Reinhard Schramme and Bernd Goretzki then went straight to the limit: at the end of the day, 1034 kilometers were on the counter of their EB28. Their flight took them first in blue thermals then under well-developed cloudy skies far to the northeast. And it went up high. Those who followed the first flights on the glidernet saw Bruno Gantenbrink in the late afternoon with his NimEta at 5700 meters MSL! Ten pilots and Arcus teams used this first opportunity in Bitterwasser for the excursion over the Kalahari.
Photo: In the OLC you can track the flights over time in the weather satellite images. Here is a shot in the early afternoon from the flight of the Schramme/Goretzki team.
The Bitterwasser Flying Lodge was the main sponsor of the Junior World Gliding Championships, where from August 2 to 17, 2026, around 80 pilots from 22 nations competed for the titles in the Standard and Club classes. The grand prize for the JWGC winners was a one-week stay at the lodge, including travel and an airplane.
Largely unnoticed by the public, the 5th Red Bull Global Aerial Performance Camp 2026 took place in Bitterwasser, Namibia, from April 21, 2026, to April 30, 2026.
A few videos and pictures on this page offer a glimpse of the athletes and their performances.