Nice onK

Kaz takes off at 08.50

The forecast gave the chance of a morning slot so after an early weather check we were up and loading the truck (now with new cylinder head and no smoke;)) with para's, ASKA and Kaz's hanger to cover all conditions.

Chapelporth saw us arrive at 08.00 where the wind was pretty much smack on and 16 -18, ideal.  By the time we had carried forward and rigged the hangy it was a little lighter but looking like picking up again judging by the sea.  I gave the air a quick test on Kaz's glider which showed good lift as the wind filled in up to the low 20's.  Kaz was off and away at 08.50 in good lift seeing her quickly up to 650' ATO and cruising the ridge and jumping across to the Porthtowan side with ease.

Where is everyone?

Having not taken my hangy I gave the ASKA a go and joined in the fun bobbing around below Kaz and watching the seagulls flying around like swarms of WWII fighters.  The lift was smooth and the fying relaxing even though some light sea thermal drifted by.  40 minutes of flying saw us both landing as the wind began to back a little for a break.  Paul H arrived just as it eased again and wasted no time in jumping into my ASKA and legging it off the hill.  The lift was not so good and it was a few minutes before we saw the top of the ASKA flitting up and down the ridge resulting in a slope landing..

Kaz heads off to Porthtowan

Next Adi and Big G turned up closely followed by Phil L and the Glen, Gary and Wyn who had come over from Perran.  Big G got out his Paraglider and did a pretty good impression of Pauls flight but landing even further down and even quicker confirming the wind was not only light but now well off.  Adi sorted his wing, Phil aired out my Delta and we packed up the Hangy.

So yes it was a slot and very nice while it lasted, anyone understand Clifford alarms ????????

Quote of the day " males always look better " Guess that's why he is still single then .............

Weather what weather ??

Triston flies high over the cliffs during an "amazing" day for him

Whilst not to far to the east much of the country was  under snow making travel a bit tricky down in the west it was shaping up for a nice day so we headed to the tow field.

On the Paragliders Jon R (indian Queens) and Paddy B (Falmouth) were back for day two and joined by Peter F (St Mabyn) for day three.  They were also joined by Triston J (Torquay) who made it down despite conditions to get up on the Paramotor.

After a bit of ground handling we set the winch out just in time for the wind to drop and back. Undeterred we moved around the field just in time for it to do a 180!  Ok a bit of theory and give it time to settle.  Triston got the Paramotor ready and as the wind finally settled all be it very very light he got set to go.  In near nil wind conditions he made a good launch for his second ever flight on it and was soon circling the field as he climbed high in the sky.

Whilst we moved the winch once again Triston enjoyed himself looking pretty relaxed as he explored the flying characteristics of the unit and wing.  With the tow launch reset and ready to go Triston came in and landed looking just as pleased as he did on his first flight, magic.

A perfect landing rounded off Tristons day

Now it was the turn of the Paraglider boys and with a light breeze we wasted no time in getting going.  John  R led the way followed by Paddy B both getting in their first release flights before moving steadily on into gentle turns and higher flights seeing them well into their EPC's by the end of the day.  Peter F joined in the fun and had a great day finishing off gentle turns before going higher and making tighter ones and rounding off his day with a flight to the top of the line resulting in a very happy Peter.

They all did well making good progress and sorting out techniques as they went along and having a laugh with it.  In between tows Triston managed to pop in another three flights on the Paramotor to have a cracking day which saw him cruising around well over 1000' up and taking a sightseeing trip along the coast.  Another good day in the field and he should be ready to fly as a CPC pilot ;)

Sorry for the lack of photo's of the Para' boys but they kept me far to busy to take any!!

Thanks to Kaz for some good towing and getting me off in a slight tail wind and to Triston for the use of his 4x4 to move the winch as the truck is in for repair, hopefully back soon.

Quote of the day "Brilliant, just brilliant"

Sneaking one in

After another fun morning on the paperwork (and i thought it was in good shape) a quick check of conditions showed the chance of a flyable slot at Chapel Porth after lunch.  Needing a break we headed out to find the wind light but on.  With all the vital signs on the horizon looking good we opted to get the Paragliders out in readiness.

