June 2008
Monthly Archive
Sunday, 8th June 2008 – UK
Off to Lllangollen with high hopes. Light northerlies. As it turned out too light, just launching into thermals which mostly weren’t very good. A couple of times – early and late – people got high, and early on one person got to Oswestry. But most if the day it was pretty crap really. I launched into something good late afternoon, but it rapidly turned into something bad, and I, and a lot of others, ended up in the bottom landing. Shortly after that, as I was being retrieved, 3 or 4 people started getting very high. As we got back to launch, the wind turned east, and it was no longer launchable. Those few people in the air had a good flight, though. Stayed east until we left, about 6.30 pm or so. Not the best day ever.
Saturday, 7th June – UK
I was out late today since I had a social engagement – which was vey enjoyable, seeing old friends and colleagues, even though I did cut it short when I saw the birds thermalling and started getting all the 3jam messages, saying it was flyable at Llangollen, the Wrekin, Corndon, Sarn ….
I eventually got to Corndon about 3.00 pm – and predictably the sky had overdeveloped, no sun at all. Michaela and Frank also turned up. As usual at Corndon during the day, there was little or no ridge lift, so we – actually Frank – kept trying to give it a go. I did launch once with some birds, got up 120′ or so, then lost it. Finally, around 5.00 pm, the sky started to clear, the sun came out, the cumulus appeared, and Frank and I managed to launch and get straight into a thermal, which took us over the back. Didn’t get very high, 1700 or so ATO, Frank landed at Church Stoke, I got between Bishops Castle and Clun – the conditions put me off a bit and I didn’t fly very well. It was rough, and I had quite a few small collapses, which distracted me. And the sky had quickly filled in again. Anyway, I was very pleased to get away, but really should have gone much further. See the XC page (link on right) for the short tracklog. Thanks to Wayne and Michaela for the retrieve.
Well done to James Davidson for getting 70 or 80k from Cemmaes in mid Wales. Also to the pilot who landed near Sarn from Llangollen – 50k or so. It was a day to be out and in the air early (mind you, that’s nearly always the case).
Friday, 6th June 2008 – France
Judith 06 Jun 2008 | : Boring stuff
Got to France no problem, but Ruth and I were really knackered. Our caravan wasn’t available, so we were temporarily lodged in a luxury mobile home. Toilets, showers, the works. Unfortunately, we have to move out tomorrow into the smelly caravan. Forecast not good for the practise task.
Friday, 6th June – UK
Judith is now in France for the Chabre Open which starts on Sunday, and will post from there if she can get access to a computer. She’ll be meeting the other members of the Beyond Extreme team for the first time. Her flight was at 6.15 a.m. this morning from Birmingham, so we went up last night and slept in the car park, to get her at check-in for 4.15. So we didn’t get much sleep.
I slept a bit more when we got back. Andrew Donnison sent out a 3jam message to say it was flyable al Llangollen, but I didn’t want to be bothered with the drive, and hoped it would come round to the Mynd later. It was too much north earlier at the Mynd, but did eventually go WNW and people were flying for a few hours in the afternoon there – James Davidson pushed out well past our house, and the people there seemed to have good flights. Because I was asleep much of the afternoon, I didn’t notice until they were already flying, so I sent out a 3jam and went up. Unfortunately, there were a few big showers out in front, and some spots of rain on the hill, and in the end I didn’t fly (though as I write this at 7.30, people seem to be flying again). However, overall, it was a pretty good day I think, flyable at Llangollen, the Mynd and the Lawley (some gliders were seen there quite high).
Saturday look like it might be the same, mostly NW but possibly also some WNW. Almost certainly Llangollen and the Lawley will be on; maybe the Mynd too. I’ll be late out since I have one of my very few social engagements at 12.30…… but I will be out! Looks like it could be a good day.
Thursday, 5th June 2008
Judith 05 Jun 2008 | : Boring stuff
The weather forecast was very mixed today and it has rained off and on. For half an hour you think it’s an epic day, then it pours and you thank your lucky stars you didn’t waste your time going out. I’ve been packing, sorting, out and about, and working all day before going to the Chabre Open tomorrow, and wouldn’t have had time to go flying anyway.
Fingers crossed the weather improves in France when I get there.
Wednesday, 4th June 2008
What great fun today was! (Bear with me if I ramble on…)
Geoff had a dentist appointment this morning (that was the less fun part of the day!), and as we drove to Bishop’s Castle to have his teeth checked we knew it was going to be a good day. We should have cancelled the appointment to get out sooner, but you never know these things in advance. Michaela had kindly offered to give me some more coaching with forward launches, but by the time she arrived at our house there were no thoughts of ground handling. We needed to get in the air.
