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31st
World Gliding Championships
20th
July – 7th August 2010
OPEN, 18M., & 15M. CLASSES |
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Cap'n Carol's Diary |
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Cap'n Carol's Diary ....................
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Sat. 7th August [a.m. Final, phew!!]
Morning all – final update before heading
out of
After the decision to cancel the tasks for
all classes yesterday there was a bare 60 – 90 minutes before the heavens let
go and there was some torrential rain for quite a while. Most of the gliders were virtually in their
trailers by the time the rain came down.
Then it was time for celebration – Uys got thrown into one of the porta-pools in the camping area, there were broad grins and
smiles for the rest of the day and well into the night and this morning.
The Jonker team
which included the pilots, the crew and the Jonker
Sailplane people went off for a celebratory lunch, and then there were Jonker discussions.
Late afternoon there were again more thunderstorms and really heavy
rain. The organizers definitely made a
good decision in cancelling the final day’s flying.
The Closing Party started at the hangar on
the field – theoretically starting at 8 p.m., but think it started
earlier. Tickets for the dinner were 14
Euro or 3900 forint – some of us bought tickets, whilst others did not, but no
one was checking for tickets, so it really appeared to be a ‘free for
all’. There was probably insufficient
food to go around, but what was provided was very good and tasty. It should be noted that the various helpers
to the organization, whether they were tug pilots, scrutineers,
office helpers and so forth – had nothing provided to them and they were
expected to buy their tickets as well.
As is usual – once the music started the
noise levels increased and it became deafening.
One
The Jonker crew
ensured that Uys continued his celebrations long into the early hours of the
morning and I am told they only returned to the house, where we were all
staying, at 5.30 a.m. this morning.
Many congratulations to all the pilots for a
very difficult contest – especially during the early parts when there was
particularly low cloud bases, poor visibility, and large gaggles. Not a pleasant way to ‘have fun’. Obviously we salute the new Champions –
Michael Sommer (
Also well done to Bosnian/South African
Daniel Rodic on his first World Championship, and
last but certainly not least our NZ/S.African Couttsy – well done all.
And of course a final word of thanks to our
various sponsors – all very useful in their own ways – VW (3 vehicles), Ian
Forbes (website hosting), Steve Thomas (putting my reports on the website),
Peter How (handheld radio), Natalie & Herbert (gliders, ground station,
aerial, and so many things), and all the others who have assisted S.Africa in their support and encouragement.
Signing off –
[Capn’]Carol
Fri. 6th August [a.m. update Fat Lady singing time!]
There are A and B tasks set with Racing
tasks as the A and AAT tasks for the B task.
We believe there is possibly a C task on the way. Waiting to hear on that.
The weather is not that wonderful – the
earlier clear’ish skies have now changed to more
cloud, and there are already heavy storms to the NW beyond the
After Briefing I gave a short explanation
about the Helli Lasch
Challenge with excellent pictures of the event that Iain Baker and his ‘team’
had put together after the last Helli Lasch Challenge. I
believe I had everyone’s attention – stunning pictures of the Tswalu area, airfield, the accommodation, the gliders, the
scenery, and group pictures.
So as the first possible launch could be at
11.30 a.m., must go to the grid. More
later.
They have just announced that it is ALL
OVER. Tasks for all Classes have been
cancelled as big storms are approaching from the south west. So it is to be NON-FLYING FRIDAY! Time to
celebrate with the winners, and for some time to commiserate that they did not
manage to do better.
Well done to all of the Champions – it has
been a difficult contest with some difficult conditions, weather and
flying.
Will follow up in due course with more news.
Fri. 6th August [a.m.]
Final Friday for flying in the 31st
WGC – you must all be wondering about Uys and Attie’s
positions. By the time they returned to
the airfield last evening, the ‘office’ was closed and they were not able to
upload their flights and/or leave them with the organization office – all
closed up for the night. Not a problem,
do it where we are staying – get there – internet connection and wi-fi not working!
So they will have to upload their traces once they arrive at the field
this morning. Have been to the scoring
office and they say “no problem”.
Unfortunately yesterday one of the Dynamic
tow planes was forced to outland in a field about 5 km. from the airfield – the
pilot was experiencing some problems and then the engine quit. He is fine but understandably a bit shaken,
but the aircraft is not quite so good – damaged u/c and prop.
For the final morning the organization that
has promised grid lists in the team letter-boxes by 7.30 a.m. each morning –
now 8 a.m. and still no sign, but gridding is from 8.15 – 11.15 a.m. on runway
16, so presumably a flying day. I have
been told that there could be heavy thunderstorms later in the afternoon, so
let’s see whether it is a short task for all, or just for possibly one class or
two.
Forget to tell you about OSTIV – Bossie has been attending the various sessions, and he also
gave a presentation in his own right, as well as one on behalf of Attie. There was one talk that he said was amazing –
all about tracing the flights of Albatross birds. Small gps units
were attached to the birds and their continual flights were monitored and that
they fly practically the whole time, sleeping on the wing, and only landing
when they are nesting.
This morning there are blue skies and
sunshine, but somewhat hazy conditions.
Storms are expected later in the day – we will find out in due course,
quite how soon they will arrive. So more
after briefing.
Thurs. 5th August [final]
It has been a looong
afternoon. With the change of task and
then the delayed launch times it was relatively late before the 18m gate was
opened. The Open guys have had a hard
day and looking at the results the Germans must have made a concerted effort to
ensure that Michael Sommer remain at the top of the
leader board as they have taken the top 3 spots for today’s task. Oscar said that he felt that he and Laurens
started a bit too early and would have preferred to have made a 2nd
start, but they didn’t, so their results today are a bit off the pace of the
front-runners. He said conditions were
not that good not even in
Andrew and Mannie landed back on the
airfield at
Uys and Attie will also be amazed to see
that there have been 2 finishers in the 18m. class so far – not sure about
those that are not on the scoreboard as yet – whether they are all in a field,
but believe so. The only one that is of
concern to us is the 2nd Polish pilot, Zbigniew
Nieradka, who as yet is unaccounted for.
So we will have to wait and see until later.
Thurs. 5th August [sometime later that afternoon [16:04 BST] by email from Zulu-Chief]
Too much happening to write
in the usual spot! Both LG and OG on final glide and coming home a bit
over their 3 ½ hr. AAT time, but home. Mannie and Andrew have landed back
on the airifield here at
Uys and Attie are still
flying – or so the tracker would indicate – we are all holding thumbs.
C
Thurs. 5th August [later that same morning ……..]
First
there were new “C” tasks for both 15m. (299.8 km.) and 18m. (308.5 km)
classes. and “A” task remained valid for
the Open class.
The
skies are getting thicker rather than improving – let’s see if the pilots are
launched at 11.30 a.m.
At
11.30 a.m. a team managers’ meeting issued further tasks, Task “D” for the 15m.
and 18m. classes. Open Class have now moreorless all launched, commenced at 12 noon, and they are
still flying the 3½ hr. AAT. The
15m. commenced launching at 12.20 or
thereabouts and they now have a 6 pt. 294.6 km. task all ‘around the houses’,
whilst the 18m. have a 5 pt. 289 km. parallelogram shaped task.
As
Laurens was one of the earliest to launch, he is now airborne and says cloud
base is not more than approx. 600 m.
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We offer our condolences to the |
Thurs. 5th August [quick update 10:00]
Just a quick update – they have
now included C tasks for both 15m. (299.8 km.) and 18m. (308.5 km)
classes. No C for the Open class.
The skies are getting
thicker rather than improving – let’s see if the pilots are launched at 11.30
a.m.
More later, Carol
Thurs. 5th August [a.m. après briefing]
This
could be the last flying day as tomorrow they are expecting rain with another
low pressure approaching. Today however
a good day is expected as they have been set Racing tasks for both the 15m. and
18m. classes, whilst the Open class have an AAT.
15m.
are on the front of the grid and have a 435.7 km. 4 pt. task initially to the
west and then back to the NE and into
First
launch could be as early as 11.30 a.m.
All of the Classes have a “B” back up task which are moreorless
similar in direction but reduced in overall distance and time.
Brian
gave a short safety briefing emphasizing the real need for no sharp or sudden
manoeuvres when approaching the finishing ring.
