Gil Souviron <<email>> writes:

Jean Souviron did 350km Out and Return World Record and 360km on flat triangle.

For the second time we have organized the Namibia Encampment at Bursdorf farm.

The farm is located 300km south of the capital of Namibia Windhoek. We are set at 1380 meter elevation on high land between the Namib desert to the oust and the Kalahari desert to the est.

According the sailplane top pilot, Namibia is the best thermal spot of the world. Only Australia could have similar conditions.

This year the time was perfectly balanced between rigid team with eight pilots Carlos Punet and two friends Pablo and Augustin and Jimmy, Opal, Fred, Patrick Chopard and I and six flex top gun pilot, Antoine Saraf, Francois Llorens and Izoard, Jean-Charles Ballembois, and Francoise Dieuzeide vice world women champion, the first lady flying Delta in Namibia I believe.

The goal to break a world record of distance or circuit is never an easy task, it requires a lot of energy, strong tenacity year after year and significant investment of time and money. Circuit done in flex and rigid are quite big now, we know how good weather condition are not so easy to reach and you need for circuit long day of fly little wind and quite homogeneous. On the last year an increasing number of pilots are trying this game which is very enthusiastic for cross men like Jean I and our friends. The 360km circuit done by Jean for our encampment was a quite achievement.

During the first 2 weeks, the weather was terrible with a storming season beginning 2 months earlier than usual, and the line of equatorial storm descending to tropical latitude.

Burgsdorf is the new farm bought by Andre Rossouw, located 15km closer than Maltahohe the only village 120 km around. The farm is an enchantment for glider pilot, twelve very nice rooms with air conditioning set around the swimming pool "stone designed". A charming bar with open diner room, our headquarter for the encampment.

Andre has not hesitated to design for us a Hangard to park the ultralight and the hang gliders. You have 4 runways and quads to bring the glider to take off point. Andre and his family set a 5 stars services for all his team including retriever and Safari photo organizations.

On average, cloud base are between 4000 and 5000 meters every day. We were quite frustrated the first two week as storm started systematically at around 13:00 (In Namibia sunset at 8PM so you fly between 11am et 20:00 local time), so even if we start with quite ambitious intentions, like record 420km FAI Out and Return and Triangle, we were forced to land between 2 and 4 pm.

One day with Patrick we land at 2 pm after 210km on the FAI triangle, and another with Carlos I land at 80km at 16:15 minutes short of 80km to the farm to make a 400 FAI OR at more than 60km/h average.

For family reason I cannot stay longer like six other pilots, but the third week the weather condition started to be what we expected.

Then the cloud base rose to 4800 - 5000 meters and storm finally disappeared. Then Jean with his Moyes Litespeed 4RS did 360km in flat triangle or 350km in Out and return. It was just a good journey not the best we have seen in Namibian, with 3 to 4 octas of cumulus and 10km/h cross wind which is not a problem with the new flex glider.

Jean flew fast averaging 73km/h ground speed helped with the high altitude gain. The performance of the Litespeed 4 RS is really amazing and according my brother (I fly rigid only) the handling to land and to thermal is the best glider he has ever flown.

Unfortunately Jean-Charles and I came back home, and as we were the only official observer Jean get no chance to record officially this flight to FAI. But so far, it stills the biggest Out and Return ever done for a flex.

Great job done, brother!