Period: 1.4. – September 30.9.2024, XNUMX
On the trail of old wings! Who follows Wolf Hirth's old ride after 90 years!?
On July 26, 1934, the important gliding pioneer Wolf Hirth covered a distance of 352 km from the Wasserkuppe (WaKu) to Görlitz as part of the Rhön competition and thus achieved the first cross-country flight over 300 km - a world record to date!
This is for the Görlitz Aviation Club the reason to announce a challenge cup for the then record gliding route Wasserkuppe – Görlitz.
The cup should:
- Fun and bring joy to the adventure of cross-country gliding.
- Aviation history for young and old make it tangible.
- Creating connections, in the process Upper Lusatia and the Rhön apply.
Denn:
“Gliding is more than just a hobby!”
It is the perfect harmony between people, nature and technology.
Winner’s prize: “La-Wa” challenge cup with prize money of 500 euros!
The call for tenders is carried out in cooperation with the Society for the Promotion of Gliding (GFS) on the Wasserkuppe eV
We thank you for each other's support and are sending one Congratulations on the 100th anniversary the Wasserkuppe flight school.
Participation of all glider pilots from all regions and nations is of course welcome and free of charge!
Further information about the LaWa Cup
For further information write an email:
lawa-pokal@goerlitzerfsc.de
or follow us on Facebook:
Route as a CUP file: lawa.cup 4km start and finish line (2km radius)
General aviation history
On July 26, 1934, the important gliding pioneer Wolf Hirth covered a distance of 352 km from the Wasserkuppe to Görlitz as part of the Rhön competition and thus achieved the first cross-country flight over 300 km - a world record to date! On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of this record, the Wasserkuppe-Görlitz route was put out to tender by the Görlitzer FSC eV under the patronage of the then mayor of Görlitz, Matthias Lechner, with a premium of 1000 DM and was operated successfully for many years.
| 1994 | Johannes Barwick / Anette Arndt (AEROTEAM Klix) | Klix Görlitz Wasserkuppe |
| 1995 | Harald Jörges (gliding school Wasserkuppe) | Wasserkuppe-Görlitz |
| 1997 | Harald Jörges/Werner Vodak (gliding school Wasserkuppe) | Wasserkuppe-Görlitz |
| 1999 | Günther Böhmer (AEROTEAM Klix) | Görlitz - Wasserkuppe |
| 2015 | Peter Kügel (Friesener Warte air sports club) | Wasserkuppe-Görlitz |
| 2016 | Carsten Moeller (LSV Burgdorf) | Wasserkuppe-Görlitz |
| 2018 | Marcus Dawert (Aero Club Koblenz eV) | Görlitz Wasserkuppe |
| 2019 | Florian Ruckert (SC Uetersen) | Wasserkuppe-Görlitz |
| 2023 | Wolfgang Zeyen (LSV Eßweiler) for his Flight from 13.07.23/607/XNUMX over XNUMXkm | Wershofen – Wasserkuppe – Görlitz |
Unfortunately, the continued existence of the tender flagged at the turn of the millennium. The start-finish route description (possibility of returning home by towing the pilot or bringing him back by plane by car transport had to be organised) and the then common flight recording for the documentation of the sporting performance (photo, barograph) represented a high logistical effort advances in the "homecoming" glider technology (engines integrated in the aircraft such as folding propeller engines, turbines, etc.) that have not yet taken place, the tender more or less fell asleep.
Motivation City of Görlitz for support of Görlitzer FSC eV
Now 15 years later or 80 years after Hirth's legendary record flight, today's flight recording technology (GPS logger recordings and internet documentation) and the associated current philosophy of cross-country performance gliding as well as the today's mature "homecoming" technology in gliders can be used in a very manageable way Effort the tender will be launched again with lasting success.
Many glider pilots and tourists make a pilgrimage to the holy mountain of gliding, the Wasserkuppe, from all over Europe. With this tender, the attention of tourists can be drawn to Görlitz and the surrounding region. As a result, active advertising is carried out and everyone is talking about Upper Lusatia with Görlitz as the gateway to the East. In addition to the sporting aspect, the following motivation would be effective for the pilots:
In the footsteps of Wolf Hirth, the historic flight is to be revived with a decentralized competition in order to explore the most beautiful corners of Central Europe at the same time. The route leads from the cradle of German gliding in the Rhön, the Wasserkuppe, south of Germany's green lungs, the Thuringian Forest, along the Erzgebirge ridge, the unique Elbe sandstone mountains to Germany's easternmost town of Görlitz in idyllic Upper Lusatia. The flights can easily be extended due to the different route form ratings, eg to the Giant Mountains to the other holy air base to Jeszow near Jelenia Gora (formerly Grunau near Hirschberg) on the Sněžka.