Sure enough the gulls went up and I quickly followed whilst Kaz sorted her wing.  The lift picked up quickly but as it did the signs out to sea looked like the breeze was about to as well, so after 10 minutes in the air it was Big ears all the way down landing in breezy enough conditions which quickly turned into very breezy ones within minutes.

Still we had a nice walk afterwards before getting back to the accounts, honest Phil.

Quote of the day "I thought computers made things easier??"

Sub Zero's and Hero's

 A pictures worth a thousand words and this one says it all

Well it felt sub zero in the field but at least it was dry and the wind was light so we should not complain when compared to the rest of the country.  Having had a busy day booked things quickly changed with a few people failing to make it for one reason or another, still it made life easier and once again Triston cashed in.

John R (Indian Queens) and Paddy B (Falmouth) were along for day one on Paragliders both with an interest in Paramotoring as well.  Whilst Kaz got them going and warming up with the ground work I took Triston J (Torquay) to finish off his high flights on the Paraglider before him switching to the Paramotor.  Three nice flights under his belt and Tim hopped off the winch to help Kaz and Trtiston got introduced to the Paramotor.

Pretty soon he was running around with it on his back, followed by some ground handling with unit and glider and was feeling pretty hot!  Whilst Triston cooled down Kaz brought over the day oners and got them set on the winch.  In near perfect conditions Paddy led the way into the air for his first flight on a Paraglider.  He did a fine job setting the standard for John.  No worries John followed suit and made a good job of his first flight both returning with big smiles.

They both put  in two more flights each and both improved with each flight almost looking like pilots by the end of play.

Next it was Tristons turn to get back on the power.  A couple of practice take off runs and it was time to go for it.  A nice reverse inflation and nice turn into forward a nice run and he was away much to his amazement.  Triston did well circling the field and looking more relaxed by the minute.  Rounding off the flight with a super landing resulted in one of biggest grins I have ever seen, fantastic. So good to see someone progress step by step towards their dream of flying:)

Happy bunnies at the end of a super day

Another lovely day with plenty done and everyone happy if a little chilly, keep an eye on the Blog to see how everyone progresses as Spring approaches.

2 degrees above

Thats what makes for good sea thermals and there were plenty around today with the boys at Carbis Bay getting up to 1000 ATO where it was even colder.  Kaz and myself had a fun day doing a bit of walking and a bit of flying in some of the less flown areas of Cornwall and whilst it has to be said where we flew is not ideal for all (no bottom landing) we had some cracking flying in very thermic conditions and if it were not for being underdressed an XC was on the cards.

 Looks like a variable week coming up so could be good or could be not so good

Perfect timing

Having spotted the chance of a flyable slot at Vault we kept a close eye on conditions during the morning and as things began to fall into place we packed the van gave Graeme A a call and headed to Vault bay hoping it would pan out as planned.

Arriving at 14.15 it was still breezy enough but within 15 minutes it eased and I tested the air on thew Delta which saw me quickly climbing high in the strong lift and thermic conditions.  Kaz soon joined me as Graeme arrived so I nipped in to get him ready for day two of his hill conversion.

Kaz and Graeme share the air

Armed with his "new" Ozone Buzz Z3" after a site brief Graeme was soon away and climbing nicely in the abundant lift.  It took a few beats to settle into the wings handling but he was quickly in tune. 15 minutes later after a demonstration landing by Kaz he came in and popped her down as pretty as you please :)  A quick debrief and he was off again this time launching from the corner launch to enjoy another super flight and start to play with the thermals as well.

Another top landing and looking happy

Another cracking top landing and another cracking flight after it saw Graeme complete his hill conversion just as the light began to fade and the breeze freshen, well done.  I sneaked in a final flight on my Delta which saw me  coring up to 1000' and having to pull Big Ears and Speed bar to get down again!

That's how lucky we were, the wind eases from arrival at 14.15 till end of play at 16.30, think we should try buying a lottery ticket!!!! 

 Cracking unexpected afternoon slot, great day for Graeme (Billy Whizz) so watch out for him on the hills in South Devon and Cornwall.

