Reporting 2014 

Picture Gallery

Flying with the Champions 2014



Flying with the Champions - final repot2014-11-15
  

Flying with the Champions is over. Yesterday we had our last flying day with many flights over 800 km.  Happy about their last week and with big smiles the teams came back to the field and some of them used the last final glide to make some nice photos. You see them here.

Olivier Darroze used his free day to test the Antares 23 E, with 622 km with an average speed of 133 km/h he had the fastest flight on OLC. His short statement was: “This is a glider to set records.”

In the evening after a nice dinner we handled over diplomas to the trainees and finished the last night with long discussions on the Bar.

Here some statistics from our two weeks: Our trainees did 182 Starts, the flew about 48.000 km, four flights with more than 1000km, Kiripotib got second on the airport ranking on OLC, fife times the daily OLC winner was of us, without this event it would not have been.

 

We want to say thank you to our Champions who helped us with their  knowhow, to Bernd Dolba and Peter Stein holding the daily weather briefing and organizing the flying part, to Claudia and Hans van Hase the owners of Kiripotib farm and all the volunteers making  the stay here so nice and fine. But last but not least, we want to say tha on “Flying with the Champions 2015” from 31st of Oct.2015 to 13th of Nov. 2015. If you are interested in participating, write us a mail to: office@rent-a-glider.com and give us your preferred week. We put you on a list and will send you all details as soon as available.

Ludwig Starkl & Wolfgang Janowitsch

nk you to our trainees, who believed in our concept and stayed with us these two weeks and as the said regretted no minute. Thank You.

We work already.

 



 








Flying with the Champions 7. day - 2. block2014-11-14
  
 

Today is our last Day of “Flying with the Champions” After the very week day yesterday, it was only blue with very light lifts, we expect much better conditions today. It will start blue and in the east of us, Cu from about 12:00, due to that we declared a 820 km FAI triangle, with the first turn point in the northeast, one deep in Botswana and back to about 40 km west of Kiripotib. Team DD wanted to know if the forecast is true and started at about 10:00. With very week lifts, they where struggeling around the field and did not really climb. After one hour of ground acrobatic, the weather improved as expected and they could start the task with all the other teams. Now in the afternoon, we can see Cu on the horizon in the task area and we hope they find the conditions as expected.









Flying with the Champions 5./6. day - 2. block2014-11-13
  

Now we are back in civilization, on the evening of our rest day two days before, a big storm passed the field with huge lightning’s thunder and very heavy rain. Du to that storm, electricity broke down and that for no internet and no telephone.  How helpless our civilization is without these things.

Yesterday still without electricity we had to set our tasks without any information, but as the front the day before moved to the east, we decided to follow her. The first leg was going down to Botswana, Southafrika, from there back the best lines and if the day will work, the same once more. As we could see in the evening our personal forecast was ok, most of the teams did like this. Only the final glide was very tricky. The incoming cold air from the west stopped thermal activity very soon, there was no cloud on the last 100 km from the east. With a headwind of about 50km/h the glidingratio sank sometimes to 20. But all teams came home, at the one or the other the engine helped a bit. In the evening again long discussions and stories.

Today the wind spectacle is over, we are on civilization again, power came back, internet is working and our celphons also ring again.

Due to the forecast we will set a grand prix task today, 325km with start at 13:00.

 









Flying with the Champions 4. day - 2. block2014-11-11
  

 

Although we had rain most of yesterday’s afternoon, our pilots found perfect conditions west of us About 80 km from Kiripotib a convergence line was forming to the southeast which they were using for long and fast flights. That ones who left this line had it very difficult to reach it again, so for two of them the flights ended early, the others used this line for fast and long flights. In the evening results we where very proud of. Two flights above 1000km, under the first seven places on OLC six pilots from Kiripotib, fastest flights on OLC Speed and finally in the worldwide airfield ranking we reached second place. Without the knowledge of the champions it would not have been possible,

 

Today the forecast did not look very promising, rain already west of us at 8:00 and from 10:00 to 20:00 local we expected thunderstorms. That for, we decided to set a non flying day, we used it to form the new teams for the next days and for aircraft hand over. In the afternoon we will do some theoretical discussions and after, if the weather allows, we will have a look to the cheetahs and will have a gamedrive on the farm.







