The South African National Gliding Championships

Dust Devil 2006
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Diary

Dateline 07.01.2006
Hi there

The final day of the 2006 SA National Championships was probably amongst the best that pilots have experienced for quite a few years for achieving good flights and really fast speeds.

Although the tasks were not that long - because both scorers and admin needed to finalise everything before the evening's prize giving, and also the weather was not predicting such good conditions - the pilots certainly romped round the tasks in record time. It was a pity that the Club class were given a rest day, although Bennie du Plessis opted to fly his ASW.15 and managed to get his 500 km. distance, and Andrew Bester was P2 with Dieter Haage in his Nimbus 3DM.

In the 15m. Class the Bradleys believed they had done really good speeds at over 135 kph, only to find that they were the slowest for the day, with Laurens Goudriaan achieving over 162 kph for the day, although Daniel Rodic won the day on handicap with almost 157 kph.

The Open Class task of 320 km. was won convincingly by Pieter Nouwens in just under 2 hours at a speed of 161 kph., almost 10 minutes ahead of the next competitor.

Certainly an excellent day's flying and a great way to end the competition.

The overseas and local competitors were certainly treated to some fantastic weather this time around with not one day of bad weather and each class getting one non-flying rest day.

The competition was also a first for the new prototype Jonker Sailplanes,

JS.1 Revelation - the glider proved to be excellent and Attie was extremely pleased with its performance. Both Attie and Uys and their team at Jonker Sailplanes are to be congratulated on their 'winning machine'.

Many congratulations to the winners

Open Class

1. Attie Jonker (JS1 Revelation) 7268 pts.

2. Uys Jonker (Ventus 2ct) 7133 pts.

3. Pieter Nouwens (Ventus 2ct 18m) 7048 pts.

15m/Standard Class

1. John Coutts (NZ) (ASW.20) 6583 pts.

2. Laurens Goudriaan (ASW.27) 6562 pts.

3. Dolf Pretorius (LS.8) 6370 pts.

Club Class

1. Andries/Andrew Bester (Salto 13m.) 6551 pts.

2. Bobby Clifford (ASW.20a) 5494 pts.

3. Bennie du Plessis (ASW.15) 5302 pts.

Finally a word of thanks to all of the organisation - all the helpers at Bloemfontein, the members of the Bloemfontein Club, the tug pilots, scorers, runway marshalls, the Siyandiza guys and gals (they helped at the Qualifying Grand Prix and those that were available came to help at the Nationals too), and special mention to Dick Bradley, Jacques van Wyk and Riaan Bezuidenhout, as well as to Steve Thomas [Thanks Carol!, it was a pleasure!]for ensuring the news and scores were available on the website. Well done to you all and a big THANK YOU.

Till next time.

Carol

 

Dateline 06.01.2006
Blue skies and sunshine again this morning. Yesterday the Open class had a rest day. The 15m. class and Club class had a 3 hour AAT and the task was set to the south west. It was very good in that area again so some high speeds were achieved.

Today is the turn of the Club class to have a rest day whilst the Open and 15m/Standard class will be flying. The weather today shows a high risk of thunderstorm activity in the Bloemfontein area in the later afternoon and already there have been showers at De Aar. So as a result the tasks for the two classes have been set to the north today with the Open going first.

Their A task is 320.2 km. polygon with 2 pts.

Start Bloem - R14 - Hoopstad - Gp Start Line

Day 9, 2007/01/06
AST Task
Turnpoint Distance Direction Observation zone
START BLOEM 11.8km To Next Point, Line 10.0km
R14 126.7km 327° Cylinder R=1640ft
HOOPSTAD 58.7km 70° Cylinder R=1640ft
GP START LINE 134.8km 170° To Previous Point, Line 6.0km
Total: 320.2km



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15m/Standard A task is 288.5 km. polygon with 2 pts Start Bloem - R11 - Hoopstad - GP start line

Day 9, 2007/01/06
AST Task
Turnpoint Distance Direction Observation zone
START BLOEM 11.8km To Next Point, Line 10.0km
R11 81.5km 322° Cylinder R=1640ft
HOOPSTAD 72.2km 30° Cylinder R=1640ft
GP START LINE 134.8km 170° To Previous Point, Line 6.0km
Total: 288.5km



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The fall back task for both classes is a 2 1/2 hr AAT Start Bloem A4, radius 50 km. bearing 1 320 deg, bearing 2 300 deg.

Hoopstad cylinder, radius 50 km.

N.B. originally this task was going to be flown the other way around, but it has been changed, so the area around A4 is not too sensible the way it is shaped!!

First launch is planned for 10.30 a.m.

PS have a glider to de-rig before assisting with start gate radio!

Dateline 05.01.2006

 

And a very happy birthday today to John Attwell 

- one of our tug pilots and scorers.

Yesterday was a looooong day for the Open Class pilots who had briefing at
9 a.m. and were asked to be ready for launching by 10 a.m. In reality it was a little later that they got airborne and instead of the 6 hr. AAT it was changed to 5 1/2 hours. For the Club class the task was changed to the fall-back task, the AAT with 3 hrs. The 15m. class were given a rest day.
The weather forecast was for excellent weather, which it certainly was towards Koffiefontein and that area, but conditions closed in around the
Peilkop/R3 area and created problems for a good many of the pilots. The Club class for the most part returned to Tempe short of 3 hours, whilst the Open class were also affected by the conditions and the overdevelopment. 
Benno was the only outlander in the Open class, whilst others used motors to get back or returned ahead of time. Some of the 15m. class pilots opted to fly as well and most managed to get back to Tempe, although Dolf Pretorius and Shaun Lapworth outlanded!
Attie Jonker flying the new JS1 Revelation was the only speed finisher, flying 708 km. at 112 kph and all congratulations to him. The Club class winner was Bobby Clifford who flew 348 km. at 116 kph.

Today the Open class have been given a rest day and the tasks have been set to the SW where the better weather is expected. Max temp. today is 33 degrees partly cloudy. The mid level high has moved slightly eastwards. 
Thunderstorms are expected in the Kimberley area with towering cumulus although overdevelopment is quite a possibility in our area as the temperature increases. There should be a lot of cloud in the mid layers which may not be of any use! In the De Aar area they are expecting very strong thermals. 15m/Standard and Club Class have therefore been set a 3 hr. AAT with minimum distance 160.3 km., maximum 622.2 km. to the SW and not up to the north at all.
Start Bloem
Half circle - R4 radius 28 km. bearing 1 223 deg; bearing 2 43 deg.
Hill 5305 - 200 km. radius, bearing 1 57 deg; bearing 2 17 deg.
Peilkop - 9 km. radius
GP start line

Club Class task:

Day 9, 2007/01/05
AAT Task, 03:00
Turnpoint Distance Direction Observation zone
START BLOEM 11.8km To Next Point, Line 10.0km
R4 51.1km 285° R=28.0km, Brg1=223°, Brg2=43°
HILL 5305 41.2km 173° R=200.0km, Brg1=57°, Brg2=17°
PEILKOP 58.1km 47° Cylinder R=9.0km
GP START LINE 22.1km 145° To Previous Point, Line 6.0km
Total: 160.3km/622.2km



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15Metre - Standard Class Task:

Day 8, 2007/01/05
AAT Task, 03:00
Turnpoint Distance Direction Observation zone
START BLOEM 11.8km To Next Point, Line 10.0km
R4 51.1km 285° R=28.0km, Brg1=223°, Brg2=43°
HILL 5305 41.2km 173° R=200.0km, Brg1=57°, Brg2=17°
PEILKOP 58.1km 47° Cylinder R=9.0km
GP START LINE 22.1km 145° To Previous Point, Line 6.0km
Total: 160.3km/622.2km



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Dateline 04.01.2006
Carol say.... [at 09h52 Lima]

This morning the forecast and sky is looking better. Iain Baker who is not flying in the competition flew a 1000 km. yesterday in 8 1/2 hours in a Ventus2cxT. He said it was very very good to the south and was very happy with his achievement.

