Lost contact at Praa

Kaz under the weather , the boys off to Carne and me not knowing what to do!  Decided to hang around and see how if Kaz perked up and then head out to join the gang if she did.

The fun begins

2 hours later Kaz not perked up and report of windy at Carne. Kaz wants peace and quiet so I head off to Praa sands to catch up with Mark F.  Found him on his boat putting windows in, only 6 weeks to go.  Had chat wondered off to beach with Zero, had good fly landed to find phone gone awol, checked likely drop out points, had another fly, started to get windier.

Sun time

shadowing the dunes

shadowing the pub

Had cup of tea and out world to rights with Mark, had another search for phone, gave up and went home!    A fun few hours and must return with the Hangy for some more fun another day.

Always bleeding something to do for Mark

Seems like Chris H had a ball down to the west in the morning with some super flying and the boys to the east watched Phil L briefly hop about and chewed the fat ;)

Quote of the day "sorry we are unable to connect you"

Return of the Kid and it gets Wyn D

Merry Christmas to all from Cloud 9

(card design www.iamsamcreative.co.uk)

As forecast it was a fresh breeze at Perran where there was a good gathering of Mini Wings Hangies and even a rigid.

 Gary F led the onslaught and it was not long before the Hangies took over the sky having a ball zipping and zooming over a massive beach, same it was not the Frostbite!

Big G took his time as a little under the weather but joined in the fun on his rigid and we had a fun time racing each other around the sky. It was good to see James C make a return to Cornwall and he took full advantage of it as we lent him a Calypso which he entertained us on as usual I remember why we miss him.  Phil L, Kaz, Chris W, Andy r and even Carez made a showing on the hangies.

Michel K turned up and stirred the Paras back into action by taking our Zero for fly encouraging Gary  and Glen F, Wyn D and Adie up.  They had a fun 10 minutes before the wind returned seeing a few of us running to check all was well.

Well done to Adie for winning the hide and seek competition and returning a piece of padding to me :)

Is that it for the year ?? will we sneak out tomorrow?? and when is the Frostbite ?? all this will become clear over the next few days ;)

Quote of the day "it's Rigid"

Hangovers and Wingovers

With Kaz suffering just little from an evening out with Peachy and Phil it was off to Perran on my tod to get some more airtime in on the Hangy along with a Tandem  booked in.

11.45 Sam J already on site and waiting for PC's Talon and the wind smack on and fresh, perfect.  Whilst Gary f and Mike B played on a mini wing I got the Tandem rigged followed by the T2 C and Sam the Talon.  Time to fly and test conditions, nice na drifty nice and smooth, even better than it looked.  Gentle sea thermals soon saw climbs up to 900' giving loads of height to play.

The start of a classic flight

With Peter (Tavistock) arriving for his tandem flight I nipped in and we got to meet the family before briefing him for his flight that he got for his birthday only last week.  Sam J launched on the Talon and Chris W arrived and helped us off on the Tandem.  Pete was the perfect passenger, just loving it and making the glider feel like it was a solo.  In the super lift Pete got the chance to fly the glider before I put her through her paces ........

Pete loving it

We waited to land as sam j made his approach and watched from up high.  A good approach soon turned into an interesting situation resulting in a pole vault and a broken Talon.  We followed suit, well not literally and it was a beaming Pete that unclipped.

Happy Birthday

With Sam off for a check up (no damage)  courtesy of Gary F, thank you, Chris W launched for a super flight and after "deriving" the Talon I joined him on my glider.  Chris landed, Andy R launched , I landed and finally Andy landed as the wind eased back to Paragliderble.

A fun day for the Hangies and the mini wing that was there guess the rest were on the Towans?  

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

Two up on Tuesday

Another early start saw me rigging my Wills Wing T2 C at Perranporth as daylight came and we waited for the students to arrive.  Frank H (Bodmin) was spot on time at 8.30 and just in time to me launch into a very pleasant WNW breeze to build some more time on the hangy.  Conditions were much smoother than the last couple of flights giving an opportunity to not only relax and feel how a few tuning alterations had panned out but also to get the bar in and scoot along the dunes at high speed and get used to the bar pressures.

Whilst Frank got ready and waited for the wind to ease a little I had some fun and was somewhat entertained by someone at the golf club end "launching" on a very small wing indeed in some very strange places and hurtling to the beach, why ??

