Starting today with the GLIDING INTERNATIONAL, as I found a lot of the reading very interesting!!!
Specially of course the letter from Terry TC from team Australia at the WWGC.
Here are some items which are in more detail in the virtual or paper magazine.
–—The SEVENTY 2 ONE adventure. The ETA 72;1 …ultimate soaring in a glider with this huge gliding angle. A co -operation between pilot Uli Schwenk [European Champion in 1998 and 3x vice world champion in NZ in open class and twice in 13.5 m] and Keith Gately, owner of the ETA. I know both pilots pretty well and met them again at the final party from the WWGC in Lake Keepit in the beginning of this year, where we had a long talk!!!
Great business for when you are interested.
By the way, I read that the wingspan equals the span of an Airbus 320.
7 Pages with pictures as well.
—-The Will’s family…John the editor of G.I. found in his “huge” archive a real interesting letter from Dick Georgeson , the first as he calls it, REAL AUTHORITY on wave soaring in the fifties and sixties.Of course at Omarama….so then the Wills family is in too.
—-IGC meeting 2020…about OGN…with of course the tragic circumstances at the WWGC and all new dates for the next comps and much more.
I wrote about it too in the past.
—-The “right of reply”…This is about Terry , the TC from Australia. I can’ t copy the text for you, but it was appalling to read how he “wildly” accuses EVERYBODY [jurors, steward and CD even all 9 TC’s who were really angry when they found out what had happened ,he calls them “emotional”] except himself and Matt, who found out / knew, as he worked on the development of the tracker years earlier, how to use the compulsory tracker, without delay.
And,…to confuse everybody he goes on and on over the OGN,….which had NOTHING to do with it. What can I say more??!!!
He keeps going on with “we did nothing wrong, it was all legal”, as well.
I heard that during one of the first TC meetings the question was put, if the competition tracking system could be made available without the 15 min delay. It was explicitly stated by the CD that the rules required the 15 min. delay and the raw data could not be provided to anyone without that delay.
Maybe he “forgot” the 15 minutes compulsory rule?!
—-The LS 8.…neo, AND the introduction of the FES for this glider.
—-Bureaucracy at it’s very worst…. NO DOUBT ,…it’s about OMARAMA.
—-the 2020 Helli Lasch… from how it started till now. Good to see that not only the South African top pilots but also their juniors had an invitation as well.Must have been great to compete and listen to world champions.
—-Magazine frequency…..from July 2020 the G.I. will be published monthly!!!!10 issues per annum monthly with the exception of December and January. There will be 2 versions printed/posted and digital.
And much more news, as always 62 pages of reading pleasure.
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All over Europe ,after the lock downs , glider pilots are lyric about their first flights. They had to look for weeks at great skies but could not “do” something,BUT,… NOW at a lot of places they can and they do/did !!!!
“Just” on a Thursday 415 flights on the OLC and some VERY GOOD ones!!!!
Looking at our skies in Holland I was hoping for some long ones, as there were great clouds and a bit of wind and still cold, some ingredients for nice soaring.
It was !!!!
Holland had 42 flights that day and 5x a 1000 plus!!!! That does n’t happen every spring.
Steven Raimond had a flight of 1.048 km. [622 triangle] from Terlet in his ASG 29 E/18m.
He flew up N into Friesland and continued over the N of Germany. He declared a 750, but was so fast at the first TP that he stayed on for another 250 k.,though the way back, the last 484 km, was at places a bit difficult, he mentioned.
AND,…3 more over 1000 k. flights from Terlet. Thanks to the daily-Gelderse-crew at Terlet ,who made it possible to start with a few at 10 AM.
Alfred Paul Alfers flew 1.119 km. from Teuge in the same glider.
WHAT A DAY was his comment.
He declared a 1.025 km out and return ,
Also a great flight from Hilversum …840 [679 triangle] in an LS 4 by Maurits Hebels in the new LS 4 AU from the Dutch juniors!!
Top glider Top day was his comment!!!
So ALL HAPPY CHAPPIES!!!!!!
Dutch pilot Paul Wijsman shared this picture below.
Also last Thursday, Germany had 305 pilots flying and 14x a 1000 km, so more happy pilots!!!
A 600 declared FAI triangle from Stade in a mosquito is worth mentioning too.
One of the German top pilots Tassilo Bode flew 929 km [461 triangle] from Wilsche in the Ventus 3 M WITHOUT water!!!
He shared this picture.
On Friday another TOP DAY in Germany with a few [4] more 1000 k. flights.
A great start of the new season weather-wise. Without corona the world would have looked so different.419 flights in total on the OLC.
That day it was less good here here in Holland, but still a 600 km. FAI triangle for Steven.
On Saturday; In total 1309 flights worldwide,WOW, that IS SOARING again !!!!
4x a 1000 k , we are getting used to it this spring,and one very good 975 km [750 FAI triangle] in an LS 8 by the junior world champion from 2019 Simon Schroeder.
On Sunday ,1628 flights , and a few over or just under 700 km from Hilversum in Holland by Sikko and Mark. Skies looked great and you could “feel ” the thermals here more in the SE of Holland as well.
2 Flights just over 1000 k;what about 1.000.63 km!? by Alexander Mueller in the EB 29 from Bayreuth.
Bernd Goretzki flew 1.008,12 km from Locktow in Ventus 3M .
On Monday it was Norway with great conditions. We saw already that Sweden and Denmark, as well as Finland enjoyed the cold clear air before.
The only 1000 km. flight on the OLC , that day, was in a Nimbus 4 DM from Elverum Starmoen by Erlend Sorbye.
708 k. from Austria in an 18 m. LS 8 is worth mentioning too.
Yesterday 5 over 800 km. flights from places in Germany!!!
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As most comps have been cancelled due to CORONA, also the Dutch Nationals which were supposed to start last Monday -Mai 18, some Dutch had the great idea to set up an E NK; a competition on line on the CONDOR SOARING simulator.
There are 110 Dutch entries and 18 from Belgium.
You can follow the pilots on a live stream https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ5ABkyfIuy7fti1oMXIeVQ
Time schedule; Monday [Mai 18] till Sunday.[Mai 31]
Races at 8 PM European time.
There are 9 competition day’s 6 from the National Gliding Center in Holland, 3 from Le Versoud [Ardennen] ,7 races and 2 AAT’s.
Planning, kind of gliders and participants on www.nkzweefvliegen.nl
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What a great soaring spring week here in parts of Europe. AWESOME.
“Playing” outside, if you are sticking to the rules,…. it’s all possible again,
Stay safe!!!
cheers Ritz