Plenty at Perran

Sam K floats by on his first soaring flight with streamer streaming

Mike C comes into land with legs out!

Al H looking like he means it as he gets set to go

Happy Bunnies

The Condor floats by at the end of the day

It was all go at Perranporth and with a fresh NW breeze forecast easing later in the day there were a good number of hangies there along with the Paras.

On arrival it was a nice 18-20 so the hangies rigged quickly with carez and Kaz getting the airtime in first. But whilst they were in the air the breeze began to drop and the Paragliders began to emerge. Pretty soon the hangies slipped back in to land and the first Paragliders took off in what were by now not so lifty conditions seeing a few go to the beach.

Having completed rigging the T2 C to show to a customer we turned our attention to the Paragliders and pretty soon we had Sam K (Perranporth) up on his first hill soaring flight and doing well as he worked the fickle lift. Add to that several other gliders and he did a fine job looking every part a pilot before popping back in on top to round off his first hill flight.

Mike C (Perranwell) had now arrived and caught the end of Sam's flight so wasted no time in getting his kit ready and was soon ready to go. With a a little more lift Mike launched nicely and was soon up and away cruising the cliffs with his white legs a dangling. Again he did a fine job giving me no worries before coming in for top landing. It took three attempts, but each one gave him more experience and confidence, before he arrived back on Terra firma in fine style with a huge grin.

Bill N spent the day playing with the Rush 2 which he fell in love with, anyone looking for a nice M/L Buzz Z??

Next off was Alan H (Bideford) on a hanger for a top to bottom, his first in over 20 years, and he did a great job of it too with good take off smooth flying and super landing. Carez kindly helped him back up and pretty quickly he was ready to go again. Al's next flight had a bit more lift giving an extended one and confirming that Al's ready to getting soaring at the next opportunity.

Sam and Mike both put in second flights and both did just as well as they did on their first ones despite flying in slightly more crowded skies, Well done guys, nearly there.

Margret K (Cullompton) put in a few runs on the Hanger along the top to get a bit more of a feel for it and looked happy for it. Gay J (Helston) and Chris W (Stithians) both put together their new Wills Wing Sport 2 Hangers which got several pilots droolling and what nice wings they look too but with light lift they gave the test flights a miss to wait for better conditions. Paul H (Helston) held fire with his new Wills Wing (Falcon) also waiting for better conditions, good move.

We finished the day with couple of fun flights on the training Condor (Hang Glider) which just floated around above the Paragliders as it does then came into landed as slow as you please. In fact with me on board at min sink it flies slower than Kaz on her Buzz Z3 at min sink!

Fun day and great to see Gunny back in the air "enjoying" himself and another Wills Wing T2 and Ozone Rush 2 on order!

Lots of fun in the field

Millie after her tandem well done

Tow brief (they look interested! )

Claire shows her father in law Ray how to do it

It was always going to be a busy one and with a good forecast we had a full day in the field.

Unusually it was a day full of taster days with a mixture of hangers and Para's to keep us occupied.

On the Paragliding front we had mates Dave C and Ben M from Fowey and Downderry along wit Millie Ben's daughter for a Tandem flight. Neil C and Hattie D from St Ives who came along having seen us flying at Carbis Bay. Kate R from Plymouth who had her day as a birthday present and Claire D-S from Yelverton who had her day from her father in law (Ray) who we taught to fly a few years back.

The hangies were "Peri" J down from Hereford to try out the sport with a view to taking it up and Margret K from Cullompton who is married to the famous Voytek who we taught several years ago on his hang glider.

Kaz and myself cracked on with the Para's whilst Tim took the hangers and everyone worked well through the ground handling stages with some of the Para's excelling themselves and looking very competent for day one'rs. The field also saw a few visitors (Ray D, Tony P, Nigel W and Bill N) and by midday it was a hive of activity and colour as the paragliders ground handled and the hangies did their ground runs.

Mid afternoon saw us get then going on the winch with Neil leading the way, he set the standard high and the rest did not disappoint as the went from zero to hero putting in some excellent flight across the field and all behaving (well almost) so keeping me stress free.

The hangies joined in the fun and were soon getting their first flights complete with tethers and improving with each one. Peri did very well with some excellent flights and Margret started to get the hang of it with a little help from the tethers.

Millie came up for a tandem flight and had a ball along with putting me through my paces being a little too keen to try the release out, still at least i knew she knew how to do it!

Well done to all the Guys and Girls and thank you for making it such a good day.

Many thanks to the guys for helping out and especially to Bill for helping to search for my phone in the dark at the end of play, yes we did finally find it .

