Swaantje.
R.I.P.
We all knew it was going to happen, we knew we could do what ever we wanted to do , to keep her alive ……. but,…we could only loose against this form of cancer.
The way she fought it, she dealt with it and she shared it with all her mates, made her extra special.
In Benalla I knew this was our last encounter. As I said before it was a miracle to me that she WAS flying there; so fragile, not eating much and still be able to fly under hot circumstances. I guess she had to do it, as she knew as well that this would be her last competition.But still……the determination struck me.What a trooper !!
She loved competition soaring, was a member of the German female team and nearly won the WWGC in France ,when her brakes would have not caused her problems.
She loved Australia .
One of her Aussie mates [ Baldrik Hovood] published this picture from the sculpture at Benalla. I share it too as this is just a beautiful tribute to her.
Farewell Swaantje you can lay your head to rest now, too early , …..but life is not always kind. You will be sadly missed by many!
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Hahnweide 2016.
One of the comps Swaantje might have flown, would have been the 50 thiest edition of the HAHNWEIDE competition at Kirchheim Teck, HOME OF SCHEMPP-HIRTH.
They started last Friday with a practice day, with 117 competitors in 4 classes; shared over standard, 15 m,. 18 m., open class and 2-seaters. Unfortunately the weather was not always kind during the first days . The first 2 days for open and 2 seater class had to be cancelled.
Till now they flew in the other 3 classes 2 out of 5 days.BUT today seems to be GOOD!!!!!
That Friday,as it was so close by anyhow, former world champion Bert Schmelzer jr, flew the latest “ship” from Schempp-Hirth the Ventus 3 and straight away made the longest flight till now in it;700 km. and with a speed 126 km./h.
great practice, next day he flew for the comps his ASG 29 E again.
In his OLC comment he praised the new glider; ”
—“Thank you for the opportunity to fly this amazing glider.
During the first 10 seconds I already felt at home in the well designed cockpit.
Thermalling is easier than ever before and cruising underneath strong energy lines is a shear joy with this agile racing machine.
Congratulations with your new flagship.—“
Patrick Puskeiler started the comps in the ARCUS T with a first flight for the season and straight away an unforgettable one flying over the Jura area, over the Alps , the Vogesen, Schwarzwald and the Alb. Sightseeing at it’s best !744 km.
Flying day 1 had tasks between 187 and 250 km.
In St Class Andreas Belz was just ahead of UK pilot Howard Jones; 627 for 622 points, both flying a Discus 2 A. Australian mate Adam Woolley finished on spot 8 in an 15 m. LS 8.
13 From 26 finished. Not all pilots at the field had finished but returned of bad incoming weather.
15 m; the 229 km. were flown by 6 of the 10 pilots in this class.A pity for the girls Katrin [Senne] and Stefanie [Muhl] , they only got 34 and 36 points, whilst the winner Stefan Lichtmannecker “got” 784.
18 m; Reinhard Schramme is still a pilot to keep an eye on. He won day 1 in the 18 m. Ventus 2CXA. 657 points. French pilot Christophe Abadie was runner up for the day.[ASG 29E/18m.] 12 From 36 finished.
Flying day 2 on Sunday May 1; ” labor-day”. With a morning still grey and wet, but hope for better circumstances.
“NO LABOR ” for the pilots as in flying, as the day was cancelled for all classes.
Flying day 2 on Monday May 2. AND,..the first flying day for open and 2-seaters and WHAT day; 533 km. and 394 km.
And not bad either; 390, 394 and 490 km. for st., 15 m. and 18 m.
14 from 15 in open managed to fly the long distance. Best speed was 114 km./h.in a Nimbus 4 M.
23 teams started for the 349 km. and finished. GOOD! Best speed 121 km./h in the ARCUS T.
Yesterday was cancelled for all classes but the forecast was good for the next day.
For today the message after briefing was; “Good morning! Briefing is over. We are expecting a fantastic flying day with lifts between 2.5 – 3.4 m/s. Cloudbase over the Alb up to 2400m.”
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KLIX.
Another top competition at the same time flown from Klix, the 24th edition with a fabulous first day last Friday; cloud-streets over 500 km.
First launches straight at 12 last Friday and within an hour all pilots in 4 classes were airborne.
433 km. on this first day for the 26 pilots in open class and a Dutch winner Hadriaan van Nes in his 18 m. JS 1.
In St class 33 competitors and a great first day for the LS 8’s; 1-5 for LS 8 !
Club with 30 pilots had a 213 km. task and Sabrina Vogt in the St Libelle won the day.
22 In the 2-seater class and best for the day; a Polish ARCUS M.
Day 2; Last April day.Saturday with booming conditions and 470 for the open class pilots. Booming turned out not too booming and only 7 from 22 finished. Among them 2 Dutch pilots Hadriaan and Tim Kuijpers former JWGC Champion.