Thurs. 5th August [a.m.]
The final two days and thank goodness there
are blue skies and sunshine this morning, so definitely a flying day. A grid has already been posted for runway 34
and closing at 11.15 a.m., so that would mean a possible first launch at 11.45
a.m. or anytime thereafter. Briefing is
again back to the later slot of 10 a.m. with the team managers’ at 9.30 a.m.
A great evening was had last night as we
thoroughly enjoyed a National Evening in the main hangar – various teams set up
their country tables and produced food and/or drinks that are typical of their
Nation. A good evening was had by
all. The Italians had some wonderful
pasta, the French wine, the Dutch some orange coloured schnapps, the Brits
served Pimms, and so forth. There was a wonderful atmosphere, and I think
there could be a few sore heads this morning by those who were trying out each
and every drink on offer! As our
accommodation is 20 km. away and there is a strictly ‘no drinking & driving
policy’ in
As both the 18m. and Open classes did not
fly yesterday, many of those pilots and presumably crew members were not around
and had decided to stay away from the airfield or to go sight-seeing. OSTIV was also holding their final Closing
Dinner last evening – as a result there appeared to be more than enough food
and drink to go around for those that came to the hangar.
I would like to extend a big THANK YOU to Steve Thomas [webbie: gosh Capn’,
its my pleasure!!] who has been ensuring my reports are on the
SSSA website a.s.a.p. Thanks Taffy. You
are a star.
To Ian Forbes in
Also a big THANK YOU to all of you
who are reading my daily updates and who have sent messages, emails,
messages to the Message Board, skype, etc. Even though the pilots may or may not read or
see all of the messages via the different communication alternatives, the words
of encouragement are really appreciated.
Thanks to one and all – both near and far.
Wed. 4th Augusy [final]
Right
both Mannie and Andrew are back. Andrew
has uploaded his flight. He said the
conditions were actually better than he expected than they would be, and also
quite a bit better than was forecast.
However it did very promptly and they both struggled a bit on the final
glide to get enough height to finish.
Cloud base was about 900 m. and lift in places 2 – 3 m.sec.
This
evening is a National Evening with various countries contributing to a party –
since our generous sponsor for beers was not allowed to supply us, as they
would be in opposition to the local caterer and their supplied beer on the
airfield, the pilots decided against taking a table and supplying some
refreshments. Also some have opted to
enjoy their day off and do some sight-seeing.
Those of us who remain at the airfield, will obviously enjoy what is on
offer!
Despite
the traces having been uploaded, the scoring seems to be taking its time to
update the results page. So time for a
drink and look at them later on. Till
the morning!
Wed. 4thAugust [quick update]
Right – quick update now –
Mannie and Andrew were on marginal final glide but are now home.
Wed. 4th August [p.m.]
Launching
started promptly at 14.00 and the gate opened at 14.55 p.m. Mannie and Andrew did not waste time and
started shortly thereafter. See that the
World Champion, Hungarian Gyorgy Gulyas,
started last at 15.28 – one wonders what local knowledge he has! Conditions
look reasonable – not wonderful.
From the SSSA Forum ….
Post: SSSA.
Post made: Wednesday 04 August 2010 - 14:17:46
Posted by: CC
Post:
Please click the following link to view the full thread ...
http://www.sssa.org.za/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?1984.last
Wed. 4th August [midday update]
12
Gliders
need to be weighed and gridded by 13.45 for a possible first launch at 14.00.
More
later as to whether they get airborne or not!
Wed. 4th August [a.m.update -apres briefing]
After Briefing:
A delay in the decision as to whether we
will fly today or not means that we are waiting now until 11 a.m. before they tell us whether to
grid or not. The weather is not too
promising with low cloud bases and wet conditions. The frontal system is moving slowly
eastwards. There will be a small break
during the afternoon, but whether it will be sufficient to allow for a task is
questionable. With low cloud bases and
the rains of last night, personally I doubt whether it would be sensible.
We were shown a very good 6 min. marketing
video of the Chile Grand Prix. The
longer video will be shown if it is decided to cancel the day.
11 a.m.
the decision has been made to cancel the day for the 18m. and Open
classes. A further decision about
whether the 15m. will be launched at 12 noon.
Wed. 4th August [a.m.]
A good day yesterday for the South African
crowd – but sadly this morning is quite another day.
The front moved in last night and pilots
were advised to be aware of possible strong storm conditions – so some did
decide to de-rig. Thunder and lightning
to the NW last evening and evidently a fair amount of rain fell overnight –
lots of puddles and wet fields as I was driving to the airfield this
morning. First thing there were some
blue patches of sky to be seen, but they have since clouded over and there is
now total 8/8th of low rubbish.
It remains to be seen if it will burn off or not.
An on-going thanks to everyone for all the
messages on the Message Board – not only from South African followers, but from
around the globe too – for the Team, the Jonkers, JS1, etc. All much appreciated. Having the tracker unit in Uys’ glider makes
it all so much, doesn’t it. For some
reason they have put out the list of who would be carrying the units and this
has included both Uys and Attie for the last 2 or 3 days, but in reality it has
only been Uys who has been carrying one.
Briefing this morning will again only be at
10 a.m., with the team managers meeting at 9.30 a.m. Although a grid list has been produced, they
have announced that there will be a decision only at the pilots’ briefing as to
whether to grid or not. So from me more
to follow thereafter.
Tues. 3rd August [final]
A good day had by the South Africans, plus
the Bosnian & New Zealander South Africans!! All our pilots are home and smiling. Uys, Attie and John flew the task together –
they thoroughly enjoyed their flight and are happy with their speeds. Obviously we are waiting to see the scores
and how the other pilots, who started later than them, have fared. But it looks like 2nd, 3rd,
and 4th respectively. Well
done. Daniel is delighted to have had a
good flight and reported lift of 3.4 m/sec.
The forecast of only 1 – 2/8 cloud was quite wrong as there was
definitely more cloud than that, even when the pilots were launching.
Mannie and Andrew are both so happy to have
finished and see what the airfield is like for a final glide, and the crew is
also delighted not to be on another retrieve!
Oscar and Laurens have also done well – they
were amongst the last pilots to have started and enjoyed their flights.
On a more practical note, the organization
has warned about thunderstorms this evening – so the pilots may be advised to
de-rig their gliders. Better to be safe
than sorry.
So time to close off for the day and enjoy a
long cold refreshing drink. Until the
morning.
[webbie: Thanks Capn’!
you deserve it!!]
Tues, 3rd August [finishers 15h59]
Couttsy, Uys and Attie are home. Just waiting for their flights to upload
. They had a good flight and enjoyed flying together. We are just
worried that the later starters might have caught up with them, as Ronald Termaat and Olivier Darroze were
about 30 mins. after them on start.
Watch this space and Iain’s
computer. . . . !!
Tues, 3rd August [finishers 15h44]
Hi there
Uys and Attie and Couttsy are about or have just finished – don’t switch to
the finishing frequency as there is just too much interference on the main
radio from the tower if I have the 2 radios on.
As it is we get a lot of
interference anyway as we are very close to the tower.
Tues 3rd August [a.m. during launching]
Launching
amazingly commenced at
The cars that Laurens, Oscar and I have the
use of here in
The 18m. class is still being launched, and
the start gates open at 12.50 for the Open class and 13.00 for the 15m. class.
Tues. 3rd August [après briefing]
Tasks have been set and we have both A and B
tasks for all classes. The “A” task
takes them moreorless entirely off to the east and
north east towards and into
The front off to the west of
Today maximum temperature is expected to be
32 – 34 deg, with trigger at about 30 deg.
Lift is not expected to be that strong, with blue conditions in the task
area. Unstable conditions in the W and
NW of Hungary past the River Danube (approaching front), and possibly
thunderstorms later in the day in
Thanks Sven in CT for your interpretation of
the weather conditions as well as t’other Iain back
in
First launch could be from 12 noon. Typically they will say launching will be at
“giving the time”, and then when there are further delays, “new time”, and usually
added with “really at . . . . giving
time” – we wait to see what will really be the take off time today. As the tasks are relatively long for the
conditions of the day, delays after 12.30 could be a problem and the need to
reduce the task sizes. We will wait and
see.
