Viv's Blog

[Viv]

17th June. Heol Senni. Strong wind late afternoon, joint services and Paraventure can it. Nick and I parawait at the dogging shelf by quarry. He snoozes, I walk, I sunbathe, he walks. A perfect launch from the far end today is commented on. I feel quite confident on the Gin now after the active time we've been having lately. Nice to see a few from SEW and our own newest pilots, and the usual stalwarts. An hour of climb, join the circuit, push out, sink, zoom back, and tickle out further than yesterday, avoiding the wash from the guys doing spiral dives, eventually the sun goes behind the hill and the wind calms enough for a perfect touchdown in the field with tyres. 6 hrs 10 mins this month, 15 and a half this year.

[Viv]

16th June. Heol Senni. 7pm launch from lower shelf in the lull, perfect. A good 1 hr boating about, a stiff breeze kept us all aloft for an actively bouyant play, finally land by the car up the track today.

[Viv]

13th June. Rhosili. An early start before the rain that is forecast arrives. Flags in carpark showing southerly. Rhun the keen arrives and is first to test the air, reporting that it's a bit strong at height. Pimple launch just after 11am, instant lift and go to join the others, get pinned over the white house, speedbar to no avail, it stops me going backwards though, big ears in one at a time, using the special loops that Gin have, they stay in by themselves and need a positive weightshift to pop out. Twice. Yawing this way and that to find a way, see the trig point pass below me and gracefully concede defeat, eventually doing a Paul Hyde, that is, recognise that I'm gonna be blown back, scan the area for stones to avoid, and a nice controlled touchdown and collapse behind the area of rotor on top. 20 mins. After that it's too strong to launch for me, the others stay up for ages, til the rain comes. From the car park we watch a glider being inflated in 25mph winds, the pilot not strapped in and she trying to fly without him! Glider drapes over the gorse and gets soaked. Game over.

[Viv]

5th June. Rhosili. A short tandem with Nick in smooth light air. Pimple launch 7pm, 1 hr 40 mins of gentle soaring, out along the cliffs as it was a bit northerly at times, all the way to the campsite which looked full up, the orographic cloud was pretty as I flew in front of it, seeing the air rising into vapour, there was a little lift and turbulence as I got sucked into it, so pushed out over the beach. I was cold after an hour, the wind on the pimple was so lifty that every approach took me higher, speedbar was like an accelerator for up not down. A few gentle turns out front to lose height worked for a while, eventually managed to get across the village and join Tom in the car park, various promptings over the radio helped, it was great to touchdown safely at last, albeit in the "wrong" field. Remembered to take a wrap this time.

[Viv]

4th June. Nant-y-Moel. A couple of light scratches for 10 mins and a good 30 mins of the best flying here for me yet. 3 nice launches and landings, a nice little groundhandle, totally smooth with sharp climbs by the rocks, some sink as the sun goes behind cloud, and big cicuits round the east bowl, the furthest I've flown that way, not as far as Nick though, nice height, you can see the Mumbles from here! Nice to see some old faces too. At 19.00 it goes light and we enjoy the sunset from the ground.

[Viv]

3rd June. Bryncaws. 15-20mph midafternoon. A collapsed inflation and detangling, nice launch and 15 mins of the most active flying here to date for me. A clumsy topland too near the cow basket, no damage, go again and climb above the mast, huge circuits and even more climb, all boundaries pushed today, I get pinned a couple of times over launch, reattach detached speedbar line, full bar and still going up, out over the farmhouse, to the forest and back, past the mast a long way below, the wind has increased to 35 mph as I topland a bit too near the cars, I am not strong enough to pull the c's on touchdown, 5 guys jump on my wing and we're down, 1 hr and it's too fresh now, seabreeze trying to prevail, sock jumping. Between retrieves and shepherding the time goes, it smooths out eventually but I know when I have had enough for one day. 

[Viv]

2nd June. Heol Senni. 6mph. Parawait a while, inflate, check lines etc, sunbathe, picnic, Ivor decides to fly down for a bike ride instead, thermals are about 20 mins apart today but light. A few more turn up to wait it out. 14.20 launch into the only gust going, climb fast up the face where the birds were playing earlier, a nice bounce around, nice big loops, too high to topland, I go round again but can't scratch up in the lee, so content myself with a big floaty glide over the field and accurately land by cars for a welcome cuppa. 15 mins.   Despite waiting to see if it's worth another walk up, it becomes overcast and very still.

