Longest glider flight distance

What to remember

On 21 January 2003, Klaus Ohlmann covered 3,008 km (1,869 mi) in a glider, an aircraft with no engine at all. To stay aloft over such a distance he used the mountain waves that form over the ranges of South America, one of the main sources of rising air alongside thermals and ridge lift.

Gliding, also called soaring, relies only on naturally rising currents in the atmosphere. It became a sport in the 1920s, when the aim was simply to stay up longer; pilots soon began flying cross-country, away from the place where they launched. Better aerodynamics and a deeper understanding of the weather then allowed longer flights at higher average speeds.

For scale: when conditions are good, experienced pilots fly hundreds of kilometres before returning to their home airfield, and flights of more than 1,000 km happen only occasionally.