One for the day, one for the night

André Verhulst once jetted supersonic fast across the Atlantic with the Concorde. Today he and co-pilot Genevieve Berger are looking for quieter challenges in Namibia with an Arcus.

André is well known in Bitterwasser. He has been a loyal guest every season since 1999. But his sense of humor made him better known. Upon arrival, he likes to introduce himself as the “man with the two women – one for the day, one for the night”. This is his wife Roseline, with whom he has been married for 50 years, but whom he cannot really inspire to fly, and Genevieve Berger from Orleans, with whom he shares the Arcus cockpit on his Namibia flights. "She flies when I have to recover," says the retired Air France captain, explaining the division of responsibilities. The same age Genevieve practiced long-distance gliding in Orleans with her ASH 26. Together with André she only flies in Bitterwasser. André, on the other hand, is at home with his ASW 22BL in the Aero Club Buno-Bonnevaux and in St. Crepin in the Alps during the summer holidays. “I flew there with my wife for the first time –with a Bijave over the Glacier Blanc,” remembers André, since there were only a total of four flights together in five decades.
Even today, at 77 years of age, André does not simply go for a walk. He is always concerned with declared tasks. André: "That is the bigger challenge." And he always shows a good feeling for what is possible. There he is at the top of the daily standings with almost 900 kilometers in Bitterwasser – even ahead of the youngsters.

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Aircraft back home

On Saturday we were able to unload six containers with the aircraft. On Friday, after extensive inspections at customs in Rotterdam(X-ray) and Bruchsal(gas examination), they arrived safely and without damage in Waghäusel.

1400 Kilometres for Christmas

Flying 1000 kilometres on Christmas is a great gift for any pilot. Four pilots fulfilled this wish with over 1100 kilometres on a day with unexpected possibilities. Simon Schröder and Max Schäfer flew a whole 1400 kilometres with the EB28 on Christmas Eve. In the following, they report on their flight.