Frank looking good 

The wind duly eased as forecast and I nipped in and hopped onto the medium Ozone Element 2 to test the air for Frank who was about to do his first flight off the hill.  All good and it was Frank next who was soon up there and wondering how to get down!  10 minutes later he was back on top and ready to go again.  By the end of play he had put in 5 soaring and top landing flights and 1 to the beach as the wind went off and dropped further, still an excellent day for him.

Bill joins in the fun as frank gets some hill flights in

Alistair S also made it down from Devon and timed it well to get his first real taste of the hill with some ground handling to get him back into things.  Next it was a hill brief and after watching several "demo's" by frank he too was up and away on his first hill flight.  Despite conditions starting to drop off Alistair made a fine job of it and was soon looking smooth and relaxed before coming in for a first class top landing with a massive grin:)

a bit of ground handling then .....

Alistair gets his first hill flight in

Happy chaise at the end of a good mornings work ;)

 Conditions continued to deteriorate and with rain on the horizon we called it a day and were out of there by 14.00.  Well done guys and thank you to Bill N and Michel K for giving them someone to fly with and to Kaz for the brioche.

Quote of the day "you look like you should be a hangy pilot"     "what do mean by that?"

Zero to Hero and a Maiden flight

Oh such a choice of sites, which one is the question?  High Cliff would be top choice for personal free flying and XC,  St Agnes a close second with the bonus a short drive and chance of a Tandem, Perranporth but it would always be a bit north although there would be nice beach and finally Sennen Cove which covers everything but the XC!

With some students keen on hill conversions the decision was made ..... Sennen Cove and off we went arriving first on site just before 09.00.  Conditions were as forecast with a fresh northerly and it was not long before my quest for more airtime on the T2 C continued.  Bouncy air with plenty of lift gave an ideal 45 minute workout with height gains up to 1000' ato.
 

Chris H hides away after knocking Nigel A's head off !

Chris H who also arrived early took the chance of trying the Ozone Zero and after a spot of ground handling soon took off to have a ball!

Still no head

Popping back in it was not long before Kaz launched on her Sport 2 135 (Hangy) andI joined her whilst Nigel A along for some hangy hill soaring rigged.  Chris W arrived with family and popped the Tandem together in readiness for a special flight.  More arrived as the word spread and soon the air was buzzing with speed wings and hangies all having fun.

Nigel checks if it is definitely gone or not!

With the Tandem Hangy finally ready after a little technical issue it was time for Annalease  W (Chris's daughter)  to come up for her flight in aid of her fundraising for going to the World Scout Jamboree.  Yo say she was a little nervous would be an understatement but then with having spent years watching Chris's flying maybe that is not so surprising!

Annaliease nerves  blown away and loving it :))

She had no need to worry after a couple of steps we were up and away for a superb flight in the the still thermic conditions.  After a couple of minutes settling in we were soon swooping and diving with annaleaese just loving it.  Plenty of photo opportunities for publicity then we rounded off with a nice smooth touchdown and huge smiles. Well done Annalease and thank you for putting your trust in us :)

Circling over Sennen

Coming in for landing after a super flight

In amongst all this Carl (dayglo) R arrived and unpacked his new Ozone Zero for the first time.  Under Peachy's watchful eye he got his first taste of it on the ground looking just startled as he did on day one of his Paragliding course.  a bit of encouragement a few pointers and he calmed down to the point where he actually took off.  A good first attempt saw him soaring but slowly getting lower resulting in a walk back up before round 2.  Have to say by the end of the day he was a changed man, just loving it and in tune, soaring with the best of them and even starting to play, another huge grin said it all.

a few words from a master and ........

..... we have a new Zero Hero :))

Nigel A's turn came on the hangy as the tide dropped out for his 3rd soaring flight.  a cracking take off  led to some excellent flying in what were still bouncy enough conditions keeping him on the ball.    With the thermals coming through regularly there was not much time for relaxation although to be fair it all looked pretty smooth from the ground.   20 minutes was enough then in for a good top landing and another Nigel grin.

Nigel a having found his head puts in a super flight on the Hangy

Frank H who had been patientely waiting for the wind to drop showed how to ground handle in breezy conditions keeping a large Element under control when many more experienced would have failed.  Despite the odd lull it never dropped to a sensible level for him but still not a wasted day with the work he put in.

Frank showing  how to do it

Kaz and myself popped a final flight on our hangies late afternoon seeing me circle up to 1750' ato before pulling out of the climb and heading back to the hill for a tour of the bay looking for sink to get back down!

