May I invite you on a gliding trip to Poland & Slovakia highest mountains (Tatry Wysokie / High Tatras), see all the highest peaks while ridge soaring through the whole main mountain range and then return back home safely.
This is a mixed thermal and ridge soaring flight.
Introdiction
You will start at famous polish gliding place – Żar mountain (70km from Hight Tatras), location of polish mountain gliding school (dating back to 1936) and home airfield of Sebastian Kawa (sixteen-time World Champion, number one in the world rankings of the FAI Gliding Commission and the current World Champion in 15m Class and European gliding champion in 18m Class).
Near Żar to the north west is Bielsko-Biała city where Allstar Glider manufacturer is located – successor of famous polish SZD (Szybowcowy Zakład Doświadczalny) – producer of many successful polish gliders (Jantar, Puchacz, Pirat, Bocian to name a few) – you can still buy SZD-51-1 JUNIOR glider here :).
At the top of Żar mountain there is a pumped-storage hydroelectricity power plant (flight’s Turn Point 1) and beneath an artificial lake Międzybrodzkie with Żywiec city at the southern shore – famous beer producer :).
Flight info
Winch take off is from sloped runway. Start gate is straight ahead – you should start right after the rope release as max height is only 700m AMSL (2296 ft)!
Despite wind being set up to blow from the north, probably because the shape of valleys near take off you will experience winds from various other directions – east and south, there will be also wide changes in airspeed from (6 to 19 kph).
Because of that it may be difficult to find stable thermal, but give it a few tries – watch out for wind directon as not to end up on the leeward side of the slope.
If you fail to find a way to climb then analyze my flight track to locate the climb area (spoiler alert I also marked it on map in the gallery).
Wind gains strength with altitude so watch out not to arrive at the Tatra mountain range too low or you may not be able to climb.
Turnpoints are on the tops of highest mountains so you will have to fly high.
Tatra mountains are know for their quickly changing weather so watch out as clouds may greatly reduce your visibility.
START MAX 700m AMSL (2296 ft)
TP1-FINISH MAX 2850m AMSL (9350 ft)
FINISH min alt 600m (1968 ft)
Recommended MSFS free scenery add-ons:
EPZR Żar Airport Aerial Photos & General Improvements – really great improvements to airfield and it’s surroundings
SLOVAKIA 20m DEM – Tatra mountains topography improvements
View on Żar mountain, lake Międzybrodzkie and EPZR airfield as seen from the west:
Rysy – highest polish peak (2499m) and lake Czarny staw pod rysami:
Gerlach (to the right) – highest slovak, High Tatras and Carpathian mountains peak (2655m), and Lomnica massif (2634m in the distance to the left):
Near Lomnica (2634m):
Some more photos from my only gliding trip to Żar in 2014 are in the gallery below.
