Staring up at the mountains surrounding Berchtesgaden on a clear day you’ll often see something in the sky that resembles a group of small birds gliding inexplicably high. These are, in fact, the Berchtesgaden Tandem Flieger pilots soaring hundreds of meters above the mountain tops. Are you brave enough to join them?

Standing together on the side of the Jenner mountain at 1,700 meters, Tandemfliegen pilot Valentin calmly asks his passenger, “Are you ready?”.

Not wanting to show her nerves, she simply answers, “Ready”. They have been waiting nervously for around 30 minutes for the perfect conditions for take-off. Until now.

Valentin begins the countdown, “Then we go on 3. 3, 2….1”

Suddenly the wind catches the impressive 40 square meter glider parachute as the pair sprint down the side of the Jenner mountain with all the power their legs can muster. Within seconds they are airborne, their glider parachute pulling them upwards above the mountains of the Berchtesgaden National Park, the cars and tourists below them shrinking with every second.

Meet Simon, Franz and Vali. Since 2011 they have helped hundreds of brave visitors experience Germany’s only alpine National Park from a jaw dropping perspective.

The nimble team are passionate and experienced pilots, giving you the opportunity to book flights both well in advance and often at very short notice, should the conditions be suitable.

On the day of your flight, you’ll meet at the Tandemfliegen headquarters in Schönau am Königssee (The Kohlhiasl) before then heading over to the Jenner cable car (Jennerbahn, ca. 5 km away) with your pilot for the breathtaking ascent up the Jenner mountain in one of the gondolas.

In no less that 15 minutes, you’ll be at the top of the mountain and have had a chance to talk through your flight with your pilot and prepare for the journey to the take-off area atop the Jenner.

After a brief walk down from the Jenner summit to the take-off area, you’ll begin preparations for the tandem flight. Getting your layers correct, sunglasses on and harness ready are key to a comfortable flight. Don’t worry, your pilot check, check and double check your harness setup before then doing the same with theirs and also unpacking the glider parachute, ready for take-off.

Using the two steering ropes and making the most of the uplifting thermals, your pilot will give you a guided tour of the mountains with a few added acrobatic manoeuvres thrown in for good measure.

There’s also no need to worry about photos, selfies or videos during your flight; the Tandemfliegen team will take care of this for you with their in-flight photo and video service.
This frees you to savour every moment as your soar above Berchtesgaden’s impressive peaks.

Landing couldn’t be easier: your pilot will draw the flight to a conclusion back towards the Tandemfliegen HQ in Schönau am Königssee, where there are large open grassy fields to use as a landing strip. As you come into land, you’ll gradually come to within touching distance of the ground and then reduce the speed such that you quick step into your landing and then feel the firm ground under your feet again.

It’s worth noting that the flight time and total time required are varied, owing to the thorough preparation and travel time to the top of the Jenner mountain where the tandem flight begins. Thorough preparation and logistics usually add a total of 90 minutes on to a flight, so it’s best to keep this in mind when selecting your desired flight time and fitting this into your visit to Berchtesgaden.

Franz and the team can be contacted via email or telephone. Further information can be found on their website:

• Monday

  0800 – 2000

• Tuesday

  0800 – 2000

• Wednesday

  0800 – 2000

• Thursday

  0800 – 2000

• Friday

  0800 – 2000

• Saturday

  0800 – 2000

• Sunday

  0800 – 2000

All images reproduced by kind permission of Franz Wegscheider / Tandemfliegen Berchtesgaden