Wednesday January 13;
Only 3 days to go and I leave Australia again. For all friends who have been visiting Tocumwal, I made a trip through the memory-lane and share those pictures with you in the next blog blog.
It’s HOT !!!!! At 1.30 it is 41.4 dgr. C already, @2 PM 42.4 and the forecast s for 44. dgr.C.

Nice but weird-formed cirrus this morning. Never saw it before, very thin and quickly disappearing again.

———–

ready to go for day 6.
As shared by Nimbus.

But first back to Benalla. When I was “crunched”  by Simon, my chiropractor, and had to rest before and after treatment, the pilots had to fly again after a day off.
That day the weather was good , but due to stormy winds, the day was also too short, maybe a short very fast task had been possible for open or 18 m.???But safety FIRST!!!
Anyhow the day off was maybe needed to for some as well.
Yesterday they had to fly again and 556 km. was set for open class. From 16 , 3 out-landed and one of them was glider VS, so it was a bad day for my French friends. They only got 40 points!!!!!
They dropped from 4 to 12, nearly a free fall. A pity , BUT it is only practice!!!
Good day for South Australian pilot Grant Hudson in his ASH 31 MI; speed 124.49 good for 1000 points and HIS FIST WIN in a NATIONAL competition.
Good day as well for Erik Nelson , from the USA , who I met in Uvalde and in Benalla;5th place with a speed of 118,84 km./h. in the Nimbus 3. Erik is already qualified to participate in the 2017 WGC. This all is great practice for him.
With only 3 days to go , maybe 2 if the promised pouring rain indeed shows up tomorrow, no changes in the top 3, still Bruce , Andrew and Ian and only a difference between Bruce and Andrew after 6 flying days of 89 points .
Exciting!!!!

With the message:” Stoked to be home and find the tie down still empty for a change.Awesome day racing today!”
By Grant.

Here is Bruce again;

Taylor’s Gliding Page

—” A day of everything! The forecast was a bit off, and it never became hot enough to go as well as they thought. So the start height limit of 9,000 feet was about 3,000 feet too high, and the first 60 or 70 km was treacherous, and there were some early outlandings. As we flew closer to the high cumulus that had been beckoning, Scott Percival and Ingo Renner flew away from us, and by the time the rest of us connected and finally climbed up into the cool air, they were just a dot on the horizon. Clever buggers! Then it was real live race for an hour or more while we romped along up to 10,000 feet. Around Coolamon and across to Leeton it started to get a little tricky, as the clouds were decaying and only some spots were working. I fell off the pack a bit here, and was a bit too low to connect with the last few clouds before we were back in the blue heading south and home. However, I have been feeling pretty confident in the blue this week, and set my mind to catching up on the trip home. I could see Ian Craigie taking a much more eastern route, and until quite late in the flight he was higher and faster than I was. On our last climb I finally got slightly ahead of him and was the first glider home, though start times and handicaps put me down in about fourth place, but with good points. It was a win today for Grant Hudson, which might be his first nationals win, so very well done, Grant.
Hard work today, but I am very pleased with my own result, and the flight was a lot of fun.–-“

In 18 m. Butch was the fastest with 120.63 km.h. Great job from young Czech pilot Petr Svoboda, flying just a tad slower.Thomas and David were on 3 and 4.
10 From 28 finished so a real tough day with a set task of 652 km.
After 6 days it’s Peter, Butch and Tom, but Petr is trying hard to reach the first 3 as well. He is on 4 now , only  28 points behind Tom!!!

In 15 m. only 9 from 32 finished,a real battlefield in this class. 575 km. was set .
Most of the top pilots were in this top 9 group. A more difficult day for pilots as Lisa, Tobias, Allan and Adam as they all flew over 517 km. So not too far OUT!!!
Overall Matthew still leads , Mac is runner up and Stephen is still on spot 3.
French pilot Eric Bernard was the daily winner with 107 km. /h. just a tad faster than Norm,  who after NOT flying comps for a while, is REALLY BACK!!!!He is overall on a nice 4th spot!!!
Late arrivals yesterday , some after 8 PM.

Not sure if there will be a day 7 today. Rain is supposed to arrive in the afternoon first there than here maybe as well. Swiss Chris shared a weather picture and that says it all. He knows the weather well here and mentioned ” No typical weather patterns since mid December. A cyclone low in central Australia for 10 days. Then no northerly winds until today.”

First there was the message for Jan 13 ; “NO TASK TODAY ….Extreme weather and wind changes make launching impossible.”
Then,……”Cold front expected this afternoon. Isolated thunderstorms, dust Storms also. Cloud increasing. Xc Skies say a short day. “Thermals to 12k. Winds 35knts from the north west.

Then…..”OZ Glide change of plan.Task maybe possible,details at briefing.”

later a 2 hour AAT was set for open, 2.30 for 18 m. who are first at the grid to be launched and 15 m. got 2 hours as well.
Also here in Toc about 100 km. more N., clouds appeared high up, but building up quickly too. It could be a short fast day!!!
THEN,……Open class was cancelled.Some very experienced open- pilots waited / still hoped .
18 m and 15 m. went for a 2 hour AAT.

Bruce shared a picture with a fun comment on FB:  ” Feels like Uvalde on a bad day, and the local pastor in Uvalde suggested that hell might be preferable!!!!” 

At this stage 2 PM wind is picking up here, clouds are growing TOO quickly  and it looks already like rain far up N.

2.30; 2 Gliders just went up here, but even under the most beautiful clouds they are not yet “rocketing ” up!!Black skies up N but closer now and more NE. Wind N N W.Temperature now; 43.6 dgr.C. Rain in the East as well, still more launching here at Tocumwal. Some pilots love flying along the “edges” of showers. In Africa or Namibia they” use” mostly those elements of weather. Clouds here just look fabulous!
To the W and S it still looks good.

Picture above from 2 PM. by George.

At 4 the temperature was 44 dgr.C. It went up to 44.9 , [thermometer is in the shade, linked up to a toy in the office] ,but I missed that whilst waiting for the 45!!!
I work here in a hangar with 39 dgr. C. so a lot of drinking.Lot’s of noise as well due to strong wind gusts.
The S does n’t look too good from here now too, the W is still perfect.

The Finnish team in Benalla,  shared a picture as well.

As you can see it is “nice warm”.

For today’s scores you have to go to www.soaringspot.com as I have to go out for dinner tonight.

———-

Tomorrow I am off to Albury for the day. Friday morning I leave for Benalla and Saturday I fly out from Tullamarine back home.
Will be writing about the last day in Benalla, though I will only be there around 12.
CU then.
Cheers Ritz