tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27721656487273328492024-03-13T05:12:02.041+02:00Hooking Up!My Paragliding ExploitsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16496976909544832403noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772165648727332849.post-21426612958885263482012-07-26T23:42:00.003+03:002012-07-26T23:42:51.533+03:00Never Give Up, Never SurrenderThis July I attended the Inter-Service Championships with the hope of representing the RAF team. The comp was hosted from Nescliff camp in Shropshire (a basic facility but with all the necessary creature comforts and a WiFi hotspot!). I arrived on Saturday morning 21st July around 11:30 in the morning. The weather looked absolutely astounding and considering this is the champs that was a first. As I flew over the English Channel, I looked out of the airplanes window to a sight of a thousand cloud streets which stretched from Dover, all the way to Manchester and beyond! Brilliant I thought, but as the day progressed into the afternoon the sky became slightly milky and the nice defined cumulus clouds spread to fill the sky. On Sunday, the wind was weak and we drove to the Long Mynd to see how the upper wind was doing. A few of the local pilots took off and were very quickly at the bootom landing field and packing to go home! We all chose not to fly as a top to bottom at the Mynd is quite the retrieve and one hell of a walk back to the top. Over the course of the week the wind did nt improve from this and site after site was Nil wind! On Wednesday we drove to Hundred House and paid £3 for the privalige to sit on top of the hill and sunbath. The wind in the morning was nill to very weak and in the afternoon was 7mph 180 degrees in the wrong direction. I had a top to bottom but that was it. Thursday was better and we arrived at a Long Mynd soaring club site called Batch Hill. We actually were using the wrong launch and had to pay a different club an extra fee to use it :( but the wind was at least blowing and onto the face of the hill. There was no real lift to speak of but a task to fly the furthest distance was set with an activating distance of 10km. All tried, All failed! with no activation the task was not valid and so yet another day was written off. It was not a total waste though as people got their feet off the ground and flew top to slope landings all day and five pilots managed to get away from the hill in an attempt to score points! I managed a very poor three or four flights with the longest flight being around 15 - 20 minutes in the air and a landing in the bottom landing field.<br />
I fly home tomorrow so am not able to take part in procedings from this point; however, the weather looks much better so I would like to wish all the teams good luck and a very special good luck to the RAF team who are currently defending their title of Inter-Service Champions! Go Jerry, Go!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16496976909544832403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772165648727332849.post-86863511848943407212012-06-15T23:56:00.005+03:002012-06-15T23:56:55.650+03:00I had a look at the forecast today and I really should have listened to it today! Wunderground, my preferred Weather forecasting site was predicting very light winds until around midday and then becoming 10 -12mph Westerly later in the afternoon. The problem is, that this is often the forecast for later in the afternoon and I've lost count of the times I've been to the hill expecting to fly only to find it's blown out due to a strong sea breeze that has taken over. Equally on desperate days when I haven't flown for weeks I'll pop down even if it's forecast to be Northerly and low and behold I've still flown! this is usually due to a strong sea breeze kicking in and taking over funny old thing so Curium has often proved to be a difficult site to predict. The only person I know to have had any luck with that is a guy called Dave Neal. He used to live about 3 minutes away from the hill by car and his house was atop the cliffs to the West of the site. He'd step into his back yard, take a look at the tops of the trees and issue his forecast by text. The lucky few who were privy to these texts were usually rewarded with a very nice flight thank you very much. Since Dave left the island though we have had to rely on the met stations at Akrotiri or Paphos, neither of which really give an accurate reading for Curium. I miss you Dave! Come back soon.<br />
Well anyway, Glenn had told me he would like to come today and so I popped via his house before setting off to the hill. About 40 minutes into the drive down, it suddenly dawned on me that I had left my Saloman boots in the hallway at home and was still wearing my flip flops! Well I had Glenn with me, I didn't want to depress him buy turning round and going back for them so I elected to stop at Orphanides in Limassol and have a look for a pair there to buy. A cheap pair that would see me right in the brambles on top. Well 20 minutes later, when I arrived, Glenn disappeared off to MacDonalds whilst I shopped. In and out I thought, something cheap. Well I had a look at the offerings upstairs and to be honest for the price of them I thought I may as well buy a decent pair, something that I'll wear all the time so I decided to pop into the shoe shop in the arcade only to drop on a pair of very nice echo shoes, well two pairs actually but I only bought the one as to take a mortgage out would have been ridiculous. Now Cyprus is no longer renowned for it's cheap shopping but when the girl rang up the bill for the shoes, I could see why there were no prices on them! €179!!!!! Now I've never paid more than about £80 for shoes and that was when my mum was buying. I will normally only stretch to £40 and very occasionally £55 as with my Salomans. So with my jaw dropping I said no thanks I'll just go without I was looking more like €79! I have no idea what came over me next, as I heard the woman say OK I give you 5% off I then agreed and gave her my card! I think she must have hypnotised me or something. But I have to say they are very nice Yak leather echo shoes that should last me for some time.<br />
After that Glenn and I headed up the hill only to find Nil wind at the top and the distinct look of a Westerly flow someway out to sea. But as this was glenn's first time on the hill for some time and with both of the Clubs coaches on the hill we urged Glenn to top to bottom and just get a feel for the sport again. It was difficult to launch his Alpha 2 due to the lightness of the wind and also a couple of the carpets on top have vanished so it was a little snaggy too. But Glenn managed two reasonable launches and two landings and managed to get a minor scare into the bargain too. On his second attempt he basically ran half way down the slope with half of his wing under his arm and the other end flying above him! As he disappeared over the lip of the hill, Tim and I were concerned but after a brief look over the edge we could see that he was fine, it transpired he had a couple of minor scratches on his ankle due to the rocks and bushes. Something everyone who has ever flow this hill has suffered at some point in their past!<br />
So the day wasn't a complete loss but it was a lot of hard work for two top to bottoms.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16496976909544832403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772165648727332849.post-48084976168224118962012-06-14T21:45:00.001+03:002012-06-14T21:55:48.764+03:00Today at the hill was another day like yesterday. Only this time I didn't have to mess around at the clubhouse first. I got to the hill and could see that the wind was on the hill with just a little East in it, also it felt like it was blowing around 8-10mph and I thought I'd give it a go! After a pretty bumpy ride I landed on the beech near the first cafe and Pete, who had just arrived drove down to get me. Cheers Pete, I will miss you! I stuffed my glider into his boot and we went to the second cafe for a drink and chat. Soon it seemed the wind had picked up so we trotted back up the hill. As we thought, it had indeed picked up to around 10mph with the odd gust getting up to 15ish mph. I set up and first attempt was a little uncontrolled which ended with me bringing the wing back down and getting the lines caught around my GoPro! this would have been a bit of an issue if I'd have been on my own! Please, if anyone reading this uses a helmet cam, beware of the dangers! actually all I need have done was to step toward the wing but I think due to the tugging sensation on my neck I was a little panicked and just stood there! Oh well, Pete once again was there to aid me along with two passers by that I'd managed to gift wrap too! he he! Still my second attempt at launch went far more to plan, was under control and I simply let the wind lift me from the hills surface and into the sky! <br />
For the first five minutes it was very smooth and lifty and I got quite a good view of the ruins, but as Pete took off, the wind turned more from the south and the western cliffs became scratchy. I eased around to the front of launch and was rewarded with some nice lift there! Overall this was about the best flight the day had to offer, sort of 1400 until around 1500. Pete decided he would like to top land and I offered advice as to how best go about it. It isn't the easiest of places to land on top of this quirky hill of ours and there are pilots out there that say 'if you can top land at Curium, you can land anywhere!' I suggested he should try a few approaches first and practise slowing the wing enough that he didn't overshoot the launch and also practise a little mushing in case of being too high. After some practise approaches and one slightly hairy one I could see that he'd got it spot on and he touched down nicely in the centre of the launch pad, problem was he slowly started to get dragged back toward the barrier and we managed to get him stopped as his legs touched it. Hands up Pete! and he slowly walked away from it still flying the wing. By now the wind was a little blustery and for a fresh pilot it was quite tricky but Pete did very well not to get completely wiped out over the road and for this I congratulate him! When he was far enough away from the barrier I pulled his centre A risers and collapsed the front of the wing and brought it down. Pete stepped toward the wing taking the tension off the lines and he was well and truly on the deck! "Right" I said "I'll just turn my camera off so bring that over to the tree and we'll have a rest." As I was at my camera I heard a sudden expletive and looked up to find Pete with his wing over the barrier and I rushed over to help. It was at this point I burnt my finger and thumb on one of his lines! Always wear your gloves! damn it!! I always do but had removed them to fiddle with the buttons on my camera. Oh well all was good and no real damage caused apart from a slight friction burn to Pete's knee! he he.<br />
It wasn't a smooth flight but then again it wasn't all that scratchy either, but you just couldn't relax enough to take in the sites! Hopefully tomorrow will bring better wind!<br />
The last flight of the day was really just because I was bored of watching the windsock and decided to dummy it out myself. The wind by this time 1615ish didn't really know if it was Southwesterly or Southerly but it was blowing around 12mph so I decided I'd like to walk to the sandpit and launch from there! Pete came along too and watched in disbelief as I quickly began to sink. I struggled with lift for a bit and thought I would go straight down but I found a nice bit of lift in front of top launch and then again by the sandpit. I was above the sandpit and bought I was here to stay but shouted to Pete that he may struggle to get any height from the pit and that he might like to top launch. He trudged back to the top shouting to me that 'I you go down I'll come get you!' "I'm not going down!" I shouted back and flew to the far western cliffs to see what was over there. Nothing! was the answer I got and quickly found myself at the bottom feeling very sorry for myself! True to his word, Pete did indeed come to my rescue! and again I must thank him!<br />
My track logs can be found <a href="http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/tracks/world/alltimes/brand:all,cat:0,class:all,xctype:all,club:all,pilot:0_23934,takeoff:all" target="_blank">here</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16496976909544832403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772165648727332849.post-71423922890099030842012-06-13T21:13:00.002+03:002012-06-13T21:39:01.389+03:00Well, an interesting day today! a day of satisfaction, discovery and learning. I did not have very high hopes for today being flyable at all and in fact had all but given up on the idea but I had to help Tim errect a sign at the club house which is as near to the hill as damn it is to dom it, so I packed the wing just in case. Tim and I discussed a few issues to do with work and the club over a cuppa and then popped into the clubhouse to put up two splendid signs he's had made! I must say, they are the best signs I have ever seen :) heaven knows who designed the logo? [Breethes on finger nails and rubs them on Shirt]. They look quite nice, it's a pitty really as the rest of the club house is in a bit of a state but I am rather satisfied with them!<br />
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Well as far as I know, this is the first uploaded picture of the outside of our club house on the internet so if you ever wanted to know what the CSCC actually looks like, discover it here! :)<br />
