Alphen aan den Rijn Sunday June 27 2010 ritzdeluy@hotmail.com
WOW..what absolute fabulous weather for Euroglide !!!!On flight -day 3 the self launching Nimbus 4 UFO, was , with Max Leenders and 2 mates , already past the 3 TP and on its way home. They flew on Wednesday another 832 km… they had rounded Germany and Switzerland and were on their way back home from the TP in France. The organisers expected them back in Axel on Thursday the 24th. this day had 26 dgr. here in Holland and a bit of over-development, but above Belgium it looked super as well….Would they make it on June 24 ????
Yes they did , they finished over Axel and had even time to fly to our National Gliding Center Terlet. Great effort . Anxious to know if this is the fastest ever Euroglide.
They did it in just a bit more then 3 days; Monday noon till Thursday afternoon, so a lot of holiday-days left for the 3 pilots involved.
Not far behind them ; LL [ nimbus 4dm] and MD [ dg 808 c]. MD is flown by Max, alone. He just flew the nationals and is in great ”form”. He was a participant over the last years so very experienced. He is also a frequent flyer in Corowa in our winter.
The leader in the ”turbo’s ” was ZZ a nimbus 4 dm, , he was on the 3d day at Bailleau and one of the 3 pilots flying here is the former European champion Ronald Termaat and former runner up in the WGC in Luesse, who flew during the nationals the JS1 Revelation.
Also this team arrived home in Axel at the 24th. Great effort, as well as IN1, an ASH 25 from Germany.
The ”just” gliders XX [LS 6 17.6 m] and EH [duo discus] were doing well and were upfront, at day 3 at Lyon. At day 4 XX came home as the first glider!!!!! WELL DONE!!!!!
EH is the duo discus from Eindhoven flown by 4 different pilots and XX is alo from Eindhoven ,all are members of the EAC, the club with all the problems in the past , I wrote you about .
On Friday another 16 pilots/gliders arrived at the final place Axel. Under them Max and his son Vincent, each in their own glider.
The site has 13 days for news but they only needed for the best pilots till day 4.
Yesterday more teams arrived back home. Still great weather and today we might reach 30 dgr. ……with a heatwave , not impossible for the next coming week.
It is interesting to read the rules about this competition at www. euroglide.nl
Most parts of Europe were blessed last week with fantastic soaring weather. On the OLC you had to fly at-least 700 km on Wednesday to be on page one[ 50 pilots] . Of course an LS 1 in between, flying a good 600 km is super, as well as an SZD 55 with 670 km. and what about the always high scoring Libelle; this time 609 km. and a st. cirrus flew 598, I call that 600 km. ….well done…
Sorry I forgot to share with you the news that Ingo Renner, still the one and only 4 times world champion soaring celebrated his 70thiest birthday in his hometown Tocumwal on June 1.It was a surprise party organised by his wife Judy and as I was not allowed to write about it when I received it , …I just forgot.But he had a great day with lots of friends visiting the BBQ and congratulating him on this special day. This is what his friends received yesterday;
Ingo would like to send his heartfelt thanks to everyone who wished him well on his birthday, helped him to celebrate and who contributed to the wishing well or brought a gift. As you all know this was a big surprise for Ingo and he thoroughly enjoyed himself on the evening. He has found a rocking chair – we just have to get it home from Sydney.
Can you imagine Ingo in a rocking chair…?????
This weekend there is an Airshow at Cambrai in the Northern part of France , I was there once longtime ago . Here is the touching news I took from their site, written by the Colonel from the base, so you know about it as well!! You might be even able to see a bit on the site; www.meetingcambrai2010.fr
On June 26th and 27th, a national air show will take place on Cambrai Air Force Base 103. This great festival of aeronautics is made for any passionate, and it will benefit the Air Charity Foundation (FOSA). This foundation has helped – for more than 70 years – people in misfortune or in need because of an accident having occurred to a member of their family, in the civil or military aviation.
This great international event (more than 50.000 visitors are expected) is based on the theme “Du Blériot au Rafale”. It is part of a communication approach between the armed forces and the civilian society. It will be both an opportunity and a pleasure to share our common passion for aeronautics, which links men and women, civilians and militaries proud to serve France.
Talking about airshows , there must have been one not too far from my place as I saw yesterday at 13.15, a DC 3 in formation passing by over my house with 3 Fokker 11 and not long after another plane, maybe a Mustang and after that another formation beautiful flown by 6 planes could not see what they were but it was a fantastic noise, from old engines and then on top of that a Hercules and a Lockheed, I had my private airshow here!!!!! LOVED IT!!!!! It was not over then with 4 F16 planes hurrying behind the others, all were lined up going to or coming from a demo-show……. and with a bit of thinking I knew , it was a tribute to our 50.000 old and 50.000 younger veterans on the 6th National Veterans day yesterday in the Hague and our Crown Prince was there as well.
