Toms flying outings.

[TomG]

Friday 15th September, Rhiw Galed. (Hill behind my house.)
Walked up to top of the hill where the wind was a tiny bit off to the east, and took off in about 15mph wind. There were loads of Kites up as well, indicating the hill was working.
Turned in to wind leg and started going up at a normal rate, then was yanked up in to some extremely rough air about 50 to 100ft above TO, suffereing several small tucks. hung arund for about 5 min in the rough air before deciding it wasnt going to get better and since i wasnt exactly enjoying it, (good active flying practice though!!) headed out in front of the hill to bottom land. Had a rougher ride down, but made a good safe landing.
Does anyone know why it was so rough, the birdas were doing well and there wasnt much in the way of thermal activity. There are a couple of trees on the hill and out in front, and the other side of the valley is over a mile away. Answers on a post card please! 

[TomG]

Sunday 10th September, Bryncaws.
Arrived on top at 13:00 to see Steve j at quite a height. At TO the wind was light and coming from the SSE but the far end of the ridge near the trees seemed to be working so soared that for 30mins before landing to go to Cwm Afan with Steve and Chris.
Thanks John for the flight deck.

Arrived at Cwm Afan at about 15:00 and after a site briefing (those trees look intimidating ) took off after observing Chris and Steve. It was quite windy and had some trouble getting out from the ridge low down. I soared up over the trees after gaining a bit of height ATO and moved up to the masts. Some of the thermals were quite rough low down but as the day progressed they smoothed out a bit, enabling me to get to 1200ft ATO giving me a spectacular view of Swansea bay.
Landed after 2hrs of very enjoyable flying.

[TomG]

Thursday 07 September 2006, Heol Senny.
Arrived on top just after 14:00 to find Steve Gareth and Chris parawiting for the wind to die down. The wind had dropped enough and swung more on to the quarry by 15:00 so we all launched and soared in the plentiful ridge lift. There were many broken thermals with a low rate of climb and plenty of drift. Myself and gareth pushed out in to the valley to the east hoping to connect with the ridge on teh other side and were just over 1k out from the ridge with 700ft ATO before we bottled and headed back to the hill. Best height gain for me was 1000ft later in the day as the wind was dropping and the thermals were becoming less broken. Landed after 2h 35min at the bottom near the cars after struggling to lose my height due to en extensive low level patch of light lift.

[TomG]

Thursday 24th August, Graig Fawr.
Arrived on the hill just after 14:00 to find a nice steady 10mph on the hill. A quick text to Steve to say it was good and get ready to go, only to have the wind drop to almost nothing. It soon returned and i was able to scratch along teh hill to the steepeer part to the west where i blundered in to my first lift to 2300. Toyed with the idea of going XC but decided against it as i wasnt sure of the best way, seeing Swansea directly downwind, so went back to the hill to climb again. Steve arrived as I was on the way up for the third time, i saw him head off XC below me, I spose i could have followed him but i never thought of that at the time! By now the sebreeze tendrils were hanging below me not far to the west so headed out over the valley on the way down, only to find the wind off the hill. Landed and relaunched again at about 17:00 for another hour of pottering about in weak and broken lift before heading back towards the cars.
Steve, I lost my streamer 15hrs ago!! 

[TomG]

Thursday 27th July, Fan Gyhyrich.
got to the hill with Chris a couple of hours earlier than usual to find the wind very light and variable and an awesome looking sky. Launched in to some wind just after Chris and was rewarded with a ride to 2200ft ATO  before losing the lift. I couls see a wispy starting to form close by to the south so headed in its directin but was found only sink. Decided to head back to whence i came to minimise walk back and landed behind the second gate. As i was packing up i watched Chris drifting past overhead, under a nice looking cloud. With hindsight i think i would have been better going downwind towards Pen y Fan when i lost the lift in the hope i would have made it and been able to soar up its face and maybe get another thermal.

