The long wait

Martin H and Rick H check out the Mars at the start of the day

Kev T enjoys his new Buzz Z on the first of many flights

Kev looking happy and playing on the ground

Dave (only turns up at dusk) L puts in one of his qualifying soaring flights

Dave and Steve D sharing the late lift on matching Mojo 3's

With another nice day on the cards at Perranporth we headed out arriving on site at 10.00. The wind was a little on the light side for the Hangers and well off to the north. Still with a huge beach opening up it was a good opportunity for Martin H (Bristol) to show us what he could do without the tethers. It wasn't long and he was off for a top to bottom on the Hang Glider and did a good flight and tidy landing as planned. With the wind remaining the same Derek D had to wait as it was barely soarable on the Paragliders with lots a scratching going on inter spaced with periods of better lift, but not good for Hang Gliders top landing.

Kevin T picked up his new Ozone Buzz Z and fell in love with it straight away. He had a cracking day putting in so many flights we lost count whilst exploring the wings abilities (and his own), he must have put in nearly 5 hours by the end of the day.

Meanwhile we retrieved Martin from the beach and after a rest he was off again looking neater than the first. Another walk up a bite of lunch and off he went again with a flight about as good as they get despite the wind being even further off. The hard work out of the way martin could "relax" whilst we wait for soaring conditions which is his next task.

Slowly the wind came a little more on the hill improving things for the Paragliders but always not quite good enough for the Hangers although Paul h and myself had a couple of flights on them, Derek waited.

A lot of Paragliding went on with a good number of pilots on site including Sam A who recently qualified and had a good time building experience with the help of Uncle Bill. John W got to fly in his new Woody Valley Peak 2 harness and gave it the thumbs up, always nice to see a happy customer.

News was that Dave L (Camelford way) was on his way to hopefully complete his hill conversion so we waited for him to arrive which he did along with Steve D by about 19.30. Conditions were fine for him and it wasn't long before he was up there on his Mojo 3 cruising around at the top of the stack, these things really do go up well. 3 good flights and top landings later he was sorted and with a big smile is now a fully qualified CPC pilot so watch out for him on the hills.

Derek finally threw the towel in as the wind came on and dropped!! Still patience is a virtue and rather that than have given up early and missed it. We left site at 22.00, a twelve hour day on the hill.

Quote of the day "come with me Sam, it feels better down the front" ........................

Never thought I'd see the day..............

Martin H gets in the air on the tethers

Steve J gets set for take off on his first soaring flight

Steve J flying high and looking neat

Instructor and student happy bunnies after Steves first soaring flight

Pilot X makes a good take off on the dear old Mars

In prone and looking reaxed (check out the fingers) Pilot x soars

Setting up for a top landing Pilot x sets their sights on Bill

Rebbakah S launches nice and level

Smooth flying from Rebbakah

Rolling in a turn rebbekah enjoys a good flight

It was all go at Perranporth where the wind was a fresh one and a bit off to the North when we arrived. Still it was good for tethering and soon we had the Mars in the air with Steve J (Oakhampton) on board getting his first taste of the hill having completed his CPC tow a few days ago. He did well and adapted to the environment quickly getting in some nice "soaring" on the ropes. Next in was Martin H (Bristol) who was along to hopefully get his Hang Gliding sorted having been trying for several years at various establishments so having both hill experience and some aerotow. He also did well and after a few sessions was looking good especially as he had not flown for over a year. Pilot X clipped in to get the base bar conversion and prone bit sorted and had a good time soaring whilst practising the maneuvers to and from prone all nice and controlled on the ropes.

Lunch saw conditions improve and pretty soon Rick H was up there having a fun time in nice and lifty conditions. Steve J was next off and had his first soaring flight in classic conditions looking smooth from the start. He then put in a fine top landing to round it off and had a huge smile on his face which stayed there for the rest of the day.

Derek J was next off and settled back into flying easily to enjoy the lift before popping the glider back on top to complete his 3rd soaring flight, nice one.

Pilot X stepped forward and was soon up there on the Mars and like Steve looking very smooth from the start and putting the practice on the tethers to good use. After 15 minutes they set up and performed an excellent top landing which sent Bill scurrying from the hole.

Steve J made the most of it putting in a second soaring flight and landing as the beach began to shrink and the lift began to drop to finish off a top day for him.

Rebbekah S took the last slot of the day and built here experience with a good flight which she had to work hard at as the lift dropped off before popping her glider onto the beach with a perfect landing.

Another busy but useful day and so good to see more Hang glider pilots working their way through the system, long may it continue

Oh and there was some Paragliding late on which saw Pilot X flying both disciplines in a day, never thought I'd see the day ...............

