Lilienthal Glide 2026 – Patrick Benoist wins the 18m class

Flying the Ventus-3T, Patrick Benoist prevailed against a strong field of competitors at the Lilienthal Glide 2026 in Lüsse, securing the overall victory after six days of competition. This success once again confirms the exceptional performance of the Ventus-3. Whether in the 18m or 15m version, the Ventus-3 ranks among the top gliders in its class.

We warmly congratulate Patrick on this magnificent achievement and are happy that he wants to share his experience. 

Patricks report on the competition

As this year I had the opportunity to fly the DAeC’s Ventus 3T “IYB” promotion glider, I immediately signed up for the 18-meter qualifier in Lüsse. Together with my teammate Finn Schelter, who got his father’s Ventus cM, we planned to fly as a team.

To synchronize the performance of the two gliders, I came up with the idea of flying the Ventus 3 in a 15m configuration. Since an index rating has also been in place for the 18m class this season, this was easily possible while maintaining competitiveness. A few test flights later, it was clear: if the speed optimum doesn’t get too fast it works quite well.

So, we traveled to Lüsse to try our luck as juniors in the prestigious 18m class against a challenging field of competitors. The competition provided very fast conditions, at times almost conditions like in Namibia—and that’s exactly where the 15m version of the Ventus 3 with its smaller wing area proves performance. I also experienced surprisingly few disadvantages when climbing, so that despite having three meters less wingspan, it was relatively easy to keep up with this strong field of competitors.

In the end, thanks to the index scoring—with one daily victory and two second-place finishes—I won the competition. Things also went great for Finn, who finished on 7th place, even though he couldn’t keep up in these conditions due to the slightly lower wing loading.