Graeme A (Billy Whizz) celebrates his qualification :) 

Quote of the day " Thank you, thank you, thank you"  trust me it's a pleasure.

Sunshine & Soaring at Sennen

A fresh NNW forecast to back and ease as the day went on saw us heading to Sennen Cove where hopefully the wind would play ball for all.  On arrival it was perfect for hangies so whilst Kaz rigged I broke out the ASKA and had some fun flying in sea thermic conditions.

Kaz was ready so I nipped in and Kaz took off skying out in no time and having the whole ridge to herself. After a fun flight Kaz came in and landed back on top and to save rigging my glider I took the chance to to have a fly on her glider whilst waiting for Graeme A(Plymouth) to arrive to hopefully start his hill conversion.  It was great fun playing with the thermals and with the airport closed due to boggy runways there were no limitations, nice.

With the arrival of Graeme (and Fiona A) the wind began to ease so it was time to go to work.  After a hill brief and some ground handling to get used to the new environment Graeme was ready to go.  He soon joined Fiona and Kaz in the air who were popping up and down in the thermals.  Graeme did a fine job using both the lift when it came through and dealing with the sink bits in  between.  15 minutes later he came in for a top landing sorting out his approach as he went resulting in a stand up landing in the end.  Huge smile a very happy Graeme was bouncing.

With the wind dropping steadily it became more important to use the sea thermals and whilst there was lift around if you could use it Graemes second flight saw him heading to the beach after a few beats.

Still a good day all round and Graemes hill conversion underway.

Quote of the day "where's the water?"

Lucky 13

And we had it in the field on what turned out to be a cracking day.  Sadly some of last weeks students could not make it but that played well for those that could!

With a slightly delayed start students turned up at various times but by mid day we were fully underway.  Saun S (Penzance) was keen as mustard and got straight into his PLF practice but a combination of over enthusiasm and the previous days Yoga resulted in a painful muscle so he decided not to push a point and after a spot of ground handling gave it a rest.

Tristan J (Torquay) made full use of the now even quieter day and after a ground handling session was soon on the tow line rattling off 13 tows and finishing off the day with his first flight to the top which resulted in a huge grin ;))  With his EPC flying tasks behind him and only a couple more high flights to go he will soon be strapping the Paramotor to his back  so watch this space.

Angela I made a late start but worked nicely on some ground handling before joining Tristan on the tow lines and popped in 6 tows taking her to the end of her EPC (congratulations) and ready to go to the top on her next day out.  Despite a few nerves she progressed well through the day with each flight getting smoother and more controlled, nice.

 Good to see Phil L and Steve W drop by on their way back from flying at Carbis where there was plenty going on by the sound of it.

 Quote of the day "what time is the train?"

Sorry no piccies still searching for the camera!!

New Boys and New Toys

Finally it was time to get back in the field and to get some training underway having not been there since before Christmas.  The sheep had done a great job and the grass looked like it had been freshly mown!

The student split was 50/50 with Miles T (Illogan) back after a 6 month break to continue his CPC Paragliding, Kieth W (Barnstaple) and Peter F (St Mabyn) both back for their second days on Paragliders.  They were joined by three newbies, Todd A (Totnes) who had some paragliding in Spain, Tristan J (Torquay) who also had some previous experience and Shaun S (Penzance) who had no previous .....

Everyone got going as soon as we hit the field and it was not long before gliders were popping up as the ground handling got underway.  Whilst the newbies carried on with Kaz (assisted by Steve M, thanks Steve) the other three got onto the winch and into the air. I took the opportunity to do the test flights on a brand new Ozone Element 2 straight out of the bag which just reminds me how nice new gliders are ;).

Miles was quickly back into the swing of things and finished off his weight shift tasks before moving nicely into speed bar.  Keith W moved through release flights into gentle turns as did Peter F both improving steadily with each flight.

With the Newbies ready to tow they had a bite of lunch just as some drizzle arrived seeing us popping gliders in vans as the sunshine disappeared.  As luck would have it by the time we had eaten and carried out the tow brief the drizzle stopped and it was all go.  Todd A led the way for day ones and did a pretty good job but also leaving plenty for the others to improve on!  Tristan was next and made it all look pretty simple which only left Shuan.  Based on Coady's well proven theory that one in three day oners jump into the air on take off Shuan was now convinced it would be him, he need not have worried, he did a fine job returning with a huge grin on his face.

