10.30 AM;
SMOKE.

It’s either wind or smoke making life difficult during this multi class championship and you can’t do anything against it. It is as it is!!!We woke up with smoke around us, specially to the East it is thick looking from the ground.
BUT,..no worries for the organizers, they expect that the smoke will “go up” with the thermals and even oxygen has to be taken as it can be a good and high day.
So tasks have been set.
“When it is hot enough the trigger temperature might burn the inversion and the smoke out!”
At 1 PM it will be 40 at 2 and 3 PM 41 dgr. C.!!!!!
524 km. for open and 18 m. and 555 km. for 15 m. and standard!!!!

The gliders are on the way to 36 as the wind is from the N, but there is nearly no wind. First launch to be expected at 1 PM.

Back on this later.

It’s 1 PM. The tuggies are ready at the field.
The sniffer is up now and reports 5000 ft with lift from 5 kts and less than 10 km. visibility.
He will report again when he is at 6000 ft.

1. 15 PM.
Another sniffer went up. They reach 5.500. The decision is made they are going to task B.
One of the pilot’s airborne , Andy, was asked if he had a problem to go to task B whilst flying. He had no problem “should be fine“.
In between the wind is picking up a bit and more Westerly. That will help!! The West looks pretty good already.
The several power planes coming in used 09 .
Have to find out about the B task!

1 45.PM;
UKP [ hearing the voice it might be Grant] mentions at 40 k out to the N a visibility of 5 k, ” smoke is thicker” ,but he has reached 6000 ft now with 5 kts.
GG , mentions on the question if the visibility has improved ” Not at all”.
The organizers try hard to get the best out of the day as this is a National competition. They have not yet given up .

2.15 PM;
In between another sniffer was send up and dropped off pretty low ,I guess to check the circumstances over the field.
Then the decision was made to wait at least for another hour.
So all cars drive back to find some cool spots.
We are stand by here too.
Wind still from the W and it looks still pretty good there.
I have more and more hope they can squeeze a day out with a small task.

2.45 PM;
They tried hard, but just had to cancel the day. A pity. As said “it is as it is”
Hurt the skin of my arm. Quite a piece was scrubbed up , so Colin had to be some kind of doctor as well.

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I have to tell you about Colin. He is just the most easy going “bloke” here in Toc and whatever is broken he repairs it. Even my favorite sunglasses. I had no hope for them and this morning he brought them back…repaired!!!
He helps with the trailer, he repaired the wing walker, he helped with the wires in the JS 3, and in between he runs to the other hangar to do the annual check on the Caproni or to friends to repair a flyer-wire door at the house.
He even found a rack to hang my clothes on in the op- shop.
A man from many trades!!!! A great mate!!! THANKS!!!

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Good news from the South African Nationals as well.
I thought I just follow the 18 m./open class but the sports class is very interesting with nearly all Jonker’s flying. Here is their story from yesterday
” Yesterday has been a very special day for the JONKER family at the South African Nationals in Sports Class on competition day 3 in Welkom. The winners for yesterday in the Sports Class was a total Jonker ‘TAKE-OVER’ with Uys and youngest son Maarten winning the day flying 290,45 km at a speed of 86.14 kph. 2nd was Phillip & Christiaan (Uys’ elder son & Attie’s younger son) flying 284,62 km at 84.84 kph, and 3rd was Attie with Tienie (his elder son) flying 307,91 km at 94,54 kph. And all 3 JONKER-crews flying SCHEMPP-HIRTH gliders!!! A JANUS C, DUO DISCUS and NIMBUS 4D. Maybe the next Jonker Sailplanes glider to come should be a double seater! In the Open/18m class speeds were improved on the previous day with Oscar Goudriaan at 103,99 kph, Arnie Boye-Moller 2nd at 103,77 kph, and 3rd was Laurens Goudriaan at 102,93 kph. “

So looking at their 3.30 AAT it was a “clean sweep” for the family. Looking at the overall scores for that class indeed they take over too.
Great fun….. go on like that!!!
In open /18 m. the speed was TOP again, 163 km./h for winning Oscar, 162 km./h for runner up John and at 3d spot Laurens with 160 km./h.
They had a set task from 594 km. and there are 15 pilots in this class each of them flies a JS
” I gather the lift was average 4 m/s or so and some pilots got to 15 000 ft or higher ,”

Some more pics from the “Ugly Duckie ” with respect and 5 from the 6 tuggies.
On my way to find the name.

Thanks guy’s!

In between the UK pilots have all arrived in Lake Keepit. Ayala is still on the list here but she is in Keepit.

5.30 PM;

just back from the hospital where they put more bandage on my arm. They were impressed with Colin’s job.
We visited also Val Riley, when we were there. She looks very good!!!
89 She is now and the second wife from Bill Riley.

BBQ tonight at the WW2 hangar and a pub quiz.

CU tomorrow.
look at the message please.