Post 1.545 on September 11, 2024

Starting this week with this fabulous picture from Jonny Durand in front of the Morning Glory. WOW!!!!!
As you know the Morning Glory looks like a rolling-cloud;
“an undular bore cloud that stretches for 1,000km, in Queensland, Australia. It is typically 1,000-2,000m high and often only 100-200m above ground.”
Cross Country Magazine shared the picture on September 4.
You mostly “find” this phenomena in the are of the Gulf of Carpentaria [N.E. Australia] and the place Burketown ,hosts every season, several guests ,who want to experience this , at least once in their life.

For a short while, in the time we were involved, Sportavia [SSC] had a combination from hang-gliding and gliding at the airfield.
One of the young men belonging to the hang glider guy’s /”dudes” AND flying with us in that year, was Jonny. I believe it was a championship in Toc. organized by Tove [Heany] , also involved with her husband Grant, in that season in the SSC.
Jonny has many world records and was world champion as well. A flamboyant guy flying the Moyes Delta gliders over Tocumwal soil and around and,…the great Mr Moyes himself visited us then too that year.
Nowadays Jonny is a long-time Red Bull sponsored hang gliding pilot ,who’s been ranked #1 in the world multiple times.
It pleases me he is doing so well.
The other pilot I remember from that year is Mr. Atilla Bartok. I met him again in Lake Keepit [2019/20] and we were straight away talking Sportavia/ gliding again. He converted with us from hang gliding to gliding and still does so, owns his own glider and flies from different fields but mostly Lake Keepit.

–—–Happy pilots flying in Uvalde, back down- under ,when their spring starts;
Adam; “ Bloody awesome! An intermediate goal achieved, I just made the first page of the world ranking list – now 16th in the world
Australia has now moved into 7th position out of 39 countries & I’ll maintain #2 in the country to our resident World Champion, James Nugent.
Congratulations to Stefan Langer who is now 2nd in the world, arguably equal 1st with Sebastian Kawa on equal ranking points of 999.2!
Congratulations also to Sarah Arnold who is now 6th in the world & easily the world #1 female pilot“

Lumpy; Back in Tocumwal after his pretty successful trip to Uvalde, where he won task 6 on his very first WGC…
“So the second thing you do when you get home from a holiday is jump in the tow plane for look around” I remember how gorgeous yellow, due to the canola and green after the rain, Toc can be.
Tocumwal Soaring Centre

——Not long and the first comps will be flown again overseas.
South Africa hosts in Potchefstroom the Nationals in 4 classes between September 28 and October 5.
Several well-known pilots also from Europe will attend! More later when it’s on.
Kiripotib Soaring announced a new “face” in their team of Champions.
“We welcome Tom Arscott to our team of Champions ! Tom is the current World Champion in Standard Class and has been flying international competitions for the British Team for nearly 10 years. Along the way, he became Junior World Champion in 2015, European Champion in 2019, and a National Champion several times. He is the coach of the British team and trains the next generation of competition pilots.
We are delighted to welcome another top-level high-flyer for Flying with the Champions.”
For all their news ; https://kiripotib-soaring.com/en/segelfliegen/flying-with-the-champions/

—–Back to now!
We have had world wide ,the warmest summer since they started counting! Also here in Europe and here in the Netherlands. Not the best soaring summer, but not too many complaints!!!
And it still continues. Our first autumn day showed 30 dgr. C. Still good flying in parts of Europe.
Last Sunday , here in The Netherlands, still up to over 500 km flights in ASG 29E/18m and in an LS 4 neo, 437 km.

DDA Classic Airlines , flew last weekend for the very last time a passenger flight. Pretty sad!
“we visited Rotterdam airport for scenic flights for the very last time as DDA Classic Airlines. Blessed with glorious weather during the weekend, we provided 144 enthusiastic passengers a life-long remembered scenic flight on board our ‘Royal’ DC-3.”
It’s the only DC3 Dakota with an airworthiness certificate in The Netherlands.

The last flight at Sunday August 25th ended with this tribute by the local fire brigade, and after the engines were stopped, a loud applause was heard.
It was a moving moment…
I feel it a bit too ,as George and several other , mostly Transavia pilots I knew, were for a long time in the 70thies, founding members of the Dutch Dakota Association. [not the DDA classic airlines]

Shorter, ..yes we can.
That’s it for now.
Cheers Ritz