Latest news June 9, 2006 Flying...?? Tasks are set! We have the GO On the picture V8 pilot Gyorgy Gulyas from Hungary at briefing this morning. 12.30 Tasks are set as you could read in the morning news. Briefing will be in half an hour. It does look rather good here, with clouds popping up close to the W. of the field and also to the N. where pilots are supposed to go.
13.08 We have the GO , from meteorologist Bernt and from tasksetter Saka, so at 13.45 competition day 4 will start.
The weather looks OK, also according to Bernt and thick but also thin clouds and cirrus will appear but....under the cirrus pilots will find 1 to 3/8 of cumulus clouds.He does n't expect spread out anymore and thinks the weather will stay for a short while GOOD. So a small window, with small tasks , but WE FLY!
Pilots will find weak climbs from 1 , 1 1/2 and the lucky one up to 2 m./sec till around 5 or 6 PM.
It was very nice to catch up with 4 Finnish friends I met as steward in Finland during the EGC last year , including jury member Visa-Matti Leiniki. Patrick visited already and Peter Ryder is supposed to come next weekend. Thanks also to the many Finnish friends for their nice reactions!!!And to ALL OF YOU sending reactions! I hear tow planes start their engines so I better go.
13.52 First start on competition day 4 from 15 m. class at 13.45 sharp. Launching from 15m. class in progress NOW!!! Startline opens at 14.28!! 14.00 18 m. launches in progress NOW! Start line opens at 14.53. 14.30 St. class launches in progress NOW. Start line opens at 15.17. 14.52 Open class launches in progress NOW! Start line opens at 15.30, which means that all gliders were launched in 1 hour and 15 minutes!!!!
VG was pushed of the grid but back "in a second". AB arrived back. Some 15 m. class pilots could climb up very high under a big ,goodlooking white cloud with a black "bottom", before their start point opened.Rafi from Israel is one of the pilots with the vpos in his glider. We noticed an even more interesting wave cloud over the field. More or less round! Weather phenomena all the time here, this year. In fact there 4 of these clouds , even locals have n't seen them.
At 14.50 AB had rushed back ,glider behind the car, driving around the WHOLE airfield , to just be too late to start in front of open class. Poor Arne from Denmark, I saw his frustration!!! Now he even has to wait longer!!Hope he flies fast, faster, the fastest now! 15.03 AB is behind the tug. Go, go , go! I always feel sorry for the "unlucky ones!"
Now we just start waiting again. Another short task which , as it looks here, good flying circumstances , so in a not too long time -phrame, we will be back to look at the finishes. Rush, rush! But great fun.
To remain in the Italian atmosphere today,we had spagettie for lunch.
Look for start times at the result page . Will be back with a new article soon. Ritz