Flying with the Champions 3. day - 2. block2014-11-10
  

Yesterday got better than forecasted, CS and DD could nearly reach 900km. Some shower lines brought good lifts, which specially CS used perfectly. He flew an average speed of 144km/h, as he said 280km without one circle. That’s Namibia as we like it, I think you find these conditions only here. Finally the last landing on that day from DD during a perfect sundowner with a beginning rain. For that we had to create a special price for Uli Schwenk he got “the wettest man in Kiripotib” he got a bottle with Shower gel.


Today again difficult conditions with nearly the same airmass as yesterday. The first gliders took of at about 11:00 under a nice looking gliding sky.  Starting at about 13:00 first showers passed Kiripotib in the north and at 14:00 we also had our first drops on the roof. But the satellite images show still good conditions in the west, and we think our Teams will fly there.

Today we had a Namibian broadcasting company with us, making interviews and filming our activities.  The will bring a film about our flying here in Namibia, we will hope to get a copy of it.

 









Flying with the Champions 2. day - 2. block2014-11-09
  

 

Nearly the same weather today as in our first trainings week, for today we expected showers and storms in the afternoon and exactly that happened. The day began with a wonderful gliding sky, with nice high Cu. But very soon we could see towering Cu with first showers. At about 16:00, similar to last week, a big storm north of the field with some nice lightning’s and thunders. A small shower passed the field  and the rain made us happy, as there is no dust anymore. Short after the storm three of our gliders where back, OM, E and WM. To the west we see still good developed sky, so it will be easy for the others to finish today`s flights.
 

Since a year lot of things have changed here in Kiripotib, Our dinning place has got thatched roof, so we can enjoy our meets in the nature every day. In the western part, very closed to the gliders, some new sleepingrooms where build, and write now, to each tie down point of the gliders solid brick boxes are under construction for all the glider equipment. You can believe me we like really like it.









Flying with the Champions 1. day - 2. block2014-11-08
  

From yesterday to today the teams changed. For the first groop it was the last evening, for the other it was the beginning of the big adventure. We had a great sundowner all together, with a lot of questions from the beginners and great storys from the endings.

 

Markus Frank, Andy Lutz and Holger Karow left us today, I wanted to say thank you, it was a great time. Steve Jones, Pete Harvey and Uli Schwenk are our new Champs, I am sure the will make a great job.

 

Today we found our new Teams

  • Joachim Keim from Germany with Janusz Centka from Poland on Arcus M
  • Tobias Meiler from Germany with Steve Jones from England on Arcus M
  • Bernhard Braun from Germany with Pete Harvey from England on Arcus M
  • Kevin Houlihan from Ireland with Olivier Darroze from France on Arcus E
  • Ferdinand Höllerer from Austria with Wolfgang Janowitsch from Austria on Arcus M
  • Erich Schüßler from Austria with Uli Schwenk from Germany on Arcus M

 

As usual, Janusz Centka prepared a task, but although nobody finished it we had some great flights.

Joachim with Janusz were the winners of today with 722 km.

 

For tomorrow we expect good weather will see how the day ends.


 












For quick bookers - still attached free charter dates in Namibia 'Kiripotib'2014-11-07
  
Gliderofup to
   
Arcus M - D-KTWO2014-12-232014-12-26
 2015-01-082015-01-20
   
Arcus M - OE-94852014-11-202014-12-05
 2015-01-102015-01-16
   
Arcus E -  D-KWKU2014-11-152014-12-06
 2014-12-202015-01-20
   








Flying with the Champions 7. day - 1. block2014-11-07
  

 

The first trainings week comes to an end and overall only happy faces. Yesterday two of our Trainees flow their first 1.000 km, it were Hans-Peter von Arb with Olivier Darroze and Walter Horvath with Markus Frank, for both it was their first flight over this magic border. Rainer Fröhlich and Stefano Ghiorzo missed it by only 2 km . But for all the other participants their yesterdays flight was the longest ever.

Today all the teams fly on their own, mostly to the east, to the better looking area. On the horizon we can see already some cu with a cloudbase of around  4.500 meters.

At about 17:00 we expect the arrival of the last participants and champions for our second week and if all pilots have returned from their flights, we will go all together for a sundowner in the Kalahari desert,  with  some snacks and a drink (or more).








