This post comes some days after the event and once again without photo's, but all this is about to change as I like Darth Vader have felt my presents! and I know what I have for Chrimbo!
A GoPro HD Helmet hero and an Ozone Sausage bag which will compliment my newly acquired Niviuk Hook 2.
Well I was expecting Glenn to pick me up at 0930 on 25 October but due to some insomnia he cried off and so I pretty much wrote the day off as a bad job. Around 1000 I got a txt from Paul Snell asking if I was going anywhere to fly as he was at a loose end an he had the Red Rocket. I told him that I had been thinking of flying Avdellaro for some time now but until today had been without a fellow pilot to fly it. Paul said he would meet me at the Cafe and after a couple of minutes of faffing around I set off.
On arrival at the cafe I could see the Peugeot garage flags were fluttering nicely along the road though occasionally switching toward an Easterly before blowing along the road in a Southerly manner once again. These flags I have found to be a nice indicator of wind direction and speed but that is all they are as they are a good mile away from the hill.
After a couple of minutes Paul arrived and we sat and had a drink whilst I imparted my local knowledge of the site to Paul. We agreed that as Paul was new to the site we should try the Eastern Launch and we dropped my Prelude off in the quarry before making our way to the top. Initial survey seemed doable so we unloaded our kit and tipped up Paul's wing to get rid of his latest curium sand build up but whilst we did this conditions built till they were out of limits for us and after half an hour of chit chat and stone throwing I suggested we at least have a look at UN 111 if for nothing more than a site fam. We jumped back in the Rocket and off roaded our way to UN 111 launch where it was most definitely within limits. Very strange we thought less than half a mile in it and this site is good! There was a largeish greyish cloud looming just behind the hill and seemed to build for half an hour then die off and then build again. Even the strongest gusts coming through were within limits for us so I decided as the "Site expert" between us I'd launch and test conditions. I immediately found that it was doable but light, so I started to look for the lift it was lifty pretty much all along the cliffs and so I thought (as I was well above launch) I'll try the other side. There was a huge punchy thermal kicking off over there just after the first lump and up I went, I turned to maximise the lift and up I went again. This was where I found out I'd made a mistake, in turning into wind and flying through the only good lift, I had unwittingly sealed my fate. All I found was sink with a large side order of sink! this dropped me into the forbidden area behind the ridge in front of launch which worried me a little. I think on a stronger day I could have been in for a bumpy ride but on this occasion I dropped nicely into wind shadow and slope landed in front of launch. Hmm not a good start to the day I hear you all shout and you'd be right! but as I was completely unscathed say for a blemished ego Paul set up and decided he would fly to the left of launch. By the time I had clambered my way back up to launch Paul was ready to go but the wind had dropped nearly to nothing at all, he attempted a launch anyway but the wing just fluttered and dropped onto a prickly bush.
Undeterred we picked his wing out of the bush and after a brief wait the wind picked up and Paul had a nice 20 or so minutes in wonderfully lifty conditions before landing behind launch to save a walk or pick up. Had we had a second 4x4 this day would definitely have lent itself to a cross country flight but as we only had the rocket and I had to work later that evening it wasn't to be.
Fly high and fly safe!
Dudley
No comments:
Post a Comment