Birthday and School Reunion

parawaiting at St Agnes

Stuarts birthday tandem

Dave flys tandem with his school mate Phippsy

Having cancelled towing based on a breezy forecast we thought we had blown it when Saturday dawned with no wind. But patience is a virtue and having completed some maintenance work the breeze began to fill and by just after lunch we headed to the coast where it was plenty windy enough for hangers and blown out for para's although a few had got the slot for a brief flight as the wind filled in.

We tested conditions by first sending Carez of on his hanger then with myself and Bill N (his first tandem flight) which proved them to be good as well as keeping Bill as quiet as I have ever known him!

In ideal conditions for tandems Stuart H (Kent) who is on holiday for a week to celebrate his 40th and Dave L (Truro) who it turns out with I went to school with although he was a year above so one of the "big boys" both had stunning flight. Ridge lift was good and with the added bonus of sea thermals we had a great time playing with the lift and with the glider. The guys had a go at flying and did well with only minimal input from me. Lovely landings by Steve's stone completed the flights and big smiles all round. With a little time to spare even i managed to get to fly my glider and had a very pleasant hour chasing thermals up to a grand or so before as the light faded it was time to go.

Honeymoon Hangies

Ellie hangs on for a low pass

Ellie snaps as Simon soars

With a cold front clearing and the wind forecast to come round to the north west we headed out for perran arriving at about 1pm.

The wind was off when we got there but soon started to shift and we decided to rig. Within the hour it was a good direction and strong enough for the 2 tandems that had booked in.

They were newly weds Ellie and Simon on their honeymoon ! Ellie went first as Simon was quite a bit heavier and we were not sure how lifty it was. She had a lovely flight playing with the seagulls and even flying the glider herself followed by a tippy toe landing then it was Simons turn. Graham decided to do a running take off (not easy with 2 on board ) but Simon did a great job. After a few beats below the top the pilot in command used all his skill to get back above the top and another great flight was had. I knew the landing may be interesting as with more weight it was going to be fast. They came in resembling a world War bomber but with the help of a few friends we were able to stop them before the dune. Well done Graham.

We then retired to the van with some afternoon tea shared with Dredgy and Glyn P.
By now the tide was well in leaving a very small beach but I figured if I had to I could get it in so I decided to fly my Hang Glider. I had a lovely flight as the sun was setting and although my landing could have been better the whole flight was done with no communication from my instructor so I felt good.

Then it was off to the pub for tea, very nice!

Kaz

Floaty in the field

Malin L comes in for the spot as Trevor h gets ready to fly

Sam K floats back under a cracking sky

Paul C gets into prone flying on the good old Mars

Ssam K looking the business as Andy p floats down

The return of the good weather continues and we were back in the field with a pleasantly busy day.

Trevor H (Bideford) was back on the hangy and continued his progress into his EPC by getting higher and cracking the "secret" of airspeed so gaining consistent control and looking happy for it.

Paul C (PLymouth) joined him on a hangy and was oon refreshed on his high flights and moved onto base bar and prone conversion as well as doing some superb spot landings, oh and even a bit of thermalling to take him a day from his CPC completion.

The Paragliders had a great day with Bob H (Okehampton) and Sam K (Perranporth) having a ball building experience for the hill and also having some cracking flights in very floaty conditions. Both looked well comfortable by the end of the day and the spot landings had to be seen to be believed.

Malin L (PLymouth) who has qualified at CPC on his Paramotor was along to crack on with learning a full Paragliding course to give him the best of both worlds had a fantastic day and always being ready to fly gave him the most tows of the day. Malin moved well into his CPC with some good flying and had the benefit of the super conditions to get several extended flights whilst doing the set tasks, nice one.

Andy P down on holiday from the SE dropped by and put in some tows and had some thermalling around the field whilst someone could be seen not quite getting above the top at Godrevy.

Good to have Cpt Kev back on the winch who did a fine job dealing with the varying pilots and conditions.

Making the most of it

The boys get ready to go on the SW face at Perranporth

Nigel C gets to the base bar

Dan B looking good as he soars down the slope

With a fresh SW forecast we hoped to go to Freathy to complete some hangy hill conversions but reports from site gave it as a bit too fresh!

So we opted to plan B and headed to the hill at Perranporth with the boys from Paignton in the hope that we may find enough SW in it to tether on the SW face. despite it being way off on arrival things improved and soon we were rigging the glider.

