FAI World Gliding Championships 2024 returns to Uvalde, Texas
Compiled & written by Willie Bodenstein. Photos supplied.
17 to 31.08.2024
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This year on the 17 August 2024 for the 38th edition the FAI World Gliding Championships returned to Uvalde, Texas for this prestigious competition. This is the fifth time the world's premier gliding event will be held in the United States, and the third time in Uvalde, renowned for its outstanding gliding conditions. Daily task lengths of over 500 kilometres and achieved winning speeds approaching 160 kph are regularly achieved here.
Team SA pilots
The complete SA contingent
The Official Opening Ceremony and Parade of Nations was a lot of fun. The streets had a good number of the Uvalde residents attending and showing their support. All the floats were provided by host families who adopted all the Teams. The children especially liked the parade based on the amount of candy and treats thrown from the floats by participants
With over 80 top pilots participating, competition will be tough over the two weeks in the Open, 18 Metre, and 20 Metre Multi-seat Classes. Current Champions in each of those classes - Felipe Levin (Germany), Christophe Abadie (France), and Ivan Novak/Petr Krejcirik (Czechia) - will be fully focused on defending their titles.
The adventure began when the first of our teams that had arrived slowly assembled in Uvalde, under the blazing 40°C (104°F) sun. They're pulling gliders out of containers and putting them together, piece by piece, in preparation for the challenges ahead.
The rest of the team arrived the next day the entire South African team consisting of Oscar Goudriaan, Attie & Uys Jonker, Dawid Pretorius and Riaan Denner & Dirk Coetzee has now arrived in Texas and are all excited to get into the cumulus filled skies.
Uvalde is 7 hours behind South Africa (UTC -5), so the teams are slowly getting over the jet lag as they gear up to represent our country on the world stage.
Scrutineering and registration of the team completed and with all the admin out of the way our pilots are taking it easy for now, getting comfortable with their gliders, exploring the area, and shaking off the last bit of jet lag. The team soon got into the flying groove getting ready for the start of the official practise day starting on Wednesday.
With the start of the official competition imminent the teams are preparing themselves for the first launch. The timing for everyday is roughly first launch about 12:30 (19:30 SA time), the start gate usually opens at about 14:00 (21:00 SA time) and they usually finish between 18:00-19:00 (01:00-2:00 SA time).
Riaan and Oscar have already rigged their gliders and took to the air today for a systems check and to get familiar with the local terrain. Oscar also completed scrutineering, weighing in just shy of his max take-off weight of 770kg's.
Official training started on the 15 August. First competition day is Sunday August 18th. The competition will see the very best pilots in the world flying in three different classes: 18 Meter, 20 Meter Multi Seat and Open Class.
Tow Plane Pilots
Two of the Tow Planes Used
However, before we can get to the start, we need to acknowledge the tow plane pilots without who the contest will not be possible. The chief pilot for the competition is Rex Mayes - Chief Tow Pilot. He is assisted by Jason Arnold of the Chilhowee Soaring Association TN, Scott Smith of the Texas Soaring Association, Jayne Redi of the Bermuda High South Carolina, Richard Schaefer of Fault Line Flyers Austin TX, Conrad Huffstutler of the Wild War Birds Uvalde Tx, Mike Hostage of the Bob Bruce L-19, Philip Heer and Manolo Guzman of Greater Houston Soaring, Gary Evans & Randy Lee of Hamilton Soaring TX and Neil Muxworthy of Hamilton TX.
Dail Task Results and Overall Standings
Task One
Oscar waiting for the start gate to open on day one of the competition.
Riaan Denner & Dirk Coetzee were the South Africans in the Multi Seat class while Uys, competed in the 18 Metre class and Attie and Oscar the 20-metre class.
The French took the top three places in the 18 Metre with Christophe Abadie in first, Anne Ducarouge in second and JD Barrois in third. Uys Jonker in a JS3 TJ was placed 14th and Dawid Pretorius also in a JS3 TJ 16th.
Denner & Coetzee in an Arcus M finished 14th in the Multi class.
The boys did much better in the twenty-metre class with Oscar in a JS5 finishing second after France's Sylvain Gerbaud in an EB 29R. Third was François Jeremiasse of the Netherlands also in a EB29R. Attie was placed fourth in JS5.
