Running OUT OF OPTIONS in LOW ALTITUDE. Extreme short outlanding (~80m) in the Alps.

In this video I will take you on a cross-country flight through the breathtaking scenery of the Alps. After flying over mountain passes, glaciers and the main ridge, I found myself terrible low. I switched to survival mode, fighting for every meter of altitude, but still hopeful to reach a nearby airfield.
Learn in this video about local wind systems late in the day and watch an exciting outlanding on a very short paddock.
Welcome on board and enjoy!
00:00 Intro
00:38 Weather and mission briefing
01:41 Searching for a way back home
01:56 Analyzing the challenge
03:18 Changing the strategy
03:27 Discovering local wind systems
05:44 Approach
06:07 Touch down!
06:23 Lessons learned
Please note that I am a learning glider pilot, sharing with you my experiences and the magic of soaring, including my mistakes and goodtakes, aiming to make this sport better and safer together.
Check out the flight at: www.weglide.org/flight/253697
Date: 4.5.2023
Departure: DASSU Unterwössen @deutschealpensegelflugschu7668
Outlanding: MFC Wörgl-Kundl: Modellfliegerclub (www.mfcwoergl-kundl.at)
Pilot: Christoph Wieland Blaas
Glider: LS4
Camera: Insta360 One X2 @insta360
Navigation app: www.xcsoar.org
Music: Tomas Novoa - Seis Continentes (artlist.io)
Weather time lapse: www.foto-webcam.eu
Flight analysis apps: www.weglide.org / www.soaringlab.eu
Recommended books in German (some of them have been translated):
The Art of Gliding: www.viento.aero/the-art-of-gl...
Das Stille Abenteuer: amzn.to/41MazLO
Segeln über den Alpen: amzn.to/4aKfMHO
Meteorologie für Segelflieger: amzn.to/3S1CRi2
Thermik im Gebirge: shop.streckenflug.at/bs_produ...
Mental zu Sieg: shop.segelflugbedarf24.de/Zub...
Camera: Insta360 One X2 : amzn.to/3NJ4CJp
Phone/camera holder: amzn.to/3TR5srL
#glider #pilot #pilotviews #flight #commentary #cockpitview #alps #dassu #crosscountry #adventure #sports #mentalstrength #justculture #aviation #outlanding #landing #alps #shortlanding #segelfliegen #soaring

[@alanaldpal950]

Landing out is a learning opportunity……. An opportunity to learn how to take your glider apart and load it up, and to learn who your good friends are (the ones that help with the retrieve) 🙄

[@flyneur]

…so true! 😂😂😂

[@SR-gs8zo]

so he broke all basic rules of reason and now he is a hero...and that intended and unavoidable ( bcs of his lack of planning and reason) outer landing might cause some " damage" and the community pays with rising insurance costs...hmmm? he is no hero! his intro tells that he flew " into unknown terraine " .. such a thing does not exist in Europe! unless you didn.t your homework...was too low, why? and so on...

[@WilhelmvonFahrvergnugen]

Many great lessons, thanks to you and RC club!

[@PureGlide]

Nice paddock! And good work keeping the wings level landing in the longer grass.

[@flyneur]

thanks you!😃

[@ianbenning2833]

Great decision making. For us flatlanders in Australia, very envious of 6 hours in the alps. Good on you.

[@flyneur]

Thanks for you feedback! I am dreaming of the extreme good weather condition in large areas without to many airspace restrictions and mountains in the way. I had a little flight on a visit near Brisbane last year and it was a great experience! Hope to fly again in Australia soon! Cheers!

[@mdziewietube]

Ian, don't you fly in Jondaryan by case?

[@rodrigo13121962]

Lucky you're to find a place to land safely ❤

[@flyneur]

yes, always happy after the thrilling moments if finding and choosing a nice paddock…🥵

[@BenHirashima]

Nice animations and good commentary!

[@flyneur]

thanks for your feedback!

[@TeekoFPV]

incredible story, being an rc flyer it made me smile that the available landing site was an RC field. Great flying and storytelling! I hope some of the RC guys got to see you land

[@flyneur]

thanks for your nice comments! Yes, very friendly people came from the club. They told me, that one of them saying that a glider landed just on their field. The others laughed at him first, believing it was a joke. We had a good time together waiting for the trailer to pick up the glider...

[@soaringeagle]

I love your breakdowns, and the very detailed way you break down the decision making

[@flyneur]

thanks so much for your feedback. that is motivating! 🙏

[@soaringeagle]

@@flyneur do you have it disabled from sharing on other websites?

