With 34 in 15 m. class , 38 in club and 33 in standard class the 36th FAI WGC is about to begin.
Here is the schedule;
August 4-5 and 6 …official training. So first official practice day today.
August 7; opening ceremony
August 8-20 competition/contest days
August 21; Closing ceremony and an airshow/aeronautical demonstration.
One of the pilots and former junior WORLD champion Aussie Matthew Scutter shares his stories on Matthew Scutter’s Gliding
Here is how difficult it was to arrive in Montlucon:
“Well, I made it. Through a strategy that was not so different from smashing my head against a brick wall for 4 months (at least in terms of cost and ongoing brain damage), I managed to get vaccinated, get permission to leave Australia, get flights/glider/car/another car/crew and everything else organized to compete as the only Australian at the World Gliding Championships in Montlucon, France.
Getting back to Australia will be a later problem – I don’t know yet when and if I will be allowed back into Australia. I will scream if one more European asks me “Why can’t you just fly back? Aren’t you a citizen?
Tomorrow looks like the only good flying day of the practice period so for now it’s straight to bed.” Written on Sunday evening.
Matthew will catch up again with Dutch pilot Robin Smit, who was runner up at that Narromine JWGC. Matthew flies the Diana 2 in 15 m and Robin the LS 4 in club class.

The British Gliding Team shared this news;
“WGC 2021:No flying today, and a poor outlook for the next few days. However things look to improve as we head towards the weekend and the start of the competition. In the meantime, the pilots and crews are busy making final preparations to their gliders and ground equipment. Here’s a photo from yesterday’s unofficial practice day.

—–It’s august already and more and more I am convinced that time flies!!!!
A pity that even when August started last Sunday, the summer-weather is still “off” here.
Luckily “we” have the Olympic Games to look at ,..nicely warm inside.
Looking at weather; it’s HOT in the SE of Europe up to 45 dgr C.
After all the flooding in parts of Europe, now huge fires in parts of Turkey, Italy and Greece.

—–A few comps just finished , a few just started.
In France the CLUB CLASS NATIONALS finished with 5 out of 7 days, pretty good and on one day they even flew 306 km. and nearly all finished , which could not be said of several other days.
On task 2 only 1 from 17 finished, on task 3 four but,… on task 5 ALL pilots finished!!!
The new French Club Class National Champion after 5 out of 7 days is Ulysse Merlin in Pegase with 2.507 points.
Also the combined 15 m, 20 m and standard class finished after 5 out of 7 days.
2 Days with just over 300 km. tasks and 1 day with 357 flown by 16 from 26.
Julien Duboc was the winner and NATIONAL CHAMPION in Ventus 2ax with 3.638 points.

—–New comps started on August 1 , as the well known First Challenge Cup [FCC] flown from Prievidza in Slovakia, between August 1 and 13.
Originally this competition should have been flown earlier in the year between April 11 and 24, but due to Corona it is postponed till now.
Normally over 100 pilots fly this FCC, but corona is still active, so 45 have entered in 3 classes; club, 15 m and combi.
All kind of measures were necessary to enter the Slovak Rep., so not easy to organize comps in this difficult time.
No flying at day 1.BUT,..the weather-forecast for E and SE Europe is hot , to very hot.
Task 1 was the same for all 3 classes a 2 hour AAT, to get in the mood and flown by many.
Yesterday was a better weather day ; Task 3 with 3 hour AAT for all classes.
Milan flew in Club class 265 km in time 3.04.
in 15 m. Jan flew 270 km in time 3 at the dot!!
In the combi-class the German ARCUS was the best with 328 km. in time 3.07.
For today; 2 hour AAT for all classes.
More next week.http://www.fccgliding.sk

——the Swedish OPEN CLASS and RACING Nationals started on July 31 with 7 pilots in open and 6 in racing and continue till August 7 at Viared.
NO flying that day , neither at August 1
August 2; Also cancelled for racing class but open got a new briefing at noon.
Tasks on August 3; Open 239 km won by the ASG 32EL and racing 212 km. won by Jan Olah in a Discus 2T with a speed of 94 km./h. the same speed as the ASG!!!
For today; 354 for open and 309 for racing class.

—–52th KLIPPENECK 2021!!! has as always 5 classes for their 81 guests; 15m., 18m., 20 and club and open. A competition loved by many not only from Germany. They fly between July 31 and August 7.
Also the organizers there had to deal with the “bad” weather.[Dutch meteorologist’s say the weather is pretty normal here for the time of the year, only the years before were too hot]
Till now only 1 valid flying day in all classes.
Such a pity but still 4 days to go.

The CIM in Rieti in Italy is a competition I frequently went to and loved it, as all the other comps I visited in Rieti.
The Coppa Internazionale del Mediterraneo is loved by more than me, as the list of top-participants is HUGE!!!!
59 pilots in total and a lot of them former WGC champions.
Looking only at open class toppers as Michael Sommer, Alvaro de Orleans, Bruno Gantenbrink, Markus Frank, Peter Hartmann, Felipe Levin and Uli Schwenk….the ones I met.
It looks like a “replacement” for the by COVID 19 cancelled WGC in Stendal in Germany , the one for the “big ships”.
They fly in 3 classes a mixed class, 18 m and open class: MIXED max 118/ RACE 118.1-120.5/ OPEN 120 and higher.
They started yesterday, with tasks from 293 km. in the Mixed class, 342 in 18 m and 299 km. and continue till August 13 so, I hope, 10 days of real Rieti soaring. AND,…it was really Rieti soaring weather on day 1.
Task 1 was won by Ezio Sati in the combi-class in a ASG 32 MI[800 kg] with a speed of 145 km./h.That ‘s better, much better.
In 18 m. Davide Schiavotto won in JS 3,,. Speed 160 km./h!!!!
When I see his name I MUST think of the JWGC in Husbos where he was as a very young boy, with Leo [Leonardo Brigliadori] as his TC. They were pretty loud, in an Italian way, on the radio and shared the frequency with us. They were” shocked” when I told him that we were a bit overpowered and they apologized in an Italian way as well. Great memories!!! And Davide has come so far now!!!!! Good on him!!!!
In open the “hotshots” flew slower than Davide and 5 other pilots of his class, all above 150 km./h . Uli in his ETA flew 149 km./h.

Arne Boye Moeller shared his opinion on this first flight ;”Ready for take–off.…the flight was intense and mostly blue with decisions queuing for constant attention. Nice day racing with only 6% of the time climbing…and Davide showed us how it was done.” Arne was runner up with 152 km./
Aldo [Cernezzi] is the CD.
Tasks for today: combi 409 km, 18 m. 438 km and open 412 km.
More news next week.

The Dutch are doing pretty well after the first “miserable” days at the Olympics.
I guess everybody knows or has heard about the HOLLAND HEINEKEN HOUSE at all summer Olympics. Party time to the fullest for the medal-winners.
In Covid- time this is impossible, as they all have to leave within 48 hours after their performances.
So to honor the medal winners, they created a new Heineken House at the beach in Scheveningen. Straight after arrival at Schiphol they are invited at this venue and though it is cold and wet it’s a very happy moment for all.

And to finish this FABULOUS picture symbolizing soaring…this IS soaring….. shared by Discover Gliding.

CU you next week.
Chees Ritz