Turning points

 One left over from yestarday, Phil L coming into land

 Treeve inflates to launch

 heading off up the line looking much tidier than yesterday

 Anna P does a classic launch

Happy Anna comes back for more

With the day looking pretty much the opposite to yesterday we cracked on with things as the wind was due to pick up.  On arrival it was already breezier than forecast so we wasted no time in getting the winch set and towing underway.

We had the same crew as yesterday with the addition of jack E who was back to do a bit more on his EPC course.  After a refresher on ground handling Jack was straight onto the winch and after a couple of refresher tows he moved into higher flights, releases and turns taking him right to the edge of his EPC by the time the wind picked up a bit more.

Yesterdays crew soon joined him with Anna P leading the way and they were soon all doing release flights before moving into higher tows and starting turns. Young James was as smooth as ever, Ian still a bit "jabby" and Treeve down the middle.  Anna did well despite a left right up down thing but we got it sorted by the end of play.

Steve W on his third day did really well and is pretty much ready to go to the top next time out.

With the wind at the top end and forecast to increase we settled for some theory before wrapping mid afternoon as the dampness appeared.


Well done to all for getting as much in as we did and look forward to seeing you back sometime.

Fabulous for four and great for two more

 Anna P gets to grips with the basics of ground handling

 Treeve heads off into the blue on his first flight

 Anna nice and stright gets set for lift off

 Ian F does a great impression of a starfish

Classic end of day shot (Anna)



Spring must be coming and the students are starting to que up.  We had busy enough day in the field a bit of a shock after some "easy" times.

With four Taster day/day ones on we were kept busy in the morning getting through the basics in conditions that were strong enough to be challenging.  Still by early afternoon and just as the wind eased a bit everyone was doing well.  Ian, Anna, Treeve and James had all worked hard and had all grasped the basics and even getting to the stage of some nice ground handling in reverse.

Alongside them Steve W (Truro) on his second day and Phil L (Redruth) on his 6th day both did really well sorting out their stronger wind handling and both looked very competent as we broke for lunch.

A tow brief, some hand tows and conditions were perfect for flying so that's what we did. After Kaz did a demo/check out flight we got into full swing with Steve W cracking on into his EPC flights and popping in 5 by the end of play seeing him up to 100'= and doing some nice turns down to land.  Phil L slotted in between the taster days to consolidate on his CPC flights and had a great time looking like a pilot with it.

Anna led the way for the day oners and showed the guys how to do it with a cracking take off. James followed her off and put in a classic first flight followed by Treeve and Ian.  With conditions staying good the guys put in three flight each ending up flying sweetly across the field and all ending with stand up landings to round off a super day as the sun set.

Well done to all and it looks like they will be out again tomorrow :)

More Wenching and a bit of waiting.

 Simon L sets off for his first high flight

 Phil L returns from a "Big ears" flight 

Simon looking good for the spot

Another glorious sunny if chilly start to the day saw us in the tow field as the frost thawed.  With the wind in a fickle mind flicking about we gave up chasing it and sat down for a little theory whilst it made its mind up.

By lunchtime it finally settled to a light NW and the fun began. Simon l (Plymouth) got things moving finishing of his final EPC flight before heading to the top of the line to start his CPC flights.  Over 10 flights he had a fine time popping in the high flights, getting into the harness, flying at "normally used speeds" and weight shifting all whilst honing his spot landing and planned approach skills.

Alongside him Phil L (Redruth) cracked on with his CPC tasks working his way through the instability moves and performing some excellent Big Ears and impressive Asymmetrics along with speed bar and yet more planned approaches.

Winch Wench got some more practise in towing me aloft under daisy' watchful eye which also gave the guys the chance to do some launch mmarshaling.  A super day with lots done by the guys leaving Phil just one day away from his CPC and Simon well into his.

A few days like this each week would be very nice :)  Quote of the day "Perfect Big Ears Phil" no his ears are actually normal size.

Frostbite Fun

 Daisy rigs under a classic sky

 Kaz gets things moving on her first flight on a hangy off St Agnes

 Richard H takes off as a que forms

 Andy R does a classic one

 Daisy joins Tim and Kaz in the air

Michel first off on a Paraglider as the wind eases a little

An early start saw us at St Agnes where things looked peachy for the KHPA Frostbite comp'.  A quick test of conditions confirmed they were then it was over to Pete C (meethead) for the brief.  As is the way we had spot landing followed by Open XC over the back.

