Hamburg - Thomas Morgenstern is restricted to Austrian air space with his freshly obtained pilot's licence, but has permission for takeoff on the ski-jumping hills everywhere when he starts his World Cup title defence on the weekend.

Morgenstern, 22, received his pilot's licence last month which allows him to fly single-engine crafts in Austria.

"I am a pilot! ... It is a great feeling," Morgenstern said on a blog on the Red Bull website.

Similarly great was his joy in March when he ended a 12-year World Cup title drought for his wintersport-crazy country. Morgenstern won the first six meets and eventually lifted the trophy with 10 season wins and 20 podiums overall.

Austria have plenty of depth again with the 2007-08 runner-up Gregor Schlierenzauer another hot title contender for the title.

The Austrians enjoyed a late holiday and light training camp in sunny Egypt before starting jumping on snow only last weekend - a formula that was highly successful last season.

"Things are going really well for me. I had no problems adjusting to the snow," said Morgenstern after the first jumps in Lillehammer, Norway.

Head coach Alexander Pointner said he wanted to have his jumpers as fresh as possible ahead of a long season highlighted early next year by the February 18-March 1 world championships in the Czech resort of Liberec.

"All jumpers are well prepared and can't wait for the season start. Nothing speaks against a successful start," Pointner said.

Pointner said modestly that he hoped for medals at the world championships and has also set his sights on the prestigious Four Hills title which has not been won by an Austrian since 2000.

The 2008 Four Hills champion was Finland's star Janne Ahonen who ended his illustrious career after a decade and a half in the summer.

That deprives Finland of a top performer, with the Nordic nations' hopes resting almost entirely on Norway featuring the likes of rising Tom Hilde.

Never to be counted out is Poland's ex-World Cup winner Adam Malysz and Switzerland's double 2002 Olympic champion Simon Ammann, who also have the normal and large hill world titles, respectively, to defend.

The season with 34 events until the March 22 finale sees the return of a ski-flying World Cup with nine events on the massive hills of Bad Mitterndorf (Austria), Oberstdorf
(Germany) Vikersund (Norway) and Planica (Slovenia).

Also scheduled are events on the hills for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics in Canada. (dpa)