After the briefing, Brian Spreckley gave
another Safety talk with slides showing what was a very near-miss whilst at
Preividza – two gliders flying close to each other for several minutes and at
one stage less than 3m. apart – neither pilot was aware of the other. A very sobering thought that they presumably
both had their ‘heads in the cockpit’ and were NOT looking out. This evening OSTIV will be giving an open
discussion and talk this evening on Safety.
Tues. 3rd August [a.m.]
Good morning everyone. I gather my ramblings and comments about this
event are reaching far and wide around the globe. Thank you for various emails/sms’s as well as the messages via the WGC message board
that have been received. Support is
great and much appreciated by all.
Another blue clear sunny morning though
definitely rather hazy. Yesterday
afternoon became quite humid on the ground, and this morning you can clearly
see and feel the moisture on the grass and cars.
The pilots’ briefing this morning will only
be held at 10 a.m. but gridding is already open 8.15 – 11.30 a.m., so
presumably an expected take off at around midday off runway 16. Both the Jonker
brothers should be carrying tracker units today – so watch the tracking if you
can.
Looking at the results, I think yesterday
was a good one for the South Africans, as well as the New Zealander-cum-South
African with Couttsy cleaning up the other 18m.
pilots! Unfortunately not a good day for
the Bosnian-cum-South African, who had to start his jet to get home from the
last sector. Conditions definitely
seemed to have cut off quite promptly in the latter part of the afternoon –
both Uys and Attie battled with the final part of their flight and the dying
conditions. The previous day’s flights
for the 15m. class into
If the metman’s
prognosis of the coming weather is to be believed, we might get to fly today
and then it might all go ‘pear-shaped’, i.e. not flyable. So saying, predictions last week for this
week’s weather were not good and they were expecting ‘doom and gloom’, and in
fact the weather has improved over the last day or two – so let’s see what they
have to say today.
Till later.
Mon 2nd August [final]
After flying
The pilots are back and now we wait for the
uploading of their flights to see how they have fared. That is the only thing about AAT’s – waiting for the pilots to upload their tracks and
then for the scoring system to “throw the bones”!! Most of the necessary scores are now in and
it looks as if the S.African pilots have done well
and are in the top 10 in both classes.
Plus John Coutts at the top of the log for the day – well done Couttsy.
Unfortunately Daniel ended up in the last sector stuck with no lift to
be found, so ended up having to start the motor. Great pity.
It has remained a blue hot afternoon,
perhaps a bit hazy, so let’s hope it remains good for tomorrow too. Although they say there is a front on the
way, we remain optimistic that tomorrow will give another good flying day. The day was probably better than forecast
with 3 m/sec. reported. The final glide
did not go as well for Uys and Attie, but judging by the results on the website
so far, they are still not too far off the pace.
More in the morning.
Mon. 2nd August [update apre-launch 14h27 BST]
After launch
Just to advise that the pilots are now all
off on track. 
It
would seem that the Jonker ‘menagerie’ are having a
concerted Jonker attack on the flying today as they
are together – not so sure about the Dutch and English pilots, but definitely
Bill Elliott USA, John Coutts NZ/SA, plus of course Uys and Attie. [webbie: here’s a screen-shot
of the Canadian being kept on a short leash, approachingTP2, by the mighty
JS1!!!]
Conditions are still very blue. Meanwhile a South African crew bus, namely
the VW-loaned-Caravelle to Oscar has gone off to the
shops and town. Think there were at
least 5 or 6 of them – shopping and lunch! [webbie: bon appétit!]
More on the debacle of the border post last
evening. Apparently on the way back,
when the trailers pulled up at the Serbian border post they were all told to
park their vehicles, and all the pilots had to arrive (approx. 45 pilots)
before they would actually process any of them to go back through the
border. The pilots’ passports plus those
of the crew had to be handed in to the Serbian border police. Once all the pilots had arrived, only then
would they process all the pilots through individually in no order – just at
random. Eventually the whole of the
parking area was clogged up with cars and trailers – great fun and games. Once through this slow process, going through
the Hungarian side was apparently quite speedy!
Still it was only 3 a.m. or later that some of them returned. Also unfortunate was that one of the American
team’s trailer was damaged when a Serbian car collected the back of the trailer
– fortunately it was before the glider had been collected. The roads were not that good – quite bumpy
with all the truck traffic as well as quite weaving, so speeds were not fast
getting to and from the gliders.
Mon 2nd August [update, just back from the grid, 12:07 BST]
Greetings
Just back from the
grid. Oscar was near the front of the Open class grid and launching
commenced at 12.45 for the Open. They are still flying Task A.
Launching of the 18m. class has also started.
Mon. 2nd August [après-briefing]
After Briefing
The organization apologized profusely to the
15m. pilots and crews for the long delays at the border yesterday. Many of the 15m. pilots might not have been
at briefing - they may well still be sleeping!
The organization has said that in future any
tasks that are set “abroad” will be such that there would not be mass outlandings there.
As both Andrew and Mannie landed on an airfield together with many
others, we asked about aerotow retrieve – not
possible as the Hungarian tug aircraft are not permitted across the border.
Tasks today are 3 hrs. AAT for both the Open
(218.3 km./430.9 km.) and 18m. (235.2 km./422.5 km.) classes. First launch can be expected from 12.30 p.m.
Weather today is expected to be blue – the
air is stable and dry and temps expected to be 31 – 33 deg., with max of 2.0
m/sec. Of note – Laurens’ average for
yesterday was all of 0.7 m/sec.
Unfortunately a front is approaching which might affect us later tomorrow
or Wednesday.
Mon 2nd August [a.m. update]
I
received an sms on my S.African
cell no. yesterday to advise that Mike Van Ginkel has
passed away, after being ill for some time with kidney failure.
Our
sympathy is extended to Jeanette and all the family. Mike was a colourful character and very
involved with gliding for many years. He
had been associated with several aspects of aviation – ballooning, gliding,
power, and of course as Chairman of the Aero Club of SA for a good number of
years. He and the late Nick Turvey started Avex Air – a
company used for charter, crop spraying, training, and the like. Jeanette practically introduced hot-air
ballooning into
Mon. 2nd August [a.m.]
I must
tell you that the Jonkers have a double trailer – designed to take both the JS1
gliders that Uys and Attie are flying.
They also have the use of Iain Evans camper van, which is good and fine
for around the airfield, but it has proved a problem when driving here in
Then the
other car scenario is that Daniel arranged for some Bosnian colleagues to come
as crew – again this is not quite so serious as they have 2 cars for 3 gliders,
but Daniel does have his jet! When
Daniel called yesterday afternoon that he was on final glide, he was not sure
whether he had enough fuel and whether he would make. It could have been a problem if he had outlanded as there would have been insufficient cars!
Yesterday
proved a mass outlanding day for all but those with
engines who were able to motor home.
For the
18m. class it was also retrieves everywhere and it was well after 9 p.m. when
the crew had finally retrieved Uys, and only then could they go on to Attie and
his landing place – a late night for all.
The airfield of course was deserted of trailers, apart from those of the
motorized gliders.
This
morning is clear and blue. Because of
their very late arrivals, today is “no task” for the 15m. class. For the others it will be a later start since
gridding is up to 12.15. Yesterday Uys
was carrying a tracking unit – wonder if any of you were watching. Today as there will be no 15m. gliders
flying, the extra six tracking units will be added to both 18m. and Open class
gliders, so for those able to watch the tracking (whilst at work!) both Uys and
Attie will be carrying units.
Sun. 1st August [final après le grand land-out!]
Launching commenced at 12
Conditions were definitely not good
initially with a relight or two, and the pilots took quite some time before
starting the task because they were not getting sufficient height and
conditions were not so good. Therefore
for relatively long tasks on a weaker than expected day, it did not bode
well.
Reports from the pilots were also not good –
they battled to get up to start height or to feel more comfortable to start the
task and this was evident by other pilots’ start times too. Keeping an eye on the tracking units for all
the classes, it has been a very long very slow afternoon.
