Mixing it at St Agnes

 Looking good out front as we rig the hangies

Looking good over the back too :)

 Taking the ASKA 17 for a fly whilst waiting for Cloud base to lift a little

Is it a Big Pilot or a small Glider ?

A Breezy NNW forecast to veer to the north saw us (me and Tim) at St Agnes with hangies rigged and ready by 11:30 so much for an early start!.  With the wind at around 22 I took another chance to fly the ASKA to show Tim what it would do.  Despite his looks of doubt he was surprised just as I was when i first flew it to see it pop up and fly up and away with little drama, "not what i expected " he said, not sure what he did expect but he had already asked where the car keys were.......

Next it was onto the hangies and with Tim launched I press ganged a passer by into launching me in the freshening breeze. We spent a fun 45 minutes up and down the ridge working the passing lift before finally a decent bit came through and took me with it.  Tim was a bit off to the east and by the time he made it over the best of it had gone but he made a fine effort to try and get up there with me.

Up to cloud base at 2000 ASL then a cold drift in the murky stuff to Redruth, a crosswind to Fourlanes and the sun then back to base and a bit of cloud hopping to keep in front of the rain before missing the next climb at Culdrose.  An unorthodox landing in rotor behind a hedge saw the end of this years first XC for me.

It was pretty windy by the time I landed and back at St Agnes it was very windy so windy that Tim could not make it back to the front having worked back in the thermal.  He measured 28 to 32 mph and the various wind stations history show the same.

Lets hope a few more days like this to come :)

ASKAing for it

 "Pushing" forward to launch in a fresh breeze

 

Spot the ASKA

On a late whim we headed to Chapel porth more for a walk than a fly but did pop the AKSA 17 in just in case. On arrival it was a little off to the left but not much and strong enough at 24 -26.  Jerry was just leaving as it was way too windy for normal Paras and Big G and Andy C just arriving with their Hangies.

10 minutes later I was up and away on the Mini wing and having a ball. Feeling more confident and with loads of lift around it was amazing to flying in such conditions under a canopy.  Building up the turns and relaxing I let the ASKA do its stuff and it certainly did it.  My third flight saw some nice sea thermals coming through so it was time to try a bit of thermalling and yes it does! 

True to say it does sacrifice some lift for speed but what do you expect from a 17 sqm wing but it more than makes up for it in its ability to get you up and flying when your normal Paraglider would stay firmly in the bag.  Despite my initial reservation I have to admit  that the quality of flying it can give is way above (literally) my expectations making it much more than a ground skimming glider.  Come and try it.

Finally here are some comments from Michel after he flew it :-

I really enjoyed today, thanks again.


I would add to your comments that ground handling is actually easier than with the Rush. The wing goes up without overshooting and stay solid above you with very little to do to keep it there.

You might even add that Michel was so impressed that he is going to order one if the price is not likely to give him a heart attack!

Cheers

Michel

>
"One more opinion about the wing. I don't know whether if it was to do with the site and condition but I thought on the ground the wing felt more like learner wing, reluctant to go right overhead without that extra pull on the A risers, unlike the more advance wings which just want to go forward unless you stop them. I think having the trim halfway on take off my help, I'll have to try that!"

Roll on the time when he can fly it again :)

One step back two steps forwards

 Plenty on as the sun comes out

 So thats what cloudbase is like

 Martin gets a nice launch set up

 Anna gets back on the right track and has FUN

Bird on a Bike (You turn your back for one minute Phil!)

It was a slightly damp start in the tow field and the cloudbase was a little lower than we would have liked still not low enough to stop things from moving on.

Neil and Adam were back on the hangy and joined by Rick H (Truro) who was along for a tow conversion to help him back into flying.  Neil had another cracking day and moved onto the Calypso whilst perfecting his landings and also playing with prone, his flying is looking really neat and hopefully his experience with us will set him up his flying career.

Adam really got it cracked quickly moving onto the base bar and prone flying with his turns neat and tidy and his landing tippy toed.

Rick picked up the art of towing easily and after a couple of low level ones he was off to the top and into the mists. Tomorrow he will hopefully return to complete his endorsement and fly his own glider (Wills Wing U2).

On the Paragliding front many of yesterdays suspects were back along with one "new" one.  Despite damp wings and light wings they all gave ground handling a shot before heading over to the tow line.

Joe H (Helston) had another good day pushing well into his CPC as did Ian F (Hayle) and Simon W (Truro (not Plymouth)) all doing very well and looking very pleased by the end of it.

