As big as the country is, you are not in the sky alone here in January. The gliders brought into the country are used diligently. It is not uncommon to meet gaggles.
Bitterwasser is positioned on an international level with guests from USA, Russia, Great Britain, Italy, France, Switzerland and now also from the Netherlands. But the german pilots are not yet in the minority.
And the weather is right. The glider area south of Windhoek, which encompasses almost all of Namibia and part of South Africa from flight level 145 (around 4500 m) to flight level 195 (around 6000 m) can be fully used up to the upper cover. There is no need for wave updrafts. In the afternoon the thermals reach all the way to the top. To the north of Windhoek, the cover is in flight level 145. There you can longingly look up to the base but also make comfortable progress.
Photo: encounter on the way.
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.
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.