By 6 p.m. the tracking still showed the
gliders well short of any completed task, so things were definitely not
good. Before too long thereafter, the Open class guys, Oscar and Laurens were
calling their finish but with their motors, and then the 18m and 15m pilots
were calling in their coordinates as to where they have landed.
Andrew and Mannie are experiencing
The airfield is looking very bare with only
trailers evident of those who have motors and could get themselves back to
So guess that is all for today – more in the
morning.
[webbie
ponders: hmmmmm a rest day might be a good call
tomorrow, but they just can’t afford one, maybe? - discuss]
Sun 1st August [après briefing]
A much nicer day here and promises of better
conditions, better visibility and generally a nicer day’s flying to be enjoyed.
The 15m. are off to
Weather conditions are not expected to be as
good to the W so it is strange that the task has been set in that direction
first. Further to the E conditions
should be better. Lift is expected to
reach 3 m/sec., cloud bases will be higher and they are expecting less middle
cloud layers. Blue conditions could be
tricky as from current experience the pilots have found little lift in the
blue. No overdevelopment is expected in the task area, but if there is any it
is only expected further to the east in
So gliders have to be on the grid by 11 a.m.
and first launch could be as early as 11.30 a.m.
[ps webbie
says: check the gallery for an astounding pic of
Mannie!!!]
Sun. 1st August [a.m.]
The first of the month, one week past
already and only six flying days remain – four tasks have been flown by the
Open Class, and 3 tasks for both the 18m. and 15m. classes. So providing there is at least one more competition
day we will be able to declare a Champion in each of the classes (a minimum of
4 days is required to declare a champion).
Last evening there were more storms with
lightning and thunder to the NW of Szeged and one fairly short downpour in the
area. Not nearly as much as the previous
evening. Amazingly this morning
conditions are clear and blue and earlier clouds have already dissipated – so
hopefully we will have a good day. We’ll
see what the forecast gives us at the briefing.
As usual we will be having a team managers’
meeting at 9.00 a.m., followed by the main briefing at 9.30 a.m. At yesterday’s briefing a collection was made
for the truck driver and his family. It
was reported that he may lose the sight in one eye or possibly both, which
would essentially mean the end of his livelihood. I am sure we will get a further update of his
condition over the next few days.
Sat. 31st July [final wrap]
After flying – so we have a mixture of
feelings! Huge disappointment in the
15m. camp as both Mannie and Andrew outlanded,
happiness in the 18m. as both Attie and Uys did pretty well, whilst Laurens and
Oscar are happy to be back and completed the task, though they said the
conditions were not nice and I will not tell you what particularly Oscar said
of the weather! Not that repeatable on a
public domain!!
Daniel was more than happy with his flight
and was pleased that he did well, but as there have been more and more
finishes, perhaps he will be a little disappointed that there are as many ahead
of him. Whilst John Coutts is perhaps
regretting his decision to come back for what was the last start, as his time
is somewhat off the winners’ speeds. An
interesting day for all.
Sat. 31st July [15:57 BST]
Great
news for the 18m. class – Uys and Attie have done well today, but of course
until all the pilots have uploaded their traces, we do not know how they have
done, but looking good so far. Uys was very happy with his flight.
He lost Attie at the edge of the 2nd sector, so Attie was a bit
behind. Daniel was also very chuffed with his flight. The
Shark is a good glider but not quite the same performance as the JS1!
John
Coutts opted out of the first start with the Jonkers and preferred to come back
and start later, so he started again almost 30 min. later.
Sat 31st July [15:09 BST]
Have Uys and Attie and Oscar now all on final glide.
Sat. 31st July [15:05 BST]
Sadly
our 15m. class gliders have both met terra firma – Andrew at the first sector,
and Mannie near the 2nd sector. There are other 15m. class
gliders that have outlanded too, as well as an 18m.
glider when I last checked.
Uys is
about to finish the task as well as Daniel.
Sat. 31st July [1 p.m. local]
Launching has commenced – all
of the Open class are airborne and their gate will open in less than 15m. at
13.15. 18m. class is still being launched, and then the 15m. class
behind.
Tasks have been changed for
all classes – open class now have 2 ½ hr. AAT 243.8 ikm./473.6 km., for the
18m. class also 2 ½ hr. AAT 202.3 km./383.0 km., whilst the 15m. class have a
new revised C task, which is 2 hr. AAT 164.2 km/343.5 km.
More in due course.
Carol
Sat. 31st July après briefing
After briefing:
Tasks today are going to send the 15m. southwards
into
Tasks:
Open class 360.5 km., 18m. 290.5 km., and the 15m. 291.9 km.
The weather is likely to give thunderstorms
again later in the day, and humidity levels today after the storm of last night
will rise. Temperatures expected maximum
27 deg, with trigger between 23/24 deg.
Lift is only expected to be 0.8 – 1.3 m/sec. Wind sheer is also expected. Under the official general forecast issued
with the task sheets, it notes that “there is a low probability for thermal activity
suitable for cross-country soaring”!!
Good comment for a gliding championships.
Sat. 31st July
Uys and Attie did well yesterday afternoon,
and Uys managed to scrape home which was really well done. Their distances certainly out flew everyone
else, but speed is also a factor for an AAT, so with outlanding
Attie obviously only managed distance points albeit valuable points, and both
of them currently remain in the top 10.
The Hungarian evening last night provided
excellent goulash with potatoes, pasta, bread, and some hot spicy-looking
peppers, and other side salads! Very good
– thanks for a good evening.
On the drive home last evening the sky was
lit up as the approaching storm moved ever closer – thunder and lightning and
eventually with some heavy rains. So
this morning once more the fields are soaking wet, and the sky is dark in
places.
However a grid order has been given opening
at 8.15, closing at 12
Daniel Rodic is
flying the HpH Shark turbojet glider in the contest,
and he will be giving a flying demonstration of the glider after the briefing.
Fri. 30th July 19L58 BST
All
our pilots are accounted for. Uys managed to stay airborne after Attie
landed – they were battling in a very small stubble fire – Uys managed to make
the best of it, whilst Attie was , and has just landed back at the airfield
having completed the task. Well done that man.
More
in the morning. Have a good evening everyone.
We
have a Hungarian evening tonight – this was planned before the accident.
Till
the morning, C
Fri. 30th July at 18:23 BST
As I write,
the Jonkers are still airborne – but not high as can hardly hear what they have
to say. Attie has now outlanded, whilst Uys is
almost on final glide. Looking at score LG started motor way out – not
that I have seen him yet! Not reported in at all.
OG started
motor but got further than his boet, I think.
Fri. 30th July – later that same afternoon [by email]
Hi there
Just to give you probably
an update – a day for retrieves. Lots of trailers have headed out, those with
engines have used them and from the SA perspective – LG got home, OG has used
his motor, Mannie and Andrew both outlanded, and
currently Attie and Uys are still airborne but their trailer is out on the road
to meet them.
More as and when we hear
finally.
C
Hi there
Laurens has just finished –
so he at least has done OK today. We got a call for the Jonkers to hitch
up the trailer, but as Uys has a tracker we can see that he is in fact still
airborne and so we are watching the track closely.
C
Fri. 30th July – later that morning …..
Launching
has commenced for the Open class and they remain on their Task A, whilst the
18m. commence to launch in a few moments and they will be doing their Task B
which is a 2 ½ hr. AAT of 245.5km/427.2 km.
For the 15m. class – we await an update.
Fri. 30th July [après-briefing]
Briefing at 10 a.m. included the
explanation of the new finishing ring which will form an amendment to the Local
Procedures. All finishes will be direct
finishes for today.
Tasks for today are 355.7km for
Open, 353.5 km. for 18m. and 304.2 km. for the 15m. Launching will be on runway 16 and first take
off at approx. 12 noon.
It has been agreed that a
collection will be made from the pilots for the family of the truck driver who
is in a serious condition. We all hope
that he will be OK.
There was to have been a Hungarian
evening this evening – but not sure if this is to be delayed or will still be
held tonight – they will advise us during the day.
Today the weather sees a slow front
approaching from the west, which will bring rainy conditions, but this is only
expected over the task area much later in the day. Max. temps up to 30 deg. and lift should be
better than yesterday. Already on the
ground there are stronger winds on the surface.
With the approaching front, it may not be good for tomorrow, but let’s
deal with today first!