Relaunched again around 14.00 and ridge soared in a nice constant breeze but with little thermic activity as the clouds had spread out a bit. After about an hour and half i was rewarded with a clinb to base at only 1500ft ATO where i got on the bar and ears downwind so i didnt get sucked up in t the grey stuff! Headed in the genaral direction of Pen y Fan getting low on the hill beyond Heol Senni. Was heading out past the end of the hill towards the flattter ground thinking i was going to land but was rewarded with a gentle lift above some pens on Cefn Perfeddfor another 1000ft before i lost it. Followed the narrow gorge  up to Fan Frynych where i ran out of height over the rising ground having to land in rough air near the first pool within spitting distance of the edge and Pen y Fan for a new personal best distance of 9km.
There followed the long walk down and hitch back to the hill which worked out quite well.

[TomG]

Thursday 13 July 2006, Heol Senni.

Arrived at about 14:00 to find lots of other pilots already on the hill. Launched and managed to soar for 30min in ligh thermic conditions before running out of luck and slope landing. I had a couple more flight but all ended somwhere down the hill.  relaunched much later ant about 17:00 and enjoyed a really nice evening flight with a few bubbles of lift getting me to 1100ft ATO. I pushed out from the hill a bit but wind was a bit too strong at this height for any good progress to be made. Landed after a nice 2hrs flying.

[TomG]

Tuesday 11 July 2006, Merthyr.

Arrived with Chris and Steve to find it a little on the breezy side and crowded with other pilots from the BPC. The wind eased and most of the Cup pilots took off at 13:30, I decided to wait a bit as it looke very crowded with 25+ pilots in the air. Took off in about 15mph wind when there were only about a dozen pilots left, enjoyed a pleasent flight with other in soe light thermal lift, best height 800ft ATO. Later as the wind dropped i was able to push out quite a way in to valley in vertually no sink.

A very pleasent 3 hrs flying.

[TomG]

Thursday 15 June 2006, Fan Gyhyrich.

Arrived with Gareth to find very little wind at the summit. Waited for about an hour and half before ther was enought wind to enable some short scratching flights. As the sea breeze arrived soaring became easier, we managed to catch some thermal climbs to 2500ft ATO before we got sucked in to cloud momentarily. I popped out with big ear to see Gareth doing exactly the same further out in the valley. From this height we were able to push out to be above the ridge on the other side of the road, then along and back over the Cray. I was further away from the hill than Gareth when we turned back and luckily blundered in to more weak lift which i drifted with to 600ft until i was level with the ridge the booted back. Another climb to baes revealed it had dropped to only 1600ft so didnt push quite as far.

All in all, a very good day.

[TomG]

Thursday 08 June 2006, Talybont.

Not a particularly good day by my recent standards.

After a killer walk up there was a very light SE breeze. Took off just after Nick and pootled about for a bit in a therma but lost it and got plonked back on the top in sink. Took off again in the windier bits but only managed a few beats before i started going down, landing back on top to save the walk back!

The wing then went completely until Nick got back so took off and managed to get around in to the bowl for a pleasent soar for a couple of hours, only managing to get up to 700ft ATO. flew back to the cars and landed in nil wind.

[TomG]

Tuesday 06th June 2006, Fan Gyhyrich.

The hill was in a slight sea breeze with a long crosswind line of clouds hanging right above us. Took off in about 10mph breeze but went to the bottom after a slightly sustainded glide down.

Parawited for a bit after i got back up and took off a while later in about 14mph to enjoy quite a long flight in the thermic conditions, some of which were quite rough, getting my largest height gain of 1600ft ATO

[TomG]

Thursday 01 June 2006, Graig Fawr.

Arrived on the hill just after Nick and Steve, to find it blowing between 17 and 25mph. After waiting a while when Steve left the wind dropped a bit to between 10 and 15mph. Launched and worked my way along the ridge to the far end in front of the trig point. There were plenty of thermic cycles comig through allowing me to get up to 1400ft ATO and push out in to the valley. I was surprised to find it lifting quite a way out in to the valley.

Worked my way back to takeoff in some rather rough air after 2h 10 mins, my longest non stop flight to date.

[TomG]

Sunday 28th May 2006, Llandewi Brefi.

