To infinity and beyond .........

Well around the Rock off of St Agnes actually!

Goal ...... well turn point to be fair.

After 30 years of looking at it I finally made it out to and more importantly back from the Rock which stands just 1.1  miles north of take off at St Agnes.  A good day saw no less than 12 hangies on site and whilst breezy enough it was well flyable.  Mark H (D&S Condors) had a cracking flight early on with the sea thermals appearing early this year seeing us circling up to close on 2000' and the drift not nearly as quick as we thought.  Having left one just short of base i pushed back to the ridge before just carrying on out to sea to see what would happen ....... as it was not a lot, some good air was followed by some steady sink then just short of my target and when I was thinking hmmmmmmm a nice bit of lift came by.  Over the rock at 1200' (my cut off is 650) it was still a bit nerve racking as you it looks along way back.  Not wishing to push my luck it was a downwind dash seeing me arrive back on the ridge with close to 1000 to spare - nice -.

Track log, flown in an anti clockwise direction

A fun ridge race with mark on his Atos showed the T2 C to be quick enough to keep him behind although to be fair it is an older model that Mark flies, still quite impressive.

As the skies filled with pilots  it was time to get the Tandem out on which Gordon M joined me for a super flight in what were by now slightly more bouncy conditions, not that it worried Gordon!  After a nice landing Charlotte M was next up and had a ball as we played with the thermals and chased the gulls up and down the cliffs to a stunning backdrop.

Nice view from the Tandem and a nice sky

An excellent day and so good to see so many out with their stiffies and the added bonus of fulfilling a longstanding challenge.

Quote of the day "thats so relaxing"

The Final frontier

The Bank Holiday weekend saw us head to Wales for the final round of the BOS on what looked like a good forecast, how deceptive things can be!

To cut a long story short despite each days forecast looking pretty good each day under performed although to be fair 4 days flying out of 5 can't be bad.  Day one saw a breezy flight off the NW face of the Blorenge in a mixture of thermal and wave followed by a drift over the back and a 12 k XC putting me 5th for the day.

Day two was off to Forest Farm where the flying was fun but the cloudbase low and despite some good efforts no one made minimum distance.

Day three back up the Blorenge but this time on the NE face, despite a top forecast it was clagged in until early afternoon when finally things got going.  A couple of big thermals saw a busy spell and plenty of pilots getting away but only a few making more than min distance. Personally it was the hardest 19 K I have ever done and again 5th for the day!

Day four a return to NE face of the Blorenge but this time despite it being clearer the thermals were weaker and the climbs lower, everyone ended up down the bottom although some took longer than others to get there.

Well life on the farm goes on :)

So ended the BOS and guess what, yep it was a 5th place for the comp'.  Still a fun time had camping with Daisy, Tim and Angie shame Coady opted for some fully catered accommodation and a helicopter ride after the first flight but at least we could all relax a little.

Quote of the comp' "Hell Boy"  check out "the making of Hell Boy" on you tube ..........

Ups and Downs

Back to the field but this time  a bit more on with a good mixture of toys and boys.

Dave H (Leeds) was back for a second day on the Paraglider having had such fun yesterday, he was joined by Ollie C (Plymouth) also from yesterday, Colin N (Newlyn East) on his second day and Steve L (Exeter) on his 4th day on the Paragliders.  Richard H (Bristol) drove down for the day to play on the Hang Glider whilst Emil K (Devon) and Keith W were along for Paramotoring.

With the wind flicking about a little in the morning ground handling was the order until it settled down around midday and things got moving.  Emil got things going with the Paramotor making it all look far too easy as he popped in a total of four flights to complete his CPC Paramotor conversion including his theory exam, well done Emil :))

Emil gets going on the Paramotor

With the winch up and running Ollie got some more flights in on his Z4 playing with speed bar and big ears and sorted out his harness sizing, breeding hips I guess .......

Colin and Dave matched each other through the afternoon and seemed to feed off each others success as they built up the flights nicely both looking more like pilots with each flight.  By the the end of the day Dave had completed his release flights and gentle turns whilst Colin much to his surprise had moved onto higher flights and bigger turns.

Dave head up and away on his second day with us

Colin and Phippsy applaud Emil, or are they rehearsing how to release flights ??

Steve L moved on with his CPC Paragliding well and also sorted harness sizing whilst completing several tasks on the ay and ending up with speed bar.

All going on as Steve floats back in

Steve just soaking up the atmosphere

Richard H had a ball on the hang Glider and kept Ollie entertained with his swooping which seemed to impress him lots, can see who will be the next one to start hanging.  By the end of play he had popped in a couple of high flights which were the icing on the cake for him after over 20 years of trying!