Nigel C was first up and soon got the hang of it as did Dan and Adam on the tethers as we made our way down the slope before landing as the tethers held back. Conditions were a little up and down through they day but by picking our times we had some cracking flying with both Dan B and Adam C joining Nigel and by the end of play they were all "soaring" and putting in nice flights with Nigel even getting prone as a bonus!

Even Ant C was impressed enough to have a quick go and did well getting his feet off the ground looking almost relaxed! It was a happy but tired bunch that headed back to Paignton as the sun set.

Full on in the field

James BK on one of his flights at the end of a taster day

Chris B gets set to go as he starts his EPC

Mike C looking pleased as he works into the final stages of his CPC

It was a busy one out in the tow field with pretty much something of everything going on.

The day kicked off with the four hangy taster days, Nigel C, Adam C ( father and son team again)and Dan B all from Paignton on a boys day out being joined by George C (Bath) getting going with glider rigging and the basics.

Meanwhile Trevor H (Paignton) on his 3 rd day with us got cracking on the winch and had a great time moving nicely off the tethers into "free flight" and putting to good use the experience gained on the hill whilst tethering. By lunch time Trev had put a full days work in and was looking pretty pleased with himself.

Nigel D joined in the fun on a refresh day and converted to his "new wing" after a test flight by Phippsy and did really well looking well sorted by the end of the day both on and off the tow line. Nigel is aiming for powered flight so look out for him again soon.

Finally on the hangy front Dan L (Truro) was out for some experience tows in preparation for the hill and also to convert onto his "new " wing and harness which he did in fine style and again looked really smooth on it so will hopefully be hill soaring soon.

On the Paraglider front James BK (Illogan) was along for a Taster Day and had a ball. he had a great time sorting the basics with Kaz in the morning before getting onto the winch after lunch. James put in 3 super flights across the field looking as good as they get, as graham m on the winch said "if only they could all be like that". be good to see James again as he certainly seems to have a talent for it.

Mike C (Perranwell) joined in the fun on his Paraglider and worked deeper into his CPC by completing his Speed bar tasks and getting into Big Ears, hopefully another day should see him there and ready for the hill. Good to see Mike out and thanks for no bringing bad weather!

Chris B (Plymouth) returned after his taster day some months ago and had a good time recapping before moving into his EPC tasks with release flights and gentle turns. But with the wind on the build it was soon to be the turn of the hangy taster days to finish off the day.

James H (Somerset) dropped by at lunch time for a Tandem on the Paraglider and had a couple of cracking flights the second of which saw us thermalling up with a seagull for an extended flight followed by the obligatory fairground ride back down. Both James and his family enjoyed the experience and were then off the beach to see the seals, hope it all worked out guys.

With a perfect breeze the hangies got going again and were soon putting in their first flights on the tow line. George C was first to go set and set an amazingly high standard putting in some super flights across the field straight and level and landing nicely on his feet. Next off was Nigel C who with some "previous" made it all look easy although a hop skip and jump at launch made us smile. Adam C followed suit with some lovely flying and super landings keeping the bar set high for Dan B who was the last to go. Dan had used his time wisely watching and did a super job keeping up the standards with yet more good flying the last of which was nearly faultless! The boys had a great day and all look forward to more, hopefully tomorrow. Special thanks must go to Ant C for helping out on the tethers and keeping a video diary of the day.

Finally just to round things off Malin L (Plymouth) was back on the Paramotor and enjoyed a nice evening flight after a long day of sorting his kit and working out what was good and what was not so good, beware of ebay!

A long day which turned out very good for all largely due to Kaz, Tim and Graham M who kept the whole operation running like clockwork, thanks guys and gal.

Jolly for Jane

Kaz flies high in a super clear sky at carbis

Jayne d sets off on her Birthday present tandem flight

Back on terra firma a happy Jayne, hang Gliding next ??

Despite a light wind forecast it turned out a bit breezier than expected so we canned towing early and after some paperwork headed to Carbis Bay where we took Jane D (Flushing) up on the Paraglider for a super flight. Jane had a great time as did several other pilots playing in the lift which had bits of sea thermal and bits of wave all mixed in. Almost relaxing, looks like a bust day tomorrow in the field.

soaring at Sennon

Kaz shares the air with a paragliding visitor
Hywell gets ready to go on his first soaring flight

Hywell doing the stuff as he soars Sennon

Mike r flies high whilst martin (Dad) looks happy

Big Grin from a Happy Mike

After a Quick visit to Perranporth we headed to Sennon Cove where conditions were much nicer although the beach a little smaller. Whilst we waited for the tide to drop a bit Kaz and Martin R (St Germans) had a fine time on their Hang Gliders in the super smooth air enjoying the views. Some foriegn paragliders kept them company although it was always a bit top end for them.

