50 km out and return

I made it, my first attempt for my 50 km was succesfull. I flew from Weelde (EBWE) to Zwartberg (EBZW) and back for a distance of about 112 km.

I took me 4 hours to get there ! A headwind of about 15 - 20 km/h and a ceiling of 1350 m (only 900 m when I started) made it very tough with our clubs Ka8B. Returned in just over 1 hour. Final glide was for 33 km in almost still air, I started final glide at an altitude of 1350 m (wind 5 km/h in the back), barely enough for the old bird. I arrived with 185 m altitude left.

Big fun, 5h10 min, can't wait to go x-country again !

Joeri K.A.C. Belgium

Excellent. Congratulations. Nice feeling isn't it Paul

Congratulations! I still remember mine silver distance, which in fact was 130km (65km+65km

Amen to that Joeri!

Keep enjoying your flying, you have exactly the right attitude.

Blue skies, Tim.

PS. How about coming to our Ka 8 comp in England in July? You will find many like-minded people. Its at Shipdham in Norfolk, only two hours from Harwich!

Details on:-

Bye

Nice achievement and experience, however such a claim would appear to be spurious IAW with the spirit of the FAI Sporting Code Section 2.1.1.a

'The Silver distance flight should be flown without navigational or other assistance given over the radio (other than permission to land on an airfield) or help or guidance from another aircraft.'

Frank Whiteley

Who will prove that he intended to do it with help? If other pilots who flew with him won't do that (and I doubt they do...) then he can always say that he has just been flying his way and there were other gliders too. Diamond is in his hands, and if the Sporting Code allows to go straight for diamond (if I remember correctly it allows) then there are no solid basis to cancel this achevement.

If there's a pilot who had NEVER been lured by another glider circling in a thermal he was looking for when he was in critical situation, then he should first drop the stone. I honestly doubt if any stone will fly here from any direction.

Regards,

Janusz Kesik Aeroclub Czestochowa, Poland

I think Andreas' comment was of a

'student pilot' flying for his Silver Distance and went 'in team' for 570 km....

I have heard many times (very regretfully) of short experience pilots being 'helped' around a course by their buddies. The radio calls of 'time to leave this one' and 'I now have six knots over here ahead of you'...are unmistakable. It is fine to have a learning experience of a team flown task. I do not object to this.

My regrets are only that I think it seriously undermines the value of the FAI badge system. Badge flights were intended to be filed as a self achievement, not a group effort. And, yes, it is normal soaring practice to 'notice' other gliders marking lift. But it is very different to 'team fly' a task for an achievement award.

Those of us who are observers are obligated to uphold the integrity of the badge system. Trying 50 km in a DG-300 is not a very huge challenge..... I wonder if he was 'proud' of 'his' achievement. I wonder if the observer really felt like they did their duty. Apparently, in his neighborhood, everyone knows the real story.... he was handheld around the kilometers.....

Cindy B

Caracole Soaring 22570 Airport Way California City, CA 93505 Phone/Fax 760-373-1019
http://members.aol.com/soarca/caracole.htm

It actually depends on what you want. There are a lot of people out there who don't want any badges, but see a lot of countryside...

Besides, there are more and more clubs in Europe who have an all glass fleet, with the least performant single seater somewhat in the ASW19 range. Where's the point of getting a 50km badge? Old ages...

Well, I agree. I had always a great laugh when I was reading of guyg setting their silver badge in LS-4's in Tocumwal (AUS) when the cloudbases were 4000m. For me it's a joke. Just hit-the-roof-and-run job. And the towplane left them probably in a thermal.

Regards,

Janusz Kesik Aeroclub Czestochowa, Poland

I totally agree with you.

Further, I think its character building to fly the Silver in nothing better performing than a Junior - certainly not in anything that can do the job off a single climb.