We worked hard until the light began to fade and all the day oners got through to first release flights and were impressed enough to sign up to carry on so watch this Blog.

Back home and with a van full of wet kit we had to summon Phil L to come around and remove his kit. hangy and Para, from the drying room where it had been following a damp time at Struddick a few days ago so we could hang the gliders out to dry. Hopefully they won't take long and we will be ready for the next good day.

Quote of the day "you can take the back end if you like"

Good to get out

After a few promising days did not play ball finally it came good and we dropped tools and headed to the hill as the drizzle cleared unexpectedly.  A quick load and it was off to Chapel where we found a few Para's up in what were breezy enough conditions (18-20) so we choose to fly the hangs.  Whilst I test flew a repaired wing Kaz rigged her Eagle and we had some super flying with heights up to 500' using the Paragliders as turn points.

A couple of hours were enough then it was off home again.  Nice to meet up with the guys and wish a few Happy New Years. Lets hope it starts off better than the last one finished........

Quote of the day " are you sure there's enough lift????"

F1rst timers

The Slug takes to the skies

A slot in the weather appeared and fortunately we were ready to take it and make the most of it so it was off to the tow field to play.

Peter F (Wadebridge) was along for a Tatser day with a view to taking up paragliding and was joined in the filed by Paul H who was out for his maiden flight on "the Slug" a sit under the bar version of a powered HG but by Paul himself and Treeve T who was keen to get a bit of ground handling in on his "new" Firebird F1rst Pg before taking it to the hills.

In very light winds Peter got his day underway and did a good job with the basics before getting in the hand tows ready for the winch.  Meanwhile Paul had set up and was ready to go, lest try a Bunny hop soon turned into a perfect take off, flight and landing with the smile on Pauls face saying it all.  So good to see his work and planning come together to realise another dream.  Whats more it looked right, pretty impressive for it's first time out.

Treeve gets his first flight on his F1rst

With the basics done for Peter and Treeve having  got his first taste of ground handling his new wing it was time to tow.  Kaz took the sticks and after a demo' flight by myself we got going.  Treeve popped in a couple of nice flights before heading off to pick up the kids with a big grin on his face.

Peter got his first towed flights underway and did a fine job improving with each one and finishing off the day with a nice release flight and silly look!  Shame not a few more out as you have to take it when it's here at this time of year.

How good was that Peter returns after his first flight

Quote of the day " that was so much better than I could ever have thought it would be"  guess he will be back then ;)

Sunny Monday

Keith gets set fro his first tow flight ......

What a gorgeous day and what's more we were out in the field in it having fun and enjoying the sun.

It was a quiet day indeed with only one student out but at this time of year and with the weather we have been having not to surprising.  Keith W (Barnstaple) was down for a day Paragliding with a view to tidying up his Paramotoring as well.  Keith had a full but relaxed day going through the basics before being introduced to the winch.

 

...... and returns in one piece

 With no rush he got things nicely sussed by the time Kaz arrived to drive the winch.  By the end of the day Keith had popped in four nice flights and got his first release under his belt looking very pleased with himself.

A good end to a good day

So with Keith set up nicely for his next visit all we need is some more of this kind of weather and the sky is the limit.

Looking very chuffed with himself

Quote of the day "is that Santa?"

Oh what fun we had

Classic St Agnes from Kaz's glider

Another cracking day at St Agnes where there was something for everyone throughout the day.  To start with it was ideal for the hangs with Kaz and myself making the most of it and being joined by Nigel W a bit later.  Paul also had some fun on his ASKA getting some airtime in before the "standard" Paragliders began to launch.

With a bit of everything in the air we had a fine time playing with the sea thermals topping out at a grand on the hangy.  As forecast the wind began to drop seeing more Paragliders launch and the hangies pop back in on top.  Kaz transferred to her Paraglider whilst I stayed on the hangy in lighter but still very nice conditions.