Dail Task Results and Overall Standings
Task Two
Germany's Stefan Langer in a AS33 Me won the 18 Metre Class days task with the Netherland's Sjaak in Selen in second and Australia's Lumpy Patterson in 3rd. Uys fished in 14th place with Dawid in 25th Dawid in 25th.
Overall, France's Christophe Abadie in a JS3 was in the leader with Uys in 14th place and Dawid in 16th.
Australia's Essex & Rossi ASG 32M was placed 1st in the Multi Seat class while Denner and Coetzee in an Arcus M finished 12th in the multi seat class.
Essex & Rossi led the class in the overall standings followed by the USA's Arnold & Striedieck in a Arcus M with Austria's Lutz & Janowitsch also in a Arcus M in third. Our boys, Denner and Coetzee were in 12th place.
France's Sylvain Gerbaud in a EBR29 took the houmous in Twenty Metre Class with none other than our own Oscar Goudriaan in second. Third went to François Jeremiasse with Attie in fourth breathing down his neck.
Overall, Michael Sommer led the pack followed by François Jeremiasse and Sylvain Gerbaud. Attie 6th and Oscar 7th overall.
Task Three
In the 18-metre class the podium positions went to Germany's Simon Schröder in a Ventus followed by Czechia's Radek Krejcirik in a JS3 TJ with France's Christophe Abadie also in JS3 TJ in third.
Overall, Stefan Langer took over the lead with Uys in 14th place and Dawid dropping down to 23rd.
Australia's Woolley & Gateley in an Arcus M was first in the Multi Seat Class day's task followed by the USA's Arnold & Striedieck with France's Bouderlique & de Péchy in an Arcus T on third. Our own Denner & Coetzee was placed 14th.
Arnold & Striedieck was still the overall leader with Denner and Coetzee in 14th.
Felipe Levin in a EBR29R finished first in the hotly contested 20 metre class. Hungary's Peter Szabo in a JS5 took the second place with Michael Sommer in a EB29R in 3rd. Our boys, it seemed had by then found their feet, and Oscar Goudriaan took 5th place with Attie on his heels in 7th. The top ten finishers, four of which flew a Jonkers product, all had 900 plus points showing how closely contested the task was.
Overall, the South Africans were making their mark as well. Michael Sommer, Felipe Levin and François Jeremiasse were the top three with Attie Jonker in 4th and Oscar in 5th.
Task Four
Germany's Stefan Langer in his AS 33 Me took 1st place in the 18 Metre Class with closely followed by his compatriot Simon Schröder in a Ventus with Uys Jonker flying the SA Flag high in 3rd.
Stefan Langer took over the overall lead with Uys in 9th and Dawid now in 24th place.
In the Multi Seat Class, the only class in which Jonkers did not compete France's Bouderlique & de Péchy France in an Arcus T, the USA's Arnold & Striedieck in an Arcus M and Hungary's Negro & Bano in a Twin Shark took the podium places. Our boys' Denner and Coetzee finished in 11th place.
The overall lead was still held by Arnold & Striedieck with Bouderlique & de Péchy in 2nd and Woolley & Gateley in third. Denner and Coetzee was steady in 12th.
In the 20 Metre Class Felipe Levin did it again, flying his to win the task earning another 1,000 points. Second place went to François Jeremiasse in a EB29R who fished the task with 941points. His compatriot Laurent Abouliin flying ended with 931points. Oscar finished in a very credible 4th with 928 points and Attie in 7th and 922 points.
Overall, our boys were now nicely entrenched within striking distance of the lead with Oscar in 4th place on 3,723 points and Attie in 5th with 3,718 points. The leader, Felipe Levin had 3,891 points while Michael Sommer in second place 3,814 and François Jeremiasse 3,748.
Task Five
A new contingent of competitors took the top three places of the fifth tasks in the 18 Metre Class. Czechia's Radek Krejcirik in a JS3 TJ took the honours and the 1,000 points. Next was Belgium's Manu Litt who flew a JS3 18m. Third on the podium was Lithuania's Linas Miezlaiskis in a AS 33 18m. Dawid on 960 points and Uys only two points on 958 behind him had one of their best days.
The top three overall standings remained more or less the same with Stefan Langer still in the lead with a total of 4,854 points. Simon Schröder in second with 4,783 and Radek Krejcirik on 4,783 points. Uys, with 4,544 had jumped from 14th to 8th while Dawid ended up in 31st place.
