His highlight to date: “The 1,278-kilometer flight with the Ventus 3”. In a team flight together with Tobias Welsch, Manfred Dick and Alexander and Bernd Schmid, he first flew far into the Namib Desert. The second part of the route led along the edge of the weather developments to the border with South Africa, before heading back to Bitterwasser through the showery landscape in the evening. “It was not only challenging in terms of flying, but also the scenery was simply incredible!” says Benedikt.
The Bitterwasser Cup is aimed at all young glider pilots up to the age of 25. The flights must have taken off from an OLC Europe country, and the six best flights will be judged according to the OLC Plus rules. The winner of the Cup will receive exclusive coaching in Bitterwasser, including a free flight, accommodation and the opportunity to either use a glider from the lodge or have their own club glider transported to Namibia free of charge.
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.