End of a good Day in a Sandstorm

Lucky. The shower line approaching from the northwest stopped just in front of Bitterwasser. But landing had to be delayed. Shortly before sun set, a gust roller swept through the palm avenue and whipped the blown sand into the Kalahari in a flag that could be seen for miles.

Refreshing at 40 knots, landing was not advisable. A final approach with an arrival altitude of 600 meters didn't leave much room for alternatives. The luck: The cold air falling from the showers drove the heated desert air to rise. Until the draft on the floor had largely calmed down, it could be turned up again in the warm air. At 20 knots, the pan invited us to come down, no problem with its size, aligning the final and the taxi to standstill exactly against the wind.
The glider could just be packed in the low light.

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The first guests can arrive!

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.

Leveling the Landing Area

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.