Ewa and I leave from De Aar and head for Wilderness in the hope of getting a quick soaring flight on the way home. Nevil and Geoff have headed back to the coast. Pete left last week, and Des .. well, Des lives here, so she'll be the one most likely to set a new record this season.

As we head down the road to Hanover we reflect on what we've achieved, and what remains.

"You know I have to fly 300km now, dammit. Just because of you," I accuse Ewa.

"Why because of me?" she asks innocently.

"Because you're a girl. I can't be outflown by a girl."

She laughs.

"Are you coming back again some time?" I ask her.

"For sure, yes, I have to fly the world record."

The girls have saved the day for us. Ewa doing 300km means we have the new German Record. Des doing 185km set the new South African Ladies Record. For the rest of us men, we've tried our utmost in difficult conditions and scored 255km, 186km, 170km, 168km, 100km. The World Record of 462km remains unbroken. The Swiss have clocked up a bit more distance during the same time, due partly to the drier conditions west of De Aar and that they are prepared to fly in more extreme conditions. 

All that remains to be done is to write the inside story for Cross Country and other magazines. I've got some spectacular aerial photographs from this trip, and Ewa's shots of flying from Vosburg Pan are superb. I've experienced the excitement of launching a serious assault on the World Record, there have been ups and downs, I have been on the edge of my personal safety envelope and pushed my own performance beyond anything I'd achieved in 15 years of flying. I've shared the challenge with a great group of pilots, and we've had a fantastic opportunity to enjoy the big South African sky.

Exploring the air over the Karoo has been a privilege, and our thanks go to Anglorand and Swing and all the supporters who made it possible to spend two weeks flying at such a high level.