Today was a good day because today was a flying day!
Like yesterday the wind charts were looking grim but we chanced it anyway and low a behold I got to Big Collin mountain and there were two pilots flying. So rather urgently I took up the same position on the hill as the previous day. Completed my daily check in a swift and efficient manor. Nearly ready to go when the batteries died in one of the radios.
Bertie (my instructor) ran down to where the cars were parked to get fresh batteries and at this point I was sure the wind would pick up to unwieldy levels, fortunately they didn't.
My first flight was just a case of getting a simple top to bottom in to bring up the confidence levels. Although I hadn't quite managed to sit in the harness properly I was all smiles, the climb back up the hill soon sorted that out.
Second flight was from further up the hill, third further still and the last flight was from the top. As I moved further up the hill the difference in wind speed between the top and the bottom of the hill became more pronounced.
The wind in the landing area was next to nothing so plenty of break was needed to slow my touchdown and I am quite pleased to say the landings came rather natural and matter of fact without having to think about them. I mentioned this to Bertie and he flew down after my last flight taking a wrap on his controls (wrapping the control lines around his hands to give him more breaking ability) to land a bit slower than I did. Although I have seen people taking a wrap before it just hadn't occurred to me to do that just before landing.
The wing seemed very slow to respond when I was making turns. I later realised that this was probably because I was only able to push my self half the way back into the harness on all of the flights (despite adjustments being made) and therefore not able to shift my weight effectively in the harness. So I intend to practice getting my self fully back into the harness in the comfort of my garage by suspending my harness from ropes.
14/01/2012
Nearly flying
On Monday my instructor and I made the trip to Dungiven just in time to watch the last of the mini wings call it a day. So we passed the time with other pilots on the hill while the wind whipped itself up into a frenzy, which eventually sent those hopeful of flying home.
The only upside was that I got to try out the cold weather gear I got for my birthday and Christmas. The verdict: I will ensure I have my gloves with me at all times and wear cycling shorts under my jeans in future.
I had high hopes for yesterday (Friday), but there wasn't even a breeze (a rare thing in these parts of late).
This morning the Met office low level wind charts said 20 knots at 1000 feet and 30 knots at 2000 feet so believing all is was lost I took my son to his Rugby practice. While watching the rugby I realised that the clouds were barely moving, certainly not flying along at 20-30 knots. I checked the wind turbine on the ridge behind where we were and it was barely turning.... So that was enough for me to call my instructor to test the waters.
I got the training site about an hour and a half later, having watched the instructor land as I drove up the main road approaching the site. We walked up the hill to set up and we stopped to watch another student (under a different instructor) take off and be bumped about by the less than smooth wind further up the slope. After watching this for a bit Bertie said that we should probably start my first flight from where we were on the hill much to my relief.
By the time I had got my wing out, performed my daily checks, plugged in radio and put on my new helmet, got in my new harness, adjusted the speed bar, faced the wing and got my controls in my hands it was all over.
The wind had picked up all of a sudden, it was a good bit too much for a student that hadn't flown in 4 months to risk. I certainly don't want to risk putting my self off this glorious sport, especially as I now have full basic kit (well the reserve chute is on order). Of course I made a few faces because I couldn't go off the hill in these winds when the instructor said it was all over but I knew it was for the best.
Two of the other pilots that had just finished for the day had seen what happened and had climbed up the slope to offer me words of consolation and encouragement. Nice chaps.
When leaving the site we stopped to chat with another instructor and student. The instructor had high hopes for the weather the following day, who knows.
The only upside was that I got to try out the cold weather gear I got for my birthday and Christmas. The verdict: I will ensure I have my gloves with me at all times and wear cycling shorts under my jeans in future.
I had high hopes for yesterday (Friday), but there wasn't even a breeze (a rare thing in these parts of late).
This morning the Met office low level wind charts said 20 knots at 1000 feet and 30 knots at 2000 feet so believing all is was lost I took my son to his Rugby practice. While watching the rugby I realised that the clouds were barely moving, certainly not flying along at 20-30 knots. I checked the wind turbine on the ridge behind where we were and it was barely turning.... So that was enough for me to call my instructor to test the waters.
I got the training site about an hour and a half later, having watched the instructor land as I drove up the main road approaching the site. We walked up the hill to set up and we stopped to watch another student (under a different instructor) take off and be bumped about by the less than smooth wind further up the slope. After watching this for a bit Bertie said that we should probably start my first flight from where we were on the hill much to my relief.
By the time I had got my wing out, performed my daily checks, plugged in radio and put on my new helmet, got in my new harness, adjusted the speed bar, faced the wing and got my controls in my hands it was all over.
