Alphen aan den Rijn Friday June 24 2011 ritzdeluy@hotmail.com
This week I give you a day-by-day-update. So to avoid you getting bored with TOO long stories I publish during the last days of the WWGC a bit more often. Enjoy!
Wednesday afternoon; Just noticed that we will have ” hot ” weather for this weekend and after…it will go up to 30. Finally summer again!!! Like on a few other comps I visited I would not be amazed to see the best weather in Arboga during the prize giving!!!! GRrrrr…..!!!!!!!!??????
Just received info about the new site for juniors in Australia [thanks Jo!] www.joeyglide.com.au The Juniors in Australia are only in December 10-17 in Kingaroy, but from now on you can read everything on their new website.
—-I look forward to bringing you and the world more news as it develops in the news section, via the tweets, facebook group – JoeyGlide News (for everyone who’s interested in following the event), tracking site, and the scoring live.
Safe Circles,
Adam Woolley—-
Wednesday evening;Another “terrible” / “dramatic” / “exciting” certainly difficult, not-what-you-hope-for-during-a-WWGC-but-what-can-you-do- soaring day in Arboga! Low cloud base, less then 1000 m to go on track and relaunches, as not all girls could stay up. They were send for another AAT to fly as far as possible in 2 hour 15 minutes over 193 km min. and 300 km. max in 2 classes. Standard class was last to launch and ….called back home in the air before their start line opened, due to the quickly incoming poor weather. Club and 15 m. were on track already then.
And….they made it a day! Day 5 in 2 classes is a fact as 5 flew more then 100 km in each class, but I guess with blood , sweat and tears.
Speed in club class; 42 km/h. but …..Polish Marta Najfeld finished in her Standard Jantar flying 179 km. Great effort. Runner up was Agnete Olesen from Denmark in her Standard Libelle. She is on spot ONE now overall!
Of course the factor luck is big on days like this as well as having skills for this kind of weather, patience and to be on the right spot at the right time, but still….excellent!
In 15 m. ONE finisher as well, French Anne Ducarouge finished and flew 203 km. and her speed was 58 km/h. Also a battle here!!! Loosing more then 400 points on the first 1000-points-day [ dropping from 1 overall to 6!] she must have been determined to do better today. Now she is back on spot 2 overall again.
In the end it , indeed, turned out to be a valid day in both classes! Congratulations to the 2 day-winners! Chapeau!!
On Thursday morning the girls were awake in time, not due to the alarm clock but loud thunder!!! Would it be day 6 for 15 m. and club and day 5 for Standard? No….unfortunately the day was cancelled!
My friends from Australia Jo and Tony Tabart spend a week at Rieti Airport, found new friends and Tony re -lived his flying from 1984 [ the year we all met!!!] and 1985 when he flew the Pre WGC and WGC in Rieti. Here is the impression by Jo;
—- On Tuesday, Tony flew to the east and admired the Adriatic Sea. Cloud base was 3,000 metres with climbs of 4 metres. Visibility was excellent in the east, unlike the Rieti Valley which had poor visibility. Coming home from the south, visibility was reduced to 5 km. Tony achieved a distance of approx 350 km over 4 hours. [ chief instructor at Rieti!] joins us for a final dinner. Thank you to everyone at Rieti for showing us wonderful hospitality and kindness.
Wednesday, Tony flew east again where visibility was better. Cloud base was 2,400 metres with climbs of 2-3 metres. Coming home in the blue was slow. His flight was around 3 hours for about 200 km.
Today, Thursday the weather may improve later in the day – very stable with poor visibility in the morning. Tony will try for 300 km if conditions improve enough.
We leave Friday morning for Venezia via Roma. We have had a very enjoyable time in Rieti, being well looked after by the Rome Club Boys who are doing a Performance Flying Course this week. They have taken us in their cars to breakfasts and dinners in very charming, out of the way farmhouses.
Tonight, Alessandro joins us for a final dinner. Thank you to everyone at Rieti for showing us wonderful hospitality and kindness.
Jo & Tony Tabart, Corangamite Soaring Club, Victoria, Australia—-
By the way , Alessandro is the chief instructor from Rieti and a very nice and interesting guy. Some pictures from my archive.
I liked the 800 km FAI triangle from Ely in an ASW 27 on Wednesday. The USA has a pretty good 2011 season. And what about the 1.140 km. FAI triangle in a duo discus from Minden in Nevada ; not bad either!!!
Thursday evening; A message from my friend Teresa about that difficult day on Wednesday.
—-today the rain was pouring down and the day was cancelled. There is some slight
hope for tomorrow. Yesterday was the longest day of the year and we got a
competition day for the club and 15m.
The cloudbase was low, the gaggles before the start were between 650 and 800m
mainly.My impression is that ladies fly very nicely in the gaggles, I have not
experienced any unplaesent things.
I crossed the startline at aprx 750m and left for the task. Std which also
were in the air already, did not get their startline open, they had to land
again. The cloudbase beeing 1000m further at the north, one had to take every
weak thermal in order to stay airborne. It ended up with an outlanding after
two areas haeding for the third. Clouds were at 8/8 at that area at that time
and though it started clearing up slightly after a while I had to land out.
I have made some 200 outlandings during my 40 years in gliding, most of them I
can not remember but some stay in the memory. My outlanding yesterday will be
one of them. After landing I started walking to find the nearest road for the
crew to arive, as the field was surrounded by deep forest. I found the tractor
road leading to the field and saw some children driving a 4 wheel track and
bicycling. After a while they saw the glider and came with me to have a look at
it. They were obviously two sisters and one brother, all around 8-11 years old.
At the glider one of the girls told me that they will be flying to Spain for a
holiday. After a while and lots of other questions she asked me if I had ever
crashed with a glider. I said no, it is very safe to fly and it is a beautiful
sport. Then we saw her father at the edge of the field and went there.We did
some talking about the weather etc and I told him that his daughter had told me
that they will soon be flying to Spain. He looked at me, then he turned away
for few seconds, he turned back again and told me that he had recently lost his
7 years old son in an accident at the farm; he had it obviously difficult to talk
about it. After a while he asked me if his daughter had asked me about flying,
he was worried about her as she is talking that the aeroplane they will be
flying will crash. He was convinced that this was a result about her loosing
her little brother, she had started worrying about things. It was very sad, I
hope that my beautiful ASW 27 gave her some confidence and peace in mind.
Tomorrow the midsummer eve will be celebrated here, but as we (hopefully) will
fly on Saturday as well, the celebration might have to be moved to another
day.—-
Friday, morning; one but last day in Arboga and finally better weather?????It looks like it, on this Midsummer Eve-day. I knew the dates were not exact , as I have had it on the 20thiest as well. Can’t remember the other days, but anyway on a Friday! But in Arboga it is today, on the 24th, so I guess a nice bon fire will be ready tonight for the girls. Hope they do not have to rush from outlanding places and really can enjoy this event. They might even be under that “spell” and fall in love , who knows!!! They can dance around the maypole and “feel” the tradition of Sweden.
But first they have to fly; racing task for club, 214 km and the “rest” 245 km.The estimated first launch being at 11.30. And….again “a window” to fly in.
Cu later in the next blog! Cheers Ritz