The Ultimate Weekend Trip
I believe that Wilhelm Dirks is someone who doesn't have to be introduced separately.
He is not only a glider designer but he also loves to fly gliders.
Here is a short report about an extraordinary weekend.
Alpine gliding from Karlsruhe, Germany
by Wilhelm Dirks
The weekend from July 3rd to the 4th went along with a high pressure ridge across Europe enabling me to fly from Karlsruhe into the Alps. This was the weekend with temperatures exceeding 33 C in the Rhine valley which made thermal flights impossible due to the high temperature.
The first cumulus clouds are visible around 11:30 in the Blackforrest. It's no big deal to reach a thermal with a DG-808B. I reached the first thermal after a power flight in a height of 1000m. I stayed in that thermal till I reached 2500m. I departed the thermal for a long glide. The thermals had so far only developed in the northern Blackforrest and south of the range.
A short engine powered climb was necessary in order to continue a thermal flight south of the Winzeln Airport. If I had not had an engine my flight would have ended here.
I used a last thermal south of Schluchsee and then proceeded southwards. I was able to recognize clouds in the Alps. But I was unable to judge if the cloud basis was high enough or not. There was no thermal activity noticeable in the Swiss Jura. A lot of aerotows left the Birrfeld Airport but no glider appeared to really climb. I started my engine with a sad thought about the Birrfeld and gained the necessary height to reach the first clouds at the ridge of the northern Alps at the Vierwaldstätter See.
The cloud basis was only at 2.200m. The basis rose to 3.000m when I changed to the southern section of the valley. That was high enough for me to pass the Grimmsel Pass, get a glimpse of the Rhone Glacier and proceed to the upper Rhone valley. I quickly managed to climb to 3.500m on the northern edge of the Rhone valley. That was high enough to risk a detour into the ice world of the Aletsch Glacier, the longest glacier in the Alps. I turned around just before I would have reached the mountain station of the Jungfrauenjochbahn and crossed the Rhone valley heading via "Grenchen" and the "Mattertal" to Zermatt.
The first thermal carried me up to 4.000m, enabling me to proceed along the Monterosa Mountain without loosing altitude. Those glaciers are (imho) the greatest and best in the Alps.
Another interesting sight was Italy. I looked down on the clouds. It was simply impossible to see the ground. When I looked down to the "Gornergrat" I was reminded of a trip a while ago to that mountain.
Well, the weather appeared to stay good in the west, making a decision easy whether to proceed to the Mont Blanc or not. I flew past the Matterhorn, directly towards the highest mountain in the Alps. I flew along the mountain station of the Mont Blanc cable railway - this incredible cable railway. I recalled the way the cable cars are pulled into the station - just about straight up on the final part. I felt a lot more comfortable and safer in my DG-808B.
I started my final glide to the alpine airfield of Saanen after catching a last thermal above Chamonix. The airfield is situated north of the main ridge of the Alps and east of the Geneva Lake at 1000m. I wondered if there would be glider activity a t the airfield or if I would have to spend the evening alone...
Birthday wishes form the designer of a DG
While searching for a tie-down place I noticed that I was not going to be alone. I recognized the DG-808B FK belonging to Fritz Krebs of Bern. I was greeted by a number of pilots from Bern, just on an alpine mountain flying seminar, the moment I opened the canopy.
Well, I started with a question about food (not surprisingly after having spent more than 7 hours in the cockpit) and guess what happened. I was told:
"You are just about right - we are about to celebrate the 125th birthday of a DG-400 pilot and his wife. To make it completely odd - the birthday children were my friend Reni (Reinhard Richner) who turned 75 and his wife Ruth who had turned 50. Reni used to be a Swissair captain after his time in the Swiss Airforce and retired at the age of 60 - now flying a DG-200 and DG-400 for the last 15 years.
His thesis: DG flying keeps you young and healthy - and I can't deny that. He looks great for his 75 years.
It was a wonderful evening. I had not felt that good for a while. First came the magnificent flight and than came the great evening among friends - more and more DG Pilots kept arriving... even the temperature said pleasantly warm at 1000m. It was so mething different to the hot and humid evenings at home in the Rhine valley. But there was one big problem - how can I resist the superb red whine and survive the next day without a headache - I had to fly back....
Return trip with atomic energy
After takeoff I got a great impression about the thermals at Saanen on a Sunday. The first thermal carried me all the way up to 3.000m, enabling me to proceed directly to the Rhone valley. Unfortunately the warm air had gotten way further south basically destroying all thermals. I climbed to 3.800m at the main ridge of the Alps around 3:30 PM and started a long glide.
As expected I wasn't able to find any thermals in the "Mittelland" area or in the "Jura", but my height was just about enough to carry me to the nuclear power plant in the Rhine basin. This nuclear power plant rarely works - thinking of thermals, but apparently the Rhine was warm and they had to cool the plant by using their cooling tower and not the Rhine. And I was right - I was blown upwards with 3m/s. (Not "SOLO-Power" - instead I went for nuclear power...!)
Due to the Zurich Airspace flights above 1.500m are prohibited in that area. I asked myself the question if that would be enough to reach the Blackforrest and thought: "Probably not"!
The first clouds were way north of the Schluchsee. Well, just as I was going to push the engine button a single thermal showed up and got me to 3.000m just behind the Schluchsee. After that a sheer endless glide followed. The next clouds were behind Freudenstadt. But the thermal there was way better. It carried me all the way up to 2.700m with an average ratio of 4,3 m/sec. That was way to high for a final glide to Karlsruhe, but I just couldn't resist and why should I - it wasn't a competition. I followed the saying - upwards first and then speed....
I flew past a huge accumulation of clouds apparently forming a thunderstorm above the northern Blackforrest. On the final to Karlsruhe my vent turned into a "hair dryer". It had been the hottest day of the year and only a few members of "Akaflieg Karlsruhe" - the university club in Karlsruhe - were there. Everybody else had called it a day. It was simply too hot.
That was the end of a superb flight. This flight - in it's range and complexity - was only possible with a motorglider such as the DG-808B with a glide ratio way beyond 50!
Many Kilometers, magnificent sights and a wonderful evening - and all of that for only 7 litters of gas.
- w-dirks / August 99 -
Comment of the Webmaster:
"Wilhelm - I'm jealous!"
(And the translator couldn't resist and happens to have the same feeling... J
by Thiemo Gorath) 