Author
Bert
Schmelzer
BERT SCHMELZER grew up in a gliding family and spent much of his childhood at Keiheuvel airfield in Belgium. Following the family tradition, he had to fly before he could walk.
Sitting on his grandfather Albert’s lap while his father Bert Sr. piloted the plane, he was introduced to the world of gliding. From that moment on, they taught him everything they knew about the sport. His grandfather became his instructor and allowed him to fly solo for the first time at the age of 14. After obtaining his licence, his father took on the role of mentor. He prepared Bert for his first cross-country flights and introduced him to competition flying.
Although he was highly motivated by wins in competitions large and small, and by top rankings in EGCs and WGCs, Bert always valued something more: the sheer love of the beauty of the world as seen from great (and sometimes lesser) heights, and the limitless, exciting possibilities that gliding offers.
Book by Bert Schmelzer
Next Year of Gliding
Revised edition of the gliding classic book
»Next Year of Gliding« opens a new chapter in the world of gliding, authored by Bert Schmelzer, a passionate glider pilot and world champion. This high-quality edition takes readers on a visual and narrative journey to some of the most breathtaking places on Earth. Bert shares his latest adventures and insights from over two decades of experience, from the green flatlands of Lithuania to the Sahara Desert near Marokko.
Berts best pictures:
