Soaring

2012-02-02T22:30:00.001+02:00

2012-01-26T13:32:00.001+02:00

2012-01-24T19:23:00.001+02:00

Prime Circle

2011-12-31T23:13:00.001+02:00

No-one's arc

2011-12-31T20:58:00.001+02:00

Kirstenbosch

2011-12-31T20:34:00.001+02:00

2011-12-13T18:21:00.001+02:00

2011-12-13T18:18:00.001+02:00

2011-12-13T18:12:00.001+02:00

Kroonstad a/f

2011-12-13T17:56:00.001+02:00

+02

2011-11-21T18:20:00.001+02:00

A perfect soaring day

2011-11-21T15:52:00.001+02:00

Done!

2011-11-21T11:18:00.001+02:00

2011-10-29T22:26:00.001+02:00

Fun

2011-10-29T22:25:00.001+02:00

Fun

2011-10-29T22:24:00.001+02:00

Cederberg

2011-10-29T22:23:00.001+02:00

2011-10-23T08:08:00.001+02:00

2011-10-23T08:07:00.001+02:00

2011-10-16T07:13:00.001+02:00

2011-10-16T07:12:00.001+02:00

Betty's wave

2011-10-15T11:12:00.001+02:00

Keble

2011-09-10T00:24:00.001+02:00

Dinner

Keble via Dubai

2011-08-26T17:22:00.001+02:00

FACT ATC

2011-07-27T12:56:00.001+02:00

Summer is coming!

2011-07-21T14:10:00.001+02:00

Racing the sun

2011-07-03T23:25:00.001+02:00

A rainbow

2011-06-19T13:40:00.001+02:00

So WE block the highway so that WE can go to work!!

2011-06-01T16:28:00.001+02:00

We flew under this sky

2011-05-22T23:41:00.001+02:00

Asperatus clouds

2011-05-22T23:39:00.001+02:00

VFR on top

2011-05-18T19:04:00.001+02:00

2011-05-09T11:12:00.001+02:00

Racing the sun (again)

2011-05-08T22:35:00.001+02:00

A not so glass panel

2011-05-08T22:32:00.001+02:00

Squall line

2011-05-02T09:47:00.001+02:00

Glas cockpit

2011-05-02T09:46:00.001+02:00

Sun Air

2011-05-02T09:45:00.001+02:00

Outlanded

2011-04-30T15:27:00.001+02:00

Green winglet

2011-04-29T18:14:00.001+02:00

Departure CTI for the last 2 days of the NW Regionals

2011-04-29T17:16:00.001+02:00

The Witzenberg

2011-04-23T22:49:00.001+02:00

Queen Victoria Peak

2011-04-23T22:48:00.001+02:00

Racing sunset

2011-04-23T22:44:00.001+02:00

Still there this morning!

2011-04-12T19:02:00.000+02:00

Lennie over Table Mountain last nite

2011-04-12T19:01:00.001+02:00

Paternoster

2011-04-03T18:03:00.001+02:00

West Coast - Paternoster

2011-04-03T18:02:00.001+02:00

At Nadini

2011-03-21T17:41:00.001+02:00

Convergence near Barrydale

2011-03-21T17:38:00.001+02:00

Wave on final glide

2011-03-14T06:04:00.001+02:00

Flight is on olc

A strip in the middle of nowhere

2011-03-06T09:03:00.001+02:00

Stablemates

2011-03-06T08:48:00.001+02:00

Fires in the mountains

2011-03-06T08:46:00.001+02:00

11 000ft

2011-03-06T08:44:00.001+02:00

We don't often get, and i flew to places i had never been before. Awesome. Flight is posted on OLC

Bloemfontein departure

2011-02-22T18:05:00.001+02:00

2011-02-19T22:47:00.001+02:00

Fan walk

2011-02-19T08:18:00.001+02:00

U2

2011-02-19T08:17:00.001+02:00

U2

2011-02-18T23:18:00.003+02:00

U2

2011-02-18T23:18:00.001+02:00

Day 6

2010-12-27T11:52:00.001+02:00

Day 6

2010-12-27T11:51:00.001+02:00

Day 6

2010-12-27T11:50:00.001+02:00

2010-12-13T20:18:00.001+02:00

Storm front

2010-12-12T15:47:00.001+02:00

2010-12-11T18:23:00.001+02:00

2010-12-10T19:00:00.001+02:00

Ooops, we must be having a BIG contest soon!!!

2010-12-06T08:41:00.002+02:00

OOOPS - we must be having a BIIIG Contest - it is easy to predict when the contest is scheduled to start - just look at the weatherforecast below. The first contest day won't match the scheduled start!

