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Flat Challenge

A perfect day in Poland

After four years flying experience Lukasz Prokop had already broken the Polish XC record twice. On July 4th 2018 he surpassed the national record again for the third time – with a flight over 343 kms where almost everything worked out. This flying adventure right across Poland started the previous evening for Lukasz.

There’s no stopping Lukasz Prokop when a fantastic day looks on the cards; everyone who knows him knows that. If weather, airspace, work and home life allow he spares no effort. That’s how it was on this latest record day. The evening before, he got on the bus at 9 at night, and set off for the perfect takeoff place - 500 kilometres away. At 4 next morning he left the bus at Borowa near Wrocław, and walked the last 2 km. The winch driver turns up at 10:00, so he was able to grab a few hours sleep before the great flight.

For the love of flying

Why would you do such a thing? For a nine hour flight, of course. For 343 kilometers free distance. For the Polish record. These are all good answers, but the love of flying is even more important. “I am hooked on flying”, he often says. At the beginning of his flying career Lukasz often stayed behind on the takeoff, even though conditions were flyable - but not suitable for big flights. “And quite often the winch driver was only working for me and my flying-mad friend,” and he smiled as he remembered his first flights.

„I am addicted to paragliding“

Lukasz Prokop

343 km in 9 hours: Flight on XContest.org

Without support nothing works

Without support from his surroundings record flights would not work, says Lukasz. “I have a super boss”, he says. “He knows straight away what’s happening if I keep looking outside.” On days with record potential Lukasz can take time off for flying. Anyway, his head would not be on the job if he had to be at work, is the boss’ view.

His personal life also has to be based on the life of the clouds. When he got married in 2016, the honeymoon seemed – very much to his wife Aneta’s disappointment and no doubt concern – rather unconventional. “We were married on the Sunday; the forecast for the next Tuesday was promising”, he remembers. So he left his wife forthwith, two days after the wedding, for a takeoff spot 200 kms away. And even so: after his “329-Kilometer-wedding flight” broke the Polish record for the second time his wife picks him up after his landing. This support is indispensible.

Everything has to be right

Lukasz Prokop comes from Świdnik, a small town in the south east of the Polish flatlands, where a long flight doesn’t exactly drop into your lap. If you want to fly far here you have to do more than a pilot in the Alps. This is not just because of the topography; you have to contact the airspace people straight away: as well as the civil airways the XC route often crosses temporary military prohibited zones. For a perfect Polish day you don’t just need the weather gods’ help, but the military people have to play along as well.

„My wife is an incredibly important support for me during flights.“

Lukasz Prokop

The perfect day in Poland

Even if the wind is weak for his record flight, and the takeoff sluggish Lukasz does not permit discouragement to prevail. After circling for an hour and a half under the first Cumulus cloud he reaches cloudbase at last. “Cloudbase at 2600 m in the Polish flatlands is unbelievable – it doesn’t happen,” he remembers.

But he does not think about a record. The plan is just to stay in the air as long as possible. Lukasz does not pay much attention to the kilometres. When his GPS shows 200 kms he starts to pay attention to the route. But even at this stage a record still doesn’t necessarily look realistic. “Only when I’ve caught the last thermal of the day do I know that it’s enough”, Lukasz admits. His record flight is actually not only the greatest distance, but at nine hours is the longest endurance flight in Poland.

During the flight Lukasz found the time to send the occasional message to his wife Aneta: “Now and again I sent her my current position and planned route.” On his final glide Lukasz suddenly gets an SMS from Aneta. “Hey Honey, I see you”, she sent. When she saw that he was flying south east she decided to pick her husband up. “Aneta was there two minutes after I landed”, remembers Lukasz, “I was the happiest man in the world.” After the longest flight the shortest retrieve: it doesn’t get better than that.

And now? 400 kilometers.

“Early in my paragliding career I realised that I have a good touch for cross country”, commented Lukasz on his third record, modestly. But it’s not just the success that motivates him. It’s more the notion that the goal is always on the horizon – even when it looks unreachable. While he’s packing his wing Lukasz is deciding: “400 kilometers in Poland, that’s the next big flight.”

The Equipment

IOTA 2

IOTA 2

Efficient Performance

LIGHTNESS 2

LIGHTNESS 2

The pilot

Lukasz Prokop

Lukasz has consistently set spectacular cross-country records flying across the Polish plains in recent years. He reached his biggest goal by breaking the 400 kilometer mark in Poland in summer 2023.

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