track from the big hangar to the 1 km. long runway, but as far as you can see…it is all Springhill.
So glad it works now with the pictures!!!! Now I “only ” have to make better ones !!!
Talking about New Zealand, the nationals just have been flown from Omarama. Here is a link I received.Thanks!!!
Great to see soaring is in the gens of the family Wills. Now George Wills son of Justin has been part of the Nationals and I guess we are going to hear a lot more about him in the future as well. He was runner up in 15 m class.
Also great to see it was “a piece of cake “, for Dane Dickinson to win 15 m. class. Not really as he had to fight with other top pilots for the top position as you can read in the article. Anyway enjoy it! It is out of the Otago Daily Times.
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/your-news/144289/new-champions-nz-gliding-championships
Namibia had some better weather again,with some 1000 km. flights but again, only in open class gliders. The first 1000 km flights , 6 on one day were flown on December 1 2010 and Reinhard Schramme with co pilot where the first to receive a bottle of champagne from good old Woody. Decision to give them the bottle was that it was the longest flight of the 6 that day.[1.127,54]
In the middle of the season 10/11, 96 over 1000 km. flights were flown from Bitterwasser, celebrating their 5othiest anniversary. From them 30 were over 1100 km., 4 over 1200 and 2 over 1300 km. all in thermals.[source; Bitterwasser site at www.bitterwasser.com]
On the OLC -best-airfield they seem not to be beaten anymore with 577.767.81 km. flown by 127 pilots in 799 flights. Number 2 is at this stage; Gariep Dam with 280.860.11 by 77 pilots in 484 flights.
For the rest of the overseas -season-pilots it is just waiting. A poor season, indeed it is, but it is not over yet, so lets hope for a few booming days now sunset is still acceptable for long flights.
Pokweni and Kiripotib had both, a just over 1000 km flight again last Friday ,with FINALLY as I hear a day with no showers in Kiripotib. And also Gariep Dam had good flights up to 800 km yesterday. Yesterday Kiripotib had severe -shower-warnings again, but pilots still managred to fly 951 km.
Azul; I wrote about Damien Goldenzweig, that he was the most probable winner of the Nationals in Argentina in the mixed class. BUT…..On day 7 on January 12, he only got 762 points on a 1000 point day, dropping from 1 overall to 2.
Mario Reynoso was doing well on a 3d place overall in standard class while Lucas Goldenzweig is 6 now in this class.But it goes up and down there with the pilots, nobody seems to be really consistent, or was maybe the weather not consistent??
In the end they flew 9 days out of 12 . The last day made it special as both potential winners were fighting to be National Champion. Damien was 6th on this last soaring day with 942 points while Jorge was “only” 19th with 842 points.
The difference on day 8 overall, was 93 points in favor of Jorge.
With a difference of only 8 points Damien [ 8372] won after 9 days and Jorge Tartara [8364] , the local hero, was a great runner up in these Nationals in the mixed class. Javier Gaude 2d on the last flying day, was on a good 6th place . Congratulations!
In club class ” good old ” Mario managed to keep his 3d place, Lucas was 6th and Gonzalo Riera won!!! Well done! Here are a few lines from a mail I received this morning by Horacio.
—We are very glad about Mario’s 3rd place, that shows that he’s still a very good pilot. [I totally agree!!!]
And…
Also Gonzalo Riera, son of the late Jorge Riera, an 8 times national champion won his first national championship. It was a very emotive moment since Jorge was beloved by all the members of this community when he died tragically in 2004 while taking a glider exam. He was a very respected pilot in my country, also by the fact of being one of the highest ranking pilots in Aerolineas Argentinas.[ Bit of a sad story but you look at Gonzalo’s win with other eyes is n’t it? At least I do and I wish him all the best!!! ]
In Benalla they had a pilots meeting on Friday to talk while waiting for the better weather to come, about the future of competition flying in Australia. Expectation was that soaring should be possible on Saturday when the wind was tough enough to dry the wet areas.And…finally something positive; real strong winds arrived last Friday, to blow the bad weather away and to drain and dry the field.
Several places in Victoria suffer now from high water as well {Echuca, being one of them} and lot’s of crops have been ruined.
Here is a line from another mail, I received from Daniel;
—-The devastating fact is that farmer for the first time in some 7 years of drought where expecting record harvests lashing out on big new harvesters only to see them bogged in fields under water with crops destroyed. —-
Will be difficult enough for outlandings as well now.
Yesterday a task was set; an AAT with 2 hours and club class was launched first. The through had passed , the field had been prepared after all the rain …..and the day turned out better then expected.
Winners of day 1 ‘s AAT in 2 hours ; Terry Cubley in his LS 3 in club and in sports class Peter Temple,in his LS 8, both WGC pilots in the past.
Today they had a 3 hour AAT on day 2 with better conditions, hot , humid and cu’s up to 6000 ft. as is written on their site.
Preliminary results for day 2;Lisa Trotter in sportsclass in LS 8 with 293 km flown in 3.08 h. And in Club class Queensland kilometer-eater Alan Barnes flew in his LS1 f 291 km in 3.05 h. In this class Lisa’s husband Peter was 2d.
After 2 days the prelimanary overall scores are;
Club classs; 1. another kilometer-eater Tobias Geiger from Victoria flying LS4. 2. Alan [Queensland] and 3 Terry.[South Australia]
Sports class; 1. Peter Temple, 2 Lisa Trotter 3 Scott Lennon all flying LS8 and from South Australia, Queensland and NSW.
Finally good flights from Corowa and Tocumwal as well today after what I heard 5 days of more or less steady rain.
Flying in Argentina both from Chapelco and Lago Nahuel still shows interesting flights on the OLC. On Thursday a duo discus with 2 Czech pilots flew 1.701 km., with a speed of 134 km/h. from Lago Nahuel which is South of Chapelco. Before , Klaus Ohlmann flew 1.875 km from Chapelco with a speed of 125 km/h in the Nimbus 4DM and I really like his down -to-earth-enthusiasm after each flight. This time he happily wished all of us in his comment, a good year but also mentioned ” there were a lot of moments where doubts dominated, but in the end optimism won. Good luck was with me”.
The 18 m. qualifying GRAND PRIX from Australia which has been moved due to bad weather to Lake Keepit has top pilot John Buchanan “Butch” , as contest director. Beryl Hartley, who organized the GP in the past in Narromine is the referee and Bruce Taylor, another Aussie top pilot, the tasksetter. The Grand Prix will be flown March 19-25 2011.
You are up to date now , so more news on Wednesday maybe Thursday, depending…Grandson Dexter had a tonsil operation and not all went well, so needed a second operation , a stay overnight in hospital and lost a lot of blood, so I am needed.
Cheers Ritz