DMJ… or the German Junior Nationals and…More Pilots Fly in Uvalde

Alphen aan den Rijn Wednesday July 25 2012

ritzdeluy@hotmail.com      www.glidinginternational.com      www.soaringcafe.com

FINALLY good weather, also in the middle of Europe!!!!! And it started already on Sunday with several nice long flights. And … even better… it stays at least till Friday. Today we will have around 30°C  here in Holland.
Was it earlier only Spain or the USA with top weather; now the middle of Europe had happy weather as well. So pilots flew over 1,000 km from Bayreuth in Bayern where they struggled about a month ago to make a valid competition. Not now as several pilots flew big distances and a lot of 750 FAI triangles!!! Loved the 800 km flight from Ludwigshafen in an LS 4WL!

FINALLY over 2.000 flights on the OLC again. Not even ONE day over 1,000 flights in JULY, our summer month till last Sunday with 2,479 .
Even Holland had 111 pilots up in the air, with several distances over 600 km and quite a few 500 FAI triangles. That’s weather!

Yesterday it looked like everybody was in Fuentemilanos. I counted 27 pilots on page one from the OLC, not bad!!! Very familiar names as well. And … another 1,000K for Guy in the new Quintus M, the third of four declared flights in Fuente, not bad either!

Picture courtesy Joop Everse

The practise day was a very good one, great weather also in Stölln where 70 German  junior pilots  meet and fly to see who is the best in standard and club class. Not everybody flew the 281 km racing task, as some tried their glider and the area even over 500 km.

On Monday, no choice; pilots had to fly the task on the first competition day with for standard class a race task from 290 km and for Club, 258 km.
In standard class the winner with 1,000 points was Fabian Siebenwurst with only two points more than Benjamin Bachmeier, who flew, as you surely remember, his first 1,000 last year in Australia. Alexander Späth was 4th.
In club class Felix Bauer in an ASW 15 B got the 1,000 points on day 1. Fabian Peitz, who flew a 1,000 as well in Australia, was 23d today, and another well known pilot and former champion Patrick Puskeiler was 6th in a St. Libelle. Sebastian Nägel was 7th [LS1d].

 

Benjamin and Fabian not in Australia but in a paddock in Germany.
courtesy ; shared from FB and Marco Barth.

On Tuesday “the young ones” had to fly south in blue thermals. Quite a lot didn’t make it home; to be precise NOBODY, except for one pilot who was so lucky to have an engine to bring him home. A pity then, that means 70 outlandings!!!!
Alexander Späth was 2d and “got” 673 points in Standard class and in club class it seems no valid day, as I only see zero points beside the names. Anyway three pilots flew over 100 km and four between 90 and 100 km.
By the way… in France 40 young pilots fly for the French National Junior title—enough young people in soaring.


Nice weather in Uvalde!

Nice weather as well in Uvalde. Noticed that Tom [Claffey – Australia] flew from Garner Field a nice third flight of 582 km. Also Antti [Lehto -Finland] was in the air instead of the great swimming pool belonging to their hotel. He flew 450 km on his first flight in Uvalde and yesterday 507 km. The Trotters, Lisa and Peter [Australia] chose flying as well.

Two Polish pilots flew yesterday 750 km in their Nimbus 4T and 682 in an ASG 29E. Good practise!!
My Dutch mates got their cars, as I read—pretty new ones—and have prepared their gliders to fly. Frans had to rig two open class gliders in the hot sun and fill them with water.
The German team has one of the most “Texan houses” I have ever seen!!! You should see the pictures at:  http://www.daec-segelflug.de/events/12/wmuvalde/

 
Attie and Uys ready to depart on the practise day and…the wingtip from the glider from Bruce to make from 18 m…21 m. A nice surprise for me!!!!
Pictures from the FB site from SA and as requested, I spread the word as well to support them, look at:
http://www.facebook.com/SouthAfricanGlidingTeamUvalde2012

Till the last moment I hoped that Giorgio Galetto would be still able to fly in Uvalde, but I know now that Ricardo Brigliadori will be the only pilot in 18 m class for Italy. That’s life too. Next time again!!!!

Enough news now from Alphen; if nothing VERY special happens, my next blog will be from Uvalde, either from my apartment or from Garner Field.
Soaring-eu continues on Wednesday and Sunday, but ALL Uvalde news will be in my SoaringCafe blog, EVERY DAY. Really looking forward to being back in Uvalde.
And to catch up with EVERYBODY!

Cheers … Ritz CU in /from UVALDE TEXAS!!!!

Hope I survive Heathrow on the morning after the opening of the Olympic Games!!!!!! And…that customs is not going on strike as they want to.
Again www.soaringcafe.com .