High speed wings

 Michel heads to take off on his first try of the ASKA 17

 Up and away and habing fun (don't tell Terry)

Need I say more

Well kind of.  With the wind veering back to the WSW and freshening I took the opportunity to nip out to Chapel Porth and finally get the ASKA 17 out of the bag.  In a fresh 22 mph + I played with a bit of ground handling to get its measure before tentatively going to the edge and taking off.  I need not have been so worried, although more nimble than a full size wing it was reassuringly stable and predictable.  Not only did it go forward but it also went up in fact much better than I expected, certainly not a plummet machine.

Top landing was easy and collapsing it a doddle.  Michel made an appearance and wasted no time in having a go putting in 3 flights an looking more and more at home on each one, even trying to jump the cove on one flight despite the wind being well off to the south and the tide in!  His verdict, "lots of fun" "another toy for his toy box" and yes much more stable and user friendly than the other speed wing he has tried.

Even as the wind eased back the ASKA had no problem in staying up in 18mph with it flying the whole length of the ridge.  Trimmers on saw a big increase in speed suggesting that in stronger conditions getting around would be no problem.

Quick as it is it was no match for a pair of Peregrine Falcons that were flying and |I had the pleasure of seeing one do a vertical dive past the front of me whilst flying before it pulled out and zoomed along the cliffs just to show off. Well spring is coming and I guess it's the mating season so showing off was in order.

Not sure how long I can hold onto the ASKA but let us now if you want a go and tighten up your harness and forget about weight shift, you won't need it...........   Yes Bill Yes