First Day of Competition at the Junior World Gliding Championships Aalen

The in-the-air competitions finally commenced on Monday, August 3rd.

On the first official day of competition at these 14th Junior World Gliding Championships weather conditions immediately played a significant role. High temperatures and a cloudless sky made conditions extremely difficult for the organizing team and the participating pilots in their gliders. The day also had begun with thicker clouds hindering the sun to break through in the morning. As a result, thermals did not develop until late in the morning. Therefore, Sports Director Bernd Schmid postponed the start for both competition classes to 10:00 a.m. For a gliding championship, the first day of competition always represents a special significance—both for the organizing team as well as for the pilots in their gliders. After training everyone wants the competition to finally get underway—ideally under optimal conditions. That of course includes good soaring weather with plenty of small cumulus clouds. “But this is a world championship, and, anyone who wants to become a champion has to prove that they are the best in all weather conditions,” said Sports Director Bernd Schmid. For the Club Class, he announced a shorter task due to the weather—a so-called AAT (Assigned Area Task). The goal of such a task is to fly a distance as long as possible within a set time. It does not involve waypoints, rather turning sectors which can have a radius of up to 30 kilometers. Gliders must at least touch the boundaries of these turning sectors. It is up to the pilot to decide on where to turn. The most points are awarded for staying within the specified time limit while covering the greatest distance.  On Monday, the route went from Aalen to Ingelflingen, then on to Rothenstein and back to the Elchingen airfield. The length of the route ranged from a minimum of 137.83 km to a maximum of 327.08 km.

So “tactical maneuvering” is essential in the cockpit. The pilots not only have to search for the best thermals during their flight but also constantly make tactical decisions. Where shall I turn? How fast shall I fly? Where are my competitors flying? On average pilots have to make a decision every 7 seconds.

In the Standard Class, the first scoring task was as follows: From Aalen directly north to the Hesselberg. Then on to Eichstätt in the Altmühl Valley. From there back to Elchingen. This task was also an AAT in which participants had to decide for themselves on the length of the route of flight. There is always a certain risk of having to land outside of and airfield. The Standard Class was towed as the second scoring class. Its task was shorter. The minimum distance was 129.12 km and the maximum 212.49 km. The aircrafts reached average speeds of over 120 km/h. Bernd Schmid also took a critical look at the weather conditions. The German Weather Service advising the competition organizers on all decisions had forecast thunderstorms for Monday evening. Those had moved away from the southwestern part of the Ostalb in time for the first participants to land. However, the thermals were very challenging for the Club Class participants—too challenging for 17 pilots. They had to make emergency landings on airfields, meadows, and fields. Several landed at the airfield in Bopfingen, just a few kilometers away from the finish line. 

First place in the Club Class went to Czech pilot Jan Stastny, closely followed by his teammate Michaela Křížová; both flew ASW-20s. Third place went to Kim Toppari of Finland in an LS7. 

First place in the Standard Class went to Sweden’s Elias Severholt Fourati flying an LS8, followed by Barna Hadi from Hungary flying a Discus 2. Third place went to Niels Van Nieuwland from the Netherlands flying an LS8. 

It was a thrilling and challenging start of these 14th Junior World Gliding Championships.