[Leo sent me a Merry Christmas email yesterday and I thought I would share it with our readers. — WE]
Jonker Sailplanes has had a relatively good year with steady production of JS1 Revelations for customers worldwide, numerous JS1 pilots having contest success, and many fabulous OLC flights. The manufacturing year ended in mid-December with a celebration for all JS staff in Potchefstroom, South Africa.
Thirty Three (33) JS-1 sailplanes have now been delivered to customers around the world the graphic below shows where each glider is located as of December 2011.
33 JS Gliders Worldwide as of Dec 2011 (click to enlarge)
A key development activity for 2011 is the Jet Sustainer engine which is shown in the graphic below. First flight for the Jet Sustainer engine was September 7th, 2011.
Jet Sustainer First Flight (click to enlarge)
The JS-1 continues to deliver. One one is highlighted below in this beautiful picture of Ronald Termaat finishing in the 2011 Dutch Nationals.
Ronald Termaat, Winner Dutch Nationals, 2011 (click to enlarge)
Please see the presentation below which captures a portion of the end-of-year presentation as shown during the gathering. The file shows glider movements, the new jet sustainer, New Zealand certification, the Helli-Lasch Challenge, and contests from December 2010 through the end of 2011. Serial production numbers are now well into the 30’s and the production backlog is stable going into 2012.
The South African Nationals ended this week with some spectacular competition flying. No fewer than ten JS1 sailplanes flew in the combined 18m/Open class – with all 10 taking the top-ten positions. First place went to South African pilot Oscar Goudriaan, followed by Dutch pilot Ronald Termaat (trailing by only 1 point after many days of racing!), and third place went to Danish pilot Arne Boye-Moller. The caliber of pilots was noticeably high (including four WGC gold medalists and two silver medalists) with participation from over seven countries. See www.soaringspot.com/
The coming year is shaping up to be action filled. We will attend at the 2012 SSA Convention in Reno, Nevada in early February with a JS1 Revelation on display and participation in the presentations. We hope to see you there if your travel schedule permits. Preparations are also well underway for the WGC in Uvalde, Texas next July and August. Several pilots have confirmed their participation with JS1’s in the 18m class.
From everyone at JS we wish you and your family a blessed Christmas and a good start to the New Year. Thank you for your continued enthusiastic support of Jonker Sailplanes.
Best wishes, Leo & Jen
Jonker Sailplanes Inc.
Tullahoma Regional Airport
807 William Northern Blvd.
Tullahoma, TN 37388, USA
