Top of the morning

 Nigel gets an itch on the way to the top

 Jason in action and looking good

 Paul L ready to go

 Nigel G sets off nice and level

Wings level landing in the right field from Nigel W

The guys were keen and the forecast not so good but with light winds forecast to pick up at lunch time we went for it hoping to get a few hours in before the winds came.

8.30 saw us setting up and we were towing by just after 09.00. Whilst Nigel W (St Just) and Paul L (Plymouth) shared the Mars Jason M and Nigel G (Exmoor) used the Condor. With a bit of organisation everybody cracked on and the tows flowed nicely.

By the end of Play Nigel W had popped in 7 high flights, converted to the base bar and done his first XC, Paul L had fallen in love with the Mars and worked out how to turn it.  Jason had pretty much sorted out where he was struggling by a process of elimination and Nigel G had enjoyed himself and lost his fear of heights. 12.15 saw the gusts come in so we knocked it on the head with 30 tows on the log so not a bad day as it turned out.

When fruit turns nasty

What a fine day it was for hangies at Perranporth with a steady 22-24 mph breeze all dayand the wind pretty much smack on the nose.


Geoff B was down from Devon to have a crack at his Dual (Tandem )rating on a hangy making it a fun day for me......After a nice flight as passenger with myself where geoff got the chance to fly the glider and experience whar passengers experience it was role reversal and my turn to sweat.

I need not have worried although geoffs first flight as pilot in command was a little tense he soon relaxed and over the next five flights he became "one" with the wing. It got to the point whre even I relaxed too and nearly stopped talking! Nice one Geoff and well done now go and have fun with your girlfriend !!!!!!!

Whilst the Tandem was out we sneaked in a couple of flights with Adi C and Ray M both frustrated Paraglider pilots who had a funtime finding oput how the other half do it.

Nice to see Sam A put in an appearance and do a fine flight on his hangy as he builds the airtime after qualifying a month or two ago. Also good to see Paul, Gay and Carez making use of the surperb conditions.

Lovely sand crop circles on the beach and a discussion on things to shoot added to an already interesting day, sorry no photos flat battery. Hope Primal scream were good Jackie and Simon.

Slotting it in on Sunday

 The day gets going anf Nigel wonders what he has done wrong already!

 What's going on there then ??

 Tim joins in the thought process

 I am letting it fly, honest (Paul)

Toby J nicely set up to go

A not very promising forecast suddenly improved with a slot appearing as the wind eased off before increasing again a few hours later. We took full advantage of it in the tow field and had a fun day with those present all making good progress. The hangies were first away with Nigel W (St Just) finishing off his EPC tasks, moving onto the mars and sorting tighter turns out nicely, next time out should see him off to the top.

Paul L (Plymouth) on his second taster day worked hard moving off tethers and bit by bit relaxing and sorting out the speed to fly before ending the day with a nice release flight. In fact it was a good enough experience for Paul to decide to carry on and we look forward to seeing him again soon as he moves into his EPC.

Paragliding was represented by Toby J (Sennen) who was along for a Taster day and had a ball. he worked steadily through the ground based work and had some fun hand towing before getting onto the winch. After a couple of flights he had got the hang of it and his third was a real beauty. Being a little quieter in the field we popped him up for a fourth flight and got him to release the line putting the icing on the cake. Nice work Toby be good to see you again.

With conditions just starting to change as the wind backed further to the south we had some tandems to fly and what a fun bunch they were. Down on holiday the "children" had decided to go flying and that's what they did. Rachel, Simon and Jonathon all had super flights in what had become very buoyancy conditions seeing them all float around the field as the soaked in the views. Even dad go tempted but as the wind increased we thought better of it, may be next time. A good day and an unexpected one but there you go

Tethering Tristan

With Tristan due to head back to Bedfordshire we made the most of the weather bu heading to Perranporth for a spot more tethering on the SW slope. In lovely conditions we had a fun couple of hours which saw Tristan really get his head around flying the hangy. he was nicely relaxed letting the glider do the work whilst keeping it under control when needed. With a good number of floaty flights under his belt he headed back to Bedfordshire with a grin on his face and looking forward to his next time down.

Thanks to Derek W for helping out on the tethers and hope it got windy enough for you on your speed wing :)

Thermic towing

Bill tries out Hand Gliding

a pproaching lift off

and yes it has, his hat has lifted off

It was a bright and sunny day in the field and on arrival the sight of the gulls coring up at 10.00 set the scene. Still we carried on with both hangies and Para's getting going on the ground in nice conditions. However by mid day it was getting too breezy for the Paras so they got put on hold whilst Tristan d (Leighton Buzzard) and Nigel W (St Just) got the winch to them selves.