339 for standard and again good places for Dutch pilots. Most of them don’t fly there for the first time. Sjaak Selen was the daily winner and Tims mother Frouwke was one of the finishers. Good on her, as only 17 from 33 finished!!
In club 26 from 30 finished so a good day for all of them.
415 km. for the 2 seaters was in the end TOO much. Only 6 from 24 made it home.
Sunday May 1;day 3. In 1 hour and 14 minutes all 116 gliders were up in the air.
Open class; Helge Liebertz in the ASH 25 with 2 Dutch pilots as runner up; Robert Werts on spot 2 in the Nimbus 3D and Hadriaan who had a good day again on spot 4 in the JS 1. A 2.30 AAT was set.
Standard had a 3.30 AAT and best distance combined with time was flown in an LS 8;319 km. in 3.36.
3 Hour AAT in club and Sabrina in the St Libelle had the best score ;1000 points for 268 km. in time 3.26.
2 Hour AAT for the 2 seaters and 600 points for the ARCUS M with call sign WK.
Monday May 2; Day 4….another flying day !!! Great weather there in good old Klix.
AAT’s from 2.30, 3 and 3.30 were set. The 3.30 was for the 2 seaters and nearly all finished.
Yesterday, day 5, another good soaring day.3.30 in open class, 2.30 in Standard and club and 3 for the 2 seaters.
Today is neutralized as yesterday during landing an accident happened with one of the female pilots. Sadly enough she did not survive it. TRAGIC. As I read, only 21 years old.
TOO many incidents AND EVEN WORSE accidents this season and it only just begun !!!!!
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Usman,…Russia.
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Nice to see a QSGP flown from the new airfield at Usman in Russia. Even nicer to see that all pilots fly a JANTAR.
” Just ” a Jantar or a St Jantar or St. Jantar 2 or 3.
The PR machine started straight away with the introduction of the pilots and certainly toppers like many-times-world- champion Sebastian are fabulous ” PR TOOLS.”
Sebastian inside with Sergey Klyuev and outside with press and TV, ….and not yet the best weather.
Among the pilots who started on May 1 as did Sebastian, other names as Petr Krejcirik and Petr Panek from Czech Rep and Jakub Pulawski from Poland.
The only participating Russian pilot I know is Dmitriy Timoshenko.
Day 1 was a day with several penalty points and Sebastian who won , but no points were given.
The next day was cancelled.
Day 2 yesterday was again for Sebastian but this time with 10 points. Petr was runner up with 8 points.
The first 10 points in the pocket for Sebastian.
As shared by the organizers.
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Gauteng Regionals.
Oscar in the new ASG 32 MI with Martin Attwell.
Shared by Jason Adriaan.
Day 4 was on and a small, just under 200 km. task was set in open class. Not many points to gain but still 420 for a nice speed by John [Coutts] of 127 km./h.
Day 5 was better . 376.76 was set . After 4 days John [ JS 1] and Oscar top the list with a marge of less than 150 points, so everything was possible.
All 8 pilots in open started and finished and best was Mike Barenbrug in the 18 m. Ventus 2CM; 607 points for a speed of 125.65 km./h.
Oscar was 2d and John 3d. He still leads the overall scores with 99 points now on Oscar.
Day 6 was for John and s the last day was cancelled the pilots knew who were the winners of this regional competition; John Coutts in open , Wayne Schmidt in 15 m., and Mark Howse in club.
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OLC flights.
Pretty special the flight in Japan [Kakuda] from Takeshi Saito on the last day of April; 909 km. in a Discus BT. Have a look at his track, flying over the island with a sea to the left and right.
One day earlier a few 1000 k’s in Germany, one of them a 1000km FAI triangle; good on Alexander Mueller in the EB 29, flying from Bayreuth.
Swiss pilot Daniel Rossier flew 1.120 from Yverdon in Switzerland in the ASH 31/21 m.
May 1; great weather in Finland and 620 km. in an ASW 20 by Kristian Roine.
May 2; Great weather over Holland with 500 km. flights!
May 3; 1000 km. from Locarno by Swiss junior Davide in the St Cirrus. “763 km 3 TP flight declared for the badge”
Also in Holland TOP weather with a 726 in a St Cirrus by runner up at the last JWGC Robin Smit.
Even 939 km. was possible yesterday from Holland, after WORK so a relative late styart at 12by Mark Leeuwenburg . As Mark said; ” Never had such a day in Holland” . He even claims that 1100 would have been possible.
For some pilots in Holland it was a first 300,500 and 600 km.!!!
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Still not well. Sorry !
Cheers Ritz