It WAS cold, but getting better now….from minus 10 to plus 10!

——The first day of the new meteorological spring, March 1, was here ,in Holland,….. the coldest EVER.
The last day of February had great and already warm sunshine from a strong shining sun, but my goodness me, it was still SO cold. It was “only” minus 10, sunny, but the feeling temperature with the 6 Bft NNE wind,[wind chill factor] made is feel up to minus 20 and even 27 in the N. That IS cold for Holland.
Ye,…. I know not for the Scandinavian countries .
So finally some marathons on natural ice here, which is special and as long as there is no “11-town-tour” , this is the second best in Holland and from all directions enthusiastic people go to these events…3 days in a row .
Europe ,all over , suffers from the cold and some countries even more than we. I feel for them !!! Several people died from the cold specially the older ones.
A German weather station on the highest mountain in the N. of Germany [1.141m.] showed MINUS 55 on the thermometer !!!

Down under, I heard,[ in Toc. ] it was still around 30 when autumn started.
Autumn in Lake Keepit started on the OLC with a 555 km. by Allan [Barnes] and Harry [Medlicott] in the ARCUS M. On march 3 still over 500 km. flights/triangles in the BCT triangle.
Europe started the OLC list in freezing conditions with a 232 km. wave flight from St Girons An Gld in France in a Pegase.
And Africa with 490 km. by Mac in the new JS 3 . He was one of the 2017 WGC- champions, who were invited to Africa for the Heli Lasch event flying from Tswalo Game Rese.
“Fantastic day. We saw giraffes on the way to airfield, we flew very fast race of 2:30 AAT close to 160kph, and then saw lions on the way back home. Special thanks to South African friends for inviting us to such a special place. And the new glider goes super fast.”
On March 3 a very fast day at Tswalu from Oscar in the JS 3; the actual speed was 175 km./h.

—–The last day’s of the 2018 Lake Keepit Regatta were GOOD, but I read, some not as good as “advertised”.
Task 5 was set last Thursday ;3.30 AAT.
Dave Shorter [JS 1] won the 1000 points with 448 km. in 3.30 at the dot [127.52 km./h.]!!! Great result as well for Speed Astir pilot Jason Kath who flew 365 km. with a speed of 102.52 km./h. He was 3d.
Jenny [Mosquito] was 7th and Kerrie [ASG 29/18m.] 12th from 27.
Out-landings as well; Robert [Smits born in Holland] flew 316 km. in his St .Cirrus ,but then as he said:”Under cooked the final glide…. Went a few extra km’s in the time soak as I was just a little early….. And then I didn’t find the expected lift and just didn’t make it...”

“Bugger….. Same paddock as two days ago….. What’s wrong with me?????”
as shared by Robert.

Task 6 ; had another 3.30 AAT. Bruce Taylor [ASG 29/18 m.] showed up and straight away showed his class AND how to do it; 436 km. in time 3.42 [speed 118 km./h.] He flies HC.
Runner up and overall number 1 Dave flew 394 km . Jason in his speed Astir earns extra credit flying 368 km. in 4.05 , slow with 90 km./h. but with this glider against the hot-shot-gliders he did well; 3d. AND,….on spot 2 overall with one day to go.
Task 7 and last day; with a 3 hour AAT and …ouch…it was a difficult day. I am not sure if it was real courage or maybe a problem, but Jason in the Speed Astir started last and nearly 20 minutes behind Dave !!!
The ASH 25 /26 m. won the day,…but Dave and Jason were 2 and 3. Only 10 finishers.
Winners from this fun but still serious competition;
1. Dave Shorter 5.764 clear win. 2. Jason Kath 5.280 3. Alan Wilson in the LS 8 with 4.982 points.
The “girls” practicing for the WWGC were on spot 4 Jenny in the Mosquito [4.563] and spot 8 Kerrie in the 18 m. ASG 29 [3.675]

As said the next WWGC will be in Lake Keepit but more news!!!!
“Great news!! The BGA Women Gliding Project has won the bid for the 2021 Women’s Worlds – looking forward to welcoming you all to HusBos any time between now and August 2021.”
“We are looking forward to welcoming women pilots of all nations to the UK in 2021. If your nation doesn’t usually take part, please contact Womenglide now and we’ll work with you to help you get a team to the competition.”
I was in Hus Bos in 2005 for the JWGC and that area is just beautiful ,so is the airfield and the people!!

