UK and Polish Nationals... Dutch Nationals with a 700 km. task today... Jena Cup... Hahnweide... and the birth of a baby girl!
UK and Polish Nationals... Dutch Nationals with a 700 km. task today... Jena Cup... Hahnweide... and the birth of a baby girl!
HOT news first! As far as I can remember a 700 km. task has never been set in Holland during a National Competition. It happens today with a 702 task for open class with lot’s of 18 m. gliders in it, a 524 for club class no peanuts either and 624 for the combi-men. [no women in this class]
a 700 km.-day during a competition IN HOLLAND!!!!?!
pictures shared this morning by the organizers.
Another HIGH light; the birth of an gorgeous looking little girl from participant Jeroen Verkuijl and his partner Sandra.He is out of the race but no worries, a first child beats everything!!!!! Congratulations to them.
Jeroen to the left.
courtesy Reint Veldkamp.
The CAE Dutch Nationals are in progress now at Terlet and will finish on May 30.
29 Pilots participate, not too many but still a strong “field”. In a WGC year not everybody has time to fly 2 or 3 comps, but from the 6 Dutch pilots flying in Poland 4 fly now at Terlet ,our National Soaring Center and 1 from 4 pilots, who participate in Finland.Some attend other comps in Europe at the moment as well. The full story on the Dutch Nationals, in an extra Sunday blog today at www.soaring.eu
Next Sunday I will have an extra blog on the CAE Dutch Nationals in the Café, with pictures from top photographer Frans Guise. We will be both at Terlet for a few days!
Morning and evening at Terlet.
Pictures NK organizers and Hinze Osinga.
And some great finishes on day 2 as shared by the organizers.
Courtesy Reint Veldkamp
The Final of the FAI Grand Prix is over, but the next French qualifying Grand Prix in 15 m. will be flown in 2 weeks from Rennes Saint-Sulpice in Bretagne. Preparations are in full swing!
“What a final entry list ! 20 pilots including a World Champion, the three first pilots of the last European Championship in the 15m class, the two first of the last German Championship in the 15m class… and moreover 3 women!“
Of course we will follow them during their race.
Several comps in Europe at the moment. In Germany 97 pilots fly in 3 classes [ club-39 pilots, standard – 31 and 2-seaters-27] between May 21 and 31 for the Jena-Cup 2014.
Fabian Peitz who flew in 2011 his first 1000 km. and the first for Stonefield in Australia, won day 1, over a distance of 261 km. [ speed 86.7 km./h.] in his Std Libelle. In standard class the pilots had to fly 308 km. and most of them did with 3 Discusses in the lead.
In the 20 m. class 272 km.was on the menu for day 1 and 2 ARCUS gliders and a DG 1000 were in the top. Day 2 was cancelled and day 3 had a 2 hour AAT, for the club pilots the other 2 classes were cancelled.Nobody finished but the best pilots still got 118 and 117 points for the flown 116.9 and 116.2 km. Today is a different piece of cake; 405 km. for CLUB!!! It seems great weather everywhere in Europe! 489 km. for standard class and about the same for 20 m.
47 Pilots fly the standard class Nationals in Poland. They finished yesterday and only day 1 was scrubbed.With 6 days and on each day at least a 300 km. even a 402 km. on day 3, it was a great competition. On day 5 they had a task of 369 km. ,but nobody finished.THEY CAME CLOSE THOUGH; 326.2 km. by Tomasz Rubaj in the St. Jantar.
On the last day Tomasz was 88 points behind Lucasz Blaszczyk also in the St. Jantar. Pilots had to go for a 2 hour AAT between 177 min. and 310 km.max.[239.3 km.] Lucasz won and got 630 points for a distance of 268 km in 2.04.He was on spot 1 overall, during the whole competition!!! Tomasz flew 10 km. less and was on spot 9 but remained on spot 2 overall.
The UK Nationals in standard [ 34 pilots] and open class [ 32] started yesterday at Lasham with 103 pilots in 4 classes.Also the regional ‘s are flown parallel. A lot of our former Sportavia guests fly in these Nationals. Great to see Alison Mulder is participating. Good on her! She arrived with her friend who came to fly with us a LONG time ago and whilst waiting she learned at Sportavia how to fly herself with Don and went solo before going home.
Lot’s of TOP pilots, as former world and European champions. For sure a GREAT pleasure to follow them till June 6. They started with 155 km. for standard and 152 k. for open class. It looked a difficult day! IT WAS!!! All tasks were scrubbed in the end. But today they have good weather as well; So on day 1 Standard class goes for 376 km and open for 377 km.
The famous HAHNWEIDE comps started at Kirchheim Teck, place of the Holighaus Schempp Hirth business.A great looking practice day over there and more European top pilots in the air.
Practise day at the Hahnweide
Shared on FB.
http://www.wettbewerb.wolf-hirth.de/
After the opening ceremony on Friday evening the briefing started at 10 AM.yesterday and gliders had to be on the grid before.The weather looked different,…rain.But,…after rain the sun shined.At least they were optimistic: “The sky is still covered, but due to the forecasts we are optimistic.”
As shared by the organizers.
At Hahnweide they fly in 5 classes. Standard class has 23 participants including 1 from Belgium, 1 from Switzerland and 1 from Austria. 15 m. Class has 16 participants among them Wolfgang Janowitsch from Austria flying a Ventus 2A. So does Mac [Ichikawa] who shares one. In 18 m. we see 34 pilots among them the Schmelzer brothers from Belgium and Boerje Erikkson from Sweden.
In open class 28 pilots and my goodness me, a lot of TOPPERS from Germany, Holger Karow, Alexander Mueller and Uli Knaus, but also from several other countries among them the World Champion Laurent Aboulin, in the Quintus M. But also Ronald Termaat, the De Broquevilles from Belgium, the Eders from Austria, Sylvain Gerbaud and Killian Walbrou from France, Ludwig Starkl from Austria, in fact too many to mention.
The 20 m. class has 18 participants and really great to see that Patrick and his brother Arnaud [Stouffs] participate. A few good pilots from Holland as well and don’t underestimate Sigi [Baumgartl not so young anymore but still going STRONG]!!!
Part 1 and part 2 of the grid at Hahnweide as seen by Belgium blogger and photographer Neil Deijgers.
Day 1 turned out not too bad in the end.
In standard class 9 from 23 finished.12 From 15 in 15 m. class and 23 from 34 in 18m. with Belgium pilot Bert Schmelzer jr. as the winner of the day. In open class 15 from 28 and in the 2 seater-class 10 from 18.
Today’s tasks for day 2; standard class; 371 km. 15 m; 391 km. 18 m; 399 km. open class; 425.5 km.and the 2 seaters go for 341 km.
Pictures as shared in the gallery on the site
A much frequented sky today! I wish them all great and safe flights and lot’s of pleasure!
Will be back with an extra blog on WEDNESDAY on the UK Nationals and the Hahnweide, before I travel to Terlet to be part of the last days of the Nationals.
Cheers Ritz
