Alphen aan den Rijn Wednesday April 20 2011 ritzdeluy@hotmail.com
Summer by Fritz Schweikart at wgc 2006.
Today we remember here in Alphen the terrible death of innocent people by a young man who forgot to take his medicines against schizophrenia. All official buildings in Holland have the flag on half-mast, their will be a memorial service for 750 invited guests including Queen Beatrix and Price Willem Alexander and the prime minister Mark Rutte and for 2500 people there is room outside to be part of it by looking at big screens. The rest has a TV at home for a live coverage. It is a sunny day with 24 dgr. that might at-least ease the pain.
In Italy pilots had a good final day on Sunday of the Club class Nationals. For sure you looked at the final results and as I , you noticed that Vittorio had a bad last day , so Stefano Ghiorzo easily won the longest task of 265 km. to be the club class national champion.Vittorio was the runner up and young Davide was 3d.after 5 flying days.
Manuele Molinari won in the discus 2 the other class after 4 days of flying.
YES they did it! The pilots in Prievidza flew 752 km during the competition. Super-spring-weather over there!Competition Day 5 was a great day for all 3 classes . In the mixed class Pavol Cerny won the 752 km. day in the Ventus CXt/18m with a speed of 112 km.
In the club class , young Milos Cink was the best over the 510 km in club class and who else then Sebastian Kawa in the discus 2 A, won the 608 km day in 15 m. class with the same speed as in the mixed class; 112 km/h.
On day 6 pilots had another long task [ mixed 502 km, club 420 and 15 m 502 as well.]. Sebastian won again and is 500 points ahead of the runner up in his 15 m. class.
Ge Dale from the UK, who flew so well last year is on spot 2 overall behind, Ferenc Tamas who has been on spot 1 overall, from the beginning in club class !!
In the mixed class Uli Gmelin , the professionel team captain of the German pilots won in the ARCUS T day 6!
On day 7 around 300 km. tasks and Sebastian won again and is about 600 points ahead on number 2. Ge Dale won in his class and still has possibilities to get on top, as he is only around 50 points behind on Ferenc. But…..as both for sure want to be the best the last days will be exciting.
Last Sunday made at least 1983 pilots happy. They put their flight on the OLC, and what flights:
Wilfried Grosskinsky, I should have mentioned him on the list of “kilometer-eaters” , flew not that far from Holland from Dahlemer Binz a nice 1053 km. in the nimbus 4 [ an FAI 750 triangle in it ! ]and another open class glider/pilot flew from Austria [Lienz Nikolsdorf]
And…the top “kilometer-eater” Alexander Müller is active too with a good 989 km flight from Lienz.
All 50 flights on Sunday on page 1 were over 600 km and it is ONLY EARLY SPRING!!!!!
The LS 6 flight in Italy from Bolzano is worthwile mentioning; 904 km. as well as the flight from Gilles Navas in France at Vinon with 933 km in an ASG 29 E/18m.
I totally get exicited from so many nice flights and cannot type quick enough !!!
Gilles Navas in Eskilstuna during the WGC.
We live here in sunny conditions 10 dgr. above the normal average for this time of the year: 23 dgr. And these conditions …YES…..they stay here over Easter. Looking at the European weather most of Europe will have a happy Easter-time. Summer instead of spring, but….let’s hope the weather keeps going on like this and that we not peak now and get a lousy summer. But …we can’t change it anyhow, so let’s be happy.
Hopefully we will have this good weather still during the CAE NLS Dutch Nationals , starting on May 16. There are 39 pilots competing, maybe not that many , but a lot have to keep their time free for the EGC in Nitra and Pociunai and for the JWGC in Musbach.Some are so lucky to fly more comps.
Great to see that pilots fly more and more triangles instead of just following the weather to make as much kilometers as possible and to get the most points on the OLC. A nice example is a flight on Monday ;805 FAI triangle in an LS 8 , flown in that area were the wave-weather is super this year;Köningsberg, Lesce Bled , Lienz ,Bolzano, Unterwössen.
The 2d flight for the summer -season by Alexander Müller was from Lienz again with 957 km. And the 3d was over 1000 km. That one is in the pocket.
And what about , in this same soaring-mecca, the flight from Boris Zors , who flew in his standard cirrus a very nice 751 km task. And…the 750 km in the DG 1000/20 m. from Unterwössen??
Here is a link to an interesting incident at JFK. Thanks Peter. An Air France A 380 makes a Delta regional jet spin around 90 dgr.Though it is not a joke , I had to smile looking at the video.
To finish the blog some finishers “caught ” by Fritz Schweikart [ WGC in 2006 in Eskilstuna.]
cheers Ritz