Alphen aan den Rijn Wednesday February 1 2012
ritzdeluy@hotmail.com www.glidinginternational.com www.soaringcafe.com
While the first containers are leaving or have left their overseas destinations, Europe is in the grip of King Winter.Sadly enough over 50 people died from the icy conditions in Poland and Ukraine.
In Holland they all jump up and down and the 11-town-skate-marathon in Friesland is on everybody’s lips. Will it finally happen again? An “Elf-steden tocht”??? The “fever” is already here after 3 days of frost.
Ice-speed -skating and fun-skating on canals , lakes and whatever can freeze in the top from Holland. One of the most well known and loved “parties” in Holland; as skating goes parallel with great fun, be part of it, drinking, singing, dancing and everybody who cheers on will be in orange. You surely have seen it at “normal” speed skate events. This one is not “normal” so it is even “worse” but so good!!!!
Did we have till now a very mild and generous winter the last day from January changed that with below 0 all day and up to -6 in the night. It will continue this week with minus 13 in the night and with the wind chill factor it will feel as – 20, so is announced!!!!
I “see ” friends in Scandinavia , East Europe and Canada “smile” about me and these temperatures, but I find it cold, too cold!
I was touched by some remarks from pilots who have not been in Tocumwal for a longer time and are back now unexpectedly for the multi class Nationals.
—-Great to see everyone getting involved to help set up camp at Toc, and nobody complaining… But a bit sad to see the state of the once-fabulous Sportavia Soaring Centre. We thought of you, Ritz!–”
Paradise around the WW2 hangar has changed in a sad and desolate environment with too high grass and dead trees, on a spot where in the past ” mostly ” happiness was and great soaring, good food, lot’s of laughter , enthusiastic jumps in the pool and nice to very nice accommodation at the spot. If necessary you could stay there for weeks without leaving the field.
But that’s the past and we live NOW….Eddie and Sheryl from Sportaviation and Ingo and Judy from the SRGC kept soaring alive in Tocumwal and new hangars, a very nice caravanpark and the ” good old feeling from the past” and not to forget the fantastic soaring-weather and the quick connection to the N. where it is dry and sunny, but a bit “empty” with however HUGE paddocks to land in, if necessary, make soaring still to great fun .
Enough guests for the small scale commercial operation {Eddie and Sheryl run it together with a tuggie this year Petr and in holidays and weekend the help from Jake and when necessary an extra instructor Rolf } and the club with about 70 members has grown enormously, where other clubs suffer.
Can only hope for the real Tocumwal weather to make everybody happy during the Nationals.
Good luck to all and enjoy!
Tocumwal WW2 hangar hidden behind too high grass and some dead trees.[2010]
After one practise day the game starts tomorrow. Some pilots have been there quite a lot and know the area as their “trouser pocket”, some have never been there focused on Narromine and now have to focus on TP’s etc from the Tocumwal area.
But…during the practise day today with 2.30 AAT’ s up to 410 km. it seems to have gone smoothly.
Gerrit Kurstjens flew 300 km in open class in 2.33 with speed 117.6 km./h. .
In 18 m. Tom Claffey won with 343 km and a great speed of 132km/h.
In 15 m. Terry Cubley flew his LS 3 over 318 km with also a nice speed of 121 km./h. and in standard class good old Miles Gore Brown flew 309 km with speed 124 km./h. The young, new fresh 1000 km pilot Matthew Scutter from Adelaide, was 3d! [303 km with speed 118.6 km./h] You can call that good practise certainly when you see that some pilots got penalty points for missing start points etc. Better today then tomorrow!!!
In between the “normally ” last comps/coachingweek of the season in Australia, called the Horshamweek has started as well. Tony Tabart flies Horsham for the 45 st time and for that reason he can’t compete in Tocumwal where he was an instructor for gliding in the far, far past!! for all the news about the Horsham coaching week [now] and the comps [ starting on Febr 4 till 11] www.horshamweek.org.au
From Matamata 25 pilots are flying the multi Nationals in New Zealand in 2 classes. After 2 days of flying and one day rest due too too late good circumstances , I was pleased to see that Tony van Dyk, who I met at a few WCG’s in the far past is still flying so good. He is 3d at this stage in the combined standard class. Lyndsay Stephens was on spot 1 overall EVERY day! He won todays task; 282 km with a speed of 142 km./h.
In open class [combined] Patrick Driessen , also with a very Dutch name tops the overall list after being 5th and winning a day.Still on top today but the winner Alan, flew 308 km. with 143.4 km./h!!!!!!
One of the soaring fields I visited in the 2010/11 season in NZ on the N.Island.
Matamata is on the N. Island as well.
Talking about NZ , here is a link I received from friends in Australia about the selling of a book for charity. Should have published it last Sunday. When you are interested just follow the rules.
Folks,
I have a pre-loved copy of Philip Wills’ “Free as a bird” published in 1973 in very good condition that needs a new home with the proceeds going to charity. I’ll sell it via a Gliding-Bay (gBay) auction and here are the rules:
1. Auction starts today and ends at 6pm AEST on Monday 6th February 2012.
2. Opening bid is $1 and subsequent bids need to be in whole dollars.
3. Place your bid by replying to this email. Uninterested list-members can automatically delete emails with this subject.
4. The person with the highest bid at the close of auction will donate their pledged amount to Lymphoma Australia via this link https://secure3.everydayhero.com.au/event/directdonationlymphoma/donate/1075
5. Email me your donation receipt with your mailing address and I’ll pay the postage and send you the book.
Happy bidding.
Best regards,
Patrick Barfield
The end of January showed after all the long flights a bit of a dip with only 18 flights registered on the OLC on January 30 and even less on January 31 with 15!!!! But with Horsham week and the Tocumwal Nationals it will be up tomorrow again on February 1.
To finish a nice picture from Catherine Conway via Glider forever .Cu you on Sunday Ritz
“The old and the new” by Catherine Conway.
AND
her reaction .
—“Thanks they are both my gliders. The front one is a Nimbus 4DM which I hire to Fly Down Under at Stonefield South Australia. The glider behind is an ES52 Kookaburra wooden two seater trainer built in 1960 by Edmund Schneider Ltd. The same company that designed the Grunau Baby before relocating to Australia.–“