Sunday at Sennen

A reverse forecast of yesterday saw us at Sennen Cove early where the wind was fresh and the sun shining.   Whilst Kaz rigged her hangy I got the Tandem Hangy ready and it was not long before Paul D from yesterday arrived for his flight.

We wasted no time and soon we were up in the air building height before heading across the Cove onto the main (village) ridge where we could play in the lift.  Paul who does a lot of Kayaking got a very different view of an area that he has paddled around many time sin the past.  Visiting pilot Ian P came up to join us on his Hangy to enjoy the view which included the Isles of Scilly which looked very close in the good visibility.

Paul and Launa celebrating their Tandem flights

A nice top landing and it was a very happy Paul that could now share his flying experience with Launa who had come up with us yesterday on a Paraglider.

Whilst we waited for some more passengers to turn up Kaz popped up on her hangy for a flight making it look all too easy.  The colour of the sea, sand and sky were stunning and with Kaz's glider in amongst them it was a real picture.

Kaz flies in on her hangy

Enlarge a little and you can see the Isles of Scilly on the horizon

With the tandems arriving the wind got bottom end for Hang Gliding Tandems but was still a bit strong for the Paraglider.  I had some fun on Kaz's glider and flew out over the sea where Paul and Launa were now happily paddling away in their Kayaks.

The wind eased and Kaz went up on her Paraglider to test the air.  5 minutes and it looked good so I got the glider out, 10 minutes and it looked light so I hesitated, 12 minutes and Kaz came in as Bev launched and the lift dropped away.  One of theses days I guess.........

Bev gets some airtime in

Bev hung in there for a good 20 minutes in challenging conditions flying well but there was just not enough lift to get her back on top and final she opted for the beach where she got a round of applause.

The afternoon went on pretty much like that with it being flyable and fun for some but never good enough for others (including the Tandems).  Tim J gallantly ?? took off on the school Falcon (Hang Glider) and did a great job of hanging in there whist  I struggled to stay up on a Paraglider.  Again it was never good enough for him to get back in on top and another headed to the beach.

a cheery wave from Tim on on of his many low passes

nice ;)

Colin N made good use of the afternoon ground handling and not only continued to improve, particularly in forward launches, but must have pst a kilo or two in the process.  Finally we called it a day as the sun shone and the wind dropped and the girls went for a swim.

                                                                 Ground handling fun

                                Belly thong (cropped to protect the guilty) and it was not Colin ...

Frustrating n ot to get everyone in the air but a lovely place to be and good to meet up with such friendly guys, it never ceases to maze me what some people deal with and what a great attitude they have, amazing.

hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Nice to drop in on Bev and Martin on the way home for a lovely meal at their Caravan, well cooked Martin ;)

Quote of the day"  you take the back and I'll take the front" ............

Saturday at Sennen

With the wind forecast to begin to fill around mid day and the showers clear we opted to give towing a miss in the morning which was just as well as we he'd some very heavy showers indeed!

With sunshine showing further to the west and the breeze picking up we headed to Sennen Cove for some hill soaring and Tandems.  Arriving whilst things were still a little scratchy we got the kit out in preparation and waited for things to improve.  Regular teasing of the air on the Paraglider kept us in touch and finally things began to improve.

Kaz comes in after testing the air and just look at that sky, and those socks ...

Jim D and Martin L both came along to have a look at the hill awaiting their Hang Gliding conversions but with long breaks from flying neither were keen to give it a go.

The tandem passengers arrived with Gavin C on the Hanger whilst James N (St Agnes), Launa and Paul D (Torquay) ready for anything!  With it becoming nicely soarable James got hooked to the tandem Pg and we were soon off the hill and in the air.  Conditions proved to be a bit on the light lift side and we hung on in there getting a good view of the pill box at regular intervals.  With some nice clouds coming the lift soon improved and we climbed nicely up and away seeing us move off to fly over the village.

touch down and more socks

We had a super time with James lapping it up and really appreciating just how stunning Sennen Cove is.  Back on the ground and it was Launa's turn but with the wind picking up as forecast we opted for the Hangy.  By the time we were briefed and clipped in guess what, the wind eased again so it was all change and into the Paraglider.