The Paragliders get going

The wind dropped further and even the Paragliders began to think twice but a demo on the hangy encouraged them back into the air which was ideal as the wind filled again nicely.  Rounding off the day with a nice flight on the Paraglider made it just about perfect ;)

Flying alongside Kaz on the Para's

Congratulations to Fiona A for her first flight at St Agnes (and her second) on her Paraglider and to Nigel W for his first flight on his hangy there.  Again good to hear that pilots were having good times at Perranporth and the Towans, anyone at Sennen ???

Quote of the day " A la Carte"  something to do with a HIV course ..........

Looks like Chapel tomorrow ..........

Afternoon Delight

For once the forecast was pretty much spot on,  in fact the wind was a bit lighter than forecast well at least for a short while.  With the wind dropping back as forecast early afternoon and smelling of smoke from a bonfire a trip to St Agnes was on the cards.

Arriving at 14.30 the wind had dropped more than expected so the ASKA stayed in the van and the Hangy got rigged in double quick time.  Paul H arrived with perfect timing to give me a hand launch and hoping to fly his ASKA but with the wind lighter he decided to give it a miss.

Pulling back to the front from the Beacon

The sun sets in the west

Plenty of lift around though and with regular sea thermals it was a fun flight going up and down and thermalling back to the Beacon before pulling forward for more.  An hour and a half saw nice climbs in 2 to 3 ups  and up to 1500'ATO lets hope its like that for the Frostbite  Comp'

....end of a lovely flight

 As the sun set it was time to land packing away just as it got dark, nice surprise flight, and the sea thermals should only get better ;)

Playing at Perran

Dave L gets a go (well a couple actually) on the ASKA One Seven

Well it was depending on what you were flying!  Despite the forecast for the wind to increase from a light breeze to a moderate one of the morning it did in fact go from practically zero to windy in a matter of minutes.  So whilst it meant that Treeve who was along hoping to do continue his hill conversion on the Paraglider did not get the wing out he did finish off his theory side passing both his CPC tow and hill exams in fine style, congratulations.

Back in the air, test flying a Sport 2 155 

With a fresh NW breeze I took the chance to test fly a Wills Wing Sport 2  which we had just repaired and had a ball mixing it with the ASKA's and other speed wings and mini wings that were out, conditions were just about as good as they get for them.

The wind then veered again slightly against the forecast and went up and down a little all day giving varying conditions but staying well flyable for all.  Nice to see a mixture of wings out and get to try the Ozone Firefly 16  alongside the ASKA. Two similar but different wings which will suit different pilots and abilities I feel so if you are in the market come and talk and try to see which one is for you. Also interesting to see the Mini Paraglider performing alongside the speed wings and again it provides another aspect depending on your requirements :)

the que for the ASKA

A small que formed for ASKA demo'ing with Dean f leading the way with some ground handling before Terry jumped on it and was soon up and away having a ball and dialling into it nearly as soon as his feet left the ground.  Dave L was next and after some tentative ground work he was up and away with his confidence building in every beat.  Dean got back in the harness having decided if they can he can and followed suit adding to the fun by seeing just how low he could get it before soaring back up again!  Finally Gary F popped into the harness and joined the fun making easy work of it as i flew around on the hangy with him.

with some good lift coming through there was plenty of height to be had at times

Everyone who flew it landed with a big grin and that's what it is all about, good to see it does just what we hoped it would which is to give confidence to less experienced pilots on it with it's ease of launching,flying and stability whilst being lively enough for the more experienced to have a ball and capable of staying up in the "lighter" conditions but having the speed to deal with the breezier ones, nice.

Guess who ..........

Gather a good time was had down on the Dunes at Hayle where there were a mixture of small wings and standard para's flying and at Sennen where the hangies were hanging out, good day all round ;))

Quote of the day "do you wanna see my helmet"  and at your age Bill .........

It's not all about the flying

A well used Pilot handbook got used a bit more!

The forecast was promising and after a spell of not so nice weather we decided to go for it in the tow field which after one day of dry windy weather had dried out nicely.

