Early take-offs and late landings have been the order of the day over the last few days! And not for nothing - one thousand after the other was flown.
Right at the forefront: the team of Guy Bechthold and Frerk Frommholz. Both top pilots who have been flying one thousand after the next here in Bitterwasser since their arrival in the Arcus M.
For Guy Bechthold, this is almost a habit. He already has a total of 366 flights in his logbook that exceed 1000 km.
He is particularly proud of his 1200 km diploma, which he completed here in Bitterwasser.
Frerk has also been coming to Bitterwasser for years to show off his outstanding gliding skills. And every year he flies distances of around 1000!
As a team, the two of them sometimes achieve speeds of up to 147 km/h during the flight. They are often not to be seen from breakfast until sunset in Bitterwasser, but only on the radar on the hunt for thermals.
In early September, the containers holding the gliders for the 2026/27 season were loaded in Waghäusel. Transported by trailer, truck, and cargo ship, the gliders are now on their long journey to Namibia, to the Bitterwasser Flying Lodge.
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.