Alphen aan den Rijn    Sunday March 18 2012

ritzdeluy@hotmail.com     www.glidinginternational.com     www.soaringcafe.com

On Friday the difference in temperature in Holland was more then 10 dgr.!!! And…Holland is small as a stamp.
In the South they enjoyed OVER 20 dgr. 20.7 to be precise and we here in the mid West had about 16 and up N only 7.6 and no sun.
The KNMI, [Dutch meteo] has new  computers now to predict weather even better and faster then in the past. 

After a few less good days in the beginning of this week,  good conditions in Puimoisson again , where the German squad including their trainers are enjoying a mountain stage. Former sport soldier [2009], pilot at junior Worlds [club class and runner up in Musbach] and just an active glider pilot enjoying his soaring to the fullest,  is Alexander Späth. Over the last couple of days he topped the European OLC list flying his 18 m. Discus 2T every time over 500 km. Good on him!

Enough sad news this week.The “bus” keeps the world and certainly Belgium and even more Lommel [just over our border ] busy and me as well. 28 People on their way home with great stories about their ski-holiday—22 children dead under them 6 young Dutch kids and 6 grown ups and 24 injured . Lommel is going to sadly miss 17 inhabitants !!! A whole class nearly wiped out.
Too much to comprehend.
Leuven lost 7 children , the school teacher and a lady helping out during the holiday.
Belgium military transport planes [Hercules] brought back the families , children and the coffins.

Talking about Hercules ! One with 5 crew aboard from Norway which disappeared last Thursday from the radar,  somewhere North of Sweden, has been found yesterday, on a glacier in a mountain area [2100 m.] . All 5 crew members  died . They were involved in a European NATO exercise, together with 16.000 military men/women , from army/navy/air force,  from 15 different countries, practising in arctic circumstances.
Even the search is difficult due to snow heavy wind and possibilty of avalanches. This part of exercise , they surely would have not wished. SAD!

The farewell drink at Papendrecht close to Arnhem was great. Specially because it was confirmed that the Dutch Magazine Thermiek will continue in another format. So the last Thermiek by Frits, will be on the mat soon and after nearly 50 years, it would be too sad for words as ONLY digital soaring news would be available.
Very nice, to catch up with several people I had not seen for ages, but as normal with a farewell of a 65 year old, lot’s of grey people!!!

Missed the Formula 1 race in Melbourne on TV, but a lot to come now the season has started.

Off to my guests, and to finish pictures from a serie I showed you already some from by Per Carlin.[Eskilstuna Sweden 2006]
cheers Ritz

Alphen aan den Rijn     Wednesday March 14 2012

ritzdeluy@hotmail.com     www.glidinginternational.com     www.soaringcafe.com

Found “some” time for “some” news!

A bit of good weather and good circumstances and off he goes…..Giorgio Galetto  flew last Sunday 723 km. in his Ventus 2CXA/18m. from Bolzano on his 2d flight for the season.
Will the Alps be as good as last season?????
A 239 k. “to get in the mood/groove” on Saturday and his 2012 season starts very promising.
A great wave flight also from Minden in Nevada, where a Sparrow Hawk flew nearly 900 km. with a nice speed of 134 km./h.
Still good soaring from Stonefield as well.

Bob Henderson  the President of the IGC for years, has said after the plenary in Potchefstroom that he is going to give the leading job to well know pilot Eric Moser , “Herbie” , at-least for us in the past, when I met him first in 1984 or so.

 Bob’s reasons for doing this are; 
  I have significant responsibilities at the FAI in my capacity as an Executive Board member. These include portfolios for Anti-Doping, the Sports Marketing Agency (FAI Commercial entity), the Sports Strategy, Sponsorship and the Statutes Working Group.

 I am also very conscious that the IGC is very well served by a large number of competent, dedicated and experienced people, especially in the Bureau.

Eric and I have therefore agreed (and we have the support of the Bureau and the Plenum) that I stand aside from the position of IGC President, at least until the FAI General Conference in Turkey in October, and that Eric, as 1st VP becomes acting IGC president on the grounds that I am not fully able to discharge my reponsabilities as IGC president at the moment .

This will make the way the IGC does business easier as I feel that I need to focus on the EB responsibilities. I also feel that this is the area where I have the maximum opportunity to have a positive influence and impact on the health of the FAI as a whole and the future development of the organisation.

I am confident that the IGC remains in good hands with strong leadership under Eric and the other members of the Bureau.

This move means that I remain a part of the Bureau but that Eric takes over the day-to-day management after we complete a hand-over in the next few days once we have finalised the Plenary meeting business.So far the news from our longtime and very good and amiable President Bob, written on March 7 2012.

Latest; What a tragic accident in Switzerland where 28 people from Belgium were killed in a bus accident in a tunnel ; no other cars were involved. 22 from 28 were , children on their way home from a ski-holiday with their sports class.
Also 24 badly to very badly injured. In the bus also 9 children from Holland, according to the news of a Belgium official [head of the firebrigade] from Lommel!
2 Schools were involved , one from Leuven and one from Lommel which is close to the Dutch border were I lived for 20 years; about 10 minutes driving! Also very close to the Keiheuvel- airfield All children were between 11 and 13!! Both bus drivers did not survive, as well as some teachers . Just so sad,..a real disaster!!! I feel for the parents and families and all the school mates from both schools.

Cu on Sunday.cheers Ritz

Alphen aan den Rijn    Sunday March 11 2012
I think of my Japanese friends today!

ritzdeluy@hotmail.com     www.glidinginternational.com     www.soaringcafe.com 

It is REALLY spring now in The Netherlands. Spring starts here when the first egg of a peewit has been found and that happened yesterday!!! In Friesland! A traditional  ceremony goes with finding it! So we can relax now as spring is here! 
Temperatures will be good as well up to 16 dgr. C. next week!And the sun is shining brightly now!

Slowly the soaring action has started  and the first over 500 km. flights have been flown  in Europe. Wave and ridge-soaring surely made French pilot Robert Pratt happy and he should with a nice 841 km flight in the ARCUS M from St. Gaudens.
Also a nice flight from the Hahnweide in the Nimbus 4 from young German topper Patrick Puskeiler. He was a sportsoldier in 2009.
Could not find any Dutch flights on the OLC, but I know they made some starts at several clubs. Belgium had already some flights as well. One from Bert who worked for us in the past in Australia . He flew his Standard Libelle in the end of February over 123 km. using the first “streets” .

Slowly the soaring season has come to an end in Australia ,but still great soaring in the East and West. While NSW suffers from the worst flooding,[ Corowa and Tocumwal are surrounded by flooding as well, ] Queensland ,in the East, had some great flights yesterday in blue conditions with 543 km. in an LS 8 from Warwick as the best. Great flights from Jondaryan down to Warwick or from Warwick up to Jondaryan.
In the West the weather is good as well. “The best day in 5 years “, one pilot mentioned! What about a  500 FAI triangle in an LS 3 from Beverley, [ about 130 km. East of Perth] this late in the season, it is autumn over there!? And a 500 FAI triangle by 2 St. Jantars?? And…572 in a PIK 20 also 500k FAI Triangle.
And 614 in total but also a 500 km.  FAI triangle in a St.Cirrus ????? Good on them!!!

