Post 1.409 on March 22 2023

Aus Glide 2023
Narromine 15 March 2023 – 24 March 2023

We continue with day 2 in all 3 classes with a racing task on a BLUE day!!!!!!
Standard; Task 2…..255.61 km…..A bit of a weird day with a top-pilot “out” and a winner in an LS 8; Mike [Durrant]. His speed was 117.42 km./h and UK pilot Jack [Tonkin from Lasham] was runner up with 113.93 km./h.
Allan, who won day 1 , was now 7th.
Bruce was the one who was out and shared this:
“I’m just crawling into bed after being retrieved from a paddock out near our first turnpoint. Yes, I bit the dust after a bit of a battle. It was blue, windy and soft around Narromine and to the south-west on the first leg, and I didn’t manage my flight as well as I might have.”
The day was even worse for David [Jansen] as he missed the start line [1.5 km] and got “zero points”.
15 m; Task 2….313.72 km…..with 125,68 km./h Ray [Stewart] won the day in his JS 3. Brad [Edwards] Matthew [Scutter] and Adam [Woolley] followed.
Matthew found the day difficult as well and explained the situation for us;”
“A very tricky day, with blue climbs to 7000ft and thermal wave above. I’ve never climbed into wave on task before, but today the wave was actually stronger than the thermals below!
I was never really in control of my situation, getting repeatedly dumpstered by the wave but generally managing to play the cards I was dealt fairly well, probably 3rd for the day and still leading overall. I’m just glad to have got around cleanly.”
Also Adam was not so bubbly as on other days.
“Wow, this flight required some mental strength! My late start was not by choice & not for lack of trying, it felt like everyone was in a different sky, all I could find was 2kts to 5000′, while everyone else seemingly were climbing at 5kts to 7-8000′ – once on task, I found out that they were!“
Club class; Task 2…..210.30 km….and ..3 YOUNGSTERS at the podium. Good on them. James[‘Nugent] in LS 3 with 110.93 km./h. Runner up Ryan [Driscoll] in ASW 20C with 105.47 km./h and David [Collins] with 104.86 km./h. [ASW 20 F]
6 from 19 flew with over 100 km./h. Tony was “out” :
“Well that wasn’t ideal. 20 knot headwind on the first leg…miss a climb or two and that’s what happens. Beautiful field. Long walk out to the road.”

What can you say……Tomorrow is another day!!!!

Task 3 2.30 AAT in all classes…..a very challenging and very stable blue day for ALL.
“Looks like a challenging day today!
A 2.5 hr 250k AAT with 30k and 20k circles. Altitude can be expected to 5,000ft maximum with projected thermal strengths of 3.5kts. Our competitors are going to be working very hard today. Good luck everyone.”
Narromine Gliding Club Official
Standard class; Bruce won the day with 240 km. in time 2.35.48. None of the 10 pilots flew over 100 km./h. and all 10 got back! Some serious “fighting against the odds/weather”.
15 m class; 9 started and 2 were out. Winner; Norm [Bloch ] in his JS 3 , runner up Tobi [Geiger] in the Ventus 2 . Norm flew 255 km in time 2.37,09[ speed 97.23 km/h. ] Toby from Benalla , a real good kilometer eater, 252 km in time 2.37, speed 96.28 km./h.
Club class; 14 from 20 were IN. Daily winner Neil [Bennet] in the MOSQUITO with 220.47 km in time 2.33.speed 86.53 km./h.
Runner up James had 228.39 km in time 2.48,38 so a speed of 81.26 km./h.
Kansas Soaring club member ,Tony did well with a 5th spot!!

Task 4; 3 hour AAT in all classes. “We’re having a run of low, blue days and it looks like more to come.” Bruce on his Taylor’s Gliding Page
Standard class…. young overseas guest Jack, staying for a while down under, won the day;325 km with a speed of 104,42 km/h. Just a tad faster than Scott who flew 317 km.
Allen was 3d and Bruce 4th.
Bruce had a tough day and he showed how tough at some moments. NEVER GIVE UP, is what Brad said lately when they flew together during the 2-seater Nationals…he did not!!!!!! Good on you Bruce.