Launa had a cracking flight and to say she loved every second would be an understatement,  best thing she has ever done, well sorry about that Paul!!  In super conditions Launa got to fly the glider and did a fine job of it too before we cam in for our top landing to round off an amazing experience.

The wind continued to play around and we got Paul all set to go on the Paraglider but just as we set out up came the wind again.  Once more it was all change so we took the opportunity to pop Gavin C into the Hangy and off we went for a fun fly as the sun began to get lower in the sky.  Cruising the ridge a group of youngsters having a BBQ gave us a cheery wave and offered us a burger and beer as we went by!  Top landing back by the cars Gavin was re acquainted with Rachel who had bought the voucher as a birthday present back in January.

Big clouds inland and hidden socks

Conditions were again on the move so we decided to pop Paul's flight on hold and with a good forecast for tomorrow we kept our fingers crossed.

A long afternoon but so good to fly with such super people and thank you guys and gals for your patience

Quote of the day "probably the best, not definitely the best"  thats someone who is having a good time :))

Two out of Three ain,t bad

Three day one'rs turned up at the office on what looked a very promising day as the glorious sunshine continued.  Ian L (Falmouth) David LP (Truro) and John W (Newquay) were all along to get a taste of Paragliding and to see if it was for them.

Back in the "normal field) where the grass had been half cut, no not what you think, it was super and you could not wish for a nicer place to be working.  By the time the gliders were checked and ready the wind had filled in a little and the ground handling began.  One by one the guys got it sorted and we were soon getting the hand tows underway.

By now the wind had picked up a little more so we held fire whilst we had lunch and got the tow brief out of the way to see what happened.  Still a bit top end so we put in some more practice at reverse handling whilst I checked the weather and answered phone calls asking if it was flyable at Carbis.  The answer no, although NE and moderate in the field it was NW and light at carbis only 4 miles away! what is going on.

Ian L gets to grips with it backwards :)

An hour later and with the wind easing a little we got towing underway with John leading the way.  Ian followed suit and Dave decided to give it a miss as Paragliding was not going to be his next sport, that is why we call them Taster days!

John and Ian both popped in some nice flights but the wind soon filled again so we called it quits rather than push our luck, there is always another day to finish them off .

Ok, maybe we pushed him a little too hard ...

 Not as good as hoped but still a lovely day with good company plenty of laughs and pretty relaxed, what more can you ask.

Quote of the day "Did you feel that?"

Carbis Capers

Early Start in the hope of catching the breeze before it dropped off.  Arriving on site at just gone 07.00 Dave B (Praze) who had already been to the front advised it was on the top end, now there is a surprise!  Still with the forecast to drop we got tot the front and sure enough it was windy enough.  a test of the air on my Delta 2 proved the point and it on hold for Dave and time to get the Zero out to play.

Kaz comes in on the Zero

Bill plays on his ASKA

A bit of weeding to help clear launch (how about everyone who flies there puts in 10 minutes worth each visit?) whilst Dave took another exam passing nicely, saw a bit larger setting out area in readiness.  The wind continued to blow, Calamity Mike took off< Graham K gave it a go but thought better of it and Kaz flew the Zero and Bill N his ASKA.

Dave joined by Carl R (Plymouth) waited patiently but if anything it got breezier so we called it a day and headed home to sort out Carls new harness and parachute leaving Fergie and Treeve playing on the dunes.

Carl chills in his new Haska

A couple of hours at home relaxing and getting Carls kit sorted whilst keeping an eye on the weather and things seemed to be mellowing.  A coupe of phone calls and we set off back to Carbis where we met with the sight of Colin N's wing taking off and soaring around, looking promising.

