Ms Palindrome blog

[Viv]

10th April. Rhosili. Wind straight on the hill at 15mph. Perfect reverse launch, a good 2 hrs cruise in the company of several visitors from Thames Valley, Kent and the SEW lot. Top of the stack several times, must get a GPS thingy.  Beautiful mackerel sky. Topland on pimple, a short break to warm up, perfect reverse launch and an hour more fun, there is a Firebird Spider pulling plenty of cunning stunts, it's Dan Sidoli. Topland on pimple. Must remember to pull c's for quick collapse here.

[Viv]

5th April. Cwmavan. Very light breeze.  Spend some time groundhandling, wall building and practising inflations but eventually it picks Andy up and away.  Small, lightweight as me, so I nearly trample Nick's wing in the rush to go.  I forget to turn in the lift as I wriggle into the seat, get a couple of bubbles and head across to the wooded area intending to climb in front of the trees, but find I'm a bit low so push out to find the landing area. This is my first launch from here, it's not visible from t.o.  Power lines loom, so I neatly put down in the field next to the horses and call for retrieve.  Everyone else has launched and gone.  I realise I'm in the wrong field, and go to the village. 5 mins.  Glad I got a 4x4. A nice drive out.

[Viv]

4th April  Rhosili. Arrive lunchtime and have a wrestle in the lower carpark with the kite. On pimple it's 15-20mph, hangies lobbing off. Late afternoon sees it drop to managable levels and enjoy an hour and a half of dodging around the whole ridge, even edging out over the pub and beach. Top land on pimple. Always wear gloves when groundhandling, severe line burns today.

[Viv]

2nd April. Heol Senni, arrive midday to find mist obscuring launch from path. Half an hour to walk up top, schools are parawaiting. By the time I rig up there is a nice breeze 15mph, reverse launch 1st go, shouldn't be the first off the hill really, but nobody else was moving. Gerry and I work it til we're high enough to push out from the hill, and here is another epic flight, further out, higher than ever before, bigger circuits every pass along the bowl to top up height, taking a slightly different line each time, going low in front of t.o and scratching back up. No vario on board today, so keeping a good lookout to see where I am. 2 hours later I land perfectly and kite to car. Nick turns up with tea, and somewhat restored I climb up again, reverse launch perfectly and have another 55 mins in late afternoon sunshine doing the do. I land crosswind by the car, left it a bit late for my box approach, must turn earlier!

[Viv]

1st April. Heol Senni. Arrive early afternoon for an initial t.t.b. reverse launch from lip 10 mins beat in sink, land nice by Paraventure van, climb up and go again, this time reverse launch and stay on top of the trainees, soaring about for another 50 mins in the company of a beautiful bird with most incredible markings, before an accurate land with kite finish and nice cuppa. Back up again and everyone has gone, just me and Nick having a gentle play round the whole site. The time goes so quickly, another 55 mins of bliss.

[Viv]

29th Mar. Rhosili. 10-15mph. SW today, so groundhandling mostly. Just manage to get inflated, but going nowhere. 4pm and the seabreeze still hasn't come in, but the wind comes round enough to think about a launch.  Stevie G goes as wind dummy, I follow but as usual get shouted at. Can't hear what he's trying to say, doesn't he use the radio? Then he shoots past so fast I feel I'd better push out a bit more before turning, and plop out the liftband for a glide along the beach. Land beautifully and keep wing up nicely for a bit. The others are staying up, so back to pimple it is. They land and pack up as I achieve summit, so we go to the pub. Welcome home. 5 mins. Nice to see PH again, and Rob and Tina, and the usual crew.

[Viv]

25th Mar. Lijak 15-20mph. Our last chance to squeeze one in before heading to the airport.  Thermals cooking up nicely, it's a strong SE'ly so our plan to turn north after t.o is abandoned, except by Michelle. Gain nice height along the ridge to turnpoints 3 and 4, circling in thermals, push out over valley to vineyards and villages where I expect more lift, but it's too early and there are only tiny bubbles, not enough to turn and climb in, I manage to stay aloft, picking out the now familiar landmarks for a good 30 min before drifting downwind to LZ, freshwind landings require less flare I thought, as I land crosswind while making up my mind how to handle this one. Nice collapse. It really has been the best flying of my life. But I always say that.

[Viv]

24th Mar. Lijak. Weather assessment by me. Brett and group agree, prevailing Bora wind, katabatic gusts at launch. Dangerous Dave gets the speedwing out, and takes my helmet for a speedfly to the base of the hill. 1500ft in 2 minutes. It's exciting but all over too fast.

[Viv]

23rd Mar.Kovk. 2450agl. !2-18mph thermodynamic. Reverse launch 3rd go, in cycle. Turn north, keeping into ridge. Sink a bit then gradually climb over rock faces nicely warming up, cicle in big lift, great height over mountaintop villages, you can see Croatia to the south. Sink over forested areas, not as warm yet, speedbar on and back into ridge, lots of bubbles, plenty of rocking and rolling, damping surges, never been so high, so far 32km, or so long. 2 hrs! Decide to land when I hear on radio that Dennis is on full bar going over the back, cool as a cucumber, or should that be gherkin? Gingerly glide over forest to LZ, and manage elegant touchdown at back of field, and kite to collapse. Contemplate this turnpoint flight over the thickest hot chocolate ever. I think I've peaked. We drive back to Lijak, and see several in the air a.t.o. My exhaustion disappears and I decide to have it after all. Beautiful reverse launch, tiny climb along face, sink and return to bowl for final lift, everyone is going down and the smoke indicates katabatic flow from hillsides, one last glide out into the restitution, no wonder they call it magic lift! over the villages and glide to LZ. Concentrating so hard on the spot, Dennis and I converge, I'm on the right and lower but instinctively swing away from him, miss the spot and pendulum in for an airbag landing in nil wind. 10 mins of magic indeed. I could burst for joy.