Tristan made a fine start to his towing career and Nigel did very well popping 5 release flights before things got a bit too lively so stopping play, for them .........

Whilst the Paragliders did their EPC exams, congratulations to Russell S and Emil K on passing I took the opportunity to take the falcon 195 up under some nice clouds. It took three tows before hitting the lift and circling up as well as drifting back to the coast but what fun it was.

We called it an early day as conditions continued to be bouncy for students but still a useful and fun one.

Easing in

Joe and John, father and son go Tandem

Tristan D does a commited take off run (as do the rest of us!)

Tristan flies to the edge of launch, nice

As the weather cleared and the wind veered we headed out to Perranporth where on arrival things were just getting nicely flyable. With a couple of the more daring Paragliders hanging in there in the breeze we took the chance to get up on the Tandem hanger with John D (Ireland) who having seen his son Joe go up on Friday decided to opt for the hangy after all.

We had a real fun time in super lift just playing around, chasing sea gulls and chatting so setting the world to rights. John was very appreciative and having realized a 35 year old ambition I was delighted to have been part of it, enjoy the rest of your holidays guys and keep in touch.

Tristan D (Bedfordshire) was down to start his Hang Gliding EPC course so we got him going on the Condor getting the basic groundwork sorted before running him along the top on tethers. Tristan did a fine job and was soon floating across the landing area before being landed as the edge approached. Hopefully he will get straight into the towing tomorrow.

In between tethering Tristan and with the wind on the drop I had some excellent fun floating about with the Paragliders on the Condor and playing with some gentle thermals whilst Kaz got some time in on her Paraglider.

Congratulations to Adi C on cracking his first 10 hours not bad since he only started hill soaring on the 16th May and he now has over 35 flights in his log book!

Frustrating Friday

Heavy showers turned into heavy rain in the morning so keeping us well indoors. Jason M and Nigel G (Exmoor) had both made the trip down so after a bit of chit chat and cup of tea they headed off for some sightseeing as the forecast was for the showers (rain) to clear early afternoon.

Sure enough they did and with a brisk NW coming in we opted for some hill work at Perran rather than the tow field where it would be wet and windy.

Conditions were good on arrival and whilst the guys rigged the Stubby I popped the Tandem together. First off was Jason who came up for a Tandem flight on the hangy and just loved every minute of it whilst asking a never ending stream of questions!

Next up was Joe (Ireland) who was down on holiday with his Dad John who had flown hangies in the very early days, quite a character i have to say. Joe had a great time and was cool as a cucumber as we played with the sea thermals which were out in force.

back on the ground and with the wind easing we concentrated on some tethering with Nigel G, Jason M and Nigel W (St Just) on the stubby and they all adapted to it well. Then it was time to try out the new Falcon 3 on the tethers and what a joy she is getting the Big Thumbs up from the guys.

Whilst derigging took place i sneaked in a final tandem flight with SaraW sharing the sky with Carez on his hanger until the wind veered quickly to the north making the lift drop and it time to slip back in on top.

A fun afternoon as it turned out :)

Power Play and Tandem Training

It was a nice relaxed day with a bit of paperwork in the morning followed by a trip to the tow field with Graham A (Torrington) to try out his "new" Booster HG power unit. Graham did well converting to prone power flying having previously had a Doodle Bug and enjoyed a lovely flight around the field convincing him it is the way to go so adding it to his Paragliding and Hang Gliding skills. Unfortunately a technical hic cup stopped play early but what was needed to be done was done so not too disappointing.

Then a bit more paperwork was followed by a trip to Perranporth where the guys were now flying Paragliders. Alison (Illogan) came along for a Tandem flight had a very pleasant time floating along the cliffs enjoying the evening sunshine and view on the Paraglider.

Finally it was time to start Steve D's (Camelford) Tandem pilot training so after a couple of flights as passenger he got into the "drivers seat" and had a go at ground handling with me as a passenger. Conditions were ideal to play and whilst the lift dropped to a level not quite good enough to tempt us off Steve got plenty of practice at inflating and deflating the wing. I look forward to the next time out........