Glider model: JS JS3-18
|
|
kvcperr
|
01:18:17
|
161.7km/h |
|
January 4 2024 02:28 |
|
| |
*START+1033|2297x2000 00:00:00.000 TP1 ZAR+2470|9350x1000 00:00:38.298 TP2 BRESTOVA+6115|9350x1000 00:29:36.934 TP3 RYSY+7717|9350x1000 00:42:12.597 TP4 GERLACH+8510|9350x1000 00:43:41.486 TP5 LOMNICA|9350x1000 00:45:44.035 FINISH|9350/1969x2000 01:05:38.080 |
3,579 ft1265 * 0.6 = +759 sec 2,979 ft 6,470 ft 8,191 ft 8,954 ft 8,540 ft 4,031 ft |
|
Glider model: AS AS-33me
|
1. |
Alex O'Keefe
|
01:44:06
|
121.6km/h |
1000
|
November 28 2021 14:00 |
|
| |
*START+1033|2297x2000 00:00:00.000 TP1 ZAR+2470|9350x1000 00:01:13.668 TP2 BRESTOVA+6115|9350x1000 00:39:46.641 TP3 RYSY+7717|9350x1000 01:09:24.552 TP4 GERLACH+8510|9350x1000 01:10:36.887 TP5 LOMNICA|9350x1000 01:13:17.777 FINISH|9350/1969x2000 01:44:06.689 |
1,818 ft 2,207 ft 5,808 ft 8,520 ft 8,591 ft 8,419 ft 2,047 ft |
|
2. |
Clayton Kranz
|
01:47:51
|
117.4km/h |
965
|
December 8 2021 22:28 |
|
| |
*START+1033|2297x2000 00:00:00.000 TP1 ZAR+2470|9350x1000 00:00:38.278 TP2 BRESTOVA+6115|9350x1000 00:48:35.703 TP3 RYSY+7717|9350x1000 01:10:31.497 TP4 GERLACH+8510|9350x1000 01:12:03.165 TP5 LOMNICA|9350x1000 01:15:06.890 FINISH|9350/1969x2000 01:47:51.137 |
2,054 ft 2,691 ft 7,105 ft 8,844 ft 8,967 ft 8,803 ft 2,126 ft |
|
3. |
lenidcamper
|
01:55:17
|
109.8km/h |
902
|
December 11 2021 16:22 |
|
| |
*START+1033|2297x2000 00:00:00.000 TP1 ZAR+2470|9350x1000 00:00:54.001 TP2 BRESTOVA+6115|9350x1000 00:57:37.710 TP3 RYSY+7717|9350x1000 01:17:21.447 TP4 GERLACH+8510|9350x1000 01:18:39.948 TP5 LOMNICA|9350x1000 01:22:43.840 FINISH|9350/1969x2000 01:55:17.920 |
2,299 ft 2,857 ft 7,860 ft 8,219 ft 8,341 ft 8,468 ft 2,290 ft |
|
|
mcdrak
|
01:19:05
|
160.1km/h |
|
October 11 2023 17:59 |
|
| |
*START+1033|2297x2000 00:00:00.000 TP1 ZAR+2470|9350x1000 00:06:08.146 TP2 BRESTOVA+6115|9350x1000 00:26:33.582 TP3 RYSY+7717|9350x1000 00:42:14.924 TP4 GERLACH+8510|9350x1000 00:50:14.119 TP5 LOMNICA|9350x1000 00:52:56.948 FINISH|9350/1969x2000 01:19:05.538 |
1,905 ft 6,903 ft 6,541 ft 8,110 ft 8,963 ft 8,697 ft 2,980 ft |
|
|
Topher420247
|
01:39:55
|
126.7km/h |
|
July 12 2022 11:19 |
|
| |
*START+1033|2297x2000 00:00:00.000 TP1 ZAR+2470|9350x1000 00:01:47.370 TP2 BRESTOVA+6115|9350x1000 00:55:05.606 TP3 RYSY+7717|9350x1000 01:04:31.233 TP4 GERLACH+8510|9350x1000 01:08:54.613 TP5 LOMNICA|9350x1000 01:12:45.664 FINISH|9350/1969x2000 01:39:55.879 |
2,055 ft 2,241 ft 6,951 ft 7,712 ft 8,353 ft 8,390 ft 3,102 ft |
|
|
Jarosław Wosik
|
02:12:27
|
95.6km/h |
|
November 23 2021 23:29 |
|
| |