[Viv]

22 Mar. Lijak. Late morning, thermic. Reverse launch first time, 30 mins boat about, no lift over vineyard as predicted, land out at farm past campsite 2 km away. Is that an XC? 4pm, back on top and its picked up a lot since the morning. 4 attempts to launch, 1 alpine but reverse launch in the end, glide along ridge, climb and circle, sink and speedbar, hug the warm rockface and climb up from below t.o, past Nick with camera, try and cross gap to right of t.o, but with sun going behind high stratus no luck, head back to vineyard and regain some height, there are 50-100 other pilots in the air today, it's a competition and demo day. Cruise out over valley, campsite and head back to LZ for a spot landing but miss it by 50 ft! Then it's beer party, disco and prizegiving. Urban Valic, Brett's friend is there and gets 2nd prize for men's distance. Tasty. Michelle is spot landing champ today, but no cigar, just a lolly to suck on.1hr 20 mins.

[Viv]

19th Mar. Lijak, Slovenia. 1950 amsl. SSW. Thermo-dynamic at t.o.  Nice reverse launch, push straight out into house thermal off rockface in front, circle and climb a.t.o then beat along the ridge practising coring every time the vario bleeped faster.  From t.o 1 to turnpoint 3 and back, 3 km there and back, 35 mins of active fun and 2 km from t.o to LZ with plenty of height to S off on approach. It's like coming home, with a new snack bar Nyam Nyam run by Igor the driver. Cuppa tea then back up for another reverse launch push out and turn left along ridge, it's a bit more gusty than this morning, so climb and circle in every bit of usable lift, more height and 8 km distance from t.o. In sink I use the honey-drip method to visualise where the next lift might be, or go to ridge, every knoll and warm rock gives lift, and big sink too in the big gap after turnpoint 5. The others go XC over the back, I want to follow but they are on the radio chatting about landing by a pub, so regretfully with 5100 on the vario I turn back to the LZ which I seem to have lost sight of! I play for a while over the villages at 4500, following the ribbon of road, admiring the church perched halfway up the ridge face. Cruise in and out between road and ridge, the Adriatic sea to left, Italian Dolomites ahead, Austria on right and Croatia behind. At last the haybales on LZ are visible, I drift over the Peugeot warehouse for any last lift but there isn't any, I cross my legs in the hope that I miss the power line across the field, and with plenty of height  I 360 and come in for a box approach this time. Wind sock out, big lean out and land like a butterfly, trot forward a few paces with wing overhead, nice controlled collapse by the sock, spot landing champ for today! Best flight of my life, for height, distance from launch 7 km, airtime 1 hr 35 min. Prompt pack up and watch a 50mph gust blow in and rain from the comfort of Njam Njam.

[Viv]

15th March. Fan G. Very light on arrival late morning. Reverse launch at 12.30, a nice boat about, gaining several hundred feet, exploring the lift band, and bottom landing in front of the hill after a good half hour.  Thanks Nick for retrieve! Trudge back up and find my old instructor Jerry there, nice to see Victor too. Reverse launch, a few beats in front and above, methinks it's a good time to try a toplanding here, and do one. Reverse launch, the wind has moved around a bit, after a few beats I find I'm in the lee, and sink into a slope landing not too far from the top this time!  I think maybe one more flight will be enough, but as I'm setting up I see Nick get dragged back quite a way, and decide it's time to pack up for me. 45 mins airtime today.

[Viv]

21st Feb. Rhosili. Light wind at midday, lots of people there, those on top get airborne and start to play, us pimple dwellers follow suit a bit later. Plenty of groundhandling first, I'm 3rd off, get nice lift over the gully, and enjoy a good half hour before the wind picks up, everyone moves out over the beach, I can't get forward in spite of speedbar, so choose a clear green patch amongst the gorse and accurately put down without mishap.  Tina does the same, and a few Poles, the others go for the beach. A busy day, with only a narrow window in which to fly. I pull the front mounted reserve handle by mistake, and it's game over for today. Thanks Nick for replacing pins and lines, look forward to the repack.

[Viv]

20th Feb. Rhosili. Arrive midafternoon to 0-5mph. See 2 up top practising inflations. Do the same on pimple, they take off and gently descend to beach.  I reverse launch, beat a few times, realise it's a t.t.b. for me too, and nicely touchdown nearest the steps.  That makes me spot landing champ for today! Halfway back up we see Nick launch, climb and enjoy a nice long flight with the whole ridge to himself. Another beautiful sunset. 5 mins.

[Viv]

19th Feb. Rhosili. Arrive lunchtime to find it a bit light. Walk up to top and it's perfect. 2 club members there.  A smooth reverse launch, into harness and away, a glance all around to check all's well, there seems to be a huge bit of undergrowth in my lines, and looks knotted!  The A's are all clear, so I cautiously pull the outer A to see if it will pop the lines straight. It doesn't, I'm still above and in front of the top, so reach up and pluck them like a guitar, one at a time from the D's forwards, and that works, I beat back and forth keeping in front of the orografic cloud which the ridge is wearing like a scarf, the others are flying above it and below it, I'm comfy in my harness, though the front mounted reserve seems a bit in my face, and I have a fairly active 45mins working the liftband, enjoying the feeling of staying up for a good while, makes a nice change from my recent t.t.b's!  I'm forced to land when I see the other's packing up, though we could have flown for a while longer.  It's fun trying to approach the pimple as I keep going up not down, but with several S's, various hand signals from below and a bit of speedbar I gently touchdown accurately, and smile all the way home.