Had a good flight last Sunday shame about all the cloud made for very slow going.
Flight here
Wednesday, 16 August 2017
Sunday, 25 June 2017
The game is afoot Watson...
Day 1 and CuNimbs forecast later so it's a quick early task from the lower hill at Fossato di Vico. Funny enough right above the town where Hamish and I are staying.
The task is here
Results here when they are out.
Essentially one very quick ridge run with a last turnpoint in the valley before goal.
Tuesday, 20 June 2017
Livetrack
Just in case people don't know here is my id on livetrack where you can follow my flights as they happen.
http://www.livetrack24.com/user/REDTIP
Heading South
We'll finally arrived after a two day journey. Hassle free traffic light route through France and Switzerland, with a little side trip to Verdun in particular Fort Douaumont for the Great war buffs. First day finished with a reasonably priced hotel half way up a mountain in Switzerland.
Second day was again hassle free apart from a little issue in Moddena with the pedestrian only zone...not cheap.
Gorgeous sunset in the completely blue sky over the hills west of Monte Cucco
Monday, 24 August 2015
Last Day Saturday 15th - 'I thinks I needs me thinking head today'
Last day despite looking the glider over in ever more detail I still can't identify why the glider doesn't want to go into strong thermals on the right wing. Given we have a right circle on the start ridge policy this has been something of a handicap all week.
Id been slowly moving the hang point forward 5mm at a time to get the glider to speed up more with flaps off but this hadn't seemed to affect the turn issue. After discussing with the ever knowledgeable Mr Practial Andy Hollidge. We do a test on the spoilers. The left wing deploys to 90 degrees however the right stops at 60 degrees. Sorted. three attempts before they match means tensioning and re-rigging the glider causes one of the tip compression struts to come off which Hamish spots whilst I'm about to put my harness on...Phew.
All the rushing around means I didnt get round to check the course on the large pin board and when I take off and exit the start gate I discover I've also forgotten to activate the task on the compeo. Dooh...any distraction before a task is just not good.
My start is poor but I manage to catch up and fly out to the ridge in front under a good active cloud, however I'd not thought about what to do on the next leg and piddle around trying to find lift on the way to the last turn point losing height and wasting time.
Despite a few week bitty climbs I'm soon down low in the valley. A last desperate climb takes me up a gully with just enough height to see nowhere to land on the top...so straight back down the gullytwo beats of the small ridge and I arrive in the landing field which had been nicely sprayed with silage....yum. Fortunatley the fields are pen and the next one has not been sprayed. Hamish arrives with the beers and the news that the task has been stopped as we listen to the thunder from behind the Ager ridge.
Tony Moore was last of the club class pilots to fly and won the task by flying the course with the bar pulled in trying to get away from the over abundant lift on the main Ager ridge. Well done Tony for NOT getting sucked into the cloud!
Id been slowly moving the hang point forward 5mm at a time to get the glider to speed up more with flaps off but this hadn't seemed to affect the turn issue. After discussing with the ever knowledgeable Mr Practial Andy Hollidge. We do a test on the spoilers. The left wing deploys to 90 degrees however the right stops at 60 degrees. Sorted. three attempts before they match means tensioning and re-rigging the glider causes one of the tip compression struts to come off which Hamish spots whilst I'm about to put my harness on...Phew.
All the rushing around means I didnt get round to check the course on the large pin board and when I take off and exit the start gate I discover I've also forgotten to activate the task on the compeo. Dooh...any distraction before a task is just not good.
My start is poor but I manage to catch up and fly out to the ridge in front under a good active cloud, however I'd not thought about what to do on the next leg and piddle around trying to find lift on the way to the last turn point losing height and wasting time.
Despite a few week bitty climbs I'm soon down low in the valley. A last desperate climb takes me up a gully with just enough height to see nowhere to land on the top...so straight back down the gullytwo beats of the small ridge and I arrive in the landing field which had been nicely sprayed with silage....yum. Fortunatley the fields are pen and the next one has not been sprayed. Hamish arrives with the beers and the news that the task has been stopped as we listen to the thunder from behind the Ager ridge.
