01/06/2026
𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗼𝗻𝘀
A few weeks ago, we shared the remarkable achievement of Gil Souviron and Henri Castanet, who completed two exceptional wave flights of 1,508 km and 1,602 km over the Pyrenees aboard their Stemme S12.
Looking back, what remains most impressive is perhaps not the distance itself, but everything that made it possible.
Months of patience. Careful preparation. Endless weather analysis. The willingness to wait for that rare moment when the atmosphere, the mountains and the forecast finally align.
Henri's feedback also highlights something often overlooked in long-distance soaring: the importance of teamwork. During nearly thirteen hours in the air, Gil and Henri continuously shared observations, decisions and workload. While one focused on flying the aircraft, the other anticipated the next phase of the flight, analysing weather developments, navigation options and aircraft configuration. The side-by-side cockpit became much more than a comfort feature, it became a genuine tool for communication, efficiency and performance.
The Stemme concept naturally played its part in this adventure. Not because the engine performs the flight, but because it provides freedom. Freedom to launch independently, freedom to position the aircraft precisely where the conditions are developing, freedom to operate far from home and freedom to turn ambitious ideas into realistic projects.
Yet, as Henri reminds us, once the engine is shut down, the flight is conducted with the mindset of a pure glider pilot. The soaring begins, and the atmosphere becomes the only source of energy.
The images from these flights capture far more than kilometres flown. They capture sunrise above the clouds, the vastness of the Pyrenees, the beauty of mountain wave conditions and the simple pleasure of sharing such an adventure together.
As Henri wrote after these flights:
"𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙎𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙯𝙤𝙣𝙨"
Perhaps that is the best way to describe what these flights were really about ?
Congratulations again to Gil Souviron and Henri Castanet for this inspiring adventure and for sharing it with the soaring community.
