At least it's not snowing!

Mark W gets it right as we go tethering

Nice and level Mark "relaxes" into his flying

Is it a smile or a grimace?

Richard R gets ready to fulfill an ambition

First flight ever on a Hang Glider Richard looks good

A combination of concentration and fun

Well whilst we may be having some tough weather it's not as bad as up north. We managed to find a slot to get out to the hill with the hangies for some tethering at Perranporth. Mark W (Scotland) and Richard R (Grimsby both thought it was almost summer compared to whats going on in there "home" towns.

We had a great afternoon flying the guys on tethers in the brisk westerly breeze giving them plenty of airtime each. mark's previous few days showed well and he continues to get more relaxed and fly with the glider rather than fight against it. by the end of the day he was doing base bar conversion and looking sweet.

For Richard it was his first ever go on a Hang Glider, in fact the first time he had ever seen one despite wanting to do it since he was nine and having spent a week at a school up north! he did extremely well looking very relaxed and quickly getting the feel of the wing despite the bouncy conditions, the smile on his face said it all.

Thanks to the guys on the tethers who all did a great job, thanks to Cathy (Richards other half) for the coffee and thanks to Richards brother for the unique camper van!

Quote of the day " you have just let me realise a life long ambition", can't ask for more than that.

Hang Time

Mark W gets the day rolling with his first take off on the winch

last of Marks tethered flights proves he can fly!

First flight without tethers gets off to a good start

Sam A does a classic launch on the Mars (nice hand position)

Classic climb out lovely position and looks relaxed

and even a classic landing!

Terry P lets the angle of attack a littl high on launch but gives a good demonstration of wing washout!

It was a hangy day in the field as it was a little on the strong side for para's. Mark W got his first taste of the winch and had a fab' day working from first hops through to 100' release flights and turns. With conditions such that active piloting was required he did really well putting the tethering experience and Wednesday's ground work to good use over his 15 flights. An unorthodox landing did however bring home the point of airspeed so hopefully setting him up well for the rest of his flying career!

Sam A was back, having sneaked in a couple of flight on his Paraglider at Chapel before coming over) and also had a super day. His flying was nice and smooth and quickly settled into the Mars, release flights stand up landings and building up his turns. Putting 9 good flights every one but the first saw near perfect landings on his feet, nice.

Terry P was out as he approaches the end of his CPC tasks so was the "old hand" amongst the students. He had a "tremendous day" (his own words) racking up the high flights, working on his technique, slow speed appreciation and spot landings. Over his 15 flights his flying and landings just got better and better. A little more work on his spot landings and he is there as far as tasks are concerned and with summer coming it wont be long before he can head to the hills.

Although not to many students out it was a lovely day with plenty going on a fun atmosphere and lots of smiley faces.

Ohh and Kaz managed to get her first flight on the new Ozone Buzz Z3 with the quote " it seems to go up really well" so she seems happy!

Quote of the day during a leg straps check "I am a lucky girl" ...........

Windy Weather

Mark W gets up in a fair breeze

Almost looking relaxed ??

With New Wife Jenny, Kaz and Phippsy all holding on mark enjoys getting some airtime in.

Ever hopeful we decided to get out again with Mark W this time to put him up on tethers to gain some "airtime" which will set him up nicely for the good weather. By the time we had rigged on top of Godrevy it was WINDY. Still with full tethers on he had a great time and quickly sorted it out noticeably improving as his flights progressed. Dealing well with the bouncy conditions we called it a day by early afternoon and headed to the Cafe. With around 20 minutes airtime to his credit we are keeping fingers crossed for tomorrow.

Getting started

Suits you Sir! The South Devon Boys get to try one for size

Phippsy Hangs on to the prop to make sure they don't do a runner

Despite the weather we headed to the field with a plan in mind. With Mark W who is down for a couple of weeks to hopefully get his Hang Gliding career underway the idea was to get the ground work out of the way so when conditions improved he could crack on.

We actually had a good couple of hours putting him through his paces and by midday as the rain appeared he had sussed glider rigging, ground runs and the basic controls. A useful morning which will hopefully pay off over the next few days.

The evening saw us head east into Devon where we gave a "chat" to the South Devon Club on learning to Paramotor which was good fun and gave several o0f their members the chance to get close to a paramotor and try one on for size. Always nice to visit other clubs and see "old" friends.

The Lucky Ones

Zoe gets the basics of flight contro;l in the "stimulator" !

Ollie gets a feel for the glider with some hand tows

Oliie's first off on the winch as his feet leave the ground

Zoe still smiling as she starts her first towed flight

Zoe looking straight and level as she flies across the field by the end of the day.

Zoe and Ollie were down from London for the weekend and wanted to try something different so booked in for a taster day on the Hangers. During a week of unsettled weather amazingly the slot arrived on the day they were booked in so it was off to the Tow field for a day of fun.

