Post 1.559 on December 31 2024 ….this is it!!!!!

First some latest soaring news!
The 1000 km “fever”, has hit over the festivity days and it is not special enough anymore to fly 1000 km, only when you do it for the first time or when you fly it for fun.
Nowadays it is 1400 km!!! Young Simon Briel flew it on December 24 as “Christmas gift”; 1.487,57 km in the EB 28. Nice speed to 152, 45 km./h. [Bitterwasser]
Also Alexander Mueller flew far that day, in his EB 29 ; 1.456 km. from Pokweni.
The first 14 on the OLC flew all over 1.100 km.
Here is the Bitterwasser Lodge & Flying Centre;
“Christmas treats in Bitterwasser: A 1000 km flight for every pilot and a new continental record
Just in time for Christmas, our pilots were once again gifted with the best thermal weather, which they made perfect use of: 16 out of 16 flights that started here in Bitterwasser with a distance of more than 1000 km flown. Simon Briel made himself a special present: together with Philipp Freiheit, he flew 1,487 km from Bitterwasser – setting a new continental record in Africa.
The record-breaking flight took off from Bitterwasser before 10 a.m. local time. The route initially led to the northwest, towards the Naukluft Mountains. From there, they headed south along a strong convergence until shortly after Helmeringhausen. After the first leg, the two returned to the north to fly a second lap along the convergence and then back to Bitterwasser in time for the Christmas dinner in the evening.”

Also Australia had a few 1000 km flights ; On December 30 Tomas Suchanek flew 1 from Narromine 1.040 in the Ventus 2A with 125 km./h. So did Gerrit Kurstjens in his EB; 139 km./h.
Some just missed out on a few kilometres.
On December 27 Ryan Driscoll flew from Benalla 1.031 km to do it again one day later now 1.121 km in a Nimbus 3T [25.5 m]
Perfect!!!!!”Sophie Curio set a new Australian Woman’s speed record yesterday over 750km at 114kph from Narromine. ” Congrats Sophie!!!
See WeGlide: https://www.weglide.org/flight/510504…“

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The support I had over all those years is HUGE. So a few THANK you’s are in place.
Specially in this festivity season, we have a lot of contact with each other and even after years of no contact , it’s as if we have been seeing each other often.
Indeed that is our soaring world. FRIENDSHIP!!!!

My grandson lives at the moment with Kait in Albury, a friend of my daughter and the daughter from my friend Jill. All from the Tocumwal time!
Yes it all happened due to gliding.
Got a mail from Teresa and she saw some good gliders on line in Tocumwal and she wants to go back. She is Swedish and was sad I won’t be there anymore, now she has retired.
Yes gliding again.
From our Finish mates Kari, Jari and Martti who frequently visited Tocumwal , Kari still visits. He got to know Marianne [Dutch] years ago ,who was a tuggy with us. They still are in contact and this year Kari brought a beer to Dennis for on the grave , on request of Marianne.
I noticed a picture from Bruce in Scottish kilt and the mother of their daughter , [we called her with respect the chatterbox] who married last week. When we were guests too, so before 1995, when we were all young ,beautiful and full of life ,we were mates already. ALL through gliding.

A lot have passed away in those years and I think with huge respect on them.
R.I.P.
Those lovely people are not forgotten and when we write or talk, we use their names and as in a big family , we all know whom we talk about , even if it is 50 years ago.
I can tell you from experience that in the toughest times, the soaring mates gather around you and help you trough the rough time.
I can even tell you that they still do now!!!!
My many photo books make me smile, when I see people I have not seen for a long time or belong to those who passed away.
Yesterday I got a lot of pictures from Daan[Pare] who frequently flew with us at Sportavia. Daan was often Dutch National Champion and flew many WGC’s and EGC’s.
Straight away memories come back .

The difference in dressing at Cat 1 comps from 1980 till now ,was interesting to follow. At the parades every country arrived in a nice out fit.
The CD’s from comps were impressive and we, as young new members of the WGC teams, carefully behaved.

A huge THANK you goes to Bill Elliott who was so kind to host my blog on his server in the USA ,when my good mate Tony Lentino [New Zealand] ,who had set it up, passed away.
Bill is doing, after this blog, the transfer from his server to the server from the FAI, thanks to the help of Visa-Matti-Leiniki, the IT specialist from the FAI.
They will archive all blogs ,so when you want to look back what happened in our soaring world, including WGC’s ,WWGC’ or JWGC’ or European championships, you can still read it.
Bill mentioned; “  That’s a long time posting and being connected with the soaring community.  And, what a great blog it has been!
Once you have posted it, I will start working with Visa-Matti on getting it moved.  My hope is that people will simple get to the blog through soaring.eu as before.”

I learned a lot when I was young from John Roake, Tor Johannessen [Yes Ritz 2x an n and an s] and Leonardo Brigliadori all passed away, but they put their soaring-stamp on me.
Also Ingo Renner, had a huge influence on my thinking about gliding.
Margie Close , a good friend, who lost her husband Jeff, just when we started the business with him, still is a good friend and I was always welcome in her house, when I stayed for a longer time.
She and Jeff ran Sportavia together with Don and Jane between Bill Riley and us and she wrote a short newsletter every year as well, printed on paper. Once ,I read some kind words about my daughter towing for them and that was the little seed , to write my blogs to give the guests and a people working with and around you , a happy feeling

THANK you to all pilots in my Dutch team when I was their TC. AND,…I had big teams both at the WGC or JWGC and at the Europeans. They were GOOD to me and I remember them ALL!!!!!

Thank you to Adam [ Adam Woolley’s Gliding Adventures ] and Matthew, [ Matthew Scutter’s Gliding] whose wise words and active performance at high level comps ,I was allowed to share.
I hope they continue their blogs at least over the next 20 years.

A thank you to Marina Vigorito and Rick Sheppe, always helpful when I “needed” them.
To my friends and family, missing me on the many occasions I was “writing somewhere in the world “.
To George, when necessary my “back up”. We were married for 30 years, so most soaring related things in the early times were with him. I have still good contact with him and his wife Diana.
Surely I forgot a few, but be aware that ALL MY SOARING MATES have been important in my life.

Well enough is enough NO DRAMA, I just stop writing!

I will try to follow soaring news on the net, but writing is over!
It was good!!!!
THANK you, especially to the diehard-readers and there were a few!!!

Ritz

For the last time ,…no CU later or cheers but FAREWELL .

Ritz