Power Play

It was a lovely afternoon in the field with the Power boys. Pete l had fun flying around on his new Dudek Synthesis wing whilst i put in the effort with Rod G as he approaches the time to fly.

Rod worked hard and is now much more in tune with his new wing (another Synthesis) and was all hyped up to go for it. Unfortunately when i got into his unit to test fly his combination guess what, no battery! We managed a jump start so i took to the air to check out his kit and the conditions but it did mean no fly for Rod. Still he put in a bit more useful groundwork and lost about half a stone whilst doing it!

With bit of time to spare I popped the school unit onto a Rush 2 and went for a fly and what a nice combination it was. The views were superb with the tide well out and the sea crystal clear.

lets hope rod gets up there next time out to enjoy!

Qualification

It was a long day in the field but patience paid of and we had a cracking time by the end of it.

Stuart A ( ), Ben (Plymouth) and Duncan (Truro) were all along for Paragliding taster days with the added bonus of checking out the Paramotor thrown in making them effectively Paramotor taster days.

They all did very well in the morning session showing above average skills and by lunch time were not only pretty good at forward launches but also at revers ground handling, can't be bad.

Early afternoon saw the arrival of the rest of the students along with an unforecast increase in wind making it on the top end for paragliders. So whilst the hangies got rigged we spent an hour showing the guys the Paramotor , popping it on their backs and then letting them feel the power of it as it got fired up.

By the time England had "qualified" things were a little better and the Hangies were making good use of the tow lines with Tom A (Truro) moving into release flights and on to the Mars. In fact it got that good for them that by the end of the day Tom had completed his EPC tasks and finished off with a super high flight to give him a taste of whats to come.

Dan L (Truro) also did very well on the Hanger completing his CPC tasks with some nice stalls and some cracking spot landings as conditions got lighter.

Whilst Stuart and Ben had to leave early Duncan hung on and was rewarded with it becoming nicely Paraglideable resulting in him putting in 3 lovely flight across the field at up to 60' all with good take offs and landings. He had a great day just a shame his companions weren't able to stay on for a couple of hours.

Bob H (Tavistock) who had waited on then took to the air and did a fine job polishing of his CPC flying tasks as he completed Big Ears, Asymmetrics and Speed bar in succession all rounded off with some excellent spot landings, oh and also some lovely floaty bits in between (Sorry Mike, but at least we have worked out who the weather Johna is).

Helen K (Penzance) joined the fun, having arrived for the evening on a Paraglider and did a super job putting away the remaining release flights before going higher and building up the turns to 90 and well beyond. Having completed her EPC tasks she is now ready to move onto CPC and higher flights.

Shame Mike C and Ashlet R both missed out on a Paraglidier and Powered HG respectively but better luck next time. A late one with us leaving the field at 21.45 but well worth it.

Hot Rod

After a few days of hard work chasing hangers across the field we had a more relaxed day traducing Rod g (Falmouth) to his new Paramotor wing. Rod on the verge of his Powered flight career opted for a Dudek Synthesis 34.

We had a fun time setting up the wing then getting to grips with the ground handling which Rod clicked into pretty quickly it being much lighter than the basic training wings. Next it was ground work with a power unit on his back and again he did well so next time out its up and away with a bit of luck!

i sneaked in several flights on the Paramotor and even got to fly Rods new wing which being a little on the large size for me gave me a super take off and actually flew really nicely despite the low wing loading make it very floaty in the thermals.

Barry H (Falmouth) dropped by and played ground handling on one of the School wings before trying his older Firebird Matrix and the difference was enough to convince him to upgrade so wait to see him out on a shiny new Ozone Buzz Z3 soon. Any one up for a Matrix XL ??

Hangy Heaven

What a day in the tow field with lots on and plenty of exercise to be had! We had a total of 7 hangies out and they were joined by a couple of para's to give us a full house.

With a mixture of day oners, day twoers and day threeers on the hangies it was always going to mean lots of running for me but with yesterdays "warm up" things were easier than expected!

Nigel G (Exmoor) and Jason M (Exmoor) were along for a Taster day on hangies and had a cracking time both doing really well and after the normal ground work ended up with some lovely flights across the field by the end of the day. Nigel had the added bonus of a Tandem flight on the Paraglider to see the spectacular views around the cliffs. They had a top time being very complementary about the day and vowing to return!

Roy L and Elouise L (Exeter) were back for their second days and both worked hard to achieve untethered flights by the end of the day with Elouise taking the best landing title whilst Roy got the weight shift sorted between them we have a good pilot! They left the field very enthusiastic and will hopefully return to continue.

Carolyn B (Linconshire) and Tom B (Truro) both on day 3 cracked on with Carolyn getting to untethered flights by the end of play and Tom completing the low flights so now ready for his first release ones and both looking pretty good to boot.

