Benalla on Wednesday January18 2017! Updated with 1987 !!!!!!

On this picture of the Bureau for Meteorology you see and band of mid level clouds move slow , too slow. So pilots and gliders were in the shade.Only 20 dgr. C instead of the 40. Later in the day it moved away and there was a bit of sun. Too late ……

Good tasks , as 324 for 15 m., 296 for 18 and 286 for open, were still set and they tried HARD, but in vain.

First 18 m. and open were cancelled and for 15 m. they prepared a new task, postponed the launch to 2.30 PM, but also that task had to go in the “fridge” No flying, canned as the young ones use to say.So time to cheer us up with the daily cartoon from Richard.

and for day 8

Love them !!! Thanks Richard!!! I have seen more daily cartoons over the years but these are very special and to the point.

Tomorrow it seems to be better. The forecast for tomorrow is sunny with temperatures in the low 30s. It looks like it will be a blue day with 4-6 kts up to 4000 – 5000 ft.
Only 3 days to go. Who would have ever thought that Australia ‘s weather , would create so few days.

Carol, TC from South Africa was sad as well and you “feel ” her sadness:
” Another sad day in Benalla. The top cloud cover was definitely not moving as had been hoped for and the temperatures were a lot cooler than was required for the trigger temperature. So first the expected first launch time was delayed at least twice, then the Open & 18m. classes were cancelled, so their gliders were removed from the grid. The 15m. class was kept waiting with a further delay in launch time, then a change of task to the C task which would have been a 2 hr. AAT, and then finally the sniffer/task setter took a launch. Tow ropes were deposited at each glider with a call for 20 mins to first launch, before the decision was taken to cancel the day.
Sadly another non-flying day. We will hope for better conditions tomorrow. It should be noted at Briefing this morning that tomorrow was definitely more promising, with Friday less so again. We have heard on several occasions that the weather in Victoria can be very changeable, and so it is proving to be the case.”

Tomorrow INTERNATIONAL EVENING, so time enough to prepare.

Back a bit later with the “old ” news with nice pictures send by Anni.

Here we are again. First a nice picture from Clear Goal Media shared by an Aussie friend Ernst.

This brings it all in perspective!! Australia “filled” up!!!

BACK TO 1987.

Day 8 in 1987!!!
Finally a real Aussie day,…did I say that yesterday as well for 2017…?!
Open had a task to the Rock and Jerilderie all N of Benalla and N of Tocumwal.
15 m. got 339 and standard 367 into the Berrigan area.
A blue day BUT, lift up to 6000 ft and increasing wind later on the day.
No worries you would think ,…go early,… but some still played the waiting game.
NOT INGO!!! He just “disappeared” in the blue and yes he found some cirrus but his long-winged-ASW 22 B [first time in Australia] but he kept a good ground speed over an area he knew so well as Tocumwal was his home base.
Here is FINALGLIDE on Ingo that day and I quote:
“Ingo had been frustrated in the contest so far. The weather was strange and his competitors were extremely good, especially the French ,Schroeder and Chenevoy, but also Gantenbrink.
Renner needed to uncork a great flight and put some distance on the dangerous French.
After finishing and putting the glider back on the tie-down he and his crew began to wait. They had started close together and Schroeder was not back yet.
Could today be the day?
Schroeder arrived 20 minutes later and Ingo knew he had finally done it.He had beaten Schroeder by 20 minutes and Bruno by 17.”
1000 points for Ingo and 810 for Schroeder and 825 for Bruno. Marco Gavazzi, Janusz Centka and Ray Gimmey all got more points and finished on spot 2,3 and 4.
The day victory started for Ingo??!! YES on the last 4 days he was always in the top 3 and even won day 11, the last but one day!!

Bruno with his lovely wife Inge,
As shared by Anni Kehn.

AND

Ingo won already in 1984 in Rieti as well.

A happy Ingo in Italy. This picture was always in our, better said Peter’s work shop, in the Sportavia WW2 hangar now owned by Lumpy and used by the Southern Riverina Gliding Club where Ingo is president.

Here is Ingo now,.. with Katja from Finland …the excellent webmaster.

As shared by Katja.

15 m.;a great day for Doug Jacobs again. He won the 1000 points , 2d in a row, ahead of “our” Kees Musters , who started rather early and got the 918 points. Quite some difference in points though , but Doug had the race of his life. Flying to Urana he NEVER circled and arrived at 4500 ft. The difference with Brian and Holger was even bigger,…250 points and with Gilles 120.

Kees and his wife Gretha and Kees with one of the tasksetters Tony Tabart and Daan Pare another Dutch participant in 15 m.
After a few less good days [3, 4 and 5] he was on his way to the TOP.

Standard class; A good day for team USA as Mike Opitz won the 1000 daily points and as runner up John Byrd the 978 points. A bad , no very bad day for my good old mate Leonardo Brigliadori. He, the then current world champion from Rieti, out landed. He wanted to avoid gaggle- flying, left the “white Cloud” to enter cirrus and had to pay for that. Not fair!!!
Leo won 3 days in total …day 1, 5 and 12 and “only finished due to the 162 points for this day on an overall spot 14.