Flying with the Champions 6. day - 1. block2014-11-06
  

Today seems tob e the best day of the week. A high-pressure area over northern Namibia brings more humid air into the gliding area. The humidity however doesn’t bring only cumulus clouds, but also a layer of medium level cloud.

 

The recommendation of Bernd Dolba in today’s briefing was to fly west first, to the so-called “Kante”, then follow the usual convergence line there to the South, and finally fly home along a line between the moist air-mass in the Northwest and the dryer one in the Southeast.

 

Bernd Dolba can verify his advice himself today, thanks to him, he agreed to fly for me (Wolfgang) today, as I was only ballast for my trainee Frank yesterday for physical reasons.

 

Ludwig used the Antares 23E for the first time today – 770km with 141kph – good weather, suitable glider!

 

The first teams are just approaching to land, I’m sure to see smiling faces tonight. Atmosphere is great, even though Namibia didn’t show us all its possibilities this week. For the final day tomorrow, there will probably be a small Grand Prix task once more, because in the evening we will celebrate the arrival of our new participants at a common sundowner. A few hours ago, Uli Schwenk arrived. He will be one of our coaches for the second week.

 

So much for today, from now on we will try to beat the OLC-distances flown in the Austrian and Swiss Alps…

 







Flying with the Champions 5. day - 1. block2014-11-05
  

Today the teams have changed,

thatfor we have a new program. Yesterday the teams liked the teamflying, so we decided to set a task. First leg to the west to Gamsberg, at the edge to the Namib dessert. From there to the south and back to Kiripotib. Blue thermal is forcasted with possible clouds in the west. Cloudbase at about 4.800m.

As we can see on the tracking files, the gliders have reached the western part already with climbs up to 5.200 m. We think they will have Cu already, as we can see some north of us. 

Only laughing faces after the pilots where back in Kiripotib. Cloudbase in 5.300meters and good lifts where reported. Very impressive was the few in the Namib dessert. Pictures will follow.








Flying with the Champions 4. day - 1. block2014-11-04
  

Today a completely different weather to the days before, no wind and blue sky. If you think these would be good conditions, you are wrong. Only medium blue thermal with a maximum to 3100 meters, here in Africa not very comfortable. But we are here for gliding and that for we set a grand prix task, starting it at about 14:45.

You can follow live on the following link
https://www.skylines.aero/tracking/3349%2C%202147%2C%202178%2C%201901%2C%201876%2C%203997%2C%202266/map



 

That was a race, very exciting in the air and on the ground, what a pity not all of the gliders where online on our tracking system, but what we could see was exciting enough, the leading positions where changing all the time. After a two hours race the first finishers, here the result.

  1. Stefan Krauss with Holger Karow
  2. Rainer Fröhlich with Stefano Ghiorzo
  3. Andreas Grune with Markus Frank
  4. Peter Huser with Olivier Darroze
  5. Walter Horvath with Wolfgang Janowitsch
  6. Frank Melzer with Janusz Centka
  7. Hans-Peter von Arb with Andy Lutz

But as we can see after scoring there will be some changes, Rainer Fröhlichs two loggers did not work proper and Andreas Grune missed the last turnpoint. But that does not detract the mood, in the evening we will celebrate the winners and of course talk a lot.







Flying with the Champions 3. day - 1. block  
   

Today we have completely different weather to yesterday. In the morning completely overcast, but very soon the first sunny spots and first cumulus clouds where forming at nine. Only the wind was getting stronger and stronger, we reached about 25 kt at 11:00 o’clock increasing with the altitude. At about 12:00 the first starts and pilots reported good clims. Due to the forecast all gliders fly to the east toward the border to Botswana, on topmeteo it looks there very good. Four of our gliders you can follow live on the following link.

 

https://www.skylines.aero/tracking/
3349%2C%202147%2C%202178%2C%201901%2C%
201876%2C%203997%2C%202266/map

 

at the moment we have blue sky with some nice gliding clouds to the east, the wind is still very strong coming from the north.

 

 



„I hate Mistral“ where the first words from Olivier Darroze after he had landed, an nearly the same words from the other pilots. Genius what the teams had made out of the day. Wind at about 60km/h nearly the whole day can be very boring. But at least happy faces, I am sure we will have long discussions tonight.