Well, that done, I dropped Tim back off at home and had another cup of coffee whilst we looked over a memory stick that we had found in the clubhouse. Well actually a phone that had been found down the sides of one of the chairs in our crew room. We were trying to assertain whos phone it was and due to the fact it had run out of battery and we had no means of charging it, our only option was to browse it's memory stick! it was pretty boring actually but if you are reading this and you are a male SGT aircrew, early 20's and have lost a Samsung phone on a recent Paragliding course in Cyprus, please feel free to contact me through the CSCC website! I can probably send it through 216 mail! be faster than snail mail!<br />
Well this brings me to the good part, I asked Tim if he would like to join me on the hill and we checked the forecast which looked as if it may just be possible right now, but in 15 minutes or so it may well be blown out and so Tim declined and I wished him a good afternoon and left. At the top of the hill I quickly texted everyone that it looked perfect and they should come! turns out alot of folk never received this text but hey, what do I care? the bushes were all bouncing around a bit and so, as I was currently alone I elected for a sand pit launch. Eventually this proved a good choice as I had no problem at all getting away and was lifted into the sky almost imediately. I tracked left to the end of the wall and then turned back to top launch where I could just see Pete arriving! In minutes he had set up and we were boating about together quite nicely in slightly thermic conditions; some of which were quite uncomfortable but manageable. After about 20 minutes this calmed down and a consistant updraft began which took us up and above the ruins easily with nice smooth lift right along the hill. This lasted for around 40 minutes until finally the wind kicked Westerly bringing us both down to just above scratching height with those familiar thermals punching through just to keep us aloft. I elected after a further 20 minutes or so to try and top land which I did after about 3 attempts and Christakis was waiting on top and helped me out of the sky with a bit of a pull on the shoulder straps! Cheers buddy, I would have been tiptoeing around that launch area for a few more minutes if you hadn't grabbed me. I could see Pete Fuller had landed at the bottom so I was about to put my kit to one side to fetch him when Chris asked "do you mind if I try your glider?" I said of course you can try, as I feel this is like giving your guitar to a musician and him proving to you that actually it's not the strings you're just crap at playing! lol. Chris took it for a spin, their and back again to see how far it was, putting in some reasonable wing overs and thouroughly checking it's speed range. I presume this is due to his new status as the Cyprus Niviuk rep and his current lack of demo wings from Niviuk. He returned to the top after a few beats and reported he liked it. He said it responded very well to his input but that I should shorten my speed bar as he thought it was a little long for me! Actually he was spot on, it is in fact about 2cm too short but as I am collecting a brand new harness soon I see no reason to faf around. I'll have enough to do sorting the new one out. So one hour and 20 minutes all in today :) I am once again a happy man!<br />
Oh yeah, the learning part of the day was that I really must remember to tie off my valuables! I went to the bottom to pick Pete up and he asked me what it was that I had dropped off my harness? I said I have no idea what you are talking about and then felt in my pockets! My phone was gone! arrghhhh! how will I call Lisa and tell her about my day?? how will I find out about Pub nights or flying days? Arrrghhhhh! then again, I need a new phone so it didn't seem that bad to me. Oh well I thought! it wasn't expensive and had done me and Dave Neal proud over about 7 years. Pete told me how he saw it fall onto the rocks near the sandpit and it had slid into the scrub below them. That's it I thought! a million, million pieces! I must have been 70ft up at that point. We drove back to the top and went for a wander to try and find it. We walked for around 20 minutes when Pete said "I know! I'll ring it!" to whit I replied "It'll be in pieces! it'll at least have dropped the battery out of it's arse!" then "It's ringing!" "Where? I can't hear it!" we walked up and down for about 5 minutes when Pete shouted "I can hear it!" I ran to him and sure enough, about 6ft from where he said he'd seen it land there it was, intact, without even a scratch! well not one that wasn't there before anyway! "Bugger!" I thought, no new phone for me!<br />
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My track log is <a href="http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/tracks/world/alltimes/brand:all,cat:0,class:all,xctype:all,club:all,pilot:0_23934,takeoff:all" target="_blank">Here</a><br />
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Tight lines everyone!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16496976909544832403noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772165648727332849.post-59077165766769836122012-06-10T01:09:00.000+03:002012-06-10T01:09:05.518+03:00Ok so I'm not the best blogger in the world. I understand this, but some people will insist that I sit down, away from my wife and kids and type something about the proceeds of the day! Honestly, it's like being back at school or something!<br />
As you're probably all aware, I haven't blogged for over six months! The reason behind this is that I have been at work in Afghanistan and slumped into a little depression which I am now attempting to drag myself out of. I'm doing this by spending time with the wife and kids obviously! but also on the side I have a dark mistress, she is always tempting me away from them, calling like a cool beer in the fridge. Oh the anticipation I just can't stand it! and I often sneak out to give her a little visit! I call her Nivs! and she takes me to heights that I otherwise couldn't imagine.<br />
Well the last few weeks I have been trying to reach these heights, but something just isn't right with the world. I'm not sure what it is but it's interfering and I don't like it one bit! Gone are the days when you could fly for hours on end and now all you get is 20 minutes here and 30 minutes there! it's awful. I stole five minutes in the sky whilst on R&R on May. Since I returned the weather has not been kind. Yes it's hot and sunny, and I can have a few cool beers on the beech but this just isn't enough! I need the wind to be right too. Sod the beer! If I could drop on Curium or even one of the other sites on this island on just the right day I would be chuffed to death! I mean, I wouldn't die or anything but a day when I have just happened upon a hill and it was perfect to fly and I had my glider with me is so far distant in my mind I struggle to recall.<br />
Well I suppose I better get on with today then. I left home this morning expecting Curium to have a reasonable wind direction and strength. But as I was filling up my car with fuel in Erimi, Pete Fuller texted me and informed me that it was pants and that he and Christakis were off to Dora! <br />
"Hmmmm...... Dora?" I thought. "Not been there for a while!"<br />
I replied stating where I was and that I would be there in a few minutes.<br />
On the top the wind was South Westerly ish. There just wasn't any lift in it. Not even enough to lift the wind sock beyond 90 degrees from vertical. I mean there was plenty of wind, just none of it was rising! weird! Curium has been doing this a lot lately. People take off on what seems a perfectly flyable day and end up at the bottom in moments. Well I watched a few of chris' studes go to the bottom and though OK Dora it is! We left and 20 minutes later I was at the top of Dora! a beautiful site, only it was suffering cross wind a little. This worried me a little! but Christakis said he would wind dummy and radio his findings! He had quite a nice flight however the earlier minutes seem a little fraught and he was getting jostled about quite a bit. He covered it nicely and we on the ground really didn't notice and were just thinking "Hmmmm.. Maybe I should get my kit." however I had doubts, I have recently purchased a new harness, and not too soon either! my old Charlie tube has about 2 hours life left in it before it goes on the bonfire! or maybe I will rescue it and build a chair out of it. Who knows? Well there are a few minor issues with it, which mean I can't (Won't) sell it on to anyone else. Nothing Serious! trust me I'm not that stupid! Well if you must know I trod on the chest strap about a year ago and split the plastic clip Ooops! Well it still works and has not opened so far on it's own! Also, I noticed one of the plastic inserts of the SIL (Single In Line) pins (the bit that rests inside the riser loops) is missing! I think I must have lost it in May as I'd never noticed it gone before and I always check them before my flights. Well this one is the one that gives me the most worry. I know it's easily repaired but out here every repair takes three to five weeks delivery and I'm buggered If I'm waiting that long. I have taped over the metal so that it doesn't chaff on the riser. It's only a couple more flights and I will check the loop before each flight. If it shows any sign of wear I'll have to call it a day!<br />
Well anyway, I didn't fly due to the turbulence and Pete didn't feel the love either so we elected to return to Curium where we at least had a chance of a top to bottom without an horrendous walk back to launch. By the time we arrived back the wind was a little stronger but really not much! I was debating weather it was worth it at all but decided that three hours driving is worth one top to bottom and that is what I got! I 20 minute top to bottom. I hope this little blurb suffices of a while! you can find my track logs <a href="http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/tracks/world/alltimes/brand:all,cat:0,class:all,xctype:all,club:all,pilot:0_23934,takeoff:all" target="_blank">here</a> and if you are friends with me on Facebook then you can see my only photos of the day!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16496976909544832403noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772165648727332849.post-68533254578015913552011-11-12T13:48:00.001+02:002011-11-12T15:24:39.781+02:00Snatched Chance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today was a little hectic starting with a drive to Akrotiri in order that I could sign out 2 gliders from the store to Mick and Henry or the Army Air corps band. I also had in mind that later I had promised the twins I'd take them to buy new Tennis rackets and even play with them for a while on the court. With this in mind I quickly sorted out the two gliders with surprising ease. 2 Alphas and Charlie Harness'. Mick could not be there due to being locked out of his room after letting the door close behind him on his way to the shower! School boy error in my opinion but also very funny to think of him wrapped in his towel screaming at the door to open!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhOZRSwXjukMJnUa7f1ZLzN7oHZCsd3muo-JHrHmu8rVplshykbyg3K2iCTiTqAd6iwb-QEfFqKR21-7pA5L0TcqDGjfEiw7-oR6nyh3A4K3gSNFZzRzD9zPWKJjSve8y5MKcSXYLB_tR2/s1600/Curium_Beach_Cafe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhOZRSwXjukMJnUa7f1ZLzN7oHZCsd3muo-JHrHmu8rVplshykbyg3K2iCTiTqAd6iwb-QEfFqKR21-7pA5L0TcqDGjfEiw7-oR6nyh3A4K3gSNFZzRzD9zPWKJjSve8y5MKcSXYLB_tR2/s320/Curium_Beach_Cafe.jpg" width="320" /></a>Once the gliders had been issued I swung past Curium to see if it was flyable and to my joy Halsey was already in the air and climbing. I hung around for a couple of minutes as is my way. I like to get a rough idea of what the air is doing in my mind before I fly. Then I took a walk to the sandpit as there were a few strongish gusts passing through on the top but nothing I was worried about.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPnF6RUl1M0ypDdrVPINSIGnvUv8rPCUP5UJurTJ7ZwZbJNNHLJcwuqH5MUk3vxPc1NPq1yQgCtfMtXPH3HqWubnSlSiMNqF2JA36yO36yfZTax8Hj-PpAJ8vANBy9heTzvDcLgpl9UUGZ/s1600/Big_Ears.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPnF6RUl1M0ypDdrVPINSIGnvUv8rPCUP5UJurTJ7ZwZbJNNHLJcwuqH5MUk3vxPc1NPq1yQgCtfMtXPH3HqWubnSlSiMNqF2JA36yO36yfZTax8Hj-PpAJ8vANBy9heTzvDcLgpl9UUGZ/s320/Big_Ears.jpg" width="320" /></a>In the sandpit the wind was far more palatable, and I took off in a very sandpit manner, dragging my backside in the sand for a few moments whilst I steadied the wing. Once I could get my feet down again, I was off and the lift was strong and steady almost everywhere I went. I immediately flew over to the stables and then out over the sea with relative ease. I managed to return to the hill at launch height and then headed to top launch where the lift was strongest. Up I went flying nicely alongside Halsey for a little while.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXwcIElb7mqi0ZDafvBwj_9z1ZoYKxM3jnc8SXAJNK-OoQ9At3ytJ83t6H0EU1_qRBJCMIb8rPRKP-oY0-BGM-sT6vsDP2tL2MpOqxwA8-sBQp2nNZzjsFCQm2WLsQfUt9fsbcvOq2bFHa/s1600/Halsey_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXwcIElb7mqi0ZDafvBwj_9z1ZoYKxM3jnc8SXAJNK-OoQ9At3ytJ83t6H0EU1_qRBJCMIb8rPRKP-oY0-BGM-sT6vsDP2tL2MpOqxwA8-sBQp2nNZzjsFCQm2WLsQfUt9fsbcvOq2bFHa/s320/Halsey_01.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB0lgsw2CopRc4CWLKYlCbAYVqc7l14uNLZo6K733_lQFVx4wQL_CX3HFv5babDY418QoQqlcUCrLipBqk_KV8xHTOn_uafo9WXZmkPLECluLqj22YayAW_dbwL5W_3vCUf-S2Hw2jReuY/s1600/Halsey_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB0lgsw2CopRc4CWLKYlCbAYVqc7l14uNLZo6K733_lQFVx4wQL_CX3HFv5babDY418QoQqlcUCrLipBqk_KV8xHTOn_uafo9WXZmkPLECluLqj22YayAW_dbwL5W_3vCUf-S2Hw2jReuY/s320/Halsey_02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibuQX1tuyA_nt33GifdWn13LkS66MHACzFuKkBT9sV1C1gbzUYiIuPO7hiYB485yYgoKKOUMxizTjNPYMkeQB1tNzU13MAmo5GSJB8ZNZ9FK0R36jYEgWR3ej7wGwURQtN-4EypK7w8lb2/s1600/GH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibuQX1tuyA_nt33GifdWn13LkS66MHACzFuKkBT9sV1C1gbzUYiIuPO7hiYB485yYgoKKOUMxizTjNPYMkeQB1tNzU13MAmo5GSJB8ZNZ9FK0R36jYEgWR3ej7wGwURQtN-4EypK7w8lb2/s320/GH.jpg" width="320" /></a>After about 15 minutes I could see that the sea was just beginning to white cap and so I decided that I would need to land soon. I stayed up a while longer keeping my eye on the sea and after another 15 minutes I was on the beach and spent 5 minutes ground handling for the tourists before packing away and yomping back to the top. Another 33 minutes for my log!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16496976909544832403noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772165648727332849.post-70576352429911199572011-10-28T22:11:00.000+03:002011-10-28T22:11:23.169+03:00Unexpected directionYes yes! I know it's been quite some time since my last post. I know you've all got fed up and left me, and I know that you're now trying to find another blog that is just as interesting as this one but having little joy! Well hear I am. I'm back for a little while as I don't have any work commitments for the next few weeks! <br />
