Always in the beginning of March the “important” people from the IGC get together, to share visions, change or update rules and to look back and ahead!!!
I hope they ALL looked back on what happened at the WWGC, so that this never happens again.
Here is some news I got from Rick [Sheppe] , who is on his way…a 2 day trip… to Florida where in Seminole Lake the first competition starts in the USA with only “grey eminences”.
“The IGC Plenary took place online over three days, March 3-5. 
There were 34 countries represented. 
Sadly, Russia and Belarus had to be excluded.
We made a few decisions on the technicalities of Flight Recorders, start speed limits, and record claiming procedures. 
We formalized a new racing format for electrically powered sailplanes, and we approved a series of virtual gliding (Condor) competitions.  Eventually, we hope to add virtual gliding to the list of FAI sanctioned events.

There is also a current championships calendar, which is incomplete and
subject to change:  https://tinyurl.com/yrdeycjs
I was very pleased to hear that Marina got the Pelagia Majewska Medal for “her eminent services to the sport of Gliding.” WELL DESERVED!!!!!
“The next meeting will be in Copenhagen, this time for sure!”

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Talking about the IGC….As you might have noticed I added in my last blog the adjustment of the IGC Ranking List according to the decision of the International Appeals Tribunal. If you missed it here is the list of each of the classes ;
https://rankingdata.fai.org/SGP_CompPage.php?compid=3925
https://rankingdata.fai.org/SGP_CompPage.php?compid=3926
https://rankingdata.fai.org/SGP_CompPage.php?compid=3927
And here is a link to all classes of the competition: 
https://rankingdata.fai.org/SGP_displaycomps2.php?champid=2012
A big thank you to Reno Filla.

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I found this on the internet and would like to share it;
“I am Olena Zelenskyy, the wife of Ukrainian President Volodmymr Zelenskyy. I met my husband when we were schoolmates, but were never acquainted. He once said that he knew many of my classmates, but not me. We got acquainted much later — when I was studying at the Faculty of Civil Engineering at Kryvyi Rih National University. We dated for eight years before getting married on 6 September 2003. On 15 July 2004, our daughter Oleksandra was born. On 21 January 2013, I gave birth to our son Kyrylo. Aside from being First Lady of Ukraine, I am also a writer and architect. I am also being targeted for death by Mr. Putin.”

The last news from Kiki today;
“In tears this morning. Torn between the desire to stay and the reason for safety. Between the risk of dying and the desire to live.”
Kiki and his wife have left Kyiv.
Wise but hard decision.

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The opening of the gliding season from the Gelderse at Terlet in the first weekend of March was busy and pretty cold due to a Easterly wind, but with a hot sun and blue skies and most important,…check starts for all who wanted to fly again.
Great start of the season I heard with enthusiastic words as “ a 3.6 m. lift average, with 1200 m. cloud base” and that on March 6!!!!!
Some started with 230 k. cross country flight.

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And one more time,…...INGO…….a nice and SO TRUE story by Stephen Curtis;
“Ingo would have to have been the most gentle minded person I have been with in any environment. I spent 3 hours in the Caproni with him a few years ago. He gently corrected my thermal finding strategy, carefully suggested our headings and let me fly almost all of the flight from start to end. Yet, here was I, a rank amateur soaring pilot, not being chided nor imposed upon, nor made to feel awkward at any time, by the world’s best at his game. Humility, gentleness and amiability in a package. Nothing would ruffle his demeanor. This is a commonly held sensation by anyone who met him. We are lessened by his passing, not only as glider pilots. but more so as human beings who share an appreciation of a solid essential humanity that Ingo had in endless measure. This man was a worldly wise, steady, careful and considerate human being. None shall replace him.”

and a picture from Ingo and his wife Judy.
AND, with one of his mates Tony Tabart who worked in the early years of Sportavia with Bill Riley as an instructor. Both flew several WGC’s.
And with me thanks to Nick Gilbert who “found” it.
And with good old tuggie Bill Harvie.

And with Bill Harvie in the Caproni. Bill and Ingo were “ALWAYS” at the field. Ingo instructing, Bill as a tuggy. Bruce Wilson, who took this picture, was as a tuggie also always there..

INGO, FOREVER YOUNG!!!!! He was buried last Saturday. I heard that it was a day with laughter and tears , as a good funeral should be. I was AWFULLY pleased to hear that Ingo is buried about 5 m. from Dennis.
The protecting oleander is [temperately I hope] gone, but Ingo is now close by.
There will be a memorial service at Sportavia on the 26th of March at 1pm for Ingo Renner for all those who would like to pay their respects. 
They have created a dedicated email page as a memorial to Ingo Renner. They would like to invite you to add your story, message, photo, video or article. 
“We have created a webpage and invite you to tell your stories about Ingo, Sportavia and gliding. As much description as you can would be wonderful to read, or it can be short and just a note to say that ‘you was here’.” by Lumpy .
Please send your story or attachment to:
ingomemorial@tocumwalsoaring.com 
I would love to add to plant a tree that day in honor of Ingo.
The white gum at Sportavia which was planted 34 years ago for Kees and Dennis, is a huge “for-always- monument”.

