Switzerland to England in a Single Day

Ever since I started gliding I have been drawn to flights over new territory. A few years ago I drew a circle around Switzerland to see what could be reached in a single flight — and realised that the UK is not that far away. The initial idea of crossing the Channel on engine power soon grew into a bigger plan: pick the perfect day and see how far it goes without one.

The weather window

Aude Untersee, glider pilot and meteorologist at the Swiss national weather service, analysed twenty years of weather data and satellite images for the project. One Sunday evening her message arrived: Wednesday looks good. On Tuesday she rated the chances at 60 per cent. I would rather have heard 70 — but flights like this usually need several attempts, so off we go.

The critical point: near Calais the thermals die early. I had to be at the French coast before 4 pm, high enough to attempt the crossing.

Across France

On Wednesday morning, 27 April 2022, thick fog sits on Switzerland's northern border. I take a high tow, release at the French border and start a long glide into France — and right on the forecast 10:30 start of convection, the first cumulus appear.

The thermals stay weaker than expected. Twice I have to abandon a climb because I am on collision course with a wind turbine that does not respect my circling direction — to be fair, it was there first. The French military is active too; several times I am told to hold position while fighter jets pass close by.

The decision

At 3 pm Aude's message arrives: the UK is completely overcast, the cloudbase near the coast nowhere near as high as predicted. Turn back and reach Switzerland before sunset — or continue, knowing the Channel cannot be crossed engine-off today? After a few minutes of uncertainty I decide to fly the remaining 150 km to the coast: study the terrain, learn for the next attempt.

Crossing the Channel

A few low coastal thermals give some last climbs. The computer promises England at 50 metres above ground — with the easterly wind there may be ridge lift at the cliffs of Dover, but if not, there is hardly any height left to start the engine. Having already made peace with the plan not working out, I start the jet over the Channel while a safe return to France is still possible. I shut it down again while still over the water and glide in behind Dover.

The evening sun lasts until Brighton. Then the sky turns dark and fully overcast — but a ridge line with good wind exposure points in the right direction. It carries me almost to Lasham. When the moving map shows the last few miles will not work out, I am already picking fields for an engine start — and stumble into a thermal that lifts me from the ridge to the low cloudbase. A second climb, whose origin I cannot explain to this day, opens the safe final glide into Lasham.

Arrival

The moment I switch to the Lasham frequency I am called up and given landing instructions — they had been following me on the glider tracker for a while. The reception is wonderfully warm: a free bed, help with everything, and the next day a long aerotow for the way home. It was quite possibly the first glider flight from outside the European Union, across the EU, landing in another non-EU state.

Thursday's return leg crosses France in weak, blue conditions. When the thermals stop in the evening, 150 km remain — the jet climbs until the tank runs dry, and in the end I land 9 km short of my home airfield, at least on Swiss soil.

One day, maybe, I will be lucky enough to fly this distance without the use of an engine.

This account first appeared in Sailplane & Gliding (Aug/Sept 2022) as "Picking the Perfect Day" — the original is linked below.