Yesterday on the grid Natalie Luebben in the ASH25, KG, had two aborted attempts to take off and was third time lucky, Uys had a problem with his undercarriage door and had to land to replace the spring, and Phil Fellows needed a relight.
For the competitors, yesterday was an interesting day with some managing to complete the task, others were not able to get around either the final turn point or the control point at Peilkop - so either did a GNSS outlanding and flew back to Tempe, or outlanded. There were a good number of retrieves and for Phil Jeffery it was a night-stop with his farmer as there were not sufficient trailers to go around, so a trailer was despatched to collect him early this morning.
All the pilots said that the conditions were really very good yesterday with some excellent climbs and good speeds as well.
Laurens Goudriaan managed 140 kph in the 15m. class and Mannie McLauchlan won in the Open class at 128 kph.

Today has been a 9 a.m. briefing for the Open Class with first launch to be at approx. 10 a.m.
The max. temperature today is expected to be 32 degrees, with thunderstorms to the E and N of us up to the Botswana border. Upper winds will be W'ly and good lift is expected by 11 a.m.
Cloudbases are expected to be similar or better that yesterday. Briefing for the Club and 15m. classes will be at 10.30 a.m. after the Open Class have hopefully been launched. Neither of these classes are to be gridded until after the later briefing.

The Open class have been set a 6 hr. AAT with minimum distance 351.9 km./maximum 1262.7 km.
Start Bloem - Hill 5305 radius150 km. bearing 1 24 deg, bearing 2 4 deg.
Dealesville - radius 200 km., bearing 1 229 deg., bearing 2 169 deg.
Koffiefontein - radius 100 km., bearing 1 61 deg., bearing 2 1 deg.
Peilkop - radius 9 km. cylinder.

Day 8, 2007/01/04
AAT Task, 05:30
Turnpoint Distance Direction Observation zone
START BLOEM 11.8km To Next Point, Line 10.0km
HILL 5305 52.0km 238° R=150.0km, Brg1=24°, Brg2=4°
DEALESVILLE 62.0km 16° R=200.0km, Brg1=229°, Brg2=169°
KOFFIEFONTEI 109.8km 222° R=100.0km, Brg1=61°, Brg2=1°
PEILKOP 116.9km 59° Cylinder R=9.0km
GP START LINE 22.1km 145° To Previous Point, Line 6.0km
Total: 351.9km/1262.7km



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Club Class task A
304.4 km. polygon with 3 pts.
Start Bloem - R1 - Koffiefontein - Peilkop - GP start line

Day 8, 2007/01/04
AAT Task, 03:00
Turnpoint Distance Direction Observation zone
START BLOEM 11.8km To Next Point, Line 10.0km
R3 54.4km 339° R=150.0km, Brg1=231°, Brg2=171°
PETRUSBURG 79.0km 213° R=150.0km, Brg1=57°, Brg2=7°
PEILKOP 65.9km 65° Cylinder R=9.0km
GP START LINE 22.1km 145° To Previous Point, Line 6.0km
Total: 211.6km/808.4km



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15m/Standard class task A
370.5 km. polygon with 3 pts.
Start Bloem - Cross roads - R15 - Peilkop - GP start line

Task B - same fall back as previously for both Club & 15m. classes Assigned Area task 211.6 km./808.4 km. - time to be advised 
Start Bloem R3 - 150 km. radius - bearing 1 231 deg, bearing 2 171 deg Petrusburg - 150 km. radius - bearing 1 57 deg, bearing 2 7 deg.
Peilkop - cylinder radius 9 km.
GP start line

Dateline 03.01.2006
From Carol.........

Today is clear and blue with just a smattering of cloud.
Yesterday was predicted to be similar to the day before but conditions were not so good initially only reaching 8 500 ft., but then improved to the north up to approx. 10 000 ft, whilst to the south it reached 12 000 ft. 
Lift was in the region of 3 m/s, though some found 5 m/s lift which was not that smooth.
On the ground there was definitely a lot more cloud cover and even the signs of dark threatening clouds - however they did not bring any rain and gradually as the afternoon progressed the clouds became less. Some of the pilots thought it was a better day than the previous one, though most I have spoken to, did not agree and thought it was not as good. A few pilots really struggled on the final kms. but did manage to get sufficient height to finish.

There are still some problems with the handicaps for the Club class, so we are still waiting for their results. Meanwhile in the 15m. class Laurens Goudriaan found his form with a speed of 135 kph, and in the Open Class at a similar speed, Natalie Luebben was the winner of the day.