On the Paragliding Side Sam K (Newquay) had a fun day completing his CPC flying tasks then having fun playing with the evening lift as it floated in, well done Sam. Helen K (Hayle) was back after a Taster Day a year ago and did well getting back into the ground handling before getting back into the air and putting in some excellent tows including her first couple of release flights so getting nicely started on her EPC.

Mike P (Bath) popped in for some experience flights on his Hang Glider and did well in some bouncy conditions around the middle of the day but looking on top of the game the whole while.

Nice to see ex student Glyn P (Woolacombe) drop in to say hello and good to hear that he is enjoying his flying and getting out and about and abroad!

Day off tomorrow!!!!!!

Tall ships and short grass

It was a full on day out in the field with 4 Hang Gliding Day ones and two Paragliding Day Ones so we had plenty to do. Conditions started off pretty much perfect and the Hangers made up of Roy L (Exeter), Elouise L (Exeter (daughter of Roy)), Amanda P (Exmouth) and Caro W-E (Peranarworthal) had a fun morning working through glider rigging and the ground runs whilst the Paragliders Paul S (Helston) and Chris B (Plymouth) cracked on with the Paragliders.

By early afternoon the hard work was done (for the students) and we were ready to tow. The hangers got going first as the wind had filled in to a fresh breeze making it to windy for the Paragliders. Despite the challenging conditions everyone had a good time putting in some cracking flights and ending up with big smiles.

Despite hanging on till 19.00 the wind stayed on the strong side for the paragliders so we gave them a miss but will hopefully see Paul and Chris again soon to "finish off".

Co incidence of the day was Roy and Caro who it turned out had both worked on Tall ships and both had several common acquittance's, whats the chance of them both turning up on the same day to do Hang Gliding ??

Apologies

Sorry got a bit behind with the blog but will catch up soon with whats been on and there has been plenty!

Good to be back

It was nice to be back in the tow filed after a bit of a break and several days on the hill. Tom A(Truro) and Carolyn B (Linconshire) were along for their first taste of Hang Gliding on the line after a good day on the hill last Sunday.

They both had a top time putting their previous experience to good use as they flew across the filed with me in hot pursuit. By the end of the day Tom was off tethers and Carolyn down to only one. A tiring day but plenty achieved and both students in a good position for their next day out.

Thanks to Mike C (Perranwell) for his help on the tethers and it was good to see him up in the air as the wind eased back test flying the Gin Bolero which impressed him enough to go for it.

Quote of the day "that was so good"

Back in the air !

It was looking good for hill work at Carbis so off we went where we were greeted to find it on the light side even for the Paragliders but forecast to fill in.

Kepler W (Honiton) was down to get back in the air after an 18 year lay off on the Hang Glider so got rigged and ready. As the wind filled in the Paragliders got soaring and by the time Mike R (London) arrived it was perfect for a Tandem on the Paraglider. He had a super flight soaking in the views and enjoying the whole experience as well as having a go at flying the wing.

By the time we landed it was looking good for the Hangers so after a couple of demo's and a bit of practice Kepler was off. He did a great job and soon smoothed out and settled in. by the end of the day he had put in nearly two hours airtime over four flights each one ending in good top landings, nice to be back!

Mixed up day

With an interesting day forecast starting off light and picking up we headed to the hill with a plan for Paragliders in the morning and Hang Gliders in the afternoon, but even the best made plans need to be adaptable!

Arriving at Perranporth the wind was light and well off so we spent an hour doing the hill briefs with Ian and Ed B who were hoping to complete their Hill conversions. By mid morning there was no change so we opted to head over to Chapel to catch the tide and where we hoped the wind would be more on. The hangers waited at Perranporth as the forecast was to fill in and veer to the NW.

After a brief wait at Chapel things got good and Ian and Ed had a cracking time putting in 3 super flights each up amongst the qualified pilots. Nice landings and big smiles saw us pack up and head back to Perran as the tide closed in.

Things now looked good for the Hangies with a nice breeze for tethering with Tom A and Carolyn B both starting their EPC courses. No sooner had we got going than a super sunny day turned into thick drizzle! An update on the forecast suggested that it would clear in an hour or so and we waited patiently. Sure enough we were rewarded with a cracking late afternoon/ evening which gave the guys some super tethering and a great introduction to hang Gliding so more big smiles. The Paraglider boys also took the opportunity to increase their hill flying making it a first class day for them. The wind continued to fill in as forecast but by the time it was good for Hang hill soaring the beach had disappeared so unfortunately Terry P missed out.

Strange day but we got there in the end.

Hard going

The day looked promising with a nice westerly and sunshine forecast. Mark T (Exeter) and Peter B (Wales) were along to get going on the Hang Gliders and Mike C to finish off his CPC Paragliding tasks. However despite our best efforts the weather would not play ball and although the guys did well working through the ground based activities we were unable to tow them as the wind was constantly on the move and heavy rain showers did not help!

