Sportaviation reception room on January 21 2013
ritzdeluy@hotmail.com www.glidinginternational.com www.soaringcafe.com
Last day of writing at Sportaviation and I am grateful for the use of their WIFI. A real good one as well.
Tomorrow one more day of daily news and then the diary 2012/2013 will be closed. Hope you enjoyed the trip with me!
The first pilot { J J } has left already , just after 11 and Mac , who is back from Narromine with a young Japanese friend ,who has flown in Waikiri already, but not yet from Tocumwal, is preparing his flight. So is Stefan and Jochen and Bill, who I have not seen for years. It was great to catch up again with so many old “friends”.
Stefan flew 803 km yesterday in his LS 4 . He still is such a great cross country pilot!
I still was a bit on -a -high , after a great 3 course- dinner with friends in town and,…after reading the results and news from Chaves, so I did not sleep too well.
It’s always extra interesting when things change on the last day. A non flying last day makes the toppers happy , BUT they have to be on their best to keep the “others from their back” on a flying day as everybody close by is eager to win. Nerves can play a role and tactics are MOST IMPORTANT.
Read on the Aussie site that the pilots decided to pair flying as practised before in Benalla.It turned out great with a 2d place for Tobias in Club class and a 9th spot for Craig, while Allan was on spot 6 in World Class!
In this case certainly the Argentinean pilots who , maybe?/surely? with some local- knowledge, did extremely well.
That they celebrated was just so much deserved.
Picture courtesy to the Argentinean wgc website.
“What I feel? Happiness. I am more than just happy. I obtained more than what I
had expected and now I am trying to enjoy it. “
Young pilot Sebastian Riera.
Good news for the Dutch team as well. No podium places this time but the TEAM CUP was for The Netherlands and is here in the hands of TC Bart Renckens.
Bart with the TEAM CUP!
source zweefportaal.
Life continues ! Still good flights from Namibia and South Africa , but slowly the season there comes to an end. The Australian season still continues for a bit, though days are getting shorter.
Yesterday Corowa had still flights over 950 km.
Swaantje is still in Benalla and had a “joy[able] -flight” flying an FAI triangle of 500 km.[636 in total] mostly in clouds. During the comps most days were blue! She must have enjoyed the day in the LS 8!!
It’s 12 now and Terry in PC is at 8000 ft. on it’s way , hopefully for a nice long flight. Stefan left as well and the pilots flying mainly for fun are taking it easy, but have left the reception room as well. Ralf is the last to go. Mac is still in the hangar with his mate!
12.15 clouds everywhere to the N, W and E. It looks to be going a great day!
Clouds to the East, North and West.
Quite a lot of my soaring friends are slowly getting older! BUT,…not as old as this 92 year old pilot , who flies from Western Australia; Mr. Dick Sasse. He flew the Western Australian state Comps from Cunderdin in club class. He did not win one of the 5 days , but flew very consistant and ended on spot 2 as runner up!.
GOOD on him!!!!!
As one of my friends Ron mentioned;
—“He has come second in an ASTIR WQI and he is AT LEAST 92 YEARS OLD—he must be
THE oldest competing solo pilot in the world!! He is a member of the Morowa
club in WA.—“
Just got the latest Gliding Australia in hand, with items as the Narromine Cup, the NSW State comps,an interview with G Dale who coached in Australia in Lake Keepit, Benalla and Narromine, about levels of high risk certainly in mountains and competitions with gaggle flying. And about Sebastian Kawa;
—” I ve seen him operate. He is just 100 % professional in his approach. He has all the bases covered, but it’s not just talent, it’s WORK.”—“
More for you to read in the latest January/February issue!
Off to town again , cu tomorrow, Ritz