Sunny Soaring at Sennen and crashing .......

Perfect

Well here we go again, the good weather has come at last and we are making the best of it.  With a NNE backing and filling as the day went on we decided on Sennen Cove as our site for the day and headed off early to get the Paragliders going before it filled in too much.

Arriving at 09.00 timing was again spot on as was the wind direction.  As we parked up the gulls were just staying up and by the time we had the paragliders out of the bags and rigged it was nicely sharable. Kaz and myself got some cracking flying in having the sky to ourselves before Shaun S fresh from yesterdays success rolled up. Shaun wasted no time in rigging and after a site brief was up and away into the blue.  Conditions mellowed a little and Shaun had to work a bit harder for the lift for the first 10 minutes before it returned seeing him having a great time.  A nice top landing a bebrief and he was off again into the steady lift.  Keeping a close eye on the sea for the predicted wind increase Shaun came in for another cracking top landing to complete his hill conversion and become CPC rated in both Tow and Hill, well done :)

Shaun "hangs"in there

the lift increases as Phippsy sucks the wind in

must be lifty there's a plane soaring!

By now the wind was filling in and the hangies were starting to rig and Todd A arrived from Totnes. Oh no just like yesterday Todd's timing was not good as it got too strong for Para's! His face was not a good one but we decided to give ground handling a go in the hope it may ease a bit.  30 minutes of ground work did Todd a lot of good and whats more encouraged the wind to ease a little.  Going for it Todd did a fantastic job of  "walking" the glider to the front and getting off unassisted for his first soaring flight.  With a yelp of delight he wasp and away into good lift and soon cruising the ridge in fine style.  His new Ozone Mojo 4 did well and up top it was easy to get around.  15 minutes later he cam in for his first top landing and his face was looking much happier :)  A debrief and he was up and away again having done another great job at launching from the top.  Once more we had to keep a close eye on conditions and as the wind picked up a little he came in for another top landing nailing it to get him half way through his hill conversion.

Todd puts the hard work in

and gets a great reward :)

Todds toys

With the breeze now definitely more for the hangies Kaz, Phil  and Simon F (who had driven 3 1/2 hours for the day got some great flying in whilst Shaun S and myself had fun on the Tandem Hangy.  Sam A and Tim J turned up later for some afternoon soaring and by this time we were flown out but conditions were still good.

Summer 

Todd spotting

another happy chappy

So a super day with the guys doing great and Todd breaking his duck, sorry Ollie but glider on order so hopefully it will be good when you return.  Ohh yes the crash ....... I avoided the doughnuts as instructed but then reversed into Phil's car that was abandoned in the car park !

Quote of the day "woops"

A Right Royal time

The forecast gave light NE winds filling through the morning then rain in the afternoon so we headed off to Carbis to see what we could get done.  Arriving just as the wind filled in and Big G and Rich42 took off was perfect timing.  Kaz finally got the chance to fly her new Buzz Z4 and I got my first proper flight on the Delta 2 where i could actually let her go up.

With the Queen passing by on the train Mike A and myself flew down to give her a wave and I do believe Mike got one back as well as on film, nice.

Paddy sets off on his first soaring flight

We both had a ball in lovely conditions playing around before the hill conversion boys turned up.  Paddy B (Falmouth) was first to arrive and it was not long before he was ready to go.  A cracking inflation, a super launch and he was away for his first soaring flight and making it all look pretty straightforward despite the nerves.  After getting it sussed and cruising the ridge in good lift Paddy came in for a first class top landing to round it off with a huge grin.

Paddy and Kaz fly high

and jumps for joy at having survived it !

The clouds begin to build in the distance

Shaun s (Newlyn) was next to arrive and with Paddy safely down it was Shauns turn.  Just like Paddy he did a fine job and was soon up and away looking very smooth indeed and mixing it with the other gliders like a pro.  A nice approach and top landing and the boys were full of it congratulating each other.  We did not waste much time before getting them up again as the forecast was not looking so hot.  They both did great jobs again and shared the air with each other along with several other wings which kept them on their toes.  Another top landing each and they had  two flights under their belts.  Todd A (Totnes) arrived just in time to see them in and just as the wind picked up to such a level that we had to call it a day for them. Todd was disappointed but it did not stop him sharing the other guys success as he congratulated them, shame Ollie was not there but he had to go to Holland!