Martin J was back and moved along into his EPC after a few recap flights but we still need to work on his landings ....

Anna P worked really hard practising her ground handling with Kaz and Bill and it showed on her return to the winch.  We took her back a few stages and then moved forwards again with super results.  Annas towing improved dramatically and by the end of the day she was floating around with the best of them and the envy of some at her landing skills. Well done to all concerned.

Nice to Miles t drop by just to say hello and Adi pop his head in before news that Carbis was on saw him disappear just as quick!

Thanks again to Tim Phil and Bill for keeping the well oiled machine spinning.  Looks sunny and light tomorrow and whats more we should have Keith along with that shiny new Paramotor of his.

In Full Flow

 The hangies hang out together at the start of the day

 Miles has no mates but he does not seem worried

 Anna heads up onto the blue

 James gets his hands on the Calypso and lets it flow

 Somebody must be doing something right !

 Steve looks like a perect pilot as he heads to the top of the line

Adam launches for his first flight to the top

It was a busy day for us in the field with 6 Para's and 3 Hangers on the go, not as many as we can take but as many as we like to take to ensure everyone gets plenty of flying in and progress made.

Once again the forecast proved pretty much on the nail and a 09.00 start saw us setting up for a NW tow in near perfect conditions.  Whilst half the Paragliders practised ground handling the other half and the hangies got on the winch.  First off was Neil T (London) who was down to finish of his tow rating and sort out his foot launch and landing skills having just learnt but mainly on "the wheels". Neil had a great day putting away 9 tows and looking good by the end of the day and never once landing on his knees, hopefully problem sorted.

Next for the Hangies was James C (London) who after just two weeks in Cornwall had finished his CPC Tow and was doing consolidation ready for the hill. James had a fun time and soon converted onto the Calypso on which he spent the rest of the day playing and practising, again no muddy knees over his 9 flights.

The final Hangy was Adam W (Penryn) who made good progress by finishing off his EPC tasks before heading off to the top of the line to start his CPC and guess what?  Yep all good stand up landings here as well and another 9 flights to his credit.  So if you have a problem with your hangy landings give us a call.......

Miles T (Illogan) led the way for the Paragliders and on his third day did very nicely finishing off his EPC tasks before heading to the top of the line to start his CPC.  Having to leave early he still managed 7 flights and got home on time.

Joe H (Helston) on his second day polished off his non release flights before moving into releases, then turns and then bigger turns and finally he to completed his EPC tasks and ended the day with a high flight to get a taste of his CPC and 10 more flight under his belt.

Steve W (Plymouth) was back after a short break and again on his third day polished off the EPC tasks before heading to the top of the  line.  By the end of the day he had moved nicely into his CPC tasks and looking very comfortable as he relaxed back into the harness.  Another 9 flights to his log and the airtime starting to build.

With some good ground handling practise done the other half joined in the towing with the guys pushing Anna to the front.  Anna P (Hayle)having done some good work wit her ground handling never quite settled on the tow on her 4 flights despite a good effort so we decided to give her a rest and try again tomorrow.

Ian F (Hayle) hopped on the line and after an overactive start soon smoothed out to do some lovely flying and completed his EPC tasks before finishing off the day with a couple of high flights to get going on his CPC.

Treeve T  (Hayle) followed suit and had a cracking time completing his EPC before also having a couple of trips to the top of the line to round off a perfect day.

Phil L(Illogan)  also manged to sneak onto the line after unwrapping his brand new Ozone Buzz Z3 and ground handling it for a while. He had some super flights looking very at home and enjoying its super flying characteristics and extra performance, his verdict :)

With 75 tows put away and most of the guys doing a good day and a halfs work things worked out well, all helped along by some lovely weather, super towing (Tim), nice bike riding (Phil0) , excellent instruction and assisting (Kaz and Bill) and the guys being organised.  Nice

Quote of the day "Nice helmet Steve" Steve blushed .........

High speed wings

 Michel heads to take off on his first try of the ASKA 17

 Up and away and habing fun (don't tell Terry)

Need I say more

Well kind of.  With the wind veering back to the WSW and freshening I took the opportunity to nip out to Chapel Porth and finally get the ASKA 17 out of the bag.  In a fresh 22 mph + I played with a bit of ground handling to get its measure before tentatively going to the edge and taking off.  I need not have been so worried, although more nimble than a full size wing it was reassuringly stable and predictable.  Not only did it go forward but it also went up in fact much better than I expected, certainly not a plummet machine.

