Every now and then the Euro Rigid wing pilots mount a massive expedition to Namibia. Truly one of the more epic cross country destinations in the world but a bit like mounting trip to Mount Everest. To safely fly terrain like this it requires a massive amount of team work and logistics. It takes a very brave pilot to simply head out into the unknown (from what I gather.... strongly discouraged by the organizers).
The terrain is extremely unforgiving for out landing rigid wings (or any other form of aviation... ), the air is some of the most powerful in the world. To fly this landscape you will broil on the ground in 40C temps, and freeze at altitude while sipping oxygen at 5000+ meters.... While I envy the opportunity these pilots have to fly the big flights, I personally find the amount of resources and energy needed to fly Namibia is "outside" my comfort zone. I'm too much of a loner to fly with a pack..... still I can't help but be impressed with the effort.
Like all great adventures, all the planning in the world can be thwarted by weather. The first wave of pilots had to endure winds and stormy weather but still there were many flights over 300km OR. The next wave of pilots have arrived and forecast for the next week are expected to see much less wind and blue conditions. I fully expect that on a perfect day, we may see the first 500km triangle (I believe a 420km was achieved in 2015?).
You can follow the Namibian adventures at the following links (Google translate does an ok job... can be quite funny ):
https://www.dhv.de/web/piloteninfos/wet ... n-namibia/
https://www.streckenjaeger.com/
http://vlsnamibie2011.blogspot.ca/
Cheers and Merry Christmas to the WCSC...
Martin