December 15;
Got a great early-birthday-lunch at the Yarrawonga Lake with a few friends. Beautiful food and with the lake- wind ,perfect to sit outside.
35 dgr.C and fluffy-clouds on a blue sky.
No flying yesterday in Temora, but I am sure they fly today. It looks good here.Though at 5 PM, there was still NO task.
And,…the weather there was not still good enough yet, …so no flying.
In Chaves the last day of flying is today and as I am busy tomorrow I give you the details to the USA site
https://
Enjoy!
HPH Sailplanes shared;
“Today, Dec 15th, EASA Approved the revised FES configuration for the Shark eS so that FES equipped gliders can fly again, following modification to the agreed specification. HPH will begin test flying new Shark eS sailplanes in the next few days.”
December 16 ;
Breakfast, lunch , pre-dinner drinks AND dinner with friends. Feel a bit “stuffed” but enjoyed the good company.
Got the cherries from Swiss Chris via Dundee this morning and they were yummie!!!
December 17;
THANK YOU for the many, many birthday wishes!!!!!
I had a fabulous day with breakfast with friends at the Pavilion overlooking the Mighty Murray River, lunch with other friends at the Palm pub both out side in the shade and last but not least dinner with another friend.
Celebrated for 3 days!!
Back to normal again.
Yesterday the NSW State Comps finished with a good day after the trough with 423 km. in a 3 hour AAT by Bruce in 18 m. Nice speed of 135 km./h.
Here is his last comment for this NSW competition;
“Well, it’s all done and dusted, and I’m on the long road home. Yesterday was another weird day, with the threat of overdevelopment, and just a quick mention of higher winds aloft. I think this is what made the day so difficult, as my perception was of a pretty strong wave system above the convection. This makes the flying how I imagine it to be if you were caught inside a washing machine 
😵 For me it was a day of two parts, with the run out of the start to the first turn very fast indeed, with huge areas of smooth lift and generally no circling required. Then it was as if someone turned on the washing machine, and everything going up was broken, impossible to centre and seriously elusive. All I had to do was stay in the air today, but I managed a final day win, which helped me take home a couple of trophies.
It was a fun competition with lots of challenging weather. I enjoyed the company, and having a young dude pushing hard to get past me… go for it Adam, you are on the way to great things!
Here I am in Wellington, where I found a wonderful coffee and the best muffin I have had in some time, from a bakery that failed to inspire any level of confidence when I first walked in. Life is full of surprises 
😲
Thank you all for listening in, and the many kind comments.
BT.”
Some pictures shared by Adam who, as Bruce , will fly the Nationals in Waikirie in the beginning of January as well.
With 5 out of 8 day’s Butch got the max score of 5000 points in 15 m. class….. GOOD ON HIM.!!!!
Bernie won 4 day’s and had a final score of 4.782 points in club class
Standard had Don Woodward as winner with 3.894.
18 m./open saw Bruce as the pilot who gained the most points;4.967.
Nice fellows, great pilots. Butch and Adam, ..Butch won the 15 m. class and Adam was runner up in 18 m. and won the “overall speed trophy, 147kph or so over just shy of 750km – good feeling as always, my forth of this kind for memory.”
Out for dinner tonight, so off and CU tomorrow!
By the way not a sparkling day here ,but still quite some pilots in the air.
AND….over 700 km. for Chris Davison in the 21 m, JS 1, [ best Aussie OLC flight !] 433 for Anton in the LS 4 and Swiss Chris flew 410 km. in his ASW 27.
Cheers Ritz
AND …then I forgot to publish. Senior-71- year-moment!!!So better continue with today.
41 dgr. C and in a hangar it is a never ending story of jobs on Monday December 18.
Jamie worked on the Piper Apache which is nearly ready to go. Today the wiring has been done by Matt.
This Piper was shipped a few years ago from Holland to Tocumwal in big boxes. Now it’s outside, nearly flying again.
Jamie did the hundred hourly on the Belanca Scout; ready to go!!
Colin worked hard on the Blanik and did the annual inspection!!
In between I set up the accommodation for the family.
This morning I visited the chiropractor, in which I believe TOTALLY.
Today he crushed my body, neck all rib’s, hip’s and shoulders.
He mentioned already that I will be a wreck tomorrow!! Let’s wait and see.
Now I better publish before I forget again. By the way tomorrow 45 dgr. C ,…..then a change.
Still have to cut some branches of the oleander at Dennis. Thursday will be cooler with 31, so Dundee and I are doing that job then.
Cu next Cheers Ritz
The fleet Discus 2cT, Blanik and IS 28 , minus the ASW 17 and one IS 28 out side.