Team Netherland's Borgmann & Van Houweninge in a ArcusA were first time winner in the Multi Seat Class earning themselves 1,000 points. Denner and Coetzee unfortunately remained well down 15th place.
Overall, Arnold & Striedieck, Woolley & Gateley and Poland's Rubaj & MatkowskiPoland were the top three. Our boys Denner and Coetzee were still in 12th place.
Ye, yes yes! Our first top of the podium finish when Oscar took the honours in the 5th task of the 20 Metre Class!! It was bound to happen! 1,000 points in the bag! Next was a new name on the podium, Serbia's Zoran Frenc in his JS5finished in 2nd place followed by another newbie on the podium France Laurent Abouliin in JS1C. His place won him 956 points. It was also the first time in the competition when all three podium finishers flew Jonker's products.
Overall, we were now in the top three with Oscar in second place with 4,723 points. Felipe Levin was still in the lead with 7,785 while Michael Sommer was third with 4,707.
Task Six
Australian Lumpy Paterson made a comeback taking the top of the podium in the 6th task of the 18 Metre Class. The USA's Sean Fidler also had his first podium finish. Lithuania's Miezlaiskis was again in third place. Dawid finished in 13th place while Uys had one of those days when one wishes that you had rather stayed in bed. He finished in 24th sharing the place with Switzerland's Werner Rüegger. They were the last of the 32 starters to qualify.
Overall, Stefan Langer on 5,745 points were still in the lead with Simon Schröder with 5,679 points in 2nd place and Christophe Abadie in 3rd with 5,569 points. Despite his low finish Uys was still in 14th overall with Dawid in 18th.
France's Bouderlique & de Péchyin their Arcus T who finished first in the Multi Seat Class was followed my podium first timers, Britain's Jones & with Austria's Lutz & Janowitsch in third. SA's Denner and Coetzee did not qualify as did quite a number of others.
In the Multi Seat Class Arnold & Striedieck were leading with 5,754 points with Bouderlique & de Péchy on 5,629 points in 2nd and Poland's Rubaj & Matkowski on 5,594 in 3rd. Denner & Coetzee was 13th overall.
It's Task 6 of the 20 Metre Class and we are approaching the halfway mark of the championships. France's Laurent Abouliin bagged 1,000 points for his first place on the podium. He was followed by compatriot Sylvain Gerbaud who earned only one point lest. Felipe Levin trailed him by six points. Proof of how close and fierce the competition had become. Attie finished in 7th and earned 887 points. Oscar had a nightmare day finishing in 15th place and being panelised for landing late.
Felipe Levin on 5,778 points was still the overall leader with Michael Sommer on 5,689 second and Sylvain Gerbaud with 5,633 third. Attie was in 7th with 5,482 point and Oscar with 5,294 were by no means out of the competition.
Task Seven
In 18 Metre Class two regular podium finishers namely Simon Schröder and Stefan Langer took the first and send place. The Netherland's Jeroen Verkuijl JS3-TJ-TJ finished 3rd. It was not a good day for Dawid who finished in 27th place and Uys in 29th.
Overall, Stefan Langer and Simon Schröder both on 6,738 were tied in 1st with Christophe Abadie on 6,490 points in third. Uys was in 18th place and Dawid in 21st.
The USA's Arnold & Striedieck took first in the Multi Seat class followed by Britain's Jones & Coppin in an Arcus M with the Woolley & Gateley Australians, in third. Denner and Coetzee had what was their best day of the competition and finished in a credible 6th place.
Overall, Arnold & Striedieck led the pack with 6,634 points. Woolley & Gateley on 6,448 second and Bouderlique & de Péchy 6,443 in third both within striking distance. Denner & Coetzee on 5,547 was till well down the pack in 13th place.
Jubilation in the South African camp when Attie and Oscar with 910 points tied for first place in the 20 Metre Class! Hungary's Peter Szabo finished third with 907 points. Dawid was not placed.
Overall, we still had some way to go but we were by no means out of the competition. Felipe Levin with 6,672 points was still in the lead followed by Michael Sommer with 6,582 points. Both competed in EB29R. Serbia Zoran Frenc in a Serbia JS5 with 6,467 points was now in third on the leader board. Attie was in 5th place with 6,400 points and Oscar in 10th and 6,000 points.