However we did mange a few tows on Luke C who dropped by with his Hanger and took advantage of the "long" field to keep his hand in and get his first tows on his Wills Wing Sport 2 looking very competent with it.

Lets hope the weather settles down soon.

A Game of Patience

Bob E coming back to earth after a super Tandem flight

Kaz P pleased to get back on a Paraglider after her skiing injury

Super backdrop as Kaz flies by

Cpt Kev being Cpt Kev and enjoying life

It was a great forecast for Perranporth with a moderate to fresh NW forecast so of we headed loaded with Hang Gliders. On arrival it was a lot lighter and off to the south and despite reasonable conditions Paragliders were going down. That was pretty much the story of the day although to be fair it did improve late afternoon before disappearing again.

Fortunately there was a brief spell where it got pretty good and having waited on launch for about an hour we got off on the Tandem Paraglider with Bob E (Grampound) for a super flight in the best of the conditions. We had a lovely flight enjoying the view and chatting about my "old job" before trying out the quick outs on landing as the breeze picked up.

The hangies then got a nice spell of flying before it dropped off again seeing them all on the beach, but the bit in the middle was good!

A pleasant day all be it a strange one with a general lack of lift, nice to See lots out. Thanks to Richard R for the piccies of Kaz

Back in the air

Karen M cracks on with her CPC as she moves into high flights

Karen (a different one) looking pleased after her Tandem flight on the Paraglider

The Mars floating back down after a busy day of high flights

Kaz P rounds off the day with a cracking landing by the windsock

It was another interesting day in the tow field with once again the wind playing tricks although not as many as the previous 2 days thankfully.

Shad C (Surrey) was joined by Dave K (Bristol) and Mike P (Bath) on the Hangers as they all worked towards the end of their CPC's. They all had a good day despite some early challenges and by the end of play Shad was sorted, Dave was well on his way as he settled into prone flying and Mike was one flight closer but still needs another good spot landing to complete. Still they all put in plenty of flying which is the main thing.

Karen M (Bristol) represented the Paragliders and had a super day completing her EPC before moving into her CPC with some cracking high flights in overcast but nice flying conditions. Karen showed the guys how to land by the spot looking as calm as ever.

Karen W (Falmouth) dropped in for a Tandem flight which was a Birthday present and had a fine time enjoying the views and the whole experience whilst egged on by her family. Once again so nice to meet people who are so enthusiastic and appreciate the freedom of the sky.

Kaz took the opportunity at the end of the day to get a couple of flights on the Hangy, the first time since her knee op and did a super job on both flights and just like Karen M showed the boys how to spot land making it a top day for the girls!

Quote of the day "it gets stiffer and much better" hmmmmmm

Will catch up with the missing blogs soon along with some piccies and they are woth seeing so keep an eye on it.

Thema and Louise

Lucy gets going on her first tow flight of her Taster Day

A great birthday surprise for Simon as it all came together for a Tandem flight

Dan pretty chuffed with himself as he progresses into his CPC

Thorn between two roses, Lindsay and Naomi both had a cracking time

Brian H not only enjoyed some flying but got his Tow endorsement as well.

Well not quite but certainly Naomi and Lindsay (and families).

With the wind playing ticks again we were kept busy moving the winch and slipping in the odd flight in between. Shad C (Surrey) and Dan L (Truro) were on the Hangies and kept me on my toes for the first part of the day before settling down although Shad threw one in towards the end. Still they both made progress with Dan getting settled onto the Mars and Shad onto the Calypso so setting them up nicely for their next days out.

Brian H (Majorca) had a good day on the Paraglider as he completed his Tow Endorsement putting away 10 flights and looking very solid by the end of it. Mike C (Peranwell) put in some nice flights as well as doing a great job on his ground handling, not long and he will be sorted. Bob H also got some flights in the morning but had to leave early unfortunately missing the best part of the day.

Then there was the Tandems! Simon (Liverpool) was the first to go. He had been given it a s surprise Birthday present and had no idea what was on until after seeing us from the road and saying " that looks great I'd love a go" he was suddenly taken to the field and was given a go, perfect. Simon had a great time and it would not surprise me to see him learning in the not to distant future.

Naomi and Lindsay are tricky to describe but the title kind of gives a picture. They are up for anything and having tried variety of adrenaline experiences were along for some Paragliding. They both had a super time and with their children there to share it with them it was a both a pleasure and a privilege to have them on the filed. Again we may well see more of them and the guys in the future.

So good to have tandem passengers who really appreciate it and to be fair it was a lovely day to be in the air.

Quote of the day " I don't want it to finish" if only it was that easy