Felix Neuburger and the OLC-Discus | Mid-Season Update

This year, 19-year-old Felix Neuburger from Baden-Württemberg has the privilege of flying the OLC-Discus 2cT, sponsored by the Wilfried Grosskinsky Foundation. He has already been able to gather fantastic results and impressions with the glider. Just yesterday, he celebrated his 1,000 km premiere with the aircraft, clocking in a massive 1,153 km at the end of the day! We are excited to hear what he has to report at the season's halfway mark.

How many hours have you been able to fly the Discus this season so far?

So far, I’ve logged about 150 hours with the KEGY. It could certainly be more, but I was busy with my high school graduation exams (Abitur) this year, which unfortunately took up quite a bit of time.

Looking at the flights, a few phases stand out: The first one featured really strong days as early as March and April, specifically the days on March 27, April 2, and April 18. What made those days so good?

I remember those days exactly. The first two were incredibly good cold-air days. In addition, there were beautiful energy lines, which made for extremely fast flying. Unfortunately, the days were still a bit short, but for March and April, you definitely can't complain.

How did you come up with the idea to fly all the way to Lake Reschen on April 18? Was that your first flight into the mountains from Oppingen?

On April 18, the forecast for the foothills and within the Alps was relatively good. I definitely wanted to take the opportunity and see the Alps from an airplane for the first time.

Since I had no mountain flying experience yet, I flew very cautiously and without a real destination in mind. Somehow, I ended up at the Ötztal Alps. So it was not only my first flight into the Alps from Oppingen, but my very first flight in alpine terrain altogether.

Then came the travel by glider and the period from May 21 to 27, when you flew every single day. What did the planning for the soaring safari look like?

To be honest, there wasn't much planning beforehand. We chose this timeframe because it was the first window where we could comfortably fly for several days in a row. The planning for each flight looked similar: we essentially only checked the weather in the evening or even the morning of the flight and spontaneously decided where to go. 

Why is the OLC-Discus the perfect glider for this?

Having the turbo engine makes flying so far away from home significantly more relaxed. Because of that, the OLC-Discus is naturally very well-suited for it.

Were you flying as a team?

Yes exactly, we were flying as a team. Henry Müller from Erbach with a Discus 2b, and myself.

What did your route look like and what kind of weather regions did you tackle?

We took off in Erbach. From there, we battled our way in very weak conditions towards the Black Forest, where the weather was already significantly better. Once there, the path to our first landing spot, Langenselbold, wasn't really difficult anymore.

The next day we flew further northeast and landed in Bronkow.

The following day was visually thrilling. We first flew into Poland, then crossed the entire Czech Republic, and landed in Linz-Ost, Austria. Four countries in one flight isn't something you experience every day.

On the last day of the trip, we took an aerotow into the Alps from Linz and flew home from there. That first alpine flight I mentioned earlier helped a lot here. Without that prior experience, I wouldn't have flown home from Linz over the Alps. Unfortunately, the glide fell just short for the final kilometers home, and I had to fire up the engine. It's nice to have something like that at your disposal.

Then on the 27th, your biggest DMSt flight: an 815 km FAI triangle and over 1,200 points. How was the weather that day? Clear-cut or tricky? Where was it best?

The weather wasn't completely straightforward. In fact, when I glided off the Swabian Jura, I assumed I would have to abandon the task and turn back soon, because there was hardly a single cloud ahead of me.

However, right on course, the first wisps and clouds started forming, which worked out decently. From the turnpoint north of Nuremberg onwards, it was absolutely amazing. Thanks to the slightly stronger northwest wind, beautiful cloud streets lined up toward the final turnpoint in the Bavarian Forest near Sonnen. From there, the weather was actually quite relaxed and easy to fly all the way home.

What kind of challenges did you face?

The biggest challenge was digging out from below ridge height at one point, because I had made a mistake earlier and gotten quite low. With a cloud base estimated at 3,300 meters, it looked even deeper from all the way down there.

Then the Junior Qualifiers in Winzeln: Congratulations on the victory with a lead of over 500 points! What was the secret to your commanding success there?

Thank you! I suppose, under those sometimes difficult conditions, the decisive factor was simply not landing out. That was very important to me, and I frequently backed off the throttle quite a bit to ensure it.

Does the Discus 2c perform better at 15 meters than many claim?

I didn't get the impression that I was at a disadvantage flying the 2cT at 15m. Honestly, I didn't feel a difference compared to a 2b. The only difference was that I climbed marginally worse in very weak thermals—but of course, that could also be down to the pilot. In any case, in my opinion, the 2cT is absolutely competitive even in the 15m configuration.

Finally: What goals do you still have, where are you heading next, and what else do you have planned?

Now that high school graduation is behind me, I naturally hope that the weather really kicks into high gear again so we can pull off some beautiful flights. I also have another competition ahead of me, the 18m Qualifiers in Jena. Towards the end of the season, a flying vacation is quite possible, though it's not entirely clear where to yet. Furthermore, the soaring safari was such a great experience that I'd love to do it again this year.

Finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Wilfried and everyone who makes this kind of sponsorship possible. I believe something like this is the best support you can experience in your flying career. It's a massive opportunity to elevate your flying to a completely new level. It really is wonderful to have such amazing sponsorships in this sport. Thank you! 🙏

Thank you for the insights and wishing you many more beautiful flights!

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