This time, we’re kicking things off with a hot topic: How can I recognize good weather conditions? This first part is about optimal preparation so you don’t miss out on a fantastic day. If you’re planning a cross-country gliding trip, you can of course just take off and see where the thermals take you, or search until you find the right path and then arrive roughly where you wanted to go. Our two flight reports show how both can be a great experience. Sometimes the very first flight experience can spark a passion, as was the case for a young pilot in Canada who talks about her training. Of course, skill is also required when you find yourself upside down for a moment: during aerobatics against in front of Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau. It’s also breathtaking in the far north, where you can enjoy unique views at extreme altitudes (and temperatures) at the Vågå Wave Camp. In terms of climate, the teams in the 20-meter two-seater class in Brandenburg had to brave the opposite, namely a heat wave – but they still had fun. Flights in L’Aquila in central Italy also offer this, where you can marvel at two seas at the same time during a flight. Perhaps on your next flying vacation? But as always: safety first. This time, we introduce you to the new Power FLARM Flex, and our “How to” section covers the basics, risks, and pilot errors when aborting takeoff. We’ll stick with takeoff, specifically the winch, and optimize it by examining the influence of rope length on release height in more detail. We also have a little bit of technology: first, we take a look at how modern wind measurement technology makes thermals visible, and then we take a look at the development of gliding instruments. So, now you can relax a little – and dream a little about the coming season and many wonderful flights. And now: click here for the current issue!
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For me, 2025 will certainly go down as the year of cross-country gliding. It all started after the Bundesliga flight on May 11, when Armin Behrendt suggested that we could go cross-country gliding starting tomorrow. Up until then, I had only checked the unpromising Alpine weather for the next few days and hadn‘t looked at the lowlands, which, on closer inspection, turned out to be quite promising. So we agreed to meet tomorrow morning to set up the Arcus, in which Armin was to fly with Markus Eggl. A quick look at the weather showed the clear direction: first east past Munich and then north, destination uncertain, although the word “Lüsse” had already been mentioned in the morning. Without a motor, however, the cross-country gliding trip would have ended for me after just 12 miles at Lake Tegernsee. Okay, the Bräustüberl by the lake is always nice.
As soon as we flew towards the mountains, the comments in the various WhatsApp groups started. Tassilo Bode made the pertinent remark, “Guys, north is about 170 degrees to the left!!!!” Or, alluding to Armin‘s off-field landing during our last cross-country gliding flight near Suhl, “Petra, hook up the trailer, this is going to go wrong.”
In fact, contrary to our original plan to fly east of Salzburg, we left the mountains behind us quite quickly and soon found ourselves in rather poor flatland thermals. East of Munich, conditions slowly improved and we made rapid progress northward. We continued over the Upper Palatinate Forest towards the Ore Mountains. Unfortunately, coming from the south, we arrived a little too low over the Ore Mountains for my liking, and our differing perceptions of this became apparent once again when Armin asked whether we should fly west or east around Dresden, while I was actually just busy getting air under the wings. Later, over the Elbe, I enjoyed the view of the impressive Elbe Sandstone Mountains again from a relaxed altitude.
The clock now showed 4:45 p.m., and we still had about 125 miles to go to Lüsse. Knowing how good the area between Klix and Berlin is, this was entirely realistic.
Shortly before 6:30 p.m., we landed in Lüsse as planned and were warmly welcomed by Thomas Bonsack, who was there with his Oldenburg club for a flying camp. I would like to take this opportunity to apologize once again to FCC Berlin for my initially somewhat annoyed flight comment in WeGlide. The member, who had apologized several times for the €49 landing fee, had made a mistake, and we received an email from the board stating that the landing fee in Lüsse for cross-country gliders was €0 and that we would be refunded the excess fee.
The next day, we started planning our flight over breakfast. Since I believed that every cross-country gliding flight should include some kind of special highlight, and I had flown over the English Channel on one of my last flights, I suggested that we fly to the Baltic Sea this time. We would then fly east of Berlin to the south, towards the Giant Mountains, and then perhaps on to Prievidza. However, the tough blue thermals made the Baltic Sea plan somewhat difficult. We made slow progress over the Mecklenburg Lake District.
You can read the entire article in our current issue.
