Success at DHV-XC
We are happy about the success of our team pilots at the DHV-XC for the 2021 season.
Once again, our team pilots were able to secure the top positions in the DHV-XC. Hans Walcher became German champion in the standard class on the CHILI5, Felix von Mallinckrodt achieved second podium place in the sports class with his SPICE and Uli Straßer was third in the overall ranking on the X-ALPS4.
Recap Hans Walcher:
During the X-Alps, I was able to test fly the CHILI5 for the first time and never gave it away. Everything fit and I was immediately impressed. Only I would have preferred the light version because I did all my flights on foot by Hike&Fly.
On the good flight days in Germany, I was in the air with the C-glider. So I missed the points in the standard class. In South Tyrol I was able to fly a 206 km FAI triangle with the new CHILI5 and a second triangular flight in Lüssen turned into a flat FAI. So until August 25th I was still in second place in the ranking. A 200-point flight in Germany should still work.
No cross-country weather for the Northern Alps in sight. But a good day of flying was forecast in the lowlands. So let’s go to the Altmühltal and fly from Böhming to the Swabian Alp. With almost 130 km of free distance, I was able to take the lead. It remained exciting in the standard class until the end. But nobody could fly that far anymore. So I won the German cross country championship in the standard class with 975 points.
Recap Felix von Mallinckrodt:
After a mixed season in 2020, things could only get better this year. Mentally, I was absolutely ready for the cross-country season and as one of the first lucky pilots I was able to fly the SPICE. But after the COVID start-up difficulties last year, the weather initially did not want to play along in 2021.
This year it was important to get the right days. Thanks to online lectures at the university, I was able to adapt the days with a lot of potential relatively flexibly. This gave me some cool XC flights and I was able to collect a lot of airtime in the Alps.
In the end it was enough for 2nd place in the sports class and 6th place in the overall class. Congratulations to all pilots for the tough fights! In addition to the remarkable placements, it is more important for me personally to be able to observe that I have developed further in flying and that I was able to learn from my tactical mistakes.
After all the long flights with the SPICE, I’m pretty stoked about the performance of the glider. I’m already looking forward to the next season at SPICE, but now it’s time to go back to planning.
Many thanks to skywalk for the support, I am happy to be part of the team.
See you in 2022!
Recap von Uli Straßer:
The last XC season was exciting.
Corona restrictions, capricious weather and a few great days in between …
So – after a missed hammer day on which the competition laid the basis for their top placements – only shortly afterwards I was able to fly my largest FAI triangle from Hochfelln that had started in Germany – 260 km, just under the area record set by Chris Bessei (265 km from 2014) over.
Together with another FAI triangle over 205 km from Felln, that was a good basis for a front ranking when it is time for the really big triangles in South Tyrol. At least that was the plan.
Only, South Tyrol’s route weather had other plans. Somehow the worm was always in there. The last time I tried to fly all the way to the top in the XC ranking, I gambled and – drawn the short straw. Reaching the FAI sector, which is necessary for the runner-up title, was only a few kilometers away at the time of the decision, but the direct route (i.e. glider) would certainly not have allowed further flying at that time.
Shaky 2nd place or more? I wanted to know and I am once again very deep on the Heiligkreuzkofel, maybe to get up and manage the necessary kilometers for the overall victory. Didn’t work, thermals ended too early and / or I was too slow.
But it still turned out to be a podium. Congratulations to the deserved winners.
The many pleasure flights that I was able to do last year without any placement ambitions also rounded off this somewhat special season very positively.