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.
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.