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Stefan Langer – Compilation of glider low passes over beach, lake, and mountains

6:01 pm

An evening pause: So, what will you be doing this weekend?

Hat tip Cotour.

Genesis cover

On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.

 

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8 comments

8 comments

  • Chris
    January 9, 2026 at 6:30 pm

    Very nice

  • Alex Andrite
    January 9, 2026 at 7:14 pm

    It is “FALLING WITH STYLE”.

    Buzz Lightyear.

  • Ray Van Dune
    January 9, 2026 at 10:51 pm

    Took a week-long aerobatic gliding course once, from a former world champ. First flight he showed me how to do a landing pattern at 100 feet, 120 knots (it was his private field). Later that day I went up with instructor #2 (female world champ) and naturally tried the same thing. She was not amused, in fact downright angry! Women!

    Ps. She was accustomed to sitting in the rear tandem seat, but because I was a bit portly, they put me there. First time we rolled inverted, her long hair suddenly and completely blocked my view! Quite the diva, she refused to tie up her hair, so for the rest of the week, I flew exclusively with the Big Kahuna! Learned a lot.

  • Blobfish
    January 9, 2026 at 11:46 pm

    For some more interesting glider footage, search “ morning glory glider” – there is a unique ( or uniquely predictable) cloud formation in Australias Gulf of Carpentaria.

  • Mike Borgelt
    January 11, 2026 at 2:32 pm

    I’m an experienced 2700 hour sailplane pilot, never been an instructor, the vast majority of the time solo, cross country. I’ve flown in thermals, wave (24,700 feet at Minden Nevada) and done a fair bit of ridge soaring.
    Some of the stuff in the video can easily get you killed and has killed many very experienced pilots. Ridge soaring is great fun but a thermal rolling up the hill can easily roll you into contact with the terrain. It has happened many times to very experienced pilots. The low level beach stuff is the Coromandel Peninsula, North Island, New Zealand. I personally know some of the people who have done it.
    One part seems to show the approach to Omarama, South Island New Zealand. If you clear the high ground you have the height to get to the airfield. A guy I know was doing that and caught the tailskid in the top wire of a low fence. The glider slowed and fortunately landed with no damage like a carrier arrested landing. I got to fly that glider once, afterwards. Had a nice ridge soaring flight out of Waharoha, North Island NZ.
    After 59 years of soaring and 50 years of making a living in that industry (see website) I’m aghast at the pile of broken gliders, maimed and dead bodies in that time. My risk appetite is a lot lower than what is seen here.
    Dumb stuff like the video doesn’t help except as an example of what not to do.
    Stefan Langer is young. If/when he dies in a glider I will not be surprised.

  • Robert Zimmerman
    January 11, 2026 at 2:56 pm

    Mike Borgelt: I added a link to your website, as it was missing in your original comment.

    Thanks for the education. Most enlightening.

  • Jeff Wright
    January 11, 2026 at 11:39 pm

    Doug Revelle did work on infrasound.

    There are what are called “rotors” as Mike describes…horizontal tornadoes after a fashion.

    Mountain weather
    https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/amsm/59/1/amsmonographs-d-18-0022.1.pdf

    Perlan II got as high as 76,000 ft.—-and you have to have something like the Andes to help support you:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windward_Performance_Perlan_II

  • Mike Borgelt
    January 12, 2026 at 2:22 am

    Thanks, Bob.

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