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Well today started off a little early considering I'm supposed to be on leave and I left the house at 09:00 so that I could open the club up and sort a few little admin points out before Baz and Pete arrived to pick up their kits. One of the admin points was which gliders can I actually issue out? luckily they are all nicely labeled and the broken ones were easy to pick out. I can't help thinking that it's a pitty we don't have a little extra petty cash to get the older wings replaced or at least repaired. Tim's working on that issue with the sale of the clubs 20 or so Hang Gliders. Terrible to think of them going really, but with the military pulling their support for that sport, there is little point keeping them. We have a buyer but again the administration is what's stopping us right now. Tim is away in the UK for a couple more weeks and until he gets back we can do nothing! Come back Tim!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBhIOEAsDbAMG8UGYWsPzd4JXS7gpxchi_xCQoAzI2W8ccQFQcQJDwJqJdFbuSsbbXw870cnOV2dr1qz1kfGtnUba4NhpujO1uez2lC0O1Y1Id7QPI4ELs7jvfLjsZvhelCa5cwM-ryjGg/s1600/Wingover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBhIOEAsDbAMG8UGYWsPzd4JXS7gpxchi_xCQoAzI2W8ccQFQcQJDwJqJdFbuSsbbXw870cnOV2dr1qz1kfGtnUba4NhpujO1uez2lC0O1Y1Id7QPI4ELs7jvfLjsZvhelCa5cwM-ryjGg/s320/Wingover.jpg" width="320" /></a>I'd looked at the Met before I left in the morning and was dismayed to find it forecast N to NE erly at 10kph. I lugged the glider into the car anyway just in case!! and I also threw in a yellow firebird which we plan on decorating the clubhouse with.<br />
When I reached Kollossi I'd forgotten about the diversion they've implemented and so I decided to go one junction early and head in the general direction of a large fire I had been watching for the last 15 miles. I could see a Helix flying about with a bladder of water underslung and realised the the Akrotiri peninsular was pretty much on fire in a big way! well needless to say half an hour later I was still trying to find my way over to the fire and getting nowhere! bloody Cypriot diversions! they give you one sign to follow and then at the next junction just don't bother telling you anything! my saviour came in the form of a water park! Fassoula! how I love thee! once I clocked the water park I was home!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSmbonsZ_ctEWXAQnlYxbsNFuJ3h8RJ2nJNX5ubnHm3dmRZsKrsidiuNARc3FgvNbPqQikXgNhxPPI0Rw345hMYMnjFYwdJzj6TpUGt1fDZTzfEWawC6BDtarz8i__9XIIr0wwZltG1Ikt/s1600/Baz_First_Flight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSmbonsZ_ctEWXAQnlYxbsNFuJ3h8RJ2nJNX5ubnHm3dmRZsKrsidiuNARc3FgvNbPqQikXgNhxPPI0Rw345hMYMnjFYwdJzj6TpUGt1fDZTzfEWawC6BDtarz8i__9XIIr0wwZltG1Ikt/s320/Baz_First_Flight.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I met up with Baz and after a short wait Pete too and both were happy with their kit so I decided that as I had my wing with me and that I was already 98% of the way there I may as well have a look at the top just to see how bad it was! Baz followed me up and neither of us expected to see the wind blowing onto the hill! we'd seen the smoke from the fire drifting out to sea to the South so we could see that it was most definitely a N to NE wind! but as is the Curium way not only was it blowing directly onto the hill but it was quite strong too!in fact some of the gusts were too strong and so I decided to wait half an hour and Baz and I walked to the sand pit to discuss our options.<br />
In the sandpit the wind was lighter but much the same when it came to the gusts; and so in my head I had already made the decision to can it for the day and just take the hit! as is often the way for me.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigqz5WmgTJEDnwKqjAHeFxyKaqCo534-VfNIdsflQe0o2KRS9kpg_f8PZ40WaH4M0ZPJZOpp3mfUh7wjXLD5ZnYmfPk032Z_MWBQfYEtgYXKFx4_uBteuXmKM-uMkMZykxwnCyfLlSNLuw/s1600/A_Happy_Man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigqz5WmgTJEDnwKqjAHeFxyKaqCo534-VfNIdsflQe0o2KRS9kpg_f8PZ40WaH4M0ZPJZOpp3mfUh7wjXLD5ZnYmfPk032Z_MWBQfYEtgYXKFx4_uBteuXmKM-uMkMZykxwnCyfLlSNLuw/s320/A_Happy_Man.jpg" width="320" /></a>we trudged back to the top and could feel that it was maybe just a touch lighter than before but still in my mind too strong. Baz asked if I wouldn't mind helping him set up his speed system, I agreed and pulled out the hanger. It took us about 20 minutes to get it just right, in that time the wind speed had decreased yet further! I stood up and looked at the smoke rising from the fire in the distance, it was going straight up! the funny patterns (that I have not mentioned yet) on the sea had all gone away and the gusts were not really strong at all!<br />
I walked to my car and within the space of me leaving the launch and getting to my car the smoke had started to drift in the opposite direction! I said to Baz, I'm gonna give it a go! if I can't top land don't worry just wait to see if I say it's nice or not and then launch!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Pe628ecZ_nopP9AR5OAWaHe5qWhX6uRrLIgXguINQdxAVvxucklnUeHK5TAioAeL4gR8RmC68bs0xOrptZwoaaLJMKsAP6HyKHi0soDhB_sqaOaDchlXJjCBR3iD8w_xVfnl3iJ4v6XU/s1600/Baz_Over_Launch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Pe628ecZ_nopP9AR5OAWaHe5qWhX6uRrLIgXguINQdxAVvxucklnUeHK5TAioAeL4gR8RmC68bs0xOrptZwoaaLJMKsAP6HyKHi0soDhB_sqaOaDchlXJjCBR3iD8w_xVfnl3iJ4v6XU/s320/Baz_Over_Launch.jpg" width="320" /></a>We strode to the sandpit as it was still a little strong for a top launch and found the wind to be very much in our favour now! :) I'm feeling the little buzz I get from the sport about now and whipped out my wing! with a little input the wing lifted up in front of me and I got ready to be dragged kicking and screaming into the air. But it didn't happen, the wing just popped up, I turned, and up I went! perfect....ish! The air was lifting nicely and very smoothly and before I knew it I was at 400ft above! a little too high in my book to carry out effective Coaching of a newly qualified CP. Big ears in and float away from the hill a little, it was smooth with the odd thermal kicking off but nothing too strong! As soon as my ears were out I was back at 400ft, so I continued beating back and forth with ears in, then out, then in and finally out again just so I could keep my eye on Baz as he carried out a superb sandpit launch with no sign of being ripped off his feet or getting dragged through the bush, which is the case with so many new CP's myself included!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1CGeg208nle5I_lICsH73UC7FM2cG1AxHNGa0jhC3USEPxZDV0KtWR6icU7RtUDalHMqBYbwxuUaVowZESwgivkWu-a1ToHdp_ccSPRebcpOTVFlSTQ7QYLK1d9YVL7ibdCJFXHMDHPOb/s1600/As_Close_as_I_Could_get.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1CGeg208nle5I_lICsH73UC7FM2cG1AxHNGa0jhC3USEPxZDV0KtWR6icU7RtUDalHMqBYbwxuUaVowZESwgivkWu-a1ToHdp_ccSPRebcpOTVFlSTQ7QYLK1d9YVL7ibdCJFXHMDHPOb/s320/As_Close_as_I_Could_get.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>We flew together for the next hour and also with Christos in very buoyant air! giving me the opportunity for some wingovers and some stall appreciation exercises! I just love days like this where you can lose so much height doing wingovers and then within a few seconds you're back at 400ft looking at the next exercise!<br />
All in all a great day, only spoiled by the Cypriot Bank holiday meaning Panicos Ice-cream was not there to greet me! and after I'd promised him I'd buy one the next time I was there!<br />
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Tight Lines everyone!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihMIaoFgDHvTPuHiXrQCD1I02dt5SB-FpwS7Gq8Npkp0Kgi1an4cBnbTQqA3YyHvbUxQVmbSah1wMn31lAcL6XOUeNqQwQcZzT_B5D7vwN39a-jmGL29QbzGf0MqMhYqs1ZUaFXMZcT4Lb/s1600/Over_the_ruins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihMIaoFgDHvTPuHiXrQCD1I02dt5SB-FpwS7Gq8Npkp0Kgi1an4cBnbTQqA3YyHvbUxQVmbSah1wMn31lAcL6XOUeNqQwQcZzT_B5D7vwN39a-jmGL29QbzGf0MqMhYqs1ZUaFXMZcT4Lb/s320/Over_the_ruins.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp24sco-UYCavLQAtfkmwQkSBEcWoCCMGSXaQkaHjH0I7JiUeOUTzL0I-nAW6UkHx4yYVixcDeAv-X98L3eLz8Okl9zMfzT-wSLsLy_4jvLTJvYzaPoZij2f623APN1udd4gY3XTh2PoVN/s1600/ruins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp24sco-UYCavLQAtfkmwQkSBEcWoCCMGSXaQkaHjH0I7JiUeOUTzL0I-nAW6UkHx4yYVixcDeAv-X98L3eLz8Okl9zMfzT-wSLsLy_4jvLTJvYzaPoZij2f623APN1udd4gY3XTh2PoVN/s320/ruins.jpg" width="320" /></a> Look!! No Ice-cream Man!!</div><div><br />
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Dudley Out.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16496976909544832403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772165648727332849.post-18134651293396552612011-03-08T18:59:00.002+02:002011-03-08T23:52:39.384+02:00It's not 'Flying' it's Falling with style!Well Dave, Tim and I have been loosely talking about visiting the North of the Island for well over a year now, but up until last weekend we had struggled to find a time when everyone was available due mainly, to Tim and I working shifts and Dave only working lazy mornings.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMtuMHjqhyphenhyphenayvOQTXUtRbnWti9D4rO8v776netMOUwXcWpE4erM0XZ-p4KxzHW7WPGnVWHbmzDo9egtcohLnp2u7KcmKvjRKML8l_lY_fAQXBP9Y3liUCklECACrCVD7XNrkyDXYPETZgX/s1600/Dave_Mentor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMtuMHjqhyphenhyphenayvOQTXUtRbnWti9D4rO8v776netMOUwXcWpE4erM0XZ-p4KxzHW7WPGnVWHbmzDo9egtcohLnp2u7KcmKvjRKML8l_lY_fAQXBP9Y3liUCklECACrCVD7XNrkyDXYPETZgX/s400/Dave_Mentor.jpg" width="400" /></a>Due to Dave not having to do any work at all for most of the time, he has flown on that side of the Island before and indeed at almost every flyable site in the South. Anyway as I have already mentioned last weekend we did find time and Dave and Tim drove up to the border where they picked me up. <br />
Once watered and with all the kit packed we headed over the border and drove to St Hilarion and onward to Paradise launch.<br />
The wind was on the strong side but with long gentle lulls and we decided to wait a while to see what happened. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsawhR3_NnCW8wLhMiX6wYnr-kIwZLoD2DNDi7k6j1HfUMlauZpiI1YDWpolcHpGFmnAjrtJkcdc6jyx8RWrOQbV2rJO_OgwntxK2Lf03BUkqz61GzP7a7Ix5oPW1L34Ko-D0ShJx4I4uH/s1600/GOPR0031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsawhR3_NnCW8wLhMiX6wYnr-kIwZLoD2DNDi7k6j1HfUMlauZpiI1YDWpolcHpGFmnAjrtJkcdc6jyx8RWrOQbV2rJO_OgwntxK2Lf03BUkqz61GzP7a7Ix5oPW1L34Ko-D0ShJx4I4uH/s320/GOPR0031.JPG" width="320" /></a>While we waited Dave took it upon himself to brief Tim and I about the potential hazards and what to expect given the wind conditions. Thanks Dave! Due to Ozgur not being available to drive us Dave had said that Tim and I should fly first as he knew how to get to the landing area by road and that would be the easiest option however due to the strong nature of some of the gusts I elected to stay temporarily on the ground and let the experience lead the way. An instructor of mine always told me never to be the wind dummy! and this thought was very much shining through as being the most important to me. Dave of course accepted my offer to drive as I had mapped out the route from looking at the road from the hill.<br />
We decided that the gusts were getting weaker and the lulls were longer now than before though still a bit of a worry. Dave went first with a really nicely controlled launch followed by what I can shall describe as a bumpy departure from the hill. Tim was watching and thinking much the same as me which was "hmmmm! that looks uncomfortable!" but this we later discovered was only Dave faffing with his camera and other paraphernalia. Well as Dave climbed it appeared to to smooth out and Tim was happy that he could launch and fly and so launched into very nice calm air and played nicely around the front of launch with Dave.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNxYgGfJuRNinoJLXe0-W2hvrvyk2pUu2X0eP9hEliLMKIE4NydZAzzZ7W5TngJ8d5v_ouFmjhubwrUi6OM9TUu4kMLZ3FxOuTAjIOae8sccYPKH3mvijm_2n_jj2MtkYIcUyJhVmnXlmk/s1600/Tim_Paradise_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNxYgGfJuRNinoJLXe0-W2hvrvyk2pUu2X0eP9hEliLMKIE4NydZAzzZ7W5TngJ8d5v_ouFmjhubwrUi6OM9TUu4kMLZ3FxOuTAjIOae8sccYPKH3mvijm_2n_jj2MtkYIcUyJhVmnXlmk/s400/Tim_Paradise_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I wasted no time and jumped into the Red Rocket for the drive down and radioed to let the others know that I would be in the field for them when they landed. The drive down took me into radio shadow and so I was uncontactable for I guess 5 minutes. As I came around the hill and back into radio range I heard Dave brokenly and he said "Talk to me Tim!" I was still just out of range to talk to them and was around 8 minutes drive away. Dave then radioed that he was going to land and I answered that I would be there soon.<br />
