Right time Right place Right on !

It was a tricky one with the forecast split between the filed and the hill and plenty of students for both.  based on conditions at the time we opted for the field and loaded the van and hooked up the winch.  Whilst fuelling up message from "uncle" Bill that it was on at Perran and filling.  Plan change, un hook winch redirect students and it was off to the hill.

On arrival whilst flyable it was still on the light side but by the timewe had hill briefed, ground handled and got the guys (and gal) sorted things were filling in nicely.

With plenty of other pilots already there and in the air Wyn D (Penryn) was first of the students off and put his skills learnt in the field to good use to make it all look very easy as he climbed nicely into the lift and settled into ridge soaring.  15 minutes later he cam in performed a lovely top landing and celebrated his flight with a stream of welshness...... not bad as going from zero to hero in just 3 weeks ;)

Whilst kaz worked with the less experienced students on their ground handling I took them one by one for their first soaring flights. next up was Jack E (Polzeath) who was champing at the bit having seen Wyn do the business.  jack followed suit and made it look even easier as he quickly climbed to the top of the stack cruising up and down and showing just what good sink rates Elements have!  Another 15 minutes and another lovely top landing, he made it look that easy that even Jack's dad is tempted to have a go.

Mike S (Plymouth) who learnt four years ago with us on the tow and had a refresh a few months ago was suitably nervous but having put in the ground handling with Kaz looked up to it was next.  He need not have worried and got cleanly away on his first attempt to join several others in the air.  With red ribbon flying he mixed in well before popping back in on top as pretty as you please and looking very chuffed with himself.

Kaz now off ground handling duties took over the guys who had already flown and got them back in the air one by one whilst I kept going with the "first soarers"

It was the two John S's (Helston and Stithians) next (not together) and they both did great jobs settling in nicely and just loving the whole experience whilst taking the micky out of each other at every opportunity as normal.  They both did super flights and and landings giving each other plenty of encouragement.

Last but not least Anna P (Gwithian) found herself at launch. Anna did a great job in what were by now slightly breezier conditions and was off up and away in no time. She cruised the ridge looking every bit that she had done it before and looking very relaxed in her flying.  15 minutes later and with a few white horses flicking up she came in and landed tippy toed as pretty as you please.  fantastic she was so delighted you had to be there to see it.

Happy bunnies from right to left -- Mike S, Anna P, Wyn D John S and John S  ... Jack e had already gone but there is a cracking picture of him on a blog a couple back.  Nice one guys and gal

So by the end of play and with the wind filling there was lots of happy faces with Wyn and jack putting in 4 flights each, Mike 3 and the rest getting their first ones in the bag.  Not bad for a group some of whom started 4 years ago and others just 3 weeks. Could well be more of the same tomorrow ????????

Slotting them in on Sunday

Best laid plans rarely come together but sometimes they just do and today was one of those days.

With a soarable breeze forecast for early in the morning before backing then dropping then picking up again we planned a full day.

Simon gets set to go as the sun comes up

Starting at 0.630 we met up with Alan H (Bideford) and Simon L (Plymouth) at Perranporth to get some hill conversion work done.  They both were on time despite a couple of hour drives each and by 06.45 Simon was up and away into the air for his first full soaring flighting super conditions. Si did a great flight being steadily joined by other pilots as they began to arrive. A great top landing and big smile rounded off his first flight and with Alan now back in the groove with hill ground handling he was next away.  Alan's hang Gliding experience helped him out nicely and he made a fine job of his first soaring flight on a paraglder before also popping back in on top.

Al gets some good lift on his first soaring flight on a Paraglider

Wasting no time Simon was off again into a now busier sky and with the lift a little less abundant. Still he did a fine job dodging and weaving before slipping back in on top just as the lift dropped seeing the others heading to the beach soon after, good timing or what.

Simon and Al share the air whilst the sun is still coming up

With the wind now dropping and backing we played ground handling and in particular Simon put in some good forward launching practise which will stand him in good stead for Algo.

