Venus

Lucky that this shell in Beijing was not quite big enough to give you a proper image of the "Birth of Venus" by Botticelli, yet I could not resist jumping in before some guards came to send me away...
Thank you all for your great offers worldwide to help our Japanese friends in any way you can! It is good to know that if times get tough, we are not just "friends in mind", but there is real support, trust and the will to help each other in any possible way!
The news are that the Japanese managed to start to stabilize Fukushima and I hope this situation will keep improving. Still Lufthansa is offering comparably cheap one way tickets from Osaka and Nagoya to Germany, just in case.
Weather over here in Germany is great at the moment and it looks like the flying and thermal season in Bavaria will start this week. I will need some training flights from Tegelberg for a cool project in April, just before Bassano... can´t wait to hear all the stories from Down Under and Africa and Brazil and where ever my friends were to avoid winter in Europe ;)

Flights from Osaka and Nagoya

To my dear Japanese friends: Lufthansa is still operating flights to Munich and Frankfurt, there are 3 flights a day now from Osaka and Nagoya! If you need help finding a place on these flights, let me know, I will be back in Germany soon. I got messages from many of my flying friends in Europe, the US and South America, they are all willing to help you, many of us can host you! Please get in contact if you are in a position to leave Japan, and don´t worry about the finances. The rest of the world suffers with you and is more than happy to support and help you! For my email, contact me here on my Blogpage or contact Toru Goda or Mitsuko Yako.

To the Japanese pilots

My dear friends in Japan - I know that quite a lot of you are following my blog. And of course, I follow the news and Im horrified to hear about the earthquake and the shutdown of the nuclear plants. If you live in an affected area and you can get a ticket to Germany, to Munich or Frankfurt, please contact me, here or on facebook - I can host a few, and my parents in Bremen also have space in their house, and I have quite some great friends who would like to help you, assist you, accomodate you. My friend Tascha turned her place in Christchurch into a shelter for the people who lost everything - now it doesnt look better in many places in Japan.
A lot of us are thinking of you and hoping for things to get better! Please don´t hesitate to get in contact with me!

Flying into Munich

Here´s a really nice video of my friends Guido and Steffen and their flight into downtown Munich. I was standing on the balcony in the evening in mid summer, when I suddenly saw two hang gliders flying overhead, heading towards Marienplatz. I was sure one of them must have been Guido, and I waved, but I could not find that on the video ;) Thanks for this beautiful little film, guys!

Bavarian Radio life today

I am invited for a life interview at the Bavarian Radio today, it will be aired between 10am and 11 am (utc +1) on "Bayern Plus" which you can receive digital or through medium wave. Hope I find good words to let the listeners feel how it is like in the air!