As the beach opened up it was time for the students and Hywell PR (Pembrookshire) led the way. After a slightly tense start Hywell settled down and was soon soaring up and down the ridge although not at a great height but doing ok. ten minutes or so was enough and Hywell headed for the beach where he did a super landing and made a new friend. Next it was Mike R (St Germans) part of another father and son team and despite a few nerves he did a good take off and quickly settled in. With a little more breeze and a little less weight Mike was soon soaring well above take off and looking good. 15 minutes later he came in for a good top landing to a round of applause and with a huge grin.

A bit of exercise soon saw Hywells glider back on top and whilst he recovered Mike was off again for his second soaring flight. With the previous flight under his belt Mike was even smoother and soon doing his first 360 and exploring both the lift and his glider. Another fine top landing saw him add another 25 minutes to his airtime.

Hywell gave it another shot and after a lovely take off settled down nicely to enjoy a good 15 minutes of soaring now well above take off. Looking more relaxed he did well before coming in for his first top landing, a good approach but a late turn saw an unorthodax arrival but no damage to Hywell. Still he was pretty chuffed at getting soaring and there is always room for improvement!

We rounded off the day with a nice cook up in the car park followed by a spell in a hot tub before heading home, very nice.

Quote of the day "how good is that"

All tied up

Wave clouds in the background as the guys de rig at the end of the day

It was a breezy day at Perranporth despite a good forecast. So whilst we waited for the wind to drop so Hywell PR (Pembrookshire) could soar we got on with some tethering to make use of the time.

Martin H (Bristol) and Trevor H (Paignton) both had a fun time with Martin enjoying plenty of "soaring" and practicing his prone flying whilst Trevor got the hang of things and by the end of the day was looking pretty good as he tuned into the glider and conditions to enjoy plenty of airtime. The look on Trev's face when it all started to click was superb and his enthusiasm is infectious.

Despite hanging on till late the wind never eased back so Hywell had to make do with helping out on the tethers and what a fine job he did too, thanks guys. Some stunning wave clouds set up during the afternoon and it fun to see them develop as time went on.

Hope its lighter winds tomorrow.

Sunny Sennon

With a moderate to fresh NNW on the cards we headed to Sennon Cove for some hill soaring hoping to sort a few hangies and do a few tandems. On arrival things looked good so we wasted no time in getting set up and pretty soon there was 6 hangies rigged and ready.

Joe G (Brighton) led the way and put in his first full soaring flight on the good old Mars looking much more relaxed than yesterday and doing a fine job of it. After a pleasant 10-15 minutes he came in back on top for an acceptable landing just as the wind began to drop. Big smile, debrief and we looked at getting Hywell up there. Alas the wind dropped and before we knew it it was time to get the Paragliders out.

Karen M (Bristol) who after some ground work yesterday and a hill brief took to the air in super conditions to join several others already up there. Karen did a great launch looking every bit that she had done it before and enjoyed a cracking fligt as the wind and the lift filled in again. She put in a bit of speedbar to keep out front and then before it got to breezy came in for a perfect top landing to round off a great flight.

With conditions varying we took the opportunity to get Jackie N (Woolacombe) used to ground handling on the hill and into reverse launches before she went for it. jackie did a super launch in fron of an audience and followed it with a nice flight down and landing. This being her first hill flight in the UK she found it quite different having to fly closer to the hill as opposed to launching off the big mountains in Verbier and flying out.

Whilst conditions did allow some good flying things were not ideal for the tandems so we knocked them on the head and enjoyed the sunshine and views. A nice day with some guys and gals getting well set up to finish their hill onversions.

Puffing at Perran

A full day planned and with a fresh WNW forecast perran was the place to be. Unfortunately on arrival the wind was nearer SW so well off to the left and no good for soaring. However never ones to be beaten we made good use of the time and got Joe G (Brighton) who was down for his hill conversion having done his tow CPC with us earlier in the year to fly the Mars to the beach so we could crack on with Tom D (Midlands) EPC flights.

Joe did a great job with a lovely take off, flight and landing all as the text book says. Then the hard work began as "we" carried the glider back up the steep bit to a suitable launch for Tom. Tom did really well putting in 3 super flights all with excellent turns of 45 degrees (and more) and all with good landings to finish off his EPC flying tasks. Then it was one final carry back to the top where we had a well earned rest. Tom took his theory exam and passed with flying colours to round off his EPC with a big grin, well done.

