Ms Palindrome blog

[Viv]

17th Oct. Heol Senni. 0-5mph with the odd gust coming through, wind variable, my planned groundhandling abandoned, reverse launch in the cycle, and round the bowl, gain height, out into the valley til I sink, then scoot back to the hill for a top-up in the lift, and go for another circuit, I am behind CD when he turns out from the face, I am lower but climbing and don't want to overtake so close to the hill, so I turn out too, plop out of the liftband and fly down the path to land nicely by cars. 8 mins.

[Viv]

16th Oct. Heol Senni. Achieve summit quite late, wind whipping round the side and after some faffing around reverse launch and have a cautious boat about, climb to spectacular views in the sunset, a good circuit staying well in front today, and reluctantly approach landing nicely, last minute hand signals from the ground are confusing, should I steer over there? I make a last circle and find I'm a bit too low to complete the 360, it's nil wind by there and a downwind landing in Ben's green patch, mash a molehill with the airbag to save my legs, nice plf which I have been practising, and pick the lines out the thistles. I feel like a beginner on the new Zulu, and resolve to do some groundhandling with her tomorrow..30 mins

[Viv]

10th Oct. Rhosili. Reverse pimple launch in a fresh breeze, after a couple of inflations, and play nicely for 1hr 25 mins in a busy sky, nearly was the jam in the sandwich but we all turned out to sea, forgot to take that wrap on landing and drops her in the ferns after a little run, nice. It's too windy for a while, then a skippy launch and away to the end for fabulous views of the estuary. Plenty of room now, I try a bigears using the loops, let go and they stay in until I weightshift, and as the sun slips toward the horizon it's 25mph at t.o. and I go for a lower landing, nice approach and a last minute tuck in tiny rotor has me in the "winter" field. Rob thought I had pulled the ears, not so close to the ground I wouldn't! Nice controlled landing and collapse. 1hr 20 mins.

[Viv]

8th Oct. Heol Senni.  Arrive around 16.00, just missed the flypast at low level. People are leaving, having had nice fly's. Trudge up to find nil wind, set up anyway for an Alpine launch test launch on the Zulu.  Nice launch in the merest tickle of a breeze, a pass over the Boys practicing tandem and a fast nil wind landing by cars, scrape a bush with airbag and run a bit. Must take a wrap methinks..nice but quick, 2 mins t.t.b.

[Viv]

4th Oct. Rhosili. Very light at midday, a few up. 14.30 reverse pimple launch and the Zulu is perfectly behaved, wind's still very light but smooth too. It gets busy but we all spread out along the ridge and play at the ends. 40 mins and a standing landing. I contemplate lunch and PH donates a munch, no further loss of flying time then, and go again for another 50 mins. The sky has become more overcast, the tide is coming in.  I test the bigears loops which are sewn into the A risers.  They are stuck in with velcro so must be loosened first!  The ears are quite small, but effective.  They don't pop out automatically like the DHV1, so I pluck the outer A's like a guitar string, they stay in. By now I have drifted nicely past the pimple, so a weightshift and steer towards my spot has the ears tickled out and another perfect landing. Sweet.

[gareth.pawan]

Oh I'm soooo jealous and it's a Gin! No stopping you now me thinks

[Viv]

30th Sept. Rhosili. A bit northerly and light. The boys inspect the Zulu. The build quality is tops, nice light lines, inflates nice, for the first time I can hold it above my head for longer than briefly. It's well dusty and grass in the cells. Wait for 2 jets to scream past well low, waggling wings (to show they have seen us?) I push off when I feel I am walking backwards, the controls do have a long travel but in the air they retract all the way up.  Glide across the gap, very responsive to the lightest touch or lean over.  A beat along to the end and back, another across the bowl, climb and push across to the cliffs, further than ever before! Gerry practices for his Club Coach course by talking me down for a perfect touchdown and collapse. Jared takes a pic. I'll be the one in the orange then. A lovely 20 mins test fly. We tip out the grass and the dust shakes off onto the green green grass. She looks happier already. A great little wing.

