Eye in the Sky
Your
Flying News Notice Board
Send me your news ....
and photos.
PS.
This page DOES accept contributions from other members!
Put your fingers to your keyboards and get typing! Hang glider pilots
too!
April 2002 - Part I
Monday
15th April 2002
Report
from Craig Byrne
BIG Monday :o) What a day!
Started at Monks
flying in broken wave and thermals then hooked a boomer but bombed out after
6k and the wind had now gone more North West.
Hitch a lift almost straight away, pick up the car then off
to Bell. Most of the usual suspects already in air or far downwind.
After a few sweaty bomb outs I finally catch a good one;
its off to base :-) Had a brilliant flight flying most of the way with David
Franklin, finally landing at Bloxworth.
Lots of other good flights; Dave M - Weymouth, Peter R - Nr
Corfe, Peter S - Nr Corfe, Martin F and David F - Wareham Forest and Neil
Hutch - Swanage.
Can you stay there another week so the brilliant XC
conditions remain here in UK please ;-) (Pah!
DD)
Sunday
14th April 2002
Report
from Craig Byrne
Bell was very busy with Airwave challenge round and lots of other pilots eager
to get back into air again.
There were thermals early on in day with Peter R, Mike B,
John P and Peter S all getting away. Peter R managed 30k an amazing flight
considering the conditions.
Quite a few new and red ribbon pilots also had some good
soaring flights.
Saturday
13th April 2002
Report
from Craig Byrne
Had a very good day at Monks lots of others out enjoying the conditions which
lasted well into the evening.
The HG pilots were top of the stack most of the day as it
was a tad windy!.
Friday
12th April 2002
Report
from John Jones
Turned up at Monk's Down around lunchtime after a call from Rod Smith saying
it was on. Got away after about 30 mins rather unpleasant thrashing around.
Two climbs took me over Blandford at 5100 ATO. From there I
glided along A354 to Winterbourne Whitchurch. Another climb took me over
Tolpuddle to Crossways. Glided from there to Poxwell, where I got another
climb back to over 3000', but concerned about the strongish offshore breeze,
soon left it, turned crosswind, and headed towards Weymouth, finally landing
at Weymouth Rugby Club, who kindly stored my glider safely for me. 47k. (Good
one John!! DD)
Tuesday
9th April 2002
Report
from Mike Adkins
Okeford Hill - Martin Hayward and I met at 10:00 to find what seemed the
promise of a good day.
Martin had spoken with the farmer's wife and the sheep were
gone from the t.o. field and the electric fence turned off. By then so had the
wind - too easterly - so down to the spur we went, where we both launched and
flew.
Conditions were very light and no thermals came through:
Martin sensibly top-landed, but I had kissed the tree tops and left it too
late! So an 8 minute flight cost me a sweaty 40 minute walk up.
By the time I got back Adrian Coombes had arrived and he
launched from the t.o. field. After a short flight he re-launched (from the
spur) and this time gained real height and set off.
Martin and I rushed to follow suit but very suddenly the
wind freshened - I got a sizeable tuck at 80ft ato - and we both landed, Martin
vertically and me going backwards! (I almost landed on the backs of a crescent
of horses who were watching Martin land and were oblivious to me!) Adrian
had by now returned, Sean Lovatt had arrived and so had Peter (Skygod) Robinson.
But it was too blowy.
I decided I'd had my fix for the day - after all, it was my
first flight this year - and set off home.
Saturday
6th April 2002
Report
from Everard Cunion
Here's a photo of our newest Hang Glider member, Lucy Goodrich, about to
attempt her first hill launch in Britain.
It is at Mere, Wiltshire, on 6 April.
The glider is a small Airwave Pulse. (Known in its
homeland, the USA, as a PacAir Vision Pulse.)
The launch, flight (into lift), and landing, were all
successful.
Monday
1st April 2002
Report
from Dave Daniels
The hangies were out on Ringstead - Chris Hares and Tony Chalmers were two of
the three that were flying above the orographic mist when I called by around
3pm.
Later - the wind was southerly and decreasing to
paragliding levels. I called Martin Hayward to see if he was heading out
somewhere only to discover that he was in Weymouth for the afternoon.
On hearing that Durdle Door could be about to work - he
came over and we had an hour of brilliant flying, even if 2mph less wind would
have made life a little easier. The wind at 300ft-ato was exactly equal to the
trim speed of the Electron on full speed-bar!
By keeping a little lower both Martin and I managed to
cruise between Lulworth Cove and Bat's Head - and had the wind been that
little more friendly we'd have gone up to White Nothe. Another day, perhaps.
 |
 |
|
Martin Hayward over
Oswald's bay
to the East of Durdle Door |
Martin over Durdle Door |
Eye in the Sky - March 2002
Eye in the Sky - 2001 roundup
Eye in the Sky - September/November 2001
Eye in the Sky - July/Augsust 2001
Eye in the Sky - June 2001
Eye in the Sky - March to May 2001
Eye in the Sky - Feb 2001
Eye in the Sky - September and October 2000
Eye in the Sky - August 2000
Eye in the Sky - July 2000
Eye in the Sky - June 2000
Eye in the Sky - May 2000