I found the field without too much problem and walked over to where Dave was but I could not see Tim. I asked Dave on the radio if Tim was still in the air and he replied "Negative" an that Tim had landed quite expertly on a road some way up the hill. After helping Dave pack I radioed Tim and he answered that he was shaken but that he was OK and had had a bit of a heafty landing. I told him that we would be with him shortly. We found him on a very narrow track with tall trees either side, he was standing up and looking quite forlorn as we pulled along side him. We packed his kit into the Red rocket and went to have assess Tims last moments in the air. We'd been looking around for about 2 minutes when Dave announced that he had a nose bleed! well I just had to get a snap!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWf1LfYt2adCpO2EYSKsRsMVoO2snqsWG8Nmt9mFbimOHJcyehZyjZbVbx2fmxqv-p1xXeKMyOkNYM7C6u9Psy3KoHjnOXbrBSx4xnURWq39QP2z6hLEt7ZNpGy_DJLsejN8NaT7x-a6uj/s1600/GOPR0046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWf1LfYt2adCpO2EYSKsRsMVoO2snqsWG8Nmt9mFbimOHJcyehZyjZbVbx2fmxqv-p1xXeKMyOkNYM7C6u9Psy3KoHjnOXbrBSx4xnURWq39QP2z6hLEt7ZNpGy_DJLsejN8NaT7x-a6uj/s400/GOPR0046.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Tim said he'd had a few issues fairly low and ended up having a collapse at the top of the trees about 12 - 15 feet I would estimate.<br />
I'm glad to say that after a few beers Tim seemed to be sore but fine! as you can see from the picture (left).<br />
We had a spot of lunch in a rip off Burger King called "Burger City", not my ideal choice of venue but given the circumstances it was fine! then we headed back to the top to have another look with the thought that I could have a fly.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR7ZI4j4JK_d_xXQf_COr6B8LdrQgoRDZCEVTTIk5cFVLKPfYy0PjVFXJfmXOl1t4BRSL6MGYo_i_CrxD2fFi_5IPrmBDZtgE-NmWNmk4vQH5y0wFwwRUh12XXfZj5-E1aX1Ml4asB5Nnt/s1600/P3050088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR7ZI4j4JK_d_xXQf_COr6B8LdrQgoRDZCEVTTIk5cFVLKPfYy0PjVFXJfmXOl1t4BRSL6MGYo_i_CrxD2fFi_5IPrmBDZtgE-NmWNmk4vQH5y0wFwwRUh12XXfZj5-E1aX1Ml4asB5Nnt/s400/P3050088.JPG" width="400" /></a>On arrival we noticed that the wind had dropped completely leaving me the choice of, fly top to bottom with no chance of playing or gaff it off as a bad job and go find another site. Well I was not going to pass up the chance to fly so I quickly set up and took the only breath of wind left on the hill to launch into a really pleaseant top to bottom. I had pleanty of time to look around and even over fly the area that Tim dobbed into and also to fly a short way along the new motorway and do a couple of 360's before I found myself at approach height.<br />
As ever I found that I had misjudged my height and needed to use alot more of the landing field than I would have liked but still had plenty of room if I'd needed it. I must work on this skill and try to judge a lower approach angle. See my track log <a href="http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/417370">here</a>.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtBx9GYWcTA28THhF3Qi7JJBzz2jA-duBEATDu65AEpaSnsZtwr6M8VUQQsMm4r5Z_IteRpA86KOenPCi4WbeSNhueEI0YxPOdFutVBlf6gJIypi56wH7Lu_M6gUNXd9wtOQiru30OvNWA/s1600/P3050090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtBx9GYWcTA28THhF3Qi7JJBzz2jA-duBEATDu65AEpaSnsZtwr6M8VUQQsMm4r5Z_IteRpA86KOenPCi4WbeSNhueEI0YxPOdFutVBlf6gJIypi56wH7Lu_M6gUNXd9wtOQiru30OvNWA/s400/P3050090.JPG" width="400" /></a>Well after that the guys drove to pick me up from the bottom and we went shopping for the evenings supplies. We drove from Kyrenia to Cantara castle where we found a convenient field out of the way and right on the coast in which to pitch our tent. The area was lovely with a nice clamber down to the sea and a spit of sand stone jutting out into a small bay 35°26'21.02"N 33°56'39.74"E. <br />
We ate and drank well into the night under a very starry sky and at one point had to take cover as the local coast guard came along with search lights and were shining them at us quite alot. I think if we'd just have carried on as normal we'd have been fine but the alchohol made us all stand very still and even lie down on the rocks. Unfortunately the alchohol made me very loud and i couldn't stop talking even though we could hear the guys on the boat! oops!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwtfqbS5PutJEDH02DUMsYz68sdBsG9Ybdm2pjLqCTJBSQY3IAjjYLQ3AGP8UYZmlE4BHiY4nW19wG9_k6xoZeMkqD1aaLIGBby2-JOooxHadF4WIIM24pcPhcNBWcu3XPnTdWkejkPuP4/s1600/P3060149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwtfqbS5PutJEDH02DUMsYz68sdBsG9Ybdm2pjLqCTJBSQY3IAjjYLQ3AGP8UYZmlE4BHiY4nW19wG9_k6xoZeMkqD1aaLIGBby2-JOooxHadF4WIIM24pcPhcNBWcu3XPnTdWkejkPuP4/s320/P3060149.JPG" width="320" /></a>Well after a nice night we headed first to Kantara Castle to try to find the launch. The weather was pants and so we had a walk around the castle which was nice, on the way down the wind screen washers got blocked so I went to wipe the windscreen and Dave decided it would be a good laugh to drive off with me on the bonnet! Video to follow. Then it was off to Golden Sands to see if it was flyable there! Unfortunately the wind was well off to the East and when Dave gave it a go he went straight down for a play in the dunes. Once he'd finished we strolled back to the top and drove to the beech to have a look there. That was no good either though I did get a few pics.<br />
After that we drove home a really great weekend!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxP_cV7Bxt4wbSbFtJuIA8ZzkqaJQMksVMnPXjvjLYXcsD8kqHlOlGqYRZExEmnYDbiQ71zGY1pIAQIHpN3WRmpBjVntZo-tw0q8aZmtLFAMXMIHqY3ze3aYQxAIF6lCn4K-12uSn906Lr/s1600/DSC07546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxP_cV7Bxt4wbSbFtJuIA8ZzkqaJQMksVMnPXjvjLYXcsD8kqHlOlGqYRZExEmnYDbiQ71zGY1pIAQIHpN3WRmpBjVntZo-tw0q8aZmtLFAMXMIHqY3ze3aYQxAIF6lCn4K-12uSn906Lr/s400/DSC07546.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO9v8vLHwiXSCWy29pxmWC_IkdoozJKyiaYBzEQXSFBzFFD0x8SZYrYuTnj51BVU6x8LwaUW-dgucY03Ngt1j7YaMnSCSNmoGbV2Y0dvD4VyFqcZsV3YMnJYg1BMHPEDGo-qSmgc0_B1dJ/s1600/P3060153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO9v8vLHwiXSCWy29pxmWC_IkdoozJKyiaYBzEQXSFBzFFD0x8SZYrYuTnj51BVU6x8LwaUW-dgucY03Ngt1j7YaMnSCSNmoGbV2Y0dvD4VyFqcZsV3YMnJYg1BMHPEDGo-qSmgc0_B1dJ/s640/P3060153.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Cheers Guys and Credit to both Dave and Tim as I have captured some of my photos off their videos. You'll have to follow Tim's blog if you want to know more about his mishap. Whether he shares his video I'll leave that up to him!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOXxGO1br9QPHtvx6QN-QLOyZdM3NRkXmDcGxJMQOBxE5oVPDpPwwzpHTRvACiwvNEh9wqOgnjsHGnmTcPzB00zXm4VIncq60f8sdzXvGDvjPnneY3WMzuUwberDa5r_Y-oH28dCIqkIvi/s1600/P3060154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOXxGO1br9QPHtvx6QN-QLOyZdM3NRkXmDcGxJMQOBxE5oVPDpPwwzpHTRvACiwvNEh9wqOgnjsHGnmTcPzB00zXm4VIncq60f8sdzXvGDvjPnneY3WMzuUwberDa5r_Y-oH28dCIqkIvi/s640/P3060154.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>On the way home we noticed a sign that we just couldn't work out! The Car wash name just makes no sence at all!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16496976909544832403noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772165648727332849.post-83940010973882494132011-01-12T07:21:00.000+02:002011-01-12T07:21:09.423+02:00One heck of a long day!Well today was something of a great success to say the least! Last week I would never have predicted it as the weather has been so bad recently.<br />
Yesterday was an absolute hoot and Dave and I were convinced that after that today should pretty much be a carbon copy of yesterday, after all the Met was similar.<br />
Well this morning I looked at the Met from Akrotiri and Wunderground and it did not look good, in fact it looked terrible. Well I had already told Anthony first thing not to get on the bus from school and that I would pick him up afterward and maybe take him to Curium. Oops! I thought but it was too late and so I readied the car and waited for the Younger kids to finish school 1230 and 1300 so we could all make a day of it, Just as Rachel had finished, Dave called from Episkopi and I told him that we were just about to leave just as soon as Rachel was out of her school clothes and into something a little more beechy. After telling him this, I could sense an air of trepidation in Daves breathing and his next words were "I don't want to be the harbinger of doom!" I switched off at this point and told him I was coming anyway and to blazes with the weather It could blow Easterly all it liked but that wasnot going to stop me! I wasn't about to drive 20 minutes just to pick Anthony up and then come home again! I have a bus that does that for me and he wasn't using it today because I told him not to! I felt a little pang of guilt and a touch of remorse as I hung up the phone, but I pushed this aside and told Lisa the bad news. I can't say she took it entirely well and she spent the first couple of miles thinking what a waste of time this was all going to be. So now we're headed to Dhekelia to pick up Anthony (who complained that I had left him standing for 30 seconds and this was ages) and I thought I'd lighten the mood by telling Lisa that the front tires both need replacing, especially the one on her side as it has a crack right across it (A sure sign it's about to delaminate). That wasn't the best thing to say as she then spent then next 5 miles telling me how I should get them changed tomorrow and that maybe I should swap the spare with the bad tyre. I ignored most of that and put her mind at rest by telling her I'd see George (The local mechanic) in the morning. She pondered this for most of the rest of the journey. About 5 minutes away from the hill (just as you leave the main Motorway and head into Erimi) is where I start to get a feel for the wind speed and direction as this stretch of road looks in pretty much the same direction as the hill and there are a few tall trees that give subtle hints about the conditions, this is where Lisa decides to start to talk again but I think she was trying not to think about the tyres and so started asking me stuff about the Bungalow back in the UK! and our savings and stuff! This was all stuff that we need to talk about but that was totally the wrong time for me and so I mmhmmmed and agreed for most of the the rest of that bit of journey whilst I tried to determine if it was all going to be worthwhile and joy of joys I pointed out a tree to Lisa and explained why I was so distantand in that instant the treetop was blown in a southerly direction! Yippee! I thought but then I thought there was a little Eastlerly in it and I started to come down off my high. Oh well I'm here now I might as well look at the top!<br />
On arrival I meet Mark Jones who had just walked up from the bottom after a short flight and he looked at me, pointed at the streamer on the stop sign and said "Says it all really!". I'm sorry Mark but all I could feel was the sweet taste of success! I'd brought my family here against the odds and it had payed off Anthony was going to get a Top to Bottom! hoorahhh!! the endless nagging will stop now he will have actually flown with Uncle Dave and have something to tell his mates at school!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAosJO2G8euxfc2ii1DJAmkw5EySFRC4qUuQFQ_UjOPYiwEkc-7kurRLJIOaRIgQKpL99xKVWRQWgixhsApNmOOiTUHjVbTi2MH09GerkN-noHPstPuTx5XkgTj4WiOhNcJCpZ7rWwwlQv/s1600/DSC_3787.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAosJO2G8euxfc2ii1DJAmkw5EySFRC4qUuQFQ_UjOPYiwEkc-7kurRLJIOaRIgQKpL99xKVWRQWgixhsApNmOOiTUHjVbTi2MH09GerkN-noHPstPuTx5XkgTj4WiOhNcJCpZ7rWwwlQv/s400/DSC_3787.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Dave arrived as I was unloading my kit and said I could set up behind him! "Cheeky Git!" I thought but actually it made perfect sense and I immediately retracted my thought from my mouth! I layed my glider on the top of launch and set up the helmet camera before helping Dave get his rig sorted and Anthony into his (Sorry Kyles) small harness. Anthony was extremely excited, moreso that any boy should be especially if they are like Anthony, his lips would not stop moving and words kept flooding out at a rate that I couldn't cope with and his legs kept moving and he had virtually no control over them to the point that even when told not to walk in the lines he continued to walk furter into them. It was all getting a bit much but then came the moment when Dave called him to point! his mind was focused he walked calmly over and stood exactly where he was suposed to, he did everything as he was told to and after one snaggy failure had a perfect launch from the top of curium and a flight out over the Eastern cliffs, higher than anybody else could get. He loved every minute of it. Thank you very much Dave you lovely, lovely man! from Anthony and myself and Lisa really Thank you!<br />
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<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I launched moments after the Tandem and Mark said he was convinced for another go and so launched 5 minutes after me. You will be able to see my flight at the usual place soon until then have a look at the photos.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin_6o523mhzGEbnKZq5ZEmF88bgE1z0enI_IKZ-byLQeqe3Mjjq162is2TwBZxBaIb977KR142mg33W2qyUppyH86-FFfJNsnIkiTNOQqsX-Y6QwVNf07B0LiusV4mDS_-G5mvnB57d3O9/s1600/DSC_3813.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin_6o523mhzGEbnKZq5ZEmF88bgE1z0enI_IKZ-byLQeqe3Mjjq162is2TwBZxBaIb977KR142mg33W2qyUppyH86-FFfJNsnIkiTNOQqsX-Y6QwVNf07B0LiusV4mDS_-G5mvnB57d3O9/s400/DSC_3813.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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1. You're 1 1/2 hours from arguably the best Paragliding site on island. This means you have to be spot on with your Met or you'll spend alot of time on the road and not much in the air.<br />
2. Your on Shift! This means that no matter how good you are at deciding weather it's good to fly, you are invariably at work or due to long hours your sleeping off (I have been flying on my sleep day but I can't reccomend it).<br />
