Klaus Ohlmann

GER

Klaus Ohlmann is one of Germany's - and the world's - most outstanding glider pilots and instructors. He gives total personal and physical commitment to his activities, using his exceptional proficiency to achieve the highest performances and to break a great number of records.

Klaus is a twice recipient of the Louis Blériot Medal: in 2015, for breaking the Altitude world record in the Powered Aeroplane Electric Category by flying up to 3 175m on 30 August 2014; in 2022, for his successful flight from Serres, France, on 1st August 2021, when he broke the "Speed over a closed circuit of 100 km" world record with a performance of 91.82 km/h, also in the Powered Aeroplane Electric Category.

In 2018, he was presented with the Angelo D'Arrigo Diploma "for his role in supporting both glider and electric flying in recent years, as well as his expertise in the matter and his pragmatic view of challenges and solutions in this field".

In 2000, he was awarded with the Lilienthal Gliding Medal, an award created to reward a particularly remarkable performance in gliding, or eminent services to the sport of gliding over a long period of time. The citation for his medal reads:

Klaus Ohlmann is one of Germany's - and the world's - most outstanding glider pilots and instructors. He has made a special study of the use of lee-waves for long distance flights, and has provided accounts of his practical experience in the Alps, which has proved useful in many scientific gliding symposiums to substantiate and to consolidate theories. With his scientific work during the 'Mountain Wave Project' exploring the lee-waves in the Andes in Argentina, he achieved truly pioneer flights in the last two years, probing the outer limits of what can be achieved in distance flying. Klaus Ohlmann is a glider pilot who gives total personal and physical commitment to his activities, using his exceptional proficiency to achieve the highest performances, such as his successful flight in the Andes on November 26, 2000: in a 'Stemme S 10' motorglider, he flew a Free Three Turn Points Distance of 2'459 km. This record claim exceeded the previous longest world gliding distance record by 400 km. He also established the following World records: Free Out and return Distance (1412.22 km ; D-O), Free Out and Return Distance (1555.00 km ; D-O), Free Three Turn Points Distance (2459.60 km ; D-O), Speed over an Out And Return Course of 1500km (122.34 km/h ; D-O).

In 2023, he received the Louis Blériot Medal for his powered aeroplane world record of 207.65 kilometres per hour for speed over a closed circuit of 500 km in C-1b Group 6 (electric), on 20 April 2022 in Mengen (Germany).

Klaus Ohlmann said at the 2023 FAI Awards Ceremony in Dayton, USA:

"This award means a lot to me as it was a record completed in an electric plane. Achieving this record is not just an individual achievement; it is a culmination of the collective efforts of many people – the countless engineers and pioneers. Without all the engineers including my own inspirations, Otto Lilienthal and the Wright Brothers, this record would not have been possible. My goal is to showcase engineering developments. Electric is the future and it is important that the greater public knows about these new technologies. Ultimately, it is nice to have a prize."


Klaus Ohlmann (right) with FAI President David Monks (left) at the 2023 FAI Awards Ceremony