They both did really well with the fresh breeze making the ground work more about glider control and less about running. By just after lunch they tired me out on the hand tows then it was off to the winch. Ollie went first and to be fair did a good job putting in two flights across the field before putting a bit of mud on his knees. Zoe took note and did very well keeping the glider on line before landing gently onto her feet and looking like she had done it before.

Their next flights got better and better and by the end of the day they both ended up with a couple of crackers getting up as high as they wanted and landing well.

A good day and so nice to see the younger generation having a go especially on the Hang Gliders.

Quote of the day " that was no where near as scary as I thought it would be" not sure just how scary that is though..................

"Just what was needed"

Angela I sets off on her first solo flight on a Paraglider

Angela looking good as she flies across the field

Phippsy gets airborne as he gets out Big Gray's way

Ian B pleased to be back in the field to start his CPC course

Another cracking spring day saw us back in the tow field after a day on the hill on Sunday. It was a full on day with plenty of variety to keep things interesting.

First up was a demonstration/checkout flight on Graham A's Sport2 (Hang Glider)/Doodlebug (Power unit) combination and what a nice combination it is taking off, flying and landing all superbly, very nice.

Then whilst Graham sorted a minor fuel line issue we got the winch running and got the other students on the go. Angela I (Perranporth) was along for a Taster Day and spent the morning working hard to get the ground work out of the way before having a few hand tows by lunch time. After lunch she got onto the winch and despite her nerves put in 4 lovely flights across the tow filed getting up to 60' and even releasing on her last one as the nerves eased and the smiles came. She must be feeling more confident as she then signed up for her EPC course so will back again soon.

Ian and Ed B (Newton Abbot) were back after nearly a year to start their CPC courses having completed their EPC's previously. They both had a top day putting in 10 and 11 flights respectively and moving well into the CPC tasks. Good to see them back and boy did they pick the right day to return.

Gerry W (Hereford) continued on the Hanger and sorted his chest release and prone flying to take him near to the end of his CPC course with only a couple of tasks to go. Derek J was back after a long break from flying to get his landings sorted and his confidence back and despite being nearly a nervous as Angela did a great job with 3 lovely flights and first class landings.

Lawrence O'D dropped by fora bit of towing to keep his hand in after a quite winter and gave the quote that is the title of the blog. Good to see him and good to see that despite his hill flying he has not forgotten how to tow.

Graham A having fixed his fuel line after the initial training runs put in 2 super flights on his power unit racking up an hours airtime and settling in nicely to the ways of power. Two good take offs were followed by two good landings and two big grins. What will he find to fly next??

Kev T did a super job on the winch his first as a fully qualified Operator, thank to him a nd Bill n for keeping that end of operations working so smoothly.

Change of plan

Kev T and Nigel W get the ball rolling at Sennen

sarah watches as Nigel explores the site for the first time

Graham A leads the way on the hangers

Derek J and Sarah LW both had super tandem flights

It's over there, no it's over there!

With the breeze a little more than hoped for and the students rearranging there schedules we gave the field a miss and headed to the coast for some soaring.

Sennen was our choice and what a lovely day at the seaside was had by all. Kev T had a ball playing around and exploring the limits of the site up down and side to side, Graham A put both his hang Glider and Paraglider to good use and had super flights on both, Kaz was just gobsmacked by the super views and clearance of the sea as she flew her Paraglider )it was never quite breezy enough to tempt her on the hangy). Nigel W now qualified got the chance to put his training into action and also fly a new site in very different conditions and loved every minute of it. Even I got in the air both on Hangers and para's having a very relaxing day and taking Sarah and Derek up for tandems to boot.

Stunning day and cracking views all the way to the Isles of Scilly, good to introduce several pilots to the site for the first time to. back to the field on Monday and will pop some piccies on soon.

Congratulations to ex student Dougie M on his 47k xc from Corn ridge, nice one.

More like summer.

The "Hangies" get ready to go

Mike C sets up for his first flight on the winch

Big Gray gets his Doodlebug set up in relaxed mode

What a lovely day it was and with plenty going on the field was alive with action.

Mike C (Perenwell) was along for a Taster day having been given it for his birthday yesterday(perfect timing) and had a ball not only flying well on his own but also having a couple of fun flights on the Tandem to round his day off with a bis smile.

Tony B (John O'Groats) finished off his two day taster with some nice release flights and also took advantage of the Tandem to get a full idea of what it's like to get high.

On the hanger front Terry P (Exeter) had a full day converting to his own wing and moving onto the chest release, a little more airspeed will make life easier and save some grass stains!

Dan L (Truro) was back and moved well into his CPC cracking high flights and prone conversions by the end of the day and performing a text book landing (in the right field) to his assembled family on his last flight of the day.

Gerry W (Hereford) also returned and put us through our paces but had a fine day resulting in some nice high flights and also sorting out base bar and prone flying.