[@flyneur]

@@soaringeagle i just double-checked and embedding is enabled. let me know if I missed another preference somewhere else...

[@naserreyhani2531]

It's definitely a full journey 🪽

[@hangie65]

Good film and even better lessons in there. Thanks for posting.

[@flyneur]

thank you for your kind comment! 😃 happy if the video was helpful!

[@SuperReasonable]

In the early 80’s I flew my first ever 500kms to complete my diamond badge from Kufstein in Austria in an LS3 and my last turn point was Landeck where I arrived late in the day after a battle and wasted time to get over the Gerlos Pass. It looked like I may have to aim for Innsbruck, something you could do in those days. There were signs of lift on the South side of the valley which seemed wrong, but I tried it and got ridge lift with a tiny bit of thermal which put Innsbruck, about 30kms away in the bag. However, when I flew into the middle of the Inn Valley to take the shortest route to the airfield which I would make with 800’ to spare, I ran into weak lift. I then managed to fly the entire length of the valley all the way back to Kufstein with the sun setting, right down the middle of the valley with zero, or reduced sink all the way. I flew at best glide and finally sank into a dark valley to land straight ahead into a very dark Kufstein. There’s no doubt I was experiencing the Katabatic winds descending either side of the valley that then met in the middle forcing them back up again giving me weak lift or zero sink all the way home. Some 3,000 hours gliding later, it still remains one of my most memorable and enjoyable flights to this day.

[@flyneur]

Thank you so much for sharing your exciting story! I enjoyed reading it a lot! In those days, there must have been more freedom in airspace, but flying a glider through the mountains must have been a much more pioneering project than nowadays. It must have been a thrilling experience to be nearly in the dark in the Inn Valley. Your story with the katabatic winds is very interesting. Upon landing, I noticed there was still wind moving up the valley. Approximately one hour later, it became completely calm, likely the moment when the kabatic winds started. Thanks for taking your time to watch and share your knowledge. This is one of the great points of social media, that we can exchange, share and grow the knowledge for future pilots and flights! All best!

[@SuperReasonable]

You are right, airspace in those days was a lot easier, particularly around Innsbruck. I flew to St. Johann in Tirol from Kempten in our EB two years ago and Innsbruck had no interest in letting us into their airspace or onto the Nordkette, sending us around the back with cloud base barely above the tops. In the 80’s the Nordkette was airspace preserved for gliders! I flew a number of times from Innsbruck in that era and still have my Foen Pass that was purchased to launch when the wave was blowing. It’s a lifetime issued pass, I should return one day and demand another launch! As you say, mountain flying was a challenge back then, but an exciting one. The problem in the early days was there were ‘unwritten rules’ nobody was allowed to disobey. ‘Never fly on the North facing slopes. Never cross high ground to the wrong side of the valley etc. etc.’ I’d suggest that possibly came to an end during the World Gliding Championships at Wiener Neustadt in 1989 when I crewed for Andy Davis. Many pilots including my own, had never flown in the mountains before, so they simply followed and flew to the lift. In doing so they broke many of the then strict ‘rules of mountain flying’. On landing, I was amazed to hear about their exploits and the ‘forbidden’ valleys and mountains they had visited, apparently quite safely!. To prove my point, the Austrians themselves, who I assume followed ‘the rules’, actually did very badly in their home competition. So today with amazing glide performance, highly accurate navigational instruments and reliable engines, flying in the mountains is not so much of a challenge, but still the best flying in the world (for me). It’s just a shame we are getting more and more restricted by airspace and less able to really push our modern machines to their limits, something a K6 pilot did every mountain flight in the 60’s and 70’s.

[@flyneur]

@@SuperReasonable That's a pitty that you had issues passing the airspace near Innsbruck some years ago. I felt that there is in meantime much more awareness about the communication between glider pilots and the Innsbruck tower teams. One of the @latenightsoaring episodes whas been dedicated to this topic. Thanks for these inspiring stories to explore new routes and ways to fly a glider through the Alps. Yes, I agree there are many unwritten rules, sometimes they protect us from flying into risks, but as well they can prevent us from exploring. I can just confirm from my experience that on every (!) flight until know I encountered surprises, which do not always confirm theories and rules I learned on the ground. That's one of the magic experiences in gliding for myself, that I feel like my knowledge is constantly challenged and overwritten by new and sometimes very surprising experiences, which I never believed to happen...

[@SuperReasonable]

How true! Let’s hope we have many more years of exploring and learning.

[@marcofrey2903]

Amazing.

