Gil Souviron <<email>> writes:

Namibia is probably not the world best place in the world for free distance. But if you want to take a fresh beer with your friend at the farm bar, after just finishing the best out and return distance you have ever dreamed of, don't look elsewhere. This is the spot

Of course, you must come with Aerotow. Walter Geppert and his friend flew from Pokweni glider airfield, but they attempted ten times to succeed to get a thermal with altitude and temperature and it was impossible to get above 250 meters.

9 Jan.

Here we are! At the farm with the two essential things: Beers and Airfield.

Where the surprises start is when we arrive after a 450 km drive from Wallis at the farm. Andre Rossouw, the owner, opens a door and we discover a nice bar next to our bedroom.

The surprises continued in the morning when we went to the runway. Previously there was one runway, two km away from the farm. Thomas Sterzing talked with Andre about the possibility of having another runway. We discovered four runways, oriented in star at 500 meters from the farm!!!

They installed our windshear, 3 meter antenna radio, create a taxi way to not damage the runway, and top of the top, bring the flex wings with their quad from the hangar to the runway

In the evening the meal is different (No chance if you don't like meat). It is excellent.

Ok 7 AM, I awake and I go to the http://www.arl.noaa.gov/  meteo website (The only one working everywhere in the world). Simple, efficient, reliable, and using low bandwidth, which is key.

NOAA forecast ceiling of 4500 meters at 14h00, and 3200 meter at 11h00. At 11h00 ? I don't believe it. The sunset at 19h45 and night is at 20h00. So we have more than 10 hours on a good day.

10H00 First day briefing. The rule is simple, same as in Wilcania ,Australia. You have a small village every 100 km with just 5 houses. One or two car is passing every day. So:

1. Only one axe of circuit is chosen for every pilot

2. Nobody fly alone

3. All pilot follow the road (I mean can reach the road at any altitude).

This day will be taken for a discovery flight for all pilots, with an 200km done in circuit for 5 or 6.

10 January

Today the Emagrams says ceiling at 4500m with 3500 mètres at 11h00, Blue Sky.

Finally we are five ready to start the circuit between 12h10 and 12:30.

Objective: Break World FAI Out and Return FAI with 350 km (330 my previous).

Thermal are strong, large and calm. I open the " ballroom" with Carlos Punet, Patrick and Pascal 5 minutes behind me and my brother 15 minutes behind.

No cloud on our circuit, but some are present in our east. Ok it will be blue sky for us today.

We progress quickly in homogen mass, Wa just make a low point with Carlos as we progess along a small reef arriving on the turning point south of Bethanie. The return was really no problem and finally we touch the cloud at 19h00.

Carlos Punet Pascal Lanser, Patrick Chopard did it: 3 350 km same circuit! 4 pilots in the same day, 4 World record broken..

Carlos did with Atos VQ!!!

Comparative test shows that the VQ performance are very good, still around 1.5 less glide than our at 70km/h.

And my brother Jean did 330 km in OR as well, and being the last to take off. He will finish few minutes after us at 20h00 in the dark. Very impressive with a Lite Speed 4 RS

To summarize

Patrick Chopard Atos VR 350km World record Out and Return, Pascal Lanser Atos VR 350km World record Out and Return, Carlos Pnet Atos VQ 350km World record Out and Return, Gil Souviron Atos VR 350km World record Out and Return

Jean Souviron Lite speed 4 RS 330km World best OR 2007-08

11 Janvier

Forecast today 3800m, 1/8 of cumulus at 11h00 !!! Where we are here! I still not believe it and I announce only 3000meter in blue sky.

We save time again and I arrive to take off at 11:08, The cumulus are there and I take +3m/s up to 2800 meters. The cloud are largely above me. Ok, 1H 30 minutes too late again.

We are not afraid and we prepare a FAI triangle of 400km, but the Noth-East wind is present (20km/h), so we decide with Patrick to do and Out and Return (OR) with cross wind of 400km.

Pascal Lanser a bit tired takes a break. I have take some photos under the cumulus at 4600 meters, of the day for his long soirées of winter or when he will try to climb in the Vosges mountain in France this spring with +0.5.

With Patrick we fly fast. The thermals are more nervous and narrow.

Under a western sky we fly between 35500 and 4500 meters. Our turn point at 11km is made at the middle of nowhere at 20km of the track., but we stay stuck to the cloud base.

On our last leg after a turn at 92km and more than 200km from the first turn point, the head wind is present, the sky is organized in large clouds, which has the "good" idea to put us in their shadow. We take a glide from 4400 meter to 2200 meter but finally we found a thermal after our recovery of the sun light on the ground.

At tropical latitude the sun falls so quickly that the plain has no time to cool. So we climb even when it is sunset.

With Patrick and Carlos we cooperate closely, this the last glide, the sunset and I loss my radio (battery dead), Patrick and Carlos have disappeared. I turn smoothly in 2meter/s with he sun falling down in the desert in my west.

All the plain is in the dark from the cumulus line in my west. What a sensation, 4400 meters I am sure I will do it, I glide a the calm air, ohh! I see Patrick and Carlos a bit short climbing below me at 1 km from the goal.

We did it 400km in OR in 7 hours 48 minutes (8h20 of fly). What flight, what a country!!! The biggest circuit ever made in Delta.

400Km in OR finally! After two years of trying.

Jacques Bott is really sick with fever (probably something taken in Brasil...). Don't worry Jack, apparently the tariff here is 4500 meter with few wind. As soon as you are ok we will prepare together something interesting with a departure at 10h.

In the evening with Jean under the tent, after having looking at the South cross, and Clouds of Magellan, I believe we asleep during a glide in the high, between two thermal or may be it was when we took a +5 above the " plateau ".

Tomorrow.

The next two days says 400 meter but with storm and cirrus. Good idea to take some rest and visit this very inviting country.

Promise we will tell more, " Stay Tuned "