Today they are expecting even better conditions so a 9 a.m. briefing with a first launch aimed for 10.30 a.m. though it may be closer to 11 a.m. They are expecting a max temp. of 30 degrees, 2 degrees hotter than yesterday. 
There is a high pressure off the east coast of SA, and possible thunderstorm activity to the NE of Bloemfontein. No showers are expected and bases should reach about 14 000 ft. The 15m. class will launch first, followed by the Open, and finally the Club class.

Club Class
A task - 297.9 km. polygon with 5 pts.
Start Bloem - Hill 5305 - R25 - Koffiefontein - R16 - Peilkop - GP start line



B task for all classes - the same AAT as yesterday, i.e.
B Assigned Area task 211.6 km./808.4 km. - time to be advised Start Bloem
R3 - 150 km. radius - bearing 1 231 deg, bearing 2 171 deg Petrusburg - 150 km. radius - bearing 1 57 deg, bearing 2 7 deg.
Peilkop - cylinder radius 9 km.
GP start line

15m./Std & Open classes
A task - 506.6 km. polygon with 5 pts.
Start Bloem - Zoltpan - Jagersfontein - Koffiefontein - R16 - Peilkop - GP start line



Because the weather is still looking good for the rest of the week, it has been agreed to have briefing at 9 a.m. for the next few mornings.

 

Dateline 02.01.2006

Yesterday turned out to be a really good day with everyone extremely happy with their day's flying, with the exception of Reb Rebbeck, who ended up on the deck at the first turn point. The thermals were good, and the heights achieved to approx. 12 000 ft. At briefing this morning Dick had re-looked at the weather for yesterday and the dew points throughout the task area were the same, hence the good conditions over a wide area.

Today the organisation believes it will be even better so set an earlier briefing time of 9.30 a.m. with a first launch of 10.45 a.m. Let's hope they are right about the weather and it is not a matter of setting the task on yesterday's weather!! One can never be too sure.
However the conditions according to the information is that the weather should be similar to yesterday. If there are thunderstorms over Kimberley then the blow-off would be over Bloemfontein which could create a problem. 
Most of the other information is that the conditions should be similar or better to yesterday.

Club Class
A 369.8 km. polygon with 3 pts.
Start Bloem - Zoltpan - A5 - Peilkop - GP start line B Assigned Area task 211.6 km./808.4 km. - time to be advised Start Bloem
R3 - 150 km. radius - bearing 1 231 deg, bearing 2 171 deg Petrusburg - 150 km. radius - bearing 1 57 deg, bearing 2 7 deg.
Peilkop - cylinder radius 9 km.
GP start line

15m/Standard class
A 474.1 km. polygon with 3 pts.
start Bloem - R7 - R15 - Peilkop - GP start line B - same assigned area task as club class

Open Class
A 549.6 km. polygon with 3 pts.
Start Bloem - Hoopstad - Luckhoff - Peilkop - GP start line B - same assigned area task as club class

So off to the grid for an earlier launch.

Hi - me again
Forgot to mention the winners of yesterday - gather there may be a problem with the club class results as the issue of handicaps has raised its head!! 
So only the winners for yesterday for the Open and 15m/Standard classes were announced, being Open - Pieter Nouwens at 151 kph, and 15m/Standard - John Coutts at 140 kph.

 

 

Dateline 01.01.2007

from Carol ..........

A very happy new year to one and all, plus families, loved ones, friends and all our gliding friends around the world. May it be a happy, healthy year with much success and joy, and few disappointments.


In Bloemfontein we celebrated the forthcoming 2007 with a very good dinner and excellent gliding company. As I/we did not stay up to see midnight, am not sure whether anyone did in fact remain awake to see in the New Year.


Yesterday's flying was by all accounts quite tricky as the thermals were broken and did not seem to conform to any pattern. Bases only went up to about 10 000 ft, and thankfully for all, (both on the ground and in the air) the very strong winds of the previous day had disappeared and were considerably less.


The winners for the day were Club Class Bobby Clifford who managed 207 km. @ 96 kph. In the 15m/Std. class Dolf Pretorius led the way with 259 km. @ 113 kph, and once again in the Open Class it was Kim Tipple & Paul Kite in the ASH25 who managed 281 km. at 110 kph.