 
BEVERLEY in W.A.  courtesy; SoaringCafe issue 2011-March 8

And here is the reason WHY it is so good!!! News from Vanessa! Thanks!
Record breaking heat wave for Perth.
—” Hope your weather is warming up – I wish ours would cool down!
Perth looks set to break a record this weekend – an eighth heat wave (3 consecutive days of 35 degrees or more) this summer season – even though it’s not summer anymore! Yesterday  was 38, today 40 (it is still 38 degrees while I am typing this at 5.15pm), forecast 40 for Sunday and 37 Monday.—“

http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2012/03/09/3450127.htm

So we might look forward to more nice long flights this Sunday or tomorrow!

Professionnel Team Captain and trainer /coach, Uli Gmelin from Germany, has since last weekend, settled down  with his Sportsoldiers in Puimoisson in France for the annual practise and team building-time. Nice to read the gratitude from the pilots he flies with in the ARCUS T. The mountain-area is of course fantastic with thermals, wave and ridge soaring. The pilots share practise in a double seater , with flying single seaters as  ASW 24 , Discus or LS 8. They stay till March 31!!!
For 2012 there are 6 new Sportsoldiers and one of them is Max Lecker who keeps their website about what they are doing  [ www.sportsoldaten.de ] and Felix Bauer made this brilliant picture. Got permission to publish it from Max and Felix. THANKS  to Benjamin as well for his intervention!

 
Courtesy; Felix Bauer. Worth to klick on and enlarge!

Other top pilots as Tassilo Bode , Reinhard Schramme and Bernd Weber [Schempp-Hirth] fly the ARCUS, at Saint Auban [ a bit more to the NW of Puimoisson] with in the back also pilots who want to practise mountain flying and wave. Also here pilots who fly single seaters with enthusiastic comments as: “Hold on…from -12 m/s to + 11 m/s in 2 seconds!!!!!! WOW!
Those Germans are doing a sterling job in training. Lot’s of flights from  Puimoisson and St. Auban on the OLC.
Some of our Dutch pilots soon move to France as well.

Talking about mountains here is some news from the Mount Beauty Gliding Club  in Victoria Australia. Also over-there lives the OLC. In their latest newsletter on the the subject ” internet ” they write  about the best airfield on the OLC in 2012 and though they were happy with their 8th place Australia-only and 12th World wide, they ascertain that they are still far behind the Geelong Gliding Club  I wrote you about, a few blogs ago.
For Easter they organize a Fly Inn and members from Victoria but also from South Australia and NSW have announced their arrival. For more CLUB-news , also about the Alpine Flyer their monthly newsbulletin…….www.mtbeauty.com/gliding
Next week I get a splendid picture from wave over Mount Beauty.

 
The Mount Beauty area.

To finish something totally different and you might find me a bit chauvinistic, but it is more pride! From 2500 different pieces of cheese “our” Dutch cheese was the BEST in the WORLD. I did not even know a Cheese WC existed , but it does and was this year in Wisconsin in the USA. Love cheese , so I am going to buy “the best one”,  straight away.

Cu most probably on Sunday. Have a very busy week ahead with also on Saturday a farewell drink with the editor of the Thermiek, the Dutch Gliding Magazine. He retires after doing a great job. The Dutch Gliding Association offers him a reception and I was invited too.
The Magazine exists now for 48 years and I hope it continues. Will keep you informed.

MARCH 11…..One year Fukushima ! One year ago that terrible earth quake…. and that deadly  tsunami ….and a nuclear disaster, we not know now , what happens to the people, like the fire brigade,  in a few years. My thoughts are with  my Japanese friends.

Cheers Ritz

Alphen aan den Rijn    Wednesday March 7 2012

ritzdeluy@hotmail.com     www.glidinginternational.com      www.soaringcafe.com 

Was so busy over the last days , that I just forgot that it is Wednesday today.
Ouch… nearly forgot you all …sorry that never happened before. So a short blog today with some nice pictures.

Nice to see that Dirk [Schleunsen-Germany] bought himself an ASH 31 MI 21 m. and seems to be very happy with it, after he flew it for the very first time in this early March weather from yesterday. 
Dirk was one of those guests at Sportavia you never forget.I was a bit shocked when he had the incident in Africa , was it already 2 seasons ago???, but and that’s Dirk as well , he promised in his comment to avoid “signs”  in the future. Please do!!!!

Talking about guests you not easy forget,  I must think of Marc [ Sluszney-Belgium] as well. Not long ago I opened my paper and recognised his face straight away. Headline above his smiling face with 2 pistols in his hand;
“The guy who can do everything and dares to do everything”, and  “from Davis Cup tennis-player to extreme adventurer”. 
Some of his escapades; number 8 at the World championships fence, water skiing on bare feet, air border, swimming with white sharks [ he made the documentary “Sharkwise” and won a prize with it] and he swum over the channel from France to the UK .
Walking 100 km. in the Belgium Death-expedition, he does n’t call extreme. [source AD]
He was a good glider pilot as well, but I guess he did this only for a short time ,…not enough challenge/adrenaline ????
Nice fellow, in fact ALL our guests in the past were nice, male or female.
Talking about female guests , Tracie [Wark-Canada] for sure was one who ” created ” a nice/positive atmosphere for herself and other guests and she was a keen and good pilot. Just received not long ago,  a mail from her after I found her again. Kees and I travelled half a year ago to Germany to visit the Wiesenthals on Doris 50thiest and we both wondered how she would be. Well she is FINE! Still airline pilot and instructor.
Of course I keep ALL details for myself, as privacy is a BIG good.

Enough nice flights already from Europe this early in the season. Several wave flights and Gerard [Lherm]  had a nice one again from St Martin de Londres in France. This time in EB 28.[476 km.]
No flights over 500 km. but pilots are getting there. Everywhere in Europe the well known places showed already “some action”. And… a flight in ASW 20  from 438 km. West from Musbach , where the JWGC was last year, [Black Forest-area] is just good.
As well as the one from Beverley in Australia where they do not struggle with flooding from overfull rivers, in a Hornet from 445 km [ 400 FAI triangle ]
I feel sorry for all my Aussie friends, who have problems with the flooding, at some places it is REALLY bad!Keep up the spirit!