There is a 3rd but it was my choice to have a family and I love them dearly.<br />
<br />
Well today I woke up late (around 10:45) and went downstairs to make some toast and have a look at what was going on on FaceBook and also to check the weather as is my way. I had thought about flying today but after looking on weather underground was just thinking I should maybe can it when Dave popped up on FB chat and said he thought it was spot on and he reckoned it would be like that for at least another 3 hours. Well not one to pass up an oportunity to fly, I ate my toast and salami, finished my cup of coffee and jumped in the car.<br />
On arrival (about 14:00) I could see it was doable but on the stronger side so I had a little walk to the sandpit to assess the conditions there and found it to be perfect. I rushed back to get my kit and headed down to the sand pit to try out the latest addition to my kit. A <a href="http://www.goprocamera.com/">GoPro Helmet Hero</a> (Video to follow). <br />
I was amazed how easily my wing came up and was also surprised how I didn't get torn off my feet as is the norm in the sandpit on stronger days. I just pulled on the A's, braked and turned around, by then I was off my feet and gently floating around the sky. There was lift everywhere and I managed to fly out to the beech a number of times with ease and no fear about making it back to the hill.<br />
Around 15:30 Dave arrived and minced around take off waiting for a tandem passenger he had lined up. Elenor had to leave and so Dave shouted up to see if I could give him a lift home. I told him I could as long as he thought he could get all his kit in with mine as I was dubius. a few minutes later his pax arrived and they launched with very little difficulty and were able to fly around for about half an hour and I even noticed some pitch and roll control manoeuvers. <br />
After a couple of hours I was getting quite cold so I headed for the beech to land, it took quite alot of effort getting down but I manged to land on the beech. nothing exciting to report today but a very nice day topped by Tea at Daves and Cauliflower Cheese and carrots which had been lovingly prepared by Elena, Thank you guys for a great day!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16496976909544832403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772165648727332849.post-16980731315981609872010-11-24T02:38:00.000+02:002010-11-24T02:38:40.070+02:002 Hooks, 1 Rookie, 1 Primax and an EpsilonToday had been forecast to be good so Glenn and I decided it would be a good time to get him back into the air. After a few hours of a mix between PT, Admin and a large breakfast we set off for curium and arrived there around 13:00. 1 Glider was already in the air and as I alighted frm the car a German guy had just took off from the top with some assistance from a friend. I quickly hung my self in the hanger to try to sort out my new speedbar. It's a little annoying, having it's adjustment at the foot end of the system! I'm still trying to get comfortable with my stirrup but think I'm not far off! Glenn was playing with his wing on launch just getting back into the swing of things and although it was strong it looked within limits as Glenn was able to bring the wing above his head and hold it on the risers before bringing it back down under control. I told him he should clip in when he is ready as it may get stronger before too long and he did. Unfortunately it did get stronger and Glenn's first attempt ended with his wing over the barrier and him sitting on the floor a little bemused so we bunched up and walked to the sand pit.<br />
In the sand pit the wind was still a little strong but within limits. Glenn managed to make launching look like hard work by having another 2 flops into spikey bushes! but apparently the first one was the wing and winds fault! Not Glenn's because he didn't have hold of any lines and the glider just took off on it's own! clearly the wings fault!<br />
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Eventually though, I hung on Glenn's harness and he was away albeit in a little unconventional manner through a bush but these are Sandpit launches and in my mind, as long as you are away from the hill without breaking your legs you're golden!<br />
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Well I looked around the sky and noticed that one of the gliders had landed but Glenn and the German guy were doing fine. I set up my Hook2 and once again found that bunching the glider brfore launch works better than laying it completely out. The glider was blown about launch a couple of times and picked up a nice looking rock which has ruined all my pictures of the wing damn it! So next time I'll just leave it bunched until I'm clipped in then open the wing when I'm ready.<br />
Well my launch wasn't that much better than Glenns but I managed it in one go, the wing came up and lifted me but then it dropped back and I struggled for control. I was dumped on my back with the wing flailing above me. I swa that it was still facing forward and was able to re-inflate the wing and use it to lift me back onto my feet. No sooner as I felt my feet on the ground I turned and was off! A bit weird but like I said before as long as I've got all of my limbs entact, job done!<br />
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roughly 30 minutes later Paul arrived and I flew over to let him know it was strong and that a sandpit launch would best. Paul made it look positively easy. Setting up in around 5 minutes and launching perfectly!<br />
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After a little while Tim and Lou arrived to photograph me and Tim set about getting his Hook 2 ready. Tim has a red and Orange wing which he says he likes!<br />
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Tim's Red and Orange Hook 2. Looks nice on the ground!<br />
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Glenn on his club's Primax!<br />
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Curium Ruins<br />
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I was stunned by the Halation of the sun off these clouds!<br />
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Paul giving it very big Ears!<br />
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Ahh the Hook2 Joins me!<br />
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Me! Photographing Lou Photographing Me!<br />
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Unfortunately mother Nature got the better of me and I was forced to land, but once I'd packed my rig away this sun set was just amazing!<br />
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A few more pics of me provided by Lou! Thanks Lou!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmStZPnqjLMPPWstukMGEZL8vb5ISUbRP5kSN_1D9Vof8aE-xLY0zy-U8NFZ16ru_M5aLpMiOKjP4SeBTMV0RBOb5pskNhp_uwLpq3FlJ8FFa_UP8PnJGgRT-ae238OkQGsJScQQRS6rTc/s1600/_DSC0154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmStZPnqjLMPPWstukMGEZL8vb5ISUbRP5kSN_1D9Vof8aE-xLY0zy-U8NFZ16ru_M5aLpMiOKjP4SeBTMV0RBOb5pskNhp_uwLpq3FlJ8FFa_UP8PnJGgRT-ae238OkQGsJScQQRS6rTc/s320/_DSC0154.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16496976909544832403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772165648727332849.post-51423356816077233372010-11-18T16:19:00.001+02:002010-11-18T16:32:48.646+02:00All Hooked up!Well after re-naming my Blog I can't quite believe how apt it is! I flew my beautiful Spring (Green) Niviuk Hook2 yesterday for the first time and I have to say that I was very impressed say for one minor defect. Let me explain.<br />
<br />
During my long wait for my glider to arrive from Niviuk, a friend of mine told me about a fellow pilots (James Dell) experience with a demo Hook2. Whilst he was flying he noticed that the knotted tape used to affix the brake line to the wing tip had pulled through the 'D' ring and had become snagged and he was unable to release it. This happened to him once on both sides and he decided that due to the turbulent conditions it was unsafe and was forced to land.<br />
<br />
Well my first experience of the hook went a little like this.<br />
The wind came round in the early afternoon from Easterly to a very nice and smooth S to SW and I laid out my Hook2 on launch. I noticed that as soon as I left it alone to pick up my helmet, harness etc. it wanted to fly and caught every slight breath of breeze which pulled it around so I elected to bunch it until I was all ready and clipped in. I noticed that the magnets on the risers and breaks were almost too efficient, hoovering up iron filings from the ground and sticking to the other magnets. This really wasn't a drama but was more of an annoyance as I familiarised myself with the wings layout. At one point two of the magnets stuck together with my glove in between them, very annoying but I think something that I will learn to cope with.<br />
I had decided not to fly with my vario on since I wanted to feel the glider and not rely on the beeps and whistles to find my turn points. Once set up I made my wall which was satisfyingly easy and lifted the wing using all the A's. Unfortunately things happened a little quickly and the wing overshot me, schoolboy error! I sorted it all out and went again, this time catching the wing before it dove and launching very comfortably. I had been flying for about 20 minutes when I noticed that the wing was tucked in on the right hand side and I noticed that just like James' experience the knotted tape on the break line had indeed "hooked" through the 'D'ring and no matter how much I tugged or shook that side of the wing, there just wasn't enough pressure on the wing to pull the line free. After faffing around for a few minutes I decided it was far safer just to leave it alone and get on with flying. I felt no ill effects from the snag so bore it in mind and then just ignored it.<br />
The Hook2 fared very well right from the get go. It turns very neatly and quickly with very little pendulum to damp out. I did some very small wing overs and found it was rock steady throughout the maneuver. I never once felt that the wing was about to tuck nor did I feel threatened by the speed of it. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>I think that this wing is a superb step up from the Epsilon and a noticeable improvement from the Alpha2 which I was starting to think was boring. anyway here is a photo of my little snag taken just after landing.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhar4sWk-TraAmVNh6TnXQejnnVRQmQpQGn2ojbjv6TQHhQZ1T9PgDnim6t3reAAhBEjEpoCBxUrx43ryrJr9IcjsmZ4OpNZAHl5BjvE2D2VrnYpkcWO3GHqBnb41X6jcwTmbROTPlAqbY5/s1600/DSC-0051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhar4sWk-TraAmVNh6TnXQejnnVRQmQpQGn2ojbjv6TQHhQZ1T9PgDnim6t3reAAhBEjEpoCBxUrx43ryrJr9IcjsmZ4OpNZAHl5BjvE2D2VrnYpkcWO3GHqBnb41X6jcwTmbROTPlAqbY5/s640/DSC-0051.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16496976909544832403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772165648727332849.post-38306656618515207522010-11-16T20:15:00.000+02:002010-11-16T20:15:11.973+02:00New TitleWell I've thought about it and I reckon "Hooking Up!" is perfect. Well I'll see how it goes!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16496976909544832403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772165648727332849.post-27811644869666149742010-11-13T20:17:00.002+02:002010-11-13T22:30:49.184+02:00The Sky Hook has ArrivedWell after many, many weeks waiting (Since August) Paul Snell and Tim texted me to let met know that it was on the transport and would be with me later that evening. I asked Tim if he would be around for me to collect it and he said he would be.<br />
Unfortunately 2 of my Chidren were taken ill and Lisa had to work so I had to postpone my trip until they were better.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYQ1gJ-smK2ourvui_avbiuCyNLwv3eGv54yutwt8P_P3MvO0U6SWMoSa9uBGuC8bx0bOxTeLJXnQXBxqrpxld4S0uJr5KcBU78A6xb7TKs-d4LY13kRaSUUBuntAyHcBIPZSaEhghjUNW/s750/DSC_3499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYQ1gJ-smK2ourvui_avbiuCyNLwv3eGv54yutwt8P_P3MvO0U6SWMoSa9uBGuC8bx0bOxTeLJXnQXBxqrpxld4S0uJr5KcBU78A6xb7TKs-d4LY13kRaSUUBuntAyHcBIPZSaEhghjUNW/s750/DSC_3499.JPG" width="750" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlum9JW9TIHSNfjPrBtGboITj2CFf9EALy6pf3Xt_wCsRKLS2NKmfzKC5VNoVOUCjUS1WjMckcj9L-0e-PuHVTMH8ebXr9_BdU7VI8WOYzd4inYHrkH-bDkVJwopl6vF2eXtugEh-OuPft/s750/DSC_3501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlum9JW9TIHSNfjPrBtGboITj2CFf9EALy6pf3Xt_wCsRKLS2NKmfzKC5VNoVOUCjUS1WjMckcj9L-0e-PuHVTMH8ebXr9_BdU7VI8WOYzd4inYHrkH-bDkVJwopl6vF2eXtugEh-OuPft/s750/DSC_3501.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz66oVP6Svc5MhajrxtD4k7WEHfTeJBhYW0qVSUn8ZTZOIQOhs0q6STCQlA6XUOStTB5bomtsACyoDfkAei3jsTzIiNEd2LZo_GaW8-gYuCj_aja1KFL5nABmbLHEC_Z6n4H81y3a_iw0H/s750/DSC_3502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz66oVP6Svc5MhajrxtD4k7WEHfTeJBhYW0qVSUn8ZTZOIQOhs0q6STCQlA6XUOStTB5bomtsACyoDfkAei3jsTzIiNEd2LZo_GaW8-gYuCj_aja1KFL5nABmbLHEC_Z6n4H81y3a_iw0H/s750/DSC_3502.JPG" /></a></div>Well I finished work on Thursday morning and decided I was still awake enough to drive to Akrotiri and back before bed time so off I set. Tim had looked after it superbly for me and I picked it up around 11:00am. I took it straight round to the club house to check it out and wasn't dissapointed. The colour is exactly what I'd hoped for (Palm) Green with dark Green horns. I was quite impressed with the quality of the Rucksack which seems like it has plenty of room for my harness and helmet.<br />
All that reamins for me is to fly the thing. I've been on Day shift today and the same thing tomorrow so my best bet will be Monday! not sure if the weather will let me though, I'll have to keep my eye on it.<br />
<br />
Well I'll upload the photo's later! And I'm still considering the new name for the Blog!<br />
