GROUNDE(A)D(TH)

One month ago I easly fell of a motorcycle and catched myself on a hand. It was a small pain that lasted for a long time but I had no problem with it. I wen`t to Bassano and the pain was almost gone. After coming back to work with some heavy lifting it started with pain again. I wen`t to see a doctor and they diagnosed a ribbed musle in the hand and forecasted a long rehabilitation of two months... Tomorrow I will meet a specialist who will scan my hand trough CT to see if I need a surgery or not. I hope that I don`t need one, because after that I maybe even won`t be able to fly this season anymore... I fell on a hard ground in one day, from goals that I made for myself this year to a zero. As I work trough student service I also don`t get payed for beeing off from work. It all depends of tomorow so fingers crossed.
Anyway there will be at least 2 months of time to realy work with our hanggliding students here. First group is slowly proceding to a licenced pilots and another group is coming now to make their first mountain flights.
On Saturday we were spending our time at office near landing and as I looked to the sky I saw a very fammiliar glider in the sky coming in for a landing. It was no one else as Elio Cataldi who flew from Vitorrio Venneto near Bassano to our place. It was nice to meet whole Cataldi family again and have a nice panckaces in the evening.
So fingers crossed for tommorow, let`s hope for the best.

The video from Bassano

Here is the video that I made from Montegrappa trophy. Thanks to Nena and Irena for a stady hand :)


Montegrappa trophy 2009 from Matjaz Klemencic on Vimeo.

Last task cancelled, Slovenian team holds 3rd position in Bassano

On the last day of competition the wind conditions on the start were not good enough to make a safe start of competitors. Even in the air all the local pilots said that it would be very turbulent in the air if we start. Many of the pilots did not even assembled the gliders.
After a 4 nice taskes it was a good desicion to cancel the task on the start and leave Bassano in nice memories.
So Slovenian team made it to a 3rd place in overall team scoring. Well done.
The competition went trough with a nice flying, strong conditions and from time to time very turbulent air. The organisation was on a high level, only the number of competition pilots and free flying pilots in the air was from time to time quite scary. That is why there were some mid air qolitions too.
Overall results:

1 RUHMER MANFRED Icaro Laminar Z9 14.8
2 HEINRICHS Gerolf
Moyes LITESPEED RS4
3 REISINGER ROBERT
LITESPEED
8 GRICAR PRIMOZ
Aeros Combat L
11 PETERNEL FRANC
Aeros Combat L
44 ALAN SATTLER
Aeros Combat L
66 KLEMENCIC MATJAZ
Aeros Combat L

WOMEN

1. CORINNA SCHWIEGERSHAUSEN
2. MONIQUE WERNER
3. TOBLER CAROLE



For my flying I can`t say any good words about it. Seems like that first day with a problem on the landing left me something in my mind so I was truly comp relaxed finnaly on the last task, but still to late :)
For the future of my comps this year there is still a question where will we go. It all depends of the money yet again...

124 km task, finally at goal

As I have made all mistakes I could this week,I finally made it to goal. Even if the sky looked worst than any day before they set up a task of 124 km. The day was again rough with a strong thermals somwhere even if we had a high layer clouds and the sun was only on the half of the task. So a lot of flying this year here in Bassano, parody to the last one where we had cold weather with only one official task. Finaly the whole Slovenian team was in goal as I made it :) Our team is now 3rd behind Austrians and Italians. Tomorow, they said, we will have a short task as many pilots have to go home. We hope for the best...

Feeling exausted after the landing :)

Third task somwhere around 115km

Seems like we will fly all 5 days here in Bassano. Today they set up a task to the east side of Bassano with crossing the Piave river. The air weas quite rough again. Soon after the start I saw a Litespeed RS turned around on the ground with a rescue chute beside. The guy was ok, he was trying to avoid the paraglider in the termal and touched another hang glider in the air. The glider and he is ok. So we were avoiding the clouds again on the start, they were a bit higher today so it was a bit but just a bit easier. I was trying to cross the Piave river tree times and it seemd like it won`t be enough to rich the safe area on the ridge, because there was almost none landing below that ridge. Wineyard by wineyard. I had enogugh one wineyard on the first day and I have blue thies now :)
So I ended up on crossing... Seems like I am having a big problems this competition here, it is not a problem to fly and be with the others, problems are in desicions...
I don`t know who was first but still Rhumer was in second or first, Gerolf was third. Primoz in first 10 and Franc in first 20. Alan was short few km before goal.
On the landing it was quite scary when one pilot came realy low and touched the top of the tree and crashed below. He is ok. Another one landed and got a good punch in the back with a nose of the glider. I don`t know how is he.

Second day

Christian Chiech won the day today before Manfred Rhumer. Franc Peternel was somewhere around 8 and Primoz around 10. Alan made it to goal I was short in the middle of the race at about 60km. Glider is flying but he wants to go a to the left. We will fix it tomorow.
More later...

The giant is back (Manfred Rhumer)

Today we had a task of 108 km. The cloud base was realy low all the time so we had a nervous time to wait for the start time. Around 40 pilots made it to goal, we will know more tommorow. The giant of our sport Manfred Rhumer came back to the scene on this competition and won the first day. Congrats to him.

I was short today on the first point and nearly crashed my self making the 180 turn 3m above the ground. I am ok, the glider is also... Well tomorow is another day..
Primoz and Franc Peternel made it to goal, Alan went down somwhere in betwen the task.
Today we have a party here in Antica Abazzia. We need to eat something after a looong day :)


P.s.: Nena flew for 3 hours today in a tandem... Our friend Arthur from Germany took here to the sky again today and she is trilled about it. Well sometimes it needs to be all around..... :)

Pictures from a first training day in Bassano

Carole Tobler on a landing

Nena in a tandem flight


Primoz with Aeros and a new tail

Let`s start with the comp season

We arrived today to Bassano for a first FAI2 competition this year here in Europe. We came to a nice weather today but for the weekend it doesn`t look that promesing. I hope that this year the competition will be valid with some flying days. It is totaly diferent then last year. We are here in shorts, last year we were in cold and last day even in snow..
The new camp here in Antica abazzia is realy nice and they even have a free wirelles internet here.. At least someone. No pictures from today as me and Nena forgot the cable for the camera.... I hope that tomorow Alan friend of us brings the cable so you can also see what is going on with us.

Kind regards from a tent in Antica abazzia..

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