Alphen aan den Rijn                     sunday March 9 2008

While I was sitting in the storm last week, good friend  Art from Canada send me his pictures from a load of snow around their club house in Winnipeg. Sorry I can’t show you pictures on this site, but IT IS a load–snowbanks he calls them!!!
Still 34 dgr. MINUS 0 ,over there, but……measured with the wind chill factor.

They start their gliding season somewhere in the beginning of April. If the snow has  melted then , they start  their operation on a remote-airfield. They look ahead as they store their tugs and trainers already away from the club.Why?
Their field is part of a swamp/lake- bottom, flat as a pancake,  so when the huge piles of snow start melting they “suffer” from flood. But….no worries, they just move to a hard   topped airfield nearby, generally , as said, the second week of April.

Also a way to start your soaring season. Thanks Art for this information.
Art will be in Rieti as “helper” , so we will meet under a blue sky again in July, for a nice glass of wine.

Europe had some nice days with blue skies , sunny but cool conditions , but while sitting outside , in my winter jacket, I could already feel thermal activity . It was nice to look at the clouds, moving with great speed and getting higher during the day.

 The IGC meeting in Rome was a success. What I heard was that the Annex A is 100% OK, but the code sportive gave some problems and one of the members  ,Ross, will keep an eye on it and it will be back on the table next year for voting. There was not so much discussion this year as in other years and as expected it was a good time for all in Rome. Vice president Fladimir Voltkin resigned and Peter Platzer from Austria took over. All other members kept “their places”.

In the French mountains , places as Sisteron and Gap Tallard ,  they already flew over 300 km. flights. But as I look on the OLC ,I am amazed to see that distances of 0ver 600 km are still flown in Australia. Terry Bellair still has not given up his “kilometer-eating” and added this distance today on his already respectable list of long and good flights.

Corowa announced that the list of gliders for the containers  for the 2008/2009 season is nearly full and they might have to build another container for next season . That will be container number 5. Not bad and good for Australian gliding!!And …..as a more or less “Aussie” ,I like this!
In Tocumwal they are going to say good bye to Dieter, better know as Tocumwal-Dundee. After 6 months his “overseas-period” is over. Not that he is still gliding, eye problems keep him on the ground,  but he still loves the soaring season in Toc.  All different Japanese glider pilots have found their way to his mobile house and even managed to cook Japanese.
Judy and Ingo Renner prepare a nice farewell party for him this week, before he travels back to Europe.

Argentinian pilot Damian will be flying in Luesse during the World Comps. He is a young pilot with a huge fanclub. If they start a “meet -and- greet -site ” in Luesse, it will be loaded with messages from his Argentinian fans. Nice young man! If he wins ONE day, like in Sweden, the world will be too small.

That’s it for now. Cheers Ritz