*START+1033|2297x2000 00:00:00.000 TP1 ZAR+2470|9350x1000 00:18:48.459 TP2 BRESTOVA+6115|9350x1000 01:09:30.996 TP3 RYSY+7717|9350x1000 01:27:06.343 TP4 GERLACH+8510|9350x1000 01:30:56.791 TP5 LOMNICA|9350x1000 01:39:35.797 FINISH|9350/1969x2000 02:12:27.155 |
2,129 ft 6,155 ft 6,229 ft 7,891 ft 8,277 ft 8,882 ft 3,226 ft |
|
Glider model: LS LS4
|
1. |
Pierrot
|
01:22:26
|
153.6km/h |
1000
|
August 8 2023 17:34 |
|
| |
*START+1033|2297x2000 00:00:00.000 TP1 ZAR+2470|9350x1000 00:00:39.339 TP2 BRESTOVA+6115|9350x1000 00:26:00.954 TP3 RYSY+7717|9350x1000 00:34:52.930 TP4 GERLACH+8510|9350x1000 00:35:54.611 TP5 LOMNICA|9350x1000 00:39:47.004 FINISH|9350/1969x2000 01:15:08.830 |
2,086 ft 2,523 ft 7,984 ft 8,136 ft 8,627 ft 8,691 ft 1,221 ft-730 * 0.6 = +438 sec |
|
Glider model: DG 808S
|
1. |
Antoine
|
01:41:17
|
125.0km/h |
1000
|
May 2 2022 13:28 |
|
| |
*START+1033|2297x2000 00:00:00.000 TP1 ZAR+2470|9350x1000 00:00:25.828 TP2 BRESTOVA+6115|9350x1000 00:45:17.039 TP3 RYSY+7717|9350x1000 00:59:19.731 TP4 GERLACH+8510|9350x1000 01:04:03.274 TP5 LOMNICA|9350x1000 01:09:11.549 FINISH|9350/1969x2000 01:38:42.596 |
2,531 ft220 * 0.6 = +132 sec 3,108 ft 8,686 ft 7,926 ft 8,495 ft 8,749 ft 2,913 ft |
00:00:30152 kn6 * 2.5 = +15 sec 00:22:00149 kn3 * 2.5 = +7.5 sec |
2. |
Jarosław Wosik
|
01:46:36
|
118.8km/h |
950
|
November 28 2021 00:44 |
|
| |
*START+1033|2297x2000 00:00:00.000 TP1 ZAR+2470|9350x1000 00:16:04.012 TP2 BRESTOVA+6115|9350x1000 00:55:59.931 TP3 RYSY+7717|9350x1000 01:08:47.552 TP4 GERLACH+8510|9350x1000 01:12:36.221 TP5 LOMNICA|9350x1000 01:15:55.390 FINISH|9350/1969x2000 01:46:36.469 |
2,121 ft 5,894 ft 6,502 ft 7,960 ft 8,694 ft 8,744 ft 2,866 ft |
|
|
Antoine
|
02:35:28
|
81.4km/h |
|
April 22 2022 23:09 |
|
| |
*START+1033|2297x2000 00:00:00.000 TP1 ZAR+2470|9350x1000 00:29:39.143 TP2 BRESTOVA+6115|9350x1000 01:35:18.336 TP3 RYSY+7717|9350x1000 01:56:31.887 TP4 GERLACH+8510|9350x1000 01:59:51.427 TP5 LOMNICA|9350x1000 02:03:59.970 FINISH|9350/1969x2000 02:35:28.829 |
2,241 ft 7,172 ft 5,762 ft 8,054 ft 8,883 ft 8,868 ft 2,333 ft |
|
Glider model: Schempp-Hirth Discus-2c FES
|
|
kvcperr
|
02:05:17
|
101.0km/h |
|
July 26 2022 20:47 |
|
| |
*START+1033|2297x2000 00:00:00.000 TP1 ZAR+2470|9350x1000 00:01:15.995 TP2 BRESTOVA+6115|9350x1000 00:39:23.056 TP3 RYSY+7717|9350x1000 01:00:33.394 TP4 GERLACH+8510|9350x1000 01:02:06.372 TP5 LOMNICA|9350x1000 01:04:56.149 FINISH|9350/1969x2000 01:47:11.118 |
4,123 ft1810 * 0.6 = +1086 sec 3,947 ft 7,092 ft 8,980 ft 9,030 ft 7,816 ft 3,743 ft |
|
Add Comment
Only active ALBATROSS Racing Club members can post comments