Shaun and Paddy share the air

looking pretty Shaun flies by

Shaun on finals

a very happy man

So with a final flight on the Delta as the clouds expanded and the sky got darker that was it for the day apart from a bit of Parachute fitting and harness choosing.

Well done to the guys and with abit of luck tomorrow should see them up again ;))

Quote of the day "AWESOME !

"

Puffing at Perran

Another trip to the hill this time hoping for the wind to drop as the afternoon went on and having worked on the kitchen in the morning the wind stations all showed a drop so off we went.

It was still breezy on arrival with only speed wings in the air, I joined in the fun on the ASKA in what were very lifty conditions.  Kaz decided to fly her hangy and showed the gang of three (Ollie, Paddy and Todd) what hang gliding is about with a cracking flight and one of the best top landings ever ;))

Paddy spreads them

Todd shimmy's

It stayed windy so we gave the guys a a ground handling session on the ASKA which some found easier than others........  As evening came the wind did ease a fraction seeing a couple of Paraglidres in the air, although a challenging launch would be a kind way of describing one of them.  i popped up on the school wing up it was still too much for the guys so we called it a day at 21.00.  Oh so much Parawaiting ..........

Quote of the day " don't text paddy"

Rampant Reindeers

It was back to Vault for an early start to hopefully beat the fog and catch the wind as it picked up through the morning.  On arrival at 08.00 the wind was off the the east but pretty good strength wise and no sign of fog:)

Ollie in his best Christmas jumper

By the time the guys arrived, Ollie C (Plymouth), Paddy B (Falmouth) and Todd A (Totnes) the wind was already filling and veering to come on the hill.  Kaz went off to pick up the hill exams to keep the guys occupied and whilst she was away things came on. I sneaked a flight in on her Buzz Z4 to test conditions then got the guys ready to roll.

Kaz gets some ground handling in as we wait for the guys

By the time Paddy was set the wind had freshened and was already top end confirmed by a couple of failed launch attempts. Ollie also gave it a go but it was too much so we put on hold.  The guys took their exams and all passed fine but the wind continued to fill so we called it a day.

Kaz's dream home

handy for a spot of fishing too

The good news was that the fog never appeared and the sun shone so Kaz and myself spent a couple of hours on Hemick beach before heading home so quite a nice day as it turned out.

Quote of the day "I want it"

Wet sleeves and Country Cream

Vault Bay is always fickle and today was no exception!  With reports of a bit light and off to the east whilst on route we arrived to fine it on and nicely flyable BUT within 10 minutes the orographic rolled in and cloud base  dropped onto the hill seeing Gerry (the only one already up) scurry for the top landing!

 My new Delta 2 gets an airing

In anticpation Kaz's new Z4 was already out of the bag so she gave it a ground handle and loved it.   We sat and waited in the hope that it would lift but it stubbonly stuck with us. With the conversation going down hill and the Jaffa cake tasting comp' over I cracked and figured as long as I did not go to high I'd be alright so took Kaz's wing up to see what it was like.  Well the wing was superb and the lift steady and the cloudbase low!  Still with some fun flying and a bit of swooping you could stay below it and have fun.

Yep it got misty

what's the IMC rules ?

With no one else keen to have a go I finally got the chance to fly my new Delta 2 and whilst not getting the chance to fly her high I had a good hour's worth of playing up and down the front putting her through her paces.  If you are in the market for an EN C wing you gotta try this.  Predictable and precise sums it up which in my book give a lot of confidence.  Over that hour I probably learned more than I have over the past 6 months about flying paragliders with the exception of the SIV course that is :)  It was good fun and something I rarely get to do especially as when its bright and sunny there are normally others to consider.

Adie puts his coaching into practice .... or is he giving a sermon to a captive audience???

