Post 1.384 on September 28 2022.

When the OLC starts season 2023, we/I follow them and look back at how good it was and even now, how good it still is.
On September 21, when the astronomical autumn starts on this site of the world, The Netherlands still had a flight from 500[minus3] km in a Duo Discus XLT from Malden.
Dad Ferdi and son Caspar Kuijpers, set a task, flew up to the N then E. into Germany and back.
They mentioned that after a week of rain here, the earth was still dry , which created beautiful thermals, specially for this time of the year.
In Germany a pilot even flew 625 km in a Discus 2c/18m.
Several over 400 km. flights, not bad for nearly the end of September.
Last Sunday, September 25 , it was still nice, as you can see on the picture below.

On this picture at Terlet , Dad Rein and son Lars are flying together from Terlet to Venlo in the south of Holland then into Belgium to Keiheuvel and via Woendsrecht back home to Terlet; 360 km.
Not easy with some rain and overdevelopment, but on the other hand great visibility.
https://www.weglide.org/flight/220471
And from Gilze, also in Holland Robin and Kyra flew 399 km in the Duo Discus XLT.
Flight 10 from 177 on the OLC 2023 !!!. https://www.onlinecontest.org/
Whilst from Stadtlohn, not far from the Dutch border a 522 km. flight was still possible in a Ventus 2ct/18m.
Yesterday a few interesting flights in wave from 993 by Gil Souviron in Stemme S10 from Perpignan, 1000 by Klaus Ohlmann in Antares from Serre and another 1000 k from Grenoble in an ASH 31 /21 m. by Thomas Pudhod. https://www.onlinecontest.org/ on September 27.

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Last season was TOP. Hot, pretty dry , lot’s of thermals and good visibility ….all ingredients for a lovely season, which will be not easy to forget.
Looking at the statistics world wide in 2022 ;
—-The best OLC-plus flights were in the USA and all 3 flown from Minden in Nevada.
Jim Payne flew in the NIXUS 2.581 km., Keith Essex 1.906 km in a DUO DISCUS!!!! and Uwe Kleintempel 2.027 km in Ventus 2cm/18m.
—-The longest flight , the distance record, was by Jim Payne in the ARCUS M; 2.907 km. Also flown from Minden.
2 German pilots Klaus Ohlmann and Thomas Horz , flew from Zapala in Argentina, distances from over 2.800 km in the STEMME S10.
—-Who flew the most km’s??
Nicolas Bennett and Keith Essex, both members from the Minden Soaring Club; 58.996,91 km during 97 flights and 57.151,31 km. during 59 flights.
—-Which airfield was the busiest? NO, not Bitterwasser this time but
1. Puimoisson in France; 619.844,63 km. during 1326 flights by 218 pilots. Good on them!!!
2. Bitterwasser in Namibia; 550.815,16 km. during 713 flights by 112 pilots.
Our Dutch airfield Terlet was on spot 4 with 374.669,55 k. during 1193 flights by 198 pilots.
—-Which club was the busiest;
The Gelderse flying at Terlet in the Netherlands; 420.893,24 km. during 1201 flights by 108 pilots. Several of them by my grand daughter!!!
The Minden Soaring Club was runner up with 347.796,50 km. during 585 flights by 30 pilots.

The Dutch OLC champion is Tim Kuijpers ,yes son from Ferdi and brother from Caspar, with 5666,78 points.
The Belgian OLC champion is Francois Delfosse with 5248,82 points.
The German champion is Alexander Mueller with 7257,01 points.
The French Champion; Baptiste Innocent with 7662,89 points.
The Australian champion is Toby Geiger with 6523,59 points.
The South American champion; Juan Pablo Verdura with 6708,67 points.
The African champion; Alexander Mueller with 7884,31 points.

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Not long and the South African Nationals are on the schedule.
They start on October 1 at Potchefstroom with 29 competitors in 3 classes and continue till October 8.
I will follow them for you.

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Frauke Elber from the Women Pilots Association shared the next news;
“The 2022 WSPA seminar is history. Flying wise it was the best seminar ever. 24 pilots from as far away as Germany and Alaska and 12 Staff and Instructors participated.
Hopefully we will have the next WSPA seminar in Germany.” in Uebersberg,Pfullingen from July 3 till 7 2023.
This was the 43d seminar where they had workshops , shared meals and lectures and had a general membership business meeting .[voting and state of WSP]

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In February, Magazine.Weglide.org announced the start of the JSChallenge. Two juniors get the opportunity to experience an adventure in South Africa. Now the winners are nominated.
“It should be emphasized that the JSChallenge is an international competition. Every junior worldwide has the opportunity to assert themselves and get the support they deserve. However, we all were pleased to nominate internationally in the first year!”
One is USA junior Zach Yamouchi ,who never flew outside Nevada and California, so he will be in for a nice surprise. The other one German junior, Niklas Hahn.
“The competition is starting in less than two weeks. A big thank you to Jonkers Sailplanes for making this adventure possible. We will report about them afterward, stay tuned!
Keep an eye on it, great challenges for the 2 juniors.”

Also in this MAGAZINE, ….WECOACH.….the stories from 2 German juniors Eric and Gerrit ;about their memorable experiences in Puimoisson.

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News for my Aussie mates;
Not long ago TT, Tony Tabart passed away and some of his mates are organizing a farewell for him in Tocumwal, where he was in his younger years one of the instructors from Bill Riley, the founder of Sportavia. This is what I got;
“One of the soaring greats, the much loved Tony Tabart  from Victoria in Australia has left us and is on his eternal final glide after 86 years on earth. Tony was a modest man, but a few of his friends have decided that his passing cannot go unpunctuated by the chance for a few friends to get together and salute Tony with a few drinks, and to tell a few stories of skill and daring.

To that end, on Saturday 15 October 2022 there will be that chance for friends of Tony Tabart to catch up at George Schuit’s yellow hangar at 145 Burmah Road (the home of Outback Soaring and the Southern Riverina Gliding Club), Tocumwal from 4:00 pm until exhaustion sets in.

It will be a night to celebrate the life of a good guy, tell a few stories, and to hear from those who were touched by the fun, generous, and talented legend of soaring that Tony was.

There is plenty of tie down space for those flying in.
Some food and drink will be provided. Those with specific needs should bring their own.

If anybody has photos of Tony that they would like to be shown on the screen on the night, please forward them to me and we will put together a slideshow.

Please contact me as soon as possible, or at least before 30 September, on 0418 897 256 or sholding@hotmail.com to advise attendance so that we can organise the catering.

If any of you know people who might like to attend, please provide this information to them.
With best wishes,
Simon Holding”

Note; Reaction from Tony’s wife Jo:
“Tony Tabart was adamant, no hangar party.  No funeral.  No fuss please.“
If – if – Tony were to want a huge party, then he would choose the WW II hangar at Tocumwal, where he instructed for so many years.  Or Horsham, where he flew Horsham Week for decades, from inception.  “
Jo Pocklington

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Western Australia NEWS about the MORNING GLORY;
“Rob Hanbury (GCWA) and Grant Rookes (BSS) finally meet the Morning Glory. It is quite a sight “
AND,…they experienced the MORNING GLORY . I have never seen such great pictures from those “rolling clouds” So I share both of them. Courtesy Grant Rookes.

Some last VERY EARLY NEWS;
The Dutch 2023 Nationals will be flown from Terlet from Thursday May 18 till 27. Host is the Gelderse.
May 16 and 17 are practice days. Somewhere in January 2023 you can apply as participant.

That’s it for now.
CU next Wednesday.
Cheers Ritz