<br />
tarra for now!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16496976909544832403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772165648727332849.post-10331403898108725622010-11-02T00:00:00.004+02:002010-11-10T16:44:06.249+02:00Unexpected Joy!Hi,<br />
<br />
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!<br />
A GoPro HD Helmet hero and an Ozone Sausage bag which will compliment my newly acquired Niviuk Hook 2.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
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.<br />
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.<br />
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.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoM1Ob1WZ1VLb6meKbuzcA4z7Xp4MItY5tNtznSnlcDWabslMfXWQjxobNR8j1om5XbaTJd4XaEhC44o7CvH90UYrKJcncQQ_COyvfV2LjzAtk7VJ2siRlF94DWO0EHKzB2WTTK2heuC_V/s750/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoM1Ob1WZ1VLb6meKbuzcA4z7Xp4MItY5tNtznSnlcDWabslMfXWQjxobNR8j1om5XbaTJd4XaEhC44o7CvH90UYrKJcncQQ_COyvfV2LjzAtk7VJ2siRlF94DWO0EHKzB2WTTK2heuC_V/s750/photo.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg0UnMWE_aTgbb9bx_lCNcIatvYp2-TyOaI5X9GHz838i8Wd0cug25aQ6JaUeYIbUhUJCOjoFNzvZdpAWEuMXfMo9vbgyFbrwXaV5NiZWKVLbUNiglgHdMIIfKOziFWeL6P7os0n9qT1At/s750/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg0UnMWE_aTgbb9bx_lCNcIatvYp2-TyOaI5X9GHz838i8Wd0cug25aQ6JaUeYIbUhUJCOjoFNzvZdpAWEuMXfMo9vbgyFbrwXaV5NiZWKVLbUNiglgHdMIIfKOziFWeL6P7os0n9qT1At/s750/photo+1.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ViUP_lWVCbxAK1t0xw4_PdXswdwPx7g8TJwcfPAl64RO2WzdwymuFqLDZMkSFWKRBnZzSpil4XZ2LuQ6OQfdG_93KRqRwKHRFZv-ird2Epaph2kaQwNfRYDFxIr9MQbE3UcWQbzFeg1w/s750/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ViUP_lWVCbxAK1t0xw4_PdXswdwPx7g8TJwcfPAl64RO2WzdwymuFqLDZMkSFWKRBnZzSpil4XZ2LuQ6OQfdG_93KRqRwKHRFZv-ird2Epaph2kaQwNfRYDFxIr9MQbE3UcWQbzFeg1w/s750/photo+2.JPG" /></a></div>After Paul had landed I suggested that we should check out Ayia Marina and Paul said ok. We hopped back on the Rocket and drove across to the lone chapel on the hill. I informed Paul that the launch here was extremely technical due to the car park being on a slope away from the hill and thus being in wind shadow. Paul had packed his glider back in the ruck sack so I said I'd like to at least give it a go. I'm pretty sure that I am the first to fly this site in some years unless someone out there can correct me? I'd love to hear from you! even better if you live locally! the only other reference to it I can find is this <a href="http://www.paragliding-cyprus.com/">http://www.paragliding-cyprus.com/</a> which was uploaded around 2003ish. Anyway I flew for around 12 minutes before bottom landing the site is quite small with a worrying looking mast at one end and a chapel on the the other. Beautiful! I was very happy.<br />
<br />
Fly high and fly safe!<br />
<br />
DudleyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16496976909544832403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772165648727332849.post-667038858020336032010-10-19T11:50:00.000+03:002010-10-19T11:50:53.492+03:00A Hero in the makingHi everyone,<br />
<br />
Well I can't excite you with tales of high flying or dodgy landings today as the weather just hasn't been very good of late and though I have attempted to fly (2 days ago at Lefkara) my feet have not left the ground. <br />
<br />
Now while this is very annoying I hear you all shout, it means I have been spending allot of time on the internet pricing up my next toy a Go Pro Helmet Hero 1080p camcorder. I have looked all over the place and have finally conceded that the cheapest I can find it is through a deal which is set up between the CSCC and UK Airsports (Link above) which knocks £30 off the retail price. If there are any CSCC members reading this, you too can make use of this very fine deal by first looking in the members chat area on the forum and finding the discount code.<br />
<br />
frustratingly, Christmas is looming and my wife has not overlooked this. She says that it is her present to me and I'm not allowed to see it before December 25th!<br />
"But!" I tell her "If you don't let me have it before Christmas, then I won't be able to film the kids opening their gifts!"<br />
"You've waited this long! you can wait another month" She says.<br />
:(<br />
<br />
Adding to my frustration is the fact that Tim is very much in possession of his new Niviuk Hook2 and I have to say I very much like the look of it. Tim was attempting to launch from Lefkara when I saw it but unfortunately Dave had launched 10 minutes previously and we were still feeling the effects of the power vacuum he left in his wake which ended up with the wind blowing from the back of the hill and killing any chance of us launching. I on the other hand still haven't seen my new Hook 2 though it is now on its way from Spain to the UK. I am very excited to see it and will probably try to bunk off work if necessary to go and get it. I must think up some plausible reason why I need to be at Akrotiri that day!<br />
<br />
Anyway, that is all of my news without going into family affairs so until next time Fly however makes you feel! but be careful!<br />
<br />
<br />
Duds Out!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16496976909544832403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772165648727332849.post-19635013596332371452010-10-12T21:20:00.000+03:002010-10-12T21:20:01.712+03:00No Glider, No Weather, No Fun, No Fly!Well when I say no Glider what I mean is that my New Hook 2 is still yet to arrive from the UK and I'm dubious as to whether it has even left Spain! Maybe I'm just paranoid but it's been like 6 weeks easy and I feel like I'll never get it.<br />
As you've all probably read, Tim has his which arrived about a week ago and looks pretty sweet in it's lovely Orange (Wire) with red tips. He is really quite impressed with its look as am I if I must comment. I only hope that mine will arrive in equally good order. I plan to take it straight down the club to spread it out for the first time and admire it's Green (Spring) colour before taking it to Curium for a couple of "first hops" type flights just to get a feel for it. Then I'm off new places with Slovenia in Apr and then who knows where?<br />
So all in all I am a little Green with envy of Tim at the moment and my only consolation is that Tim has yet to find a flyable work/weather window to test his beloved new wing! and that makes me happy! So amazingly happy in fact that I'm actually feeling pleased that he is not enjoying it. I know that's not a very kindly or friendly manner to carry myself in but I just can't help it! He has his toy and I'm lacking in that department!<br />
Well no you know why I haven't posted to this blog for a while I'll sign off!<br />
<br />
I'm hoping to fly on Thursday and I'm hoping it'll be at Avdellaro with friends as this hill seems to be the where the wind is blowing.<br />
<br />
See you later!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16496976909544832403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772165648727332849.post-15694956330497900472010-09-22T16:37:00.000+03:002010-09-22T16:37:33.840+03:00New Glider, New Blog TitleWell, Coupe Icare is almost over which means my new Niviuk Hook 2 should soon begin it's journey from France across the water to the UK and then through the slightly altered BFPO route back to me here in Cyprus. Whilst I'm fretting about how long it's taking I thought I ought to think of a new title as I haven't been flying the old Epsilon for quite some time now since it went away for service. <br />
I never even considered changing the title when I started flying the Alpha 2 as to be honest though I like the wing it's not challenging enough for me and in difficult conditions it's glide ratio is such that I find myself far lower that the guys on the higher spec wings and often find myself fighting to gain height just to be above them with varying results. I don't enjoy this kind of flying and often get fed up and land a long time before I should and go wait in the cafe whilst the others fly around and jeer at me every time they fly past.<br />
So as for a new name I think it should be either Niviuk or Hook related or both! just to stay in keeping with this blogs previous names. Let me describe the wing: its colour is Spring (2 tone green) and it has a SLE (Structured Leading Edge) which means that there are plastic ribs within the leading edge the help keep the airfoil shape even during collapse if that's possible! so then taking all this into account I trying to think up a blog name! maybe something like "Hook Book"! or as my good lady just suggested "Hooked" I quite like that! I'm just a little worried that with Tim also ordering a Hook 2 we may be referred to as the Cyprus Hookers! and I'm not sure I like the implication. Maybe I should've ordered an Artic? hmm.<br />
I'm off to the club house on Saturday morning to give it a bit of a spruce up and make it a suitable place to inspect my new baby. I'm hoping there will be time later in the afternoon for a quick flight so I'll be taking my wing.<br />
Well I reckon I have a blog name now so I'll sign off as I haven't been flying for a few days now.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16496976909544832403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772165648727332849.post-89664396790217614522010-09-19T15:47:00.001+03:002010-09-19T15:47:46.055+03:00Frustration Sets in<p><input class="blogger-ie-hack" style="position: absolute; left: -9999px;" /><input class="blogger-ie-hack" style="position: absolute; left: -9999px;" /><input class="blogger-ie-hack" style="position: absolute; left: -9999px;" /></p><br /><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><font color="#00000000"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><font face="Arial">Hi everyone,</font></span></font></p><br /><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><font color="#00000000"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><font face="Arial"><br /></font></span></font></p><br /><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><font color="#00000000"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><font face="Arial">It's been a little while since I updated this blog and that is partly due to the frustration of having my browser crash on me the last time I was updating it. Needless to say I was pretty hacked off when an hour and a half of page faded in front of my eyes! Well I'm now using the "Ecto" blog editor which is the Mac equivalent of Windows Live writer. This will save the frustration I hope as I can save it as I go in the usual way.</font></span></font></p><br /><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><font color="#00000000"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><font face="Arial"><br /></font></span></font></p><br /><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><font color="#00000000"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><font face="Arial">Well to add to my personal frustration I have ordered a Niviuk Hook 2 through Niviuk UK and not only did it get stuck in Customs but they also took it to</font></span></font> <span style="line-height: 15px;"><font color="#00000000"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><font face="Arial">Coupe Icare in France so I now have to wait for them to finnish there before they bring it through French customs and then UK customs. Oh it could take weeks! I've already been waiting 4 weeks at least. Hmmm also Tim has shared a scare story with me which says that a guy who had recently bought a Niviuk Koyot was on his 8th flight when the stitching tore along one of the seams front to back on both the upper and lower surfaces. For some reason there is no mention of a reserve chute and what followed ended in the guy's death. I'm in 2 minds about this story. On one hand I'm thinking "hmm better give my new glider a thorough check before flying it" (Something I would do anyway) but on the other hand I'm thinking why didn't the guy throw his reserve? did he even have one? if he did then why didn't he deploy it? All in all, these things are bound to happen to fabric gliders once in a while, I have seen footage of this kind of thing happening to gliders yet the pilot's were still able to land then safely. Of this was the guy's 8th flight in his career then I feel sorry for his family but I can't blame Niviuk. Not for his death at any rate.</font></span></font></span></p><br /><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 15px;"><font color="#00000000"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><font face="Arial">Anyway I'm not phased by this story, I will still fly my newest addition to my family albeit in slight trepidation to begin with.</font></span></font></span></p><br /><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 15px;"><font color="#00000000"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><font face="Arial"><br /></font></span></font></span></p><br /><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 15px;"><font color="#00000000"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><font face="Arial">Anyway I flew a few times last week with Glenn at curium, mainly to gather Glenn's 10 probation hours so that we can fly together at Avdellaro and other nearby hills.</font></span></font></span></p><br /><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 15px;"><font color="#00000000"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><font face="Arial"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/cudleydudley/20100914?authkey=Gv1sRgCI-Q28HoxZW7UQ#5516827802297014658" title="Glenn's Airborne">Dave on his Niviuk Peak and Glenn in the Air</a> .<br /></font></span></font></span></p><br /><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 15px;"><font color="#00000000"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><font face="Arial">Unfortunately Glenn had a minor incident a couple of days ago and has tore the seam on his glider against the fence on the sandpit launch as well as snapping a line and scratching his arm and leg. Glenn you were so close. Lesson learned I hope.