Sunset Boulevard

Only the Sun to share the sky with for Rick H

What time does night flying start??

A perfect way to end a day

After a breezy day there were signs of a drop off in the evening. taking a picnic and the camping stove we headed to Perranporth to watch the sun go down and possibly fly. On arrival itwas still top ending so a spot of metal detecting which resulted in enough for an ice cream took place. After an hour or so things were on the drop and no time was wasted in rigging the Calypso.

Rick H (the come back kid) was off and away just before 21.00 into good lift. He enjoyed 3 super flights giving him plenty of time to get back into his flying and also much needed practice for those top landings all of which were on the good side. With a Wills Wing U2 on order Rick's making the most of the waiting time to get his experience back after a 25 year lay off so expect to see him out and about on a hill near you.

Back on top at 21.50 it was a quick pack up just before dark with a nice cup of tea to boot.

A very nice afternoon out

Dave L up and away on his first soaring flight

Flying with the vampires, Dave and a full Moon

Who looks happiest ??

Having canned the days tow training early on as the wind was already strong enough and due to increase we busied ourselves sorting the kit out. Mid afternoon saw us head east (along with Tony P) to visit "Big" Nick and Paula where we spent a pleasant few hours relaxing in the sun.

Then based on the forecast for the wind to drop we headed to Freathy where we arrived at 19,30 ish to see a couple of hangers in the air along with a couple of Paragliders which were "hanging" in there. Still patience is a virtue and after an hours chat things calmed down a little as forecast and we got the paragliders out. A quick test flight on a Mojo 3 not only confirmed it was nicely flyable but also what a super glider the latest Mojo is, an ideal first wing with loads of performance in both sink rate and glide, the legend lives on.

Dave L had arrived to hopefully get his first flight off the hill and waited patiently whilst the others took off to enjoy the smooth lift. Then it was his turn, he got away nicely and had a cracking soaring flight quickly getting the hang of ridge soaring. With the moon up and the light failing he came in and performed his first top landing having put a good 15 minutes airtime in. Not sure who was most pleased Dave or his wife Michelle who got to see him fly for the first time.

A lovely end to a nice day out with the unexpected bonus of Dave getting started on his hill conversion.

Begining and End

Waking up to a clap of thunder and heavy rain did not give an ideal start to the day. However a quick study of the weather charts revealed a likely slot for training starting at 13.00. We were there and almost smack on time things improved and we got going.

Caroline P (Looe) who had a taster day with us a few months ago was back for more and had a fine day on the Hang Glider moving into the early stages of her EPC. Caroline's enthusiasm is infectious and she had us all in stitches with some of her "comments".

Steve J (Oakhampton) was also on a Hanger and had a fine day tidying up his flying to complete his CPC tasks and exam so becoming qualified on the tow, congratulations. Next stop the hill and it may be as soon as Monday looking at the weather.

A nice relaxed afternoon/evening even if we did get a little damp at the end not that it stopped Steve from flying, this man can't get enough.

Paience is a virtue (2)

malcolm gets the hang of it looking good on his third ever flight

Fiona in the classic "position" on the line

Cynthia gets us all "excited"

Having shifted everyone forward a day as the forecast for Sunday was not too good we arrived in a sunny field with the cumulus already building.

Steve E (Saltash) was along for a Taster Day on the Hang Glider whilst Fiona A (Torrington), Cynthia C (Porthleven) and Malcolm C (Porthleven) were all along for a go on the Paragliders. It was a busy morning getting the guys up to speed but by a late lunchtime we were there.

Conditions were now fairly bouncy up to on the Hang Glider and too much for Paragliders so the students waited patiently whilst i made regular "test" flights up into the thermals to asses things. By mid afternoon it was OK for Steve on the Hang Glider down low so he put away his first tows and did a fine job of it too.

With things still popping off it wasn't until well gone 18.00 that we got the Paragliders going. They all had a fun time with Fiona and Malcolm putting in three excellent flights each across the filed at heights up to 60'. Cynthia, now known as "challenging Cynthia" kept me on my toes and came to an arrangement where we traded her final solo flights for a Tandem which she thoroughly enjoyed to round off a great day.

There were some cracking quotes but probably the most printable was " you can grab as much as you like"..................

Sausages and Handcuffs

Ashley sets up for his first landing
not sure if it's happiness or relief

Martin does a first class launch on his Doodle Bug

Not mention internal body searches! It was an interesting day in the filed where we were up to Powered Hang Gliding with Ashley R from Plymouth who was on his Mosquito NRG / K4 combination.