9.00 saw us leave Perran and head back to the office to meet up with the days taster day pilots.  having cancelled off the Paraglider taster days due to the forecast for the wind to return we headed to the field with three hangy taster days and due to meet Wyn D and John S on site to hopefully take advantage of the lighter slot early.

Whilst Tim J got James C, Tom G and Jeff A going with the hangy Kaz hopped onto the winch and got Wyn D and John S up in to the air on the Paragliders.  Again they matched each other flight for flight finishing offBig Ears before doing Asymmetric's and Speedbar to complete their CPC flying tasks just by the time the wind started to fill again.

Time to get the hangies on line and to give Tim a "rest" as he took over the winch and to get me running on the king post tether.  The guys all did very well indeed and each one put in some super flights and even some super landings as they floated across the field.  each flight saw conditions get a little more challenging but each flight saw the guys reactions getting a little better, ideal.

Great to see Roger f (old time hangy pilot) drop in to see us and especially nice to see that glint in his eye as he watched the hangies get their first flights in, maybe a spark rekindled ........

So by the end of the day and with Mondays wet weather starting to roll in we ended a cracking day, well done to all nice to see so much keenness around  

Chaffing at the bit at Chapel

Scruff searches the sky for hangy Dave

What a cracking day it turned out to be despite me thinking we would only achieve a limited amount, how wrong you can be!

A quick visit to Perran where there was plenty of beach saw a few gliders scratching but the wind way off to the SW so after a "brief" (hill brief) stay we upped sticks and headed to Chapel Porth to hopefully get some tandem flying in but no guarantee for the students as the tide was an issue.

On arrival the wind was perfect for hangies and I rigged the tandem whilst assessing conditions.  with high pressure around the tide was actually lower than expected and still with an hour and a half to go the beach opened up nicely so Hangy Dave (Newquay) and Ian L (Bristol) hot footed back to the truck to get the training glider to hopefully get some hill soaring in.

Sam J (N.Devon) was along to start his tandem rating course and made the ideal passenger to demonstrate to James who was down on holiday and had a surprise flight booked for him.  Sam and I had a cracking flight introducing him to the basics of taking others up before popping back in on top to take James up.

The demo' flight worked and James and myself made a cracking launch and were soon up and away sharing the air with Paul H and Nigel W on their hangies.  we had a cracking flight with the sea so clear and the sun shining right along the coast. Not only did James get a chance to fly the glider he also got a free history lesson on the local mining! The landing was as good as the take off and it was a very smiley James reunited with his partner Kim to continue their holiday.

By now the beach had opened up nicely and it was time to get the students going. Ian l led the way for his first hill soaring flight on the hangy and he did a great job of it settling in nicely after a couple of tense beats.  Conditions slowly eased back seeing him getting lower but his nerve (and mine) held and slowly with a bit of encouragement he relaxed again and made enough height to come back in on top after a good 20 minutes.  It was a very happy Ian that unclipped after a first class landing, nice.

Hangy Dave wasted no time in getting off although a little nervous after a 10 week lay off he soon smoothed out and as the lift returned climbed out comfortably  to join the others up high. Dave had no problem with height in fact had to make a good effort to lose it before also performing a first class landing followed by a classic Dave quote as he extolled the virtues of flying but unfortunately it is unprintable!

Conditions remained good and with the beach still there both guys got another flight in adding 360's to their repertoire and having a ball. Their landings once again  were spot on and the looks on their faces said it all.

Next it was back into the Tandem to take Sam up again before letting him loose on me. We had a fun afternoon with Sam taking me up 3 times and only trying to wipe me out on one of them! No it was not that bad just that I make a very nervous passenger .......

By the time we landed after the final flight it was getting on, the wind was easing and the beach was gone so we called it a day but what a good day it was, if only we could have more like this.

good to see Steve M getting to grips with the ASKA and as ever really weird to see it up in the air with us on the hangies it just looks so strange.

Quote of the day " ******* awesome"

Manic Monday

It was always going to be a busy one with the weather having backed up students but the forecast looked good and hopes were high to get things moving.