Top landing was easy and collapsing it a doddle.  Michel made an appearance and wasted no time in having a go putting in 3 flights an looking more and more at home on each one, even trying to jump the cove on one flight despite the wind being well off to the south and the tide in!  His verdict, "lots of fun" "another toy for his toy box" and yes much more stable and user friendly than the other speed wing he has tried.

Even as the wind eased back the ASKA had no problem in staying up in 18mph with it flying the whole length of the ridge.  Trimmers on saw a big increase in speed suggesting that in stronger conditions getting around would be no problem.

Quick as it is it was no match for a pair of Peregrine Falcons that were flying and |I had the pleasure of seeing one do a vertical dive past the front of me whilst flying before it pulled out and zoomed along the cliffs just to show off. Well spring is coming and I guess it's the mating season so showing off was in order.

Not sure how long I can hold onto the ASKA but let us now if you want a go and tighten up your harness and forget about weight shift, you won't need it...........   Yes Bill Yes

Patient Phil

 Phil up and away on his first hill flight

Classic shot as Phil enjoys hill soaring for the first time

No not that kind of patient!  Based on the forecast and a gut feel not to miss out on the hill if the wind played ball we headed to Perranporth for an early start to catch the tide and hopefully get Phil L (Illogan) his first hill soaring flights on a Paraglider.

On the way it was apparent that the wind was already more to the west than forecast sowe changed course and arrived at Chapel Porth where the breeze was light but nicely on.  Whilst Phil got his kit sorted Kaz and myself tested the air and found it lifty enough but still on the light side for Phil, still no worries we could do with a bit more beach any way.

For the next hour or so the wind and lift came and went giving some nice flying slots followed by some not so nice ones seeing various pilots beach landing or slope landing as well as top landing, still not good enough for Phil.  Low tide was at 11.15 and the beach was massive (for Chapel) with the old ships boiler clearly visible.  A slight change in the breeze saw Phil clipped in and ready to go where he stayed for about 25 minutes whilst we ate sandwiches!  His patence was rewarded and as conditions became good he was second off the hill into some lovely lift which soon saw him up and away.

A cracking flight was followed by a cracking top landing and a cracking grin, his first flight off the hill and all the boxes ticked.  A short debrief and he was off again in slightly breezier conditions needing a take off from the slope which he dealt with well.  The sky quickly filled with other gliders and Phil enjoyed another super 20 minutes as the wind continued to fill.  He got the chance to use both his speed bar and Big ears to good effect before coming back in for another first class top landing.

With the tide well onits way back in he spent the next couple of hours watching and learning from the other pilots as conditions stayed pretty much perfect  until mid afaternoon when things picked up alittle more making it top end.

Good to see so many out and good to see Bill N back out playing after the Flu shame it wasn't Flew Bill

Nice one and lets hope for another day like it soon :)

 

Half and Half

Marie comes back to earth

We made an early start in the field and were up and towing before 10.00.  Adam W (Falmouth) and James C (London) were on the hangy whislt Miles T (Illogan) and Martin J (Plymouth) were on the Paragliders.  We cracked on   as with the forecast to pick up it was a race against time before it blew out.

Everyone got some flying in and made progress although fair to say some more than others........

11.30 saw Marie turn up for a tandem flight as a birthday present to herself and timed it just right having two super flights in super conditions and taking it all in her stride.  By the time we had debriefed the wind had filled in and that was the end of towing.

Whilst the hangies derigged the Paras did a bit more ground handling before we adjorned to the warmth of indoors for some theory.  The hangy boys excelled themselves by both passing their CPC exams one with 100% and the other not far off.

Usefull day and pretty much what it said on the box in the forecast for a change..

Light and Fiesty

 It even makes rich look good

Nice rear !

We got a look and hang in the new Advance Impress 3 Comp' harness today. A very impressive piece of kit and light with it unlike most of it's competitors.  If you are interested give us a call. no Bill no

Nice :)

 The hangy boys look like they mean business

 Simon L comes back down after completing another CPC task

 Kaz shows Martin how to do Nodding dog, or possibly she just bangs him on the head..

 Joe sets off on his first flight

Looks like they did the business ( who's got muddy knees then )

It was indeed a nice day out in the field despite the wind doing a 180 on us just when we were set up for towing!  Still it settled down and gave some lovely training conditions through the day.

