World's Best Junior Glider Pilots Head to the Swabian Alb
When the gliders line up on the grass at Aalen-Elchingen airfield on 2 August, they will mark the start of the first Junior World Gliding Championship ever held on the Swabian Ostalb. Competition flying runs from 3 to 14 August.
The 2026 Junior World Gliding Championships (JWGC 2026) will run from 2 to 15 August at the airfield operated by Luftsportring Aalen e.V. in Elchingen, near Neresheim. The competition will see pilots from 22 nations contest two classes: the Standard Class, with 34 entered pilots, and the Club Class, with an impressive 47. Five of those nations are from outside Europe.
The Swabian Alb is no stranger to serious cross-country pilots. This limestone plateau, stretching across Baden-Württemberg and into Bavaria, offers reliable ridge lift along the escarpment edges, classic blue thermals on the right days, and a network of landable fields. The Black Forest lies within reach to the west, opening further route options for tasks that venture beyond the immediate plateau.
World Championship Manager Bernd Schmid describes the region plainly: "With the Swabian Alb and the Black Forest, the competitors can expect an excellent cross-country flying area, which is one of the race tracks of gliding in Germany." As with any weather-dependent sport, the success of a championship ultimately rests on conditions beyond anyone's control, but the location offers as good a prospect as any in central Europe for producing competitive racing days.
National teams have been quietly assessing the venue for the past year. The British Gliding Association's junior squad flew training camps at Elchingen in 2025. This year, the Danish and Swiss World Championship teams have already visited the Härtsfeld to familiarise themselves with the local airspace and soaring conditions.
Germany will field four pilots in the Standard Class: Jens Kammerer, Patrik Benoist, Nuno Ferreira and Max Maslak. All four will be flying the LS-8 or its updated sibling, the LS-8 NEO. Flying these gliders on home turf, on terrain many of them will know well, gives the German contingent a familiarity advantage.
In the Club Class, the German entry comprises Nils Zitzelsberger, Florian Kraja and Felix Kris.
The Organisation Behind the Event
Luftsportring Aalen is a substantial club withclose to 600 members, and it is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. Hosting a world championship is, as first chairman Wilhelm Weiser acknowledges, "always an effort, even for a large club." Preparations have been underway for more than 15 months, with a permanent core team of ten club members meeting regularly to coordinate an event of this scale. During the competition itself, around 55 Luftsportring volunteers will be active on site.
Glider pilots from across Germany have volunteered their time, and some are planning to spend their summer holidays at Elchingen specifically to contribute to the running of the event. Among them is Claus Cordes, President of the German Aero Club (DaeC), who will be at Elchingen for the full two weeks serving as a tow pilot.
The official timeline begins on 25 July with the unofficial training week, running through to 1 August. A Suppliers Week runs concurrently, with glider manufacturers, accessory suppliers and aerospace companies present at Elchingen. For teams needing technical support or spare parts at short notice, having suppliers on site during this period is a practical advantage worth noting.
Competition flying runs from 3 to 14 August. The supporting programme throughout the championship includes live tracking displayed on a large screen at the airfield, panel discussions, lectures and daily live streaming for those following remotely. The official website, jwgc2026.org, will be the central resource for results, live tracking links and event information throughout the competition.
The closing evening on 14 August precedes the award ceremony on 15 August.
Full details at jwgc2026.org