Ashley had a full day going through the theory stuff before "hitting" the field in the early morning. After setting up his wing and adjusting the harness and limit lines it was time for a demo' flight which is always fun on other peoples kit, not much pressure then. Next it was Ashleys turn and after a few warm up runs he was up and away for a fine 15 minute flight before dropping back into the field at the agreed location. BIG SMILE, something to drink and he was off again into what was by now an active looking sky.

By the end of the day he had put away 3 good flights, learnt lots and burnt up plenty of fuel (energy). Good to see Martin R along with him who enjoyed a couple of flights on his Doodle Bug/ Java combination in the bouncy conditions and kept us entertained with his stories as a customs officer, now you know where it came from.

Coady had a day off and made good use of it at Godrevy where he could be seen working his Rush up to several thousand feet before heading off inland.

Hedge Trimming

Mick F does a classic take off
Mick trying the chest release for the first time

Coady a man at one with his "work"

Steve J follows Micks lead in take off technique

Steve climbs out in to the sun

It should have been a chilled day in the field with only a couple of hangers on both of whom were well into their CPC tasks however, in the morning they decided to keep me on my toes with a variety of antics. Mick F (Hampshire) was back and up for it making it look easy on the tow but keen on getting low on airspeed on landing approach resulting in some poor turn corrections and out of wind landings. Steve Jewell (Oakhampton) made it look tricky on the tow but was nice and smooth off it (most of the time) so between them we could have made one good pilot!

One who shall remain nameless fell into the old trap of twisting whilst trying to turn leaving him short of height on approach so removing some growth from the top of the hedge before performing a remarkably good landing, time to stop for lunch.

A theory session settled my nerves then we were back at it and things got better. Soon both pilots were converting to the chest release, sorting out prone flying and looking good with landings into wind near the windsock. To make things better Pilot X joined us and put in a quick 100' release flight before heading to the top of the line on a hang glider for the first tow. What a tow it was pretty much like an arrow up to around 600' releasing into buoyant air followed by a lovely flight down and good landing.

Mick and Steve both got a go on the Calypso, unfortunately Mick suffered a line break half way up but did a fine job of sorting it out but Steve took it to the top and had a cracking flight and landing enjoying the gain in performance and lightness of handling.

All's well that ends well and that it did, two more hang glider pilots on the verge of completing their CPC's, who's next??

Wierd Wave again

Rob P gets in the air on his taster day and does a fine job

Nathan L relaxed on his flights at the end of his taster day

Helen K looking good at take off on her first flight on a paraglider

Gliders and "gaggle" of pilots

Wierd wave clouds to the south

After a few days on the hill it was back to the field where we had a mixture of Taster days and Trainees, once again the the Hangers outnumbered the Para's.

Nathan L (St Austell) and Helen K (Hayle) were along for Taster Days on the Paragliders whilst Rob P (Minehead) made the trip down for a go at Hang Gliding. The guys all did well through the morning session and by after lunch we were ready to roll.
Graham A put away four flights on the Hang Glider to add to his tally and is getting the feel of it but has a little way to go, too much kiting and Paragliding maybe?

Once again there was a lot of wave couds around even more than I have seen before and conditions were a bit odd to start with no doubt related to it.

Mick Ford also on the Hang glider had a useful afternoon sorting out his 180 turns and spot landings being as happy as ever.

Then it was down to the Taster Days. Rob got them going and did well on the tow line moving form "moon walking" through to 10 -20 feet on the Hang Glider rounding off his day with a superb flight and perfect landing to give him the true feel of what it's about.

Nathan led the Paragliders off and put away three excellent flights each one getting higher until he was comfortably approaching the 60' mark and looked well pleased with his day.

Helen took it all in her stride making it look easy also putting in three good flights with the last landing looking like she had done it lots before and even starting to crack the nodding dog bit.

Jane (Pete C's sister came up for a couple of Tandems on the Paraglider and had a fun time, have to say Pete's towing on those flights was as good as I have ever known, can't think why.

Good to be back in the field and you never know we may have found another couple of students as a result we shall see. Piccies when get a minute

More flying than you can shake a stick at

Rick gets ready for his first soaring flight on a Hanger in 25 years

Off and away, told you to keep your legs together for the photo's!

Gabriel A takes off as pilot in command on the Tandem whilst I hang on

Dangerous Derek looking less dangerous on his first soaring flight

Rebbekah S sets up nicely for here first top landing after a cracking soaring flight, she's back !

