Alphen aan den Rijn September 22 2010 ritzdeluy@hotmail.com
Yesterday we had bad fog, causing a lot of delays at Schiphol Airport, but today is glorious with 23 dgr. C. A few after-summer days, great!
Talking about fog, now in a different way, my friends in Munich celebrate das October Fest auf der Wiese, as Bayern is drinking beer as usual in the beginning of October , though it still is September now. Anyway the FEST started last Saturday and continues for 17 days .They expect that 66.5 MILLION liters of beer will be gone through many, most male throats. Though….more and more females visit the FEST and not to forget the many tourists.I know that quite some Dutch people travel to the Southern part of Germany , to be part of it.
In 1950 the consumption was 15 million!!!! What a difference , is n’t it?
One 72 year old man can’t go next year as he sadly died , after falling first and then of a heart attack as a result of drinking too much.
Flying in a transparant Airbus and looking at stars and the earth….. in 2050 this might be reality. According to an article in Der Spiegel, Airbus is busy with a concept plane and a transparent fuselage could be part of it. I guess I won’t live then anymore, but would have loved to fly in it!Other new items; anti-turbulence-sensors to detect in time air-pockets to avoid “spilling coffee” and worse.
An unlucky Monday morning for an American pilot flying his single engine Piper Saragota. In the morning- peak- traffic , he had to land his plane on the highway I85 at Atlanta due to technical problems, causing more traffic jam then normal as one site of the highway was closed for several hours, cause the plane had to be lifted from the road by a crane.Nobody was hurt which is the good site of this story.
Tilo Holighaus from Shempp- Hirth has “rolled out” his new ARCUS E at the famous airport of Hahnweide. E for electric motors, so no CO2 involved! The electric engine is from Windreich AG and Schempp- Hirth customer Willi Bals is the big man behind it.
Talking about electric motors another official maiden flight at Le Bourget from the ALL electric Cri-Cri. When you are interested I share this link with you, which I received from a friend. Enjoy!
http://www.suasnews.com/2010/09/1056/electric-cri-cri-takes-flight/
Our new parlament-year started yesterday with the traditional ride,[ since 1903, ] from the Queen , Crown prince Willem Alexander and his wife Maxima, in the golden carriage, from the working palace in The Hague , to the Ridderzaal, where the Queen reads her speech from the throne. As we have a demissionair Parliament nothing really important could be said, but we know that the next year will be difficult for everybody as we have to cut back for about 17 milliard.
A minor incident again, as the golden carriage was hit by a projectile [later it was just a candle-light-holder] thrown by a 29 year old psychiatric patient.
Not such good news for the Andre Rieu fans in the UK , Ireland and Australia. Talking music now but I guess everybody has heard from Andre and his Straus music. Andre has to postpone his performances due to a viral infection in his auditory organ. I know lot’s of my Aussie friends will be sad now. Andre himself is the most sad as no money comes in and expenses continue but, even more because he really is a nice fellow and hates to let his admirer/fans down.
It really is cucumber time now, as soaring in Europe is nearly over , while soaring overseas has not yet started. Gliders are on their way to their destinations and around mid October the season will start slowly.The OLC had only 59 flights on Monday and the first competition of the new season at Jondaryan in Australia had their first 3 days cancelled!!! Yesterday, it even went more wrong as the organisers of the comps, normally going till the 25th, unfortunately had to cancel the comps , due to the current and forecast weather .All 56 participants in 5 classes had to go home again, and I can tell you distances are “bad” over there. So not THE best beginning of the 20120/2011 season!!
I am going to enjoy 23 dgr. now , see you on Sunday cheers Ritz