The wind had picked up all of a sudden, it was a good bit too much for a student that hadn't flown in 4 months to risk. I certainly don't want to risk putting my self off this glorious sport, especially as I now have full basic kit (well the reserve chute is on order). Of course I made a few faces because I couldn't go off the hill in these winds when the instructor said it was all over but I knew it was for the best.
Two of the other pilots that had just finished for the day had seen what happened and had climbed up the slope to offer me words of consolation and encouragement. Nice chaps.
When leaving the site we stopped to chat with another instructor and student. The instructor had high hopes for the weather the following day, who knows.
08/01/2012
Aspirations
It has now been four long months since I was last suspended below several kilograms of nylon. Apart from the the fact that not a day goes by that I don't think about flying again I am a little concerned that any skills I had acquired are ebbing away.
Having nothing to do but think about flying I thought I would put down some of the things I would like to achieve.
Fly
This would be nice, lets hope the weather gets its act together soon. Anywhere would be nice, top to bottom, slope landing, top landing, anything. I would even be happy if I got out and only got some ground handling in.
Soar at Magilligan
I would love to soar the ridge at Magilligan and top land, not only because it is a beautiful part of the world but because that is where I first experienced paragliding.
Pass my CP
Passing my Club Pilot (Novice) certification is the gateway to many other things on this list.
Soar a ridge and land on a beach
I think it would be cool to ridge soar then do a bottom landing on a beach (maybe in front of my wife and kids while we are camping).
Soar sand dunes
I have seen a few of the club members soaring sand dunes. This looks like a bit of low level fun.
Get bored of soaring
I have read somewhere that some refer to soaring as "boring soaring." Well I would very much like to be in a position where I am bored of soaring. The natural progression from this would be cross country flying or"going over the back" as the "grown up" pilots in the club call it.
Clock 10 air hours
After you achieve 10 hours airtime (post CP) you can remove the red ribbon from your harness that signals to other pilots that you are a training/low airtime pilot. The ribbon is the equivalent to the R plate new drivers have to display on their cars in Northern Ireland (P plates in the rest of the UK).
Convince someone I know to try paragliding
I would love to share the joy I get from paragliding with someone else.
Fly in another country
I guess I am most likely to fly in the Republic of Ireland first because that is the nearest and easiest place for me to get to. I would of course love to fly in my home land of England but I think as my brother has moved to Iceland I would like a chance to fly there at midnight.
Coaching
One day when I have the appropriate experience I would like a crack at coaching. I have no idea whether I have any qualities that would make me a coach but I do have enthusiasm.
Fly tandem
Again this is in the spirit of sharing. I think I can convince more of the people I know to start paragliding if I can take them up myself. I can't think of a better way to share paragliding. The minimum air time needed before you even think about tandem training is 100 hours so this is a fairly long term aspiration.
Having nothing to do but think about flying I thought I would put down some of the things I would like to achieve.
Fly
This would be nice, lets hope the weather gets its act together soon. Anywhere would be nice, top to bottom, slope landing, top landing, anything. I would even be happy if I got out and only got some ground handling in.
Soar at Magilligan
I would love to soar the ridge at Magilligan and top land, not only because it is a beautiful part of the world but because that is where I first experienced paragliding.
Pass my CP
Passing my Club Pilot (Novice) certification is the gateway to many other things on this list.
Soar a ridge and land on a beach
I think it would be cool to ridge soar then do a bottom landing on a beach (maybe in front of my wife and kids while we are camping).
Soar sand dunes
Get bored of soaring
I have read somewhere that some refer to soaring as "boring soaring." Well I would very much like to be in a position where I am bored of soaring. The natural progression from this would be cross country flying or"going over the back" as the "grown up" pilots in the club call it.
Clock 10 air hours
After you achieve 10 hours airtime (post CP) you can remove the red ribbon from your harness that signals to other pilots that you are a training/low airtime pilot. The ribbon is the equivalent to the R plate new drivers have to display on their cars in Northern Ireland (P plates in the rest of the UK).
Convince someone I know to try paragliding
I would love to share the joy I get from paragliding with someone else.
Fly in another country
Coaching
One day when I have the appropriate experience I would like a crack at coaching. I have no idea whether I have any qualities that would make me a coach but I do have enthusiasm.
Fly tandem
Again this is in the spirit of sharing. I think I can convince more of the people I know to start paragliding if I can take them up myself. I can't think of a better way to share paragliding. The minimum air time needed before you even think about tandem training is 100 hours so this is a fairly long term aspiration.
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