On the front it was a lot lighter but off to the north so whilst Carl rigged Kaz tested the air.  By the time Carl was ready things were a lot better and the fun began.  Carl and Colin had a ball getting some super soaring and plenty of practice at top landings, with Carl putting in 8 flights and Colin 4.

Kaz and Colin fly the windsock

sharing the sky - and the view

Richard and Chris (Bristol) turned up and both had cracking Tandem flights enjoying the stunning views as we played in the abundant lift.

Dave B returned from concreting duties and popped in a couple of good soaring flights the second a lot more comfortable than the first ....... to complete his hill soaring conversion with a big smile.

So a good day all round as it turned out, just goes to prove you can never tell.

Quote of the day "I didn't want kids anyway?"

Fickle winds

It was back in the field for what looked like a perfect days towing but things are not always as they seem.

 Jenni S was back after her break visiting mongoose's in Uganda and all excited about seeing her new Wills Wing Sport 2 135 for the first time and she was joined by Josh L who was up for day two on the Paraglider.

New toy for Jenni

With a pleasant breeze we got things set up but just before we pulled the lines out the wind changed direction and the clouds built a little.  The next couple of hours saw the wind move around at will and the birds climb out in the abundant thermals, ideal for the experienced but  to so good for training!

all rigged and looking good

So we waited it out until finally it settled in a N to NW and we could get underway.  Jenni was soon back up on the hangy and settling in nicely whilst Josh worked his way into his EPC tasks having decided to go for it.  With conditions improving through the afternoon they both had a fine time and made good progress resulting in Jenni being ready for the hill and Josh nearly completed on his EPC tasks.

and you even get a hat!

Big Grey put in an appearance with his powered HG but the grass may be a little on the long side for that at the moment.  A long day with plenty of waiting around but at least we just moved around a field and not around half of cornwall looking for somewhere to fly!

Quotye of the day "that brings a whole new meaning to tugging off"  something to do with pull starting a booster I think .....

Fitting it in on Friday ;)

Another day when the plan worked out, well pretty much so.

Kaz over Sennen courtesy of Chris

We started off in the tow field with Josh LD (Glastonbury) coming along for a taster day on the Paragliders along with Gary T (St Austell) returning after a years lay off to continue with his EPC.  Julian  was also out after completing his CPC on the tow for a few experience tows in readiness for the hill.

A bit breezy to start with but fine for ground handling so whilst gary got himself re aquainted with things Josh cracked on with the basics and was soon ground handling like a pro!  Guess if you are the kind of guys who likes to pump 4 million volts through your body you pick things up pretty quickly!

The wind mellowed and we got towing under way in nice conditions and under a clear blue sky, just like summer should be.  Whilst gary re capped his turns to complete his EPC flying tasks before popping one in to the top to start his CPC Josh got his first taste of towing.

He did a fine job even if his break dancing days did re visit him briefly .......... . By the end of play as the wind filled again Josh had got it sorted and was looking good if a little tired and had decoded to carry on, Julian had had a great time without me in his ear all the time, and gary was stoked with his first high flight, so plenty of happy faces, oh and Daisy had learnt to winch again!!!

So with time to spare we upped sticks and headed to Sennen Cove where we arrived just as the wind eased back to a comfortable level for the low airtimers. Whilst we waited for the beach to get a little bigger as the tide receded Julian got his hill brief sorted and some ground handling as well.

A couple of test flights and conditions were good so Steve L popped in a nice flight on the school Element to keep his hand in whilst he waits for his Buzz Z4 to arrive (Tuesday I think)  and had a fun time.  With the beach getting bigger by the minute Julian was off and away and did a great job on his first hill flight soaring the cliffs and looking super smooth as he did it.  The lift eased a bit which kept him going up and down and up and down until finally we brought him in on the front for a fine landing a big handshake and a huge smile.

