A committed team

In Bitterwasser you don't see it any other way: Reinhard Schramme and Rolf Bödeker always climb into the cockpit together, Reinhard in front, Rolf in the back. This season in Namibia it is an EB 28, at home in Rinteln it is the Arcus M.

Rolf Bödeker is probably the pilot with the most hours in the world as co on Arcus / EB28. But the division of labor between the crew is not quite as simple as this picture might give the impression. Rolf: “After two and a half hours the change takes place.“ The pilot not flying can by no means withdraw to the as a passenger. Flight management is his task, so the important clarification of where the turning points to be set during the flight. If you want to be fast in Namibia, you have to recognize the lines that make the fast flight possible and use them consistently. Reinhard: “It is important to create a barogram without any jagged edges.” It is nice to have six-meter thermals, but if you only get down in between, the big distances, the 1000 k and more cannot be realized. In any case, Reinhard and Rolf are well-rehearsed, they always play at the forefront in the race for the long distances – sometimes over short distances with particularly high cutting speeds.

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The 2025/26 Bitterwasser season is coming to an end

At around 2 p.m. on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, the first truck carrying one of our seven containers set off. This marked the end of another impressive gliding season in Bitterwasser.

Christmas in Bitterwasser – at 33°C and glorious sunshine

In Europe Christmas is usually associated with cold temperatures, early sunsets and, in the best case scenario, snow. In Bitterwasser, the world looks very different.