More later.
Fri. 30th July [a.m.]
Blue
skies and sunshine this morning – what a pleasure. There was a team managers’ meeting at 8 a.m.
this morning, so an early start to the day.
We are
obviously thrilled with the Jonkers and the JS1 results of yesterday – not only
did both Attie and Uys do well, but their JS1 gliders also performed well with
five of the six JS1s competing in the top 11 for the day.
Both
Mannie and Andrew outlanded – the latter uploaded the
wrong track, so now busy getting the right track uploaded, so will hopefully
get that corrected shortly.
Sadly
the accident that occurred yesterday will result in a change of the finishing
procedures – more than likely there will be a finishing ring – whether there
will be a minimum height imposed remains to be seen. The pilot involved in the accident is at the
Police Station and has had his passport taken from him and the truck driver is
in a critical condition.
As there
will need to be a new procedure in documentation and approved, the briefing
time this morning has been delayed until 10 a.m., so will give you a further
update after briefing.
Thurs. 29th July [après-fly]
Until
all loggers are handed in we really have no idea how our guys have done. Uys and Attie are back and say that the 2nd
leg was a lot of gaggles of glass as all three of the classes’ tracks merged
and it was not much fun. The operating
band was not too good, lift was poor, and so it was fairly stressful. However, they were both very happy with their
final glide when they managed to get rid of the gaggle that they had been with.
Both
Oscar and Laurens have got back too, but haven’t seen them yet to find out
about their flight. Unfortunately both
Mannie and Andrew have landed out – Mannie approx. 50 km. and Andrew about 20
km. short on the task. Both are OK and
the crews are en route to collect them.
Sadly a
glider has been written off on the final approach to the airfield – the pilot
is OK, but the driver of the truck that he hit is apparently not so well. Have no further details. Finishes are supposed to be a minimum of 10
m. from the runway threshold.
Thurs. 29th July [quick update as they are finishing …p.m.]
After
flying
Despite
a few relights, everyone managed to get away and set off on task which remained
as the Task A. A glitch with one of the
JS1 sailplanes when we heard that Russell Cheetham
was dragging one of his bug-wipers - a problem that Ronald Taljaard
no doubt will have to sort out when Russell lands.
Talk has
been spasmodic during the task, but mainly from the JS1 pilots – Attie, Uys,
and John. Mannie has been silent as he
his radio gave problems after take-off, so Andrew and he have not been
communicating with each other, and I have been sending the occasional sms to Mannie!
Meanwhile Oscar and Laurens have had a few words along the way.
Oscar
has already called final-glide as have Attie and Uys. Still waiting to hear from Andrew, Mannie and
Laurens.
Thurs 29th July [a.m. later]
A big
blue hole over the airfield seems to be a common trend for competitions. Slowly but surely the clouds have cleared and
we have clear blue skies over the airfield with clouds on the distant
horizons. Launching originally planned
for 11.30 a.m. was progressively delayed until 12.30, so as I write, the 15m
and Open classes are currently launching, followed by the 18m. once all the 15m
guys are airborne.
The task
has remained the racing task which takes them all in a similar general
direction off to the
Andrew
Bester was the first 15m. glider to be launched. Six tracker units per class are being
carried, but none of the South African pilots will be carrying one today.
More
later on.
Thurs. 29th July [a.m.]
Four days of the Championships
already passed with only one small task for the Open Class achieved so
far. This morning the organization has
set grid times from 8.15 a.m. – 11.15 a.m., so presumably they hope to get the
pilots airborne early, for what one imagines will be a small task if the
weather permits. Each morning when I
wake up and look out of the window, I hope to see something more promising in
the sky – sadly it always appears to just be more of the same. Still, stagnant skies with little movement or
change. At least this morning despite
the uninteresting clouds, there are some patches of blue sky, so perhaps things
are going to improve.
Last evening saw the Opening of the
XXX OSTIV Congress. Loek
Boermanns welcomed those present, and then there were
short welcome speeches from Brian Spreckley on behalf of the Championships
Director, the director of the Hungarian Meteorological body, and Peter Ryder
past president of IGC and President of the International Jury here in
After Briefing:
The pilots will all be airborne
today hopefully! Tasks for all classes
are 5 points in distance - 333.6k.,
337.3 km. & 378.7 km. (15m, 18m. & Open respectively). First launch is expected at about 11.30 a.m.
with the 15m. going off first. Andrew is
in row 1 of the 15m. grid so will be one of the first to get airborne.
Conditions should be a bit better
with the air drying out from the west.
Mid level clouds are expected to decrease, and maximum temperature 28 –
30 deg. They are expecting maximum lift
of 1.8 – 2.3 m/sec.
Wed. 28th July [a.m., après briefing]
After briefing:
Tasks were set for a 2 hr. AAT and
handed out, but in reality, the day is not going to allow for a task and the
day has been cancelled. Tomorrow is
looking a bit more optimistic for flying.
It seems that some of the Open
class pilots actually out-landed in
A new rule has been introduced
regarding the running of motors – in the past those gliders which have motors
(sustainers and self-launching) have been required to run their motors daily
either on the ground before launch or once they have released from tow within 5
minutes. It has now been agreed that the
motors need only do the mandatory run on the first competition day and that
both the loggers should be handed in/uploaded on the first day so that the
scorers can see the trace reflecting the motor run. So at briefing today practically all of the
Open class pilots were called upon to hand in their 2nd logger – the
wording for the revision stated on the first competition day - most pilots had
handed in both their loggers during the practice period, so had assumed
(wrongly) that the 2nd logger did not need to be handed in a second
time.
OSTIV (organization scientifique technique international de vol
à voile), which effectively means the organization that deals with scientific
and technical aspects of gliding – this includes glider design, meteorological,
technical and safety aspects. The
general conference of OSTIV meets bi-annually at the WGC and they will have
their opening meeting this evening at 8 p.m.
This includes an Opening address, presentation of awards, and an opening
speech. Then over the next week, OSTIV
will be meeting each afternoon at a school about 2 km. from the airfield - a
variety of papers will be presented on different topics, one of which will be
given by Bossie Bosman from
Potchefstroom.
So that is all from
Wed. 28th July [a.m.]
A very good morning one and all –
sadly I cannot honestly say that it is a particularly good morning since there
are grey skies everywhere and when driving to the airfield just after 7 a.m.,
the rain started and it is damp and drizzly, as I write. As a result the grid time has been delayed
until 10 a.m. which effectively is after the 9.30 a.m. Briefing.
Speaking to one of the Open class
pilots about yesterday’s flight – he said it was very difficult and on the
glides, the cloud bases would vary and at times they would all be gliding along
going through the bottoms into cloud as the bases varied, and one did not want
to pull brakes and lose valuable height.
That is not a nice scenario.
As you can imagine with the rains
there have been, everything is quite green, and as we are living approx. 20 km.
from the airfield, we can see on the drive here and back each day, that the
fields are sitting with water in them.
The crops are looking good from a farmers’ perspective – for glider
pilots it is not good news. The overall
prognosis for the days ahead is also not too promising. The temperature this morning was 16.5 deg,
compared to the hot and humid +/- 35 deg. of last week.
On a positive note – the cost of
living here is relatively cheap. Meals
are of generous portions and inexpensive for R50 – R60, and food bought at the
local supermarket (Tesco) is considerably less than in SA.
As usual there will be a team
managers’ meeting at 9 a.m., followed by the main briefing at 9.30 a.m. Personally I don’t believe that a task will
be possible today, but we wait and see what they say. So more news a bit later.
Tues 27th July [final]
After flying – results are evident
on the official website. Amazing that
some managed to complete the task – well done to them. A very devalued day with weak conditions and
luck must have lots to do with the results.
Laurens and Oscar were flying together and as Laurens said – Oscar found
a bit of lift, whereas Laurens was unable to connect with it.
As some of the loggers still need
to be handed in – more news only in the morning.
Tues. 27th July [3pm CanTime]
3 p.m.:
All
classes’ tasks were changed to the B task, the 2 hr. AAT, on the grid. The Open and 18m. classes were duly launched
and the start gate opening times announced.
The Open Class gate was duly opened just before 2 p.m. and both Laurens
and Oscar have set off on task.