Richard ready to go to the top at the end of a cracking day

Keith had a couple of go's at getting up on the Paramotor but never quite cracked it, well maybe he did ................

Many thanks to Adie for his help and well done to Kaz for some staunch towing with a variety of things going on.

Quote of the day "I never expected to be signing that"

Blondie Hit

A busy day soon got quieter with a few last minute cancellations but that's life and with the ball already rolling it was too late to stop it so off to the field we went with Dave H (Leeds) who was along for a Taster Day on a Paraglider.  In the field we were joined by Ollie C back from his time at sea (under the sea) and keen to try out his new Ozone Buzz Z4 before heading ti the hills and Keith W (N Devon) for some Paramotoring.

Whilst the guys got their kit ready Dave cracked on with the ground work on his Taster Day and was soon making good progress completing his hand tows by lunchtime.  With a good looking sky the concern was how bouncy it would be so I nipped up on the Paramotor to check it out for Keith.  Whilst it was fine at the time by the time Keith was ready it was getting a bit livelier so he decided to hang on.

The sky says it all as Ollie ground handles his new wing

By the time the tow brief was sorted and lunch was done the sky was even "better" time to test fly Ollies new wing :)  Sure enough a lively tow saw me release into good lift and in no time circling up along with plenty of dandelion seeds.  The lift was everywhere and despite a good effort with Big Ears it took a while to return to the field where Ollie patiently was waiting.

Kaz does the hard work and looks cool and trendy

A demo flight at lower level for Dave saw a smoother flight so we got Dave ready to go.  His first flight was actually pretty good despite an unorthodox start and the conditions.  After a short break it was Ollies turn to take his new toy to the top.  He had a super flight with the lift still around giving him plenty of time to settle in.  Dave got back on the line and popped in his remaining taster day tows improving his flying skills each time although his take offs still need a bit of work if we are to avoid more hang ups .......

getting to grips with it Ollie has a play

Big smile :))

With the paragliding sorted for the day Keith got back into the Paramotor and performed a super flight in lovely conditions with a nice launch followed by a super landing and very big smile, nice.

Keith has a super flight and gets time to relax

Very pleased with himself

So a strange day which whilst not the busiest seemed to keep us working hard but also provided some interesting experiences, thanks Ollie for your climbing skills.

Quote of the day "I think we've got crossed lines"

Peachy at Chapel, and a few others .....l

Hooray it looks like the weather forecasting is back on track and things seem to be panning out as they say so making plans are a little easier.

Chapel Porth was on as forecast and the sun was out as forecast and with a couple of Tandems flights to do all was good.  Whilst waiting for the passengers to turn up Kaz tested the air on her hangy whilst I gave it a go on the Paraglider, the hangy won with it being nearer top end on the Paraglider.

Sarah ready to go

Sarah  J was first up for a Tandem having been bought it as a present by her partner as a complete surprise.  We could have gone up on either Hanger or Para but we opted for the hanger and a super flight ensued with Sarah's nerves quickly disappearing as we soared the cliffs.  We had a birds eye view of the birds particularly the birds of prey which seemed to be out in force hunting the along the cliffs, they are just so amazing.  With Kaz ready to "catch" us we made a smooth landing back on top with Sarah expleating just what a fab' time she had had even before we unclipped.

Flying south the coastline all the way to St Ives

Heading North a view all the way to Trevose Head

With the wind filling a little more and the sky filling with hangies it was Danny's turn who was down on holiday from Woolacombe for a spot of surfing and a surprise Tandem flight from partner Fay who had kept it a secret up until the last moment, well nearly.  I think Danny was even more nervous than Sarah but he still manged to be a fine passenger only cutting the blood off to my wrist once and nearly crushing my shoulder twice!  Danny soon relaxed and we had another cracking flight joined by Kaz on her hangy as we played above the waves crashing in to the cliffs making it all the more dramatic.  Swooping for a tippy toe top landing rounded off an experience that Danny will never forget and all we need to do is to get Fay up next time!

Danny flies high over the old mine buildings

The rest of the day was made up with a nice mixture of Hang Gliding and Paragliding as conditions were good for both and the 9 hangies all made the most of it with good landings all round.  The Paragliders that were there had fun as conditions mellowed in the afternoon and once again the Delta 2 got "stolen" by Phil but in fairness I did pinch his Sport 2 first.....

Dunno never saw him (is the contraption in the foreground anything to do with him ?)

A packhorse called Peachy

Thanks to Peachy for his help and making the most a few days in Cornwall by not only flying but sorting several pilots ailments, I do believe he has nearly cracked it, or was that just my back ??????