Another super day and just like last weekend so good to see so many having fun,  watching the mini wings flying made me think how things have changed allowing others to fly when otherwise they would have been grounded.

so you had a good time them ?

The day was routed off with the KHPA Christmas do where we were introduced to Steve W's hidden talent and one that could well become the norm ............

Quote of the day "what batten, where ?

Putting the time in.

With the day canned for training as the front took longer to clear than forecast it was a morning of paperwork and general catching up.  Early afternoon saw a change in the sky and an improvement so we decided on trip to Perranporth to touch base with the holiday camp re next years parking fees and maybe get a flight in also.

Kaz set negotiations in progress and then it was off to the front to see what was on.  Ideal a little off to the north and 24 -26mph.  Out came the T2 C the first time since the final round of the BOS back in early September and it was not long before it was on launch.  It all felt a little alien at first after having flown mainly the Tandem and intermediate wings but it was not long before i settled in.

Keen to get as much airtime in and regain some flying fitness in preparation for the World's in Mexico in March it was a fun afternoon chasing sea thermals, ridge racing and take offs and landings all in bumpy enough conditions.  Landing at 16.10 gave just enough time to dig before dark, when is the shortest day ?

 Still of a bit of a way to go to get back up to speed so if it's good for hanging and you want some company there is a good chance I will up for it :)

Quote of the day " and the first start gate hasn't even opened yet"

Life is good

Coming back from a couple of weeks away in the sun it was good to be greeted with some nice weather to settle back into the UK with.

Relax ...........

 A spot of fishing of Thursday proved to be the right thing to do but not quite the same as on holiday but what is life with out variety.

Hot and sunny

Cold and sunny

A good forecast for Saturday proved pretty much spot on and with no hangies popping up for hill conversions we based our day on St Agnes with a move to wherever as the wind backed.

Early birds catch the worm and at 8.30 we were launching on Paragliders from a deserted St Agnes in to perfect conditions for some super flying.  10.15 and Tracy H (Lanner) arrived for a tandem flight and with conditions still good we wasted no time in getting her set up.  Peachy now joined in the fun but still an empty carpark, not even a modeller.  The four of us had a cracking time playing in the light sea thermals with Tracy loving every second of it as we caught up on life and the beauty of Cornwall and how pleased she is to have moved here.  With tracy gaining a little more knowledge she quickly took the controls and gave me a rest as she flew the glider along the cliffs.

A super flight was followed by a super landing and much smiling and chat as we chilled over coffee and munchies.  Finally another vehicle appeared and we were joined by some modellers to enjoy the air together on our next flight.

very happy birthday Tracy ;))

It all became a bit of a blur .....

 Sure enough just gone 12  the wind began to drop and back so with a need to warm up it was off to St Agnes Bakery for more coffee and sausage rolls. A bit of Christmas shopping then with the trees just starting to stir again we looked in on Chapel Porth arriving just in time to see Steve M inflating and taking off, ideal :)

 As the breeze filled the lift got really nice seeing  up to 1000' +  in the light thermals.  Cold finally got the better of all but it was well worth it what a cracking day and a great way to make you really appreciate where you live and who you live life with.

Catching up with Steve at the end of a super day

Quote of the day " you can't talk your from Wolverhampton"  .........

Short and sweet

With a morning slot on the cards we headed back to the field with Trevor to make the most of it and wasted no time in rigging the Hangy.  test flight proved all good and Trevor got clipped in  and was soon on line.

With yesterdays experience to work from he made steady progress over another eight flights with even some moments of brilliance!  Still a bit of a way to go but I am sure when he next returns it will happen, oh the test of teaching analytical people ..........  By 11.30 the wind was on the pick up and Trevor was full so we called it a "day" and headed home, good timing as it turned out as by the time the glider was in the bag it was definitely breezy!

Quote of the day " who does your washing?"

Easing back into it in the UK

Back in the UK after a cracking couple of weeks in Spain ( see previous blogs) on our annual trip it is always good to get out training again.

Did it rain whilst we were away ? Judging by the amount for water in the buckets and in the electrics of the winch I think it did.  Still it was not long before all was dried out and ready to roll.

Trevor E (Cullumpton) was along to have a go at Hang Gliding and after a delayed day yesterday we were up for making the most of today.  Whilst Kaz got to grips with cutting the grass at home Trevor and myself headed to the field and got on with the basics in what turned out to be ideal conditions.  A nice green field, a steady breeze,  16 degrees C and no one else about a bit different from the last two weeks then! but great for learning in.

