Despite a rather poor forecast at the morning briefing, the day turned out to be a real spectacle.
The teams led by Armin Behrendt and Thomas Wolf, Holger Back and Ilka Elster-Back, and Daniel and Reinhard Schramme only returned to Bitterwasser shortly after sunset.
Despite the rather late start around 11 a.m., a lot of kilometers were covered.
All three teams reported a surprisingly good flying day. After initially weak thermals and constant sinking, updrafts and clouds appeared as if at the push of a button.
Holger Back and Ilka Eslter-Back covered the longest distance with 1123 kilometers and made it to just before the South African border.
Armin Behrendt and Thomas Wolf won the day in Africa with a distance of 1118 kilometers.
Daniel and Reinhard Schramme also flew a long way with a distance of 1048 km.
The pilots reported an average speed of almost 200 km/h for up to 2 hours.
In the evening, a convergence appeared directly above the airfield, allowing the pilots to enjoy a beautiful sunset.
All in all, a really successful day of flying!
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.
The last season 2023/24 ended with a spectacular highlight for Dmitry Borovyk and Anton Minskii: on the very last day, they managed to fly around three declared turning points that cover an impressive distance of 1250 kilometers. This extraordinary achievement earned them the privilege of planting a palm tree in Bitterwasser - an honor only bestowed on the best pilots. One year later, the two are now returning to Bitterwasser to plant their palm tree in a festive ceremony in keeping with the old Bitterwasser tradition.