Party in the park

A fun impromptu tea party/picnic in the car park was a fun way to chill out before heading home

Quote of the day "one size fits all"

Fourplay Friday

Shadow dancer

With an overnight front clearing in the morning the day was set to improve and indeed it did.  Midday saw us arriving at Sennen Cove to a beautiful blue sky and a view it would be hard to better.

Peachy followed us in and not far behind him Shaun S made a welcome appearance, long time no see, but where was Paddy??  It was not long before we had the Paragliders out and testing conditions which proved to be light and fickle to start with but by flying economically there was lift to be had and it was a good time to practise those slope landings.

Busy Beach

Gwenvor in the glasses (and a hairy nose, really must get the pluckers out)

 Quieter beach at Gwenvor

Everyone gave it a go and as the day went on the wind filled in giving some nice conditions and allowing the Delta 2 to soar the whole ridge from Sennen to Gwenvor, what a lovely wing :)

Adie went fishing and caught some fiddlers along with a sun tan and Peachy gave him an on site diagnosis. Shaun needs some new underpants, nothing to do with his flying and Kaz got a new nickname "Penelope Pitstop" it makes sense when you see her on her Para'.

Shaun flies by in the sunshine

Spot the Hang Glider Ramp

A relaxing day with some nice flying, the car park was busy but everyone made a good job of using the front slope opening up more opportunities for them as their skills developed.


A fun evening in St Ives listening and dancing to a swing band topped it off along with a lovely trip there and back on the Bonnie, it must be summer for real.

Quote of the day " re-entry "

Happy Days

A quiet day in the field just the way I like them, nice and relaxed. Richard (Bristol) was along to restart Hang Gliding in earnest after a 9 year break and starting trying to learn more than 20 years ago, lets hope it not purely desparation that has led him to us!

Things get moving

Starting from scratch we had a fun morning in lovely conditions building up the skills and confidence with the ground work before Jenny S (Falmouth) and Kaz joined us to get things going on the winch in the afternoon.  Richards first hops on the winch went well and he was quickly off the tethers and flying nicely across the field on the Condor.

Richard puts in a release flight

Jenny goes to the top

Jenny joined in the fun and after a few flights to tidy up her turns she was off to the top for the first time looking suitably nervous.  Despite the odd squeal she did a super job and settled down to high flights quickly as her confidence and skills built looking almost relaxed by the end of the day after her 10 flights.

Just loving it

Happy days

Richers had a full day as well also putting away 10 tows and getting through to release flights and gentle turns so in effect a good two days work under his belt.  With everyone full up Kaz sneaked off early to Chapel Porth for and evening flight whilst I took a paddle on the Kayak returning as darkness fell empty handed, well not quite it was mackeral for tea :)

Quote of the day "yeeeeeek"

Right On :)

Perranporth at 09.30 and the wind is light and a bit north, still based on the forecast we encourage the Tandems to head out for mid day when with a bit of luck it will be good. I settle down to catch up on the Blog from Friday in the sunshine.

An hour later a glance out to sea reveals some wind on the way in time to pop the Paraglider out.  Sure enough in came the breeze and both Kaz and myself had some lovely flying even managing to hook into a nice climb which saw me circling up and back nicely before pulling out and heading back as it was time to get down as the Tandems were due to arrive, shame.

By the time I was down the wind began to back and the lift began to drop and the sky get crowded with the only good lift being down at Penhale end, not ideal for doing Tandem flights.  So decision time and we decided to head to Chapel Porth with a small convoy of passengers behind, hope we have got it right.

At Chapel it was smack on but light, still we carried the kit forward and were rewarded with a steady increase in the breeze making it soon perfect for Paragliders.  Nick R (Falmouth) was first up on the Tandem making a fine job of the launch and giving a goo demo' for Sandra H (Mylor Bridge) who was due next.  Nick had a great flight and enjoyed every minute of it along with having a go at flying the glider whilst enjoying the views.  A first class landing saw us back on top then it was Sandra's turn who had been bought a voucher for her 70th birthday.

Nick looks down on the lower engine house as we climb from launch

Classic Chapel view

 A birds eye view of the upper mine buildings from the Tandem

With a bit of help at launch we made a smooth take off and were soon up joining the other guys in the air. Sandra was well up for it not only enjoying the views but also enjoying a bit of rock and roll as we played with the glider.  A passing seal below added to the fun before we popped back in on top for a nice landing and a very chuffed Sandra.

Sandra gets set to go

Sharing the air

Sandra waves to the crowd as we come in to land

Whilst conditions stayed ideal for Paragliding it was always a bit light for tandem Hang Gliding so Judith (Germoe) waited patiently for things to improve whilst we played and Phil L put some airtime in on my Delta 2 and just loving it.  Tim J showed that it was fine for hangies if you were on the case and had a super flight making the run to Porthtowan and beyond look easy.