James C and Phil L were back on the hangy hot from Tuesdays success which saw them to the top of the line and now on day four.  Simon L (Plymouth) was back on his fifth day to move into his CPC tasks and Joe H (Helston)  and Martin (Plymouth) were both along for Taster days on the Para's with a view to taking up the sport.

Whilst Joe and Martin got on with the basics in conditions that made them work up a sweat the others cracked on with the flying.  The Hangy boys kept pace with each other and settled into high flights, base bar conversions and prone flying all whilst getting their spot landings and planned approaches sorted along the way.  By the end of the day they were looking pretty sweet and had even had time to take in the views.

Simon L got back in the swing of it and it was good to see his towing improve on the line whilst he worked deep into his CPC tasks off it ending up with Speed bar and Big Ears to his Credit, not long now ...

Mid afternoon saw the Taster Day boys arrive and get their first flights in.  They both did really well with each flight improving and both ending up with near perfect landings and canopy collapses on their final flights.  We wont say which one jumped >>>

A Fun day all round  and big smiles from all, lets see if Joe or Martin return, I think they will.

Quote of the day " All you need is a nice flair ---- oh"

Three get High

The guys and Scruff ready the Falcon whilst Hangy Dave rigs the Calypso

A light SW forecast saw us in the field with hangies although as it turned out the wind was NW!  Still having use of the "Bird Seed" field helped out as the wind flicked about a little.  James C (London) and Phil L (Illogan) were both back for day three of their EPC's and Dave D (Newquay) also returned on his fifth day as hae approaches the end of his CPC tasks.

A recap flight on the Falcon soon saw Dave back into the swing of things and it was not long before he hopped onto the Calypso followed by converting to a chest release.  In amongst this he managed to complete his CPC tasks with planned approaches and Slow flight appreciation putting 9 flights over the day.

James and Phil kept pace with each other and grasped the fact that the correct airspeed makes life easy by mid afternoon.  They worked through turns and sorted out their landing flares as the wind progressively dropped.  As the end of the day approached they were ready for their first flights to the top of the tow in what was now pretty much nil wind.  Both did an excellent job to round off with super flights , super landings and super smiles, nice one.

Add to this the successfully taking of their EPC exams and they gained that as well so putting the icing on the cake.

Nice to see Paul H out on the winch keeping his hand in and doing such a good job despite me badgering him for this and that through the day.

Quote of the day " that's really cool"  

Fun for one

 Concentration as Phil gets used to the hill

Doing well in reverse and showing his best side

 It was not long before phil was playing with the wing and the lift

Guess that says it all

The afternoon showed some promise as the dampness lifted and the chance of some flying looked possible on the hill.  Figuring that Phil l would have had enough of work and that he could do with getting his hands back on the Para after a couple of days of Hangers we gave him a call.

An hour later and we arrived at perran. The wind was well off but it was a nice breeze and certainly good enough for ground handling. It was Phils first time on the hill but to be fair he did a fine job quickly getting used to the difference and it was not long before he had it sorted and could move around at will and even talk at the same time!

The dampness returned and the wind stayed off so we called it a day but although no flying it was great preparation for the hill for Phil, not long now :)

Full on in the field

With a brighter day than the last few forecast we headed to the field with a pretty much full day booked.  Conditions were light in fact very light on arrival so whilst yesterday's hangy boys rigged the hangies Ian F, Anna P and Treeve T all back to continue their EPC Paragliding sat their EPC exams.

By the time the gliders were rigged , the exams were marked (all passing so congratulations) and The day oners Adam W (Truro) and Miles T  (Iloogan) had done their PLF's and airfield introduction the wind had filled a little and we set the winch out.

The hangies got going quickly and were soon rattling off their remaining release flights in fine style, Ian, Anna and Treeve soon joined in on the winch and moved well into their EPC tasks towing higher and building their turns.  Early afternoon saw Adam and Miles get their first flights on the tow with both having a good time and ending with their first release flights to put big grins all round.  Despite the wind being a little fickle everyone managed good progress and we should have a few new EPC's next day out.

Oh we did have the first set of muddy knees on the hangy not bad after two days and  27 flights!

Sorry no piccies but hoping to get some sooooon :~

Hangy Heaven

 James C does a super take off run 

 Up and away on an early tether flight

 Phil L joins in the fun and puts in a nice turn correction

 Adam W heads up for a release flight

Phippsy Discussing something with Kaz

With two keen students looking to start hang gliding we decided to head to the tow filed despite the damp conditions to get at least the basics done . We canned the Paragliding due to the dampness which as it turned out was a spot on decision.  Just as we left the house Phil L Illogan) who has recently passed his CPC Paragliding  arrived and decided to come along to watch........