Happy Jackie & Floaty Falcons

Jaclkie flies by on her way to getting her CPC hill rating

Coming into land and looking good

Dean the man

Ex students share the air as conditions really kick in

Happy Jackie and hairy Phippsy

It was off to the hill with a breezy morning forecast to moderate as the day went on. On arrival at Perranporth it was windy enough for the Para's but ideal for us to check out our new Wills Wing Falcon on the hill.

I had a cracking time floating about and coring the regular sea thermals up to close on a 1000' having a ball. What a super piece of kit it is and an ideal compliment to a high performance wing if you want some easy fun flying with minimal hassle, the landings :-}

With the wind easing back it was time for Jackie N (Woolacombe) to get her Paraglider out to hopefully complete here hill flights having not soared for nearly 9 months. A little bit of ground work put some confidence into her and soon she was ready to go for it. A lovely take off was followed by a couple of beats along the ridge but a combination of a little to far out, less lift and communications break down saw Jackie take the safe option and pop it on the beach.

She was back up in no time and after a quick rest ready to go again. Conditions were improving and her next flight was a cracker seeing her top of the stack and using the thermals as well as the ridge lift. Her top landing matched her flying and her enthusiasm out weighed both! Off again she repeated the trick and was fully back in the groove so gaining her qualification and enabling her to go flying with her partner from here on.

Jackie popped in a final flight as a CPC rated pilot and joined me in the air to enjoy the evening lift. With the wind lighter I sneaked in a final flight on the Falcon to check here out against the Paragliders and guess what, if you are fed up on those lighter days by being bulked out by the Para's get one of these and fly in amongst if not above them . Come and try one.

Return of the Suspenders

Simon D looking pretty near perfect on his first taster day flight

Lois D takes the new Falcon 3 up, lovely hand position.

Nigel W Psyc's himself up to fly

Russel S moves into higher flights and releases

Happy faces at the end of the day :)

Another lovely day in the field saw us up and towing early as we only had one Taster day on which Kaz took control of leaving Tim on the winch and myself to play with the others.

Talking the opportunity to test fly our new Wills Wing Falcon 195 school glider I was first up and enjoyed a couple of lovely flights confirming that our new girl is fit for the job and indeed a delight to fly, I'm looking forward to a bit of hill soaring and thermalling on her soon.

Then it was off to work with Nigel W (St Just) first up on the Condor on his second day of hang Gliding. He did a good enough job for me to take the king post tether off and was closely followed by Lois D (Bristol) who was also on his second day have swapped over from Paragliding. They both then proceeded to have a great day and whilst Lois's youth and natural ability shone through Nigel worked really hard and both of them finished off the day with release flights and looking good. Lois also took the honour of being the first student on the new Falcon which shows how much confidence we had in him:)

The hangies were joined by Russel S (Torquay) on a Paraglider also on his second day. He had a cracking day working well into his EPC tasks and getting better and more confident with each flight. By the end of the day and with the wind picking up he had moved into release flights and gentle turns down to land setting him up nicely for his next day out.

Meanwhile Simon D (Penzance) had been working hard with Kaz on his taster day and by just after lunch he was ready for the tow line and looking suitably apprehensive. He need not have worried his first flight was fine and his next two even better each one ending in "small celebrations" after stand up landings. After a short break Simon put in a bonus flight including his first release from the line and even bigger celebration, nice one.

Add to this a couple of tandem flights for Lois D on the Paraglider and Anne (Torquay) both of whom loved the experience and it was a super day for all. With the wind picking up and the cloud coming in I think we had the best of it by far.

Quote of the day "that was bl**dy marvellous" guess who ??

Jammy James and Happy Hangers

James gets his hill conversion sorted with an early start at Carbis
Adi, pure perfection

Happy or what

Leon and Lois pay close attention back in the tow field

Lois get into a hangy

The guys at the end of a super days fun and flying

It was an early start seeing us at Carbis Bay at 08.00 in the hope of completing James W's (Wadebridge) Hill conversion/assessment having completed his Tow CPC with us following initial training in India.

On arrival conditions did not look good and with both of us on tight time schedule we put our mental powers to work. Low and behold just before 09.00 the wind squared up and after a quick demo'/test flight it was James's turn to show us what he could do. He had a great time putting in two very nice soaring flights and top landings and sharing the air with Adi C on his second one. Landing at around 09.45 we just had time to pack up as the wind filled in on the top end (as forecast) and the air got choppy. Paperwork done and James headed off to Cumbria well pleased whilst I made my way to the tow field for some more fun.

