Nice onK

Kaz takes off at 08.50

The forecast gave the chance of a morning slot so after an early weather check we were up and loading the truck (now with new cylinder head and no smoke;)) with para's, ASKA and Kaz's hanger to cover all conditions.

Chapelporth saw us arrive at 08.00 where the wind was pretty much smack on and 16 -18, ideal.  By the time we had carried forward and rigged the hangy it was a little lighter but looking like picking up again judging by the sea.  I gave the air a quick test on Kaz's glider which showed good lift as the wind filled in up to the low 20's.  Kaz was off and away at 08.50 in good lift seeing her quickly up to 650' ATO and cruising the ridge and jumping across to the Porthtowan side with ease.

Where is everyone?

Having not taken my hangy I gave the ASKA a go and joined in the fun bobbing around below Kaz and watching the seagulls flying around like swarms of WWII fighters.  The lift was smooth and the fying relaxing even though some light sea thermal drifted by.  40 minutes of flying saw us both landing as the wind began to back a little for a break.  Paul H arrived just as it eased again and wasted no time in jumping into my ASKA and legging it off the hill.  The lift was not so good and it was a few minutes before we saw the top of the ASKA flitting up and down the ridge resulting in a slope landing..

Kaz heads off to Porthtowan

Next Adi and Big G turned up closely followed by Phil L and the Glen, Gary and Wyn who had come over from Perran.  Big G got out his Paraglider and did a pretty good impression of Pauls flight but landing even further down and even quicker confirming the wind was not only light but now well off.  Adi sorted his wing, Phil aired out my Delta and we packed up the Hangy.

So yes it was a slot and very nice while it lasted, anyone understand Clifford alarms ????????

Quote of the day " males always look better " Guess that's why he is still single then .............

Weather what weather ??

Triston flies high over the cliffs during an "amazing" day for him

Whilst not to far to the east much of the country was  under snow making travel a bit tricky down in the west it was shaping up for a nice day so we headed to the tow field.

On the Paragliders Jon R (indian Queens) and Paddy B (Falmouth) were back for day two and joined by Peter F (St Mabyn) for day three.  They were also joined by Triston J (Torquay) who made it down despite conditions to get up on the Paramotor.

After a bit of ground handling we set the winch out just in time for the wind to drop and back. Undeterred we moved around the field just in time for it to do a 180!  Ok a bit of theory and give it time to settle.  Triston got the Paramotor ready and as the wind finally settled all be it very very light he got set to go.  In near nil wind conditions he made a good launch for his second ever flight on it and was soon circling the field as he climbed high in the sky.

Whilst we moved the winch once again Triston enjoyed himself looking pretty relaxed as he explored the flying characteristics of the unit and wing.  With the tow launch reset and ready to go Triston came in and landed looking just as pleased as he did on his first flight, magic.

A perfect landing rounded off Tristons day

Now it was the turn of the Paraglider boys and with a light breeze we wasted no time in getting going.  John  R led the way followed by Paddy B both getting in their first release flights before moving steadily on into gentle turns and higher flights seeing them well into their EPC's by the end of the day.  Peter F joined in the fun and had a great day finishing off gentle turns before going higher and making tighter ones and rounding off his day with a flight to the top of the line resulting in a very happy Peter.

They all did well making good progress and sorting out techniques as they went along and having a laugh with it.  In between tows Triston managed to pop in another three flights on the Paramotor to have a cracking day which saw him cruising around well over 1000' up and taking a sightseeing trip along the coast.  Another good day in the field and he should be ready to fly as a CPC pilot ;)

Sorry for the lack of photo's of the Para' boys but they kept me far to busy to take any!!

Thanks to Kaz for some good towing and getting me off in a slight tail wind and to Triston for the use of his 4x4 to move the winch as the truck is in for repair, hopefully back soon.

Quote of the day "Brilliant, just brilliant"

Sneaking one in

After another fun morning on the paperwork (and i thought it was in good shape) a quick check of conditions showed the chance of a flyable slot at Chapel Porth after lunch.  Needing a break we headed out to find the wind light but on.  With all the vital signs on the horizon looking good we opted to get the Paragliders out in readiness.

Sure enough the gulls went up and I quickly followed whilst Kaz sorted her wing.  The lift picked up quickly but as it did the signs out to sea looked like the breeze was about to as well, so after 10 minutes in the air it was Big ears all the way down landing in breezy enough conditions which quickly turned into very breezy ones within minutes.

Still we had a nice walk afterwards before getting back to the accounts, honest Phil.