This morning started mainly blue with a few straggly clouds, but as the morning has progressed they have increased considerably. The temperatures again are quite cool. There is a high pressure to the S of the country and the Low has moved northwards whilst the cold front has passed to the east of the country. There is a wind sheer expected with northerly winds on the surface whilst at altitude they will be SW'ly. Dick tells us that the cumulus clouds should not be evident, so once again the weather information seems to be be confused with what is actually happening.
As a result two tasks have been set.


Club Class
A task - 282.9 km. polygon 3 pts. Start Bloem - Bultfontein - Petrusburg - Peilkop - GP start line 

B task - 189,5 km. polygon 3 pts. Start Bloem - Dealesville - Petrusburg - Peilkop - GP start line

15m/Std & Open classes
A task - 359.0 km. polygon 4 pts. Start Bloem - Zoltpan - Hill 5305 - R16 - Peilkop - GP start line 

B task - 282.9 km. polygon 3 pts. Start Bloem - Bultfontein - Petrusburg - Peilkop - GP start line

 


Dateline 31.12.2006
Good morning and greetings on this old year's day Although launching began shortly after noon yesterday, it took a lot longer than on previous days - this was partly due to the tugs having to land on

27 runway and then taxi back instead of their normal landing on runway 01 grass parallel to the tar runway, as well as a few relights. All this resulted in quite a late start (after 2 p.m.) for the last launched Open class.

At briefing, Dick had confidently said it would be a quick easy racing task for all competitors - little did he realise quite how strong the winds would become. Much stronger than forecast. The first leg (to the west) for all the pilots was straight into a very strong headwind of at least 60 kph so it was a real struggle for them all and took at least 2 hours to do the 94 km. Some pilots chose to abandon the task, whilst others did not complete the task, and others succumbed to meeting 'terra firma' elsewhere than at New Tempe airfield. And for others it was a long long day - Natalie Luebben and Sven Olivier finally made it back to Tempe at approx. 7 p.m.

The club class was won by Andrew Bester in the Salto at a speed of 65 kph; the 15m. by John Coutts at 96 kph; and the Open by Kim Tipple/Paul Kite at

105 kph

This morning it is distinctly cooler by several degrees and we have a southerly wind, which will be a first for us at the Nationals and will necessitate the use of another runway. Gridding has been postponed until after the 10 a.m. briefing.

At briefing the gliders will be launched using runway 27, so as I write the gliders are being gridded. All the classes have been given an AAT - time period is still to be announced, once the sniffer has been launched and given a report as to the conditions.

Start Bloem

Westpoint - 100 km. radius with bearing 1 72 deg and bearing 2 32 deg.

Krugersdrift - 15km. radius with bearing 1 320 deg and bearing 2 270 deg.

Dick reflected on yesterday's forecast to ensure that he had not mis-read any of the available information, but felt that the cold front over the W.Cape had moved closer and had been more intense. Sven had reported winds of 78 kph yesterday.

The forecast for today is bringing in very cold air from the south and the winds are expected to get stronger at altitude and they are not sure that the thermal strength will be sufficient to sustain a task. So although there is mixed thoughts about whether today will be possible for a task, the prognosis for the rest of the week is looking a lot better with improved conditions.

This morning at briefing we welcomed all the British pilots (of which there are quite a number) - Iain Evans, Phil Jeffery, Rose Johnson, Shaun Lapworth, Reb Rebbeck, Iain Baker, Chris Davison, Debbie Scholey, Kim Tipple, Paul King, Julian Wright and finally, definitely well-known the inimitable Jeff Tucker.

Being Old Year's night - we will be having a party this evening at the club. I guess a lot will depend on whether we fly today as to how many stay up to see in the New Year in!!

All good wishes to those that are following the news - I take this opportunity to wish you all good health and much happiness for 2007 - may it be a great year for you all.

Day 4 Task - All Classes

 

ALL Classes,
Day 4, 2006/12/31
AAT Task - time to be advised
Turnpoint Distance Direction Observation zone
START BLOEM 11.8km To Next Point, Line 10.0km
WESTPOINT 29.0km 278° R=100.0km, Brg1=72°, Brg2=32°
KRUGERSDRIFT 19.8km 74° R=15.0km, Brg1=320°, Brg2=270°
GP START LINE 25.4km 127° To Previous Point, Line 6.0km
Total: 69.4km/277.0km



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Dateline 30.12.2006

Carol reports ....