Peachy, Kaz and Chris  all had a ball in the evening air before we settled down for an on the hill BBq and a bit of a chin wag.  Cracking day, looking forward to more of them :))

Quote of the day "that's a shock"  - oh and if any of you have some nice piccies please send and will add to post thanks

A Carlsberg evening

Well nearly anyway. Carl R  was back down to hopefully complete his hill soaring conversion after a cracking evening a few days ago.  Unfortunately on arrival at Perran not only was it light and off but due to an incident on the beach the coastguard requested us not to fly as the Police helicopter was due to come in and take some photos.

Sure enough in it came and with it the wind filled in and squared up, sods law!  Still it was not there for long and after a quick test of the air Carl was off and away on his 3 rd hill flight and once again making it look easy.  He had a fun 15 minutes before coming in and popping his Z4 back in on top in good fashion.  Wasting no time he was soon off again but this time the wind dropped and the lift with it.  One by one the other pilots slope landed leaving Carl scratching along the dunes on his own.  Patience is a virtue and he needed plenty of it but finally we did manage to get him back in on the front so saving a walk up.

The wind did what the wind does but eventually it came on a bit and gliders began to stay up. Bev P gave it a go and did a fine job in the light conditions before heading to the beach after a go 10 minutes or more.  Carl as ever was up for it but a couple of beats saw him come in for a slope landing.  With rain on the horizon we were just about to pack up when the wind filled all be it a bit off to the left.  Making use of the slot he ws away and soon climbing nicely in the moderate breeze.  With plenty of height it was another top landing to round off his his hill conversion with a big smile.

Off to the pub to celebrate as the first rain drops began to fall. Nice on Carl on completing your qualifications and it's been great teaching you, have you got a twin who wants to learn??

Quote of the day "last one to fly it packs it"  guess that will be Phil then

Waving goodbye ? .........

After a cracking day off out on the boat watching Clipper racing and Red Arrows flying we had a chilled day and with a couple of Tandems booked in headed out to Chapel to check the weather and see what was going on.  Not a lot as it turned out with a few Para's laid out and little breeze we opted to head home and do something more useful.

Falmouth bay ;) 

A few hours later and joined by Martin J (Plymouth) who had dropped in to see us we headed back to the hill as the breeze filled.  Sure enough pilots were flying but conditions were up and down and not good enough to get the Tandems down.  Greeted by the sight of a  low airtime pilot taking off was a little concerning as the available beach was limited to say the least giving them no plan B.  Things worked out OK (just) but it could well have been a different story and hopefully lessons were learnt by  those concerned .......?

something nearly as exciting

something for Kaz (that took a lot of organising!)

Waiting for things to improve and my blood pressure to reduce a little dampness helped to cool things down.  With gulls soaring high off to the right a launch into the light breeze found light lift a I cruised along to the right.  lift increased all the way until it was super smooth and taking me higher and higher.  the gulls were still climbing well out to sea and looking at the clouds the presence of wave lift was plain.  Others joined in the fun before the wave moved off the ridge and we all descended seeing some scratching whilst the others popped in back on top.

The rest of the afternoon continued in the same manor and during one of the sinker bits one of the more experienced pilots decided to try and get to Porthtowan. Disappearing around a small outcrop he vanished below the top not to re-appear. a bit of frantic radio work and running around confirmed they had landed on what beach was left. Unable to walk back along the beach as the tide had cut off that exit a bit of cliff/gully scrambling finally saw them back in the land of the living just in time to see others specking out nicely as the wave returned.

So an interesting one in more ways than one.

Quote of the day "I wish I listened to Adie"  normally you can't help listening to him !

Mixed up day ;)

We had a plan and guess what ? it worked ;))  It was an early start in the tow field meeting up with Steve L,  Julian and Pete L at 07.00 .  The winch was up and running by 07.45 and the tows were underway.  The guys cracked on and soon settled down working their ways through the flying tasks.

Steve polished off his CPC with a couple of cracking Asymmetric's making easy work of them and showing good control throughout then continued to pop in some fun tows to concentrate on spot landings.

