Competition News

Die Thermikprognosen sind generell schlechter geworden. In der ganzen Schweiz hat es eine Isothermie bis 1800m. Wir müssten auf 2500m starten, dort hat es aber zu viel Schnee… Aus dem Bauch heraus bin ich immer noch der Meinung, das es im Tessin gut genug wäre für einen Task. Die "Daten" sagen aber Thermik Top auf 1500m ... Der Entscheid ist auf Morgen Mittag verschoben. Les prévisions thermiques se sont généralement dégrade. Dans toute la Suisse, il y a une isothermie jusqu'à 1800m. Il faudrait décoller à 2500m, mais il y a trop de neige.... D'après mon intuition, je suis toujours d'avis que ce serait suffisant pour un task au Tessin. Mais les "données" disent Thermik Top sur 1500m... La décision a été reportée à demain midi.

A small swissleague team of 6 met in Roldanillo to participate in the new British Winter Open. With the FAI Triangle site record broken both before and after the event, we were a bit unlucky with 2 of 7 tasks cancelled. Phil G. was able to put himself in the top ranking after a fast and furious Task1 where the last 8km to ESS proved to be very difficult as the Pacific Wind pushed in early and many topguns were left scratching and drifting with the wind. Unfortunately, Youri had to deal with a technical issue that forced him to land. The pace was set for more fast racing the next days with various creative task designs from race director Pal, including a large Enter cylinder on task 4 that send us on a valley crossing right after take-off to be able to race the convergence line in the east. Task 5 was also interesting with the weakest conditions all week and very little sun for our one-way race to Piedechinche. Task 6 was cancelled due to rain and the final task saw us flying a cylindrical 51km task around the Goal of Zarzal-Norte. I got anxious when realizing my good position after the last climb and left on a 16km glide to goal with 1:10 which did get me into ESS fast but I couldnt make goal and dropped in the overall. Nevertheless it feels great to be in front of the gaggel and I am super happy with my new equipment. Congratulations to the winners Juan Sebastian Ospina and Kristy Cameron. Overall a fantastic comp and good preparation for the coming season. Swiss Pilots: Phil G (18th, Albino M. 39th, Philipp B. 46th, Youri P. 55th, Kevin P. 58th, Chris B. 88th)

Dear Pilots On Thursday and Friday the annual FAI Hang Gliding & Paragliding Commission (CIVL) Opening took place in Lausanne and on Saturday and Sunday the Plenary Meeting 2019 was held in the same place. It was a meeting without fundamental changes and mostly consisted of adjustments that make sense. However, the following points are interesting for us: 25b - Proposal PG Committee XC Ballast Pilots must comply with the weight limitations set by the glider airworthiness standards. Weight can be measured at take-off or landing at the request of the organisers. Pilots may carry jettisonable ballast only in the form of fine sand or water. A pilot must avoid dropping ballast at any time or in a manner likely to affect other competing gliders or third parties. 25c - Proposal Bureau Leading points Go back to 1.4 leading points and define leading points for the Worlds in the local regulations. 26b - Proposal HG&PG Committee XC Distance Measurements and Tolerances For tolerances: o For Cat 1, set the tolerance to 0.1%. o For Cat 2, recommend a tolerance of 0.5% to allow pilots to still use equipment that calculates distances on the FAI sphere 26d - Proposal HG&PG Committee XC Safety Committee Safety Committee should only include pilots with local experience, and should not be made up only of pilots expected to achieve high ranking in the competition, but should also include pilots expected to finish lower in the rankings. Every Safety Committee pilot must be on radio. 26e - Proposal HG&PG Committee XC Time Points The best time is defined as the time of the fastest pilot over the speed section who also reached the goal. 33a - Proposal Portugal - Records & Non FAI comp - From now on it is possible to have several reserve dates for competitions -> A Competition Organiser may specify several sets of dates as reserve dates for the competition. 33b - Proposal Brazil Records-GAP - A flight timed from take-off to landing. Landing must be completed by twilight or sunset time, according to local air laws (night flying is prohibited) Note: FAI does not recognise duration as a category for hang glider records - Declared records shall be informed to the pilots NAC via email or other electronic communications. - For the guidelines: In case there is a very slow takeoff due to wind strength/direction change, stable conditions or a similar weather difficulty the meet Director can adopt an Air Start Time announcement. The following details must be followed: a) Air Start must be announced at the pilot’s briefing; b) Starts will be made at the hourly 15minute intervals (i.e. 13:15, 13:30, 13:45, etc).; c) The meet director will announce the race start time via radio at least 15 minutes before the actual race start. 33d - Proposal Switzerland Junior To include the pilot’s age in the current or in a new WPRS ranking system prior to Dec 2019. 34b – Bid France World PG XC May 22nd – June 5th, 2021 in Northern Alps (Chambery) 39a – Anti Doping Program Please read carefully. Penalties can become really serious! https://www.fai.org/anti-doping