However even the best laid plans get put aside and whilst we can control many things the weather is not one of them!  On arrival in the field it was breezier than forecast putting things on hold from a towing point of view. So whilst we waited for the wind to ease back as forecast the guys and gals played ground handling  and the taster days got going on the basics before joining them.

 

Happy jack, always full of life

Lunchtime came and went and still conditions were top end........ early afternoon saw Kaz doing theory and exams with a group whilst Tim and myself looked after the tatser days.  finally things eased back enough for Ian L to get going on the hangy and he put in 5 nice experience flights in readiness for going to the hill.

 

getting ready at launch

Bit by bit the wind continued to drop until finally we could get the paras on to the line although just to keep us on our toes it also decided to change direction seeing us chase it around the field (fields) several times just getting in the odd tow with each move .  At 18.00 it actually settled down to the direction and speed as forecast and things really got moving.  Steve and Phil on the Taster days joined in with John S (Stithians), John S (Helston), Wyn D (Penryn), Anna P (Gwithian) and Jack E (Polzeath) who were now all high flighting.  Steve made it look all far to easy as he put in three cracking flights across the field to end his day with a big grin. Phil found it a little more challenging after a long day but not enough to put him off coming back as he booked second day with us.

 

Double trouble in the two John's (Speaky and Snake)

The two johns and Wyn matched each other flight for flight and worked deep into their CPC tasks making the most of the conditions when they arrived.  Anna P had a cracking evening finishing off her CPC flying tasks and looking very very pleased with herself.  Jack popped in a couple of fun flights one of which resulted in a small XC into the field next door, guess it's all part of the learning curve.....

Anna P gives the thimbs up after her final CPC task flight

It was another late day seeing us leave the field at 21.00 but well done to all especially Tim j for his endless patience and swift relocation's of the winch through the day.  Lets hope the weather settles down a bit.

Quote of the day "I'm finished"

Hedge bangers and wire hoppers

Once again the forecast was such that we opted for a late start and once again it proved the right thing to do with the troops assmebling at 13.00 in the field.

Yesterdays participants were joined by Jack E (Polzeath), Colin B (Dartmouth) and Anne W (Dartmouth) all on paragliders so making it a little busier.

Whilst everyone put in some ground handling I set out the winch and by the time they were were sorted we were ready to tow.  With 4 tows out of the way the wind began to act strangely and it took a good 40 minutes before it finally did a 180 which saw us switch ends  and reset everything.  Just ready to go and the wind picked up seeing me testing the air and both Paul on the winch and myself deciding it was a bit top end.

Colin decided this would be a good time to get his wing out but unfortunately he was a little to close to the hedge resulting in his wing becoming part of the BT network and him part of the hedge.  Lesson learnt glider and pilot recovered and the rest of the guys went well up wind into the field ........ 

The wind eased back and late afternoon saw things moving once again with everyone forming and orderly que.  The Johns and Wyn made the most of it and worked right through until 20.15 puttting in the high flights racking up 5 flights each as they progressed into their CPC tasks.  Anna P finshed off hers and had a celebration smile on her face after doing a couple of super Asymmetrics.  Anne W popped in 3 tows which after a long time away helped to get her back in the swing.  Jack E now CPC'd had a couple of nice flights one resulting in him getting a little carried away over the wires and into the next field .............  Colin gave it a miss as he recovered from his experience earlier in the day but gave encouragement to Anne from the start gate which was appreciated.

Another late one and once again thanks to Paul H for helping out and passing on some of his skills to Kaz as she got to grips with towing students.

Getting Going and flares

Daisy was not there but it is such a nice picture!

The forecast was not good in the morning so we decided to wait until mid day before heading to the field which proved to be pretty much on the nail.

With the two Johns keen to crack on after their ground handling afternoon being joined by Wyn D who after his Taster day was also keen to get going we were always going to see plenty of towing!

Towing started as soon as the guys were ready and they all got into the groove quickly making my life easy. Kaz joined in the fun on her hangy to again sweeten up her light wind flat field landings  and Anna P joined in after getting some good ground work in on her new Ozone Mojo 3.