The pictures are again from my Eskilstuna cd, this time from Fritz Schweikart . To enlarge…just click on them. Enjoy !!
Cheers Ritz

Not yet that far![2011]
Alphen aan den Rijn    Sunday March 4 2012

ritzdeluy@hotmail.com     www.glidinginternational.com     www.soaringcafe.com

Winter is over here and summer down under!  We had a “mild” winter according to the meteo, even with temperatures from minus 23! The average temperature in Holland for winter normally seems to be  3.4 , it seems we had 4.1. Also; this last winter was sunny and wet here , 269 mm and normally it is 208.
Predictions for summer here,  are  for “wild” weather,  with storms and high temperatures in July and August , by one meteo station. Even tornado’s are predicted as a possibility !! Looking at those evil ones in the USA from last week I really hope it will not be like that . What a disaster!!!!Some places , like Marysville in Indiana, have just “gone by the wind”, they totally disappeared!!!With up to 200 km./h. wind , atleast 40 people have been killed! TRAGIC!
Back to the predictions; An other meteo station here however, calls all long-time- predictions  “Nonsense”! So….
Let’s wait and see, as  from reliable meteo -people I know ,  how difficult it is to predict weather longer then a week.
Compared to the Mid West of the USA we should not complain.
And …what about the thousands of people who flee for the power of the water around Sydney and other areas in NSW , were rivers grow cause of heavy rain. Even the Canberra area has a problem and on the Corowa site I see ; status…flooded! Have to check with my Tocumwal friends how they are. The Murray river is a mighty river not only in the positive way, as I have seen flooded areas in the past there as well. But that’s normally around October. Absolutely weird weather.

The IGC plenary is over and in Potchefstroom  all delegates worked hard to make the life from glider- pilots easier by setting rules, giving opinions , having discussions and announcing where new WGC ‘s or EGC’s will be held .Some delegates had a nice flight before as I noticed [Terry- Australia, Frouwke-The Netherlands] and were in good maybe even better mood to listen.
Here is the news I got from my USA friend Rick, compact and to the point for you readers and I am more then grateful , as I could n’t do it better !!!! Thanks Rick, CU in Uvalde!
By the way the next agenda will be published on January 17 2013 and the next plenary will be in Lausanne on March 1-2 in 2013.

Summary of voting results:

7th WWGC (2015) – Arnborg, Denmark
8th JWGC (2015) – Narromine, Australia
18th EGC in 18m, 20m2seat, Open (2015) – Ocseny, Hungary
18th EGC in Standard, Club, 15m (2015) – Rieti, Italy
Bid for 1st WGC in 13.5m class (2015) withdrawn, due to unavailability of open airspace in the task area.

Class definition:

20 meter multiseat class: handicapping allowed in Continental Gliding Championships;
No handicapping allowed in World Gliding Championships beginning 2016.

New rules (effective October 2012):

Club class reference weight will be taken from a list of constant values.  Handicaps to be adjusted for overweight, but not underweight.

GPS altitude, not pressure altitude, will be used for altitude record flights above 15000 meters.

For Silver and Gold claims, Pilot ID and Glider ID in the Flight Recorder need not match official statement of Observer.

GPS altitude may be used for Silver and Gold claims.

World Class entry limits raised from 2 to 3 entries per country in 2012 WGC.

Proposals to be considered again in 2013:

Establish Team Medals in WGC and CGC.

Unification of three separate safety programs.

Class structure, merged class competitions, handicaps for gliders other than Club Class.

Free distance claimed must be at least 110% of declared distance claimed, if both are claimed on the same flight.

Ranking list rules established for 20m multiplace entries.

2012 FAI Awards:

Pirat Gehriger Diploma awarded to Andrea Tomasi (Italy)
Pelagia Majewska Medal awarded to Gill Van den Broeck (Belgium)
Lilienthal Medal awarded to Giorgio Galletto (Italy)
———————————————————————

 Giorgio after he won the Grand Prix.

Congratulations to Narromine for being the host of the 2015 JWGC.Big job …YES,  but they can do it!!! No worries!!! It is a long time ago that a competition on this level went to Australia, I know it is far for the European and USA pilots but I know already now they will love it. They surely will have the same happy feelings as Fabian and Benjamin who at young age had the opportunity to fly in Stonefield last year. And a 1000 k. before or after the comps or while practising in the pre worlds the year before , it is all possible. Only point is that the weather should be normal as always and NOT like last year!

 Narromine as it should be.

For sure the strong team of young Aussie glider pilots , flying together in Joeyglide, as they call their comps ,will help where necessary.
Congratulations also to the other places having their WWGC or EGC’s. Great to see “my” Rieti is under them as well.
Also congratulations to Gill, Andrea and Giorgio, more then deserved for all 3 as I know them and have seen how dedicated they are to our sport.

That the Sierra Wave season is open now   was very clearly  “showed” by Jim Payne flying the DG 1001M. with for sure a happy co-pilot Dennis Tito in the back seat; 1.805, 40 with a speed of 167.87 km/h. on the clock!!!WOW!!!! As Jim said in his comment; ” the wave was generated by a strong frontal system that was moving South…each trip North was halted by the front. Winds were generally stronger then optimum…saw 82 knots at 20 k feet on the computer later in the day.”
Rosamond Skypark was the place he started from.
So…in the top of the OLC list of best flight for 2012, we see now 2 DG gliders! Good on them !

 Thanks Rolf for your input and …. looking at flights, you can’t compare flights flown in wave, with declared FAI flights  or with just “flying with the clouds” flights on the OLC,  but it gives us  a great way of keeping contact with each other and to learn from those flights, or to just share the feeling of happiness with such a pilot doing so well.
Pilots with a lot of money, time and a  top glider will be higher on a- best -flight- list as a friend who has the opportunity to fly one week in a soaring mecca. Perspective, it is all perspective!
And a soaring mecca with 80 guests and lot’s of staff will be different [ higher on the airfield-list] then a 2-person-small-scale-club with 25 guests. Looking with percentage as measure, they might be as good.
 So please look at all my analyses of these flights , of airfields , clubs and the rest in the correct perpective as well. THANKS!!!

Talking about the OLC , not a lot happening but what a nice ridge flight from the Schweitzer [ handicap 0.63!!] from Blairstown. Nearly 400 km.

 Looking at the Uvalde list of teams, I was very pleased to see that my Aussie friends have entered now.  
I was amazed to see Willem Langelaan who was born in Holland,  but lives already for a long time in Canada as team captain for the Swiss team!
The South African team is interesting as well with 4 pilots, Oscar and Lourens Goudriaan and Atty and Uys Jonker [ from 6 ]  who are brothers and with Carol as very experienced TC.
24 Team-entries with 108 pilots at this stage….and a few ladies amongst them…and several female TC’s !!!

Last update from “our ” Prince Friso. He has been flown in an ambulance-plane from Innsbruck to London , where he is close to his wife and his 2 daughters,  who are living around the corner of the hospital, known as one of the best private hospitals in the world. Also not too far for mum Beatrix to travel up and down to see her son. She starts her job tomorrow again, after spending the long weekend in London.

