I started in sailplanes — twenty-five years on Discus, Ventus and finally an ASG 29. The step to powered flight came late, because I was afraid of losing the feel for airflow and energy management you develop as a glider pilot.
The Blackwing caught me at AERO 2022. Full carbon, narrow span — but the airfoil is clearly not borrowed from a classic UL. It's a bespoke design with decades of high-performance aerodynamics research behind it. That was the click.
Almost everything I fly is in the Alps. Standard profile: depart St. Stefan, an hour of mountain transition across the Niedere Tauern, stop at Mariazell LOGM for an espresso, onward to the Wallersee or straight on to Zell am See.
Mariazell is a grass strip at roughly 2,825 ft elevation — the point where performance margin matters. Blackwing quote 175 m takeoff for the BW 650; on grass in summer heat I plan conservatively at 250 m and I've never had drama at LOGM.
Zell am See LOWZ is my favourite approach: valley-and-lake inbound, RWY 26 along the water, mountains close enough to touch. I won't get the 12.7 m/s climb back at altitude, but even at FL080 in midsummer the 916 iS holds more reserve than any UL I'd flown before.
St. Stefan LOKG is home — moderate traffic, asphalt runway, an excellent club operation. Mariazell LOGM and Zell am See LOWZ are my two regular legs — both have the character of classic Austrian mountain fields: short runways, friendly controllers, dense terrain. Operate cleanly there and you can land almost anywhere in the Alps.
For customs I run into Salzburg LOWS — the GA crew there know the carbon ULs and turn them quickly. If you have time, a walk to Red Bull's Hangar-7 is worth it: the visitor apron is open by PPR through Salzburg Airport.
On the Austrian fields I regularly meet Blackshape Prime pilots — same Rotax 160-hp family, more range, IFR avionics as standard, Echo-class. The Prime is the right choice for IFR pilots planning longer linear trips. My style is different — short legs, visual flying, plenty of manual energy management.
The BW 650 gives me the glide feel from sailplanes again. It isn't 1:18, but sink rates at 70 kts clean are predictable enough that I can fly forced-landing drills without stress. That matters to me more than a few knots of cruise.
“Pilots coming out of sailplanes feel at home in the BW 650: the airfoil doesn't forgive — but it doesn't lie, either.”
What I'd do differently today: fewer options, more training hours with a mountain-flying instructor in the first summer. The aircraft adjusts faster than the pilot.
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)