 

 Wyn D looks like he means it as he waits for the line to return

John Sp completes his S turns in readiness to head to the top

Everyone had a great time with the Johns and Wyn putting away 11 flights each seeing them all finish on a high flight at the end of the day having completed their EPC's !  Anna P got to grips with her new wing and moved into the final stages of her CPC tasks and with the end in sight got really enthusiastic.

Anna P pops her new wing above her head and sets off

Kaz had fun and kept the Johns amused as she put in the tows, by the end of play she put in a cracking full flare landing in nil wind conditions landing as tippy toed as you like, I think half of Camborne must have heard her reaction!

A fairly late day with us rapping at 20.00 hrs but well worth it and many thanks to Paul h on the winch for staying out.

Two is company

Forecast a bit breezy for towing but with two very keen guys on the phone we opted to head to the field where at least we could get some ground work done in preparation for a days towing when conditions permit.

John S (Stithians) and John S (Helston) had both completed EPC course on the hill but were up for completing on the tow before heading back to the hill for soaring to speed up the process.  We had a fun few hours checking out their basic knowledge of glider checks etc before getting some very useful ground handling underway in the fresh enough conditions.

with a few tips and pointers the guys were soon improving their techniques until by the end of play they looked pretty sweet.  A well worthwhile exercise and something students (and pilots) really need to keep practising if they want to make their lives easy.

Looking forward to getting the guys onto the tow line soon.

Back to "normality"

Ian L comes into land after completing his CPC tasks

In contrast to yesterday things were a bit busier but in fairness not too busy, just the way we like it.

Ian L (Bristol) and Alan H (Bideford) were both back to carry on on the hangy and Para respectively and were joined by young Jack E now working well into his CPC on the Paraglider and Dan B, Darren N, Ian Kand Wyn D all on taster day Paragliding experiences.

Whilst Kaz worked with the taster days I got the others going on the winch and things swung into action.  Ian, Al and Jack all did well steadily moving through their flying tasks and ticking them off leaving Ian and Jack completed by the end of the day and Alan only a few flights away.

 Dan gets the ball rolling on the Taster days

 Ian demonstrates the open leg technique

Darren looks cool with a nice breeze up his shorts

Early afternoon saw me help out on the Taster days whilst Kaz took over the launch gate to keep the guys flying and it was not long before the guys were ready for their first tows.  The guys all did really well and whilst Ian specialised in demonstrating the full variety of techniques the rest picked out the best bits and made it look easy!  We had a really fun afternoon with plenty of ribbing going on but big smiles all round.

Alan H just looks cool

Well done to the guys on getting their CPC's a bit more experience in the field then off to the hills :)

Two lucky lads and one Lucky lady

It was good to get back out into the tow field and it was useful for it not to be too busy so allowing us to get back into the swing of it . 

Ian L (Bristol) was along on the Hangy and Alan H (Bideford) was on a Paraglider they were joined by Kaz who decided to take advantage of the quiet day to pop in some flights on her Hangy to sharpen up her light wind flat field landings.

Things got going early and in near perfect conditions the guys rattled off the tows putting away 33 tows between them whilst Kaz put in 5 of her own.  By the end of the day Ian had pretty much finished his CPC on the Hangy and Alan was into the final flying tasks on the Paraglider having started the day as just post EPC, so lots done.  Kaz had a great time and with a little encouragement got her landings better and better and nice to see her back on the tow again.

Lovely relaxed day with everyone behaving and looking forward to more of the same tomorrow

Chopping and Changing at Chapel

With a variable forecast we headed to Chapel armed with Hangies, Para's and ASKA's to make sure we had all bases covered!  On arrival we thought Hangies but a quick call to Paul H on the front changed our minds to Para's so to cover the options we took everything!

With three tandems due to arrive Kaz tested the air on her Paraglider and with the wind easing back that seemed to be the right machine.  By the time the first tandems were on site it was definitely a paraglider day so we wasted no time in getting into the air. Wayne H was first up and we had a cracking flight starting off in light conditions seeing us scratching around before the wind and the lift filled in giving us plenty of height to play before spiraling down to land with big grins.