Kaz was first away on her hanger and soon climbed out to over 600' on her first hangy flight off St Agnes. i joined her and we had a fun 25 minutes of thermal coaching before others began to launch and we went in for a rest.  It was not long before the sky filled with hangies and the spot landing fun began with some being more succesful than others!

By midday the wind eased back enough for the Paragliders to join in the fun but unfortunately as the wind eased so did the thermals!  Still everyone had a good day with it remaining well flyable for both disciplines right through the day. Tim j and myself played cat and mouse trying to eak out the elusive lift and between us must have racked up over 8 hours of flying!

Dave L tried out a Rush 3 and went home with it so I guess he liked it and we look forward to seeing him over the back on it soon.

Good to see a good turn out and well done on the visitors for braving the weather some coming from as far away as Cambridge shire!  Oh and the results.... Club class winner Graham A, Third O/all Andy R, 2nd Tim J and with a lucky spot Phippsy managed to take first prize.

Thanks to Coady for organizing and running the comp, be good to have him in it next year.

Winch Wench and Wonderful Weather

 The guys set up on a cracking day as the field thaws out

 Simon keeps warm as he returns from one of his flights

Phil plays with weight shift as he floates back down

What a cracking day, despite a freezing forecast it was sunny and warm in the tow field and whats more there was even some thermals about, heaven :)

Phils L (Redruth) on day four cracked into his CPC flights putting away 9 high flights  and working through speed to fly, weight shift,planned approaches and launch marshaling all whilst enjoying some cracking flying.  By the end of the day he was looking much smoother and almost like a Z3 man but we shall see!

Simon L (Plymouth) on his second day did really well despite the near nil wind conditions putting away eight flights seeing him pretty much to the end of his EPC only one or two more to go and he is off to the top.

In between the students Kaz joined Daisy on the winch to have a go with the sticks.  She did a fine job towing me aloft and got the hang of it quickly seeing me safely up and away to play with the thermals  drifting by. In fact her first go on her own was that good that Daisy declared she would have S*x tonight, we shall see...................

All in a super day and with the forecast for tomorrow  not too good it was like a rose between thorns

Nice Bike!

 Tom gets set to go

 Off and away on his first tow flight

 Steve concentrates as he does his first flight

m'mmm new kick start :)

It was off to the tow field for us whilst the rest headed to Carbis Bay to play.

Against the forecast it was breezy to start with but did drop off nicely as the day went on. In the field we got going with Steve W (Truro) on day one of his EPC Paragliding, Tom G (Canada) who on a visit to the UK had done some hill work in Sussex and fancied carrying on whilst in Cornwall and Phil L (Redruth) on day 3 of his EPC/CPC course.

With Tom and Steve getting to grips with the basics and Phil practising some ground handling in the brisk enough conditions we hoped for conditions to mellow.  Phil took time out to do his EPC exam and passed well with 100% correct and his timing was perfect as by the time he finished things dropped off nicely.

Kaz popped in a couple of demo'flights and it was all go.  Phill had the lines to himself to start with and quickly finished off his EPC tasks towing higher and putting in the turns in preparation for going to the top.  Steve and Tom soon joined in for their first tow flights and both did really well settling in quickly.  By the end of the day they were both releasing and Tom with his previous experience had moved higher up the ling and was putting in turns.

Phil meanwhile got into his CPC tasks completing 3 super high flights and relaxing back into the harness.  A super day all round congratulations to Phil on his EPC and to Tom and Steve on their excellent progress.

Tim looked happy on the motorbike complete with new kickstart, clutch cable and lever, daisy will just love it.  Nice to see Bill N drop by on his way back from Carbis where they had had a fun time  just in time to help us pack up, thanks Bill.

Playing Dodgems

It was always going to be an interesting day based on the forecast for frequent heavy showers but on the other hand in between the showers it could be good so not to be missed.

On arrival at Perran Paul H was just popping his glider back on the roof having had some fun flying in bouncy but lifty conditions before heading to the shops.

We wasted no time in rigging the Tandem and tested the air with Fiona A as passenger. It was Fiona's first flight on a Hangy and we had a great time in the classic conditions giving her a chance to fly the glider.  With a large cloud approaching we nipped back in on top just before the wind picked up and the rain came down.

Franceska C (Taunton) was along for a Hangy tandem flight as a Birthday present  and arrived with the wind so was put on hold whilst we waited for the showers to clear.  After a couple of big ones a nice sunny spell arrived and we were up and away.  Amazingly the wind now eased back to Paraglidable levels and we were soon having to work hard to stay airborne.  Twenty five minutes of fun flying up and down the ridge gave us plenty of time to look at the cliffs and even the seagulls nests before a sinky period made the decision to head to the beach.