Just before we left for the field guess what, it began to rain! Change of plan and we did a couple of hours of theory in the office giving Graham A (Plymouth) a chance to catch his paperwork up with his flying.  Midday and the rain stopped so off we went joined by Angie I who after a 32 month layoff was back to continue her Paragliding dream.

Angie gets back in the harness after a long lay off

We wasted no time in the field and the guys got the wings out for some much needed ground handling. Whilst I helped Graham sweeten up his techniques in readiness for the hill Kaz got Angie back into the swing of things.  With a bit of sunshine we all soon warmed up whilst the wind flicked from here to there.

getting back into it Angie warms up

Just as we set the winch the rain returned so it was back to the van for a spot more theory which saw Angela pass her EPC exam with a clean sheet:)

Ok so no flying but still a useful day and good to see Angie and graham move ahead with their ground handling in just a few hours which will stand them in good stead for the future.

Quote of the day "How long?"

Hangie Heaven at Sennen

 Peachy comes up for a tandem fly

Well yet another cracking day at Sennen with the sea thermals once again doing their thing and everyone having a good time.

Arriving at 10.30 it was good to see 3 hangies already up including "little Al" who has been out of the loop for a while.  Whilst not overly breezy it was enough to soar comfortably whilst waiting for the thermals to hover us up.

With 3 tandems arriving we cracked on and after a short debate whether to Paraglide or Hang Glide we opted for the hangy as that is what they preferred.

Steve gets to soar over Sennen

Freya just loving it

James S (Falmouth) was first up and after a few unrepeatable expletives on launch he just loved it extolling the virtues of flying the whole flight. We had a fun time cruising the cliffs and playing in the lift before slipping it back in on top for a change of passenger.  Next up was Steve (London) who was down on holiday and timed it just right. A few stone less made all the difference and we had a ball in the lifty conditions.  The air was so clear that the Isles of Scilly looked like you could fly to them.  Another nice top landing and it was Freya's (Gorran) turn who despite a few nerves quickly settled in and enjoyed the whole experience even the more dynamic bits much to her surprise!  Once again such enthusiastic passengers and such a nice site.

Coming into land at the end of Freya's flight

James looking very happy after his flight

Even Patrick B turned up and popped in a nice flight on Al's wing so hopefully we shall see him back up there again soon.  Peachy played with the ASKA on the ground but there was not quite enough for him to be tempted for a first flight on it.

Whilst Kaz, Paul, Nigel, little Al, Tim and Michel all played on their hangies I broke out the Paraglider to see how it would fair. It did pretty good seeing me climb quickly to around 500' ago but in fairness it was more of a hangy day and I missed the ability to zip around so tried the ASKA next.  Yep enough wind but only just enough and whilst it was fun scratching around I now missed the lift!

So to round of the day Peachy joined me on the hangy for a fun flight in what were by now increasingly thermic conditions. We had a grand time and put the world to rights whilst we were up there.  So as the sun set Tim circled up under the cumulus making the most of what was another superb day.

Good to hear that the Paragliders had a good time on the Towans at Hayle with everyone having fun and helping each other out :}

Quote of the day "You can go first"  Freya is so polite ............

Whizzing along .........

The lines get back to launch

An easy day to get back into the field after a bit of a break and what a nice day it turned out to be.  Graham A alias Billy Whizz (Plymouth) was keen to get back into the air and whilst no one else was around to play we decided to give it a go.  With Kaz on the winch end, me at the start gate and Graham on the glider we had it covered.  In classic training conditions it was a relaxed day starting at 12.30 and working through to 16.30.

Nice inflation

Graham had a great time putting away a total of 16 tows to the top of the line and finishing off all of his CPC flying tasks including the "instability" ones.  The smile on his face grew with each flight and whats more his accuracy on the spot landing did too.

Ready for another one

A couple of very civilised tea breaks made it more like a picnic than work.  Nice day nice work and nice to see graham back in the air :) maybe more tomorrow.......