Tony Moore was last of the club class pilots to fly and won the task by flying the course with the bar pulled in trying to get away from the over abundant lift on the main Ager ridge. Well done Tony for NOT getting sucked into the cloud!
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| and they are off... |
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| some height needed |
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| A good climb at last |
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| getting a bit too wispy |
Sunday, 23 August 2015
Friday 14th - Out to the flats to avoid the wind
Today the task and safety committees have a dither before we go up to take off and then another one on the hill. The outcome of this is rather inevitable considering the wind is forecast to increase but I'll come back to that topic later.
Today its a straight race to goal at Cahors airfield out in the flats. We are warned to get a good climb at the end of the ridge line and then another before attempting to glide to goal as the terrain on the plateau behind the low ridge that leads to goal does not look good for landings.
A none too marvellous start but a good climb behind the first ridge before the gap and another on the far side sees me heading out to the mountain in front.. The cloud is decidedly decaying so a 5up climb just past our normall turnpoint at the end of the valley is good A good looking cloud lined up along the valley and vultures flying past me convince me to to switch to the south this rewards me with an 8 Up and fast glide under the wisps towards the next set of active clouds.
This gives an equally good 8 up (Dave Mathews late said he'd had 9up peak). Its then a case of just heading for the next set of active clouds. However by this stage people who'd got low before that last climb we're discussing the increasing wind and turbulence and the very unsafe looking terrain downwind.
Four more climbs and goal is on. However the task has been canned but at least I should have a good score for this one....even if it was taken back 20 minutes from the stop point.
Unfortunately it was stopped before 1hr 30mins and with no one in goal the task becomes invalidated so no score for anyone.
Today its a straight race to goal at Cahors airfield out in the flats. We are warned to get a good climb at the end of the ridge line and then another before attempting to glide to goal as the terrain on the plateau behind the low ridge that leads to goal does not look good for landings.
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| Down both ridges and out into the flats following the plateau |
This gives an equally good 8 up (Dave Mathews late said he'd had 9up peak). Its then a case of just heading for the next set of active clouds. However by this stage people who'd got low before that last climb we're discussing the increasing wind and turbulence and the very unsafe looking terrain downwind.
Four more climbs and goal is on. However the task has been canned but at least I should have a good score for this one....even if it was taken back 20 minutes from the stop point.
Unfortunately it was stopped before 1hr 30mins and with no one in goal the task becomes invalidated so no score for anyone.
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| A good climb before the gap |
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| Approaching base. Think I'll try to get into wind a bit... |
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| Well that clouds not working. Where now? |
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| The last bit of ridge which kicks into wind... |
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| Time to run under this nice little cloud |
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| Good job we're not going that way |
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| Lovely U bend and ridge and an even better climb to start the flats with |
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| Doesn't look like a good place for landing back there |
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| On glide with Steve B... |
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| Mike A joins a climb |
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| That looks like the field...complete with retrieve driver |
Friday, 14 August 2015
Thursday 13th - A racing day
With a forecast for possible CuNbs and increasing wind the task is set to give a couple of long fast runs along the ridge and some short legs in the Tremp valley. This is intended to make it a fast task and get a good proportion of the field in goal.
It works with more than half the field in. I managed not to get drilled anywhere this time but was still 17 minutes behind Andy. Time to move the hang point forward and glide faster tomorrow.
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| Task 3 a short racing task to get plenty in goal and use the day before the forecast CuNbs |
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| Its Ager again...now I'm up need to get back to the start gate |
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| Climbing east of the gap en-route to TP1 |
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| TP1 done. On the way back plenty of landings this end of the valley |
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| Going back to the Ager ridge over the valley of no return... |
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| Sharing a climb over take off |
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| TP2 and the west end gorge and lake |
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| Going 'over the back' |
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| Darnn the cloud wasn't working so back into wind to the gliders climbing over the small ridge |
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| And the final TP back at the Castle De Mur |
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| OOps the Atkinson's have a beer in Goal |
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