We had a classic super soft landing on the wheels to round off  a nice if not overly high flight.  Franceska was delighted with the whole experience despite having to walk back up the dunes whilst i flew the glider back up in the now increasing wind.

Back on top and things looked much better so Fran' took the chance of another flight and we popped in a quick 10 minutes in again classic conditions allowing us to play with the glider a bit more.  A nice landing this time back on top saw the end of play as the clouds returned. 

A fun day even if it was a bit hard work to make it happen but when it did it was well worth it, light winds tomorrow ??

Magic on Monday

 Graham A flies high on the tandem hang Glider

Graham takes control as we soar the lift

 Happy faces after a super flight

Kaz comes in for a super top landing

08.45 saw us at Perran where Mike C and Steve d were already in the air on Paras although it was top endy.  As the wind eased a little Steve came in to finish off his tandem rating and in challenging enough conditions did a fine job of it taking me up for a couple of fun flights on his kit and making it all look nice and safe. Well done Steve hope you have lots of fun in the future taking up friends and family.

A good mixture of para's filled the air as conditions continued to improve but by late morning the wind began to fill and they began to land, it was time for the hangies.  There were quite a few out including Paul H, Gay J, Kaz P, Graham A and Nigel W and all had fun in the super conditions although some landings were less than perfect .......

Graham A from Plymouth (a magician amongst other things) came along for a Tandem on the Hangy with a view to taking up the sport. We had a super flight playing in the lift, Graham had a go at flying the glider and seemed to switch onto it pretty quickly.  A nice landing rounded off the flight and judging by his smile and enthusiasm we may well see him again soon, check out his flight here .Rain stopped play by late afternoon. A super day to be out and good for all :) 

Fabulous Friday

 The Guys get rigged at the start of play

 Phil L impersonates a startled Rabbit

 Phils L gets in the air and looks good 

 The loneliness of a HG instructor as Dave D goes prone

 Simon L sets off in fine style for his first flight

 Keith B begs forgiveness for his sins before flying

It plainly worked as his performs a faultless launch

Who would have believed it, after a breezy day yesterday which saw some excellent Hang Gliding at Perran and Chapel the wind dropped off again and the sun came out to make a cracking towing day.

It was almost like Wednesday apart from the fact that we were towing in the opposite direction.  Whilst Kaz got Simon L (Plymouth) started on day one of his Paragliding course along with Phil L (Redruth) on day two of his I took Dave D (Newquay) to the tow line to make the most of the conditions.

Dave had a cracking time (again) popping in the flights and made good progress into his CPC tasks over his 9 flights for the day converting to the the base bar and prone whilst perfecting his 180 turns and spot landings.

Phill L joined in on the tow and was soon releasing the line and putting in turns as we towed him higher and higher putting him well into his EPC tasks by the end of the day.

After the hard work having been done by Kaz Simon L came over to launch for his first ever flight on a Paraglider and made my life easy by popping in 4 perfect flights ending with a super release flight to set him up nicely for his next day out.

Kieth B (Dartmoor) was also along and after a bit of ground handling refresher popped the Paramotor on his back and went for a nice flight around the field. His take off and landing were super not putting a foot wrong so proving despite having not flown since October he has not forgotten what we taught him.

With everyone full up we packed up in the sunshine, what a nice day :) 

Playing at Perran

After working at home in the morning we headed at to Perran porth for some fun flying in the afternoon .  On arrival it was leasantly breezy but not too breezy.

With the guys who had been at Chapel porth in the morning where they had some super flying packing up as the wind veered we rigged.  A quick blast on my T2C proved conditions as perfect and soon the rest were rigging quickly.

Andy R Kaz and Nigel W (newly qualified HG) all had super flights in the abundant lift and all had super landings to boot.  It was a very nice afternoon and a good time to practise for the Frostbite comp' coming up at the end of the month fingers crossed.

Wonderful Wednesday

 Dave d heads off up the line for his first high flight

Paul W gets his hand back in after a long break

 Top of the tow for Paul

 Taking turns the guys share the lines

 Michelle comes back to land on the tandem

Adi and Michelle after some fun flights and still smiling!

 

What a super day and hopefully the start of things to come in the Tow field.  On arrival the field was covered in mist but by the time we had the kit out it was burning off and the sun was shining.

