27.09.2002, News

Soaring in South Africa

Here in South Africa we have just finished our first regional contest of the new season. Held in the Johannesburg area at Magalies Gliding Club, we flew 6 of the 7 contest days, of which the first three provided exceptional racing, and the other three some really challenging tasks. The winning speeds were always fast but on the third day it was in excess of 160kph over a distance of 450km! Our reigning World Champion Oscar Goudriaan wasn't able to fly, as he was recovering from a bout of Flu, but his brother Laurens was in fine form and won in convincing style flying in his new ASW27. The detailed results can be viewed on [www.sssa.org.za] The weather condition that we enjoyed at this contest were consistent with the long term forecast for our summer, that is predicting hot and dry conditions over the central interior of South Africa. Ideal in fact for performance gliding, and we are now looking forward to our Nationals that will be held at Bloemfontein. If we get similar weather conditions it will be a fantastic 9 days of gliding. If you would like to break away from the chill of the European winter we still have a few gliders available for hire either at the SA Nationals Bloemfontein or at our performance camp that starts operation in Bloemfontein on 2nd November this year and continues until March 2003. We have an exciting fleet of well equipped gliders at reasonable rates, and at ten Rands to a Euro, South Africa offers unrivalled value for money. If you have already booked a gliding holiday with us I hope that the news update will heighten your sense on anticipation, if you haven't and you are thinking of a sunny break, check out our website for more details of what we can offer. We look forward to seeing you. Dick, Brian and Gill. on [Soaring Safaris]

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