You might think that the season is slowly coming to an end in Bitterwasser in mid-January - but you'd be wrong. The weather has really turned up in the last few days and the Namibian thermals are showing their best side. Many pilots have come back after the New Year holidays to experience great cross-country flights in gliding paradise number 1. The 24/25 season in Bitterwasser continues with many flights of well over 1000 km.
At 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, 22 gliders were ready to take off - all pilots with great sporting ambitions. The pilots come from all over the world. World Cup participant Claudio Schmidt from Brazil is in Bitterwasser for the first time and has spontaneously fallen in love with this place. “The community here is unique. The pilots come from all over the world. The names read like a Who's Who of the gliding scene. I'm proud to be part of this community for two weeks!”
With guests from Spain, France, Israel, Ukraine, Great Britain, Italy, Luxembourg, Belgium, Switzerland and now also Brazil, Bitterwasser has a very international line-up. Each guest's national flag is hoisted separately. Of course, many German pilots will also be coming to Bitterwasser in January 2025. Katrin Senne spontaneously decided to come a second time this season to add a few more 1000-kilometer flights to her logbook with the JS-3 RES.
The weather over the last few days has been perfect for this. The gliding area currently offers flight opportunities until 19:40. The long days make particularly long distance flights possible. The base altitudes are currently around 5000 m MSL. Impressive convergence lines form around midday at the latest, under which you can fly endlessly long distances in straight flight.
The SSN (Soaring Society of Namibia) website states that pilots holding a SPL license together with a valid LAPL medical may fly gliders with European registration in Namibia. Previously, the more complex Class 2 ICAO medical was required. The SSN point out that no definitive, valid statement can be made for neighbouring countries such as Botswana or South Africa.
For glider owners: Please check with your insurance company that this is in accordance with your insurance contract.
Although the season in Bitterwasser seems to be coming to an end in mid-January, the weather is at its best. Pilots from all over the world enjoy impressive thermals, breathtaking cross-country flights over 1000 km and a unique community.