CU next week, cheers Ritz

Alphen aan den Rijn      Wednesday February 29 2012 ,
special day only once in 4 years

ritzdeluy@hotmail.com     www.glidinginternational.com     www.soaringcafe.com

The class dilemma, I told you already that I was going to give you some news,  as I read it in the Gliding International from March/April. GI has consulted some experts and asked them to “shine their light over the situation at this stage”.
It is something which keeps me busy as well.
Gliding International has published a discussion paper for the IGC plenary next week written by Marcus Graeber [ IGC Vice President and IGC delegate for Columbia] and I find it refreshing as we need to review the future of competition- soaring and more!
Some points I found in this 8 pages counting analysis supported by statistics;
What kind of gliders should we race?????
Too many classes????
Too less pilots????
Too many redundant sailplanes????
Don’t start the duo/20 meter and 13.5 m class???!!!!
The supporting view from John Cochrane, who wrote ” a brilliant article that marks a major change in soaring,” is clear and convincing.
More to read in  the Gliding International from March/April and I hope that in 2013 at the next plenary the goal from Marcus  “to initiate the probably long and arduous process of developing a long term sustainable design and competition class structure for gliding.” will be ready to vote for.

And there is more in the latest G.I.: Winglets are big business,—- complacency in the cockpit,—- devotion to flying wings, —–Friedel Weber who stops at DG as he turned 65, his words, and Holger Back will be a new partner in the DG Flugzeugbau-business—the SSA Convention in Reno,—-Let’s try to explain the terrible European and USA weather,—and last but not least the statistics by John Roake himself about WORLD MEMBERSHIP, WORLD FATALITY and WORLD CLUB AND SAILPLANES. You will be amazed!!!
Great pictures by Maria Szemplinska and lot’s of news about instruments and much more ; 64 pages of pleasure.
Enjoy and when you do not have a subscription yet, think about it,  you are invited to go to www.glidinginternational.com  for a 1 or 2 year one.

The IGC Plenary is this upcoming weekend [March 2 and 3] in Potchefstroom in South Africa. It will be another important meeting for the future of soaring. On the FAI site you can find all the news and the agenda. I will get,  as said before , news straight from Potchefstroom by Rick Sheppe[USA].  Next Sunday you can expect the news.Looking forward to that.

Looking at the OLC list of best pilot over all flights in the 2011/2012 season,it is one of my friends Hans Wiesenthal who was the best with 29.000,09 points, before his mate, Klaus Engelhardt with 28.480,69.
The Gliding Club of Victoria was world wide the best/most active club with over 213.000 points and the runner up , the Beverley Soaring Society, “only ” had a bit more then 100.000 points . Good on Benalla , place from the 1987 WGC but also on Beverley,not so well known and both in Australia.

I went with a friend to Schiphol yesterday. At the beginning of the lane of departures we were stopped by a big bunch [ about 20] of military policeman/women. Several white tents as well. We were picked!!! Car was searched thoroughly, we had to hold our arms up for visitation and with a smile we gave them the opportunity to do their job. On our question WHY?, they said they were checking for weapons!!!!! Me and …weapons… Had they found some, I asked , sure they did not, but….they said they were amazed to find so many in just half a day!!!!!
Unbelievable that people visit Schiphol with weapons in their car, luggage or bags. Certainly NOT the place to take them to. Anyhow….Good job!
Note; In The Netherlands it is FORBIDDEN to carry a weapon at all time.

2 Interesting links  from Jo from Australia[ Thanks again Jo!]  with news about the Gliding competition for the 2012 Wenlock Olympian games and the DG March 2012 news letter.
Nice pictures on this news letter from the staff wishing all pilots a beautiful Flight Season, with amongst others , Friedel Weber, Holger Back and Jelmer Wassenaar. In 2005 Jelmer still was a junior in “my” team at the JWGC and a student at the University of Delft , now he is sitting proudly behind the table with the DG staff/top. Have a look and..as you can see I found in my archive pictures from Holger and Jelmer as well [WGC 2006]
A nice picture from Friedel is in the latest G.I. with the story; “Friedel Weber hangs up his parachute and says good bye to his working life at DG Flugzeugbau“.

 
Holger Back and Jelmer Wassenaar

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-shropshire-17194773
http://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/newsletter-161.html

That’s it for today. Back on Sunday. Cheers Ritz

Alphen aan den Rijn      Sunday February 26 2012

ritzdeluy@hotmail.com     www.glidinginternational.com     www.soaringcafe.com

It could have been such a great weekend!
Blue skies, great cumulus clouds , sunny conditions, temperatures up to 11 dgr. C. But…….

Last Friday at 12,  ONE week after the avalanche hit our prince Friso, the team of doctors from the Innsbruck hospital, gave a presse- conference with updates. [1.2 million people were looking!] It was NOT good! The prince [43] was not 20 but 25 minutes covered by snow and even worse his heart stopped due to lack of oxygen and it took 50 minutes to reanimate him. Maybe too long as the doctor mentioned! 
On Thursday they finally could do an MRI scan and it seems that there is massive damage to the brain. They do not know if he will be ever conscious again and it might take months or even years. The royal family has decided to find a hospital specialised in coma-patients,  for him where they can help him as much as possible.A shock for all of us hoping and believing in miracles. A disaster for the Queen , Mabel, their 2 young daughters [5 and 6] and the rest of the family.We can only wish them ALL the best.

   
Prince Friso, in better times.

During the SSA convention in Reno,  one of the sessions was about how to get more young people interested in our great sport. With the slogan, ” Let’s go gliding”,  Bill Daniels , chairman of the SSA Growth and Development Committee, introduced some ideas to let our soaringsport grow. www.LetsGoSoaring.org
When they would really be active, they should renew this site any week/month. The last article was from August 17 2011, that’s a bit of a pity. But the reminder during the last SSA conference in Reno was good. For all that news you can go to www.soaringcafe.com [  SSA strategy and tactics for growth “let’s go gliding” on February 8 or you can use the searcher in the right corner.]

One of the very active clubs in Holland is the FAC, which stands for Frysian Aeroclub, yes Friesland the province where our 11 cities-race was supposed to be! Talking about “growth in our soaring sport” they are doing a great job , their way!
On Facebook I read their activities for March:join in….
March 12 they visit a schoolyard , WITH a glider, to promote soaring, also as a step-up to get into the aviation world. Members who are already a pilot or know all about it, talk with the young ones.
March 17 they move to a “square of knowledge” where students from vocational training meet and listen and they will promote gliding on their open days and those of the Stenden University.
Also on March 17 10 new -to-be- pilots will get some theory from an instructor and enjoy ,[ hopefully the weather is good, ] their first day as AIC  at the field.
Not a bad way of promoting our sport, is n’t it?

Some interesting flights from Blairstown in the USA   last week. 800 km. flying the Appalachian  ridges, without a thermal, as the pilot Robert Templin claims in his comment. One leg brought him about 300 km out and that all in an LS3. Some even called it an exceptional ridge day with a SE wind! Great flights also in Schweitzers [493 and 435 km]  and LS 4. [772 km.] and Discus [747 km] .So it must have been exceptional!!!

Transponders! Some news via Jo from Australia with an article from the Washington Examiner about the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] taking a [baby] step to improve glider safety:

 Wed, 2012-02-22 17:00

Four years after the National Transportation Safety Board recommended that a national transponder code be set up specifically for gliders, the Federal Aviation Administration has finally gotten around to doing it. Effective March 7, gliders not in direct contact with an air traffic control facility will be encouraged — though not required — to use the transponder code 1202 instead of codes currently used by other small aircraft operating under visual flight rules. The VFRs effectively mean gliders are invisible to commercial airliner crews in the vicinity, since most of the lighter-than-air vehicles do not now carry transponders at all and are extremely difficult for the naked eye to spot.