Quote of the day "I thought computers made things easier??"

Sub Zero's and Hero's

 A pictures worth a thousand words and this one says it all

Well it felt sub zero in the field but at least it was dry and the wind was light so we should not complain when compared to the rest of the country.  Having had a busy day booked things quickly changed with a few people failing to make it for one reason or another, still it made life easier and once again Triston cashed in.

John R (Indian Queens) and Paddy B (Falmouth) were along for day one on Paragliders both with an interest in Paramotoring as well.  Whilst Kaz got them going and warming up with the ground work I took Triston J (Torquay) to finish off his high flights on the Paraglider before him switching to the Paramotor.  Three nice flights under his belt and Tim hopped off the winch to help Kaz and Trtiston got introduced to the Paramotor.

Pretty soon he was running around with it on his back, followed by some ground handling with unit and glider and was feeling pretty hot!  Whilst Triston cooled down Kaz brought over the day oners and got them set on the winch.  In near perfect conditions Paddy led the way into the air for his first flight on a Paraglider.  He did a fine job setting the standard for John.  No worries John followed suit and made a good job of his first flight both returning with big smiles.

They both put  in two more flights each and both improved with each flight almost looking like pilots by the end of play.

Next it was Tristons turn to get back on the power.  A couple of practice take off runs and it was time to go for it.  A nice reverse inflation and nice turn into forward a nice run and he was away much to his amazement.  Triston did well circling the field and looking more relaxed by the minute.  Rounding off the flight with a super landing resulted in one of biggest grins I have ever seen, fantastic. So good to see someone progress step by step towards their dream of flying:)

Happy bunnies at the end of a super day

Another lovely day with plenty done and everyone happy if a little chilly, keep an eye on the Blog to see how everyone progresses as Spring approaches.

2 degrees above

Thats what makes for good sea thermals and there were plenty around today with the boys at Carbis Bay getting up to 1000 ATO where it was even colder.  Kaz and myself had a fun day doing a bit of walking and a bit of flying in some of the less flown areas of Cornwall and whilst it has to be said where we flew is not ideal for all (no bottom landing) we had some cracking flying in very thermic conditions and if it were not for being underdressed an XC was on the cards.

 Looks like a variable week coming up so could be good or could be not so good

Perfect timing

Having spotted the chance of a flyable slot at Vault we kept a close eye on conditions during the morning and as things began to fall into place we packed the van gave Graeme A a call and headed to Vault bay hoping it would pan out as planned.

Arriving at 14.15 it was still breezy enough but within 15 minutes it eased and I tested the air on thew Delta which saw me quickly climbing high in the strong lift and thermic conditions.  Kaz soon joined me as Graeme arrived so I nipped in to get him ready for day two of his hill conversion.

Kaz and Graeme share the air

Armed with his "new" Ozone Buzz Z3" after a site brief Graeme was soon away and climbing nicely in the abundant lift.  It took a few beats to settle into the wings handling but he was quickly in tune. 15 minutes later after a demonstration landing by Kaz he came in and popped her down as pretty as you please :)  A quick debrief and he was off again this time launching from the corner launch to enjoy another super flight and start to play with the thermals as well.

Another top landing and looking happy

Another cracking top landing and another cracking flight after it saw Graeme complete his hill conversion just as the light began to fade and the breeze freshen, well done.  I sneaked in a final flight on my Delta which saw me  coring up to 1000' and having to pull Big Ears and Speed bar to get down again!

That's how lucky we were, the wind eases from arrival at 14.15 till end of play at 16.30, think we should try buying a lottery ticket!!!! 

 Cracking unexpected afternoon slot, great day for Graeme (Billy Whizz) so watch out for him on the hills in South Devon and Cornwall.

Graeme A (Billy Whizz) celebrates his qualification :) 

Quote of the day " Thank you, thank you, thank you"  trust me it's a pleasure.

Sunshine & Soaring at Sennen

A fresh NNW forecast to back and ease as the day went on saw us heading to Sennen Cove where hopefully the wind would play ball for all.  On arrival it was perfect for hangies so whilst Kaz rigged I broke out the ASKA and had some fun flying in sea thermic conditions.

Kaz was ready so I nipped in and Kaz took off skying out in no time and having the whole ridge to herself. After a fun flight Kaz came in and landed back on top and to save rigging my glider I took the chance to to have a fly on her glider whilst waiting for Graeme A(Plymouth) to arrive to hopefully start his hill conversion.  It was great fun playing with the thermals and with the airport closed due to boggy runways there were no limitations, nice.