After a frustrating wait the wind finally came around and onto the hill but at the same time it also dropped making conditions soarable for hangies but not epic. Joe went for it and did well but nerves and over thinking got the better of him so he headed to the beach for another good landing. Kev (dad) offered to fetch him and glider up and that's the last we saw of him for a bit of a while!

Next off was Dave K (Bristol) who having already had a couple of soaring flights a few weeks ago was hoping to complete his hill conversion. Dave did well flying very smoothly and making the most of the lift to add a good 25 minutes to his airtime before slipping in for a good top landing.

The wind continued to vary between ok and not so ok seeing a mixture of flying and beach landings even for experienced pilots on Paragliders. Hywell held fire having done a top to bottom a couple of days ago waiting for better conditions to avoid a walk but the conditions never got good enough.

Still some good work done and hopefully we will get the perfect conditions soon.

Training Tom

We made the decision early to head to the hill as things inland were looking lively and again there was a high possibility of showers inland. At Perran the wind was well off so sending the free fliers heading off to Chapel leaving the site to ourselves.

we had a hard work day down on the dunes bringing back memories of hill training and reminding us just how hard work it was! Still Tom D (Midlands) did well putting in 10 flights off the dunes with nice turns and good landings to take him a fww flights away from his EPC. Hewyll PR (Pembrookshire) was back after having passed his CPC TOw with us in May to get going on the hill nd after a few trial runs along to the top did a lovely top to bottom so is hopefully ready to get soaring if conditions permit tomorrow or over the next few days.

We were also joined by Matt ( Brighton) who is down for a few days instructing with us as part of his training and did a fine job both in instructing and in lugging gliders much to Toms delight!

Day Off

What a lovely day it was on the coast, whilst it tipped down inland with localised flooding we basked in sunshine at Chapel Porth. Conditions were lovely with Mark h, myself and Kaz all enjoying some Paragliding and being joined by Bill N by mid morning. Graham M then cam up on his new Wills Wing Sport 2 hang Glider as the wind filled in a bit more. This was the sign for us to change wings and pretty soon Graham was joined by Mark h and Kaz on their hangers.

A few hours later and it was all change again as the wind eased back until finally dropping right away to become unsoarable, lovely day.

Towing Tom

With light winds and showers forecast we decided to give the tow filed a shot to get Tom (Midlands) started on the winch. Itturned out to be quite a nice day with only a little dampness around, well at least where we were although the wind was in a fickle mood. With reguklar winch moves we managed to put 17 tows into Tom who moved well into his EPC tasks as he cracked release flights and gentle turns. It was a full on day for him as due to the direcation we were unable to do high flights for Paul C and Mike C who both waited patiently to complete there CPC's but it was not to be.

Mark H kept us entertained as he flew his power unit out of the field to enjoy some nice cruising around the countryside and along the cliffs.

Tethering Tom

After what has to be said was a pretty damp and dismal morning things began to clear up by mid afternoon so we headed to Perranporth with Tom D (Midlands) who at 16 wants to get out there Hang Gliding. We had what turned out to be a super evening getting Tom airborne on tethers and by the end of play he was looking pretty good as he "soared" down the slope before being brought back down to earth by the tethers, great fun.

Hopefully we can get him out in the tow field tomorrow. Thanks to Mark H (Honiton) who is down on holiday for his help!

Britsh Nationals France

We had a fun time at the British nationals in Laragne and although due to the more than normal west winds (which they have suffered all year) there being less flying than normal we did have 3 tasks with some cracking flying.

Laragne never fails to impress me and after over 20 years of going there I learnt more about the place this year than ever, even getting to know some of the ridges names!

Task One saw us have a hard days flying with no one actually making goal, despite me trying for nearly 6 hours I fell short of the second to last turn points along with lead pack who had got there some 2 hours earlier.

Task two was better conditions but still kind of wierd with some normal hot spots not working. I had a good one catching the early starters and hanging in with them to goal. Some great climbs and long glides saw us head south where about a dozen made it giving me second on the day and top Brit.

The last task was bigger and better and with all to play for it was the one to decide the champion. Again things went well in fact really well with climbs up to 10,000' and some super air to glide in if you were in the right place which fortunately I was. As i approached the final turn point Things were good having overtaking all the competition but one who i was catching up nicely. A simple last leg should see it in the bag. One mistake, saw me in big trouble which took 45 minutes to sort out whilst kissing the trees and the championship slip away, still most pilots can say the same and its the one that does not make the mistakes that wins. Well done to Dave Matthews.

A lovely time overall with good company and relaxing days also a good result for Wills Wing with 6 out of the top ten 2,3,5,6,7 & 8. Heres to next year.