Curiously, the FAA admits that its action followed from the need for a specific transponder code for gliders, which “operate under some flight and maneuvering limitations,” and was the result of “an accident, many incidents, and [the afore-mentioned] NTSB recommendation.” The accident was a 2006 collision involving a corporate Hawker jet and a private recreational glider operating near the busy Reno/Tahoe International Airport.

At the time, NTSB investigators stressed the need for a margin of safety beyond VFR, noting: “The concept of see-and-avoid is limited in preventing midair collisions due to the high speed of the aircraft involved.” However, despite the fact that nine people have died in glider-aircraft collisions over the past two decades, and that the NTSB recommended in 2008 that all gliders be required to carry transponders that enable other pilots to “see” them in the sky, the FAA has still not made it compulsory.

The latest official notice from Elizabeth Ray, vice president of the FAA’s Mission Support Services, Air Traffic Organization, sent to all air traffic control facilities in the United States, explained the reason for the code change: “[Gliders] may go from essentially stationary targets while climbing and thermaling to moving targets very quickly. They can be expected to make radical changes in flight direction to find lift and cannot hold altitude in a response to an air traffic control request.” That same reasoning could also be cited to support the NTSB’s common-sense recommendation that gliders be able to “squawk” their current position to other pilots on a continuous basis.

Although prohibited from flying in Class A airspace around major cities, there are many other areas in which gliders still share the sky with heavy, passenger-laden aircraft, including commercial jetliners. Last year, the FAA ordered a publicly funded airport in Southern California to reinstate 40 gliders it had evicted because of legitimate safety concerns — or risk losing its federal grants. And, since the FAA’s new 1202 code can only be used by gliders that already carry the equipment needed to broadcast it, the latest policy change is just a baby step in the right direction.–“

Still some nice soaring in Australia .From Narromine Czech pilot Roman Mracek,  flew a nice 500 km. triangle . Luckily in the end of the season Narromine finally has the pleasure of better soaring weather , so they deserve. By the way the beginning of the season was pretty good there as well.
More to the West of S.A., it was Peter Temple,  the fresh National Standard Class Champion, who flew from Gawler   611 km.  in his LS 8,  while a flight from 533 km. in a Mosquito was not bad either.
AND what about 891 km. by junior pilot Matthew Scutter in the LS 4!!!! What a talent!!!You can fly, or you can’t!!!
When he would have started earlier it could have been much more as he claims that half an hour before he launched clouds were already at 10.000 ft.
Benjamin and Fabian will look with interest,  as they flew that far up N. several times from Stonefield!
Mind you it is nearly March! But as said before you can make in Australia, nice flights up to Easter.
Back to the East, the Keepit Regatta  is on at Lake Keepit from February 19 till 25. Love Lake Keepit, great place for soaring.
Experienced pilots lead inexperienced pilots to help them with their X country soaring; follow and lead is the system. Also great for pilots who want to improve their skills in competition flying.
 25 Pilots and 3 days out of 6.
Not so far from Lake Keepit and they might even meet in the air , are 50 hangglider pilots flying for the NSW State titles in fixed wings. Still remember some of them when they flew with us in Tocumwal. After 5 days of flying Conrad Loten from NZ and Aussie topper Jonny Durand , both flying Moyes Litespeed, are on spot 1 and 2. Pretty marginal circumstances but still 5 days. Best day had 98 km. the worst day, 9.6 km.

Talking last week about Uvalde. In open class it is not only pressure for the Concordia also the Schempp-Hirth glider in combination with Lange Aviation [wings, designed by Dutch Professor Loek Boermans] ] , Quintus , has to be ready in time. I noticed at the Uvalde list of entries, that at this stage, 2 Italian and 2 French pilots fly the Quintus during this 32d WGC. 6 Wings of this self launcher were finished in October , last year and at Schemmp Hirth they later built the bending outside wings and put the Maughmer winglets on . Only in  April 2011 “we” saw the Quintus, a 23 m. span self launcher,  for the first time at the Aero in Friedrichshafen, where it was a real eye -catcher. Just before Christmas on December 23 2011,  it had it ‘s test flight and now they work hard to get it ready for the WGC.
Looking forward to see that glider as well in Uvalde. Just received the Gliding International and there I quickly read that atleast 10 Quintes will participate !!! Enough stress!!!
Also Francois Jeremiasse, a Dutch competitor in open class at Uvalde will fly the Quintus. He flies the first built one of the series with number 2. Francois is the dealer for Schempp Hirth in Holland.
Rest of the very interesting news from the last GI in my next blog!!SO much to read have to do that first!

 
Quintus M and Antares 23E. Courtesy Francois.
Also just heard from Francois , who was delevering the first  ARCUS for a Dutch pilot, when he called me, that 2 Antares 23 E gliders will fly under the clouds of Texas. What a great open class this year with all those fancy gliders.
So much elegance in the air!

 
Steven Raimond will fly in Uvalde in 15 m. class! Will there be an ETA in open class?
Pictures courtesy Kai Monkkonen.

And a funny story to finish with received by Peter when you had not read it ;http://avherald.com/ :

Ducks enhance their navigation skills

By Simon Hradecky, created Friday, Feb 24th 2012 18:47Z, last updated Friday, Feb 24th 2012 18:57Z

 A United Boeing 737-800, registration N37290 performing flight UA-1571 from Fort Lauderdale,FL to Chicago O’Hare,IL (USA), was on final approach to O’Hare’s runway 27L when the crew reported a flock of ducks was tracking localizer 27L outbound at 1200 feet MSL and added they were doing a dandy job on it too. Tower warned the next arrival about the ducks heading their way. All ducks and aircraft landed safely at their destinations.

Your- up- to- date. Spring is nearly there, the first 2 cycle-races have already started in Belgium this weekend.CU next Wednesday, cheers Ritz

Alphen aan den Rijn      February 22 2012

ritzdeluy@hotmail.com     www.glidinginternational.com     www.soaringcafe.com

Uvalde is still a few months away, but  it is always nice to look ahead. You might miss on the preliminary list Australia, but don’t worry they will be there. They are still not 100 % sure who’s going. I heard that there is a change in the compilation of the team. Butch [John Buchanan] pulled out  and is replaced in open class with Tom Claffey. He will fly in that class with Gerrit Kurstjens,  who “transformed” from a clockie into an Aussie!In 1991 Gerrit was pilot in “my” Dutch team in Uvalde.
In 15 m. class the Trotters will fly to win and in 18 m. 2 potential winners; Bruce Taylor and Dave Jansen.
Nice to see a husband and wife in a competition competing against each other in one class . Would that be the first time in WGC history???
I never heard about it earlier. Cool! Don’t know if Jill Spreckley flew a WGC together with Brian, pretty sur not, but she  certainly  flew WWGC’s and even won there.Same with Pam and Gerrit Kurstjens., yes Nationals ,yes WGC and WWGC but no WGC together.
Maybe… Adele Orsi and her husband from Italy???? I remember “Mr. Orsi ” flying in open class and I know Adele flew as well but I doubt if they flew in one class together.
Lisa Trotter is also the first female pilot from Australia flying in her own right. My good friend Janet [Hider-Smith]  who sadly died a few years ago of cancer , was flying the WGC in New Zealand, as an invited guest. [Thanks Tom for reminding me]

 
Husband and wife , Peter and Lisa Trotter will “fight” for the best places at Uvalde’s WGC in 15m. class.
picture courtesy Anita Taylor

At this stage, 101 pilots from 23 different countries have entered and wow there are some well known names on this preliminary list!!! It will be a great competition as there are , as usual, in each class a few potential WINNERS.
Deadline as I read on the official site from Uvalde for entrees and fees is April 4.