It was a relaxed day, a good thing after a bit of a break due to the weather, allowing us all to get back in the groove.  Dave D (Newquay) was back for his second day in the field on a Hanger and he was joined by Phil L (Redruth) for his first day on a Paraglider.  After a little bit of line untangling we got going and soon Dave was popping in the flights. In super conditions he made great progress working through the turns and building height until by the end of play he towed to the top of the line having completed all his EPC flying tasks.

Meanwhile Phill worked away with Kaz going through the basics in preparation for his first flights.  Mid afternoon saw him arrive at launch and he was soon off on his first flight.  Phil did well with each flight smoother than the previous and every landing on his feet and nice and gentle. The whole experience was good enough for him to sign up for a course so keep an eye on his progress.

In between flights Michelle (Suan W better half) and Adrian (Suan W's friend) came up on the tandem to experience some stunning views along the coast and over the county.  Both were great passengers and had a good time enjoying the whole experience from start to finish.  The colours of the grass and sea along with the sunshine made it more like summer than January.

Good also to see ex student Paul W out for some ground handling practise and a couple of tows to get his hand back in after long break before heading back to the hills.

The end of the day saw our new trainee winchman take the sticks out of daisy's hands to give me some running exercise on the hangy.  A bit more practise and I am sure he will be fine ..........

Thanks to Suan W for the lovely piccies, put one in for the KHPA comp they are cracking

Making up for it Monday

After Sundays disappointment we pinned our hopes on Monday and with the forecast / tides we opted to head to Chapel Porth where we hoped to catch the low tide for Charlies first flights.

On arrival the wind was ideal and with a couple of hours to go there was as yet no beach. By the time i had tested the air on Charlies glider the beach was opening up and by the time Charlie was ready there was plenty.  With Kaz already up on her hangy and a couple of Paras hanging in the breeze Charlie went for it.

A cracking take off was followed by a couple of slightly wobbly beats the she settled in and was up and away getting smoother by the minute.  Charlie had some lovely soaring before coming in and performing a classic top landing as smooth as you like, nice one.  By the time the tide was on the return she had popped in a toal of three flights and accrued nearly an hours airtime and a big smile.

Next it was off to Perranporth where although the wind would be off there would be beach.  Sure enough it was off and there was beach! I did a quick test flight finding it surprisingly lifty before Charlie gave it a shot.  She did well in the challenging conditions soaring up and down but unable to get enough height for a top landing. A good decision was made to head to the beach where she performed a fine landing near the steps.

Tim and Kaz helped her up and with a second site under her belt Charlie cracked her hill endorsement.  Great to see a 16 year out with her dad having so much fun.  Keep an eye out for her on the hills and in the air.  That's the first qualification of 2012 :) 

Soaking on Sunday

Early birds catch the worm and so it was at Perranporth with Kaz getting rigged and ready before most people arrived.  Kaz popped in a nice flight on her hangy between a couple of mist banks before top landing as the next one approached.

Charlie was now ready and with conditions looking good it was just a matter of letting the next bank clear before she took off for her first soaring flight.  In came the mist down came the drizzle and after a couple of hours we concluded it was in for the day.

Shame as once again there was a good turn out of both hangies and paras (some of which did manage to fly) and a shame because we have a lot of wet kit!

Tomorrow, fingers crossed.

Hanging in the wind

 Checking conditions or sniffing armpits ??

Gliders rigged and ready

A brisk NW saw us head to Perranporth for some hangy work and again it was good to get out.  There was a good turn out of hangies with pilots arriving in a steady stream and the rigging area filling up.  Charlie k (Winchester) was down to start her hangy Hill conversion having learnt on the tow with us at the end of last year.  The plan was to get her used to the hill with a bit of tethering before letting her loose over the next couple of days.

We had a fun time flying her on the ropes and Charlie got the hang of it very quickly in ideal conditions which saw her floating nicely on her Wills Wing Eagle 145 giving her the chance to practice prone conversions along with "soaring". 

Finally the wind eased back a tadge and with Tim K (Charlies dad) leading the way on his Atos and putting in his first flight since an interesting launch in St Andre gliders began to get airborne.  It is fair to say that it was windy enough and as the direction moved more to the north conditions became more challenging.

Not everyone flew with the lighter pilots giving it a miss but those that did all landed safetly and enjoyed themselves.  Hats off to Shad for driving from London for the day and thanks to Nigel W and Shad for their help on the tethers.

Lets hope tomorrow is a better day .