Yesterday - an interesting day for sure! For many it was a matter of trying to stay airborne and they were not all successful in this task. The skies certainly did not look that promising on track as the start lines were being opened for the various classes and conditions seemed to have cycled heading towards Dealesville. The open class were off first and had the better penetration to get through the poorer weather. For the club class it was a different story as they practically all fell to the ground in the Dealesville vicinity. But several of the 15m./Standard class pilots also succumbed to the elements but more towards the Petrusburg area, so there were a good number of outlandings and retrieves yesterday.

The major problem for some of those in the Dealesville area were two farmers who were adamant that the pilots had to pay for landing in their fields. There appeared to be no room for negotiation whatsoever and the price was R1000 cash. This was a most unpleasant experience for all concerned.
Phil Fellows was one very lucky fellow! His trailer came off his vehicle on the way back to Bloemfontein, but fortunately there were no serious ditches off to the side of the road, so the trailer rolled into a field's fence with no damage to the trailer or glider.
The winners for yesterday;
Very well done to Bennie du Plessis in the club class who managed an amazing distance of 128 km. (twice the distance of any other club glider).


15m/Std. winner was Daniel Rodic with a speed of 96 kph, distance of 284 km; 

Open class winner was Pieter Nouwens with a distance of 453 km. at a speed of 113 kph.

This morning there is still a cold front down in the Cape bringing in moist weather, there are thunderstorms to the east, overcast, moist conditions to the N & S and in the Free State we seem to have an area of reasonable weather, though there does seem to be some conflictions between the Tphi and the SA Weather Service information. Surface winds are light NW'ly, getting stronger at altitude and more W'ly. The convergence line is to the N of us. They are expecting broken weak thermals at altitude and not that strong.


As a result of the difficult day yesterday, smaller tasks have been set this morning with an AAT as a fall back task.
Club class A:
267.3 km. polygon with 3 pts.
Start Bloem - Brulfontein - Kalkfontein - Peilkop - GP start line.



15m/Std. & Open Classes A:
329.3 km. polygon with 4 pts.
Start Bloem - Brulfontein - R25 - R16 - Peilkop - GP start line.



Fall back - B task for all classes:
3 hr. AAT with 3 areas - distance 154.7 km./506.8 km.
Start Bloem
Petrusburg - 150 km. brg.1 55 deg, brg. 2 150 deg.
Dealesville - cylinder 25 km. radius
Peilkop - cylinder - 2 km. radius
GP Start line

At this morning's briefing welcomed the New Zealander, John Coutts and his parents. Although John is resident in SA, his parents are visiting. Also acknowledged were Jacques and Gordon van Wyk of the Bloemfontein Gliding Club who are doing a lot of work around the airfield, runway marshalling, etc.

 


Datline 29.12.2006

Carol on the line again....................

Well the first day was certainly hot and steamy and not without its problems. There was no catering during the day at the clubhouse, so some unhappy pilots who went hungry!

It was also Martin Attwell's birthday. At briefing thanks were extended to the scoring team - John Attwell and Peter (aka Boris) Wyld. And each day the international competitors will be greeted - yesterday it was Erazem Polutnik.

At the runway - Natalie Luebben's glider, KG, had a puncture so was only able to launch much later in the day - the ASH25 is a heavy glider to repair the main wheel. After landing, on towing back from 31 runway, Quintin's glider fell into a hole. On the flying side Jennifer Bradley was the only competitor to land out although there were several competitors asking that their trailers be readied for a retrieve. They did however manage to find lift and get home.

Well done to the winners of yesterday - Ludi Pio (Club class) @ 107 kph; Dolf Pretorius (15m/Std class) @ 132 kph; and Pieter Nouwens (Open class) @ 127 kph.

Today at briefing we acknowledged the tug pilots - John Attwell, Boris Wyld, Coenie Conradie, Roan Gerber, & Walter Walle. The internationals welcomed today were the Germans - Natalie Luebben and Benno Beesten.

