Alphen aan den Rijn Wednesday August 26 2009
The Rieti 18 m. pilots are busy on their last day after 7 competition-days. The last 2 days Ricardo Brigliadori, [ YES the son from ] was “HOT” and won both days. Yesterday he flew the 3 hour AAT with a speed of 148 km. over 461 km. ,the day before a racing task of 465.9 km with 138.4 km. But…today , the last flying day, will be really exciting as top pilot Giorgio Galetto is just 43 points behind him and the number 3 Luciano Avanzini, only 10 points behind Giorgio!!!!WOW!!!!!!
The UK juniorchampionships have started on August 22 in Dunstable. Good to see that the young ones from the JWGC in Rayskala are in the top after 2 days of flying. The UK has not the best weather at the moment, but Will Ellis ASW 15 [1] and Mike Collett standard libelle, [3] are for sure hoping on more days , as these comps go till August 30 and I guess they need at-least 3 or 4 days to make it a competition and to call them winners. Fantastic to see that the UK has 52 !!!!! competitors under 25!!!!!!
Last Sunday, Germany , specially the Berlin area had fantastic weather and pilots from Luesse, flew over 800 km. while one pilot from Burg Feuerstein , where also some of my friends fly, flew 979 km in an ASW 22 and Bayreuth had a great flight from 782 km.
The meteo here says that we have been the last 2 months on the border of very hot weather, that’s why we have sometimes indeed very hot weather but also heavy showers and lots of tough wind. Just to let you know.
Italy,Spain, Greece and Portugal and the South of France are still “bloody hot”! The UK has only 18 dgr. and rain, Finland is not too bad at the moment and Norway has rain as well , specially the south!
Some short news;
In the USA ,a small plane [Piper Comanche] had to land on the highway in California, hitting 3 cars but nobody got insured. The pilot tried his best to “land with the flow of cars in one direction”, but could not handle it correct and arrived on the wrong side.
You would be one of those car-drivers!!!!
In Belgium , a Dutch pilot flying his private Diamond DA40 over the coast line , got problems with his engine and tried to fly back to the airport which he had just left. That seemed impossible so he landed the plane on the sea looking first for a few boats who would be able to help him out. He had read about landings on water , but never dreamed of doing one by himself. Indeed ,the crew on board saved him from the wing he was standing on and all of them including the pilot could see the plane disappear under water!! He stayed calm all the way, but collapsed at Oostende Airport, but left the hospital after a check, the same afternoon. So …you see what can/might happen if you just go for a relaxing afternoon flight, to check the waves .
Cheers Ritz