Task Eight
In the 18 Metre Class in was almost a case of musical chairs as the top three almost continued to change. Christophe Abadie this time won the task followed by Stefan Langer with Lumpy Paterson in third place. Uys and Dawid did not have a good day. Uys finished in 21st place and Dawid 29th.
Langer was still in overall lead with 7,725 with Simon Schröder 7,633 points in 2nd place and Adabie with 7,490 3rd.
In the Multi Seat Class Woolley & Gateley finished 1st, Rubaj & Matkowski 2nd, and Lutz & Janowitsch 3rd. Denner & Coetzee cross the line in 13th place.
Our boys in the 20 Metre Class were really clawing their way back to the top where they belong. 1. Felipe Levin again finished 1st followed my Sommer. Attie was third on the podium. Oscar finished in 7th place.
Levin was still the overall leader wit a total of 7,672 points, Sommer 2nd with 7,575 points and Frenc 3rd with 7,385 points. Attie had moved up nicely and was now in 5th place with 7,319 points while Oscar has also gained a number of places and was now in 8th with 6,907.
Task Nine
Not a good day for Soaring. The weather gods did, once again, not play ball which led to the tasks for the 18 metre and multi seat classes being cancelled.
In the 20 Metre Class the top three on the podium consisted mostly of new commers led by France's Laurent Abouliin in a JS1C with soaring legend Hungary's Peter Szabo in a JS5 in second place. The USA's Jim Lee flying an EB29R was third.
Overall, the top two places remained as was with Levi now on 8,571 points still in the lead and Sommer with 84,74 second. The best news of the day for us South African's was that Attie was back in the top three now with 8,201 accumulated points. Oscar remained in 8th with 7,799 points. At this stage we did not need any more cancellation of task. However, the initial forecast for task ten did not look good. Here's to keeping our fingers crossed.
WGC Uvalde 2024 - Uys Jonker - Jonker Sailplanes
The weather for tomorrow also looks iffy so fingers crossed we can fly. Today we enter the final 3 days of the championship. The competition to get on the podium is close, and the final 3 days the weather will be a little tricky. Yesterday we saw a shakeup in the scores in the Open Class, with 7 out of the 17 ships not completing the task.
Task Ten
With another day of stormy weather and challenging conditions, the question was asked why the organisers even set a task. The 18 Metre Class had two new podium finishers with Belgium's Manu Litt in his JS3 in first followed by long time top three competitor Christophe Abadie with Lithuania's Linas Miezlaiskis in a AS 33 in third. Uys finished in twelve place and Dawid in 28th.
Overall, Stefan Langer first second, Simon Schröder and Christophe Abadie occupied the podium. Uys finished in 18th place and Dawid in 24th.
Taking the podium positions in the Multei Seat Class were Arnold & Striedieck followed by Woolley & Gateley and Rubaj & Matkowski. Denner and Coetzee were in 15th place overall.
In the Multi Seat Class the top three consisted of three first time podium finishers. The USA's Arnold & Striedieck in an Arcus took first place with Denmark's Jørgensen & Nielsen also in Arcus second and Theisinger & Frey Germany in this Arcus contested only class. Denner and Coetzee unfortunately did not finish.
In the Twenty Metre Class the Brazil's Claudio Schimidt in a Nixus was the winner with the USA's Jim Lee in a EB29R second and France's Laurent Abouliin in a JS1C 21m third. Attie and Oscar did not have a good day. Attie crossing the line in 8th place and Oscar 10th.
Levin with 8,900 points, Sommer with 8,303 and Abouliin with 8,666 were still the leaders with Attie in 4th and 8,608 still in striking distance. Oscar finished in 9th with 8,189 points.
Task Eleven
The day started with the weather looking miserable. The weather Guru's was sure that it would approve and they were right. However, for Oscar and Uys in the 20-metre class it turned into a horrible day. Both were heavily penalised for entering restricted airspace effectively ending their chances of winning.
The podium in the 18 Metre Class consisted mainly newbies when the Netherland's Jeroen Verkuijl won the day's task with Hungary's Zoltan Hamar in second and the Britan's Ian MacArthur in third.
Their late assault did not chance the overall standings much. Stefan Langer was still in the lead on 8,931 points with Simon Schröder on 8,790 points and Christophe Abadie with 8,667 third. Our boys were well down the standings for all intents and purposes are out of the competition. Uys finished 19th and Dawid 26th.
