Post 1.534 on August 25 2024

As every year I visit , just here over the border, the airfield of Balen in Belgium, called KEIHEUVEL.
Can tell you straight away,….I have never seen the field so beautiful GREEN. The rain has been good for gardens and grass.
AND…as you can see too,….good looking clouds for a fun-day.
After they had to cancel Saturday , [due to severe storms , code orange was given for after 6Pm, ] all pilots were back , as they knew it would be good weather.
They fly in 3 classes;
Friendly with 8 pilots, sports class with transponder with 14 pilots and open with transponder with 32 pilots among them Tim and my grand daughter Indya. She is interested in flying comps in the future and Tim is her mentor this weekend.

The start was at 12 exact and they were ready with the 54 gliders at 13.09. I believe they had 5 tuggies.

I was in time for the briefing. As my brother Piet and his wife Saf, could n’t stay too long, we followed the briefing and went to the field to see the launches.

As every year it is a “feast” of recognition. I saw all my friends and more.
One of them Bert. [ van Eyken] I did not recognise him straight away ,but when he told me he was Bert, I knew he had worked for us at Sportavia in 2003. A real nice year with Belgium and Dutch “helpers” as Renate. So long ago and they still have contact. Good to hear Sportavia has been good to them.
Also Tim and Tijl [ both from Keiheuvel] worked for us our were our guest.

It’s always a great pleasure to see the 2 families I know already for so long. The Huybreckx family and the Schmelzer family.

Not all family from Schmelzer this time on the picture, but dad Bert sr. and Tijl .

Another family we know already for ages is the Kaay family. Noud is a junior like Tim and both flew the JWGC in Ostrow.

And then last but not least Indya.
Proud grand ma.
Like her uncle Dennis, who flew his first international competition at this field in 1986or 7, it is now Indya who hopes to fly comps in the future too;

Indya and Tim flew home with the engine, so no winning- mood for her, but she learnt a lot. That’s what it is all about.

Tasks and results;
Friendly; 142.72 km…won by our life-time-keiheuvel-mate Emiel De Wachter in his LS8.. He and his wife , Godelieve, are getting old like I am , but he said he still loves his flying and his eyes start to twinkle.

Sport XPDR; 258.63 km….Dutch junior Lars van Breemen was the winner in a mini lak; 80.39 km./h.

Open XPDR; 285.34 km….The Schmelzer brothers did well. Tijl won with 98.81 km./h in his Ventus 3T and brother Bert jr was runner up with 96.26 km./h They started together but Tijl was back 4 minutes earlier.
Dutch junior Noud in the ASG 29 was 3d. Good on him.

As every year a lovely day-out-with my family, to my soaring family in Belgium.

Tomorrow back with Uvalde. Today they had a rest day!

Cheers Ritz