SE Wales Hang Gliding & Paragliding Forums

Well, we had a full day today. Started last night when Cookie and I were decideing where to go. Heol Senni? Blorenge? Or just stay at home? Eventually Cookie reckoned The Rhigos early, then see how the day developed. 07:25 and he was outside the flat so out I went and we were off. We got a call from Leon on the way, he was at the Rhigos and it was on! Wicked!! When we got there the sock was up and looking good, Cookie spotted it from miles away! We got dressed and started rigging and Cookie beat me as usual, but not by much. I had my new wing with me, the Paratech P81 and I was eager to give it a proper go, I have only had a couple of short and low flights on it so far. I flew it on Fochriw and was surprised by how fast it flies, even though I have been flying a Nova Mentor for a couple of years and that is fast too. Any way, off went Cookie and off went I and was soon finding out where the lift was. After a few minutes my GPS said "Flat Batts" so I landed and changed them, then took off again. Soon Leon joined us and we were boating about in fine style, finding a bit of rough stuff here and there and getting some good height too. A call of nature had me on the ground again but I was soon airborne again and this time I pushed out and went East, over the road and started to follow the ridge which leads to Aberdare. I spotted a big coal storage yard down in the valley and thought that with it being black it would soon get hot and start kicking off good sized thermals. I turned out towards it and for a while I played there, using the bar to push forward into smooth but non lifting air, letting myself lose a couple of hundred feet and then putting on the brakes and drifting back into the lift and going up, with a bit of rock and roll to liven it up. I turned to see how the lads were doing and could see no sign of them. Cookie called me on the radio but when I replied he just told me he couldn't copy me, just interference. When he called me I was just debating with myself whether to push out to a cloud street that was a way above me to see if it was lifting, but instead I decided to head back and see how the terrible two were doing. Closer I got the more concerned I became as they were nowhere in sight untill I spotted Leon by the van. I struggled to get down, the wind had picked up and I hadn't noticed, it had not made much impression on the P81! I made a good landing, took a step backwards and fell over! Darn! Realising that the boys had packed up, I did the same and walked to the van, where we decided to head for Pontlottyn via Asdas' breakfast bar. Twas nice too, and the first breakfast I have had since being in OluDeniz! Leon went home to do stuff saying he would catch up later, and when Cookie and I got to Pontlottyn it was bang on and good so we got ready quickly, and for once I was up first. I went down the ridge gaining height, and when I turned round to come back saw that Cookie was having a problem, he was the wrong side of the road and having a tussle with his wing, the wind had done it again, picking up quite a bit. As lots of people have found out, Cookie is tops at ground handling so he was soon in the air with me and we had a fun filled twenty minutes getting high and then low. We landed and had a break, watching the wind pick up and swing North, then drop and go East, and this continued throughout the day. Take off had to be timed for the best part of the cycle and care taken in making the first critical turn. Alan turned up and had a go, he flew well considering the conditions, Leon arrived, Reech and Stuart too. Stuart and Cookie found a nice big thermal and went rocketing up and back but eventually dropped out of it and came back to the ridge, Cookie was full of it, he had enjoyed that!!! I found a nice one of my own, I felt it as I was stood on the edge of the slope after having run out of lift at the end of the ridge. I saw my glider tremble towards me and then pull back as it lay on the ground, then felt the ghostly kiss of warm air on the back of my neck so I launched straight into it! I took it from the ground and did small "S" turns in it but at about 80ft I felt confident enough to start doing 360's. The P81 felt lovely, nice and solid, no diving into the turn, just going round and up. I just sat there with the inside brake pulled on, adjusting the turn with the outside brake and just admired the view as the glider went up. At 1750 I started to think about what I was doing, was I in the core, should I fly straight for a couple of seconds, should I tighten the turn, and before ya know it the thermal was gone(sigh). I had the choice of running downwind to see what distance I could get or going back to the front of the hill, and that won, I got on the bar and went over take of with 900ft under me and went into the valley looking for lift without finding any. Eventually I landed and had a break, walking about and chatting. I had left my cameras at home so I grabbed Leons' and did some filming and picturing for a while. Stuart did a Stuart special, taking off and just going up, so I encouraged Leon to follow him, and fair play, he did really well gaining an impressive amount of height and really enjoying the flight. He didn't gain as much height as Stu, who got to some silly height and frightened a load of seagulls, but Leon was well happy with his flight. I had a couple more little jaunts up and down the ridge, and then Leon said that he had heard from Andy that Nantymoel was working with a sea breeze, and a few minutes late Leon was gone. Cookie had spoken to Paul Williams and Paul was on his way out to Pontlottyn, with a view to going on to Nantymoel. I decided to can it and came home with Alan, had food, showered and when I went into the kitchen I could see people still flying Pontlottyn. I was tempted, but was also tired. I have enjoyed flying my P81, it is a stunning glider and I am sure we will be very happy together for a long time............NorriS