Before
the gate for 18m. was opened, the task was cancelled, which meant that all of
the gliders flying in the 18m. class had to land within 30 minutes. It was not too much later that it was
announced that the 15m. class task was also cancelled.
A pity
that the day has ended with only one class getting away, but it would probably
have been a mass outlanding if they had decided that
all of the almost 150 gliders should be dispatched!
[posted by email after above ] ….. LG has advised that he has started the motor and is heading 'huis toe'!! My gut feeling is that possibly it might not even be a scoring day - 25% need to do at least 100 km. to make it a scoring day.
Tues. 27th July [13h47 BST]
Further
Update - 15m. has now been cancelled as well. So just the Open Class left
to see what they can do with the day.
More later, C
Tues. 27th July [13h20 BST]
Quick update.
Open class gate has been opened and
they are essentially being “sent off to
slaughter”. 18m. class was cancelled in the air, so they are all busy
landing. Have heard nothing further about 15m. class - so can only assume
that they have been cancelled too, not that there has been any announcement on
the official frequency. All v. frustrating!!
Tues. 27th July [a.m. - later]
Later:
Just after 13.00 and the launching
has commenced. All classes have been
advised of a change – they will all be flying Task B which is a 2 hr. AAT for
each of them – Open (min 173.7 km. max 360.8 km); 18m. (173.5/378.3) and 15M.
(153.5/359.1).
Conditions are looking a little
better with both the cloudbase and the temperatures
having risen slightly.
So now we wait to see if they all
manage to stay airborne and get away once the gates are open.
Tues. 27th July [a.m.]
Good
morning to you all. Conditions today
look a lot better than yesterday in that there has been no rain, cloudbase is a lot higher, but it still does not look
particularly inspiring for 150 gliders to remain airborne. But time will tell.
Yesterday
after the task was cancelled a few gliders took off and flew around. This included Daniel Rodic
in the glider that he is flying - the Shark 304T by HpH
sailplanes with the turbine jet engine.
Quite impressive as he did a fly past the café which grabbed everyone’s
attention, and then he did a 2nd fly-past by which time everyone was
outside to watch him go by.
Today –
on the positive side, cloudbase is a lot higher,
there is no sign of rain, and there is a bit of weak sun filtering through the
cloud. There is a real mixture of cloud
levels and layers – none of which look too promising. Everything is so still with no wind to speak
of, and reminds me of a stagnant pond.
We need some strong weather to come along and stir things up and blow
away the rubbish stuff!
After
briefing:
Tasks
have been set with the Open and 18m. having racing tasks (286.7 km. & 272.8
km. ) respectively, whilst the 15m. are today behind the 18m. and they have a 2
½ hr. AAT. All the tasks are off in a
westerly direction, then south-easterly into
Grid
closes at 12.30 p.m. and first launch is expected to be at around 12.45
p.m. Once again pilots have been asked
to circle to the left in the airfield vicinity and to clear the release area.
All
being well – the tracking system should be up and running today with 6 gliders
in each class carrying the devices, so those of you sitting in your offices and
eyes glued to the computer should have something to watch. There will be a 15 min. delay.
As for
the weather they are expecting a lot of thicker cloud off to the east, so in
the task area maximum lift might be 1.5 – 1.8 m/sec, with cloud-base at around
1300 – 1500 m. with max. temperatures 21 – 22 degs. On a negative side, there are a line of cold
fronts lined up to the west of the continent, which Iain reckons is not very
promising for the days ahead.
Anyway –
let’s see whether all classes can and will be launched today. Until later in the day.
Mon. 26th July [p.m.]
Later:
After
several delays, there was a meeting of team managers at the front of the grid
where new task sheets were handed out for the 15m. and Open classes and it was
announced that there would be no task for the 18m. pilots. There would be no launching before
14.00. At 14.00 it was announced that
the 15m. class task was also to be cancelled and that the Open class launch
would be delayed to 14.30. Eventually the
Open class task has now also been cancelled.
The cloudbase was not improving and although the sky was
marginally improving in places, it certainly did not look feasible to launch
more than 40 Open class knowing that it would be well after 15.00 before the
start gate could have been opened. A
sensible decision.
So am
now off to get my bowl of soup that I had ordered when they announced the team
managers to gather on the grid. Enjoy
the rest of the day.
Mon. 26th July [a.m.] [Day 1 for the 2nd
time of asking … webbie]
A grey,
grey morning with very low cloudbase and rain
greeting me this morning when I looked out of the window. Not looking so bright for hopefully the 2nd
day of the Championships. However, the
rain has now stopped, though it all still looks very grey and still. The biggest surprise of all is that grid
positions have been posted with the grid opening at 9.00 a.m. closing at 12.30,
but the website infers that the grid only opens at 9.30 a.m. Presumably this discrepancy will be corrected!
Yesterday
remained damp with small showers on and off during the afternoon. Some of the team members remained at the
airfield, enjoying some lunch there
before heading back to their respective ‘homes’.
The 9.30
a.m. Briefing has given the pilots a task, albeit fairly small for all
classes. Conditions are not too
promising – they believe the clouds will decrease during the morning and that
the conditions in
Tasks: 15m. class have an AAT of 2 ½ hrs. min. 205.8
km. max 430.9 km. off to the west, south-east into
Both the
18m. and Open classes have racing tasks – 219.2 km. and 254.4 km. respectively
– direction being off to the west and then s.east
into Serbia and back in a northerly direction to Szeged.
Take-off
is likely to be at about 1 p.m. with the 15m. & Open classes first off on
their respective runways, followed by the 18m.
Hopefully in an hour or so the sky will look a little better than it
does at the moment – dark to the north and grey elsewhere!
Sun. 25th July [only]
Sun.
25th July Good morning all – kick off today for the start of the 31st FAI World
Gliding Championships for the flapped classes. Sadly it is not to be as when I
was driving to the airfield it was looking really dark to the east, the sky
looked very gloomy, flat, low cloudbase and not at
all promising.
However,
when I arrived I was told that there was a chance that there would be a task
set to the south, so gliders would be gridded on runway 34, but still no actual
grid list at 8.15 a.m. by which time the grid was to be open!! Shortly after
8.15 a.m. it was announced that there would be no task for today. So sadly a
non-flying day for the first championships day.
Yesterday
teams made their way to the centre of
The park
opposite the Town Hall is full of lovely trees, flower beds and a lot of
statues – all very pretty. Many of the buildings in the town were destroyed in
the big floods approx. 150 years ago when the river flooded much of the town.
This resulted in many buildings being entirely rebuilt. There are a lot of very
striking buildings.
After
the formal speeches, Peter Ryder, past president of IGC and here as the
President of the International Jury officially opened the 31st WGC. Then we all
went to find something to eat and whilst the pilots went off to bed in
anticipation of the first day, which is not to be, the crew have made contacts
with the locals and there was to be an exhibition of swimwear – however with
the chilly conditions, this was cancelled! Think they found somewhere else to
go and enjoy the evening.
We will
however still be having a team managers meeting at 9.30, followed by the main
briefing at 10 a.m. Briefing as from tomorrow will be half an hour earlier,
i.e. at 9.30, with the team managers meeting also earlier, so at 9 a.m. They
have assured us that grid lists will be available from 7.30 a.m. An indication
of the pilots using Flarm at this morning’s briefing showed only a very small
minority of pilots that are not using Flarm. Brian Spreckley who is the chief
steward reminded pilots that they should not rely entirely on the Flarm. So
that is all for today. No flying, so a day to relax and enjoy the much cooler
conditions – temperatures must be nearly 20 degrees cooler than some of the
days we had last week.
Sat. 24rd July [a.m.]
This
morning a lie-in was more than a pleasure with no immediate rush to come to the
airfield as well as welcome cooler temperatures. A relaxed bowl of cereal
sitting outside in the grounds of the house was met with cloudy conditions and
dark skies off the west.
The cold
front has arrived. En route to the airfield, the car got a free wash with a
downpour of rain, and it has been raining on and off ever since. The mandatory
Team Managers’ meeting at 9.30 a.m. discussed the arrangements for this
afternoon’s opening ceremony, which is to be held in the Main Square of Szeged,
and then some of the continuing flying and ground issues that are being
experienced e.g. despite a grid order for the Open class yesterday, there was a
total shambles on the grid – hopefully tomorrow it will work better. Grid lists
will also be available earlier – they tell us by 8 a.m.