15 m. class; a “young-hot-shot-day” with Adam winning and Matthew as runner up. Adam flew 349 km, Matthew 342 km and both finished after time 3.02 , for 1000 and 981 points.
Toby was a good 3d.
Matthew was not overly happy with his flying ;”I have definitely forgotten how to handle this kind of ratty blue weather with bubbly thermals, and my glider handling has become sloppy from too much solo flying, letting myself get outclimbed and out-glidden in gaggles, but once I fell off the back of the pack my AAT planning got me back ahead and I was home cleanly and on time while most struggled.” more in his blog.
Adam; “The key to today’s flight was trusting in my own ability & being patient with my first tow off climb. I took a slow climb which drifted me over the line at 5000′ by gate open. Only 2 pilots were in a position to follow me, though they didn’t, excellent!” More in his blog……Matthew Scutter’s Gliding
club class; James flew 304 km in time 301.55 and was the daily winner. All 20 pilots started AND finished. Tony was a bit slow on spot 18….”Much better day. Lift not quite as high but lighter wind. Made it around. I started early. A lot of clubbies started pretty late. Will see what the right strategy was!”
We know now.

Task 5; on a fast, high blue day.
Standard class; 319.27 km.
Bruce is back to his “Normal” soaring -self and won the day; speed 127.31 km./h. and quite more speed than runner up Mike Durant who flew around with 121.89 km./h.
9 Started the first 7 were LS8’s, .
Bruce, after a re-start; “About 20km out I climbed in 7 knots to 9,000 feet, and I was up and racing!“
Taylor’s Gliding Page
15 m; 345.54 km
Matthew straight away said a lot about the day.
“Psychotically cruel day – long task, short window, wave around the start. Only Tobi and Wool got into the wave and started FIVE THOUSAND feet higher than the rest of us, effortlessly gliding over the tricky first leg, then getting home before the day started to pack in.”
And,..indeed Adam and Toby were the best for the day. Adam had a speedy-Gonzales-speed; 141.86 km./h whilst Toby flew around with 137.77 km./h. Both fly a Ventus 3 and 2.
That was still 10 k faster than number 3 Matthew in his Diana 2.
8 started, 8 finished!
Adam has the full story in his blog., here is part of it
“A classic Australian blue day, one that went my way with a staggering 142kph over 345km. We experienced climbs up to FL130 (ground level approx 500-1000′) with occasional 10kt climbs! Today I had a similar focus to yesterday, climb safely straight off tow, then head to the line, start by 1445 as I has I could, then go like the wind! Fortunately this is what happened & I was lucky to core a climb from a hotspot which took me to 9500′ for the start, when my mates were forced to start from around 5-7000′..” Adam Woolley’s Gliding Adventures
Club class; 229.19... Jo was the best for the day; 123.72 km./h. When everything would have gone correct at the WWGC in Lake Keepit, she would have been world champion. Jo is a real good pilot. In her ASW 20 she was a tad faster than James.[122.60 km./h]
Tony mentioned; “ Ripping day today. Late start to a sprint of a task. Reminded me of a Monday night soaring condor task. 107 kph for me which is almost hair on fire speed in the little Cirrus.”
He was 9th from the 19 who started in club.

Task 6; with hope for CLOUDS!!!!AND…the 6th successive day of soaring. Blue conditions locally, with 14,000ft cu. GOOD!!!!!
SO…the announcement of a rest day on Tuesday March 21 ,yesterday was in time for all.
Standard; 2.30 AAT....356 km. in time 2.41 for Bruce and with the speed of 132.24 km./h he was the glorious winner for the day. AND,…for only 876 points.
Young Jack from Lasham is doing great with a runner up spot;375 km in 2.55, so 128.21 km./h. Miles was 3d.
Bruce was short and to the point; “This happened today. I think I connected with this climb at 5,000 feet and topped out at about 12,000, with an overall average of just under 8 knots. Huge climb! Best heights were above 13,000 feet.” After 6 intensive days the overall scores at this stage are; Bruce 4.463, Scott 4.426 and Greg 4.352 points.

