I had been watching the weather for a while and it had pointed out today about a week in advance, which is unusual because usually good days that far off move. I posted an email to the UHPC's mailing list to see if anyone was going out and got a email to say that Robin Young's hill was the place.
The Ridge we usually fly runs from the carpark down to bottom right.
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I arrived to the disappointing sight of the hill covered in orographic cloud (orographic cloud can form quickly as moist air is forced upwards by protrusions in the landscape like hills and mountains). I spotted a car almost full of pilots that were waiting out the cloud and joined them to chew the cud (or talk bollocks and take the piss out of each other as it is sometimes known).
Slowly the cloud lifted in fits and starts. The club chief coach went up and flew about just under the cloud but there was no chance of me (or any others) joining him with all the cloud about. After a bit of horse play involving getting another recently arrived pilot into thinking they had received a parking ticket we walked up the hill to check our equipment and get ready to launch. At one point there were five of us flying together. unfortunately the wind was just a bit too far from the East to make the ridges work as well as they could.
My first flight I managed a quick bit of soaring, or at least managed to avoid the ground a bit longer than I would of if I had flown straight out. I landed on a nice flat area at the bottom of the cliff faces so there wasn't very far to walk back up to take off.
The second flight was much better. It has been suggested before, more than once, that I should try to fly closer to the hill I am trying to soar. Today I think I took a step in the right direction, although I probably could have been closer to the hill at times. I got a few beats back and forth and gained a tiny bit of height I was able to bring myself closer into the hill by checking my distance to the ground features I had seen on the previous pass. This seemed to help me with my confidence and eventually I was almost aiming at the hill and missing. What I mean by this is that I would fly towards a part of the hill that I knew had previously given me lift and by the time I had reached that part of the hill I was previously aiming at I was above it. I spent probably the longest time in the air so far flying back and forth, gaining height slowly on each pass. All good things must come to an end and the wind dropped enough to put me on the ground. I landed back almost exactly where I had the first time, much to the delight of Bertie who thought he might erect a plaque there for me.
I think it is time to get the video sunglasses out. All being well, next time I am out and happy with everything (site familiarity and weather conditions) I shall attempt to record some video footage to share. Apart from adding another dimension to this blog I am hoping to use it as an aid in analysing my performance.
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