Tocumwal Friday October 23 2009
Last news from the all-seasons-motel, as George is leaving for Cairns, a trip of 3 days with each 1200km. and Inge is flying back home today to Amsterdam.
I have moved out from Gina’s unit and moved in at Margie’s, so another former owner of Sportavia , Margie is my host now.
Yesterday we spend a nice afternoon at the airfield. Sheryl was very busy painting the last important signs and Eddie with towing as the UE “boys” had finished the form 2 [ annual inspection] on the glider. Lothar had 2 flights , then one for Neil [82 now I heard !!!] .Unfortunately Otto is not allowed to fly anymore after his operations, but he is not too sad about it. He has had great times, he said and is happy enough now ” to hang around with the boys”! They bring over their longtime knowledge of doing a form 2 on their DG 600, to the young generation; Lothar!
Bill Riley visited as well, feeling happy about all the action at the field. In between graders were leveling the places were the caravans will be in a few weeks , when it is all ready.
Before that we will have a nice get to gether to drink on the finishing and well being of the amenity bloc in the weekend of October 31 and November 1. So if you are interested to see and hear all THE NEWS at Sportaviation , please drop in that weekend. There will be a BYO-BBQ on Saturday evening, so fly in or drive in with an eski full of meat , salad and drinks.
Ken had 2 Japanese friends to fly around in his Slingsby T21 and both loved it. Goggles on ….off they went! After Ken flew his other toy ;the Olympia, a very vintage single seat glider . The Olympia was designed for the Olympic Gliding Championships, flying as a demonstration sport in Berlin in 1936 ,but sadly enough it never became an Olympic Sport due to the war from 1939. The Olympia has been restored in Tocumwal by Mike Burns and Ingo Renner. Both gliders ‘live’ in Tocumwal. In the evening George and I had dinner with Ken and his friends and lots of memories came back.
Some nice flights over the last days in Rieti [336 km. in Italy] , in Hausen am Albis [597 km. in Zwitserland] where they used the fohn and George Lee flew from the after himself called airfield here in Australia, 523 km. while in NZ Hugh Turner flew a nice 634 km. from Omarama.
Gliders for the overseas season are still on the ships so when they have arrived in either Africa or Australia there will be enough action again on the soaring-scene.
Cheers for now from a full weekend here in Tocumwal.
Ritz