15 m. class ; 2.45 AAT……. Daily winner Matthew !!!!……but he is n’t the happiest young man in the world.
“I’m not particularly enthusiastic about comps in general at the moment, frankly I’m dreading the idea of going to the Worlds in Narromine, and that’s leaking into my racing with lazy preflight prep and poor attention to detail – but I also don’t like losing and my current position is undoubtedly focusing the mind, for the second time in as many months!
Today was really the last chance to turn things around for me, and with a rest day likely tomorrow, I really gave it absolutely everything – meticulous planning and clearly focused.” more in Matthew Scutter’s Gliding
IT WORKED HE WON THE DAY…..BUT…it ain’t over yet.
The Diana 2 and Ventus 3 started at the same time , so Matthew and Adam both young eager pilots. They both really did their utmost best; Matthew 416.73 km in time 2.51 speed 145.98 km./h. and Adam with 411.91 km. in time 249.52 so 145.49 km./h.
Ray was 3d with 424.83 km with 143.75 km./h.
Adam was a bit less confident as on other days too.
“I wasn’t feeling myself in the sky today, not sure why, so I backed off the pace a fraction & let those around me do the work. It’s hard to put a figure on my effort today, but somewhere between 90-95%?Why wasn’t I feeling it? Just wasn’t thinking sharp & I had an uneasiness about the airspace, so played it cautious. Humming conditions otherwise though.….” more on Adam Woolley’s Gliding Adventures

So after 6 days of pretty intensive soaring, the overall score at this stage is; Adam with 5.057p, Tobi 4.962 and Matthew with 4.868 p. Mind you on the first 2 are allowed to participate in the WGC end of this year beginning of next year.

club class; 3 hour AAT….and great to see that Jo won with 373.44 km ,speed 120.26 km./h. and,…1000 points for the winner…….that’s adding up nicely. James flew a bit further, 386.17 km. but needed more time, speed 118.98 kn./h. Tony was 11th.
Tony;” Fun technical day today. Weather was going to be excellent to the west. But first we had to get there. And get back. Caught a thermal right over the field where I landed a few days ago. Take that!
Got to the clouds and had an awesome run. They were too tempting and I stayed out too late. Had to make a giant diversion to stay with the clouds, then worry about making the turn point.“Tony Condon

Task 7; with the expectation of showers.
Standard; 2 hour AAT....after a well deserved rest day a short task was set. Greg [Beecroft] was quite a bit faster than Bruce; 263 km in 127.11 km./h for 269 km in 124.83 km./h. Greg won the day!
15 m; 2 hour AAT....Matthew mentioned about the weather;
“forecast for smoldering showers forming out of 6000ft cu, and it was apparent from the start that at the very least the showers were behind schedule.”
“I completely lost the plot today.” Interesting reading on Matthew Scutter’s Gliding He was 6th for the day not what he hoped for but ” On the positive, we may still have two more short window flying days.“
We had not seen high scores yet from Mac during this pre-worlds ,but he won the day with 658 points! Starts between 13.28 and 13.45 and Mac belonged to the 4 first starters. His speed was 130.83 km./h over 281 km.
Tobi was the fastest with 135 km./h over 287 km but he flies a Ventus 2 [ handicap 1050 and LS 8 1010]
between number 1 and 7 there were only 100 points difference in scores .
Adam was 4th and a bit more positive;
“Another fabulous day over the skies of Narromine! It was anticipated to be a strong day, but with showers coming at the end of the day, which is exactly what happened!” Adam Woolley’s Gliding Adventures
Club class; 2 hour AAT….And I am very pleased to see that Tony won the day; 220 km with 109.13 km./h. And also very pleased to see that Tocumwal pilot Bernie [PIK 20] was runner up together with James.
A tough day for Jo who was on 15 from 18.
Tony; “Everyone was on edge about what was going to happen. Didn’t help there was a big rain shower southwest of the airport this morning. 2hr AAT to try to squeeze in a quick task.” More on Tony Condon

With 2 more days to go the final of this competition will be exciting, as scores are pretty close. Have a look at www.soaringspot.com . Tasks might be flown in by weather dominated windows. Let’s wait and see. I will be specially back on Sunday with the LATEST on the Aus Glide.
By the way the day 7 scores are still preliminary.

