Post 1.557 on December 18 2024 AND ……2 blogs to go on December 24 and 31.

—-With 2 blogs to go the final is close by. Lot’s of friends have written to me already that they enjoyed the blogs and are sorry that it has to finish on the last day of this year 2024.
I am sorry too, but as 1 of my soaring-mates wrote;
”  While I miss my old WGC friends, the aches and pains of advancing years remind me that I could not do that again.  It was a great run, though, wasn’t it!”
IT WAS!!!!!!
On top of that I celebrated my 78 st birthday with so much reactions that I felt overwhelmed , but also proud and grateful, that……YOU ALL allowed me to write so long and in a way for some “closed me in your heart”.
With No readers it ‘s no fun to write.
Interesting is that a few wrote to me with a THANK YOU , and I had no idea that they followed my blog.

Back to soaring;
——The snow was kind enough to not fall down on December 13 , as an important moment for the HPH had to be shared; the maiden flight of HPH 304 MS SN:194-MS was on the airfield of Zbraslavice, in the Czech Rep.
And MORE great news from HPH;” fantastic news, the Twin Shark now has full uk CAA certification. All in good time for the Twin Sharks arriving in the uk next spring” Gliding

——-Between December 7 and 14 the NSW championship was flown from Temora, a very nice airfield with mostly good weather. Unfortunately NOT for the first couple of days, but then it changed to pretty normal GOOD Temora conditions.
They fly in 3 classes ; club standard and 18m/open class. The scoring is as a GP.
Day 1 was cancelled due to low convection and day 2 because of rain.
BUT THEN it started;
Day 3;
In 18 m/open the 10 pilots got a 246 km-task won by Richard Frawley in a JS3 with 133km./h.
In standard the 6 pilots all flying LS8 except for 1 ASW 24 had to go for 246 as well and Peter Trotter won the day ; 115 km../h
In club the 14 pilots flew the 246 km task with Jack Hart [ASW20] as the best and the only one over 100 km./h.
Day 4;
18m/open; 290 km… daily winner Norm Bloch in JS3.104 km./h.
Standard; 249 km….won by Peter
Club; 249 km….Paul Dickson in LS 4 was a tad faster than Jack; 89 for 87 km./h.
Day 5;
18m/open; 267 km…. and Geoff Brown was the daily winner with 122 km./h.
Standard; 254 km… and no not won by Peter this time , but by his wife Lisa also in LS 8;
club; 254 km…Jack in his ASW 20 was the best again; 91 km./h
Day 6;
18m/open ; 342 7 km….. won by Norm…157 km./h!!!!!
standard; 387 km… and AGAIN won by Lisa! She is a great pilot. Peter was just a tad slower.
Club; 295 km… and the Mosquito with Terry Cubley in it won the day; 116 km./h.
Day 7;
18m/open; 407 km….and best result for Richard for 11 points and a speed of 128.4 km./h.
standard: 340.7 km….Peter and Lisa started together, flew together and finished together and with the smallest margin Peter won the day 7 points for 5.[speed 113 and 110 km./h] .
club; 256 km….Les in the St Libelle won the day; 93,9 km./h.

The local Temora paper had a nice article about the NSW State comps.

Temora NSW state comps winners after 5 out of 7 days!!
18 m./open; Richard Frawley in JS 3 /18 m with 49 points, winning 2 days . Quite a “fight” in this class as Norm and Geoff both had 48 points.
Standard; Peter Trotter in LS8 with 32 points and winning 3 days!!
Club; Jack Hart in ASW 20 won with 74 points , winning 2 days and on 2 days also runner up.

All pictures were shared by Temora Gliding Club

—–Namibia has not only had a few excellent days again, on 1 of those days [December 11] a very good WWGC pilot, Katrin Senne, flew new records as well ; WORLD records , to be precise, but they have to be ratified. Katrin was WWGC champion in 2007 and 2017 and several times in the top 3. She is a Sales agent for JS.

BITTERWASSER continued.…This years 1000 km [every year] organized by Wilfried Grosskinsky from Bitterwasser had it’s last day on December 14. Wilfried flew with TOPPER Stefan Langer and for both it was a great pleasure.
On December 10 they flew together too, under difficult circumstances with overdevelopment, a huge front and a sand storm darkening the skies [ in all those years Wilfried had never experienced this before] and on top of that their logger gave up . Result the 1.242 km distance was not to be seen as well as the declared FAI 1.118 km . Bit anyhow no worries a pity and another great flight for them in the EB 28.
Last Sunday I had Luc as a visitor on my door with a parcel, but unfortunately he was not the fittest person, so talking about his recent flight at the 1000 km camp will happen in the future. He flew with Winfried on December 5 and long ago as a young pilot.
During the 1000 km camp the longest distance was flown by Wilfried and Stefan on December 8; 1.237.88 km [149,69 km./h] and FAI 1.068 km.[127.91 km/h]

Talking about Bitterwasser one of the “key-persons’ passed away last week. Very sad as Hansjörg Schweizer was the engine behind it, the founder from Bitterwasser (PTY) LTD.] and already for 30 years involved!!!!
On top of that he was a great glider pilot with 2300 hours logged in his soaring logbook. Without him Bitterwasser would not be what it is NOW!!!!
I don’t know him , but read and write about BITTERWASSER often ; the very best soaring spot for long CC flights and more. So he has done something special, excellent and epic and that ‘s what we will remember. Thank you!
R.I.P. Hansjörg…… he passed away on my birthday.

——Transavia the company where my daughter flies already for more than 25 years, is changing from Boeing 737 to Airbus A 321 NEO. They just received the 7th ‘bird’ of this new fleet. She will fly it in 2025!!!
A very old 737 I just found on the net.

To finish the story about my name Ritz.
Just noticed a really nice reel and some pictures on the net of the Ritz in Paris. You surely know what’s to come.
When I arrived for the first time in Tocumwal and introduced myself they “could n’t get their tongue around my name Rietje or Riet”.
David Riley ,then the young son of founder Bill Riley from Sportavia, thought about it to make it easier for people from down under.
Rita?? No I was not a Rita.
Ritz!!!!!!!…..yes he said you are classy as the hotel and so I turned into Ritz for my friends in the world.

2 more blogs to go on December 24 and December 31 both TUESDAYS!!!!!
Have to tell you a few words about my love for Australia and the last one will be a TANK-YOU- blog to so many who stood behind me.

Cheers Ritz