This weekend; a 2-day-competition at Salland here in Holland. They fly in mixed, club and open class. Yesterday they had nice tasks with an expectation of blue thermals,[ hopefully they got some of the clouds above my house] and tasks from 354 km in 15m mixed, 322 for club and 415 for open with an expected cloud base of up to 1700 m.
All but one pilot arrived home after a super day with great flights and nice speed. look for results from yesterday and today at www.soaringspot.com [Sallandse tweedaagse 2010]
Looking at the OLC the last 3 days ; I always like the enthusiasm of Alexander Müller, he writes ;” first cumulus at 8 AM and the last ones at 8 PM ….Bayreuth is SUPER, ”;that’s where he did another 1.164 km flight in his ASW 22.
I was most impressed and a bit sad with the flight of one of my Finnish friends, Martti [Sucksdorf] from Rayskala. I forgot if he ever flew his 1000km with us in Tocumwal, but he did NEARLY on Thursday ;954.50 km. What a shame, I would have loved to see him fly it in his home country !!!!
An LS 4 flew that day 679 km from Jena which is North of Bayreuth and here in Holland another friend Jeroen Koole flew 700 km!!! This weather is just ”delightful”!!!!!
On Friday ”young” Jeroen Jennen,[ Belgium] I guess he is growing older since I saw him last,[ was that Husbos in 2005, when he was still too young to fly by himsellf, ????], but can’t be older then 17/ 18 or so, flew his 500 km from Keiheuvel in an LS 8 . Great effort Jeroen!!! I have the feeling this is his first one, if it is congratulations!
I also noticed a few absolutely fabulous set FAI tasks/ triangles and THAT is the real gliding, you surely agree with me!!!; what about 828 km. from Königsdorf or a nice 530 by Wolli, without mountains from Oerlinghausen and not to forget 923 km from Winzeln Schramberg. This fantastic weather in a huge area stimulates the flying of set triangles/tasks and I love to see that.
One of our top-pilots Sicco, set a 1000 km task from Soesterberg yesterday ,[ it is not often that these tasks are set in Holland], but was unfortunately too slow in the beginning , saw cumulus but not where he wanted to go. He still wanted to stick as long as possible to his set task, flew 866 km and thought that a 1000 would have been possible for an open class glider. He flew a ventus BT.
Yesterday pilots nearly had to fly 800 km to be on page 1 of the OLC. HAMMERWETTER in most parts of Europe!!!!!
and then this….
—–how it is possible ,…… Idon’t know, but from one day to another they moved Prime Minister Rudd from Australia out of his function and replaced him with Julia Gilard,[ also from the Labour Party] now the first female president in Australia.
—–you have heard for sure about the ”all blacks”, the famous and very great playing rugby team from New Zealand. With their warrior-dance ” haka ”, they impress the world at each WRC.
Now they have the ”all whites ”, the more or less ”surprise” soccer players. In the beginning , I heard, the Kiwi’s called them ”pussies”, as the rugby players are already their tough heroes, but by playing not too bad, they got Wellington ”dancing on the tables” from enthusiasm…great stuff…..and well done. Soccer is on the map there now too. Even when it was a draw against Paraqua and they did go further to the 1/8 finals , they did a fabulous job and deserve the special warm welcome at home.
—- a pity that the Australian socceroos won….. but still had to leave S.A, due to a negative goal-balance.
—–59-59, we talk tennis now at Wimbledon…all records broken, 2 heroes one from France one from the USA and they did not even win the tournament, but for sure their names are on the map. In the end the match was finished after 3 days; final result;70-68 , in fact no winner but the American young lad John Isner won.
—–it seems , according to the Argentinian lawyers that Julio Poch , has made those ”death-flights”. They read, as they claim, his flight-logbook and diaries and found there enough evidence…will be continued. How he ”earned” 130 million e.[it seems he possesses this in assets and money] as a commercial airline pilot , is beyond me…..
—–unbelievable but true; in Holland they found a guy who was dead for 4 years. [50 years old] He lived on the top floor of a house and asked his 4 family members, all living in the same house on the 2d floor[ 2 sisters ,2 brothers] one day in 2006 , to not disturb him anymore. They did and the painters who came to do renovations in the house last week, found him. The family might see legal action taken against them for neglecting.
—–from Western Australia, I got a more personnel message about the crash in Congo, as nearly everybody overthere is one way or another linked to Sundance so the population is in shock.
”The crash in the Congo has had a huge impact in WA. The WA mining industry is very close knit and most people know each other .
As for Sundance Resources, their shares remain suspended but they are already working to construct a new board. Most people’s hearts are going out to the families who have lost their loved ones – it seems it will be some time before their bodies will be returned to Australia
tragic, …..see you next
cheers Ritz