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Latest news from WeGlide
“Exciting news from Worcester, South Africa! Local matador Sven Oliver made an impressive flight yesterday, taking advantage of the Skysight wave forecast. Worcester is mainly known for its ride flying, making this flight even more impressive Furthermore, Sven has set his sights on a bigger flight of 1068km with turnpoints in the Atlantic Ocean, showing that anything is possible in Worcester. Well, there is still something to dream of. Congrats to Sven on a job well done“
Sven added; The flight is here https://www.weglide.org/flight/237906
AND,….https://youtu.be/-iumspfmF0o
Enjoy! Great job Sven….. 689 km

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The PERLAN PROJECT.

“official… it’s a go! The Perlan 2 spaceglider will soar above the skies of Argentina in the name of science again.
With a rather austere budget and countless hours of volunteer work to prepare, Airbus Perlan Mission II will attempt to soar to 90,000 feet this year.
Find out what preparations are already underway and how you can help“
https://perlanproject.org/argentina-2023-its-a-go/

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Senior Championship in Seminole Lake

Seminole is in FLORIDA and looking at my TV the weather there is horrible with landslides after a huge amount of rain. Houses fall from the cliff,…not good.
So I was worried , but no NOT necessary!
On March 11 they flew with start times between 3 and 3.52 PM over a 1.30 AAT as the weather was poor that day .
Greg Shug won this task 1 in an LS 4 and Joe Reeves in an LS 4 B was runner up whilst good “old” Gary Ittner was 3d in his Discus 2A.
The ladies did well ….spot 5 from 59 participants!!!
March 12 showed contest day 2.Winner of the day….Bob Fletcher in an ASG 29.
Further on a weather-forced- rest day was set on March 13 the next day was cancelled and…..contest day 4 on March 16 at least had a briefing and a group picture was made. Mostly not a good sign as there is time to make one.
So it’s waiting and waiting. BUT they flew contest day 4 and pilot Jared Cranzow on the bottom of the overall- list won the day in his ASW 27.

The last flying day also showed a 3 hour AAT and cloud bases were getting to 5,000-6,000ft and 5 knot lift was not uncommon. Daily winners; THE LADIES, Sarah and Susan !!!
In the end Jim Lee wins the 2023 Senior Nationals at Seminole Lake Gliderport in Florida, USA flying a JS3 jet sailplane (A8) in the 15m configuration. Congratulations Jim.
The ladies in the ARCUS, the first ALL FEMALE TEAM at the seniors, Sarah and Susan, were runner up, whilst the 2012 Uvalde WGC director Ken Sorenson, was 3d.
Good “old” Karl Striedieck was 5th.

Here is a short impression from my friend Rick who was the scorer THERE!!!!
“The first contest of the 2023 soaring season, the 33 rd Seniors Championship, took place
over seven days in early March. What started out as an informal “festival” for pilots of a
certain age in 1991 has evolved into a serious contest with entries from across the
country.
We had 59 entries this year. There were 13 current and former members of the US
Soaring Team, including 3 WGC medalists (Doug Jacobs, Karl Striedieck, and Sarah
Arnold). Pilots came from as far away as Alaska to celebrate the official beginning of the
US soaring season. It is a handicapped competition, and 11 of the gliders were 2-seaters.
All tasks were AAT.
The task area is narrow and runs north and south, both because of airspace restrictions
and because Florida is a peninsula. Despite this, our Director, John Good, set a variety of
interesting tasks that challenged all the pilots each day.
Our weather was mixed, but we were able to race on 5 of the 7 possible days. The lead
changed hands a few times, but in the end the winners were:

1. Jim Lee (JS-3) 4729 pts
2. Susan Simmons and Sarah Arnold (Arcus) 4725 pts
3. Ken Sorenson (Ventus 3 FES) 4597 pts

To finish something totally different but for sure interesting. My Dutch/Aussie friend Gerrit flies when he is has time, but he is mostly busy with his farms. Look at this;

That’s it for now, enough updates, so CU next week with the final exciting days of AUS Glide.
cheers Ritz