Terlet                    May 20 2011                      ritzdeluy@hotmail.com

It is very hectic here. FIRST soaring day! Finally. Pilots are eager to go . Weather looks good. First day I walk around without boots with sheep- skin- inlays.

Had a nice interview with a few very nice  “nerds” involved in a new system of livetracking. You can follow them on;
live.glidertracking.com
Later more about them.

Also some words with the 2 agents from Jonker Sailplanes here in Holland. About that also more later. Here is a picture already. 5 Gliders arrived in Holland last week, just in time for 2 pilots to fly in them during these Nationals.

To finish; some news from Vanessa in Australia; THANKS!!!!!

A couple of stories from the past few days:
 
An Australian and International Pilots Association representative says “Qantas ranks its pilots on the amount of fuel they carry and use”, and suggest this subtle pressure to minimize fuel loads led to the diversion of two long haul jets last week as they did not have enough fuel to reach their destinations. Qantas says this statement is a tactic to gain leverage in the current pilot pay dispute.
See the story at http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/05/20/3222209.htm
 
Also, no surprise that “Australian safety investigators have blamed Rolls-Royce for an engine explosion on a Qantas Airbus A380 in November last year”. The plane in question is still in Singapore awaiting more than $100 million worth of repairs. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/05/19/3221465.htm
 
And finally, the Australian Air Force has grounded its fleet of PC-9s (as used by the Roulettes) after a crash in Victoria. Both pilots ejected and are in a satisfactory condition in hospital. Engine failure is suggested to be the cause of the crash http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/05/19/3220865.htm