Graham A heads for the beach on his second ever flight off the hill

Phil Sambles racks up the airtime, nice colour co ordination

Snails doing what snails do

WoW WoW WoW what a day at Perranporth (again).

We arrived to find a brisk NW wind so got the gliders rigged and ready. There was a good crowd of hangers all looking forward to getting some air. After a quick conditions check flight We got the ball rolling with a bit of tethering to check the guys out whilst Gabriel A (Bristol) put in some acclimatisation flights on the site in readiness for his Tandem conversion.

Next we got Rick h off for his first soaring flight on a Hang Glider in 25 years and what a fine job he did of it enjoying a nice 20 minutes before popping the Mars back on top.

Then it was my turn to take Gabriel up to show him the ropes on the Tandem and let him have a go in the air. After a couple of these to get the landings sussed Derek J (Cardiff) who had driven down for the day and Rebekah S (Exeter) came up on the Tandem to show them the site in preparation for their soaring flights.

Rick put in another flight looking smoother than the first and did another cool top landing then it was the real work. Gabriel A took the controls and made his first Tandem flight as pilot on the Hang Glider with myself as passenger. He did really well and i didn't get airsick, a very acceptable top landing followed and it wasn't long before we were off again. By the end of the day he had put in four flights as pilot in command and was far more relaxed so completing his flying tasks for his Dual rating on Hang Gliders, well done G.

Rick put in another couple of soaring flights this time on the Calypso and enjoyed the extra performance dealing with it well on landings to give him four flights for the day and a huge smile.

Dangerous Derek was next again on the Calypso and put in his first soaring flight starting off a little ragged but he soon smoothed out before putting in a good top landing with a grin from ear to ear.

Then it was Graham A's turn (Torrington) who was "up" for a top to bottom giving him his first experience of a Hanger off the hill. Graham did a good job getting time to play briefly with the ridge lift before popping the Mars onto the beach.

Rebbekah S lined up on launch and didn't hesitate at taking the opportunity to getting back to hill soaring after her confidence building flights on the winch. She did a super take off and was soon hundreds of feet up looking smooth and co ordinated like she had been doing it for years. after a good twenty minutes she lined up for a top landing and after one fly by she made a very acceptable one with a look like all her Christmas's had arrived at the same time!

D Derek was soon up there again looking much smoother than on his first to add another twenty minutes to his airtime and whilst it could be said his top landings was not as neat as it could have been I have seen worse....

Graham a gave me some more exercise with another top to bottom and by now the wind was on the drop resulting in a scratchy flight back up whilst dodging the suicidal Paraglider pilots.

Good to see Phil S out again putting in the time and adding another three or four flights to his log book just when he needs it.

It was a very happy bunch off Hang Glider Pilots that left the site after a long and full day at 22.00 hours. Trey and get some piccies up soon.

Tethers-tandems-to to bottom

Pilot X gets soaring with a little help

gaining height and getting more confident
Pilot X heads to the beach to round off a super flight

Kev gets the sky to himself late in the day

Wave clouds upwind and super smooth lift on the hill ,hmmmm

Kev enjoys the air and the sunset

WoW what a day! It was on at Perranporth from when we arrived at 10.00 till when we left (and way beyond) at 19.30. The day started with Andy F on his second day with us having some nice tethering along the top on the Mars in a brisk wind making life easy. He was joined by Rick H (Truro) who used to fly in Cornwall 25 years ago and now wants to get back into it. They both did well until the wind eased back a little so it was time for lunch.

Next it was up for a dual flight on the Hang Glider with Andy and we had a fun time in the what was by now dropping lift. In fact it dropped that much that we were up there for well over an hour before we managed to scratch up enough height to slip it in on top, that's value for money!

A bit more tethering ensued as the wind filled a little which finally wore Andy out. With the odd Paraglider testing conditions it looked like the wind would ease further but it was not the case and pretty soon the wind was back.

Phil S dropped by and put in his first light at Perranporth on his Hang Glider having a cracking time and performing a very good top landing, then to prove it was not just luck took off and did it again tacking up well over an hours airtime.

Kev T came up for a flight on the Hanger with me and enjoyed every moment despite having something stuck in a painful place......

As we packed the gliders away things mellowed again and with plenty of wave clouds in the sky I tested the air on the Mars to find it super smooth and very lifty. Pilot X took the opportunity and was rewarded with a super soaring flight (their first on a solo Hanger) looking very tidy before taking the Mars to the beach for a top class landing, nice one.

Kev T rounded off the day getting up and away as we packed up on the Paraglider and had a super flight looking good when we left, rumour has it he had to land due to no navigation lights.

More tomorrow i hope