Julian made great progress looking like he had really got it together and along with Pete they moved steadily through low level turns into higher ones before finishing off with their first high flights to the top of the tow so completing their EPC's tasks and starting the CPC ones, excellent :)

A ground handling session took up the latter morning when we were joined by Peter F with everyone improving nicely as the wind began to fill in as forecast.

Next we had a couple of hours break whilst we waited for the wind to sort itself out then it was off to Perranporth for some hill soaring.  Our timing was spot on and within 30 minutes of arriving it was looking good for the guys .

Bev gets things moving

 With ex student Bev P (N. Devon) showing the way and that conditions were good Steve got himself ready for his 3 rd soaring flight. It did not take long and he was up there looking smooth and co ordinated and showing just how well the school Elements go up!

Steve L (top left) shows what an Element can do!

Top landing to complete his hill conversion 

 A nice top landing and it was Pete F's turn,  same plan and same result Pete did a super flight in the increasingly busy sky, still in fairness the more experienced pilots did give them plenty of space.  Both Steve and Pete popped in another flight each to complete their hill soaring conversions and it was congratulations all round.

time to chat with Pete (top left) smiling after finishing his hill conversion and ex student Colin gets set to go

Carl R (South Devon) who had recently completed his Tow course had been introduced to his new Ozone Buzz Z4 and under Kaz's watchful eye done plenty of ground handling to get used to it, and he liked it.  With conditions still improving we got him briefed up for his first hill soaring flight.

Carl off on his first hill flight

and looking like he is enjoying it

A great take off was followed by a fantastic first hill flight as he climbed to the top of the stack and cruised the ridge making it look all to easy!  15 minutes later we coaxed him into land and with so much height he did a great job and patiently "s"ing off the height before performing a first class landing.  Big smile then it was off again and pretty much the same story again, can't complain at that.

Carl's second flight , lovely 

So with 2 EPC tows , 1 CPC tow and CPC hill conversions completed along with half a one it was a top day. Well done to all and nice to see Bev and Colin (recent CPC's) both out building experience and learning as they go along.

Weather looks good for the next few days or so.  Will try and find some piccies from somewhere so if you have any please send me some  Steve W ?

Quote of the day "  :)))))))))))))))))))))))))))"

Short and sweet

Nice day forecast and with Pete L down for the week we decided to nip out with him to sharpen up his ground handling and hopefully get a few flights in.

Pete gets sorted under Kaz's watchful eye

Whilst the first part worked well giving Pete plenty to work on in the thermic conditions the second part was not so effective as we had to wait for things to calm down before letting Pete loose on the line.  Still I had some fun tows "testing the air" so can't complain.

You can't get enough ground handling and trust me Pete is getting plenty!

Quote of the day  " keep pulling and I'll get it up"

Hey ho lets go

After yesterdays half day with Peter L (Plymouth)we had put in place the ground work to make today an easy starter.  Pete was joined by Carl R (Plymouth) and they both were soon chatting away and had to be encouraged to get the gliders sorted!

Ready to rock and roll ....

With conditions just nice we were soon underway with Peter putting in his first flights and having a ball as he did so. Whilst Pete started his EPC course Carl was rapidly approaching the end of his CPC  course so showing was was to come for Pete.

On the way up

They both made great progress and by the end of play Pete was releasing the line and moving into shallow turns to see him nicely into his course.  Carl also had a ball doing the instability tasks and was quickly through Big ears before finishing off with Asymmetrics before having a couple of fun flights complete his day and CPC.

Approaching the top

approaching the bottom

A good day all round and with the guys putting in 15 tows between them enough to keep Kaz busy without over stressing her :)

Quote of the day "be gentle with me"

Surprise surprise :)

A damp morning and towing was on hold intact it was pretty much canned.  Pete L (Plymouth) turned up anyway as he was in the area so we had a chat over a culpa and low and behold things brightened up!  So being as flexible as we are it was not long before we were heading to the tow field to get the basics underway.