Dualling and Dolphins

 Amy soars high and spots Dolphins whilst Andy R rigs

 Coming into land with Benan on board

Happy faces after some cracking flying

After such a long spell of windy and wet weather It was great to get out and up in the air again.  Whilst the masses headed to Perranporth we chose Chapel as the forecast was for the wind to increase and back so as we were hoping to get some hangy tandems in that is where we went.

On arrival conditions were fine for paragliding although there was a little north in the breeze.  By the time I rigged the Tandem the wind was on the increase and backing to come smack on as forecast, ideal.  Whilst waiting for the tandems to arrive i took the opportunity of test flying a Rush 3 and was soon up around the 400' mark having fun, such a lovely wing.  Spotting the tandems arrive it was back to earth where by now it was breezy enough.

Amy who had had her Dual flight bought for her as a birthday gift by her good friend Benan back in March was along and surprised her friend by returning the honor with a flight as a gift for Benen who's birthday is in two days time. 

Amy was first up and after a good launch we were soon cruising the ridge in the smooth lift.  With her eyes wide open Amy soon spotted something in the sea and to both our delight a pod of Dolphins (well possibly Porpoises) appeared and began playing in the surf. It was a real privilege to watch them surfing the waves and doing full front flips clean out of the water, amazing.  For the full 20 minutes we had not only a cracking flight but also the best seats in the house for their aquatic show.  Coming back to planet earth Amy bubbled with enthusiasm , she had waited a long time for the flight but what a cracker it was.

A short break then it was Benans go.  Another lovely take off soon saw us up and away and having fun. Whilst the Dolphins had moved on the wind had filled a little giving better lift and the chance to play around with the glider.  We had a fine time flying over the area where Benan has spent many hours but now seeing it from a very different aspect.  A cracking landing rounded off the flight and it was big smiles all round.

Super to meet the girls and Richard their friend and super to see youngsters (18) out having fun and really appreciating their environment .

Andy R sneaked in a quick fly on his hangy as the forecast drizzle approached  making our timing perfect.  Lets hope for a few more days like this :))

Quote of the day "There's something you don't see every day!"

Like the old days !

It was breezy at Perran, in fact very breezy!  However thinking back 20 years ago it was the kind of conditions we used to fly regularly on gliders a lot less capable and harder to fly so I decided to give it a go.  Sure enough it was a fun take off and picking the right moment was important, as was Big Gray's duck out of the way. Once up and away the T2 C handled conditions easily getting around at will and actually feeling pretty relaxing to fly despite it being bouncy.

Having floated about for a while and assessed the top landing options I decided to either beach land by the main Perranporth car park or to fly back over the camp and land by the entrance off the main road, that is the beauty of Perran it gives you options.

Forsaking the less windy beach landing I played with a a bit of lift and circled back over the camp  arriving at the entrance 150' higher than I left the cliff. "S" ing off the height things got a little exciting near the ground, a combination of wind gradient and gorse bushes i think but the actual landing was fine.

It cast me back to when that is the kind of thing we would do at the end of the day just for fun along with giving some easy practise at both thermalling and out landing without having to commit to XC.  So next time you are out and the end of play is coming think about it and get a little more out of your days flying.

Fitting it in at Perran

 Chris H gets to try out the Element

 Steve M gets to try out his new Rush 3

 Who is this man ??

 Bunker Buddies

Coming back to earth, eventually !

It was an interesting day at Perranporth where the wind was up and down and switching around throughout the day, bit like the flying.

With such conditions timing was of the essence and luckily we got it pretty much on the nail through the day.  Chris H (Sennen) was along to start his hill work to get him sorted into the BHPA having done various bits abroad and with some other schools.  Chris managed to pop in four flights in total including 3 top landings and one slope landing.  His first two flights were on his own wing which saw him zooming around the sky not very high making me a bit suspicious of the wing size.  Not having a placard on it made me more suspicious so we popped him onto the Large Element which saw him floating around with everybody else making his life a lot easier.  By the end of his flying he had got soaring nicely sorted and even managed to try out Big Ears a couple of times.

Russell s (Torquay) turned up after work by which time the wind was on the increase and by the time he was ready it was also backing to the SW so once again he will have to wait a bit longer.

There was a good turn out of pilots having fun and nice to see Simon C back in the air along with Mark F.  Steve M got to try out his new Ozone Rush 3 which saw him way up there having a ball with the only problem as how to get down!  Looks like his new wing has got the thumbs up already :)

Knocking it on the head in mid afternoon Chris took the chance for a bit of theory input and rounded off with his EPC exam so setting him up for the CPC next time out.