</font></span></font></span></p><br /><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 15px;"><font color="#00000000"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><font face="Arial"><br /></font></span></font><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/cudleydudley/20100914?authkey=Gv1sRgCI-Q28HoxZW7UQ#5516831384394786898" title="Glenn Flying high">I've landed yet Glenn is able to maintain much to my disgust.</a></span></p><br /><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><br /></p><br /><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 15px;">Well I hope everything works out well and Glenn is flying again soon. I hope to have my glider in the next couple of weeks so if Tim is happy the Glenn can sign my wing out. Look after it mate it's been good to me.</span></p><br /><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><br /></p><br /><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 15px;">Fly high, Fly soon!</span></p><br /><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16496976909544832403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772165648727332849.post-49645598820663118782010-09-04T23:49:00.001+03:002010-09-10T21:54:41.492+03:002 for 1Well Tim informed us that we now have the Red Rocket back from our outgoing Club OC and so it was decided very late on that we could go to Lefkara. Me being me will never pass up an opportunity to fly a high hill (I really want to say mountain but after flying in the Alps I know this isn't true). I told Glenn to pick me up around 09:00 and we set off but as we were early I suggested we could go for the site brief at Avdellaro in advance of future flying. When we arrived on the UN111 launch I was seriously tempted to fly as the wind was perfect, I resisted and we moseyed over to the Eastern launch as this will likely be the launch the Glenn will use in his early days. The wind wasn't great at this point and so we drifted over to Lefkara and as we were still early we stopped in the village Cafe for a spot of brunch. <br />
<br />
Cheeseburgers and chips went down very nicely, Tim called to say they (Dave, Tim & Lou) were on their way and that they'd meet us in the landing field. On arrival the weather appeared to be very nice and so we all jumped in the Rocket and drove to the top! Note to Dave: Please remember it's 4 Low range not High to get to the top!<br />
<br />
Well we weren't disappointed as the wind was indeed passing nicely up the hill with small thermic gusts pushing through. The plan was for me to go first (As wind dummy) followed by Glenn that way Glenn had help on the top and bottom by the time I was in the landing field. This worked out very well and we were able to talk to Glenn for the initial and final parts of his flight on the radio. Nice launch and very good landing by all accounts. Once down Glenn set back up for a spot of ground handling and I took it upon myself to impart a little knowledge about the Mitsos (A's & C's/D's) method of launching and he seemed to take to it like a Duck to water. Once we sorted out a minor line twist issue he seems to have this method down nicely.<br />
<br />
Dave and Tim flew for a little longer than myself with Dave flying for a little over half an hour on his Borrowed UP Trango. Once everyone was down it was still early and so we decided to have a look at Curium.<br />
<br />
Curium was blowing a very strong wind so it was Frappe and Hoegarten all round whilst we waited for the evening lull. At about 18:30 Glenn and I went into the Lee of the hill for a spot of Ground Handling again before returning to the top to find a still windy but very flyable hill. A walk to the sandpit and both Glenn and myself had about 15 minutes of some very smooth air just as the Sun was setting and a landing in almost darkness on the beech! A great day all round in my opinion! could life get much better?<br />
<br />
Sorry no Pics Flight track log <a href="http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/tracks/world/alltimes/brand:all,cat:0,class:all,xctype:all,club:all,pilot:0_23934,takeoff:all">Here</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16496976909544832403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772165648727332849.post-45381828317624842342010-09-01T23:19:00.000+03:002010-09-01T23:19:34.428+03:00New Member OrientationWell today was definitely a no fly day with winds easily more than 30mph on Curium so after a quick visit to Dave's house and a nice cup of Coffee and some biscuits, Glenn (our newest member) and I set off with the idea that we would look at some of the inland sites to introduce him and also give him a definite sense of what lies at the end of his 10 hour hill probation. These first 10 hours can seem to the lay person and indeed to the new pilot to be a bit of a hindrance and many people will be tempted to miss out most of this period. I would definitely recommend that anybody who is thinking along these lines are fool hardy and will most likely come to strife on some of the larger hills with no real idea of what to do should anything go wrong.<br />
I was tempted myself but I am so very glad that I stuck to it. After my scary experience at Lefkara (Kourtellarotsos) I would have struggled to get my glider down in the tight spot that I finally ended in had I not spent all those initial hours struggling to stay aloft on our most visited and friendly hill.<br />
Well I digress, we had at first decided to visit Avdellaro (being the closest and most benign to Ay Nik) but en route Glenn asked about Lefkara and expressed a wish to see it and also try out his newly acquired 4x4 Mitsubishi Pajero. I told him it was a little out of the way but I agreed it would be nice to see the place and directed Glenn to launch. I am glad to announce that the Mitsubishi had no trouble at all in climbing the very steep sides of the hill and we arrived at launch in a shower of rain!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8SmhvK73Q3dfj_49RS4ERSFyCAzcfWKSoH0-J0WqmMgN1POvx8_VXAscnLpSK50qeJC4-Z-9bzUfoDvYB00_UZ0FFV24tTcVEhAhQbDQbmqF5PP3BZY-2XuIsXxw1DdiBi3H1Qurfzttj/s1600/P9010004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8SmhvK73Q3dfj_49RS4ERSFyCAzcfWKSoH0-J0WqmMgN1POvx8_VXAscnLpSK50qeJC4-Z-9bzUfoDvYB00_UZ0FFV24tTcVEhAhQbDQbmqF5PP3BZY-2XuIsXxw1DdiBi3H1Qurfzttj/s640/P9010004.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPJ9cD-9QVU-hOLI7g99fv44c25nCZF3TrA_57_SfTu43Yr9Mrkpt5veX2SdIFxzEbtOU_IbGoRlyKHhkFY4IiFXM4yDmvVH_IUJ8wvpxFtpCQwkvMNsRtsb9pKXYumaVqy67RVkUvNl-z/s1600/P9010005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPJ9cD-9QVU-hOLI7g99fv44c25nCZF3TrA_57_SfTu43Yr9Mrkpt5veX2SdIFxzEbtOU_IbGoRlyKHhkFY4IiFXM4yDmvVH_IUJ8wvpxFtpCQwkvMNsRtsb9pKXYumaVqy67RVkUvNl-z/s640/P9010005.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
We waited for the worst to pass and then climbed out into a light drizzle and very pleasant that was too. I noticed that someone had thrown the ribbon down the hill so I scrambled down about 20m to retrieve it. The view from the top with the low cloud was really nice and I was suprised that we were standing in near nil wind with the occasional light breeze blowing over the back but as I had already resigned myself to a no fly day I was not disappointed. The sun was shining through the clouds and giving a spectacular view.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG77JUX9M7z_d-AWQso7SiBonnkyR8IgvRold3enicvATy_kSakhX4RbjHTGSxz91dTJZm4CGoXxscHGNSb0efB9vYK0yD-1UMacuTfCIn3kUiBNKLs1CcLkvPhlBR_JoFrJQI8gA_CuLn/s1600/Sun+Beams_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG77JUX9M7z_d-AWQso7SiBonnkyR8IgvRold3enicvATy_kSakhX4RbjHTGSxz91dTJZm4CGoXxscHGNSb0efB9vYK0yD-1UMacuTfCIn3kUiBNKLs1CcLkvPhlBR_JoFrJQI8gA_CuLn/s640/Sun+Beams_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>We decided after a few minutes of chatting about the site that we had had enough and jumped back in the car to return home with a possible detour via Avdellaro. The Pajero happily descended the top of the hill and we headed down the windy asphalt road toward Lafkara. Half way down we were stopped dead in our tracks by a very unexpected site.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Pms0YBd1WWXrrdO-hVMM4Ajp-UdcWIH-oxNuooC2fznpiCdrcOelJrWmR9Ms8BTkjv-NDDAQuab8NLlGoP98m0xZKmq12YQCNzZs2B5uwtrH_bCzocJ92iSnZRXmDI6hrCc0OnBTd8hc/s1600/P9010013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Pms0YBd1WWXrrdO-hVMM4Ajp-UdcWIH-oxNuooC2fznpiCdrcOelJrWmR9Ms8BTkjv-NDDAQuab8NLlGoP98m0xZKmq12YQCNzZs2B5uwtrH_bCzocJ92iSnZRXmDI6hrCc0OnBTd8hc/s640/P9010013.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
2 articulated trucks had got themselves stuck on one of the hair pin bends in such a way that they could not move forward and reversing really did not seem to be an option. Luckily for us a local couple in a Toyota Rav 4 knew an alternate route to the bottom and agreed that we could follow them in order to get off the hill. Our very greatest thanks to that couple! without whom we would surely still be struggling to find our way.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5FOuP2K15wdEgLNtkX1FSldYtepR8HYWhDokfuJz3oBApmnJpnGnCTczJOZXEyejjmQR8bxeblsrDIJ2vBi9eYs2CRWMVpb0ZNVEKOda63ak5_JYqcEsPOYDWX7JFRBkkbSryof2A3hU2/s1600/P9010010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5FOuP2K15wdEgLNtkX1FSldYtepR8HYWhDokfuJz3oBApmnJpnGnCTczJOZXEyejjmQR8bxeblsrDIJ2vBi9eYs2CRWMVpb0ZNVEKOda63ak5_JYqcEsPOYDWX7JFRBkkbSryof2A3hU2/s640/P9010010.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Lesson learned : Always expect the unexpected and be prepared to get out and chat to the people on the scene. Even if no English is spoken you can usually get your message across.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3GgqHC_CbwKkISCG2cdyx9hJDCIq-tdOh9_9tJuNjbZIPr2AOQ53nEEuUe0kEYc2dUrxlIYf5KzZ7Z7ksTpTKz0mgqICbA77NnBBYHTj2lxveIJFpGcStNoOQfjL8u8BIXYKhw2Q5x3Ve/s1600/P9010012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3GgqHC_CbwKkISCG2cdyx9hJDCIq-tdOh9_9tJuNjbZIPr2AOQ53nEEuUe0kEYc2dUrxlIYf5KzZ7Z7ksTpTKz0mgqICbA77NnBBYHTj2lxveIJFpGcStNoOQfjL8u8BIXYKhw2Q5x3Ve/s640/P9010012.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Oh but my highlight of this trip was that I and Glenn actually met the illusive Lefkara Goats! I knew it wasn't Hare droppings!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkY0r9dnUVl78uPlq9XQd4llXDi2MbfDQL6mTSt9tKZcNXUd3qyO52lw0N1MTBqLkmlFYlVFEiLTZdH3QqS-PdZH5tHHsjPZjyDCeMNwPP4Ts4ixHjpW37cWCQ694uGl2LP_zl14az4rji/s1600/P9010007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkY0r9dnUVl78uPlq9XQd4llXDi2MbfDQL6mTSt9tKZcNXUd3qyO52lw0N1MTBqLkmlFYlVFEiLTZdH3QqS-PdZH5tHHsjPZjyDCeMNwPP4Ts4ixHjpW37cWCQ694uGl2LP_zl14az4rji/s640/P9010007.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Well until the next flyable day I guess!<br />
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Fly high!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16496976909544832403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772165648727332849.post-33074298765782278042010-08-26T23:42:00.000+03:002010-08-26T23:42:22.023+03:00Lefkara Down DownDave called me to let me know that we had the Red Rocket back temporarily and so he and Tim were going to Lefkara (Kourtellarotsos) for some thermic action. I called Jamie to ask if he'd like to try a tandem flight (as part of my crusade to get everyone at this end of the island to join the club and add some much needed pennies to the clubs funds) and he said he would. Dave I knew would be happy to take him but a courtesy call confirmed my suspicions and we set off. On arrival the wind was looking ok if a little intermittent and we all piled into the rocket and set off for launch. On the top the wind was anything but on. A little from East then from the South then the occasional spot of Northerly and back to South again. We were all less than impressed but Dave assured us that this was normal and by noon the wind should be nicely trickling up the South slope and we could launch. The day was slightly overcast with a fairly thick layer of lifted dust and this was keeping the sun from penetrating all the way to the ground with enough energy to heat it. Thus the small thermic bubbles that were passing through were just that, small! at 12:00 we went for a short walk along the ridge to the Eastern end and found that a very nice wind was pushing up this slope. Unfortunately this slope is not a recommended launch due to the Greek military base at it's foot. The Police have been known to attend the landing field in the past (largely due to Dave flying far too close to their airspace) and asking why we are there!<br />