As in the 18 Metre Class the podium of the Multi Seat Class was occupied by newbies. The Netherland's Borgmann & Van Houweninge took the top spot flowed by France's Bouderlique & de Péchy with Austria's Lutz & Janowitsch first. Our Denner and Coetze who finished 12th also had no chance of being on the podium at the finals.
The USA's Arnold & Striedieck with 8,694 points, followed Australia's Woolley & Gateley with 8,572 points and Poland's Rubaj & Matkowsk with 8,570 has virtually sealed their places in the final.
Jeremiasse, Levin and Sommer took the top three spots in the 20 Metre Class. Attie and Oscar shared 14th place with Serbia's Zoran Frenc. Overall Levin with 9887 points, Sommer and Abouliin were the top three. Attie was 7th but adrift with 1,000 points was out of it and so was Oscar in 11th with 1,300 behind the leader.
TASK TWELVE, THE FINAL TASKS
The final day of the 38th World Soaring Championships has arrived and all the competitors no doubt put in that extra bit of determination to improve their overall standings.
Taking his place on the top of podium in the 18 Metre Class was Australia's Matthew Scutter in a JS3. Second place went to Austria's Werner Amann in AS 33 Es with podium regular France's Christophe Abadie flying a S3 TJ third. Uys took the 8th place with Dawid in 20th position.
Germany's Stefan Langer competing in a AS 33 Me and with a total of 9,843 points was crowned the 2024 World 18 Metre Champion followed by compatriot Simon Schröder in a Ventus 3e with 9,636 points as the runner up and France's Christophe Abadiein a JS3 TJ with 9,592 points third. Uys finished in 15th place and Dawid 25th.
In the Multi Seat Class Austria's Lutz & Janowitsch in an Arcus M crossed the finishing line first with Poland's Rubaj & Matkowski flying an ASG 32 Mi second and France's Bouderlique & de Péchy in an Arcus Third. Denner and Coetzee was placed 15th.
The USA's Arnold & Striedieck who competed in an Arcus M and with 9,616 was crowned the 2024 World Champions in the Open and Multi Seat Class. Second on the podium was Poland's Rubaj & Matkowski on 9,552 points. Third place went to Austria's Lutz & Janowitsch also in an Arcus M on 9,499. Our boys, Denner & Coetzee South Africa in a Arcus M with 7,745 points finished 14th overall.
Throughout the championships Germany Felipe Levin in his EB 29R and fellow countryman Michael Sommer in another EB29R as well as the Netherland's François Jeremiasse also in a EB29R had more or less made the top spots of the podium in the 20 Metre Class theirs and so they again did on the final day. Attie crossed the line in 5th place and Oscar in 8th.
It was therefore no surprise that Levin was crowned the 20 Metre Class World Campion with 10,887 and that Sommer was the runner up. France's Laurent Aboulin flying a JS1C 21m and with 10,485 points was third overall. Our guys both finished in the top ten with Attie 7th and Oscar 10th overall.
There were some complaints about the accuracy of the weather forecasts. However, the weather and the forecasts might not always have been of the best but all the competitors had to contend with the same.
Our guys had one heck of a competition with some great highs and also some lows. They might not have brought home any silverware but they none the less proved themselves to be formidable opponents and can walk away from the contest with their heads held high.
Support Team. The Crew in no specific order.
Oscar's crew - John Rainier, Uys's crew - Tim Groenewald, Uys's crew - Tim Groenewald, Attie's crew - Lucy Jonker, Dawid's crew - Lynnore Pretorius, Riaan and Dirk's Crew - Eric Lambert (the owner of the Arcus they are flying.)
A big thanks must go to the crews that form a critical part of Team SA. These guys and girls made sure that the pilots spend the absolute minimum time in the heat that hover around 40 degrees to conserve their energy for flight by preparing the gliders before sunrise, keeping the pilots cool on the grid and packing up the gliders after sunset once they have landed. Without their contribution the team would not have been able to fly the flag at Uvalde.
Fittingly, on 23 August the SA Team's crew won the Crew of the Day Award for the team spirit and energy that they bring to the grid.
Pilot's Post wishes to congratulate all the various class winners and especially our team for their sterling effort.