 
One of the French participants Killian Walbrou.He will fly in JS1 in 18 m.!!! Another potential winner and a very nice young man!

 No news about our Prince Friso.When no news is good news that would be OK, but it somehow does n’t feel good . He has to remain for a week in coma, the situation is stable but still life-threatening.I guess we will know more in my Sunday-blog.
Mum Beatrix, wife Mabel and brothers Willem Alexander and Constantijn and even one of the 2 daughters from Friso and Mabel visited. As well as “his skiing- mate” , who after being in shock visited yesterday. It is now said that he dug the prince out with his bare hands.

Carefully pilots “hop” in their gliders, also in Germany and not only in areas with mountains but also in more flat land enjoying the first nice cumeli. A good flight from Bruchsal ,263 km. in a DG808C. /18m.
In Belgium pilot Daan Spruyt flew 351 km. in an 18m. LS 6
But it is still cold, though this weekend temperatures are going up to 12 dgr.PLUS!!!! Yes it is going to be defenitely better, even nice clouds!!!

Still strike in Frankfurt, they added 2 more days to their strike. The ground-traffic controllers , about 200, organizing the traffic on the ground, are on strike for more money. Not good….more delays…..more cancellations.!

Friend Tibor is already very busy with Fatraglide at Martin Airport. The comps will be in May [ 5-13] there is prize money 3000 Euro and as they say ” the winner takes it all”.
Combi class will be flown as usual but…..CLUB CLASS MASTERS is a new concept which is replacing Club class known from previous years.
WHY!!??
—-“Until 1978 there were only 2 world gliding champions every two year. Now we have 6 classes at WGC, 3 classes in women gliding championships and 2 in juniors, which is fine but can you name the winners from last year? Probably not. Who is the best pilot?
Only way how to find out is to get back to the roots and let them compete together. One class, similar gliders, one winner, no tears. That´s what we call „Glider racing as it should be“. Interested?—-”
Rules?
–only racing tasks (no AAT – because we are not in math competition)
–Turn points FAI sectors (because if you fly 300km we should not cheat it 1km on every TP)
–club class with handicap max. 1,06 (it´s old club class we all remember – without retired standard/15m gliders because handicap can´t make it fair all the time)
For more news go to ; www.fatraglide.sk/2012
On the entry list I noticed several pilots who have been overseas at Corowa, this winter.
The Fatraglide boys on a picture from last year!

 Tibor, Brano and a friend in the middle.

Still nice flights from Tocumwal and Benalla, after some showers the good weather arrived back and today pilots flew 500 km in Nimbus 3/25.5 m. and 453 km. from Kari in LS 6 from Toc.
And….don’t forget to listen to the interview from Rand Baldwin [soaringcafe] with Dick Butler busy with a race against the clock to have his Concordia ready for the Uvalde WGC.
There is a picture [in an old Flugrevue] in this article, from Dick’s ASW17, the one he flew at Paderborn and that glider is NOW owned by [my ex] George  and “lives” in Tocumwal .
You can go to www.soaringcafe.com for  the interview;
—-“He talks about the status of the project and a few of the many remaining items that have to be tackled before Concordia debuts on the world stage in July”—-

That’s it CU on Sunday,cheers Ritz

Alphen aan den Rijn      Sunday February 19      CARNAVAL

ritzdeluy@hotmail.com     www.glidinginternational.com     www.soaringcafe.com

A bit of a shock for Holland and all “royalists”, as the 2d son from Queen Beatrix, is in hospital in Innsbruck  fighting for his life. Though there was a strong warning [4 from 5 on the list] to not go off-piste, due to the heavy snowfall of the last week, he seems to have not been able to resist this brand new soft snow and went for a “ride” with  a friend , NOT outside the piste as they say now, but , on a not closed unprepared track. Result; he most probably triggered an avalanche by himself and was for 20 minutes covered under 40 cm. of snow. The friend survived with a package -on-his-back, like an airbag to remain above the snow  and alarmed all involved and luckily Prince Johan Friso had a beacon with  him , so he was found in 4 minutes ,after arrival of the helicopter,  re-animated and brought by this helicopter to a hospital in Innsbruck, where he is still at IC, stable as they say but still with a risk for his life.
Both are very experienced skiers. The friend lives there and is a member of the family from the hotel the Queen stays already for over 50 years.
Johan Friso is known as the intellectual within the family, certainly NOT a daredevil and is not in line to be king as he stepped out of that line by marrying Mabel , a very smart goodlooking young lady, but once a friend of a top criminal in Holland.
Not a nice beginning of a family holiday;  a tradition to go to Lech since 1959, first with Juliana and Bernard now  with grandma Beatrix her sons and their wives and 8 grandchildren.
Yesterday several skiers went over the same unprepared fresh snow again. Locals say it is THEIR responsability.
Unfortunately another avalanche again in Lech.

Last Friday morning we heard that Air Australia, [ before called Strategic Airlines] the budget airline,  based at Brisbane got broke, leaving passengers , about 4000, at their own at different places in Australia, Hawaii [Honolulu], Bali  and Thailand.
Message was; “Try to find your own way to go home , sorry we can’t do anything anymore”. When the pilots tried to refuel, they were told that bills had to be paid first. No fuel..no flight!
You should have paid for a nice holiday and get stuck, without knowing how to get home again. Terrible.
An even bigger disaster for the staff working there on the ground and in the air, all lost their job!!!
2 From the pilots flying at Tocumwal during the Multi Class Nationals were hit by this shutting down as well  , I just heard; Captain Brian Durieu and Adam Woolley, a first officer.
Very sad for them, as well as for all others, as new jobs are not “ready to hand”. Wish everybody well!

On the other hand Schiphol Airport Amsterdam  is doing well and claimed a good year 2011, with a record amount of nearly 50 million passengers going through. With that they are the 4th biggest European Airport behind London [Heathrow] Paris [Charles de Gaulle] and Frankfurt.

Frankfurt in Germany , talking about the 3d  biggest hub in Europe struggles with strikes by air traffic controllers and quite a lot of flights had to be cancelled. No travelling is not always a pleasure anymore nowadays.
And…in Spain pilots from Iberia are on strike. Cancellations as well!