[@gdineyt]

Thank you for your video, comments and explanations. It's incredible how fast cirrus can end the game! It's sometimes like an ON/OFF switch. In Windy we can check the high clouds coverage progress with the "High Cloud" option. I don't know if it is reliable, I will pay attention.

[@flyneur]

So true, it was like an energy cut. In a range of 30km I counted 4 other outlandings that day and time...Nice advice to keep tracking high clouds by weather app.

[@Alpha-III]

well done!

[@flyneur]

😃

[@skizzofly]

I was just awaiting for your last video!!

[@flyneur]

thanks for your patience! yes, it takes always time to produce videos with commentary and animations...

[@skizzofly]

@@flyneur You create a great content, many explanations, and it's really interesting. btw check also my channel, it's regarding flights in central Italy in paraglider and gliding, and of course also modellabau, it's there just for fun, i do not make any motetization.. and yes i know how difficult to make good videos.. Ciao!

[@cptmayday]

Great video, explanations and animations! You got my "vote for more content"...😊

[@flyneur]

thanks for your feedback and subscribing! thats motivating! 😀🙏

[@gonegliding2966]

Good video. Cheers from Aus!

[@jme104]

The paddock looks like it's about 400 m long , plenty of space for a glider .

[@flyneur]

…thanks for commenting and observing this! yes, from 300m AGL it looked big. But during the flare I discovered a water ditch and a small wooden post, which made the field quite short. You can see it by the extended flare using the ground effect to get over the hazards…

[@ElrondTeo-ln2xk]

I love your use of Trance in your video! I learned a lot and hope to be wise like you once day!

[@rogeriolopes6297]

Nice!

[@flyneur]

Thanks!

[@michaelwoernle378]

Sehr schön und informativ Deine Alpenflug- stories. Ich habe vor vielen Jahren in Unterwössen am Haushang mit der Ka8 den L1 gemacht. Was mich allerdings stört sind die vielen Zeitraffer.

[@flyneur]

Danke für dein Feedback. Ja, der Haushang und die K8-Flotte ist legendär und immer noch rege in Betrieb. Mich würde interessieren, was genau störend ist...dass die Zeitraffer zu schnell und zu häufig sind oder ingesamt der Schnitt etwas zu flott?

[@michaelwoernle378]

Für mich machen die vielen Zeitraffer das video zu unruhig. Ich sehe aber, daß es sonst, um den ganzen Flug zu sehen, zu lang würde oder viele kurze Schnitte brauchte und damit auch unruhig wäre. Daß es die alte K8 nach 50 Jahren und bei diesem Schulbetrieb immer noch gibt!

[@matus5112x]

Love your video, exactly this type of video I am looking for, thank you for sharing your experience :)

[@flyneur]

thank you for sharing your thoughts! happy that you liked it...

[@k6chris675]

Great video and very informative!

[@flyneur]

thanks for your kind feedback!

[@GC987]

Great video, nicely narrated - well edited; good length; fantastic content. Thanks.

[@flyneur]

happy that you liked it! 😃 thanks for your feeeback!

[@AllanPhillips]

Great video - very well edited and documented.

[@flyneur]

thanks for your feedback! 😀

[@richardbieber9323]

Klasse video! Bitte weiter so!

[@flyneur]

danke für das motivierende feedback!

[@misob8379]

Sehr schönes und informatives Video, besonders wen man jetzt zu Hause sitzt und nicht fliegen kann :) Bitte weiter so, jede Erfahrung ist Goldwert wenn man die auch mit anderen Piloten teilt . Danke dafür, super !!!

[@flyneur]

Vielen Dank für das motivierende Feedback! Das nächste Video ist bereits in Produktion!

[@TheMkoester]

Great and inspiring video - regards from Sweden!

[@flyneur]

Thanks for your feedback! All best from Berlin!

[@TheMkoester]

Nochmal Danke für das herrliche Video! Grossartige situational awarness! Würde auch gerne mal Alpen fliegen in der Zukunft! Gruss nochmal aus Schweden!

[@flyneur]

Super, melde Dich gerne wenn Du in die Alpen zum fliegen kommst oder Fragen dazu hast!

[@TheMkoester]

@@flyneurWilco man, wäre eine sagenhafte Freude!! Gruss!

[@kocot.]

a perfectly told story, thanks! This is exactly the moments where paragliders become better suited for the task, being able to squeeze those tiny small lifts and land basically anywhere. Still, it's amazing to see the glide ration you're getting in real life, Mindblowing

[@flyneur]

thanks so much for your comment! yes, these are the wonderful privileges of paragliding!

[@kocot.]

