The first part of the route led at a fairly low altitude towards the south-east, close to the Botswana border. From there, the route headed back to the northwest, past Mariental, to the striking convergence in the west. The last leg ran south along this impressive weather line until shortly before Helmeringhausen, before returning to Bitterwasser.
The idea of celebrating outstanding flights by planting palm trees dates back to 1972, when Peter Kayssler, the founder of the Bitterwasser gliding center, established this unique tradition. Initially, palm trees were planted for diamonds flown and world records. Later, from 1984, achieving the 1,000 km FAI diploma also became part of this honor. Since 2019, there have also been palm trees for flights over 1,250 km in accordance with FAI diploma rules. Today, more than 250 palms line the famous allée.
We congratulate the two of them on their great success and wish them many more unforgettable flights in Bitterwasser.
A stay at the Bitterwasser Lodge is usually beyond the financial means of young pilots. At the same time, the next generation is the key to the future of our wonderful sport—and of the lodge as well. That is why supporting young pilots is a core part of the Bitterwasser Flying Center’s mission.
Early October is the ideal time to prepare the runways for flight operations. You can land at the Bitterwasser Flying Lodge in every which direction—depending on how you look at it, on 8 runways (plus one emergency runway), each in two directions. Jeremias carefully levels the landing area over the course of several weeks.