A packhorse called Sam

 The wind filled and veered late afternoon so we packed the wings loaded the Truck and headed back to Perranporth for hopefully some more flying and a social evening with BBq's and food.  Perfect timing, the wind was smack on and plenty strong enough for hangs. I have never seen such quick rigging  and in what seemed no time at all there were 5 hangies up having a ball.  Judith came up on the Tandem Hangy proving patience is a virtue and we had a great flight playing with the lift as the tide pushed in lifting the heat out of the sand and making some nice thermals.

Playing in the evening sunshine

The camp laid out below as we climb in a nice thermal

Juddith looking pretty pleased after a super flight

Back on the ground the cooking began and we had a very nice few hours with a good group and Judith stayed on to join in.  As a reward for letting him fly the Delta Phil offered me a flight on his Sport 2 and guess what I was off for a blast to round off the day. I know I keep saying it but they are so much fun :)

Another cracking day, Cornwall at it's best .

Quote of the day "watch out you are burning your Baps"

Run around and around

A positive forecast saw us off to the field with two taster Days Tom and Rebbecca (Gweek) and day twoer Colin N (Newlyn East) with high hopes to crack on before the wind picked up later in the day.

Things looked OK on arrival and we cracked on with the ground work Kaz taking Rebbecca and Tom whilst I spent a bit of quality time with Colin to work on forward launching. The pleasant breeze soon disappeared to a non existent one making us work pretty hard and not helped by what there was changing direction at whim!

Just as the guys were starting their hand tows it  began to get damp making life a bit more challenging again.  However with a bit of ducking and diving everyone managed to get things sorted and ready to tow as it dried up again.

With the winch set to go and Colin having made some excellent progress in his technique it was looking like it would all come good ........  then the wind picked up!  We gave it our best shot but in the end we decided not to tow as things were just a bit to variable. So having got so close Tom and Rebbecca will return another day to finish off, it will be good to see them again and give Kaz another chance to talk vegetables with them, every cloud has a silver lining :)

Forage from the field, yummy ;)

Quote of the day " No graham thats definitely not rain ......... oh"

7 Up

 Andy S gets to play on the ASKA

An early start saw us heading to Perranporth with a full truck of toys and hopes for a good day. Kaz was in the air on her hangy by 9.15 in fresh conditions with plenty of lift. I snuck in a flight on the ASKA and had a fun 20 minutes in breezy enough conditions before popping her in and rigging the Tandem Hanger ready for the first passengers.

Sharon gets a stunning view

Spot on time friends Toni and Sharon arrived having been bought vouchers by their partners Wayne and Darren who had had flights with us last year whilst on holiday. The girls were up for it although a few nerves were showing as we walked to take off with Sharon clipped in.

Toni gets a good view of Bill from above

Both girls had a cracking flights in super conditions giving us plenty of lift to play in as we flew with the seagulls ducked and dived, all great fun. A couple of super landings saw us back on top with smiles all round.

Good time had by all

With the wind easing back a little and the passenger weight going up a bit we opted to take Simon C (Newton Abbot) u on the Paraglider and that proved a good choice. Simon did well on the launch and soon we were up and away mixing it with the other Paragliders and Hang Gliders up there. Simon had a very pleasant 20minutes and got to fly the wing as we discussed various matters over a wide range of subjects. Back on top we had a sweet landing just as the wind began to fill again.

With plenty going on there were no less than 13 hangers on site and nearl;y as many Paragliders but everything ran smoothly with good awareness all round. A cup of tea and a roll then it was off again with Georgina and Ellie ( Norman P's offspring) for some fun flights on the hangy. With their background we had plenty to chat about and whilst we played in the smooth lift and with their weights height was no issue:).

Justina smiles for the camera

Justina and Martini down on holiday from London were passing by and took the opportunity to have tandem flights on the hangy as part of their vacation. Justina had a ball as we swooped along the cliffs with the wind picking up a bit more before coming for smooth touchdown. Finally on the Tandems it was Martni turn who is an experienced Paraglider pilot but fancied finding out what Hangies are all about. We had a ball with Martini getting some cracking shots from the glider and wanting to know everything. However, when I offered to demo, a stall the look on his face was classic :) still a couple of good stalls later the grip on my wrist was mariginally less but then I guess the difference between the two disciplines in that area is massive …......

on approach to the end of another super flight

Just to round the day off I took James R's T2 up for a test fly and had a fun 10 minutes zooming around before it was time to head home. So a full on day and lots of happy folk both on the tandems and on the solo's what more can you ask.

Paul H comes in for a landing

Big thanks to Paul H for keeping the hangies in order and safe.

Guess who ??

Quote of the day “ Graham didn't realize he had such a big one !, neither did kaz)