The longrange forecast for Welkom

Tomorrow
07/12/2010
25°
Rain showers. Gentle breeze, 4 m/s from north-northwest. 2.2 mm precipitation per 24 hours.
Wednesday
08/12/2010
31°
Cloudy. Light breeze, 3 m/s from west-southwest. 0.1 mm precipitation per 24 hours.
Thursday
09/12/2010
27°
Partly cloudy. Gentle breeze, 4 m/s from west-southwest. 1.2 mm precipitation per 24 hours.
Friday
10/12/2010
30°
Partly cloudy. Light breeze, 3 m/s from southwest. 0 mm precipitation per 24 hours.
Saturday
11/12/2010
30°
Rain. Light breeze, 3 m/s from west. 2.5 mm precipitation per 24 hours.
Sunday
12/12/2010
23°
Rain. Light breeze, 3 m/s from west-northwest. 13 mm precipitation per 24 hours.
Monday
13/12/2010
28°
Rain. Fresh breeze, 8 m/s from northwest. 6 mm precipitation per 24 hours.
Tuesday
14/12/2010
22°
Rain showers. Moderate breeze, 7 m/s from west-northwest. 19 mm precipitation per 24 hours.

Mango Groove

2010-12-05T18:47:00.004+02:00

Wonderful evening in Kirstenbosch with Christelle, Kara, Mieke and Volker en Angelika

20years later and Mango Groove is even better!

Storms FAJS

2010-11-05T18:08:00.001+02:00

Perfect 1000km weather

2010-11-05T14:02:00.001+02:00

... departure lounge FACT

2010-11-03T07:17:00.001+02:00

2010-10-02T22:21:00.001+02:00

2010-10-02T22:20:00.000+02:00

2010-09-11T14:06:00.001+02:00

2010-09-10T07:32:00.001+02:00

Day 4

2010-07-09T14:10:00.003+02:00

Day 4 started off well. After crossing the startline i managed well, and half-way down the task, i was comfortably in the zone, running into the second turn (having decidedly the best flight yet in the contest). The run into the turn was going to be delicate, but do-able. Ahead of me ten or so of the gliders turned back 8k before the turn (as if rounding the turn). I immediately grabbed the task sheet, neither they, nor i (and the others continuing with me) would make such an elementary mistake. I and 6 or so rounded the turn. The gaggle we were in had now largely dissipated. I was with two dutch pilots and the previous day winner and we followed a more southerly route. When crossing a mountain range Roman Marcek did what i would have done - once he had the neccessary height he crossed the pass. But Steven Raimond and Bass Seifert had started ridge soaring. Interesting idea i thought, but perhaps not good racing tactics. I changed to their frequency to hear Steve saying "Nouw gaat wij maar naar huijs." Though i knew we still had 200km ahead of us and it was 16h00 local, it was certainly doable. I changed to the Brits frequency to hear Jay Rebbeck say - "confirm the day for the standard class cancelled". I asked for confirmation from him - "yes, out team captain advised the day is cancelled for us".
Bad news. No need to ask anything further. I climbed back to final glide for Prievidza and 10k out requested landing instructions.
It is a very beautiful sport. But you have to be ever so careful - if you take (high) risks you will pay the price - and sometimes even a small error will have a serious and out of proportion consequences. I think what Roland Stuck had said in his address at the briefing this morning was most accurate. It remains our own obligation to make sure that we arrive back at the airfield safely - or if we outland, also to do so safely.
T1

Bye

2010-06-23T21:09:00.001+02:00

False Bay ahead

2010-06-17T23:03:00.001+02:00

Grabouw

2010-06-17T23:02:00.001+02:00

Wavebars ahead

Theewaterskloof

2010-06-17T23:00:00.001+02:00

11000ft in wave saturday

2010-06-10T20:10:00.001+02:00

The parade

2010-06-10T19:49:00.000+02:00

Adderley str 2010 fever

2010-06-10T19:25:00.001+02:00

2010-05-20T07:24:00.001+02:00

2010-05-03T10:01:00.001+02:00

2010-04-29T18:06:00.003+02:00

2010-04-29T18:06:00.001+02:00

2010-04-28T18:15:00.001+02:00

2010-04-28T18:08:00.001+02:00

2010-04-28T17:55:00.001+02:00

2010-04-27T08:41:00.001+02:00

2010-04-25T23:10:00.001+02:00

2010-04-25T23:08:00.001+02:00

2010-04-25T23:07:00.001+02:00

2010-04-24T13:28:00.001+02:00

2010-04-03T08:58:00.001+02:00

2010-04-03T08:57:00.001+02:00

2010-04-02T16:11:00.001+02:00