Alphen aan den Rijn    Sunday April 17 2011     ritzdeluy@hotmail.com

  tugs ready to go in 2006 ;courtesy   Johan Ersson.

When I finished my blog last Wednesday , I could see already the most beautiful cumulus clouds!!! Were those the ones making the UK pilots happy one day earlier????
The real ones!!! High and gorgeous for glider pilots. Only not for those,who had to work and for those  who’s gliders are still in the container but …….they are out now as well, since last Friday, so for the weekend they can rig their glider and go and taste the Dutch, Spanish , German and Scandinavian skies  again.
The Prievidza container is already back in Slovakia, as some pilots fly the FCC,  the 2011 Flight Challenge Cup at Prievidza.

One of the  pilots from Holland Jeroen Koole  was one of the lucky ones and able to fly that day. He loved it,  though he mentioned, that there were some small showers , over development in the East and a breezy wind from the NW. But also cloudstreets and small but strong lift. I saw those “streets”  on TV in the evening, going to far into France and Germany.
Jeroen flew 568 km. Good on him!!!! So the first 500 km. flights in ” flat-as-a-pancake-Holland” are a fact!!!!
In between the kilometer-eaters are awake as well and started their season. Guy from Luxembourg with 820 km. and Uwe from Germany with 689 km. are some of them.
Also Giorgio Galetto had a great day with NEARLY 1000 km from Trento , while Alberto Sironi flew  5 new Italian records in his 1.297 kmflight over the mountains starting at Calcinate del Pesce in the Ventus 2CT/18m.
Young German pilot Patrick Puskeiler , prepared himself really well for the Junior World Comps and flew 750 [nearly] from the famous field in Germany at  Hahnweide .
Talking about practise for the JWGC , young Jeroen Jennen  had a superflight as well from Keiheuvel in Belgium;471 km in an LS 7 and he was grateful to the Dutch CTR  at Eindhoven giving him permission to fly through nice areas in the zone with good lift. 
You can see if you “belong” to Facebook a 3-minute-part of his flight from April 13 on this medium.
 Rosamond Skypark is still in the news as , again, Jim Payne made a super- wave- flight from 1.303 km in an ASW 27 !!!!
And …a happy moment for a Japanese pilot after all the worries in Japan, and those worries are not over yet. He had a nice day flying 647 km from Nagano, in a DG 500 /22 m.

On Friday and Saturday,  the weather was still good. Lienz added new 1000 km. flights  to their list , in a DG 600, also good to mention a 929km. in a DG 200/17m., but flat-as-a-pancake Holland had a 694 km,. again by Jeroen Koole in the discus B and Edo Kwant, flew in the Ventus 2CT even more;715 km. And it shows clearly that the weather is pretty good everywhere with OVER 1000 flights on the OLC; 1405 !!!!!! The season 2011 is hot till now !!!!

Some competition pictures in between this time from Per Carlin during the WGC 2006.

The comps in Prievidza with 85 competitors in 3 classes, had after 2 soarable days , 4 cancelled ones.On Friday they were flying again with 3 hour AAT’s in all 3 classes. In 15 m class both days 2 LS 8 gliders were upfront. 280 and 340 km. were the AAT’s in 3 hours. Sebastian flew 351 km.,  but used 12 minutes more then the winners.
In club class 2 [former?] juniors were good; Miloslav Cink won yesterday and Vitautas was 6th.
On day 5 , TODAY, pilots in 15 m class got a 608 km. task! The great weather must have reached them as well.Not bad!!!
The mixed class got a 752 km and club class 510.

The comps in Thiene in Italy  do not have the super weather as pilots had on other places in Italy. No more flying days for the club class nationals till……. Friday and Saturday .And still small tasks , under 200 km., with devaluated scores, but Vittorio is doing a great job being JUST ahead of world champion Stefano.Last day today with 35 points to catch up for Stefano, but I know Vittorio is a topper as well.

The Dalby Big Air, we are talking hang gliding now in Dalby. Jonni and Jon Durand sr. are having a ball being after 3 flying days 1 and 3 in the total scores. On that 3d day they were first and second!!!!
 Both fly Moyes Light speed. Good to see that former Sportavia managers Tove and Grant Heany are back in the top of  the competition sport of hang gliding. After 3 days Grant was 4th and Tove 18th in the general scores.
Even better to see is , that after having a problem with his leg, Nathan who worked for Sportavia as well,is back in a competition. Good on him!!! Nathan was at spot 20 after 3 days. Nathan and Sue were so kind to take care of my cat Denim when I left Australia and I was more then grateful for that. Denim died after a great live 2 years ago at age 12.
After 5 days, the comps finished with  the “Durands”  on spot 1 and 2, is n’t that great” ? Grant was 6th , Tove on spot 15 and Nathan on 22 from the 39 participants.
Davis Straub is THE editor of the hang glider world and you can find his stories in  “The Oz report”, the international hanggliding website and forum. [www.ozreport.com]

Last Friday [our] instructor for many years in Tocumwal Don, was remembered in a ceremony after being cremated already a few days earlier amongst family and close friends. And as I expected many, many visited the service for him in the Tocumwal Bowling club . Around 150, friends ,some travelled to Tocumwal from Melbourne remembered his life with a drink. Also Rotary, Lion’s Club and Kiwani’ members , Don was a member from all of them, paid their respect, as well as lot’s of glider pilots from Sportavia in the past.
Flowers for him and for Kees.

        Today would have been the 65th birthday of Kees Musters!
Kees was world champion gliding  in Hobbs New Mexico and one of the more well known Dutch glider pilots. He also was our family friend.Kees died during a hang-glider accident in the mountains of France in December 1987. A day to remember him.

Cu you on Wednesday, Ritz