​@@flyneurBtw, I've just realized, I've met gliders multiple times in thermals or above the ridges, but I have yet to see one soaring a slope that low. Must be quite a rare view :D I guess for most its outside of the comfort zone, but also rarely necessary/makes any sense :P

[@flyneur]

yes, flying this low is definitely not in the comfort zone, unless you know the area by heart. the workload in the cockpit is increasing a lot…keep the glider flying, know where you re going, keep outlanding options in mind and often communicate additionally with airfields or pilots nearby and most important scanning the area for powerlines, obstacles and…paragliders!

[@dunbustin]

5:44 It looks like there were some large fields where he could have landed.

[@flyneur]

Thank you for your observation! Yes, in general, the valley isn't problematic for landing. However, I've now realized that from 300-400m AGL, everything appears quite small, especially in tense situations just before an outlanding. Additionally, about 95% of the nearby fields would have been exposed to a 90-degree crosswind. In the decision-making process, the RC field seemed to be the safest option to me because it aligned with the wind direction and most likely offered an even surface.

[@brunotagliapietra6397]

You certainly have a pretty good wheel brake

[@flyneur]

yes, and the grass was the most efficient brake this time!

[@brunotagliapietra6397]

@@flyneur thank you. How strong was the headwind component? I got a bit of a misadventure landing out, so it's reassuring to see people doing it successfully in a short field

[@flyneur]

…headwind was directly from the front with around 3-5 kts and calming down… i hope your experience was not too bad? in general i guess there is not THE right way to do it…there so many parameters coming together for a successful outlanding…

[@erikisberg3886]

Wonderful video, very educational for us to ride along! Is that a Shark? I sometimes fly an older Glasflugel 304c with the split flaps/airbrake. Very nice glider, but I would prefer conventional airbrakes as on Your glider.

[@flyneur]

In this video you see a LS4. In the other videos (kzbin.info/www/bejne/gYaXhWCpjLVshZI and kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHeah2N4hJV_fK8) it is 'just' a 304C, no shark. In the beginning I had my struggles with the 304C, as you can see in the video(kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHeah2N4hJV_fK8), but I enjoy it more and more to fly Glasflügel/HPH. Thanks vor sharing your feedback!

[@aircloud1]

Klasse Video auch für mich als Gleitschirmflieger mit mehr als 30 Jahren Flugerfahrung. Gerade bei Dreiecken bzw. Zielrückflügen emfinde ich meine Motivation sehr hoch, es irgendwie nach Hause zu schaffen. Klar ich kann trampen, aber wenn man morgens ein grosses Dreieck im nordhessischen Mittelgebirge angeht, ist meine Motivation sehr hoch. Meine Flugzeiten sind dann bis 7 Stunden. Als Condor Sim. Flieger interessiert mich, wann du die Wölbklappen einsetzt, ob du den Ballast meistens voll machst oder eher auf die Tagesgüte reagierst mit weniger Wasser? Klasse Video!

[@flyneur]

Vielen Dank für das Feedback. Worum ich Euch Gleitschirmflieger:innen so beneide: ihr könnt fast überall auf einem Silbertablett landen. Wir Segelflieger sind gezwungen motiviert immer wieder nachhause zu kommen, weil eine Außenlandung aufwendig und manchmal auch riskant werden kann. Leider kann ich Dir keine Angaben zu Wölbklappen und Ballast geben. Bisher bin ich ohne beides geflogen.

[@aircloud1]

@@flyneur Danke, ja landen ist easy, das geht so gut wie überall. Aber, auch mit Wettkampf Schirm hat man eben nur etwa 1/10 vielleicht 11 Gleitzahl und bei auch wenig Gegenwind, wird dann sehr knapp. Dann braucht man sehr gute Thermikabstände. Da habt ihr es besser. Gleitschirm ist auch gut, weil ich mein eigenese Ding machen kann und niemanden brauch, ausser einem Hang mit ca. 100m Höhendifferenz. Segelfliegen find ich trotzdem echt geil....

[@flyneur]

@@aircloud1 ja, beides hat seine qualitäten. wenn du lust hast, in unterwössen kannst du sehr unkompliziert zum fliegen kommen. ab märz geht die saison wieder los! sag gern bescheid bei interesse.

[@aircloud1]

@@flyneur Danke für dein Angebot. Unterwössen liegt allerdings nicht grad um die Ecke. Viel Erfolg in der neuen Saison.....

[@YankeeinSC1]

Glider pilots consider seeing a paraglider a "good sign"!!!!

[@flyneur]

…for me absolutely, because paragliders are indicating most if the time rising air…

[@sbkenn1]

Drop into ground effect to extend distance over ground.

