MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SAFE 2013 to ALL of you!
What a year it has been! A pretty good one for me, hope for you as well.
See you again in 2013! Here is my last blog from 2012.
The South African Nationals at Welkom did not start too good.
On day 1, high expectations and a 534.2 km. task was set for the 18m/open class pilots, but the best distance flown was 334 km.
The next 2 days were cancelled due to rain.
Soaring-day 2 was a “get-back-in-the-soaring-mood -AAT ” from 2 hours won by NZ pilot John Coutts.
Another 3 cancelled days and THAN it really STARTS!!!!
First a 2.30 AAT in this class and than distances from over 500 km. and 600 km. to go back to a 2 hour AAT, on soaring-day 6, a 2.30 AAT on 7 both due to storms hanging around and on the last day number 8 a set task from 413 km..
That day -6 -AAT was a fast one, as Oscar flew around with a speed of nearly 170 km./h.;337 km in 2 hours and 1 minute, what do you want more. Must have been a great final glide!
The “fight” was between Oscar Goudriaan in the JS 1-C and Natalie Luebben in her ASH 25, a frequent flyer in South Africa, but from Germany flying from Lüsse.[Berlin] It all depended on the last day, where they had only a difference in points of 62. Oscar’s brother Laurens mixed in the fight as well being 3d on the last- bu-t one- day -overall, but still nearly 200 points behind Natalie.
So the last day was won by Oscar, with a speed of 145.6 km./h. [total score 6590] Natalie was 2d with 136.6 on the clock [total score 6509] and John Coutts was 3d also overall [6262] , just pushing Laurens from his 3d place over all.[6197] It turned out to be a nice competition with still 8 days out of 13!
Oscar, winner of the SA 18m./open Nationals at Welkom in his JS 1-C.
Not al lot of Eurpean pilots know her , but most USA pilots do, Sarah Kelly Arnold , who runs with her husband Jason the airport from Chilhowee. When I met Sarah in Uvalde, where she was the only female tuggie, I had only heard about her via Frauke Elber who told me that soaring-fans had donated money in a fund , enough to let her participate in the WGC in Chaves and even in the WWGC in Issoudun in 2013 in France. So my first thought was she must be a nice and popular young lady! She turned out to be one!
I found such a donation an example of love and care from our soaring world and was touched by it. And I am not the only one!
The Sarah fund is enough for her to go to Argentina because of a lot of trading between the US and Argentine Teams and because Jason and she are cutting costs by camping on the field.
Some generous US pilots even allowed their gliders to be used at Uvalde to help with trading power.
These pilots were, as I heard : Juan Mandelbaum, John Godfrey, Tom McKnight, and Leo Benetti-Longhini. Many others offered time, crewing, vehicles, etc at Uvalde.
Because of all of this they will have some money left over for Issoudun and with Brian & Gillian Spreckley loaning her their Libelle, she can make it to WWGC as well.
Running a soaring business and I know that by experience , is absolutely fabulous, it’s a great life- style, you get to know a lot of interesting people, but you will never get rich from it and …it is HARD working to do it well. On the end of a busy season you are worn out but very satisfied certainly when everything gets well and the season was without damage!
And last week Sarah shared her happiness on being the owner-operator via FB and for those who are not on FB and I know there are a lot, I share her news with you, as we are all soaring friends anyhow.
—“Happy Wright Brothers day everyone. Nine years ago today [ December 17] I stood on the sand at Kitty Hawk and made a crazy decision – to accept the management position at Chilhowee Gliderport. What a ride it’s been so far and I know many more wonderful experiences to come.—“
So HAPPY 9th anniversary and good luck to her in the future at Chilhowee [Tennessee]AND at the WGC and the WWGC.
And,…to clarify a bit more. 9 Years ago she accepted a position of management at
Chilhowee Gliderport. She actually called to accept from Kitty Hawk at the 100th
anniversary of flight celebration. Then in Sept 2004 she became owner after
managing for the first 8 months of 2004. She seems to do a great job as I only heard enthusiastic remarks about her and the business. remarks as “Chilhowee rocks because of you”!
For more news and nice pictures www.chilhowee.com
Sarah in the ASW 20 and Sarah and Jason with the crop duster which changed in a tug!!
And,….I had the next text from Elke which I just received and add;
—” when she came to Chilhowee, she had no glider experience whatsoever. But within
a few years she had progressed from a novice to a Diamond pilot and instructor
and now to a world class competition pilot. I have followed her progress over
all these years and I am absolutely smitten by what she has done. On the way she
has gotten almost every WSPA scholarship she has been qualified for. And as you
mentioned the Sarah Fund drive was abolutely amazing. In one year we got $11 600
for her. I can’t thank the soaring community enough for its generosity.—“
To finish this last blog of the season some pictures I got from Jörgen, who travels next year to Stonefield .
One of the high lights from 2012 for me , was Uvalde and these pictures are from the majestic CONCORDIA from Dick Butler in Uvalde. The PROJECT of the last years and ready in 2012.Enjoy!
Courtesy Jörgen Thomsen
[ click to enlarge once, than you get a small picture click again and you don’t know what you see!]
On the end of this year a huge THANK YOU to Bill and Rand from our Soaringcafe, as when the Uvalde organizers could not use/want me because they thought they had somebody else,[ later when they found out their deal was no deal, they asked me , but I was otherwise occupied then as you know, but we still offered them a co-operation to promote Uvalde in the best way possible!!!] Bill and Rand invited me to come to Uvalde, a journey I would not have liked to miss for the world. I did NOT know them , only via internet but the click- of -soaring was just fabulous as we turned out to be soul mates, Carol, Bill’s wife included.
Carol, Bill and Rand with me.
CU next year in 2013 another exciting year I hope. For all other news from last week you can read www.soaring.eu
Celebrating Christmas tonight with my family. Ready for it, cheers Ritz.