Parmi les nombreuses nationalités présentes, j'étais malheureusement le seul suisse à participer à cette open mexicain. Par contre, j'ai eu le plaisir de découvrir que le niveau des pilotes est très élevé. Pour ma part, le début de la compétition a été difficile avec une première manche manquée. Après un début de course rapide avec de très bonnes lignes, je me suis retrouvé seul, piégé dans l'ombre de grosses formations nuageuses, et j'ai dû poser à mi-parcour... Après cette erreur, j'ai volé la deuxième manche avec beaucoup trop de réserve, ce qui m'a coûté un mauvais classement intermédiaire. Ces deux manches m'ont probablement servi de calibrage, car mes résultats sont devenus beaucoup plus satisfaisants. Pour la première fois, je remporte une manche (la 4ème), ce qui m'a donné des ailes et m'a encouragé pour la suite :). La dernière manche a été épique. Les organisateurs nous avaient préparé une boucle de 91 km. Après le premier quart de la manche, un épais voile de cirrus a rendu les conditions très faibles est compliquées. A la suite d'un lourd travail à basses altitudes, j'ai eu la chance de terminer la manche avec 25 autres pilotes. Finalement, j'obtiens une 9ème place au classement général et j'ai la joie de faire un podium en catégorie D. Sous la direction de Nicky Moss, l'organisation de la compétition était impeccable avec des manches très variées. Bravo à Mitch Riley (USA), pilote de la X-Alps, qui remporte cette compétition. Google translate :) Among the many nationalities present, I was unfortunately the only Swiss to participate in this open Mexican. On the other hand, I had the pleasure to discover that the level of the pilots is very high. For my part, the start of the competition was difficult with a first run missed. After a quick race start with very good lines, I found myself alone, trapped in the shadow of large cloud formations, and I had to land halfway ... After this error, I stole the second run with too much reserve, which cost me a bad intermediate ranking. These two rounds probably served as a calibration because my results became much more satisfying. For the first time, I won a task (the 4th), which gave me wings and encouraged me for the rest :). The last round was epic. The organizers had prepared a loop of 91 km. After the first quarter of the round, a thick veil of cirrus made the conditions very weak and complicated. After heavy work at low altitudes, I had the chance to finish the round with 25 other drivers. Finally, I get a 9th place in the general classification and I have the joy of making a podium in category D. Under the direction of Nicky Moss, the organization of the competition was impeccable with very varied tasks. Congratulations to Mitch Riley (USA), driver of the X-Alps, who wins this competition.

Die Schwierige Meteo Lage am Sonntag hat uns ins Prättigau geführt. Mit der Hoffnung von Bise geschützt zu werden. Mit Philipp und Christian sind wir 15 min bis 1850 müm gelaufen. Wir waren leicht im Lee aber gab es gute Phasen. Um 12: könnte man starten und erstaunlich direkt nachher hoch kreiseln. Interessant: Ab "Chrüz" ist Jörg Bonderer schon früher gestartet! Dann haben wir die Kante hinten Saussauna folgen wollen. Der Flug da hinten war ziemlich anspruchsvoll/Leevoll und ab Stausee/Kirschlispitzen sind wir zurück auf die standard Route Richtung Chrüz geflogen...Anders gesagt, war dort ein interessantes Training! Vor dem Chrüz habe ich ein Fehler gemacht (nicht Richtung Spitze genug im Lee geflogen) und habe den Anschluss verpasst... Zum merken: In Grüsch war der Talwind stark. Heute haben wir das richtiges Fluggebiet gewählt. Einige XC Piloten sind dort heute bis 50 km und 4 Std geflogen (G.Jakober und J.Bonderer)

Wir versuchen etwas am Wochenende -> Info@SL Regio Ost whatsapp

Da es keinen Durchgang mehr gegeben hat, sind die Ranglisten final. Mit 18 Durchgängen hatten wir eine ausgezeichnete und selektive Saison. Herzliche Gratulation den Gewinnern Andreas Nyffenegger, Nanda Walliser und Marcel Mock.

