AERO 2017 in Friedrichshafen.

Women power in Friedrichshafen with Kathrin from Pilotessa Design-com  and  aviatrix Peggy Valentin.
As shared by Pilotessa Design.com

It seems nearly everybody interested in soaring travels/traveled to the AERO Friedrichshafen for the big fair.
A few impressions I found from my friends at FB.

Robert Danewid from Sweden shared these pictures in the Schempp Hirth stand…..” You’ll find us in Hall B5, booth number 301. Our team is looking forward to meeting you!” and looking at Boerjes 7X the brandnew Ventus 3. And at the AS stand.

GP gliders is there as well;

With their text;
“..AND here it is the ONE, that stole the show! Congratulations to the whole team, who’s worked tirelessly almost around the clock for past two months with one extreme aim – to make this glider a reality for AERO. We did it guys!
Full photo report from GP GLIDERS’ booth at AERO Friedrichshafen to follow shortly.”

As shared by Sebastian and GP Gliders.

TWIN SHARK…a 20 m. 2-seater.

“The waiting is over ” As said and shared by Craig Lowrie

roomy glider…

as shared by Craig.

One of the Dutch visitors shared this picture. interesting!

as shared by Frits Urselman.

THE DIANA 2 new Performance

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as shared by Diana 2 New Performance.
This panel was already shared on March 18.

This is our universe command center and weather management.

But seriously its our new almost ready project of modification a instrument panel and devices optimalised for winning another competitions. It’s new heart and brain of our Diana-2 Demonstrator model. On board for example: LX9000 IGC with FLARM

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They skipped one year but now they are back; the Student Aero Club from Delft will organize their 2-day-competition at Terlet on May 20 and 21.
To enter   ;   https://goo.gl/forms/d6zRlxfBkLmronVy2
More info at;    https://www.facebook.com/delftschetweedaagse/

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Great weather in the South of Australia!!

Eddie Madden from Sportaviation in Tocumwal, shared a great picture full of fluffy clouds over South Australia. With the text “Unbelievable great soaring over Southern Australia.7000 to 9000 cloud base with light winds” is here the picture.

With Tocumwal [close to Cobram] and Corowa in the middle at the Murray River.

Temora had 380 and Raywood a 470 km.flight in autumn.

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New type of competition in Australia.

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 “Two glider pilots have each soared more than 600 miles across Scotland, powered only by the “exceptional” weather conditions.” [BBC news]

What about that !!!! SUPER!!!!!! John Williams flew in his Antares 1.684 km. in 11 hours and 38 min from Kinross. As John mentioned in his OLC comment;” An interesting Scottish wave day – 3 laps of a declared 500km task.”
“It  will not count as an official UK record, as the rules state you cannot repeat legs during the flight.” [BBC news]
Not bad either!!!  Sant[iago] Cervantes flew in his Discus BT, 1.009 km and reached a height of 3.962 m.
Must have been SUPER conditions, such a-once-in-your-life-time- thrill.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-39514023

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10 th JWGC in Pocuinai.

The preparations for this JWGC are in full swing. I was pleased to see that 61 pilots have  entered before the deadline on March 31. Australia sends , at this stage, 3 pilots …Ailsa and Rueben in club and Dylan in standard class and Holland as well, with runner up from last time Robin and Thijs both in St. Cirrus and 3 in Standard  Lars , Sjoerd en Sjors.
Club class has 34 pilots and standard 27 at this stage as reserves will be added later.
The opening ceremony will be on July 29 at 5 PM and the comps are between July 30 and August 13.

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South African SGP.

As you can see the next SGP , the 8th edition, will be in South Africa at Magaliesburg from April 17 – 22, with at this stage 8 pilots among them, Oscar and Laurens, Sven, John [Coutts] and Uli [Schwenk].
“The Magalies SGP will take place at Orient airfield which lies at 5100ft/1500m AMSL. Orient is situated approximately 50km west-northwest of central Johannesburg and 65km southwest of central Pretoria. ”
More later !

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LS 1-f Neo.

Not long ago I wrote about this club class glider and now a team of “wise men” has made the choice on March 22 , to “give”  the glider for a year to Mathias Arnold.
The OLC has a department called the Young Eagle Speed Cup and  the wise men,…Rainer Rose ,{OLC} Holger Back {DG}and Gerd Peter Lauer awarded this glider for a year to Mathias , good on him and good luck in it!!!!
The full story is on the OLC news.
http://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/segelflugszene/singlenews.html?news=2267

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Last but not least……
A great flight by Bert Schmelzer jr. on April 9

Bert jr who lives in Zurich had a remarkable flight in his 18 m. ASG 29.Here is his story and his pictures.

“Yesterday we had here one of the best early-April-days EVER.
For that reason I set and out and return from Hausen to nearly Noetsch and back.
In the beginning it was blue, but in the neighborhood of Calanda the first small clouds popped up.
With the wings fully loaded with water , climbing was not easy, but I hoped for the forecasted SUPER weather on the South side of the Alps.
Flying into the Engadin ,there was a gigantic jump in base from 3000 to 4200 m and the lift doubled!!!

Via the South slopes from the Vintschgau it was easy till past Meran and then North of Bolzano direction Dolomites. Flying from my homefield at Hausen, I have never been there before and it is for sure the most beautiful part of the Alps; Sella Ronda,Cortina d’Ampezzo,…. just amazing!!!

 Dolimieten – Cortina d’Ampezzo

Via a small convergence- line I flew into the Gailtal and slowly the base dropped from 3700 to 2300 direction TP.
Because I made up  time during the flight,- after the slow start -, my timing to continue the flight was comfortable, but not over-comfortable.

Gailtal – The TP is at the top of the mountain to the right of the yaw-string/”piefje”.

Decision time: at 150 km. from home I had in principle, enough reserve height for the final glide, over the high mountains of Garnerland…..even with the snow storm.

Doing that I would not fly an 800 km free distance, but,….in the West I could still see nice cumuli. The decision was easy,…I flew home  over Sedrun-Disentis-Altdorf .

In between it was 18.30 and due to the heavy snow the cumuli disappeared one by one. The sun was low as well.
Just on the moment I feared that it would be a long glide back to the airfield of Bad Ragaz, a tiny cumulus built up ,on the slope I wanted to try, before returning.
Not much later I could turn my “F2” in the “last- good -thermal -of- the -day” for a long final glide direction Hausen Am Albis

What a fabulous day !!!!

Bert

F2 –  just a bit before sunset safely home at Hausen.

Thanks Bert[je]

Bert flew a declared 700km out-and-return!!!!!!!! That day more pilots loved their early April flying;Mathias Schunk flew just under 1000 km. from Koenigsberg in the Quintus M and Benjamin Bachmeier a 600 FAI triangle [675 km.] .
One day later the 1000 km.’s were a fact; Alexander Mueller in the EB 29 with 1.109 km.[698 FAI triangle] from Lesce Bled, Mathias from Koenigsberg in the Quintus M with a  1000 km. [730 Fai triangle] thermal flight and in the Nimbus 4DM 2 pilots flew from Lienz 1026 km.
Oliver Schwenk flew in the ARCUS M “some kind goal flight” from Lienz to Vinon;910 km.
A REAL big area had TOP weather!!!! AND,……….with 1177 flights [on this April 9 ]added to the OLC list , the 2017-season has really started!!!

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