Adie put the time to good use with Ben giving a bit of ground handling coaching before the masses gave up and went home leaving Myself, Paddy and Ollie like Gorrillas in the mist.  Despite the mist conditions were good for ground handling so the guys put in an hours worth sweetening up the basics along with learning a few new tricks to keep them entertained.  The mist never did lift so we finally gave in too and planned a return early tomorrow if things work out.

more ground handling for Ollie

and Paddy joins in the

Quote of the day "Pink like a ...." I can't belive you said that Adie ... to be fair he just forgot to compplete the sentence .... allegedly

Thermic Sunday

After the fun on the hill yesterday it was a change to get back into the field with some day oners.

Jenny S (Falmouth) and Gary T (St Austell) were along to for the first day of Hang Gliding and Paragliding respectively.  Whilst Tim looked after Jenny on the Hangy I took Gary on the Para and we worked through the morning in what turned out to be variable conditions as the sea breeze tried to establish itself over the field.

The Condor floats in

Lunchtime saw the arrival of Ollie C ( now qualified) for some experience tows and also some thermic conditions as the sea breeze gave up and the wind backed to the south.  A few test flights on both the Hangy and the Paraglider saw us on hold as we waited for things to mellow with a bit of theory.  Finally the clouds thinned back and we got going after Phil L kindly tested the air once more.

Landing as the sky begins to thin

Ollie made the most of it putting in his first thermal flight as he circled round and round in lift and just loved every second of it.  Jenny was next off on the Hangy and did a fine job improving with each flight as she relaxed more and more letting the glider fly and getting her weight shift sorted. By the end of play she was looking good and hopefully the tethers will be off next time out.

Gary got his first flight on the paraglider and just came back with a bigger grin after each one!  He did a great job and moved through the low flights into releases and even gentle turns by the end of the day.  To be fair everyone had to be on the ball as conditions were not super smooth so being pilots was the order of the day not just passengers.

Looking forward to more next time.

Quote of the day "Wow"

Busy Bees at Chapel

                                                    Off to test conditions on the ASKA

The front was over us as we awoke in the morning but the forecasts were for it to clear around lunchtime, a few checks on the webcams and a look out the window and we could see blue sky moving in from the west.  Having arranged to meet Andy C (Penzance) who was along for a Tandem at 13.30 we arrived to find it nicely flyable and ideal for tandem HG's.

 Big G and .......

Kaz join in the fun

A quick test fight of conditions on the ASKA confirmed all was good and Andy arrived on time, ideal. We were up and away in lovely smooth lift under a bright blue sky and over a turquoise sea, perfect.  Andy had a super flight as we chatted away, chased the seagulls and watched the waves on the cliffs below.  Kaz came up and joined us on her Hangy and shared the air.  Andy seemed to really enjoy it and managed to fly the glider getting the feel of it after a few beats.  In for a super landing as more hangies joined in the fun along with a couple of speed wings.

The Tandem flights get under way

nice take off

and away

and back again

Next along were a group of 6 who had called up on spec and timed it just right especially as they were only in Cornwall for a few days.  With conditions a little lighter we started with the girls who had to show the guys how to do it.  As luck would have it as the weight of each passenger increased so did the wind, could not have planned it better.  Everyone had a fabulous time experiencing the flight and despite some ducking and diving along with some stalls no one felt ill. In fact they all took it in their stride making my life easier. By the time all 6 had been up the sun was disappearing behind the clouds and it was time to call it a day.

mini wings ???

Sam A pops one in

Al stands his ground

A quick pack up and off to the Chiverton Arms for a pint where we met up with the Tandems now celebrating with a few drinks........

Andy C and Freddy and Phippsy

Happy faces after they all flew :) ;) ;) :) :) ;)

Good to see plenty of hangies having fun and great to see Alan P (my dad) out on site chatting away, taking piccies and being generally helpful as he got to know the new boys.  A really good day :)

Thanks to Alan P and Alan K for the piccies

Quote of the day "How many??

enough said .......

Day off

Having decided not to go to Scotland based on the forecast we decided to have a day off before what looks like it could be a busy spell as the weather in Cornwall looks good the morning was spent shovelling manure;)

A day off however does mean that we can't go out flying does it??  Jobs done and conditions looking good for some hanging about at Chapel we loaded up and headed out.

