Practice day 2

Very good meteo conditions are expected for today.

Tomorrow will be the first day for “Coppa Internazionale del Mediterraneo” till August the 14th.

This year we have some World and European champions among the competitors.

Eric Bernard (FRA): WGC 2014 cl.Club / Louis Bouderlique (FRA): WGC 2016 cl. STD, EGC 2009 and 2013 cl. 15m

Bruno Gantenbrink (GER): WGC 1989 cl.15m, EGC 1989 cl. STD, EGC 1994 cl. Open

Giorgio Galetto (ITA): WGC 1999 cl.15m

Bert Schmelzer (BE): WGC 2014 cl. STD / Roland Termaat (NL): EGC 2007 cl. 18m

This evening at 6.30pm mandatory briefing with “aperitivo” at the bar!

4 Ago- day 1

Ore 11. Briefing day1. Weather forecast announces very good meteo with convergence conditions for ridge soaring. We have about 32 degrees and 1015hPa. Enjoi your fligh over Appennines!

Food and drink at Andrea's bar for special breakfast, lunch and dinner! Open from 7am till 22 pm.

Ore 15. Take offs in one hour with four tow planes: Maule, Stinson L5 and two Robin.

5 Ago – day 2

Day 2. For today around 400 km tasks have been assigned. Weather forecast: weak east wind on the Adriatic side and weak from west on the Tyrrhenian side. So today there will be the convergence! Cloudbases will be between 2600m and 3300m. After 5pm thermal activity will begin to get weaker. Temperature is 30 degrees, QNH is 1016 hPa. Take offs will start at 12.45.

Weather conditions were more difficult than expected: it was very difficult to get to the south tourning point, but there was ridge soaring going to the north. Three pilots are in outlandings and several gliders turned on their engine to be back in Rieti.

6 Ago - day 3

Meteo forecast Day 3- Wind from West South / west from 10 to 35 km / h. Thermal intensity will be 2 m / sec -1 m / sec (average seeYou). Dry thermals on side west of the mountains, in the afternoon on  east side there will be clouds bases between 2500m and 3200m. Convergence will be only to the East.

In this competition a special gift for the daily last pilot in ranking in each class: a coupon for an ice cream from a very good "gelateria" in Rieti. Thanks to Mattia Costa for this brilliant idea! And today the Jonker Sailplane offered a T-Shirt to the first pilot in ranking.

7 ago – day 4  task 4

For today, south-west wind at 18/35 kmh, dry and weak thermals. Cumuli and convergence will be only on the east side of the Apennines but in dissolution due to the arrival of a high and layered covering. Tasks are areas of 2 hours and about 250 km.

During the briefing the president of the aeroclub di Rieti, Enrico Bagnoli, and the contest director, Aldo Cernezzi, distributed a gadget to all the participants and the staff: a very usefull backpack!

Everything was okay at take offs with 8/9 knots south wind! Now enjoi your fligh soaring the ridge.

Funny fact of the day: Werner Danz (BT) never need a thermal while on task. Some competitors came close but no cigar... Ridge soaring for a task of 300 km at 136 kmh, third place in ranking!

8 ago- day 5 REST DAY

Very spacial photos from a friend who loves to climb mountains, near where he lives, to "catch" the gliders! Many thanks to Luigi.

9 ago – day 5– TASK 5

Weather forecast announces a lot of thermal activity with bases cumulus between 3200m and 2500m. Tasks are speed tasks of 350 / 400km.

Today during the briefing a medal of honor was awarded to the first woman who took the gliding license in 1958 at tha aeroclub of Rieti. She discovered the gliding skiing on Mount Terminillo where she saw gliders pass by: she immediately loved this sport! She is now 90 yeas old!

10 ago – day 6

Prizegiving at the briefing with a bottle of wine for the fist place and an ice cream for the last one, as usual! Good weather conditions are forecasted for thermal flights, no wind. Speed tasks of around 400 km were be assigned. First launch 12.45, QNH 1016 hPa, max temp 34 degrees, air umidity is around 40%.

Today a collision occurred between two gliders. One of them was able to fly back to Rieti using self sostainer engine, the other pilota launched with a parachute, landing totally unhurt. Now they are at the bar talking friendly about the accident. Due this reason today's race is cancelled. Tomorrow briefing at 10.30.

11 ago – day 7

During the briefing the pilot Mattia Costa (15) offered a kilo of ice cream for the two competitors involved in yesterday's collision and to the race director. Aldo did a de-briefing about the accident yesterday, one of the two pilots was presenta t the briefing and the other is on Mount Vettore to recover some instruments from his glider. Take offs are espected at 12.45. Weather forecasts announce good conditions for gliding, there will be confluences lines, QNH is 1015, we have 35 degrees.

12 ago – day 8

Ezio Sati, our meteo man, announced ceiling cumulus at 4000m in the south area and over Gransasso, Gorzano, Vettore there will be a long confluence with weak winds from the east, on the east side of the Apennines , and weak winds from west, on the west side. Max temperature today will be around 37 degrees with 30% of umidity at 11am and 18% at 2pm, QNH is about 1014 hPa.

13 ago – day 9

For today, day 9, we expect some rainfall to the north / east of Rieti due to this reason tasks are area tasks of about 300km in 2.40 hours, wind from west and some confluence. There is a high coverege over Rieti, temperatures will arrive at 34 degrees, QNH 1011hPa, take offs at 12.30.

14 ago - day 10

This evening during the closing dinner we had the prizegiving ceremony. All the competitors were very happy for these days in Rieti with good meteo conditions in ten race days with a lot of fun in flight, exelent food and beautiful landscapes. Some words from Arne Boye Moller after his first time here:” What a race. What a place. 10 days of excitement, 50 liters of water to stay hydrated (not counting beers), and so much more to learn!”

The Contest director, Aldo Cernezzi, and the President of the Aeroclub, Enrico Bagnoli, made a speech, to thank you all staff and all the participants. After the awards delivery, pictures were taken of the guys raising their cups over the podium. Many of the competitors left the airfield heading back to their countries whilst others will stay to take part to the next race. Others will be arriving in the next days. Cheers Clara