Welcome !!
Geplaatst door Ben op 04-03-2008 20:29
In 2001 the Dutch Nationals were at Rudolstadt in Germany due to a veterinary disease which caused a total ban of cross-country flying in Holland. Although forced by government regulations many of the competitors liked being abroad with the total flying circus and it was decided that every 2 years the Dutch Nationals should be held abroad. As said we started in Germany in 2001 and in the year 2003 and 2005 we were at Issoudun in France.

For 2007 we decided to go to Germany for several reasons. The competition area will be more or less the same as for the WGC at Lüsse in 2008 meaning a good practice for the Dutch National Team. Stendal was also chosen because this is a very large airfield, therefor we can have all classes at the same spot and area. Moreover the cooperation with the Stendal Airfield management and local gliding club is excellent!

For this year 2008 it was decided to have the Dutch Nationals again abroad due to the fact that in Holland all gliders must have transponders and not all gliders are equipped. By request of the organization of the WGC at Lüsse the Dutch Nationals is open for a limited number of qualified pilots for training purposes.

In the coming months this site will become the digital portal for the Dutch Nationals and during the contest you will find: tasks, results, pictures and stories about the competitors and the team. We hope you enjoy the site and if you want to have more information please contact the contest management.
Competition is open for those who are invited by the KNVvL (Dutch NAC). For a limited nr of foreign pilots it is possible to participate in the Dutch Nationals. If you have interest please contact the contest management.
The airfield Stendal-Borstel is located north of the city of Magdenburg. Approximately 1 hour drive from Berlin. The Airfield Stendal-Borstel has a concrete runway (08-26) with a total length of 2km. Besides that it has a grass strip for gliding (700x40m). Enough space to place the complete competition on one strip. The platform will be used for parking the trailers and rigging the gliders. The Airfield has modern facilities like a tower, camping and restaurant. Briefings will be held at one of the big hangars.

For those who do not want to use the camping, nearby the village of Stendal, 3km from the Airfield, there are several Hotels. Hanse Hotel offers a special arrangement of Euro 25 pppn including breakfast. Stendal is a very old village, first named in the year 1022 as the property of the Michaelis Monastery of the Hildesheim Bishop. After World War 2 this part of Germany was part of the Communist-bloc countries. In the early nineties there also were a lot of protests in Stendal which thereafter led to the fall of the Berlin wall. Berlin is about 150km to the east and a place that you have to visit.

There is a variety of land in the surroundings of Stendal. Mainly large grain and cornfields and east of Stendal you will find the river Elbe. There are enough out landing possibilities and the thermal influence of the Elbe on the surrounding area is limited . The gliding club at Stendal is small, however, in 2006 several 500km flights where made. North-East and South-West of the airfield there are two restricted areas. The contest directors will ask access for those areas each contest day. Flying to the east you will find the airspace of Berlin which is restricted from >Fl65. North-west and South-east of Stendal, there are less restrictions so we expect to set tasks from 250km up to 500 km each day, depending on the weather. Those tasks are common this time of year according to some local well-known pilots. During the Dutch Nationals there are at least 5 up to 7 tugs, which means that launching will only take at most one hour along with a thermal period up to 7 hours. So enough time to pick your own starting time and fly the realistic task.

We are planning to have wireless internet access, also at the camping grounds, so every pilot can upload their own IGC files and immediately scoring will follow. For those who do not have a laptop or pda there will be an internet cafe available on the airfield.

If you want to participate in the Dutch Nationals your NAC has to approve.

Overall we are sure that Stendal is a perfect place to have the Dutch Nationals