After all the scores were in I asked Competition Director Adam Webb about the day. He said, 'As we expected the weather has continued to heat up after the front went through earlier in the week.
'We are still having blue days with some wisps of cumulus. The winds are getting lighter and the climbs are getting higher and stronger. So the speeds are also getting faster. Today the top speeds were 110 kts in Club Class and 125 kts in Standard Class which are more like the speeds we hope to see here at Narromine.
'With the blue conditions we are still seeing a lot of gaggle flying and match racing tactics. The countries that are flying well as teams age doing well. Once we see a few cumulus days that will introduce a bit more into the mix and we should get more personal stand out results.'
I asked Adam about the German pilots Simon Briel and Sebastian Nagel who lost ground today after strong performances earlier in the week. Adam said, 'The thing abut blue days is the easiest way to spot the thermals is by observing other gliders. The more gliders you can see the greater chance you have of spotting the best thermal. So if you loose the gaggle it can be very hard to keep up and achieve the same speeds. Today was a day when blue sky tactics were very important.'
Simon Hackett
Simon visited the competition today flying his Pilatus PC 12 from Adelaide to be with the contestants and share the atmosphere of JWGC2015. You can see an interview with Simon here.
Simon has supported junior gliding in Australia since it's inception. He has been a generous supporter and sponsor of the Australian Junior National Championships and Junior Gliding team. His support has been a crucial factor in the success of the competition and junior gliding in Australia.
Simon, and his family foundation The Hackett Foundation, have continued to support junior gliding and has made a substantial donation in support of JWGC2015 to help ensure that it is the best event possible.
Simon has been an enthusiastic glider pilot since the mid 1980s and has flown in many competitions. He said, 'I have a very strong interest in juniors flying gliders. I think it is the way will keep recharging the troops and that we don't wind up with a wonderful sport without enough people in it.
'So I have been quietly supporting junior's events for a number of years. This is just the latest in that series.'
Simon worked on the development of the Internet since its early days in Australia and is a board member of the Australian NBN Co. He said, 'I'm just another glider pilot. I fly the odd competition but mostly I just fly for reaction. I've got a lovely Stemme S10vt that I barrel around in. I am just happy to see the movement continue to thrive.'
Sean Young