Pete did really well despot conditions being breezy enough and in actual fact clicked with the ground handling really quickly.  It was not long before Kaz turned up and with the hand tows completed we got the winch  set up and ready to roll.  A couple of test flights was enough to convince us that it was less than ideal for Petes first flights so we called it a day to wait for better ones.

Time not wasted though as tomorrow hopefully we can crack on and get straight into the flying.

Quote of the day "that was interesting"

Hill Billy's

Don't you just love Sennen Cove particularly when the sun is out , the breeze is on and the holiday makers have not yet arrived!

Dave B (Praze) and Steve L (Ivybridge) are both along for hopefully their first hill soaring flights having got well sorted in the tow field over the past few weeks. In what were light but lifty conditions the guys got set to go after a bit of refresh ground handling whilst we waited for the morning breeze to return.

Two wise men saw Dave hangs in there

it's not long before he is up and relaxed

They both did a fine job in the varying conditions putting good soaring flights some of which they had to work for whilst others were easy peezy!  Top landings made life easy most of the time although the odd slope landing helped out as well.

Classic Sennen shot as Steve gets some soaring in

Mixed in amongst their flights Kaz and myself managed to sneak in some fun flying on the Paragliders making a change from yesterdays Hangy day and Robin W who hopes to learn to fly in the future took the chance to get up on the Tandem Paraglider and just loved it and to be fair did a good job of flying it as well!

By the end of play they had pooped in 7 flights between them and both looked very pleased with themselves.  Another day in the field to finish off Asymmetrics with Steve  and one more day each on the hill should see them sorted, nice .

Happy bunnies

Good to see some of the guys from down west out enjoying the day and good to catch up with them.

Quote of the day "that's why you use a winch"  "puff puff puff"

Stunning at Sennen and Celebrations all round

After Yesterdays fun we were keen to get another day in for the hill conversions so made an early start arriving at Sennen by just gone 08.00 to find it looking GOOD :)).  A quick flight on the Delta 2 confirmed things were fine so Bev P and Colin N started to get sorted.

Chris H also pitched up now as a Qualified pilot and it was not long before he was up and away having fun on his local site.

A bit of ground work with the guys soon saw both of them getting it sorted then it was off to the front with Bev to see what she could do.  A different take off from Perran but it was not long before she was off the hill and cruising the ridge in front looking so pretty against a perfect backdrop.  15 minutes of flying was followed by her first top landing and in fact even a spot landing as she demolished her own windsock on touch down!  What a happy lady she was , fantastic.

Next off was Colin looking suitably nervous as he got set to launch.  A bit of break dancing and he too was away and climbing nicely in the smooth lift, well that was until someone flew in front of him!  No drama a bit of glider wash and it settled down again as his dream became reality. Learning a lot on his first soaring flight Colin smoothed out and used the lift well before coming in nicely for a perfectly acceptable top landing and it's not even 10 O'clock yet.  Celebration dance does not even do it justice Colins delight had to be seen to be believed and we all joined in.

With Bev resting a slight strain in her leg Colin made the best of it popping in another couple of flights and even getting a little bit of thermal lift along the way.  With Bev plastered in some Horse gel (courtesy of Colin) easing the strain she gave it another shot and was rewarded with a cracking flight in even better conditions before coming in for a fine top landing and leaving the windsock intact.

Colin popped in one final flight before taking a rest so making it 4 for the day for him and finished off the day with some more ground handling by the end of which he was looking pretty damned good, don't forget it Colin.

In amongst this Chris kept popping up and down rattling up 6 flights and was joined by Adie, Phil, Kaz, SteveW and Graham K.  Graham was getting his first flights on his new Ozone Delta 2 which after a little getting used to on the ground he fell in love with especially the extra scope it gave him in moving around the ridge and beyond.

With the students gone home I managed some cracking flying on my delta before switching the the Zero as the wind filled then returning to Phils Deltas as it eased again.  Good to see Phil and Adie flying the Goose and the Zero in lighter winds as the sun began to drop and having fun whilst i swanned above on the Delta< ideal.