Trotz wenige Piloten (3), haben wir ein kurzes Task organisiert. Am Scheidegg ist gut gestiegen, aber leider hat man nie anschluss am Bachtel oder irgendwoanders gefunden...Jura war definitiv besser für längere Flüge! Den rest von Tag haben wir unzählbare start und top Landungen realisiert um unsere Technik zu verbessern. Am Abend ist der Wind starker geworden und die Soaring Bedingungen waren einfach Genial.

Die Bedingungen sind zu unsicher, um für einen Tag in den Jura zu fahren: Kaum Cumuli, schwache Thermik, Top 1800m. Bis 13h sollte die Thermik ok sein, ab 13 oder 14 h schwächere Thermik wegen Warmluftadvektion (von der sich nähernden Warmfront). Ab Mittag etwas Cirren. Problem ist die unsichere Thermikstärke wegen der Warmluftadvektion. ************************************ Swiss League Cup : Annulée. Regio Jura fait une manche ! Les conditions sont trop incertaines pour aller dans le Jura pour une seule journée : Quelque cumulus, thermique faible, top a 1800m. Jusqu'à 13h les thermiques devraient être ok, à partir de 13 ou 14 h les thermiques plus faibles dus à l'advection d'air chaud (du front chaud qui approche). dès midi un peu de cirrus. Le problème est la thermique faible due à l'advection d'air chaud.

Samstag: Viel Wind, wahrscheinlich zu viel Wind ausser im Jura. 7hp Nordüberdruck, der sich wohl rasch abbaut, aber doch stört. Wir haben eine kleine Chance für einen Task im Jura. Basis steigt auf 1800m Cirren ab Mittag von Warmfront die am Abend kommt. Ab 15h wahrscheinlich dichtere Bewölkung Sonntag hat es generell zu viel (SW)-Wind. Wir müssen uns die Frage stellen, ob es sich lohnt, für einen kleinen Task anzusagen. PS: TopTask macht im Jura keine Distanz, sondern nur im Flachland. ************************** Samedi : Beaucoup de vent, probablement trop de vent sauf dans le Jura. Surpression nord de 7hp, qui se décompose rapidement, mais qui reste désagréable. On a une petite chance d'avoir une manche au Jura. La base monte à 1800m Cirrus à partir de midi à cause d'une front chaude qui vient le soir. A partir de 15h des nuages probablement plus denses Dimanche il y a généralement trop de vent (SW).

D'après les pilotes locaux, nous n'avons pas eu les meilleures conditions pour le site d'Ager, mais malgré tout, nous avons eu du soleil et on a pu faire 6 manches très variées et très fun. Avec ma faible expérience en compétition, je ne m'attendais pas forcément à faire un bon score, mais finalement je termine 11ème au général, 2ème au serial et 1er suisse :). Superbe expérience et magnifiques rencontres avec nos pilotes suisses que je ne connaissais pas encore. Je suis très heureux et très motivé pour la suite ! Félicitation à Nanda Walliser pour sa première place. For the local pilots, we did not have the best conditions for the site of Ager, but despite everything, we had the sun and we could make 6 very varied and very fun tasks. With my poor experience in competition, I did not necessarily expect to make a good score, but finally I finished 11th overall, 2nd in the serial and 1st Swiss :). Great experience and wonderful meetings with our Swiss pilots that I did not know yet. I am very happy and very motivated for the future! Congratulations to Nanda Walliser for her first place.

Too much wind from the W this time. The take off was technical or almost dangerous...we could see some interesting actions! After the air start time (most of the pilot where still waiting to take off) the meet director closed the take off and cancelled the task. Results: After a good fight with Seiko, Yael became second! Congratulations. R.Achterberg won the PWC showing us amazing skills. Ranking Women: 1. Seiko FUKUOKA NAVILLE (FRA) 2. Yael MARGELISCH (CHE) 3. Daria KRASNOVA (RUS) Ranking Overall: 1. Russell ACHTERBERG (ZAF) 2. Yassen SAVOV (BGR) 3. Stéphane POULAIN (FRA) 33. Yael MARGELISCH 65. Yanick LETTRY 77. Philipp BETHGE

Heute haben wir einige Zeit am Startplatz gewartet, da die Organisation doch gerne 7 gültige Tasks gehabt hätte. Leider ist die Basis dann doch nicht entsprechend hoch gestiegen um einen sicheren Task durchzuführen. Die Tasks waren taktisch anspruchsvoll und zum Teil auf Grund Cirren auch ein wenig Glücksache. Wir dürften eine tolle Woche mit schönstem Wetter hier in Àger verbringen. Bester Schweizer war Youri Pitteloud auf dem 11. Platz. Bravo! Es war erst sein 4. Wettkampf. Ich konnte die Damenwertung gewinnen. Gleich um 20:00 startet die Siegerehrung mit Tapas und Cervesa.