Flying with the Champions 2. day - 1. block
   
 

So at about 14:00 one after the other was taking off. The sunny spot from the last two hours changed to a complete overcast. The only soarable conditions where in the south. KOY, started as the last, was not able to reach this, so he had to use their engine very soon. The rest of our teams was somewhere south of Bitterwasser as we could see on our trackingsystems, but one after the other also had to use their engines. Here in Kiripotib it was complete overcast very strong wind on the ground, we didn’t realize where the gliders would be able to climb. But then CS’s voice on the radio “We are flying in a wave above Kiripotib” In the evening they reported climbs up to 13200 ft. With these impressions, they had a sundowner out of the wave in Namibia, they returned from a very interesting flying day short after sunset. All of them had to tell us a lot until 23:30, when even for the last crews the day ended in their beds. For Monday it looks like real African weather will reach our area, only the wind up to 70km/h will be a problem.

Here a link, where you can follow our gliders live

https://www.skylines.aero/tracking/








Flying with the Champions 1. day - 1. block

  
   

On Saturday morning, the first weather briefing with a rather atypical weather for Namibia. High thick clouds with some sunny spots and tendency to overdeveloping and thunderstorms where forcasted. Very late the first start and as usual, Janusz Centka with Frank Melzer opened the flying part of the event. For a long time you could see the gliders mostly very deep and sometimes with a restarted engine flying around Kiripotib. Then, after a while when all gliders where flown away, a huge storm arrived us from the north, big lightnings and thunders everywhere. After one and a half hour, the nightmare was over again, a few drops of rain were dropped, the sun came out again and the first machines also came back. Very different where the impressions, weak climbing, up to four times starting the engine, eight-meter climb in straight flight, all that was reported by the participants. But smiling faces from all of them, even as the didn’t have real Namibian weather, but first impressions have been enough to convince them of the potential. Tomorrow more.

 








Die Champions fliegen wieder

 

Since today they are in the sky again, the champions with their trainees. For the second time at the moment is "Flying with the Champions" held at the Flying Kiripotib farm in Namibia. Seven participants are booked in the first block from 1st to 7th of November, these are with there champions: 

  • Hans Peter von Arb from Switzerland with Andy Lutz from Austria on Arcus M "KOY"
  • Andreas Grune from Germany with Markus Frank from Germany on Arcus M "MW"
  • Walter Horvath from Austria with Wolfgang Janowitsch from Austria on Arcus M "TWO"
  • Stefan Krauss from Germany Holger Karow from Germany on Arcus M "1"
  • Frank Melzer of Germany with Centka Janusz from Poland on Arcus M "CS"
  • Peter Huser from Switzerland with Olivier Darozze from France on Arcus E "E"
  • Rainer Fröhlich from Germany with Ghiorzo Stefano from Italy on ASH25EB28 "OM" 

 


As the Air Namibia flight from last Wednesday was delayed for 14 hours, a majority of participants did


As the Namibian authorities allowed first flights from 1st Nov. on, we had to cancel the planed checklights. We used the time for the first theoretical briefings on the gliders and the local conditions and the teams were fixed.  not arrive until 30th October evening, so the last day before the event was really hard. Eight double seaters and a single seater had to be unloaded from the container and rigged. Somehow, the weather god has seen us and sent a cloudcover and only 28 degrees.








Have you ever wondered, what a World- or European champion makes different from you?

 

If you are looking for the answer, maybe that's what you need!

HERE you find the full programm 

 

 

 

   

'Flying with the Champions 2014'

   
  

 

  

 

Who:

Confirmed until now:

  • Janusz Centka
  • Pete Harvey
  • Uli Schwenk

 

  • Holger Karow
  • Wolfgang Janowitsch

 

 

all of them former European- or Worldchampions!

    
Where:

Kiripotib, Namibia, ca.150 km southeast of Windhoek

    
When:

two seven day courses

  • 1. - 7. november 2014
  • 8. - 14. november 2014

 

How:

  • In a doubleseater together with a champion is a direct transfer of knowledge possible.
  • The champion supports by feedback the development of motor and mental skills.
  • A structured training process ensures clear objectives.
  • The participant gets the tool for effective work on himself.
    
 

Six flying days, one reserve day are planned, course language is generally English, possibly also German.