Alphen aan den Rijn Sunday April 10 2011 ritzdeluy@hotmail.com
from left to right;Ross Bodey, Jeff’s wife Margie Close,Don Escott,Bill Riley and George Schuit, all former owners of Sportavia. Upfront Val Riley.
First the sad news for all who have been involved with Sportavia at Tocumwal. One of the former owners and long time instructor died last night in the hospital; Don Escott, a real gentleman and a born instructor. Even people who absolutely did not dare to fly , hopped in the glider and came back with a smile.
I particularly remember a Dutch girl who absolutely did not want to go up for a joy-flight. Before she went home with her boyfriend who did an Ab initio course, she did the course as well and went solo. That was Don.
I got to know Don in 1989 when he, together with Jeff (Close) and Stewart (Crawford), took over Sportavia from Bill Riley (who wanted out after a fatal accident the preceding season). When Don later sold his shares to George and I in 1994, he stayed on as a full time instructor until the demise of Sportavia in 2006. Until very recently he instructed students in his ultralight aircraft in Tocumwal and Deniliquin. I knew he was very ill, but hoped to still see him back later this year. It is not meant to be.
I guess everybody will remember Don as a gentleman,a good instructor and pilot.
He had a real talent to get people into flying who were scared or apprehensive about the activity. Many reluctant starters became avid aviators as a result of Don’s gentle way of introducing them to the sport. Good on him!
He will be sadly missed!
Here is the message I received Saturday morning early from a Tocumwal friend;
It is with saddness to tell you that Don Escott died last night. He was only put into hospital on Friday and died that night.
Have been busy with the CAE NLS Dutch National Championships. The site is full of news and documents and when you are interested just have a look at www.nkzweefvliegen2011.nk
Under “prijsvraag” you can even guess how many kilometers the longest flight will be and win a simulator session on a Boeing 737-800 and other prizes.
Interesting is also that pilots can buy winch or tow tickets in the web shop.Also the camping can be paid this way as well as t shirts, polo’s and jackets.
Holland has a new airline. It starts flying on April 30 , the day the Queen celebrates her birthday and we all have a day off.The name of the company is Correndon Dutch Airlines and is founded by a tour operator for trips to Turkey. This Atilay Uslu and his partner, started in 2005 the Turkish Correndon Airlines as well. This Dutch company only flies customers from the tour operator.
One of the Dutch F16 fighters ready to be sold to Chili, made a “belly-landing” as the undercarriage collapsed after a test flight at Charleroi, last Thursday. Pilot had nothing, plane had a “sore” belly , lost some parts , some fuel and nearly the tail. Charleroi airport had temporarily delayed flights, making about 4000 holiday- travellers a bit angry on this Dutch pilot. The F16 was for maintenance in Charleroi.
Nice flight from a DG 200 from Kinross in Schotland over the mountains over there; 670 km!!! To fly a 1000 km you had to be in Austria, were over the last 2 days 5 x 1000 km. plus, was flown from Lienz.
Nice to hear that one of the famous movie stars in Holland, maybe even the most famous, Carice van Houten, seems to have fallen in love with a glider pilot. He is airline pilot as well. I know the pilot , [a real nice and very good looking fellow,] but not really good; he stayed with us in Tocumwal to fly there and travelled with our yellow old vintage Mercedes together with a mate , through the mountains [Buffalo ] in Australia.I wish them well.
The club class Nationals in Italy started last Friday in Thiene. Great to see enough young pilots as Elena [ also participant in the WWGC 2011 in Arboga and her brother Nicola Fergnani and Davide Schiavotto, all flew in the Junior Worlds .Current world champion , Stefano Ghiorzo flies in a Silent 2 as well as Luigi Bertoncini, who I know since 1984 I guess. And since I wrote in Italy at several WGC’s and a competition, I got to know quite a lot of good Italian pilots, as Manuele Molinari, Vittorio Pinni and Andrea Tomasi, all flying this competition. So I keep a good eye on them for you.Unfortunately day 1 was cancelled.
Day 2 was flyable , just, so a 2 hour AAT was given. Best result ;Vittorio Pinni with 196 km in just under 2 hours;result 403 points.Look for more results on www.soaringspot.com
Another shooting in my normally so quiet town of Alphen aan den Rijn. Yesterday!!! At least 7 people are dead under them the young man, who entered the shopping mall with an automatic weapon/ machine gun , walked around and shoot around in 2 different super markets and in the mall.Another 4 are on intensive care and about 10 more have lighter injuries.
He killed himself with another gun in one of the 2 supermarkets he visited. He is around 24 , blond curly hair, somebody you like to see when he passes by. Unbelievable!!!! Don’t know what triggered this , but it is a disaster.
It was the shopping mall where I did my shopping for 20 years, before I left for Curacao and later Australia !! Activity of helicopters flying over Alphen , from police , ambulance and a military one, made me think somthing was wrong, and yes they all were on their way to the spot where innocent people lost their lives on that beautiful sunny Saturday at 12.00 at noon.
Sat 4.30 PM they closed the shopping center in the area I live now, as well. They found signs in the house of the 24 year old that explosives could be in 3 more malls. Scaring, unreal!!!!
Got lots of phone calls, sms and mails even from friends in the world , as it is world news, but except for a uneasy feeling I am well. Thanks dear friends!
Got this nice picture and news from Art from Canada. Not the weather we have here, “blooming ” it is again , this whole weekend. A weird weekend as since yesterday you know that you can go shopping and not come back home anymore!!! Something to think about! Still “feel off”!!!
Cheers Ritz
find the runway??!!