Gerlitzen

Ossiacher See is situated in southern Austria, only few kilometers from Villach and it is one of the best places to practice over water. It’s easily accessible by motorways (A10, A11, A2) and there is a cable car running to the top. Every season there is a large acro community present training here. Most of these pilots stay in the Lindenhofcamping.

You can leave the car in Annenheim, at the station of the „Kanzelbahn” cable car, or 1 km away, in the camping’s parking, next to the landing zone. Take the „Kanzelbahn” than the „Gipfelbahn” cable cars to the Gerlitzen peak (1911). It takes about 25 minutes. If you plan on staying more then 8 days it is worth to buy the summer season card (156 EUR in 2013). The take off site is very big, smooth and grassy. Exept northern winds, you can start to any directions. The height difference is 1400 meters and depending on the wind and conditions you can reach the lake 6-900 meters high.

The cloudbase is usually only few hundred meters above the peak and the thermals are also not the best, of course you can stay up, but for thermalling there some better places around. It’s strictly forbidden to climb up above 2100 meters ASL because of the Klagenfurt TMA airspace!

This region is very well protected and has a nice micro-climate which many times allows flying even when it’s not possible anywhere else in Austria. The dominating valley wind is coming from the East. If there’s West wind, that’s not too good because the wind can be easily too strong at the top and it can be also the first sign that the foehn is coming in (strong and dangerously turbulent winds). West wind is also pushes you back to the lake, and not to the direction of the landing field, so you have to take care to stop the training in time and go to land in head wind (there are some trees between the lake and the landing field).

The landing area is on the lakeside, next to the camping, behind the treeline. There are two fields, one belongs to the local flying school, the other to the commercial tandem companies. Acro pilots are welcomed to land on the field between the road and the lake. But do not land anywhere else especially not in the camping! Do not land close to or overfly the road low! Avoid landing in high grass!

Links: Gerlitzen.com