At the
official 10 a.m. briefing we have finally been allocated our tables – we have
been placed off to one side and the pa system is difficult to hear as well as
exactly what is being said. The organizers are aware of the problem, so let’s
hope that too will be corrected/improved. There was some heavy rain during the
briefing period, which added to the difficulty in the understanding of what was
being announced!
Now we
have a free day to enjoy until gathering in the middle of town at 6 p.m. or to
collect at the airfield and be bussed into the town which is approx. 5 – 6 km.
We will probably go independently since then we are not committed to the 8 p.m.
return of the buses. So – am now going off to the shops to get a few
requirements.
Enjoy
your Saturday. Until ‘kick-off’ tomorrow.
Fri. 23rd July [apres-fly]
After
flying – well, the pilots have all returned now to the airfield and seem to
have experienced mixed fortunes – the overall feeling seems to be that it was
quite good, though there were some struggles and slow times and even getting a bit
low too. The lift seems to have been bubbly and if you didn’t get into the
upper level of the bubbles, then the lift was a lot weaker. There seems to have
a general optimism about the flight and the visibility seems to have improved
slightly. Iain has been uploading some of the traces and doing some comparisons
– which is useful. But of course after the flights, the pilots are only
interested in getting to the bar to get something cold to drink and then to go
and cool down and relax. Must say it has been very hot and humid. You will
appreciate that those who are following my reports that I am not putting
details of the turnpoints and such details, since all
of that is available on the official website: www.wgc2010.hu – there seems
little point in my repeating the information. Tomorrow we finally have some
clarity about what will happen. We have a rest day, but we still have team
managers’ meeting at 9.30 a.m. followed by an official first briefing for all
pilots and team managers. Then the Opening Ceremony is to be in the Main Square
of Szeged at 6 p.m. So time to go and get a drink and cool off!
Fri. 23rd July [a.m.]
The
German & Austrian party was not quite to normal German precision – it
commenced closer to 8.15 p.m. than 8 p.m. as advertised!! However a good evening was had by all, though
many opted out of queuing for food and beers.
Those that remained however had an excellent wurst and kartoffeln salad,
(sausage and potato salad!) breads, cheeses, and drinks were beer, wine, and
schnapps – I opted for a spritzer which was good. The hangar is extremely hot with the current
humidity levels and the evening temperatures did not cool down so there was a
lot of heat (and no doubt glider pilots’ hot air!) being generated! Thanks to all and to Mercedes Benz who
sponsored the teams and the party.
It is
now the final practice day and there are still no grid lists or order for the
grid, there are still electricity problems, still no forms for handing in of
start times, and a lot of other small things that one would have thought should
be in place. We also have to learn about
the arrangement for tomorrow’s opening ceremony! No doubt that will be forthcoming at the team
managers meeting that I must now attend.
Much much later – still no further informed of what is expected
and/or what is happening tomorrow – all we do know is that it is a rest day
with no flying, unless any pilot needs to do a flight e.g. to check
instrumentation.
So as
the morning has vanished with all the final registrations having been done and
completed – there were a couple of details that were missing, e.g. trailer
& car registration nos. – We are now; I believe and hope, 100% compliant
with all the requirements.
The
Briefing gave an AAT task for all 3 classes – again – same task with the 3
classes having their different start sectors and the Open class having 3 ½ hr.,
whilst the other 2 classes have 3 hrs.
The 18m. Pilots have just started, and the rest have already left and
are on their way and some order on the ground has commenced.
Thurs. 22nd July [après-fly]
Mannie has finally managed to have
the motor removed from his glider now, so has been able to do the scrutineering
– as he could only get a later ‘slot’, he has opted not to fly today. All the others took a launch and went off on
task. However, storms to the north-east
of
Now that everyone is accounted for,
think I’ll make this an early evening and go and socialize and find some
company!! Gather the visibility was very
poor today and the thermals in
A cold front is approaching and
should be here on Saturday, and thereafter the temperatures should drop several
degrees so the start of the contest will be more pleasant for those of us
remaining on the ground. However the
forecast for the first contest day, Sunday, is not too promising.
Mention of scrutineering reminds me
that yesterday there was a really unfortunate accident when the crew was going
to connect and hook up the glider after the scrutineering had been completed. The car was brought to the glider and the crew
got out – whether the car was left in reverse or if he failed to put the hand
brake on is not clear – but there was a sudden noise of the scrutineer’s
table falling over with all the equipment falling to the floor, and the glider
was pushed forwards by the car rolling back into the rudder of the glider, the
nose fortunately went into the hangar where the door was open and the wings
closely missed hitting the doors when everything came to a very expensive crunching
stop. The rudder did not look good. That was real “eina”!!
Thurs. 22nd July [a.m.]
Greetings one and all. Another hot day expected here – humidity is
already high, though the temperature is still cool’ish
relatively! It is clear skies, but the
visibility is far from good. As we drive
to the airfield, it is hazy. Perhaps
after some good rains, which I gather are expected on Saturday – opening
ceremony day!, the visibility will improve.
Today I filled up my vehicle – cost
of diesel at the particular gas station I went to, which is very close to where
we are living, was 306.90 forints per litre – this equates to approx. R10.23
per lt. As I have acquired a Toureg for
my use here, you can imagine that it was a lot of forints to fill it up! On the whole the cost of things is quite
cheap. A full dinner at the airfield
will cost 2000 forints – this includes a big plate of food, salads plus a
dessert (wonderful selection of gateaux type puddings!).
After briefing – today is a first
for gliding in
Since tomorrow is a big day in
Wed. 21st July [après-fly]
After 6 p.m. All our guys are back having had a good
flight – some enjoyed all of it, others not all sections of it. Attie, Uys, John and Daniel flew moreorless together and had some good runs. However Uys, Daniel and John were looking at
the ground at a fairly low altitude (250 m) for a while, but for the rest they
said they had a good flight and that conditions were good. Mannie and Andrew only launched late - they
set off and thought that they would do only a part of the task, but then
continued and proceeded further, and eventually completed the task with a
speed, they say, of approx. 104 kph.
Meanwhile the big boys went off on task – I believe Oscar completed the
task whilst Laurens cut short.
Still as hot as ever and tomorrow
is forecast to be just as hot, but we will hopefully enjoy the reward of the
party at the end of the day with lots of cold cold
sustenance!!
Wed. 21st July [p.m.]
12.30 and tasks have been set. All the guys are going to get airborne, but
not sure if they’ll actually do the task – it is extremely hot and humid and
possible thunderstorms expected later in the day but already clearly visible to
the NE. Iain went to get something out
of his camper van and the inside temp. was 43°C – that is really cooking!! From the met side – the dew pt. is 20,
relative humidity 50%, and outside temp. 32 deg.
So the pilots are almost all
airborne – the last ones getting up and away now. All classes have a 3hr. assisgned
area which takes them of to the NW of
Szeged, then back to the north of the a/f and then up to the NE, and back via a
control point approx. 8.5 km. to the north of the airfield – Daniel, John, and
the Jonkers have started moreorless together – we await
to hear from the remaining pilots.
On the domestic front, the
electricity supply has been taking serious strain everywhere with so many
people connected to internet, fans, air-cons for those who have, not to mention
all the other electrical appliances that must be working overtime for the
organization, caterers, campers, etc, etc.
Think we have had to restore the ‘trip switch’ at least a dozen times
this morning.
Other points of interest – it seems
if you buy a local sim card for the cell phone, it will
only be of use with the relevant service provider. If you want to contact others using a
different service provider, one needs to top up one’s pay-as-you-go. Ice is like gold dust and in extremely short
supply – the current heat wave must have everyone stocking up with ice. Even the drinks here on the airfield are
never really cold. On the brighter side,
Mercedes Benz are sponsoring the German & Austrian teams’ party to be held
tomorrow evening and we have been told that there will definitely be cold beers
available!!
More later.
Wed. 21st July [a.m.]