James C (London) was along for his first go with a view to taking it up and Adam W (Penryn) who we taught Paragliding 4 years ago was along to try it as he had always wanted to even before paragliding.  Phil watched on as the guys rigged and joined in with the preflight checks etc. By the time James and Adam did their first runs across the field Phils mind was set and he joined in the fun.

The three guys worked well together and by early afternoon were ready to tow.  The weather cleared up, the wind filled in and conditions were near perfect for hangie day ones.  By the end of the day they had all mastered the basics of flight and moved nicely into releases setting them for tomorrow.

It was a full day for them with super results and convincing them all to carry on, watch this space :)

Happy Bunny

A picture that sya it all

It did not take Keith b long to arrive to claim his new baby.  we spent a fun afternoon showing him parenthood skills before he took it away.  Lets hope for a nice day to take it out to play soon :)

Very Nice :)

We had a new arrival which came in a nicely crated bow all the way from Italy. Unfortunately we are only the foster Parents until the proper parent arrives to pick it up.  watch this space and hope for light winds and sunny skies soon ...

 All tucked up after a long trip

 Ready to play

Nice rear

"The long wait"

 Dave gets to grips with the Falcon under a nice sky

First launch in 27 years under a very nice sky

 

Congratulations to Dave on getting back into it (still under a very nice sky)

Well actually as it turned an incredibly short one for Dave G (Taunton) who having been out of the sport of Hang Gliding for 27 years gave us a call on Saturday evening about the possibility of getting back into it.  We had a chat, a look at the weather and next thing he knew he was at Sennen Cove at 09.30 on Sunday morning.

Conditions were classic and we wasted no time in getting Dave in the air after a bit of refresh work on the ground.  On the Wills Wing Falcon 195 Daves feet left the ground for the first time on a hangy since 1987 and within a couple of beats he had settled back in.  We had a super day with dave putting in 3 cracking flights and top landings along with some theory catch up and CPC exam. Congratulations on your return Dave  and look out for himm on the hill in Devon and Somerset (and elsewhere).  Oh Jan' thanks for being so patient :)

Meanwhile Kaz , Sam A and Nigel W all had a good time with as much flying as they could take and nice to see everyone landing as sweet as could be, long may it continue.

Guess the guys hada good time at High Cliff and St Agnes as if the sky was half as good as at Sennen they must have done some miles.  

Love is ......

""We" carried the Paras and Kaz's hanger "

A damp morning brightened up early afternoon so we decided to nip out to Chapel porth for a quick flight.  Loading the hangers as both the forecast and conditions showed them to be the piece of kit to have we decided to throw the paras in just in case.

Driving past Porthtowan the sea looked quite quiet and on arrival the sight of John W and Nigel E indicated that it maybe lighter than thought.  Decisions!  Well to cover both options "we" took Kaz's  Hanger and both Paras to the front. Result we ended up flying the Paras and the rest is in the picture!

Surprising afternoon windy enough as it turned out :)

Soaring at Sennen

Cathy welcomed back by Alfie and Evie

We headed to Sennen Cove at mid day with the hope of getting some tandem flying on the hanger in and as it turned out that's just what we did.  On arrival it was still brisk but by the time we had a bit of a chat things began to mellow and it was time to rig.

Big Grey, Nigel w Paul and gay were all there already and flying had been had although conditions had been variable.  By the time the glider was rigged and Cathy G (St Austell) had arrived it was looking good.  We wasted no time in getting up there and had a fun flight flying over the village, playing with the seagulls and seal spotting in very pleasant conditions.  Back on the ground Cathy had to download her experience to Evie and Alfie who both wanted to have a go but i think a few years yet!

The wind eased abit and Paul W took the chance to get some flying in on his Paraglider and did a fine job of it too.

Next up was Adam W (Paul W's) son for a taste of Hang Gliding to help him decide whether to HG or Pg.  we had a fun time flying alongside his dad Paul until he decided to land as the wind filled again. Adam and I had a great time in the improving conditions before joining him back on the ground.

Finally at the end of the day Nigel w joined me for some landing approach practise and as luck would have it it was best part of the day with the lift really kicking in making us have to make a real effort to loose height to make a normal landing approach, you can fly with me any time Nigel if you have that kind of luck!

Fun afternoon plenty of flying and nice and social :)