With the wind having filled in darren H (Waynes brother) was next up and we opted for the hanger which proved a good choice giving the guys both a different experience whilst flying the same site.  Darren despite his nerves had a ball having plenty of "moments" and suprising himself at how much he enjoyed it.

Martin F had now arrived for his tandem and with the wind on the change again we gave the Paraglider another shot but by the time we were set to go the wind filled in again so it was all change.  we had acracking time on the hanger with Martin getting a good shot flying it and having done a day of hang Gliding some years ago his interest was rekindled, maybe we shall see him again if he can make the trip down from Cambridgeshire.  As the wind dropped again we sneaked back in on top just in time to round off a lovely day.

Good to be back in the air in the UK and lets hope the weather continues.........

Super Summer Soaring Sennen

Whats happening? it all to much like Summer  and whats more it's flyable at Sennen so that's where we headed.  Arriving to find it just becoming nicely soarable Kaz wasted no time in getting into the air on her Paraglider to check out conditions before i took the tandem up.  Although a little light to start with things quickly filled in and it was not long before Ollie G (St Ives) was clipped in and we were up and away in super conditions.

 We had a great time enjoying the view and checking out he sights and the sea was so clear you could almost see the fish. Ollie got plenty of time to have a go at flying the wing and did a very good job of it too. Its always good to take youngsters up as their level of enthusiasm is something else, be good to see you learn sometime Ollie......

Nick T was next up  and again we had a cracking time in varying conditions as the wind and the lift came and went mainly going towards the end of the flight which whilst giving us plenty of airtime as we scratched up and down did finally see us having to walk back up the dunes.........

We rounded off the end of the day with Kaz and myself going tandem in what once again were super conditions giving Kaz time to play with the wing and build up a few sharper turns and swingy things, all good fun.

great day and nice to fly with Paul H, Gay J, Nigel W and Andrew S (ex student down on holiday) in an uncrowded sky :)

Getting converted !

 Clive a gets set to run as Luke launches us on the Tandem

Off and away with Rame head in the distance

After a hard few days catching up at home it was time to get out flying again and to get some real work done.

Luke N made the long trip down from the far side of London to have a go at his Tandem Hang Gliding rating having now racked up sufficient hours and experience since learning to fly less than 2 years ago.  We met at Freathy where conditions were spot on and whilst the rest of the county had heavy showers we were blessed with sunshine all day :)

After watching Luke fly his uncles (Mark) glider and having had spent the last week in France with him at the British Nationals i deemed him up to it so off we went.  a couple of flights as passenger with myself as pilot gave Luke the idea then it was his turn.  He did a great job getting better and better with each flight and relaxing more and more.  By the end of the day he was on the ball and I'd be happy for him to take any of my family up so that says it all I guess.

Local pilot Mike gave us a hand on the ground as amazingly there was a lack of pilots out giving us the whole ridge between 4, can't be bad.  Mike took the chance to fly our demo ASKA and had a ball finding it much more user friendly than the Bobcat that he used to fly, ask him.

Clive A from St Ives made the trip up and had a cracking dual flight on the hangy with me in perfect conditions and made a pretty good job of flying it himself.

heading back towards launch on a super flight

Clive looking pretty relaxed after his flight

To round the day off Luke tried out my Wills Wing T2C and had a ball just loving it and landing with the words amazing, fantastic, easy and got to have one all coming out of his mouth so i guess he was impressed.....

Whilst Luke drigged the hangy i had a fun time practising fast flying along the cliffs and racking up a few XC k's for the local league. All in all a very nice day and well done to Luke for making the effort and flying so nicely.

France 2012

On Our way after seeing the "Boss"

Sorry for the delay in the updates but things have been pretty busy since we have been back and some of it even flying!

Here's a brief resume of what went on and if you want the full version bring some beers around and you get the full details .........