South west is a bad direction here, and there was some debate whether
Clatter was flyable. A phone call to Mark the vet yesterday confirmed that is is still easily possible to launch (over the fence and the new trees), so off we went.
The sky was good when we got there but the wind was picking up. Mark Stewart (Mark the vet) and Paul from Dunstable were already there and were rigging their hang gliders. We got the PGs ready, but the wind picked up and it became a bit iffy to launch. We sat around for two hours, during which time Paul went XC, but Mark went from getting high to struggling, whilst the high cloud came and went. It was typical thermic wind – less wind when the sky is overcast, more when the sun is out. There were also no birds around.
By 4pm the wind dropped and I got ready. The sun came out, the sky was back to epic and the wind stayed ok so I launched. It was pants. I struggled to get above 180’ATO. As I soared back and forth I was obviously not inspiring either Geoff or Michaela, who kindly gave me some room to work my way up by not launching. When I got to 200′ ATO I noticed a new feature in the landscape… a wind farm at ridge height straight behind Clatter. At 250’ATO you are level with the blades. Certainly makes you leave only with a good climb!
I got the good climb eventually and worked it for all it was worth. Being nervous about crossing the wind farm low I made sure I was in good strong lift. I thermalled up to 2828′ ATO and was on my merry way. Mark was ahead of me under a good cloud street so I was confident I would at least go a scoring distance.
Recently I have been trying to work on my patience and I was determined to stay in the air as long as possible today, rather than going for distance. I was chatting to the clouds, trying to persuade them to let me go on a little walk with them. (If you think that sounds downright silly, try it sometime when you are in your 56th rotation in the same thermal!).
I had a chat with Mark Leavesley yesterday and he told me to take my time, let the glider and the air talk to me and go upwind to find the thermals if I loose them. Big thanks to Mark for the advice, it really worked! Anyway, to make a long story short (too late!), I landed at Llanfyllin, 27km away. Not bad for 6pm.
The retrieve was a hoot. A nice gentleman gave me a lift, and was determined to get the local landlady to give me a free pint for flying there. Shame the pub was shut. He tried to local youths next, but they lent me a phone, but no pints were forthcoming. I was befriended by the local wino bag lady who claimed to be a management consultant for British Steel. The world needs more management consultants like her!
I was deep in conversation about worm farms with a guy called Martin when Michaela picked me up. I recommend landing there. It’s like Royston Vasey – you’ll never leave!
Geoff’s comments: Clatter is a good site, much underused. Nice top and bottom landings, and excellent XC potential. In a true SW you could go a very long way! The farmer has planted trees and a fence just below launch, but neither are likely to be a problem for a few years. The only real issue is that they do hinder slope landing, so it might be best to have enough wind to ridge soar whilst waiting for the thermals. Probably not a good place for low air timers. Clatter is a Long Mynd Club members only site. Oh, one other thing – you need a combination to the padlock, otherwise you have to walk a bit – not too bad with a PG, it’s flat, but a pain with an HG.
Tuesday, 3rd June 2008
The forecast promised much for today a few days ago, but as the day got nearer the forecast worsened – but it was (finally!) west. Hurrah!
When we woke up it was grey, windy and very low cloud base. We could see a PG flying in the morning, but were not sure if it was a proper glider or Nigel on his microthing, in which case it isn’t flyable for the rest of us.
We packed Geoff’s HG and went to the Long Mynd when the sun started shining in our garden. Despite our house only being about 4km as the crow flies from launch the sunshine never got to the ridge and stayed tantalisingly upwind from us.
When we got there it seemed breezy, but Graeme flew his PG and went for a flop-over-the-top to Craven Arms. It was way off to the north. Geoff and loads of other HGs flew, but it looked worse downwind and no one else went XC.
Geoff flew for an hour on the HG, but then landed for a break. Despite being early June, it was freezing and Chris H. made loads of friends by giving us cups of tea in his caravan. As we were sitting sipping them the wind dropped and it became flyable for PGs. I sent out a 3jam and within 60 minutes the place was packed! Really good to see people we haven’t seen since we got back from Spain and to meet new people too!
Meanwhile Geoff had taken off again, but it became light and the lift switched off and he went down. He messed up his approach and broke his first upright in about 8 years. He’s very, very mad with himself.
I had three flights and it was strong at times, but nice to be at the Mynd again!