Wilhelm Düerkop

Wilhelm Düerkop (* the 30th June 1928 , † 29. September 2019 ), called Salzmann , is a German stunt pilot and long-time supporter of sailing aerobatics in Germany .

In particular, he made his aircraft available to the youngsters - initially two Lo 100s , later the Cirrus K , developed on his initiative at the end of the 1980s -, towed his PA-18 “D-ELUF” on numerous glider aerobatics courses and worked as a trainer and referee. With his teammate Hannes Mattes he performed synchronous motor glider aerobatics with RF 4 and RF 5 on numerous flying days until his death in 2004 . In the meantime he has joined the Skydance Acro Team.

He got his nickname "Salzmann", by which he is better known than his real name, because of his professional activity as a steiger in the salt mine .

Salzmann Cup

Since 2000 (first host: FSV Nagold ) the central club championships in glider aerobatics "Salzmann-Cup" have taken place at different locations . In addition to the winners in the classes “beginners”, “climbers” (semi-acro) and “masters” (full acro) as well as the club champions of the participating clubs , the “ salt man of the year” (award for a particularly sporty attitude and unselfish behavior) is chosen. In the “climber” and “master” classes, the Salzmann Cup has roughly the same significance as state championships and serves the full acropilot to qualify for the national team , while the competition in the “beginners” class is a popular sporting event .

literature

• Michael Zistler: A legend has passed. (Obituary) In: aerokurier , No. 12/2019, p. 69