2011 European Champion: Markus Frank with the EB29

It’s mid‑March 2011. I’m at the training camp in St. Auban when I receive a call from the national coach: “Markus, can you fly the European Championships this summer?” What a question! I gladly said yes.

Next came the question of which glider to take. My trusted Nimbus, with more than 1,000 hours of experience? Or should I try to get the EB29 for the European Championships in Lithuania? A call to Ostheim, and shortly afterward the confirmation: “The EB29 will be at your disposal this summer.”

In May, I had the opportunity to familiarise myself with the EB29. Much was intuitive and familiar, such as the engine operation, while other features, like the electric landing gear, were new but logically designed. Most important of all: “How does it feel? Will it ‘talk’ to me, show me where to centre the thermals? Will it feel like home?”

My first launch—at the maximum competition take‑off mass of 850 kg and with the 28.3 m wings. Immediately I noticed that the wings were slightly more flexible than those of the Nimbus, the aileron response was better, and the aircraft was remarkably quiet. The weather wasn’t great, but I managed a solo flight as far as Heidelberg and back. Unfortunately there was little traffic in the air, so comparison was difficult. After all, even when there’s a lot of fibreglass in the sky, finding a partner that can match an EB29 by chance isn’t easy.

What stood out straight away was that the high wing loading wasn’t noticeable; the EB29 thermalled beautifully, and even when flying low in broken lift over the Rhön, I never felt the need to dump ballast.

At the German Nationals in Lüsse, I flew my Nimbus and watched in amazement as Michael dominated the competition with the new 25.3 m wings to win the title. Two weeks later, I was on my way to Lithuania with the EB29 in tow. I had five possible training days before the contest. As usual, the weather didn’t fully cooperate, so by the start of the competition I had just 17 hours and six launches — less than ideal preparation.

Day 1: A luxurious problem — which wingspan to choose? I went with the 25.3 m configuration, only my second flight in this setup. Here, the wing is stiffer, the handling even more agile, and the wing loading unmatched in the Open Class.

Right after the start I caught up with the British team: Peter Harvey, a three‑time European Champion, and Steve Jones, the current vice world champion. Finally, some proper competition! Climb performance was slightly inferior — expected, given my 10 kg/m² higher wing loading — but the glide was significantly better; the EB29 cruised 20 km/h faster for the same glide ratio.

That evening, weather deteriorated — cumulus congestus and local showers forced big deviations. The Brits and I found ourselves low and close to an outlanding. Peter Harvey had to fire up his engine, while I found lifesaving lift and, despite a modest daily result, was satisfied with both myself and the aircraft.

Days 2 – 5: My kind of weather! The EB29 and I formed an excellent team. She made everything easy; cloud streets under low bases allowed average speeds exceeding 130 km/h. Tasks up to 685 km were set across Lithuania and into Poland. I usually flew ahead of the pack, often landing first in the Open Class. Daily placings of 2 – 1 – 1 – 3 put me more than 200 points in the lead — easily cancelling out the 250 points lost on the first day.

After the rest day, the weather changed completely — 8/8 overcast with weak thermals under the layer. I opted for the ‘long ears’ (29.3 m span). Wing loading still 51 kg/m² – unmatched in this class.

Soon after the start, it was clear that this was the perfect choice. After a few thermals, Bruno (Busslinger) in his Nimeta and I were the two ‘stretch’ kings topping each climb. We pressed ahead into the grey; Bruno found what he called a “lottery win” — a 3 m/s thermal out of nowhere. By the time I arrived, it was weakening, allowing the Brits to catch up. I was lowest but soon, two thermals later, I was climbing above Peter, Kim and Steve, overtaking from above and gliding into rebuilding weather. Bruno was already ahead, near final glide. But fresh cumulus formed cross‑track — a slight detour yielded great lift and easily brought me onto final glide.

Bruno had the honour of crossing the line first, but thanks to my later start I took the day win — even with the ‘big ears’.

The remaining days were marked by tricky weather – showers, wave before start (unfortunately not for me), overdevelopment, widespread overcast. Outlanding rates above 50 % spoke for the difficulty. Yet I could rely on the 28.3 m version: in climb I was always among the best, and the high wing loading gave me an edge on glides without taking excessive risk.

Confidence in both myself and the EB29 grew steadily — and rightly so, as the two are connected. When the final day was over, the EB29 and I were indeed European Champions. A dream come true for me — and a credit to the aircraft. It’s a glider that deserves full praise to the Binders — and, for me, represents the current benchmark of the Open Class.