Today the SW wind was strong in altitude and also on the take off (tailwind). We waited all the day, but the wind conditions never improved and as a consequence no task was possible... Fortunately we where able with Philipp to start almost at the bottom of D02 (a small volcano on the flats) and had a very nice soaring/thermal flight with great sunset light. That saved the day...

Top 3 overall 1st = Mitch RILEY 1st = Charles CAZAUX 3rd Yassen SAVOV Top 3 ladies 1st = Yael MARGELISCH 1st = Seiko FUKUOKA NAVILLE 3rd Daria KRASNOVA Yael hat nun zwei von drei Task gewonnen, Yael liegt Overall immer noch auf Rang 2 hinter Seiko.

Neun Schweizer Piloten sind nach Ager gereist, um in Ager um die Wette zu fliegen. Wir flogen bis jetzt vier Tasks zwischen 57 und 69 km. Zick-Zack, Race an der Ridge, Flachland. Bis jetzt hatten wir von allem etwas. Mal viel Sonne, mal viele Wolken, mal Cirren, mal Starkregen. Das Wetter und Tasksetting ist aber mehrheitlich aud der Fliegerseite. Im Moment läuft gerade Task 5, welcher für ganz viele bei viel Gegenwind und kaum Thermik im Flachen endete. Der Rissi hats heute gerissen :) Nach vier Task bin ich auf dem dritten Platz. Crossing fingers! Heute Abend wird nach FTV 20% neu durchgemischt. Mal schauen wie es dann ausschaut. Auf Www.dhv.de Gibts die Resultate

Less cumulus on the take off than yesterday, it looked more stable and more windy... The task comitee sent us on an 114km optimisitic task, with 2 turnpoints, and more than 60 km between them... When we took off, it was working quite well, but 15min before start, the whole area started to sink... It was really hard to know what to do because the flats looked inactive and on the volcano side it was notclimbing anymore... So we started low, in the flats, hoping not to land directly... Then we found some thermals in the flats, not so strong but good enough. We took the first turnpoint and then I could replace myself above the group and stop following from lower. As i was in a good position, i kept pushing forward, until i got low again. Luckily, a good thermal saved me, and again i could be back in a comfortable position. Going headwind in this flats with no clouds was a hassle, we kept fighting until we arrived in a big shadow, just before the big cylinder. Then turning in 1m thermal with the wind was almost like doing nothing, as it was drifting us away... During the whole task Russel Achterberg was leading, above us and about 10 km in front more less. Don't askme how he could make this gap, i have absolutely no idea. But it was nice to see that he kept going all the time, not waiting around. Unfortunately he could not reach goal, the day was over and landed atkm 108. Yannick and I landed about at the same place, 91km Hoping for better conditions for the next ones

This morning we were greeted with an impressive dark cloud over the takeoff mountain ‘Hasan Dagi’ which led to a conservative estimate of todays task probability. Nevertheless a 68km task was set and pilots rushed to launch in the little time given. We were able to climb to a low cloudbase of approx. 2800m with rain approaching from the east. The gaggle therefore took a start position more towards the west which kept us in a save distance. Unfortunatly I was sucked into the white room the minute the start gate opened so I had to spiral down to egalise any advantage. Yannick was in a really good position at the start but missed a thermal at TP1. In contrast, I was able to find a ripper next to the lead gaggle which allowed me to close the distance. Once we left the dark clouds, we raced in a magnificant sky with beautiful cummulus and strong climbs, allowing the leaders to score an average of approx. 39 kmh. The ESS was located right after a downwind hill for which we unnecessarily took extra height so that most pilots arrived with an surplus altitude of roughly 400m. With many pilots having 900+ points, all options remain and we look forward to more flatland racing. I was placed 46th (940 pts), Yael 52nd (937 pts) and Yannick 70th (899 pts). Congrats to Yael who won the womens ranking today!