Boxing Day play

With Christmas Day celebrated and feeling suitably un healthy it was good to get Jenny P (daughter) ringing up first thing to see if we were going out flying in the hope of a tandem flight for her and her boyfriend.  a quick weather check and yes we were loading and heading out to Chapel Porth.

A beautiful morning it was with blue skies and the odd cumulus floating in off the sea in the mid twenties breeze.  Graham M with his hangy arrived as did Lee K with his Para to join in the fun.  It being a bit top end for Lee he took the chance to fly the ASKA and was soon off and away looking pretty comfortable as he soared the whole length of the cliffs and playing around.

With the Tandem rigged it was not long before Damien G was briefed and clipped in ready for the off.  In super conditions we were soon up there cruising the up currents and looking at what can only be described as an amazing view.  The blow hole was blowing, the sea was crashing in and the sun was shining, excellent.  Damien had a great time soaking it all in before having a go at flying the glider and he did a fine job too.

the fun begins 

Damien gets to fly the glider

Graham M came up to join us and made good use of the thermals that were drifting through before we left him to go in for a landing.  Next up was Jenny who had not been upon the Hangy since she was small.  We had a ball playing and swooping in classic flying conditions with backdrop too match, it was great to see so many people out walking the cliffs giving little blobs of colour in amongst the gorse.  With the wind easing a little Lee popped up on his normal Paraglider but progress was slow!

Jenny just loving it

spot the rainbow

Finally Lee P (eldest son) also took the chance for a fly and with the wind once again picking up enjoyed a cracking flight as the lift increased.  Handing over the controls he did a great job flying the glider and wondering why he does not come up more often!

play time

Coming in to land

With the kids all sorted Kaz got her chance to fly on her Sport 2 joining Nigel W who had also turned up.  They both had a some super flying with Kaz really starting to tune into her new wing.  A bite of lunch then with the next front on the Horizon I sneaked in a fun flight on Kaz's wing before landing it back by the car park and calling it a day.

Kaz looking good

Happy Bunnies

What a super way to spend Boxing day just a shame Sam P (middle son) could not make it, maybe next year ……  Well looks like a bit more wind and rain for the next few days.

Quote of the day "eeeeeeeeeeeeeeek"

One in Five

What a lovely day, in the middle of all this stormy weather the sun shone and the winds went light, shame more students could not take advantage of it, still it was to good to miss.

In fact Bill and Phil thought the same both turning up in the field to enjoy the weather and the entertainment!  On the student front Nigel A (Townsend) was out on the Hang Glider and looking forward to another full on day.

ready for the off

Nice to have time for a good fry up, where's bills banana gone ??

After a test of the air Nigel was straight up there into the high flights and it was not long before he was working on base bar conversions before moving into prone.  It took a few flights and a bit of lunch (lovely fry up Kaz) before Nigel got firmly back into the groove and full prone flights quickly followed.  Next it was onto slow flight appreciation followed by full stalls to complete his CPC tasks and whilst not wanting to tempt fate he has yet to drop the nose on landing!

Bill takes Phil for a weigh in

Fully serviced and about to be marked

A nice fun flight rounded off the day giving time to fully enjoy the view and what a wonderful place it is to learn to fly.  The field was looking stunning with a fine coating of cobwebs shimmering in the sunshine making it look almost like water.

Bill rounds up the sheep as the field glistens

what a playground ;)

With lots of attention from all quarters Nigel was truly spoilt  and made the most of it by putting in 19 flights before the end of play.

Quote f the day "less head, more hips"

Friday Frolics

A little subdued today but it was good when the skies cleared and the wind veered and news from Daisy that it was on at Chapel. Kaz was up for it so we headed out and rigged swiftly whilst Graham m flew above us.

With Kaz ready and `Graham down reporting improving conditions it was off to the front.  Kaz made a super take off and was soon climbing away, all too soon the wind increased and with it off to the south Kaz could not make it back to launch.  In what can only be described as bouncy conditions she did a fine job dealing with the challenge popping the glider down a couple of fields away whilst i did n impression of Husein bolt sprinting over to make sure she was OK, not a very good impression it has to be said.

Beginning

middle

end

Back at the front it was blowing a good 35 mph plus so we called it a day and went to warm up in readiness for the KHPA Christmas do in the evening which is another story!

 Suffice to say me walking into the mens with a camera in my hand drew a few looks and lots of laughs and Kaz's suprise gift  gave a lot of entertainment and will for some time to come  ...........

 

Wyn making a purchase

Kaz looking delighted

then it all got a bit hazy

 a fun evening and nice to meet up with the guys and gals  just a shame as ever not more there.

Quote of the day "just like in Algo'"

Thank you

Thank you PC for your company and let us try to put a little of you into all our lives.  A challenging day but good to see so many turn up to both during the day and in the evening.

As an email sent said "to the men in loud shirts"  let the dress coad continue.

Fresh at Freathy

A few beers the night before was enough to convince us to head to Freathy on a forecast of lighter winds in the east and a low tide.  With a full van full of toys we headed off to visit the South Devon lads.

As we rounded the Fort the sea looked a little more rippled than expected and the sight of a hangy launching confirmed it. On site it was about 20mph so time to rig the hangies. Kaz , Phil and myself popped them together whilst Adie and Peachy socialised and made themselves generally useful.

