New soaring distance record : 3000 km

[Bre901]

Not exactly the most appropriate place to post, nevertheless :

1st ever glider flight above 3000 km (exact distance 3010 km @ 204 kph, 1625 Nm @ 110 kts for you metrically challenged people).

Klaus Ohlmann on 21 Jan 2003, Nimbus 4D from Chapelco, Argentina.

Now try and do that with a 757 or a 'bus ! :D

[I Fly]

I always thought those solar powered aircraft were better than those fossil fuel powered ones. Just for interest, where did he go? He must run out of land somewhere with those distances. Anyway, congratulations Klaus.

[Census boy]

....and I was pleased when I did 300 and 500k's out in Oz a couple of years ago. Makes my flights seem like local soaring!!

These flights will have been along the spine of the high Andes. Seems that the only limits are the pilots stamina and the amount of daylight. So probably means the next ones will have to incorporate night flying?

[nonradio]

Bl**dy amazing, and presumably at an average of 110kts!

[Bre901]

map of the fight
http://www.segelflugszene.de/IGC/31lf2fj1.jpg

Incidentally, the northmost turnpoint is Laguna Diamante, where Aeropostale pilot Guillaumet crashed on June 13th, 1930 and walked for 3days & nights, safely back to civization. His words when meeting St Exupéry were : "Ce que j'ai fait, jamais aucune bête ne l'aurait fait ", "No animal would ever have done what I did"

http://www.lagunadeldiamante.com/e_historia.html

[edited for poor translation and spelling]