1250 km palm tree for Dmitry Borovyk and Anton Minskii
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.
The first part of the route led at a fairly low altitude towards the south-east, close to the Botswana border. From there, the route headed back to the northwest, past Mariental, to the striking convergence in the west. The last leg ran south along this impressive weather line until shortly before Helmeringhausen, before returning to Bitterwasser.
The idea of celebrating outstanding flights by planting palm trees dates back to 1972, when Peter Kayssler, the founder of the Bitterwasser gliding center, established this unique tradition. Initially, palm trees were planted for diamonds flown and world records. Later, from 1984, achieving the 1,000 km FAI diploma also became part of this honor. Since 2019, there have also been palm trees for flights over 1,250 km in accordance with FAI diploma rules. Today, more than 250 palms line the famous allée.
We congratulate the two of them on their great success and wish them many more unforgettable flights in Bitterwasser.
Obwohl Mitte Januar die Saison in Bitterwasser dem Ende entgegenzugehen scheint, zeigt sich das Wetter von seiner besten Seite. Piloten aus aller Welt genießen beeindruckende Thermik, atemberaubende Streckenflüge über 1000 km und eine einzigartige Gemeinschaft.
Die letzte Saison 2023/24 endete mit einem spektakulären Highlight für Dmitry Borovyk und Anton Minskii: Am allerletzten Tag gelang es ihnen, drei deklarierte Wendepunkte zu umfliegen und eine beeindruckende Strecke von 1250 Kilometern zurückzulegen. Mit dieser außergewöhnlichen Leistung verdienten sie sich das Privileg, in Bitterwasser eine Palme pflanzen zu dürfen – eine Ehre, die nur den besten Piloten zuteilwird. Ein Jahr später kehren die beiden nun nach Bitterwasser zurück, um ihre Palme nach alter Bitterwasser-Tradition in feierlicher Zeremonie zu pflanzen.