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Talking about the cemetery…Eddie had a look over the last couple of weeks at the oleander behind Dennis’ grave, which was brutally cut to the bottom. He did n’t want to create hope ,but look…… small miracles happen, NOW the big miracle …….PEACE IN THE WORLD.

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Having lived in Australia for quite a long time , I HAVE to share with you the death of Warney…Shane Warne, only 52 years old.
A hero and epic cricket player….one of the best bowlers ever, with huge charisma, sometimes controversial, but definitely a LEGEND.
I do not know a lot about cricket and after all those years the rules are still abracadabra for me , but who does n’t know Shane Warne??!!
The Federal and Victorian governments have made the offer of a state funeral following the shock death of Australian cricket legend Shane Warne.
He passed away in Thailand in a wellness retreat …. to get back to the shape from a few years ago,…. due to a suspected heart attack..
2 Aussie Cricket heroes passed away in a short time; Rod Marsh passed away as well in the same way, but he was about 20 years older.

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I really hope the weather will not spoil the Nationals in Narromine. It’s already a huge disaster the flooding in parts of Queensland and NSW. Several people , the last I heard 21, died because of the high water. And there where the land is always DRY, it’s flooded now.
Here is some news from the Nationals from Ross McLean ;
“The National Championships for Standard, 15m and Club Class started this weekend at Narromine. 
If you don’t want to miss the all the action you can watch the racing live on Glide and Seek, with the day’s tasks overlaid on the map. 
To view the action every day just click here:  NARROMINE LIVE TRACKING
It is a hot field with Club Class dominated by ASW20’s flown by several formal National and World Championship winners and a combined Standard/15m class comprising a collection of Australia’s top pilots.  Plus we have a JS3M and a Ventus 2CX slugging it out in 18m/Sports.
The competition also showcases the very latest in gliding technology with several JS3’s, the only AS33 Es in the country, a number of Ventus 3’s and a Diana 2-FES.  Additionally the classic field of LS8’s will be punching above their weight under the predicted conditions.”
See all the entries here:  PILOT ENTRY LIST

They started last Monday March 7 with practice days and continue till March 18 but during the first days there was no task as there was no weather to fly.
“Narromine is under the influence of an upper trough to the NE, so the practice day has been cancelled.” update March 7.
“The upper low system that was sitting at the top of NSW Coast has been firing moisture and instability at us, so the weather models  told us it was poor soaring weather again” on March 8.

You can follow them now on the above link and the scores on www.soaringspot.com
More in my next blog, as I hope they can squeeze out a few days as some top pilots in top gliders are participating, which is always nice to follow.
For today there was a task 1 ;
15 m….2.30 AAT ; won by former JWGC world champion ,Matthew in his Diana 2FES ……339 km. with a speed of 125 km./h. There are 10 pilots in this class among them Adam in Ventus 3T, Bruce [Taylor] in a “borrowed’ Discus, Butch in his new AS 33ES and Tobias [Geiger]in his Ventus 2ax.
Club …3 hour AAT; 7 in this class and they all finished with as” best for the day” Jim Crowhurst in his ASW 20; 342 km in time 3.27.
There is a combined “open class” with the same 15 m. pilots PLUS Brian DuRieu in a Ventus 3Mneo and Matthew Atkinson in an 18m Ventus CX.
Same task as 15m class.
There will be 3 blogs as well from Adam, Bruce and Matthew so enough to read
Matthew Scutter’s Gliding
Adam Woolley’s Gliding Adventures
Taylor’s Gliding Page

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Staying down under, I got the March 22 Alpine Flyer from the Mount Beauty Gliding Club in which I could read a lot about a major construction project at their airfield. The completion date is still set at early May 2022.
“During the shutdown of the Mount Beauty Airport for runway upgrade works, our club has temporarily relocated its operations to Corowa Airport until early May 2022. Here we are enjoying the wonderful hospitality of Grietje and Francesco Bruinsma of Australian Soaring Centre with Grietje providing us with aerotows while we wait for issue of a NOTAM for operating our Tost winch at Corowa. “
Grietje flies, whilst George [from Outback Soaring in Tocumwal] is in Europe his Scout VH SFO, so the “engine keeps running” .Good on her!
Good to see they are in a nice way busy before they leave after selling to Keith.

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News from Sweden about the Uppsala Masters;
“These are dark days. We all need something to look forward to -now more than ever. We hope you will join us for the next edition of Uppsala Masters. Final registration deadline is march 31st. Lets get together and make it an international event in the spirit of friendship and collaboration! Link to final registration is here:
https://eu.jotform.com/form/220604630978357

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CU next week.

Also with news from the comps for the “oldies with lot’s of respect” at Seminole-Lake Gliderport, [Florida] the first competition for the season in the USA .
AND,…..It feels like spring has started…..15dg.C but still cold nights.
My mate Bertje must have felt it too, he went for a nice aerobatic flight in his “toy” and shared this picture from March 2.

All the best in these difficult times.
Cheers Ritz