Willi is three months old now and is totally fixated on Lodge Manager Rodrik van Neel. Usually you can see the adolescent walking behind him. Rodrik took him in as an orphaned baby and raised him with a bottle. There he is now the substitute dad. And Willi is a family member, he gets on well with the other children. In the garden of the manager's house, jumping around with the other small children.
Willi is already the second springbok that Rodrik is raising. Last year Bocky grew up in the lodge. He excelled as a guardian of a flock of young ostriches before his conspecifics lured him into the Kalahari. The ostriches are now mature, defensive animals. Every now and then they show up at the water hole near the lodge and can then also be observed on the webcam.
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.