Saturday 14th saw us leave Cornwall and head to London where we had a cracking time in Hyde Park at the hard rock concert culminating in 3 hours of "The Boss" playing non stop and being joined by Sir Paul M at the end for some duets of Beatles numbers, wicked.

Sunday saw us cross the channel and make our way down through France stopping near Macon in an Aire to kip before deciding to head to Laragne or Annecy depending on the morning forecast.  Our night was interrupted by a hand coming in through the window and removing my Camel back from the back of the front seat at 2.00am however a good shout and they were gone leaving said item on the floor probably thinking it was a colostomy bag!  Still lesson learnt don't kip over in Aires ......

Kaz reading "the book" ..............

Morning forecast saw us head to Annecy as the mistral was blowing in Laragne and what a good choice it was.  After visiting the old town which is amazingly pretty we checked out the flying site and landing field which has changed since our last visit some 15 years ago or so.  Super launches for both hangies and Para's and super landing field as well what more can you ask.

Annecy old town v pretty (and the town is as well)

Over the next four days we had a great time with Kaz flying her hangy twice and Para once and me getting a couple of cracking flights on my hangy and soaking up the scenery.  Camping (vanning) by the lake was super luckily Mike C was not there else i think we would have pinched his spot. Mornings and evenings cooking up, swimming and chilling it was perfect.

 Kaz studies the ramp at Annecy before giving it a go

 setting off on a super hangy flight around the lake and beyond

 Annecy landing field big enough for all

 Our home for our stay in Annecy - perfect

With the weather changing and things improving in Laragne we headed south before stumbling across St Hilaere on the way and it seemed rude not to drop in.  A ride up the Funicular soon saw us on the Pg launch in challenging launch conditions. Still with a little encouragement from a local e both got off fine and had a fun flight before landing in the "target" field, well nearly.  Back on the road we continued towards Laragne before stopping just north of Aspe in another cracking wild camping spot for the night.

heading up to the really steep Funicular at St Hilaere

The morning saw us finally deciding on getting Laragne but then plans changed as we saw the Belgium comp pilots heading towards Aspe saw again it seemed rude not to.  In lovely conditions i joined the comp pilots on the first part of their task and had a great time racing to the first turnpoint without the fear of blowing a task and learning a lot on the way before heading laragne and having a fun couple of hours before dropping into the campsite landing field where Kaz arrived in ideal time in the van.

 Rigging up on Aspe before the comp'

Or home for the week again perfect

The next week was taken up with the British nationals in which we had some cracking flying and a real mixture of tasks with something for everyone. having decided to practise flying fast I had a ball although have to say it did make m arms ache and my eyes water! Cloudbase was up to 11,000' and the thermals were plentiful and generally the wind light so making for super flying conditions. Finishing 7th Brit was not my finest result but and a task by task basis i had some good results and overall it was one of the most relaxing comps i think i have ever flown  Big thanks to all who made it so much fun as well.  Camping wise due to campsite  being a little on the busy side we opted to wild camp at the lake and had a great time although not so sure it would have been so much fun if it had rained!

 getting a just reward after being fasted Brit

 Party night

With the comp over we headed for home taken a diversion back to St Hliaere where we planned a morning flight after camping at the top overnight.  I love it when a plan comes together and it was not long before we had Kaz rigging her hangy by "THE RAMP" and what a ramp it is. Despite initial "no way" Kaz slowly came to the point of thinking possibly and it was not long after that that she found herself clipped in and ready to go.

 Kaz walks the ramp and what a ramp!

 Once away the flying is as spectacular as the take off :)

With the Go Pro on the keel she was gone and "enjoyed" a super flight after the initial free fall and was still buzzing when i arrived in the landing field to pick her up. Fantastic and i guess i will have to do it next time!

The trip home was pretty straight forward and yes it was good to be back in the UK and we look forward to getting back to "work" making new pilots and new friends,

We are back

back from Fun and Flying in France and back into having Fun and Flying here. Bit busy at present catching up biut will bring the Blog up to date over next day or so to let you know whats been going on :)