Thanks to Phil for the Fish and Chips and to Dave for his support to the guys despite not being ready for the hill just yet.

 It's been a long journey for both Bev and Colin but has good to see them succeeding can't wait to see them qualify :))

Quote of the day "  :))))))))))))))))"  and that an understatement !

Popping some in at Perran

Light WNW on the cards and the sun set to shine. With Bev P (N Devon) keen to get on with her hill conversion she stayed down ready for an early start. 8.00 and we met up at Perran where the the sun was out but the wind was fresh and the direction off to the south!

Still, being optimists I played around on the zero for a while to see what would happen.  Sure enough the wind came on and even dropped a little, time to see what we could do.  Colin N (Newlyn East) arrived and also got ready for hopefully his first hill experience.

With things mellowing bait Chris H (Sennen) broke out his shiny new Ozone Buzz Z 4 for it's maiden flight and did a great job of it dealing with the conditions and new wing well.  He was soon up there having a ball and under Kaz's watchful eye finished off his qualification to become CPC rated on the hill, keep and eye out for him guys and gals.  He spent the rest of the day having fun whenever conditions would allow :)

 A couple of goes and Bev was up and away into the blue settling down nicely after a few beats and almost enjoying the view!  She did a fine job sussing the correct track line and smoothing out her turns as she mixed it with the other pilots.  Bit by bit the wind started to fill in again so we made the decision to beach land her and after a bit of speed bar practice followed by some Big Ears she descended nicely for a first class landing and lots of happy waving :))) Nice one.

By the time she returned to the top to a round of applause the wind had eased back a little so we gave Colin his first taste of ground handling on the hill.  Challenging comes to mind and it was not long before the wind freshened so stopping "play".

Kaz's Sport 2 135 was sitting there so it would be rude not to fly it, oh what fun they are.

A bit more Zero flying along with Dean F on his new Zero before getting back to work by test flying Jeremy's "new" Hang Glider and doing a bit of tuning on it in readiness for his first flight on it. By now the wind was even fresher and the direction not ideal for him so he too had to hold fire.

Jerry S (Callington) dropped by for a Tandem flight and we had a fun time on the Hangy playing in the lift and chasing the seagulls before popping back in on top with big smiles all round particularly from his wife Sharon who was pleased  (I think) to see him back.

A full on day with lots of flying for Paragliders, Hangy's and speed wings , can't be bad.

Quote of the day  "I never though you had that much control"  makes me wonder why they would ever come up tandem with me!

Right Place right time - well done

Whilst we were paddling Wyn and Phil were up "the Brea" and whilst not a place for the faint hearted a good place to catch a thermal and thats just what Wyn D did.  Phil just missed out and had the job of fetching Wyn back from just short of the Lizard after floating around at Cloudbase some 3000' up, nice.  Well done guys :))

Meanwhile some were having fun at Carbis and we had a fine flight at St Agnes where we met up with the sky gods in the evening.  Fun day all round and hopefully another one tomorrow :))

Quote of the day "where??"

Surprise Surprise :)

A bell at the door and outside is Lois much to our surprise, the plan was for him to call last evening before driving down from Bristol. Still that's youth for you and at least he is keen!

Another ring and Bill N drops by, now there is another nice surprise and a good excuse for a cup of tea.  With no towing on the cards we opted to head to Perran in the hope of getting Lois at least a top to bottom as the forecast was on the light side to say the least.

Whilst Lois rigged the hangy Kaz and myself popped in a few flights on the Paragliders in varying conditions which saw one or two walking back up from the beach.  Another surprise when a Pg over does it an drops in hard after a short spin.  Hopefully nothing too serious but better safe than sorry.

Dramatics over and back to flying as we wait for the wind to rise and the tide to drop for the hangy. patience is a virtue and we bided our time before sending Lois off for his first hill flight.  The plan was for a couple of beats then off to the beach as conditions were still on the light side. As it was we had another surprise as Lois soared up and down the dunes doing a fine job.  However it was never going to be enough for a top landing so after a good 10-15 minutes he headed off to the beach for a super landing and then a nice stroll back up!