Arrived with the eight others at about 12:00 to find that it was a little breezy. After lunch we ventuerd to teh takeoff to find that is was blowing 14mph, just off the hill. Launched at about 13:30 after the others and punted around on the hill for a bit. I managed to get to 900ft ATO in some light lift and only just made it back to the hill with the use of speed bar. I found there was some pretty rough lift about over the little wooded vally, rough enough to collapse one tip, i guess my active flying still needs some honing. Made a nice top landing as it was getting quite overcast. Took off about an hour later as it was brightening up and anfter about 30 mins caught a ride to 1100ft ATO, by which point I felt i was a bit too far from the hill to get back in to wind so decided to stick with it. I managed to stay in weak lift to 1500ft ATO before i lost it. At this point the area in front was rather bleak so i went cross wind towards the road back to takeoff, landing about 0.5km from the road for a distance of 5.5km!!

My total flying time is now just enough to get rid of my ribbon and a first XC, not bad for one day!!!

Now how do i enter in the Club XC league??

Thanks to John Nash for the Vario which is working perfectly.

[TomG]

Sunday, 16th April 2006, Llety Siac.

Arrived about 11:00 and met up with Nick and Mike in the layby for the drive up to takeoff. Got therer to find a light 7mph breeze quite a way off the hill. Nick launched first after waiting a bit for the breeze to pick up. I got away and found it to be quite light and scratch, but with a good few thermal cycles coming through, so I got a few good hight gains to about 400' ATO. Had trouble getting down for lucnh as the wind had picked up to 19mph. Waitede with Nick and two Steves and someone else whose name escapes me (sorry!!). Launched again after about an hour when the wind had dropped a bit and enjoyed another hour or so of quite challenging flying with scratching and the odd thermal ride. Landed with some difficulty at 17:00 as the wind had picked up again for a good end to a good day.

Only 2h 35min now untill i can get rid of my ribbon!!

[TomG]

Friday 14th April 2006, Fan Gyhirych.

Arrived in the layby at 11:15 only to see teh clouds zooming past just off teh top of the hill. Met with Nick and Steve, and did some parawaiting. Set off to drive up the hill at about 12:30, and but the time we got to T/O there was only 7mph from the SW. We all got ready to launch and took off when th next cycle came through. Nick found some lift on one end of the ridge and I dfollowed him up to about 500ft ATO where i lost it. Headed back to scratch the hill again but ended up slopelanding with Steve and walking back up to Nick who landed on top. Waitid in nil wind for another good cycle and took off a while later with Nick. Again he found lift and i managed to stick with it this time. It was pretty rough, causing lots of rocking about and even one tip deflation, thank goodness its a DHV1! Nick got up quicker than me and dissappeared off over the back leaving me to try and stay with my thermal, doing lazy 360s. Eventually I noticed some wispy cloud forming just above me. Having got up there i toyed with the idea of heading off in the same directin as Nick, but decided against it as i didnt relish the idea of a long walk back (whimp!) or finding a field to land in. On the way back down i bumped in to various other bits of lift and managed to get back up again, so flew out in to the valley above the road, finally realising i was getting lower and headed back to the hill only to arrive too low to top land so resorted to scratcing and another slope landing. After a walk up again the wind was gone and I met Ivor and Gareth, while waiting for some lift. Eventually the wind picked up to about 10mph at about 16:30 and we soared in the dynamic ridge lift, I took the opportunity to practice my top landings. We finally called i a day at about 18:00 as the wind was dying again. All in all it was a very good day, especially as it was my first thermal flight.

[TomG]

Sunday 22 January 2006, Bryncaws (again!)

Got there early only to find no wind at the bottom. Watched a buzzard scratching while i waited for others to turn up.

By the tiem we got to the top it was a steady 10mph SE. First flight I stayed up for a bit but got a bit low so decided to slope land. Second try was better, I managed to double my airtime by staying up for 1/2 hour! and i landed back at T/O!

Third time up i stayed up for an hour before my hands got too cold! I got high enough to try a couple of 360s although i think they were more like 270s!

Last  flight of the dya saw another 40 min, started out well but the wind dropped off and i ended up scratching, only to slope land again. Spent a bit of time ground handling on top then flew down to the bottom as the wind hasd gone too light. All in all a great days flying, only another 7 1/4 hours to go before i can get rid of the ribbon!

Thanks to John for sorting out my line tangle. Without his help I think i would probably still be there!