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Saturday 9th
August After launching During the launching we had a Junkers taking up passengers for flips. Also a 2-seater self-launcher no doubt taking up VIP’s slotting in to launch and take off. The runway is so wide, that this all happened with relative ease. Re the deer for those that didn’t read earlier in the week – it was the German pilot Georg Theisinger who outlanded. The deer was lying down with her two offspring and only stood up when Georg was already committed to the landing. Unfortunately there was the collision. It was agreed that he would be permitted to replace the glider as the damage to the glider was too much to be repaired overnight. Today there are a good number of visitors, so heaven help us tomorrow. The tent for the VIPs (presumably Lufthansa and other sponsors) is huge and there are tables outside covered in white tablecloths. Think tomorrow is going to be a real ‘ bun fight’. The areas have been cordoned off where one can/cannot drive, large water pipes connected to the fire engines that are standing by, and other such things. Fun and games! As updating this they have changed the Open class to the B task an AAT, so they have a 3 hr. min 290.9, max 527 km. After Briefing Temperatures are still very cool, but they say that the max. will go up to 22°C.
The low over the north sea has moved towards Two tasks have been set – racing tasks for all classes for the A task, with AATs as the B task for all except the 15m., which would have a small racing task. Currently they will be flying the speed tasks with first launch expected at noon. Open have 407 km., the 18m. 369 km., and the 15m. 372 km. The 15m. class are first to launch today, followed by the 18m., and last today the Open Class. Laurens is in the last row of his class to be launched. Our thoughts are for the UK Junior Nationals participants – they started at the beginning of the week, and only got their first flight yesterday. At least we have had some good flying. Saturday 9th
August Greetings from Lusse – this morning the air is definitely cool, as well as a lot of rubbish cloud, and the ground somewhat damp underfoot as there were several showers of rain during the day yesterday. The day was spent enjoying a variety of different activities – some went off to Berlin, Bossie presented his paper at OSTIV, Laurens changed a valve in the one wing of his glider as it had developed a leak, which was gradually getting worse, and others watched the opening of the Beijing Olympics. In the evening, Klaus Ohlmann spoke about his flights in S.America, the years spent investigating the wave conditions there and so forth. I gather it was most interesting and the pictures amazing. Grid positions have been published for this morning, so presume that they are hoping to get us in the air today. Being a weekend, I presume there will be a lot of visitors today, and a lot more tomorrow as they are planning an Air Show in conjunction with the contest flying. That will be interesting! Already we have been advised that tomorrow no cars or people will be permitted entry to the airfield area without the relevant markings and/or wearing our tags. This evening there is another party – the “mid-way” party. For this we have been promised entertainment, a good meal and so forth at €15 per person. |
