Ostrów Wielkopolski Michałków, Poland
16 July 2020 – 26 July 2020

“NO task yet”, ….I wrote when I published the last blog, so I thought maybe after the long flights on Tuesday [3.30 AAT] they might have given a rest day , but NO they did not and with such fabulous weather ,NOBODY wants a rest day .
So off they went again, on Wednesday morning July 22 with 4 more day’s to go, with an early launch time at 10.45.

15m….
task 6…603 km.;
WOW, and it was easily flown by 15 pilots some with a speed of over 130 km./h up to 135 km./h!!!
Daily winner for 1000 points was Jacek Flis , in a Discus 2a.
Local, Lucasz Błaszczyk was runner up for 988 points in the same glider.
Sebastian was with 135 km./h the fastest on spot 4 , with Janusz Centka right behind him in the 15 m ASG 29 E.
Jacek moved from 11 to 8 overall .
Then.. ….NO TASK..
Task 7…3 hour AAT;
Last couple of day’s start now with 7 pilots close…. between 3.070 and 3.384 points …a lot can happen.
Whilst waiting for the gliders to finish the weather was still GOOD!!!
404 km. for Ukraine pilot Marius in time 3.14 so a nice speed of 124.85 km./h in the Ventus 2ax.
Runner up Sebastian flew 377 km. in time 3.06. Tomasz Rubaj remains on spot 1 overall after a 5th daily score. …..even gaining points on Sebastian who is at this stage on spot 2 overall.

Task 8….378 km;LAST DAY!!
Like me,….You might have expected already……3d and 2d is NOT good enough for Sebastian ,so WHEN he can win, he will try to do so!!!AND,…that’s what he did!!!
He won the last day with big margin; nearly 10 km./h faster …107 km./h.than the runner up , the local hero, Lucasz B.
On 3d place Jacek both 98 km./h.
So Sebastian went overall from spot 6, to spot 9, then to 6 then to 2 and finished on spot ONE!!!!
Tomasz who was first overall EVERY day, lost on the last day his top position missing out on 137 daily points on Sebastian by being 4th.
So the final results in 15 m. class are;
1. Sebastian Kawa in Diana 2 with 5.255 points and Polish CHAMPION
2. Tomasz Rubaj in ASG 29/15m. with 5.177 p.
3. Lucasz Blaszczyk in Discus 2a with 5,079 p.
CONGRATULATIONS to all!!!!
By the way,”good old Janus Centka was 4th!!!!![4.876 p.]
Good on him!!!!

club class …
task 6…455 km.;
More differences in club class…p.e. the daily winner Witold Czarnik in a St.Jantar 3 flying around with 113 km./h . He moved up from 24 to 14 with his 1000 points!
ll who started ,finished and the Libelle 201B, flew the task with a speed of 83 km./h., being the slowest…… but IN!!!!!
No task on Thursday.

Task 7…3 hour AAT;
With 21 points overall on Mikolai Szun, Jacub did his utmost best to stay ahead; 305 km in time 3.01 and a daily runner-up-spot was GOOD!!!
Mikolai lost some points [around 166] by being 16th for the day.
BUT,…he is still on spot 2 overall …. only 29 points though!!!!
ONE MORE DAY O GO!!!!!
Task 8…304 km; a day with 34 finishers and 10 out-landers.So not too easy. But for Jakub in the BRAWO the day was GOOD,; 88 km./h and 1000 points.
Mind you there were 2 BRAWO’s flying in this class and they finish as 1 and 2!!!!!
Mikolai had a last bad run [23 d.] and dropped from 2 overall to 4.
The best pilots and Polish club class champion;
1. Jakub Barszcz in BRAWO with 5.431 points.
2. Łukasz Kornacki in BRAWO with 5.181 p.
3. Remigiusz Gwiazda in St Jantar 2WL with 5.091 p.
Judyta was 17th!

Poland has and always had, very strong competitors at all comps world wide and mostly very good TC’s as well. So it was extra nice to follow this OSTROW GLIDE .
Here are a few pictures to finish the story, as shared by Aeroklub Ostrowski from top photographer M. Levitzky.

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Some newsy news:
It’s still “raining” 1000 km.flights.
Last Thursday Spain was “hot” and showed 12 from Fuente and Villacastin on the OLC. Up to 40 dgr. C I heard.
More and more 2-seaters , as EB 28 and Arcus M or T and ASG 32 MI, are flying long distances….. so “double fun”!
Guy Bechtold from Luxembourg, who I met once in Fuente, stays there for a longer period and till now he flew in his Quintus M, 8 x 1000 km flights since July 19!!!The best till now; 1.202 km.
Saturday was good in the USA [Minden and Ely] and Europe [Spain, Germany and France]
In Germany from Aalen a FIRST 1000 km, by Gerrit Illenberger, …always very special in an LS 8!!!
Also flying from Aalen, the German women team and great flying also by Chrissie [Grote] in a Discus 2A [ 962 km./750 FAI triangle] , Sabrina [Vogt] in Discus 2 [955 AND also 750 FAI triangle], Ulrike [Teichmann] in LS 8 [919 km and 750 FAI triangle] and Cornelia [Schaich] in LS 8 [ 829 and 700 FAI triangle]
So 3 new 750 diplomas.
Last time I saw all these girls, was in beautiful Lake Keepit in the beginning of this year, when we had NO IDEA about what we could expect this year with COVID-19.

And talking about the “girls from Lake Keepit”, also in the USA was activity! Kathryn [Fosha] declared a 750 as well and flew it , an out and return this time. It also was a record attempt. Good on her.
” Wild day, great time flying with all of our friends from MVA [Mountain Valley] and IYK. “

About the great Spanish weather-conditions…..
YESTERDAY another TOP day in Spain, where it is still “bloody hot”.
The first 14 flights on the top , added to the OLC were all from Fuente or Villacastin. From them, 8 were over 1000 km.
1.224 [ 884 FAI triangle] was the best distance in an ARCUS M.

News from the UK junior team;
”  last week the Junior Development Squad traveled to Issoudun, France for an intense coaching week. Making full use of the relaxed rules on international travel, 7 squad members set off for a week of competitive flying, briefings and debriefings with coaches Brian Spreckley, Tim Milner, and the senior club class team of Tom Arscott, Jake Brattle and G Dale. The weather was fantastic, and everyone enjoyed six days of racing, honing the skills required to compete at the very top .”
Unfortunately the rules are getting stricter and stricter again whilst I write.
Some squad members are on their way to the Czech Republic now for the Pre Junior World Gliding Championships. 

And to finish…..747’s disappear from the skies. Lufthansa brought 5 to the Dutch military base of Twente.
As you heard the QUANTAS 747’s are retiring as well:
ABC had this news and this “great” picture.

AND this great picture ,which I found on FB and was shared by many, I dedicate to our “girls” who just passed away; Marlinde and Christine.

Most comps here in Europe have been cancelled due to COVID-19. Yesterday I heard that also the Keiheuvel competition [mid august in Belgium] has been cancelled.
They still hoped for a- maybe-1-day-competition,but the virus sadly enough is back .
Next year however they celebrate their 65th anniversary, so time for a big party …..hopefully corona is history then.’

And,..last but not least.Not sure if I overlooked this ,…BUT… Dutch pilot Peter Millenaar flew on Monday July 20 an epic flight in a Nimbus 4M;1.157 km and mainly over Holland starting from Hoogeveen more up N. Special.
Have a look that day on his flight on the OLC with many pictures.
” Wow. What a day! New Dutch OLC distance and points record!
Couldn’t find any thermal on the first leg so I just continued.. “

CU next week.
Cheers Ritz