Anyway I knew this did not bode well for any good flights but we were all now very hot and irritable and decided to return to launch to see if things had improved. Well not really but there was enough of a Southern wind to launch happily and so we decided to go for it even if it would be a straight top to bottom. Dave took off first with Jaimie on the Tandem and quickly dropped out of the little lift that was there and as I watched I feared they would not make the landing field. After some beats along the ridge and then a try for lift in the valley they gingerly eeked as much as they could out of the very small lift patches and managed to scrape into the field with inches to spare Jaimie put his leg into a thorn bush but other than that was very happy with his flight. Tim launched second and enjoyed about 15 minutes in the air before also conceding defeat when his glider decided it wanted to be behind him and not above him any more. He landed very close to Dave's helmet which was laid on the ground as a make shift target. I launched last into some mildly turbulent air and went pretty much straight down! well it's a better way to get down than driving! very nice flight even if it was short!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.curiumsoaringclub.co.uk/leo/index.php?name=leo&op=list_flights&pilotID=0_58&takeoffID=0&country=0&year=0&month=0&season=0">Here is my track log</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16496976909544832403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772165648727332849.post-7013458426188455162010-06-20T12:10:00.001+03:002010-06-20T18:09:51.755+03:00Lefkara land outWell Dave suggested that today 19 Jun 2010 would be a corker at Lefkara and we should meet at the landing field! I agreed and packed my glider into the car and headed out to the site arriving there around 10:25. I put my feet up and caught some much needed z's whilst I waited for the others, this was due to just finishing a 24 hour duty at work and only have 4 hours sleep. By the time they arrived I had woken up and felt as though I was ready for a nice days flying. We left the Galaxy in the landing field and headed to the top in the red rocket. at the top the wind was perfect though it was apparent that the strength was increasing steadily all the time. Dave went first, followed by me then Tim and finally Mark. We flew together for about 40 minutes and both Tim and Dave gained some amazing height and went on short cross country flights and back. Due to my low airtime I stuck near to the hill and managed to climb to 1230m which gives me my next goal of flying above 1500m<br />
I flew around a little enjoying my height but then found I was in a world of sink. at around 750m I turned to find the lift I had originally climbed in but only found a small pocket and decided to try over by the Heli pad! this was my big mistake. now quite low over the saddle I quickly found I was in the lee of it and the pimple, the air was turbulent and I fought to keep the glider stable but the wing collapsed on the left hand side which swung me around a bit then it collapsed on the right hand side and by now I was looking to land "But where?" I thought all I could see was trees. It took a couple of minutes but I did manage to find a couple of nice clear patches with a track running between. Due to the lack of penetration I didn't manage to reach either of these patches and instead landed on the track between. I wish I'd had a helmet Cam to capture it all! You can find my track log <a href="http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/341523">here</a><br />
Well now I had a decision to make. Head West up the near vertical hill back to launch about 2km or head SW and skirt the greek military base around the pimple and back to my car roughly twice the distance but on the flat. Well I thought I did not want to go anywhere near the military base so I opted to retrieve the Red Rocket from the top. I had 2 bottles of water in my bag so what more would I need? Well the hill quickly became very steep and was covered in lose shale so my feet would slip on every step. I trudged from shady spot to shady spot and every time I move to the next spot my ruck sack would catch on the branches of the very low short trees sapping what little energy I had. It took me around an hour to reach the top where I stole a can of Pepsi and a Mars bar out of Tim's cool box. Cheers Tim! <br />
Big lesson to learn from this flight is do not fly to the Heli Pad if you're only at 750m as this puts you into the lee of the saddle! and definitely don't fly into the lee of any hills. I can now say this with authority! ;)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16496976909544832403noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772165648727332849.post-34658864976575752342010-06-18T19:47:00.000+03:002010-06-18T19:47:13.297+03:00AvdellaroWell I finally flew Avdellaro on 16 June 2010. When Bitu (B2) and I arrived (around 11:30) the wind was looking perfect with a steady breeze blowing up the face of the hill SSW. However after 10 minutes of assessing time it was apparent that things were picking up with some quite strong thermic gusts blowing through. I set up my glider and attempted to launch but due to the unstable nature of the air 2 attempts later I had decided that it was perhaps prudent to bundle my glider and go and have a soft drink in the local Cafe. I texted Dave to let him know how things were and left it up to him to decide weather he would come along. The Cafe is a Cypriot version of Greasy Lills, it's made out of wriggly tin with a fridge stacked with juice and a few tables spread out on the patio at the front of the shop. Due to the location (an industrial estate) it is very noisy with lorries driving past and a Peugeot garage opposite revving rally car engines and the like! I really like it!<br />
The garage has three flags outside which are excellent for telling what the wind may be doing and we used these as we sat monitoring. At 13:30 we noticed that they were blowing much more gently than earlier so I texted Dave that we would go and take another look at the top.<br />
When we arrived at UN 111 it was indeed much calmer that earlier on but those thermic gusts were still present so I knew I'd have to treat the hill with caution. I set up and launched straight out into some reasonable lift and flew forward to check out penetration it was slow but I was pushing away from the hill so I turned right and flew along to the cliffs where I found a nice gentle lift band to play in. <br />
After 2 or 3 passes past launch I noticed a UN vehicle approaching Bitu and wondered if maybe I'd overstepped the boundary (as Avellaro sits on the boarder of the controlled zone and Southern Cyprus) but the guy mearly said "hello" to Bitu and went about his business. My concentration was re-focused as a sudden gust blew onto the hill pushing me back toward launch allot faster than I am used to on Curium and so I pushed my hands right up and found that penetrating now was very difficult. With my hands right up I turned toward the landing field but as I did I felt my harness drop to the left and I began to turn left, I quickly leaned to the right applied a little right break and looked up to see that 50% of my canopy was flapping around uselessly, 1 long pump of the break later and it rustled itself back into shape and I continued my decent toward landing. It became apparent that I was struggling to penetrate at all at this point so I eased out my speed bar in order to move away from the hill this made things quite bumpy but I stuck with it and eventually landed in the field opposite Bitu's car! I was pleased to have flown for 15 minutes but also pleased to be on the ground where I wanted to be. As I was bunching up Dave texted me to tell me he was coming and was about 20 minutes away. I answered him and told him I had flown and would meet him by the Iso container at the bottom as Bitu was coming for me and the UN were still on the top!<br />
When Dave arrived he suggested we leave one car by the Iso container and take the other around to the bottom landing for Avdellaro proper, then we could all drive up in the clubs 4x4 (the Red Rocket). It seemed like a great idea to me so we did just that. The proper launch is a little less snaggy that UN 111 but still has it's fair share of obstacles and lose dirt to slip on. Launch is also slightly sloped which helps keep the wing out of the wind shadow on top of the hill. Well Bitu set up first and after waiting for a gust to blow through and having a couple of hiccups he launched sweetly and was in the air. Dave and I watched him for a minute or two and then I set up, had a hiccup of my own and then launched. The air was turbulent but buoyant with patches of lift and patches of sink. I found myself a nice little patch of lift and hung around in it to get some decent height but I quickly found that once I moved away from the lift I was sinking fast. I found that I needed to eek out the lift that was there and as soon as I thought I was at the top of it then it was hands up until I found the next patch. This technique worked really well as I found myself way above launch and higher than Dave or Bitu by some significant way! Unfortunately I cannot show you my flight track as I'd left my vario in the car door which was now in the bottom landing field! oh well at least I logged the first short flight.<br />
I'd had about 25 minutes when I noticed that Bitu had landed in the UN 111 bottom landing field and I decided that perhaps I should try to land near my car so pushed out away from the hill toward landing. As I pushed away from the hill I found myself climbing steadily until I was way above the landing field and still climbing. Seeing that this field was a none starter I looked further away and found a nice (newly mown) light brown field near a few old farm shacks and I pointed at that. The field was perfect and I think it's a much better option than the one we picked out.<br />
A new site under my belt and another half hour flight time in pretty tricky conditions. I'm a happy bunny! :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16496976909544832403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772165648727332849.post-77695422434894307312010-06-13T22:25:00.000+03:002010-06-13T22:25:22.316+03:00Lefkara Take 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2_QbI_FyT-0tkZRWE3cMNA4YBTfiyWOFku0MRCucvetTAFsCWZy3HtFCKnuG6P1PS7W7P2P9yLq7lu2VJvllevWx4ZXSysl84BHQ60ZrVUO7dADSGomc_QboOjFAe_vtVl_R784QgJxh/s1600/5+Gliders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2_QbI_FyT-0tkZRWE3cMNA4YBTfiyWOFku0MRCucvetTAFsCWZy3HtFCKnuG6P1PS7W7P2P9yLq7lu2VJvllevWx4ZXSysl84BHQ60ZrVUO7dADSGomc_QboOjFAe_vtVl_R784QgJxh/s640/5+Gliders.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Well it was my good friend Dave's 70th birthday or something so he wanted to go somewhere other than Curium and as Lefkara has recently been scoped out as a flying site he wanted to go there. So Dave, Tim, Bitu, Pete, Demetris, Christakis, a few other Cypriots I don't know and I turned up and met at the landing field. We were met with the grinding noise of a Bulldozer which had just been employed to remove a derelict telegraph pole from the centre of the landing field, all the less for me to bump into then! :).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1sgbKz4lb1tpBC2RgiNl1DIn3pqk-qFknhwCXpB3mOD9v3-zTrkBYOckZeir4C47C0bugFLv1mqBlw3eGe2BJeoVv1Vq0Lz-qkieMJMGPEJdrm9uj2Ey118UqjwJzEFqPoeRifNQM60Z9/s1600/P6120001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1sgbKz4lb1tpBC2RgiNl1DIn3pqk-qFknhwCXpB3mOD9v3-zTrkBYOckZeir4C47C0bugFLv1mqBlw3eGe2BJeoVv1Vq0Lz-qkieMJMGPEJdrm9uj2Ey118UqjwJzEFqPoeRifNQM60Z9/s640/P6120001.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>After observing for a few minutes we headed to the top, quite a tricky drive due to tight hairpins and narrow, near vertical ridge-line tracks. If you're of a weak disposition then I wouldn't bother but you're all paragliding types like me aren't you! so you'll all get a kick out of it when you crest the blind summit and immediately stop to avoid careering over the launch and down the other side!<br />
When we arrived at the top the wind was blowing over the back albeit very weakly with a few weak thermic gusts pushing their way up the Southern slope so we waited until around 12:00 when the valley thermals were finally stronger than the met wind and we could launch. I was third to go and found the air to be quite buoyant along the ridge but not amazingly lifty. Dave came on the radio and suggested I try out to the Eastern side of the bowl where he thought there may be some more lift. He was right of course though I reckon he just wanted to use me as a wind dummy! The lift was short lived as I fumbled for my camera and quickly dropped out of it and ended up bobbing around in the valley between launch and the landing field. I played around with the little lift I could find there for a while before landing just on the entrance to the field a little low over the road for my liking but otherwise a nice soft touchdown.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOxduQdzXkGZTF8Ze6MGoVMj4evB5uriT2TNcUhRtcKq10oBfHNyFUM5Cs63R3VyRboIYGOn548U3i1AogJFvlfLcGnHvBpHGUh2riUiFAU8rdtzW9higmAbm50v-gDtZZWAp-UebSDtTW/s1600/P6120006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOxduQdzXkGZTF8Ze6MGoVMj4evB5uriT2TNcUhRtcKq10oBfHNyFUM5Cs63R3VyRboIYGOn548U3i1AogJFvlfLcGnHvBpHGUh2riUiFAU8rdtzW9higmAbm50v-gDtZZWAp-UebSDtTW/s640/P6120006.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEBDcHTaED5_b2Xx-0_12_RI6yYwiKUT4KqAA-YqTXwUnlEYplz7_GlXc5aad5IPiAuxx1owXzIuvVd6MfZzuehHC0JhD9CxhogPBFH6eOX9nR5zJYxpaFWzYRTIQgpF6aUtGJceRFIXn7/s1600/B2_1-Point_Land.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEBDcHTaED5_b2Xx-0_12_RI6yYwiKUT4KqAA-YqTXwUnlEYplz7_GlXc5aad5IPiAuxx1owXzIuvVd6MfZzuehHC0JhD9CxhogPBFH6eOX9nR5zJYxpaFWzYRTIQgpF6aUtGJceRFIXn7/s640/B2_1-Point_Land.jpg" width="448" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGE3ArM4OQqT3_b6bYVOn78nSaasMT2q_ot0SXSICB3ZtFfc1GeRtBMoJJT8SUm_Nvj1J3I49-DIIqoMUyj4jekWOgCSVUYX6qwP0VL-J0EeEVODlRY-hBoT3xGuJd4dJAI_iUsE04RNEC/s1600/Pete_Wyatt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGE3ArM4OQqT3_b6bYVOn78nSaasMT2q_ot0SXSICB3ZtFfc1GeRtBMoJJT8SUm_Nvj1J3I49-DIIqoMUyj4jekWOgCSVUYX6qwP0VL-J0EeEVODlRY-hBoT3xGuJd4dJAI_iUsE04RNEC/s640/Pete_Wyatt.jpg" width="438" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW3Yh1TQJkTNeBsDnocvCKSNIstHM-4t_yRQcS4KTTXmdjDfM65jGxpXUqfR_BKB9HqJ-1COnpE1kehVOs5DsZyejHjKy-wQ4nutZJp0gkKkjQCHZSjOOxwbBEPnH0tbUM9k-vlnMqg3YL/s1600/Tim_Graham.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW3Yh1TQJkTNeBsDnocvCKSNIstHM-4t_yRQcS4KTTXmdjDfM65jGxpXUqfR_BKB9HqJ-1COnpE1kehVOs5DsZyejHjKy-wQ4nutZJp0gkKkjQCHZSjOOxwbBEPnH0tbUM9k-vlnMqg3YL/s640/Tim_Graham.jpg" width="470" /></a></div>You can find my track on Leonardo <a href="http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/tracks/world/alltimes/brand:all,cat:0,class:all,xctype:all,club:all,pilot:all,takeoff:33476">here</a> enjoy! I did :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16496976909544832403noreply@blogger.com0