With the arrival of Graeme (and Fiona A) the wind began to ease so it was time to go to work.  After a hill brief and some ground handling to get used to the new environment Graeme was ready to go.  He soon joined Fiona and Kaz in the air who were popping up and down in the thermals.  Graeme did a fine job using both the lift when it came through and dealing with the sink bits in  between.  15 minutes later he came in for a top landing sorting out his approach as he went resulting in a stand up landing in the end.  Huge smile a very happy Graeme was bouncing.

With the wind dropping steadily it became more important to use the sea thermals and whilst there was lift around if you could use it Graemes second flight saw him heading to the beach after a few beats.

Still a good day all round and Graemes hill conversion underway.

Quote of the day "where's the water?"

Lucky 13

And we had it in the field on what turned out to be a cracking day.  Sadly some of last weeks students could not make it but that played well for those that could!

With a slightly delayed start students turned up at various times but by mid day we were fully underway.  Saun S (Penzance) was keen as mustard and got straight into his PLF practice but a combination of over enthusiasm and the previous days Yoga resulted in a painful muscle so he decided not to push a point and after a spot of ground handling gave it a rest.

Tristan J (Torquay) made full use of the now even quieter day and after a ground handling session was soon on the tow line rattling off 13 tows and finishing off the day with his first flight to the top which resulted in a huge grin ;))  With his EPC flying tasks behind him and only a couple more high flights to go he will soon be strapping the Paramotor to his back  so watch this space.

Angela I made a late start but worked nicely on some ground handling before joining Tristan on the tow lines and popped in 6 tows taking her to the end of her EPC (congratulations) and ready to go to the top on her next day out.  Despite a few nerves she progressed well through the day with each flight getting smoother and more controlled, nice.

 Good to see Phil L and Steve W drop by on their way back from flying at Carbis where there was plenty going on by the sound of it.

 Quote of the day "what time is the train?"

Sorry no piccies still searching for the camera!!

New Boys and New Toys

Finally it was time to get back in the field and to get some training underway having not been there since before Christmas.  The sheep had done a great job and the grass looked like it had been freshly mown!

The student split was 50/50 with Miles T (Illogan) back after a 6 month break to continue his CPC Paragliding, Kieth W (Barnstaple) and Peter F (St Mabyn) both back for their second days on Paragliders.  They were joined by three newbies, Todd A (Totnes) who had some paragliding in Spain, Tristan J (Torquay) who also had some previous experience and Shaun S (Penzance) who had no previous .....

Everyone got going as soon as we hit the field and it was not long before gliders were popping up as the ground handling got underway.  Whilst the newbies carried on with Kaz (assisted by Steve M, thanks Steve) the other three got onto the winch and into the air. I took the opportunity to do the test flights on a brand new Ozone Element 2 straight out of the bag which just reminds me how nice new gliders are ;).

Miles was quickly back into the swing of things and finished off his weight shift tasks before moving nicely into speed bar.  Keith W moved through release flights into gentle turns as did Peter F both improving steadily with each flight.

With the Newbies ready to tow they had a bite of lunch just as some drizzle arrived seeing us popping gliders in vans as the sunshine disappeared.  As luck would have it by the time we had eaten and carried out the tow brief the drizzle stopped and it was all go.  Todd A led the way for day ones and did a pretty good job but also leaving plenty for the others to improve on!  Tristan was next and made it all look pretty simple which only left Shuan.  Based on Coady's well proven theory that one in three day oners jump into the air on take off Shuan was now convinced it would be him, he need not have worried, he did a fine job returning with a huge grin on his face.

We worked hard until the light began to fade and all the day oners got through to first release flights and were impressed enough to sign up to carry on so watch this Blog.

Back home and with a van full of wet kit we had to summon Phil L to come around and remove his kit. hangy and Para, from the drying room where it had been following a damp time at Struddick a few days ago so we could hang the gliders out to dry. Hopefully they won't take long and we will be ready for the next good day.

Quote of the day "you can take the back end if you like"

Good to get out

After a few promising days did not play ball finally it came good and we dropped tools and headed to the hill as the drizzle cleared unexpectedly.  A quick load and it was off to Chapel where we found a few Para's up in what were breezy enough conditions (18-20) so we choose to fly the hangs.  Whilst I test flew a repaired wing Kaz rigged her Eagle and we had some super flying with heights up to 500' using the Paragliders as turn points.

A couple of hours were enough then it was off home again.  Nice to meet up with the guys and wish a few Happy New Years. Lets hope it starts off better than the last one finished........

Quote of the day " are you sure there's enough lift????"