Quote of the day "I don't believe it Phippsy you said nothing!"  well it had to happen one day

Stunnig at Sennen

Kaz gets settled into her new Flex 2 harness

Whoever tells you that the UK is rubbish for flying is just so wrong!  What a super day it was and once again the forecasters hit it pretty much smack on the nail :)

Arriving around 10.30 it was good to see Nigel w and Paul h already up and playing in the Sea Thermals.  Whilst Kaz and Phil L rigged I popped together the Tandem and then my T2 C hoping to get some flying in before the tandem passengers arrived. Sorted I was up and away into a classic sky and soon 900 ATO and flying pretty much wherever I wanted, gorgeous.

With the passengers arriving it was time to land and get some work done.  Whilst Kaz and Phill got their first flights in their new Woody Valley Flex 2 harnesses (that's 3 this week) I got going on the Tandem.

Lawrence W (Penryn) was first up and having done a Taster Day with us back in the summer was keen to see where it could all lead to.  We had a super flight and Lawrence soaked it all up amazed at how much time we had and how slowly things seemed to happen once you have some height to play with.  He  had a go at flying the glider and did not do a bad job at all.  With the air filling with gliders (hangies) and our second customer arriving we slipped back in on top for a tip toe landing and big smiles.

Lawrence gives his flight the thumbs up

Next up was Carl A (Braunton) who had made a two and a half hour drive showing how keen he was. Conditions were still classic and we had a ball mixing it with the Sea gulls and birds of prey whist flying over what must be one of the most scenic sites in the UK. Carl just loved it and to say he was grinning from ear to ear after landing would be an understatement.  "that's got to be on of the top 5 things I have done in my life so far" kind of says it all.

Check out the video on you tube on the KernowHPA channel :)

Two up over Sennen

The UK at it's best

Good to take up  such enthusiastic guys and along with Gerry from yesterday it is what tandeming is all about.

A five hour round trip and worth every minute of it

The rest of the day was taken up with fun flying by all and both Kaz and Phil giving their new harnesses the thumbs up and making their landings look easy despite their initial concerns over new kit.  

Hangy Dave turned up and joined in the fun looking very confident going up and down as the lift came and went with the thermals.

Hangy Dave gets a few words of advice from Chief Coach Paul H

Wyn D got to play on the ASKA before as the day drew on the wind finally eased enough to let the Paragliders off and it was good to see Speaky's patience rewarded.

Nice also to meet up with Jason and Lisa who were down on holiday and have a chat about getting Jason back into Hang Gliding having got so close a few years back, watch this space ..........

Quote of the day "why does my hoodie keep strangling me?" you really had to be there ........

Monsters

                                     

Is that a Monster ?

On a lively forecast we headed to Perranporth to get some Tandem flying in and also to keep hangy Dave's hand in until his new wing arrives in December.

On arrival it was breezy with big clouds passing by but the sky looked nice and lifty with sea thermals abounding.  A few Paragliders had made the most of the early morning by flying down low on the dunes before the wind picked up.

Gerry gets his feet off the ground on the Tandem hangy

cranking up the Tandem

Geery M was along for a tandem on the Hangy and it was not long before the showers cleared and we got set to go.  In fresh conditions we had a fun flight with Gerry really getting into it the more we flew and the more we threw the glider around :)  Turns out, for those of you who know Perranporth, that Gerry was the creature of the "Monster" or the large green man half way along the beach, so it was doubly fun to fly over the top of it.  What's more it also turns out that the Monsters predecessor was built by Hangy Dave and his  friend John who were also on site, how bizarre.......

Anyway back to the flying, after a cracking flight and superb top landing Gerry went away well pleased and who knows we may well see him again I feel.

Gerry the giant builder

 Hangy Dave gets to try out his Flex 2

A few more showers passed through and then it was Dave's turn to try out his new Woody Valley Flex 2 harness for the first time.  In bouncy enough conditions Dave had a cracking flight popping up and down as the thermals came through and having to keep the glider in hand as the rough stuff went through, he loved it.  A super top landing rounded off a nice day and the flex got the thumbs up.

Stunning sky and aves up there somewhere

Nice evening at home with the Algo' 2012 reunion, good to see those that came again to share some piccies some videos some food some drink and some stories, thanks guys and gals.

Quote of the day " is that a hob nob stuck in your throat "