JUST SOME OF THE NEWS ITEMS PRINTED IN THE JANUARY ISSUE OF GLIDING INTERNATIONAL’

EINAR ENEVOLDSON, AND HIS PERLAN PROJECT are unlikely to return to Argentina despite their success (with Steve Fossett) in setting a new world height record. (Phase One of the project). The project has major concerns about outlandings in the remote area of South America they are flying from. Some estimate that there is a less than 50% chance of an outlanding survival. Enevoldson has been in touch with several New Zealanders and intimated that the project team would like to return to Omarama as he still believes it will be possible to achieve the project’s Phase Two aims from the South Island of New Zealand. The Perlan Project is a scientific endeavour to research atmospheric phenomena including the structure of stratospheric mountain waves and the interaction among the Polar Vortex, the tropopause, and stratospheric mountain wave activity. Further research will include investigation on the ozone and its dissapation in sub-polar regions. Those contacted in New Zealand have been asked to help find the $200,000 in funding still required to complete Phase Two.

DON’T COMPLAIN ABOUT THE COST OF YOUR CLUB SUBSCRIPTION. The sub to belong to the Cambridge Gliding Club (UK) is a mere £470 ($NZ1300) ($US960) (Eur690) and this doesn’t cover the cost of parking your glider trailer on site.

AUSTRALIA’S NEW AUTO POWERED PAWNEE (with a Holden V8) has achieved an unbelievable 16 tows to 2000ft in precisely 60 minutes. Wow! Wow! Wow! Surely common sense must prevail to allow Pawnees to be converted to autotugs without the current restrictions tying the concept up in 1000 plus miles of red-tape.

NEW ADDITIONS TO THE CLUB CLASS - IGC are allowing the ASW20 and Discus into Club Class during 2008 and increasing the handicap of the Std. Cirrus at long last! As an observation, the most under-handicapped glider in the Club Class is the DG101. The Std Cirrus glides nothing like as well, despite having the same (2007) handicap.

NEW EUROPEAN RULE for 2008 declares that all sailplanes must have all five of the glider’s registration letters painted on the fuselage (Both sides).

NEW SOUTH WALES (AUSTRALIA) CHAMPIONSHIPS. Congratulations to Schleichers and their ASG29. Their latest sailplane won first, second and third places, with the fastest time of the contest also going to an ASG29 flown by Mak Ichikawa of Japan. And as an aside, I indirectly learn that the Australasian agents have now sold a total of 16 ASG29’s.

NEW SPORTING CODE - Ross Macintyre has just completed Draft 8 of the new IGC Sporting Code - SC3 with a review of Annex C yet to be completed. The new Sporting Code will be presented to the IGC plenary session in March 2008 and if approved, come into force on October 1, 2008. The new SC3 and Annex C will be a totally new edition, and not just an amendment based on the existing code.

THAILAND - NOT THE FIRST PLACE YOU WOULD THINK ABOUT GLIDING - But . . . . you are welcome to visit the new (and only) gliding operation in Thailand. They are based at NOK Airfield VTCY, just 12nm SE of Chiangmai. Details on how to find them at www.nokaviation.com

BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW WHERE YOUR SELF LAUNCHING ROTAX MOTOR FIRST CAME FROM - The company first started in 1920 in British Columbia, Canada. Visit your local airport, and chances are you’ll hear a different sound in the air these days. Until recently Rotax engines were entirely relegated to the ultralight segment of sporting aviation, but are now in almost all Light Sport Aircraft being produced and it is a case of the right engine at the right time, according to Mark Paskievich of Rotech Research Canada Limited. The Canadian company pioneered the gearbox technology that led to the development of Rotax aviation engines.

ANTARES SAVED FROM BANKRUPTCY - Late September saw a “White Knight” appear to save the company from bankruptcy and enable it to continue manufacturing the Antares self launching electric powered sailplane at its existing, modern production facilities in Zweibrücken. All deposit paid orders will be honoured. The company now stands on a solid financial foundation and is to be renamed Lange Aviation GmbH. More than 65% of all aircraft are exported. The most interesting development is that Schempp-Hirth has been involved in the re-birth of Antares. Lange Aviation is expected to sign an agreement of co-operation with Schempp-Hirth Flugzeugbau GmbH. The co-operation will focus on purchasing, production and development. Both companies expect to gain significant advantages from synergy effects and a strengthened purchasing power. The background: mainly attributed to the delivery of faulty electronic parts and to extreme delays in the delivery of critical electronic assemblies. The second production stoppage had burdened the financial possibilities of the company so much so that an insolvency could no longer be avoided. As a result of the delays, the electrical system of the Antares 20E has been redesigned removing the questionable components completely from the system. In the course of this revision, the total system has been significantly simplified and the already very high reliability has been increased even further. A good end result!