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Wednesday 2.12.2015 – Difficult flying day

Wind was again strong in the morning, I had to wear jeans and a jacket, which I ended up wearing all day, that’s a surprise. Others had found their warmer clothes as well. The wind was really strong during launches and I am surprised that the flying day was that successful after all, as we had only 8 outlandings.

I went to see the tie down area during landings, and saw Swiss team taking photos of a flag. They told me that the flag is their aero club’s flag and Roger’s father is the president of it, and he had said to Roger that he has to take the flag here and take a picture of it here. Roger told about his flying, that during 3 hour AAT task weather was first ok and then it wasn’t as the thermals were only up to 1200 m or less, but it got better when coming towards Narromine. Some outlanded today, sadly Finnish Petri as well. He is flying Adam’s glider (W1) and Adam said that the plane has never outlanded when he has owned it. Well, it happened today.

Parties and memories

There was supposed to be a hangar party in the evening – a new try after yesterday – and I talked for a while with Andy (Maddocks) in front of the hangar. I heard that Jess and Rachel are planning the social calendar for coming weeks, and there will be few events during the following 10 days. Now as you start counting the days, even this event has just started, it feels like it’s almost over.

I told to Andy that we have talked which the JWGC’s has been the best, so far Benjamin (FRA) and Andy (AUS) are voting for the Räyskälä, but I have to put my vote on Musbach. But let’s see if Narromine will have my vote after this competition.

Andy mentioned that in Musbach I had been in the parties with them, but could disappear from the party without anybody to notice. And still I knew who had done and what with whom, he also continued that they could come to me and ask if someone had a boy/girlfriend etc. You know, I might spot those things easily. But if you look at this crowd here and compare it to previous JWGC’s, I feel like something is changing. Some of the people are still the same, but we are 6 years older. That’s a long time, especially when you are on your 20’s or 30’s. And the rest of the people here are not anymore that “party hardy”-people, I feel like pilots are nowadays taking the championships much more serious than in 2009 or 2011. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t – I mean aren’t able – to have fun. Of course we can, but we might think of “fun” to be something different than some years ago. It might be sad, but it’s true. Besides, I don’t think it would be good idea to have a massive hangover when being at the airfield in 40 C heat. Call me old, but it doesn’t sound very appealing to me. Also what comes to “who likes whom” thing :-) Sure it happens at the airfield, but if I look around, I feel like there aren’t that many available girls around, all seem to be here with their boyfriends, or have I understood it totally wrong…?

Dinner was “chicken parmagina” – we laughed with Vicki to the name as it sounded pretty funny. I assume they meant “chicken parmigiana”. Anyway it was chicken schnitzel with melted cheese on top and some tomato-based sauce with potatoes and salad. It was good to have food in your stomach.

Pete took my things to the hotel and I decided to walk back as the weather was cool enough. The walk takes just about 20 minutes and it was just getting dark. This is quiet town, so there’s nothing to worry about walking in the dark.

And let’s start that “who did and what”. I know that the Swiss team ate at the RSL club, even they didn’t tell me that. And Terry, Vicki, Max and Rob (my yesterday’s dinner company) ate at the Imperial hotel at the same table as Czech team. Hungarian pilot Tamás was very disappointed at the time I met him by the Imperial Hotel, as he had outlanded.

We watched some photos with Pete from his iPad in the evening. We found out that we have been in Uvalde 2012 at the same time, wouldn’t it be funny if I happened to be in one of his pictures. But I wasn’t.

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