——-Matamata Nationals; you remember I wrote about these NZ Nationals a few weeks ago. I was impressed with the young ones winning the title in racing class in the Duo Discus.
Matamata shared some more news which is, I think, very inspiring for young pilots.
Allie, Alexandra Thompson is only 15 years old and still a school-girl in year 12 at the Sacred Heart College!!!!.
Here are parts of it:
“Thompson had flown with 22-year-old Auckland-based McIver as part of Youth Glide New Zealand (YGNZ) – not-for-profit organisation that provides under-25s with education, tuition and training in the skills necessary for gliding in New Zealand.

It all started when she was gifted a flight in early 2015 at the Hawke’s Bay and Waipukurau Gliding Club at Hastings Aerodrome in Bridge Pa – and it almost instantly became an obsession. Before then, the Taradale family had no contact with the world of flight but just hours before she turned 13, Thompson took to the air on her own.

Now 15, she has lost count of how many hours she has spent in the air – well over 100, she reckons.

“I love the whole uniqueness of it and the fact that when I get up there it is a completely different world and I can be myself,” the keen flyer said.

“Once you’re up there you can pretty much do anything in your limits and it is a whole different side to the world that you never really get to see from the ground and it is quite stunning when you are first up there.”

Allie with principal Maria Neville-Foster .
Courtesy Paul Taylor for nzherald.co.nz

———More and more pilots/clubs are finishing the last “bit” of the winter maintenance on gliders ,instruments and trailers.In the middle of March these gliders will have their last check ready for hopefully a fine summer and great spring.
Here are some pictures from February 25 in Germany.

Still very cold, but gliders “sniff” already some fresh [Siberian] outside air.
Segelfluggruppe Donauwörth-Monheim

—-SSA convention in Reno in the USA;

As shared by US Soaring teams.

As shared by Jonker Sailplanes with up front the Perlan Project glider.

with many, speakers as Tony Condon speaking about Downwind Dashes and Sarah Kelly Arnold US team committee and WWGC silver medalist in 2017.
Tony also got 3 Awards for one of his “dashes” AND for the story he wrote about it in the SOARING. Love those great looking awards and to see them well I enlarged them all 3.

as shared by Tony and CONGRATULATIONS!!! It looks like the Tony show as he got ONE more!!

As shared by Tony.

Karin Schloesser [in the past like me a member of the ZES] and her husband Heinz showed together with Benjamin [Neglais] and Biko [Berger] the new Ventus with the FES. Sarah tried it out.

Sarah and Heinz

Biko [Berger] , who I have n’t seen for ages and Benjamin [Neglais] explaining .
Pictures courtesy Karin.

More news from Reno; Paul Remde [ Cumulus Soaring Inc.] well known for his books , video’s and other soaring related objects, added a new “wing” to his business.
https://www.cumulus-soaring.com/
“I am very excited to be the new DG Flugzeugbau representative for the USA and Canada. They make DG and LS sailplanes. This photo shows me with Stefan Göldner from DG in my booth at the Soaring Society of America Convention in Reno, Nevada yesterday.”

as shared by Paul [to the left.]

And last but not least RENO ,of course showed the JS 1C /21 m. too ,with “eye-catchers” as Jennifer [Benetti-Longhini] and top kilometer eater Keith [Essex].

As shared by Paul.

——More meetings ;the IGC meeting in Freudenstadt where it, so to see, was COLD.

As shared by Marina Galetto.

——An interesting international OLC top on March 4:
1. Damian [Goldenzweig] in a Ventus CM with 534 km in Argentina.
2. Jiri Fousek from the Czech Rep, flying in Narromine [NSW]Australia …590 km. in Discus.
3. Ramy [Yanetz] in the USA with 562 km. from Byron CA in a Discus
4.Claudio Eduardo Schmidt in the ARCUS M with 465 km in Brasil.
6. Mark [Bland] instructor at Mount Beauty in the Victorian mountains in Australia 415 in an ARCUS.
7. Yves Gerster from Swiss in Europe in a DG 400/17 m. with 347 km.