[Viv]

31st May. Heol Senni. Signs looking good on approach up the valley midmorning, mutterings on t/o about it being off to the east a bit, Nick tests the air and I launch nicely in a manageable breeze, despite his warning on radio that it's a bit sinky in places, so be prepared to keep near enough to topland, I found it lifty, so was making ever-increasing loops when I drop out over the field and cruise in for a nice landing by cars. 5 mins. By the time I had a cuppa and took the long easy path up the wind had come round onto the hill, mindful of Nick's prediction that the seabreeze would make it all over by 2pm, we all scramble to launch and enjoy an active fly with tucks, sinks and climbs galore, one massive climb has me squealing like my vario, and as I drift back see Nick disappearing into space, instead of going too I get back to the quarry and bounce around in lift for ages, and nice landing by car. 25 mins.  Andy and Ivor send me off on a drive round the valley for retrieve, come back to find Nick waiting nearby. The best Bank Holiday so far this year.

[Viv]

25th May.  Heol Senni. Cloud developing as we arrive, resovoir looking nice on the surface, so trot up as fast as I can by the short steep track, Nick plowing ahead like a mountain goat, and Ivor overtaking me halfway up, after he turns up on the bike after we start the walk up.  Not much faffing, Nick and Ivor lift off nicely in a constant 15mph I follow without delay, tickle along behind Ivor, up and around the bowl, see Nick climb out into the valley to great height and distance, I play along the ridge and push out too, there is just us 3 playing in space, thermals booting us up, and a freshening breeze to keep us high. Cloudbase quite low today, I'm sure there was a little cloudsuck at one stage, we all got great height and were rewarded with views which became more obscured as the afternoon progressed. It was active, as the cloud passed over the ground the thermals shut off, I sank and peeped round to see the others on the edge of the shadow.  I went to the hotspot by the quarry and climbed out to the edge of the shadow and it worked, up I went again, high and far for me, the others were ever further, 1hr and 30 mins, chilled and land by car for a cuppa. Bliss.

[Viv]

17th May. Rhosili. 12-16mph W. Just one practice inflation and pimple launch at 11.40, and a good soar around the whole place, staying nice and high, lovely views and plenty of room to spread out and play for 1hr 40 mins until lunch prompts me to pimple land, it gets too windy for a good while to relaunch, so I practice holding the wall and checking lines, my window doesn't open again, so pack up, then watch Ivor and Andy enjoy a nice evening flight from the pub.

[Viv]

10th May. Heol Senni. A light and gusty breeze at launch, nice lift at the usual places, and stronger wind at height, the last thing I remember was Ivor saying something about a pre-front gust?? After an active play around the whole ridge, high and low, I could see a shower coming, and feel more lively, so made several big loops over my chosen spot, checking for rocks and things in the way, and a nice touchdown on fairly level clear ground by the car. 40 mins.

[Viv]

9th May Heol Senni. Wait til the 20mph breeze lessens to something manageable, 6pm launch from below the top.  Join Steve W, Gerry and Nick in a very pleasant 50 mins doing the circuit and climbing to 800ft then sinking over the field and zooming back in for a top up, vario cheerfully chirping and finally a nice landing by the car. 

[Viv]

23rd April. Cwmafan. It seemed very light but the windsock stayed up, so I had a bit of a groundhandle, a strongish gust every few minutes, then very light. A motorcyclist pulls up at the unlocked car, then the police arrive. Nick lands to "help" me by grasping my harness, so I am unable to step under the wing. Finally I push off unaided and have 2 beats before sinking in front of t/o. Nick advises landing on a green patch by some trees, but I shoot through and clumsily land away from the trees. No brambles were harmed in the taking of this flight. 3 mins. 

[Viv]

12th April. Heol Senni. A late call from Nick had me cruising the rush hour to arrive as the others had left.  He showed me yet another route to walk up, a bit steep in parts for me. In flate too sharply, speedbar dangling behind knees, result-a tiny drag, no damage. 7pm reverse launch under Nick's critical eye, and a lovely 30 mins with Ivor and Shane too, til the sun is below the horizon and we are forced to land if we want to see to pack up. A lovely touchdown in intended spot near car, acknowledged by Nick. I squirm with delight. The next day is too strong for me to launch at teatime. There is a sundog behind t/o, and the boys struggle to get down. It's a wave system. We have a drink at the Craig y Nos castle on the way home.

[Viv]

10th April. Ebbw Vale. Followed the lads up from Bryncaws, my first time here. Short site briefing from Paul Williams. 4 reverse launches. 1st fly was cut short as I realised that I'd got the control handle wrapped through the riser. 2nd was a couple of beats in front, then sit on top of the ridge all the way to the north end and slope land. 3rd go was even shorter, slope land in front of t/o, not so far to walk. I was berating myself then saw Cookie do the same, landing even lower. Some groundhandling and inflation practice, Gerry trying to push me off didn't work. 4th push off had me going backwards rather than along,  so called it a day. Pack up too early, and see Nick having a nice fly. 10 mins