Wednesday morning and the first
official practice day. Yesterday all of
the SA pilots got airborne and were able to ensure that everything was working,
instruments did what they were supposed to do, and to familiarize themselves
with the area and further afield.
At 7 p.m. there was a Team
Managers’ meeting which continued until about 8.30 p.m. or thereabouts, but
like in Prievidza, it was opened with a glass of
champagne/sparkling wine and a toast for ‘a safe and happy Championships’. So say all of us.
Much of the meeting was taken up
with details of where gliders/trailers should be parked, those that need to be
moved, as well as details of runways to be used for straight in finishes and/or
flying finishes. 150 gliders is a lot of
‘glass’ and only one runway has been designated for each finishing direction
for straight-in finishes, whilst two for
flying finishes. Crews are also not
allowed to go across the runway to fetch the gliders, but have to approach from
either end of the runway and drive along the edge of the runway – it will be
interesting to see how this is going to work.
Think all of the team managers felt that this was not going to be too
successful – we’ll have to see in the next few practice days.
Any pilots with any instruments
that can be used for blind flying, which form part of their normal
instrumentation and which cannot be removed will have to declare that they will
not cheat!
Thankfully the self-launching
Open Class gliders will be allowed to use the concrete runway for
take-off. There have been several
complaints about how rough parts of the runway are, and yesterday one of the
French gliders (I think it was a 15m. Schempp-Hirth)
put his head through the canopy on landing, so the glider has gone off to the
factory for a new canopy replacement, and someone else’s tail dolly did not
survive the roughness.
We have yet another team
managers’ meeting at 9.30 a.m. prior to the first official briefing at 10 a.m.
Tues. 20th July
Last evening there was a huge
amount of precipitation! The heavens
really opened. Driving back to our
accommodation there were sheets of water over the car when there were vehicles
coming in the opposite direction.
The air is very unstable and an
approaching cold front will be bringing heavy thunderstorm weather from
Saturday – opening ceremony day!
Today the temps are expected to
be 29 – 30 degC with weak conditions. The skies are blue with the odd cloud
developing, but looks OK for the moment.
There has been no formal task set, so it is moreorless
a ‘free for all’. Yesterday Oscar said
that the visibility was not nice whilst flying.
All of our pilots have completed
the glider scrutineering, with the exception of Mannie. He still needs to get the motor removed, and
the guy who is supposed to be doing this has not appeared. The scrutineering is under the leadership of
Art Grant, who turned up and assisted the “A” team at Mafikeng in 2001, and has
made his way to get to every World Champs ever since and assist with
scrutineering. So Art now has friends
around the globe and meets up with them all again every two years.
Today we have a Team Managers’
meeting at 7 p.m.
Registration of pilots and the
glider documentation also starts today, so hope to get that all behind us as
soon as possible. Think the pilots want
to rather get airborne and check everything out first. Andrew and Mariane arrived later last night – and
managed to moreorless set up their camping site before the
heavens opened. He has now rigged and
gone through the scrutineering procedures.
Otherwise finally things are
getting sorted and by tomorrow we should be moreorless
ready for the “off”.
Mon. 19th July
Greetings
to those following news from
Sorry
been a bit slow today as have been chasing up the ‘team headquarters’ and it
has been a protracted affair to say the least.
It would seem that 5 countries had expected team ‘huts’, four having
been paid for, but the 5th team had booked one but no payment
received by the organisation. So 2
problems – 1 team hut too short, and the team that had not paid had already
established residence and were not really wishing to move out! Since arriving I and another team manager had
been asking for the keys and when we could get our ‘huts’. Anyway
An
informal briefing was held at 10 a.m. this morning. Today only the signs are being put up as to
where gliders and trailers are to be parked/tied down. Of course many of the gliders had already
arrived, parked themselves where it seemed appropriate, so a lot of p.t. and energy could have been saved if the signage had
been put up on Saturday! Sadly our Open
Class pilots are being parked far away from the rest of the crowd – if you look
at the official website and see the latest bulletin it shows that the Open
Class gliders are parked in A area, whilst the 15m & 18m are in C
area. We do however have all of our SA
and associated pilots close by, i.e. Bosnia & NZ!
The
Goudriaan and Jonker brothers have got airborne
today, whilst Mannie still has to remove the motor from his glider – he is
waiting for the Schleicher agent to arrive, and we are still waiting for Andrew
to arrive. Art Grant has arrived and has
already set up the scrutineering station and is already operational this afternoon,
a day earlier than was expected. Our new
team hut is currently being cleaned, an aircon unit
is being obtained, and I will get “official help” to set up my ground station
aerial! What a pleasure. So hopefully by later today or tomorrow, we
will be moreorless based, instead of working here and
there and no-one knowing where anyone is.
Last
evening driving to our village (approx. 20 km), Iain Baker in his camper van
had a puncture which was an unexpected annoyance. At least it had not happened when driving
from
Laurens
& Oscar have landed and are concerned about the visibility – it is very
hazy. So think if the current conditions
remain – all of the pilots are going to have to be very very
vigilant and keep their eyes peeled. We
will have to establish how many pilots actually have Flarm.
Right –
let me get on with some other chores – more tomorrow. Photos – well, will hopefully manage one or
two of those in a day or so.
Sun. 18th July
Sunday – church bells were
the ‘wake-up’ call this morning. At the
airfield we are slowly gathering. John
Coutts arrived yesterday; the Australians are here, Ron Tabery
from
Last evening was an
introduction to the local spa/swimming pools.
Think half of
Yesterday Uys and Attie
both took a flight – the visibility was not so good and they said you could not
see the ‘blue holes’ where there was no lift at all. Fortunately they did not land out, but think
they were not so happy for a while. They
also said that the day died quite suddenly.
Today Laurens will take a launch and am not sure whether Oscar is going
to join him or not.
At this stage the
organization is still getting organized and the chief steward, Brian Spreckley,
is only arriving tomorrow so certain things are waiting upon his being here and
overall approval. The Contest Director
was hurt in an accident in Previdza, so his deputy,
Think today is going to be
a day for doing shopping, and getting more things organized. Thankfully I think the temperature is a bit
cooler and it seems slightly less humid, or perhaps I’m just getting used to
it!
Sat. 17th July
Left Johannesburg on Wed.
evening (14th) flying to
There is to be a Lilienthal
Glide contest starting at Lusse this week, which Herbert is organising. In the course of the afternoon whilst we were
getting the gliders into their ‘boxes’ , the briefing hall was being set up
with tables, chairs, p.a. system, projectors, etc. The all-important beer stand
was set up, markers for the runways were put out – all the equipment is there
and just had to be taken out of storage.
Certainly they are extremely organized at Lusse.
Friday morning we set off
from Lusse – Laurens, Suzy and I for the drive to
Attie & Uys have been
here for a few days already so I was dropped off there, and then Suzy &
Laurens had opted to stay in a hotel and headed off into town to find their
beds.
This morning the South
African team is finally arriving – Mannie has now arrived, Oscar is still en
route hassling with the traffic around Budapest, Laurens, Uys and Attie are
here, and Andrew will probably only get here later tomorrow.
By comparison to Lusse,
arriving at
First impressions –
everything is very flat, it is extremely hot and humid and the ‘social/café’
area will need to speed up their service if they are going to cope with 400 –
500+ people. There is also no indication
of where arriving gliders/trailers need to be parked, which newcomers to an
airfield should know! Uys and Attie
have spent a few days familiarizing themselves with everything and now know
where the best air-conditioned shops are, where the swimming pools and spas
are, and say everything is very nice, friendly and quite cheap. All these things, I still need to establish
for myself when I have got organized & straight! I need to change Euros to forints (the local
currency), I need to get a local sim card for my
phone, and get my own wheels (coming with Oscar and his crew)!
So think that is sufficient
for today, and hopefully further news tomorrow will report some flying. As I write – a few gliders have been taking
launches. Uys and Attie plan to have a
flight – the gliders they are flying were being flown by Rose Johnson and Iain
Evans over the last two weeks – Iain finished 5th overall. Laurens has rigged the 22 but does not plan
to take a launch today. As Mannie has
only just arrived, I don’t imagine he’ll fly today – haven’t actually seen him
yet, and Oscar still travelling.