[@flyneur]

…well observed…when i was approaching the field looked big…when i was going into the flare I discovered a small water ditch and wooden post…i guess the the ground effect helped me to get over it…

[@marcjunghansphotography2134]

you can do a REALY REALY short outlanding, when you put your main wheel inside just short before groundcontact and then force the glider down to ground. (it is a bit tricky - because put the wheel inside pushes the speed and makes less air resistance. The glider wants to go up). Id did this one time when i was young with a DG100. Obviously the friction between the Fiberglass hull and the ground is much higher. And surprisingly the damage was very little. The aluminum angles of the tow coupling where gone due to stones in the grass and we had to to some minor Fiberglass repairs on the bottom. On the other side you loos a lot of security due the soft wheel and the bigger distance to the ground. So try do this only when you think you have no other posibilities to avoid a frontal crash. :-)

[@flyneur]

...wow...I would agree that without a wheel there is more friction to make the glider stop faster, but it is a very risky one...and yes, maybe to use it only when no options left anymore at all....thanks for your comment!

[@Paul-vh6ul]

How did you manage risk of collision with RC aircraft? Does that field have CTAF?

[@flyneur]

Great question! While airborne this low, I couldn't find out if there was a CTAF available. Consequently, my only option was to circle above the field 1-2 times at an altitude of 200-300 meters AGL, visually checking and hoping that someone on the ground would notice me. I couldn't spot any people below. At that moment, I thought that it was safer to land there, than on another field with 90 degrees of cross wind and uneven terrain. In general I agree and recommend to avoid areas of RC flights, unless there is no other choice. I remember an accident where a RC-plane hit a motorglider in 1997 i the blackforest, with 2 fatalities (www.bfu-web.de/DE/Publikationen/Untersuchungsberichte/1997/Bericht_97_3X306-1-2.pdf?__blob=publicationFile)

[@jimdigriz3436]

Gliders are challenging, wonderful if you know the local area. Me? I use twin engines , so even an engine failure means I can get home. Gliding is silly

[@flyneur]

😆...to each his own...thanks for sharing your thoughts!

[@kilianhans3897]

I am a new glider pilot and just got my glider license this year. I have only flown on flatland and would like to fly in the mountains in the future. Do you have any tips for me to get into mountain flying?

[@flyneur]

Congratulations to your license! I recommend you in general to look for an instructor, who can introduce you into mountain flying. The easiest way for me was to go to a flight school like the DASSU in Unterwössen (www.dassu.de). They offer next year many beginner courses. They have great instructors and you can charter gliders there. Places like Serres in France (www.flyserres.com) or Niederöblarn in Austria (www.sportsarea.at/de/flugsport/) do offer as well courses on mountain flying, but I have never been there. For instant preparation I can recommend check out the standard books by Jochen von Kalckreuth (Das stille Abenteuer or Segeln über den Alpen), Martin Dinges (Die Entwicklung der Thermik im Gebirge) or the brandnew and beautifully edited book from Simon Lemmerer (The Art of Gliding). Last but not least check out the Late Night Soaring episodes on KZbin focusing on specific regions of the Alps. Could I answer your question? If you have any further queestion please do not hesitate to write again! I hope to see you in the air over the Alps soon!

[@kilianhans3897]

@@flyneur Thank you very much for this useful information. I will be sure to check out the website and the literature. I hope to make some cross country experiences in the next flying season in preparation for mountain flying. We have a group of experienced mountain flyers in our club. Maby they can guide my way into mountain flying. The Dassu website is very promising as they offer training to people with little to no cross country expertise. I would only have to get my tow-rating to participate. I do struggle to find information on the website about the dates of the possible flying weeks that are organized and the prices of the different packages. I am already thinking of a plan to make this al work in the next couple of years, :) thanks for the help and motivation. I hope to see you in the air soon!

[@scharrk]

I am flying in Switzerland an was taught to always know where to land at anytime in your flight. Do you really just fly through the alps and hope to find a field when the time has come ? You even said you had no idea what is behind the next mountain.

[@flyneur]

thanks for your comment…you are absolutely right. Keeping minimum 1-2 landing options in reach always is an essential. The same on this flight. With „not knowing what is behind the mountain“ I meant if there is lift available behind that ridge. Of course in the valley have been several options for a land out…

[@scharrk]

@@flyneur Ah okay, that makes sense then thanks.

[@zendesigner]

dont over dramatize. you had many field options 😊

[@flyneur]

…I agree, the valley offered many options, but most of them 90degrees off the wind direction…my aim was to reach at least the next airfield…😬…i hope it gets less drama for myself by gaining more experience in outlandings etc. in the future…