Trevor gets rigging

Kaz's view

By lunchtime we were sorted and Kaz duly arrived with sandwiches and coffee perfect timing.  A demo' flight then it was Trevor's turn.  A bit of "moon walking" soon turned into low hops  with Trevor becoming  not only more confident but also more competent with each flight.  After 8 flights both Trevor and myself were "full up" so we had a leisurely de rig before heading home for tea and paperwork.

A well tired Trevor de rigs in one piece

Well not a bad way to get back into the UK and hopefully we will get a few more days like it over the next few weeks before we head off for a "proper" holiday.

Quote of the day "does it not have voice recognition?"  ... guess who is a software analyst then.

Algo 2104 Day 15 - Oh what a perfect Day

So the last day of Algo 2014 arrives, the sun does it thing and we have a mega blow out at breakfast trying to eat up whats left, well actually I am so busy sorting stuff out I forget to have anything at all! Bags are packed and a check of the house, even the vans get a wash, thanks guys.  Good news we can leave our kit in the house and pick it up after flying :)

The start of the last day

Packing ;(

A solid NE forecast so it's off to Montellano again to face the heat and the Eastern Europeans, well at least we get something to watch ;))  Colins wing is still in dock and Jesus has fallen to the stomach bug so it will have to fly home on its own, is no one safe??

 The name game is slowing down with Simon stuck on an E. Colin explains the difference between a horse a mule and an Ass, well glad we got that one cleared up.  We head straight to the top where we found our foreign friends already at play in just about soarable conditions.  Car two puts the windsock up in the landing field and joins us whilst Ollie hides himself away again and ends up walking up the hill having stayed there over night.

Chilling in the bushes

I tuck into my lunch wondering why I am so hungry so early and the guys get sorted.  Michel, Carl Julie  Ollie and Martin are all soon ready and one by one we "pop" them into the developing que in our own  style, no one argues, ideal.  They all play about in the lift as the air begins to fill but eventually the weight of numbers is to much for the lift and and gliders begin to descend.  All except Michel, who is tucked away off to the left, land at the bottom where Peachy is revved up and ready to return them to the top.

Michel does what Michel does

By the time they arrive things are improving again along with the wind.  Simon gives it a shot along with Martin and both give us out first real bush munching of the trip, the pressure grows.  With varying degrees of success or failure pilots go to launch and we take advantage of the regular free slots whilst they untangle themselves.  Kaz is in up and away, off to join Michel on the far ridge.  The guys are all happy to sort themselves and so I enter the firing line ......... dare not cock this one up, a bit of luck and a nice breeze and I soon join Michel and Kaz away from the crowd.

"The Que"  .... what Que ?????

Kaz shows them how to do it

Carl and Ollie now well seasoned opportunists are not far behind as the wind increases on launch giving the rest of Team Cloud 9 plenty to entertain themselves with.  We all had a super flight with Kaz nearly touching the Vultures and practically speechless at the experience.  A nice mixture of ridge and thermal lift gave plenty to play with.

Gliders all over 

The guys on top decided they had had enough so headed down and we pull out front to go down and join them all landing nicely with stupid grins.  A final pack of the wings, a discussion regarding speeding cars with a farmer and we were off to the lake leaving a sky full of colour behind us.

Kaz packs after a super duper flight

Ollie last man down

Final pack

Carl sneaks into another photo

The lake was a good as ever and even Michel showed off his bronzed body cooling off in the very acceptable water.  With the sweat washed off we had a relaxing drink before heading back to the digs to pick up our kit and we were out of there.  A final game of pick your partner saw Julie with a man in uniform, Simon and Carl level pegging, Colin doing pretty well in the more mature stakes and me ending up with a goat.

Michel shows off his wares

this one had to be cropped to protect the guilty

one for the girls ......

Group shot then we were off

It all went quiet in the back as the children fell asleep and we headed south to Malaga,  meal on the way, the cars dropped off and we were on the plane.

Goat Jam at Teba

So ended Algo 2014 with everyone in tact and hopefully having had a great time and moving their flying forward a bit as well.  A Big thanks to you all for coming and making it so enjoyable, well done to Kaz and Peachy for the domestics and keeping car two running sweet.  My final flight on the last day was much appreciated, thank you. Thank you also to those of you who kept in touch from the UK it's always good to have your support.  Next year who knows but if you are interested let us know and we shall see .......

Quote of the day "my wife and daughter for 2 donkeys and an olive tree"