Having canned the Paras for the day based on the forecast the hangies had the day to themselves. Leon S (Tiverton) and Lois D (Bristol) were both on taster days although Lois had originally booked for Paragliding and swapped due to the wind.

They both did well in the morning session working hard in what were breezy enough conditions although at least it did mean they did not have to run to hard! As luck would have it by mid afternoon the wind eased a little and it was time to get the winch out. Lois led the way and instantly showed his natural ability looking every bit a pilot after his first flight. To be fair Leon also did extremely well getting it sorted with each successive flight. By the end of play both were on the case with Lois getting off the side tethers on his final flight.

A pretty full day as it turned out with smiley faces and tired legs, more tomorrow I suspect.

Back to work :)

Christina waves as she returns to planet earth

Steve , Christina and Dave after their flights

Russell does the business

A look on cocentration from Steve (and Bill)

Dean super relaxed as he takes off, nearly perfect !

After our break away competing in the British Open Hang Gliding Series it was back to the field to start off some new students, to get some existing ones a little further and to pop some tandems up as well.

The hangy boys were made up with Nigel W (St Just Penwith of Paragliding fame)) Ian M ( ) on their first days and Dean F on his third whilst the Paras were Russell S ( ) and Steve L (Essex) on day one and a Taster day respectively and James W finishing off his Tow rating and assessment having partly learnt elsewhere.

Everyone worked hard in the morning, especially Bill and Kaz, getting through the ground work and Dean who became the human winch for the hangies and lost a few pounds in the process.

By lunchtime the Tandems arrived and whilst the students took a break we popped Dave, xxx and Simon all from Warickshire all up into the air for some fun flying and excellent views.

With the wind a little on the top end for the Paragliders we got the hangies going and both Nigel and Ian were soon flying across the field improving with each flight and even looking like they were enjoying it! Dean joined in the fun and progressed further into his EPC over 7 flights seeing him building his turns nicely another couple of flights and he is ready for the top ......

By the time Nigel and Ian had finished their flights for the day the wind was easing back so it was time to get the Paras on line. James led the way and had a fun time completing his rating long with some Big Ears and Asymmetrics before just flying for fun.

Russell kept me on my toes as he did his first flights but looked much better on his last, almost like a pilot and i am sure next day out he will settle in fine. Steve made it look all far to easy putting in three super flights and having a bigger grin after each one to round off a busy day in which the weather challenged us a little but it all worked out in the end.

Ton up Kid in Yorkshire

The long weekend 27th May to 31st June saw us head to Yorkshire for the 2nd round of the Hang Gliding British Open Series (BOS). With a variable forecast and Yorkshires reputation for rain whilst we were pretty sure we would fly we reckoned two days would be about it.

Day one (Friday) saw us at Wether Fell (Hawes) with a 85k task to Wombleton. The sky did not look to good but a slot opened up seeing a few gaggles get away. I managed to sneak away with a couple of gliders and put in an average plus distance of 33k giving me 6th for the day but still a little disappointing as 3 rigids and one flexwing made goal proving it could have been done. Still some nice flying a safe landing and good to be back in the thermals.

Day two and three were sightseeing, walking and socializing days and surprisingly pleasant with it.

Day Four saw us believe in the forecast and rig in the rain in anticipation of the front clearing. A task was set of 65k from Wether fell to Model Ridge and sure enough at the specified time of 15.30 the clouds cleared and we went flying! I had a real fun time flying with 3 of the countries top pilots as we flew out of the Dales over RAF Leeming towards goal. On approach to Goal we had caught up with the front and heavy rain was to be seen at goal. Whilst the others bravely glided into it so having to land with wet gliders resulting in some mayhem although no actual breakages I took the scenic route being sucked into cloud then flying back away from goal for a few k before managing to get low enough to have another go. Arriving at goal several minutes later the rain had stopped the sun came out and it was a tippy toe landing with dry kit although a few points less :)

Day Five was a big one with a 161k task to the coast past Hull again from Wether Fell. rain showers made timing at launch a bit tricky and the brave few were well on their way by the time i got in the air. Still managing to get away in a nice slot with one other a cracking flight ensued as we flew out of the Dales past Ripon, then York (nice Cathedral) and finally over Hull (muddy river) before gliding into the blue and to goal by the coast to complete just over 100 miles and to be the first flex wing in goal, one of only three to make it. . A great day with a task win and great end to the comp with a comp' win and no pressure for the next round as comp' leader ............