Hello little boys ….says Peachy

With the tide still in Kaz and Phil decided to wait a little so i took off for a fun race  along the lifts to pop in  a small out and return in double quick time accompanied most of the way by Sam a on his Sport 2.  By the time we got back the wind had filled noticeably and the guys decided to hold fire and watch the fun on landings.

more sitting, didn't your mother warn you about getting piles ? 

Much wind measuring and a test with the ASKA confirmed it was windy.  More chatting and coffee then as the day drew on Kaz and Phil decided enough was enough. peachy left and that was all that was needed.  Another test on the ASKA and this time no problem although to be fair it was still mid twenties plus a bit!    A fun day out in the sun and good to catch up with the SD guys, must do it again some time.

time to de rig as the shadows draw out

Quote f the day "who's that mad women" well it plays havoc with your hair when sticking your yea out of a car window at 70 mph, sorry we got there in the end .

Oh second quote later in the evening "frogs chorus"

Scratching and Sitting

Back to Chapel Porth the day looked a bit more showery than yesterday and indeed we had to wait a bit for the dampness to pass but once it did it did.

Plenty of ground handling practice went on

The Clouds were playing with the wind and it was very much pick your moment if you wanted to get some airtime in.  Adie gave it the first shot and took a visit to the lower footpath, by the time he got back up it was a bit better and we took to the air to play with some fun lift.  That lasted for 15 minutes or so then it was back down again for a wait until the next session.

Fiona goes for it ...

with Phippsy right behind

Still it was a fun day although you really had to keep your eyes on it as the lift came and went seeing Wyn over 1000' ATO one minute then back having to slope land a few minutes later.  Phil thought better of it and spent the day "coaching" and taking photos from the safety of his chair and Steve W had a minor surgical operation whilst on site thanks to Fiona, ear ear.

stitched by Phil ……...

Some visiting pilots made the beach look pretty and then it was time to go home.

Quote of the day  "that was easy"

Up and Down at Chapel

Spring low tides are always welcome when it comes to flying the coast and what a nice one it was at Chapel port where the beach was just about as big as it gets :)  Peter F was along to hopefully get his first hill soaring flights underway and with conditions looking good we wasted no time in getting set to go.

The sun starts to shine

Kaz and myself tested the air and it was fine and then Pete went off to find his gloves, what a difference 10 minutes can make!  By the time he had returned conditions were a bit lighter but still soarable although not the hundreds of feet of lift that there had been.  Still after a bit of ground handling to get settled in Pete made it to the front and was soon up and away floating along the cliffs.  Ten minutes later and the lift got a little lighter again and Pete was putting his new found skills to the test as he scratched along in the gentle lift doing a fine job.

First soaring flight for Pete

almost looking relaxed

With him looking nice and smooth we took the opportunity to bring him back in whilst we had the height and with a little guidance he performed his first slope landing, nice.  Big grin, debrief, soak it all in and wait for the breeze to fill in then it was off again.

mixing with the Big Boys Pete joins in the fun

Steve M making it look easy

Treeve heads for the lift

Next flight was even better with a bit more lift and a lot more experience, another 10 -15 minutes and it was back in on top, excellent.  Bit more chat, bit of watching Steve M demonstrating super smooth ground handling,bit more breeze so let's make the most of it. In what were now fresh enough conditions Pete was off for his third flight of the day.  The lift was much more and life was easy as he cruised the ridge lift mixing it with the other pilots before coming in for a super top landing.

Top landing and looking good

bowing to the Masters ??

With the wind filling in further it was time to stop and change wings (not for Pete) and out came the ASKA for play time.  A couple of fun flights along side Sam A on his hangy and it was Peachy's turn ……….  looking like a startled rabbit in the headlights he coaxed it to the front before hesitating, a little encouragement and he was off into a nice 20mph breeze.  To be fair he did a great job and looked almost relaxed as he soared up and down getting it sussed.  Back on top his face was a picture, almost enthusiastic and very chuffed with himself, watch out for him when you are flying your hangy!

"did you see me ?"

Quote of the day " It feels far more solid"  it was in relation to something or other!

Doing it !

It is one of the great things about having your tow field just down the road, a wench person as a wife and a student who is very flexible on time, things can happen very quickly.

Nigel drops the line on his first flight to the top

loving the view

Despitet only having one student available we decided to give it a go with a late start at 11.30 and aiming for an early finish so we did not overload him!  Nigel A was keen to crack on with his Hang Gliding so we were keen to accommodate him and make the most oaf a nice day.  With the glider rigged, checked and the winch ready to go Kaz arrived at 12.30 and off we went.

Nigel steadily put the tows in building on his release flights from Thursday and starting turns as well. each flight went a little higher and after a break to let things soak in and a cup of coffee he moved into higher flights and steeper turns.  With everything looking good and airspeed nicely under control he was ready for the big one.  His first flight to the top of the line was near perfect and the next two even better!

turning in for landing

Thirteen flights to his credit we decided to give it a rest and pack up for the day and what a day it was ( well few hours actually) .  Learning to fly does  not have to be to hard a work and with low numbers and a winch (oh and a willing student) it is amazing what can be done.

enough said

Well done to Nigel for keeping up and some lovely towing from Kaz as the wind varied through the day down to practically zero.  At this rate another couple of days and we will be off to the hills ;)
Check out the video here

Quote of the day " that was just amazing"