European Championships. Innsbruck. Goal field.

Combining a family holiday with being a roving reporter for XC Mag:

Task five: Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

The penultimate day's flying takes the competition East of Innsbruck to Venet near Landeck. It's a high launch and across the Valley are the mountains of Switzerland. The jagged peaks and intimate quiet of the valleys make a superb backdrop to the circling gliders as they climb before setting off for Gnadenwald. I sit. and watch and I'm struck by the beauty - not just the mountains, not just the gliders - but the idea of simple, silent, autonomous flight. Cloudbase looks good. Reports of 3200 metres are coming in over the radio. The air is still rough though and pilots are having to work at it. I shun the cable car and return to the valley in budget-style freedom on my paraglider. Then I'm back on the motorway heading for Innsbruck, eyes darting between road and skyline. All the way back I get a glimpse of the gliders; from here they are insignificant barbs resolutely speeding across the peaks. I imagine them up there, arms tucked in, head down, in anticipation of the next good climb. By the time I reach Gnadenwald a dozen or so gliders are already in. How did they get here so quickly? My speedo was touching 160 down the autobahn! A total of 38 flex and & rigids make goal. Walbec wins the day for class 1, followed by Ruhmer. Class 2 is won bry Christof Kratzner.