So a day of Surprises all round, you never can tell ......

Quote of the day "you grip stand I'll push a little"

Two on one Fun !

Despite a call for students on the "Whats on" page we only had one keen one but as things were already in place we went ahead anyway in the interests of getting some day one work out of the way so making life easier in the future.

Carl R (Plympton)  cam along for a go at Paragliding with a view to taking it up along with hopefully speed flying in the future.  Whilst Kaz stayed at home carl and myself got the basics out of the way in the tow field where it was just like summer.  as the morning progressed the sea breeze kicked in making life easier and a nice line of convergence set up a little further inland.

Carl ready for the first one

By the time Kaz arrived we were pretty much ready to tow and conditions were spot on, sun shines on the righteous.  Demo' flight out of the way and carl was on the line for his first flight on a Paraglider and looking suitably nervous.  No worries it was a cracker with him putting a super flight across the field and looking good all the way.

that can't be bad

Big smile after the first one

that was it he was hooked and by the time we stopped  he had put away a total of 7 flights and was well into his EPC tasks.  Whilst conditions got a bit bouncier and the seagulls climbed out over the field we gave flying amiss and played with some more ground handling to round the day off.  It's amazing just how quickly some people twig to it ;))

Playing with the wing

Hah ha

 So probably a couple of days work in one and a very happy if slightly tired Carl, hopefully we shall see him again soon as the weekend looks good.

 Quote of the day " I need a split leg"

Gooseing about

A breezy start to the day was at least dry and with  forecast fro the wind to ease back we hoped to head to the hill for a Hangy tandem.  Arriving at Chapel it was nice to see a good number of hangies rigged and ready and just as I carried to the front the first one took off as the wind finally eased to sensible :)

By the time Tony c (Illogan) arrived for his Tandem flight conditions were perfect and it was not long before he we clipped in and ready to go.  We had a cracking flight playing with the lift as we soared above the cliffs and spectacular scenery sharing the air with several other gliders. tony had a great time and got a chance to fly the glider doing a fine job of it as well.

By the time we had landed the wind had eased a little more so i cracked out the ZERO and took her up for a fun flight which encouraged Phil L to get the the new Little Cloud Goose out of the bag. After a little chasing the Goose around Phil got it under control and was soon airborne and starting to play. With a standard harness on the Goose it was playful enough and Phil did a fine job of showing off it's responsiveness ......  I gave it a go and yes it is a lively bird, light on the brakes and ready to play with the weight shift harness adding to the fun.  Popping a split leg harness on it made a huge difference keeping the lift playful nature but making it nice and predictable with it, good move.

The Goose and the Gander

Rounding off the day with a flight on Sam A's Sport 2 135 was perfect. Great day, great flying, great company ;)

Quote of the day "that's the first swallow this year"  ...........

Oh and watch out for some missed blogs being added over next few days due to several "requests" ....

Carnage

A morning of "weed picking"  was followed by a cup of tea with Peachy in the Kitchen when we decided to take a trip to Carne for a change to see if we could get a bit of airtime in.

On the way we got news from Phil and Adie that they had been flying but the wind had picked up and gone off so were heading home.  Well as we were nearly there and had hangies on board we carried on to have a look.  Passing Phil and Adie on the way encouraged them to return and soon we were assembled on launch where yes it was a bit breezy and a bit off...........

A chat with the farmer resulted in us heading to the lower fields and cliffs where things looked a lot better and it was not long before I was off and away.  Kaz quickly joined me followed by Peachy. Crossing crane beach opened up more cliffs and then crossing over Pendower even more along with higher ones as well.  It was enough to encourage Adie to get his glider out again and Phil to pinch mine when I landed.

We all had several super flights and fun flying along with plenty of laughs, this what it's about, can't wait to swim, fly, fish and BBQ here this summer.

Quote of the day "would you like a de brief on that"