Fabulous weather, it’s ” snowing 1000 km.flakes on top of the Christmas tree” !

We had the shortest day of the year here and in a way we can start looking ahead at spring in March, ” only 3 months”  to go.On the other site of the world,…. of course …..it’s the other way around.
The last week just had fabulous weather for overseas pilots! You surely noticed it too. If you were in South Africa or in Namibia, in Australia or in Chile or Argentina,also New Zealand,  it was good everywhere.

Pilots flew 2x 1000 km. flight in one week,  as in Cunderdin in Western Australia where Swain Johnson did so in his ASG 29 and FAI triangles no less! And an ASG 29 is not an EB, you have to work a bit harder to fly one.
Narromine had several over 1000 km. flights and some Czech guests flew 3 in a week.
The first 1000 for the season in Benalla was flown by young Ben Loxton on December 18.
Tocumwal has less good gliders , but distances from over 700 km. as by Anton from Austria in an LS 4 are excellent.Also 845 km.  by Lothar in an ASW 24 is good, as well as 826 in an ASH 26E by Terry.
And last Friday Lisa Trotter FLEW A 1000k. from Toc, starting at 10.20 in the morning via TP’s in the vicinity from Young and Tottenham and she arrived back around 20.30 under a dark sky, welcomed with a cool beer in the Toc. tradition.

Briefing day 2 004

Lisa here in Uvalde.
And her own comment on Friday:
1023km declared triangle on a day far from ideal for 1000km task” 

And what about 1.250 with 142 km./h. in a Discus 2A, by Matthew Scutter from Gawler more to the West of OZ! SUPER!
802 km [779 FAI km] in a KESTREL from Temora is worth mentioning as well.

Also the flight by hang- glider pilot and glider pilot since he learned soaring at Tocumwal around 2004, Attila Bertok in the St. Cirrus from Lake Keepit is worth mentioning;739 km.[FAI 586]

Wave is another story  to fly long distances and it keeps some pilots really busy, as p.e. Jim and Dennis in their DG 1001M, flying 1.606 km. racing over the mountains of Argentina with a speed of 112 km./h.
And even better 1 day later was the news from Chile, where Jean Marc flew 1.900 km with a speed of 151 km./h.in a 15m. version of a DG 808!!!

New Zealand had a nice 410 km with as Jyry from Finland mentioned; a” Cautious exploration, slowly but surely. Thermals with a fair cloudbase, convergence, a bit of ridge even, but no wave (except 10-knot sink) for me this time. Cool Southerly airmass, light SW / W wind. ”
Last week he flew 600 km.

Still a different cup of tea, is Africa even better Namibia, even better Bitterwasser, where the weather is just too good for words, better than where ever in the world . They have their nasty thunderstorms and down drafts/bursts belonging to great strong weather, but look at all those great flights and it is not over yet.

More and more pilots are going there to enjoy these ” HAMMERWEATHER-circumstances” their selves.
Some of my friends from Belgium and the UK are ready to fly there soon and I hope this weather continues for them.
In Bitterwasser pilots fly a 1000  nearly every day as long as they feel fit enough to do so in that heat, but high enough it is nice cool and a better place to be.
Guy Bechtold from Luxembourg is in Bitterwasser since December 3 and flew till now 12 over 1000 km. flights, and a  750 km. with 152 km./h..Two flight were over 1300km.
Same story for Bostjan Pristavec who flew 13 since December 4, with speed up to 144 km./h.and his longest was also over 1.300 km to be precize; .1.320.
Good to see Susanne  [Schoedel]  there as well. One of the 3 girls flying in Uvalde and in the WWGC in Issoudun. By the way, Lisa was one of the 3.Now she flies an 18 m.  Ventus 2 CM in Bitterwasser and on her first declared OLC flight it was ;1.106 km.with 125 km. p/h.

Briefing day 7 005

Susanne here in Uvalde at the WGC.

The South African Nationals at Welkom finished with 9  days and mostly fantastic weather too. Even on the off-days,  the weather turned out so good that a 2 hour AAT could be flown in full ; 310 km.  with 155 km./h. That ‘s what they called a ” bad”  day! But storms were ” looking”  around the corner, you had to be careful.
The winners are in 18m/open Uys Jonker,who just beat Oscar Goudriaan,  in 15 m. Wayne Schmidt and in club class Edvard Kristo [Slo] in St Jantar just ahead of Dutch young lady Annemiek Koers , in St. Cirrus. Both ” strangers”  were 700/800 points ahead on the rest.

Welkom by Arne 2  Welkom by Arne 4

Some pictures as shared by Ronald and Arne from gorgeous South Africa.

Even Europe had good weather with some Belgian, Dutch and German pilots, trying the wave/ridge this weekend from Porta Westfalica in Germany. And yesterday they were successful with flights over 500 km. in a St Libelle and over 600 km in a Discus 2A.

Porta 2 Porta 3

Pictures courtesy Peter Millenaar.
LX Zeus 5.5 IGC Flarm-IGC.
http://www.MillenAir.nl/ or MillenAir FB site.

For all other news and more about the last days of the South African Nationals you can go to www.soaring.eu
Enjoy!

Wishing you wonderful Christmas days.

Cheers Ritz

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