Getting going on the Aska

It's such a toy :)

With the morning pilots having had enough and heading home we had a lovely afternoon mixing some hang gliding with some ASKA flying and just generally having fun.  Dredgie and Ben B kept us company with Adie turning up later just in time to show Dredgie how to coach and also pop in his first XC on his Little Cloud .......

Kaz enjoys the sky to herself as the sun comes out :))

Kaz had an interesting flight on her hangy which nearly resulted in a prone landing but keeping
calm she sorted it out and landed perfectly on her feet.

Quote of the day "oh yes I should have mentioned that!"

Sun and Fun in the Afternoon

Heading to the field for 12.30 so that the sea breeze could establish it was a cracking looking day with blue skies and light winds.  The guys got the kit sorted whilst we set out the winch and it was not long before the lines were up and running.

It was great to see Bill N back in the field (even if he did talk a bit) for a visit and great to see his wing back out of the bag as he put a bit of ground handling in.  Hopefully we shall see more of him over the next few weeks and back in the air later in the year.

Paul B makes a cracking launch

Paul B (Okehampton) got the ball rolling with his first flights on the winch after his ground handling introduction last week.  In super conditions he made a good job of it and popped in three nice ones to get him through to release flights.

and a nice flight

Kieth W (N Devon) was along to carry on his CPC Paragliding and built on his first High flight a month ago by popping in some more.  In fairness Kieth made me work to start with but did get progressively better through the day and was looking pretty sweet by the end of it as he worked on weight shift and landing approaches, putting away 10 flights in all.

                                                                Kieth gets set to go

                                                looking nice and relaxed on the way down

Ollie C (Plymouth) lively as ever had a ball as he finished off his CPC tasks so becoming qualified on the tow by the end of play also with 10 flights to his credit. Ollie just loved the instability bits, is he an Acro pilot in the making ................

Ollie C heads back after an Asymmetric and loving it

Ollies face says it all ;)

Good to see some Paragliders enjoying the late afternoon lift off Carn Brea and rumour has it that the brambles were left intact.

As the evening drew on Paul used the last lines up to finish on 11 tows and well into his EPC, only a couple of more flights and he is off to the top of the line before converting to Paramotoring.

the day draws to an end as the sun moves to the west

A super afternoon / evenings work with plenty done and good progress hopefully we will get a few more days like this soon.

Quote of the day  "that made me puff a bit" ... guess who

Style at St Agnes

Another day of trying to fit two things into one.  With a light NE forecast to fill and back to the North we headed to Carbis Bay to meet Paddy where he was reporting light but on winds.  There was always going to be a slot it was just a question of when and how long ......... By the time we got to the front and rigged Paul and Big G were just about staying up, by the time I test flew conditions the lift was improving, by the time Paddy had had two attempts at launching and we had untangled his glider it was too strong!! So the slot came and went in less than 20 minutes ....... still at least it was a expected.

The slot begins and the guys get ready - it was not there for long!!

A quick pack up and it was off to St Agnes where conditions were pretty much smack on and around 20 mph ideal for the hangs. Michel landed his Paraglider just in time and we rigged.  Big g was floating about with the other Gray on their hangies showing conditions were ideal.

Rigged and ready at St Agnes

Nicola (Italian) arrived in a very stylish open top car along with Tiago (Husband) and you could tell he was italian, everything about them was style making me feel quite underdressed!  What a fun pair they are and whilst Nicilo was up for it Tiago was definitely not.  In classic conditions we launched into the blue and had a fantastic time messing around with the gulls and other gliders. Nicola had a go at flying the glider and did ok although there is room for improvement.  The last 10 minutes we just played swooping and diving to round off a flight to remember.  So much fun to fly with such people.

The rest of the afternoon was taken up playing on Kaz's wing when she was not flying it and we were joined by Phil L who put in his first two flights at St Agnes and made a first class job of them too.

Good time had by all

 Quote of the day  "I would **** my pants"