No “news” for the die-hard readers as they expect it , but ….every year I visit one of my favorite soaring fields, this one close by in Belgium; the KEIHEUVEL. This weekend they fly there for the FLANDERS SOARING CUP 2019. This is a competition over 2 days here at the Keiheuvel , and from 3 different airfields in 3 different time frames.
These regional comps have been flown already as the Kempen Cup [ 4 day’s in Mai] , Kiewit Cup [ weekend of June 8,9 and 10] and always as last one the KEIHEUVEL CUP in August.[24/25]
It’s a feast of meeting new and long time friends, with long and short talks and to hear the latest from pilots and friends back from everywhere during this summer.
It was a hot day, blue and for the first time in my life I “felt” the 30 dgr. C on an open field.
owned by Jeroen Jennens parents, were we had great mussels in white wine and superb cooked meat in red-wine-sauce. Great spot.
As Diana was there to fly her Discus 2T/18m. …which by the way is for sale as she bought a JS 3… and George to crew for her , I had an easy drive and was in time for the briefing. It’s just half an hour of driving.
41 Pilots were ready to listen what their task would be for the day;198 km. for the open transponder planes….149 for the sport transponder gliders and for those without transponder a flight from 97 km within Belgium.
There were 3 tuggies.
30 dgr. C does n’t mean start and straight up in the air as you know. So a sniffer was send to see what the conditions were.
Eddie [Huybreckx] came to me to ask if I wanted to fly the sniffer flight…eheh, when,…eheh now….eheh with whom…with me was his answer and I straight said” yes I come.” NO time to think, as it was more around 25 years ago that I had been in a glider and more than 50 years ago that I had been flying myself.
That flight then was in a Blanik with good old Bill Harvie. He had to ferry the glider back from a Sportavia-camp at Mount Beauty behind the Scout VH- SFO.
A picture from that Scout by the way is put by grandson Dexter in my blog, so you see it every time you open it. Yesterday I flew in an ASK 13.
Courtesy Pieter Daems.
Unfortunately there were no thermals at that time so the launches were postponed to 13.45.
Then the temperature was reached and,…. it was “booming” ,up to 1700 m. BUT,…it was also a day from up, with great thermals and down with nearly “nothing”. Not very reliable clouds.
So out-landings as well.
16 from 28 in open class were back, the rest was out somewhere in a paddock or back “on steam” .
Diana was the last one in this class to make it home.
Best were father and son Rudy and Jeroen Jennen in the Duo Discus; 93 km./h. As son Jeroen proudly mentioned; “My dad still knows how to do it!”
I guess Rudy was in a hurry, as he knew he had to cook for us and not only for us !!! Ha ha.
Jeroen flew with dad as Wim Akkermans was “on duty’ as scorer.
As shared by Sofie.
Robin Smit was runner up and he did well in the LS 8 from his club. He had good news!!!
From October till April he will be based in NEW ZEALAND at OMARAMA. He has been “hired” as ground crew. I guess he will love it there in the wave paradise and they will “love” him as he is just such a nice young guy.
4 Pilots in the sport class and 2 finished and 8 in the “friendly” class and also here 2 finishers. Tijl Schmelzer ,who flew himself in open, had offered to “help/support” as coach in this class.
In between time to talk and catch up on news:
Enough news as I was surprised to hear that during the JWGC , teams seem to have used a ground team as in the Formula 1 car races , to check data and that way send their pilots to the best lift.
Not my idea of soaring. And..so think more people as..,..it won’t happen next time I heard, as rules will be changed.
And sad news as one of the better female Dutch competition pilots in the past, Lia de Jong died age 85. Lovely lady!
Johan Lemmens was at the Keiheuvel for the 37th time!!
He flew the BENELUX comps in the past and nowadays the KEIHEUVEL Cup.
After the flights and retrieves there was a BBQ for over 100 friends and between 10 and 11 PM “Happy hour” in the KEI.
As we wanted to go home in time, we had a great meal in the Kei and had left before they all went there.
day 2 ;
Briefing at 10.30 so very relaxed.
Today they have to fly ; 77 km in the friendly class, 208 in the sport class and in open 203 km.
I stayed home and OUT of the sun. We have the 3d heatwave here in Holland in the 2019 summer and we have never had one so late in the season.
What happened in open class?
Bert and Tijl left together at 15. 22 which was rather late and finished together at 5 PM. . Bert was faster, but with the handicap for his Ventus 3 he has to fly fast and furious and 125 km./h was only 2 km./h better than Tijl.
Daan Spruyt flew both days very good in his ASW 27 , 8th on day 1 and 2 on day 2.
Diana did well, flying both day’s for a ” consistent middle” spot [17 and 16 from 28.
All today starting pilots [26] finished, as it turned out a real nice day with better thermals.
Final scores for this weekends Keiheuvel Cup in open class :
1. Bert Schmelzer in Ventus 3 with 1.024 points.
2. Daan Spruyt in ASW 27 with 1.017 p.
3. Tijl Schmelzer in Ventus 2CT/18 m. and Robin Smit in the LS 8 with 1009 p. so equal points for . Good on him as he still is a junior.
All points very close but luckily not ONE point.
Courtesy George.
In the sport class Peter Bertels and Frederic de Groote both in the nice little Libelle were on both day’s number 1 and 2.
So also in the final scores;
1. Peter with 1.271 points.
2. Frederic with 1.260 p.
Courtesy George
In the” friendly ” class day 1 was won by Bernand Botman in LS 4 and the second day by Team van den Bosch/Derre in G 103 TwinII.
1. Van den Bosch/Derre with 166 points.
2. Gert Jan Andries in LS 4 with 157 p.
3. Nand Geuens with 144 in DG 400
4. Bernand with 143 p.
Courtesy George
Mind you; these are NOT the final scores from the Flanders Soaring Cup 2019 . All scores from the 3 events together will be the final score and I do not have them now. When I have them I will share them.
EXTRA prizes;
THE ALBERT SCHMELZER MEMORY TROPHY is for Robin, as best junior.
With Bert sr. Robin and in the back CD Robbie Seton.
Courtesy George
and
for his 37th participation Johan Lemmens was put in the center of attention as well.
As always a great day out to catch up and a good weekend for all who were there in tents and caravans.Will be there again next year. With another diary-story!
Cheers Ritz
As shared by Pieter.