Kev passed out as a new winch man and under PC's eye did an excellent job with assistance from Bill on the Bike. Great Day

Perfect for all, well nearly all

Nigel W on his first flight of the day

Bill N &Nigel W share the air

Nigel W relaxing after qualifying and looking forward to his flying career

Kaz P goes to join the others as Big Phil fiddles with his lines

Kaz flicks to the hanger and flies with the boys as the wind picks up

Carbis Bay was the place to be for those wanting to get some ridge soaring in. With near perfect conditions for paragliders at 10.30 Nigel w took to the air for day two of his hill conversion. despite not having flown on the hill for nearly a month he did a fine job quickly settling in and enjoying a cracking flight. After a nice top landing he was off again this time flying with several others who were out. Another good landing in different conditions as the breeze dropped saw him sneak in before things got scratchy nearly seeing a few on the beach, but with some nice flying all managed to stay airborne till the lift picked up again.

Having completed his conversion to the hill he enjoyed another 3 flights as a qualified pilot so making the "break". Nice one and keep an eye out for him on the hill.

With the wind filling in a little we broke out the hanger and Kaz having already had some nice Paragliding had a super flight as the wind and sea thermals picked up. She was joined by several of the experienced paragliders as it became top end for para's in general before popping it in on top nicely.

Dave T was down from Exeter and beyond to put in some airtime having come back into flying after a lay off and doing a refresher day with us a month or two ago. He had a great time in some super air and I had a great time flying with him on Kaz's wing the first time in a long time we have flown together.

Good to see quite a few out having fun in the spring air. Sam A made the effort but unfortunately his timing was just out as he arrived as the wind picked up, still we will have him sorted on a hanger soon!

Bouncy up top

Terry P ready for the "off"

Terry's first go on the Vision 5

Keeping it low to keep out of the turbulence

Sam A gets ready on the Mars

It was a tricky call as to go to the hill or to the field, we picked the field. With a moderate breeze and a ENE breeze flicking NE we expected a bit of rotor from the cliffs at hieght. Tony B got to grips with ground handling on the Paraglider and did a fine job of it looking better and better as the day went on.

I took Terry's hanger for a couple of test flights and found out just how bouncy it was at about 120' upwards, a mixture of turbulence from the cliffs and wave that was around. Still glider was fine and it was much smoother down low.

Sam A got nicely sorted on the Condor hang Glider flying sweetly across the field and dealing with the turns well before moving onto the Mars which he found a little more challenging.

Terry put in several low level flights on his glider to keep him out of the rough stuff and seemed pleased enough having done a good job.

At the end of the day with the wind having veered to the SE we tried the Paraglider but it was still a bit top endy so we quit whilst we were ahead.

Not a bad day just not quite as useful as we hoped, but then we always hope for a lot!

Sunny days are here again

Kieron C turns into land after morning high flight

Tony B gets set for his first flight on the tow line

Bob H flies across the field in fine style on his second flight

Nigel W makes a perfect take off

Sam A puts in the weight shift spot on cue on the hanger

What a fabulous day it was where ever you were but especially out in the tow field. With perfect conditions we had a variety of pilots on the go all day.

Tony B (John O Groats !) and Bob H (Oakhampton) were along for taster Days and had a great time working well throughout the day and both ending up with some super flights across the filed at heights up to 60' and even some stand up landings.

Kieron C moved way into his CPC tasks with 8 high flights including slow flight appreciation speed bar and active flying, another day or so should see him sorted to CPC tow, nice going.

Sam A (yes paragliding Sam) decided it was time to add another arrow to his bow especially after seeing Graham A flying his hanger at Freathy when it was to strong for Para's and started his hang gliding training. He made me work hard chasing him on the king post tether but it was not long and he was off on his own. By the end of play he was making a good job of it flying across the field with every landing a good one, watch to see how he progresses.

Good to see Steve M, Ray M, Bill N and Nigel W all out practicing ground handling and good to see Nigel W put in a cracking tow at the end of the day his first since going to the hill.

A lovely day and looking at the weather we may be set for a few more to come.

Staff Training

Mike R hooks up complete with yellow wellies, looked more like he was going yachting!

Winch man Kev T nears the and of his initial training, style Police next

Trying out the hanger on the "new" system

Works well down low

and also a little higher, nice cloud street

With a lovely tow day forecast and a shortage of students we took the opportunity to do some Staff training on the field. Despite a call for "Guinea Pigs" only one was forthcoming in the form of Mike Reed on his hanger who also wanted some top up tows before heading to the hill for his conversion.

Mike had a good morning putting 6 high flights all with good landings and looking like he had never been away. This gave new winch man Kev T someone to practice his "chest release" tows on as he had never towed this configuration before, thanks Mike.

Kaz P got plenty of practice on her instruction techniques on Paragliders with myself as the challenging student putting both her and Kev through their paces which they dealt with nicely.

Steve H then took over on the winch and we tried out a "new" technique on the Hanger for low level flights to hopefully reduce the need for side tether "men". It worked really well and after 8 tows we had it pretty much sorted.

A very useful day all round with the only down side being the lovely thermals that kept drifting by going to waste! Still needs must.