Dick's take on the weather for today is a bit mixed as high level clouds are forecast but are not in fact visible. There is a weak cold front moving into the W.Cape, and we have moist air to the east. The convergence area is not clear, but good thermal activity, especially to the SW is expected with bases up to 12 000 - 14 000 ft. Winds will initially be NW'ly moving W'ly later in the day.

Launching should start at 12 noon today rather than 1 p.m. yesterday, which was perhaps a little late.

So tasks for today are Assigned Area - the same for every class, though 4 hours for the Open class, and 3 hrs for the others.

Start Bloem

150 km. distance towards Dealesville, bearing 211 deg, bearing 151 deg.

200km. distance towards Petrusburg, bearing 60 deg. bearing 30 deg.

Peilkop 9 km. radius

Gp start line (which is the finish line!!)

Dateline 28.12.2006

Carol writes from Bloem:

Yesterday a small task was set for the practice day and conditions proved to be a lot better than forecast. So those that opted not to fly actually missed some good conditions with some reporting as much as 14 000 ft.

It was also a day of getting gliders rigged, weighed, and so forth. Dieter Haage found the bearings for CA, his Nimbus 3DM, needed to be replaced.

Natalie Luebben had some damage to the ASH.25 rudder when the tow out gear broke over some rough ground. Bobby Clifford had radio problems. But the problems were not solely glider related - John Attwell had a puncture in the Rallye when landing - so all in all - not quite a straight-forward practice day.

The Pilots' Briefing was held in the evening followed by some very nice snacks.

And so to Day 1 for the start of the SA Nationals 2006. Conditions are expected to be quite good with bases of approx. 11 000 t due by 2 pm.

Over-development is not expected, and good cumulus over the whole of the task area, though it is drying out to the SW.

Open & 18m. class will be launched first, followed by the 15m. & Standard class, and lastly the Club class.

A task for the Open/18m class:

Day 1, 2006/12/28
AST Task
Turnpoint Distance Direction Observation zone
START BLOEM 11.8km To Next Point, Line 10.0km, Max.alt. is 9514ft
R1 60.6km 311° Cylinder R=1640ft
LUCKHOFF 149.5km 212° Cylinder R=1640ft
DEALESVILLE 154.2km 40° Cylinder R=1640ft
Finish Line 54.0km 135° To Previous Point, Line 6.0km
Total: 418.3km



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Polygon with 3 pts. 418.3 km. Start Bloem - R1 - Luckhoff - Dealesville - GP start line.

B task:

Polygon with 3 pts. 304.4 km. Start Bloem - R1 - Koffiefontein - Peilkop - GP start line

A task for 15m/Std Class:

Day 1, 2006/12/28
AST Task
Turnpoint Distance Direction Observation zone
START BLOEM 11.8km To Next Point, Line 10.0km, Max.alt. is 9514ft
R1 60.6km 311° Cylinder R=1640ft
KOFFIEFONTEI 104.8km 212° Cylinder R=1640ft
PEILKOP 116.9km 59° Cylinder R=2.0km
Finish Line 22.1km 145° To Previous Point, Line 6.0km
Total: 304.4km



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Polygon with 3 pts. 304,4 km. Start Bloem - R1 - Koffiefontein - Peilkop - GP start line B task:

Polygon with 3 pts. 206.1 km. Start Bloem - R1 - Petrusburg - Peilkop - GP start line

Club Class

Day 1, 2006/12/28
AST Task
Turnpoint Distance Direction Observation zone
START BLOEM 11.8km To Next Point, Line 10.0km, Max.alt. is 9514ft
R1 60.6km 311° Cylinder R=1640ft
PETRUSBURG 57.4km 196° Cylinder R=1640ft
PEILKOP 65.9km 65° Cylinder R=2.0km
Finish Line 22.1km 145° To Previous Point, Line 6.0km
Total: 206.1km



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Polygon with 3 pts. 206.1 km. Start Bloem - R1 - Petrusburg - Peilkop - GP start line

At this stage there are 11 pilots in the Open/18m. class, 17 pilots in the 15m/Std class, and 8 in the club class. Of interest in the Club class we have the ASK21 from Goldfields Gliding Club which has been equipped with hand controls for a disabled pilot and Simon Smith, who is disabled, will be flying as part of Team 221.