[Viv]

27th Sept.  Fan G.  Arrived to find the guys in cloudbase at the launch. Resovoir like a millpond. Steve's glider halfway down the hill and a helicopter buzzing around. It was a test flight for him and training for them. The wind is so light that there is only room for a few gliders at a time, then it picks up and after only a bit of groundhandling I enjoy 30 mins of ever increasing loops in front of the hill, when Nick says try the bowl, I feel quite birdlike as I soar across, the whole face of it ridged delicately with the pull of gravity, this is my first time on this side and it's lovely.  Back at launch I go to land but there's a lull and I touchdown near the edge, wing flops over, and I make sure she's collapsed before I unclip. It's turned chilly and is not going to improve, so last flight of 10 mins is as before, landing on the NE edge of the bowl, handy for the car. I don't collapse promptly enough, and am rewarded by a tug through a cowpat. 113 hrs 20 mins airtime.

[Viv]

26th Sept. Rhosili. Clearer sky than yesterday, light wind, scratch and climb, top of the stack briefly, low enough to see the heather's subtle colours in the lowering sunlight. Avoiding turbulence from the acro's, 45 mins and pimple land nicely. Another 40 mins and the wind and waves pick up. Pimple land using c's for quick collapse.  Last go, have to push off hard, sock going northerly, perhaps 30 mins enjoying the views and flying closer than ever before to a large yellow winged bird. A voice on the radio scares him off. Nice to see Gron and Stu, and the usual scumdogs.

[Viv]

25th Sept. Rhosili. 3pm, reverse launch and 45 mins in light wind, pimple land with ChrisW while the others beach land, and go again, 45 mins getting out further and higher, the wind picking up. Ian lets me have a play on his lightweight wing, the harness is like a sling. Last flight of 30 mins, I feel the inexorable forces taking me back, speedbar not much good, so it's in with the ears and land on track to top, wing draped over the gorse. Several people are kind today, but I am still inconsolable after not passing the exam again. Retail therapy is required, so I buy another wing.

[Viv]

24th Sept. Rhosili. A few up in the afternoon, quite light at first. Reverse pimple launch, 1 hr boating about above and below the ridge, pimple land with a close call with one of Paul's students. I admire his touch-and-go, and do one myself on my next flight, making it all the way to the campsite and dunes, back and fore til the sea looks choppy, land at the top of the track this time, no damage. 20 mins. Last flight of the day is more active, 30 mins and pimple land accurately to Gerry and Chris's amusement.

[Viv]

19th Sept. Rhosili. Reverse launch, ridge soar for 1 hr and pimple land for a warm up. Reverse launch, glide about, admiring the DHV 1-2's more agile performance, after 1 hr the wind has picked up considerably, too windy to pimple land, and I resign myself to being blown back to the usual field, but this time it's the cow pasture.  We eye each other warily, and I make a sharp exit.

[Viv]

12th Sept. Heol Senni. Reverse launch in the light breeze had me on a 2 min top to bottom. Standing landing in field below quarry.

[Viv]

13th Sept. Heol Senni. Reverse launch and a pleasant 30 mins of scratching up and moving out over the valley in climb, plenty of lift today, topland and wait for awhile, then 45 mins more before a nice landing by cars.

[Viv]

11th Sept. Heol Senny. Reverse launch 6pm. Hoping for magic lift, I scratch across to the quarry, intending to stay in front today, but on my first pass across I get blown back for the third time in a row just here. Topland behind the fence and relaunch from the traditional place further along.  Nicely lifting off I make a couple of beats and get hoofed up again!  Rhun and Nick are a good distance away, speedbar slows my ascent, I try a few s-turns that turn into gentle swingovers, and manage to get down and head for the cars, clearing the fence by 20 ft, and accurately landing beside the track.  My new lightweight reserve makes all the difference in carrying up and in-flight comfort/visibility. 20 mins.