Mac who was 3d at the multi class Nationals added some days in Tocumwal and flew a new Japanese speed record over 500 km.
I missed Beryll Hartley,  the mother of soaring in Narromine,  in stories and on pictures, during the Nationals, but I heard she was there as well. A great organizer and with her around, a competition always runs smooth.
It is not easy to look ahead on YOUR 50thiest Nationals and you have to move to another place in 2 days. Luckily the weather was good in Tocumwal and they seem to not have had problems with the by the Tocumwal club and commercial center given facilities. This is what gliding is all about, help each other when necessary. Together we are strong!
This is what I found on the Narromine site;
–“The 50th MultiClass National Championships are over. The competition held at Tocumwal was blessed with some outstanding flying days and ended up as a great competition.
Well deserved congratulations to the dedicated crew from the Narromine competition committee who all worked extremely hard and gave their time and effort to produce an outstanding Nationals. Chris Stephens proved to us all that he is indeed an excellent Competition Director.—”
So they did….and he did!!!

Slowly Europe wakes up from its winter-sleep  and the first attempts of x -country soaring are a fact . From Ocana in Spain , Belluno in Italy and Fayence in France pilots sniffed up some fresh,  new, good air to fly in.
Let’s hope the new season will be a good and safe one!!

The calender for the 2012/2013 FAI Sailplane Grand Prix has been set and the qualifying series will be flown from Romania, [29th of April] South Africa, Australia, Chile, Slovakia and France.
The first European comps are in Italy; the 40thiest Trophy of the town of Torino [April 7] and also from April 7 till 14 , the Pribina Cup from Nitra in Slovakia! The deadline for entries for this competition is February 29!!!! I know how many pilots love to fly for this cup, so don’t be too late, as there will be 50 gliders allowed MAX in ONE class and a total of 150!!! At this stage I counted 121 pilots  in total.

And of course this years Euroglide, a 2400 km. race through Europe will be in June. The concept route will be from Eindhoven in Holland crossing the Rhine to nearly Bruchsal in Germany, then to the E. passing Wien on the way to Nitra in Slovakia, then along the Polish border to the Czech Rep , back to Germany , passing Berlin to the N. and back home to Eindhoven in the S. of Holland. Nobody can enter anymore as only 60 pilots are allowed and there are over 70 already now. Under them pilots from different nationalities!
Gliders can be flown by several pilots forming a team together.
Will keep you informed!

Off to Carnaval now , with my daughter and grand children. Very pleased to see those kids love carnaval as well.

Cu Ritz

Alphen aan den Rijn    Thursday February 16 2012

ritzdeluy@hotmail.com     www.glidinginternational.com     www.soaringcafe.com 

Hope you enjoyed VALENTINES DAY!

All comps are over for a short while ,still some soaring but a good time to look at other items.
When you have not read yet the story from Bruce at SoaringCafe you can read it here.
It’s about an Australian  soaring mate Bruce Brockhoff. Got to know Bruce in 1984 in Rieti at the Pre-WGC . We “the clockies and the Aussies” were celebrating a reasonable good day, when “poor” Bruce spend all night to get his glider from a soccer field where he had to make an outlanding.
He visited Holland a few times and he , together with Kees [Musters] and George spend hours in our house  “reforming the world into a better place ” sometimes with the help of some  Ebo Lebo, an Italian liquor, brought by Kees from his Aosta trips [ wave paradise in Italy].
We spend more then 10 winters at Tocumwal together and later even bought Bruces caravan and planted a white gum tree from a seed from  St Kilda Park, along the caravan  to remember Kees and Dennis.When we ran the SSC , he was already out of soaring .
Though we do not see each other ” every day, ” we still have a great friendship. Through the years we “find each other again somewhere ” and continue where we finished last time. Bruce is NOT in soaring anymore,already for a long time,  though last week he speeched in Tocumwal, where he caught up with a lot of friends from his soaring life. And …he enjoyed it! Here you are, his story written by one of his friends, interesting for those who knew him from gliding and forgot about him and for those who just entered “our ” world:

Bruce Brockhoff…Courtesy Bruce.

 “Bruce Winston Brockhoff was brought up on grazing farm near Dromana in Victoria Australia. He attended Osborne State School followed by Red Hill Consolidated State School (learnt sheet metal and wood work & wait for it…. apple packing!) at his secondary school Huntingtower. He was elected School Captain or Head Prefect in his last year and was awarded Blues in Football and Athletics. He matriculated with 2 first and 2 Second Class honors and awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship to attend Monash University 1961-64 graduating with a Bachelor of Economics & Politics Degree taking 4 years to do a 3 year course all caused by a few overpowering distractions normal for a boy 18 years of age. He was fortunate to make many lifelong friends by living in Deaken Hall (Australia’s first coed on campus hall of residence) and was well known at the famous Notting Hill pub some ½ mile from Monash University.

Studied computers and the then ‘dreaded’ machine language whilst attending Monash together with experiencing a very different life style as an exchange student in India for 4 months. He played in the Monash Intervarsity football team (Australian Rules) and Ski Team. 

Employed as a biscuit salesman, Systems Analyst and COBOL programmer for 7 years in his fathers’ business manufacturing Salada, Savoy, Chocolate Royals and Chocolate Ripples. Co-Founder of The Cargo Hold chain of shops which he ran for over 25 years.

Spent a week in a Military hospital in Siberia (30km from Chinese boarder) during the Sino-Soviet Dispute on way to Munich Olympics via Trans Siberian railway. Demonstrated, flew in air shows and sold Maule aircraft to outback stations for use in cattle mustering (round up) selling 9 aircraft single handed in one year..

Three times Australian National Champion in 15m racing class gliders/sailplanes. Won the last day in the World Gliding Championships in Hobbs New Mexico in racing class in 1983 and won the Pre World’s Gliding Championships in Standard Class at Benalla. Won a day in the Pre Worlds in Rieti Italy.

Over all represented and competed for Australia in 9 international gliding events including one in the Gobi Desert of China which he won. Team Captain for the Australian Gliding team at the World Gliding Championships in Borlange Sweden and managed to obtain free shipping of gliders two years in a row to Sweden and back .Also obtained  brand new Volvos for pilots and crew the biggest team ever of 8 pilots. Nearly 650 faxes went through his fax machine over 3 years to organise the team for the Pre Worlds and actual World Championships in Borlange Sweden. On the sour note only one pilot wrote a note of thanks for either year. He was asked to be Team Captain for the next World championships but declined.

Australian representative to the CIVV (Federation Aéronautique’ International) meeting in Paris for 2 years.

 Gliding Award FAI Paris.

Awarded the Federation Aéronautique’ International Airsport Medal number 84 (Paris France) 1993 for ‘service to the sport of gliding’. He organised and ran many cross country training competitions known as the Tocumwal Teams Challenge with the aim of encouraging young pilots to participate in racing gliders with the emphasis in flying in pairs in a relaxed and casual fun way.

Enthusiastic sailor of solar powered sailing catamarans. Built and launched Dream Catcher a 48ft sailing catamaran 1998. Won a Victorian Land Care Award for raising from seed and planting over 30.000 Australian native trees on family farm at Dromana (three rows of trees in plantations 10m wide double fenced totaling over 13 kms long).  Breeder of Angus bulls and Super Fine wool Merino sheep. Enthusiastic and keen grower of exotic, full flavored, aromatic, heritage and purpose bred tomatoes. Devotee of the modern pressure cooker (using heaps of bay leaves, rosemary, time, cumin & lemon peel where appropriate). 

Presently experimenting with solar heat collection systems including evacuated glass tubes from China – Project entitled “More BTU’s for your Buck$”. Very fortunate to be ‘chosen’  as a conduit to write down a few ideas on the back of an airline sick bag using a child’s crayon kit sold to him along with the third glass of red wine on a on flight to Melbourne on Virgin Airlines. The few ideas that have come to him regarding the Worlds desperate need for more use of solar energy, have come about by an accumulation of knowledge and skills that he has been fortunate to acquire during his ‘journey’. These ideas been drawn together with a lot of input and guidance over the years from many mates notably mentor Bill Riley of Tocumwal NSW and Ellis Rowe of Benowa Waters QLD. 

Such is his love of Tomatoes he claims that “if you cannot smell them don’t buy them and tell the shop keeper why – they will be tasteless and cardboard like for the convenience of everyone except the consumer hence his latest invention    SOLARFLUME www.solarflume.com.au which heats his tomato growing greenhouse. He sells up to 8 different varieties of tomatoes at a stall at his farms front gate grown hydroponically in a greenhouse heated by his invention. The outside vegetable garden has its soil heated by the same method. Vegetables including tomatoes believe Spring has come 2 months early and Autumn extends into winter by two months. It’s all to do with soil temperature rather than air temperature.

Married to Kristine with two very young and beautiful daughters Brooke 16 and Belle 19.  Brooke was recent judged into the top 3% of World entrants in ‘The Event’ held in Orlando Florida in December 2 months ago. The Event is attended by the World’s top Film, Theatre & Modeling agents along with Casting Directors. She was later interviewed by 15 Agents. 

Belle has won 8 National titles in 7 years including the US Nationals in Boarder Cross and is hoping to be chosen for the Australian Team next Olympics in Sochi USSR.  Over the last 3 weeks she has podiumed 3 times in the last 4 races in USA.  Presently ranked 2 in the USA and attending her most important race this weekend in Canyons Utah. She had the 4^th fastest qualifying time against some Olympians and World Cup winners but unfortunately damaged some soft tissue of one of her knees by a ‘hard landing’ on one of the very long jumps on the boarder cross course (considered one of the toughest in the USA) and could not compete in the finals the next day.

Bruce’s darkest year and on the downside of a wonderful gliding life, despite winning the practice year in standard class in the Pre Worlds Gliding Competition at Benalla and favorite to win in the next year’s World Gliding Championships (by the Germans, French and English) he was prevented from representing Australia by twin camera failures in the Australian Nationals and a reluctance of the team selectors to exercise their use of the “exceptional circumstances rule” in choosing the last team members. Most of the top competitors from Europe and the USA could not believe their luck that he was not going to be competing.

The only consolation to this very depressing dilemma for Bruce was that the organizers of Benalla World Gilding Championships separately and independently invited him to be Competition Director of the World Championships on the basis that he was “the most experienced & current competitor skilled and experienced in international events” however such was his disillusionment with the gliding movement and some of its officers all he wanted to do was to be the ‘daily snifter’ pilot at the world comps and be with his Aussie and International friends in a more casual and friendly task  that allowed him to fraternize to the maximum which he was particularly well skilled in also. His other task was to be Special Advisor to the Organisers

  
Bruce in 1983 , preparing for the Nationals At Narromine. Article from the paper. Bruce won the NATIONALS .courtesy Bruce.

The World comps at Benalla were preceded by the now famous ATSOP (Australian Tool Shed Opening Party)  held beside Bruce’s caravan at Tocumwal airport to which most of the most notable International racing glider pilots attended complete with a home grown lamb on a spit from his farm and the odd VB (Aussie Beer) or three.

Bruce last competed in a LS6, in the World Gliding Championships in Uvalde Texas, with a competition number of MS. He was given this number by Greta Musters the wife of Kees Musters [one of Bruce’s closest Gliding friends ] after Kees was killed in a freak hang glider accident in the European Alps. Bruce met Kees in 1983 at the World Gliding Championships in Hobbs 1983 which Kees won in 15m Racing Class and also met and formed a very close relationship with George and Ritz Schuit -deLuij, also of Holland which continues today.

Bruce recently donated enough $’s for a large brand new hanger at Bacchus Marsh (known as the Bruce Brockhoff Annex to the Australian Gliding Museum) built to house many a donated vintage glider including all of Bill Riley’s who by the way was Bruce’s most influential and strongest mentor during Bruce’s glider racing career. They did many a very happy and joyous overseas trip to nearly all the glider factories of Europe, Eastern Europe and the UK.

 THE AGONY AND THE EXTACY –  C’EST LA VIE

Bruce ,  photographed with The Federal Shadow Minister for Environment,
the  Hon.  Greg  Hunt  in  front  of  his Invention Solarflume

 Received a mail from a UK pilot. Do not know him but when you are interested you can contact me and I help you further.
—“Do you no anybody or club. Who may be searching for a tug pilot….? I hold a UK CPL/IR licence:TThrs 4,900: Multi: 2,400hrs. turbine: 900hrs: Command: 3000hrs UK/Europe. Type(s) PA25 Pornee (Tailwheel.) PA31/23/34/C310/402/Bn2b (T) Sd 360. C172/182. Beagle Terrier. Tailwheel. Banners / Gliders.–“

Received an interesting link from Australia about a complaint on a glider crash photograph:

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/9532229.PCC_upholds_complaint_on_glider_crash_photograph/

Still great flights in Corowa , Benalla and Tocumwal last week!
Did you notice? Even Ingo enjoyed a nice flight in his Discus; 755 km.Also tuggy Petr from Szech Rep. flew in the more quiet period after the Nationals a great 671 km[500FAI triangle] in the LS 4.
Benalla with UK Bob Nicolls in Ventus ; 804 km [750 FAI triangle] and 844 km. Nice to see Richard Kalin there.
Corowa with Dutch pilot Harry Wondergem;  795 km. This years best Australian OLC flight was for him and looking at  all flights Pepe was the best. OLC champion for Australia was Lubor with Harry as a good runner up!!
Corowa has started their packing of the containers today to have all gliders back in time for the European season.
What a great season they had! And as just said it still continues now!!! They were the best airfield in Australia looking at the OLC , before Benalla and Tocumwal and runner up world wide behind Bitterwasser!!!!!
Also more to the  NW a nice flight from Stonefield in the Nimbus 4DM; 727 km.

CU on Sunday, that is ….when I am not celebrating carnaval in the south of Holland. Will keep you informed.

Cheers Ritz