Hope and Desperation!

Ryan and I went out this afternoon more in hopeful desperation than any expectation of flyable conditions. Arriving at Big Collin mountain around 2:45pm we found the rain had gone and the wind was 12-14mph at the top but off to the East a bit.

Not a problem for Ryan who got three excellent top to bottom flights to finish off his Elementary Pilot tasks, while Mervyn G was seen groundskimming further round the hill on his miniwing for a while.

Due to change in family arrangements I managed to get away to Dungiven yesterday afternoon. Arrived on the hill to join Ian F, Danny Y, Dave T, Colin D and Mark W in a light but flyable wind. Got my wing and harness inspected and ready for flight, then noticed that the wind had dropped sending Ian to the bottom landing field.

Danny was busy chatting up some spectators and the others were attached to their wings so I drove down and retrieved Ian. Taking off in a slightly increased breeze I found fairly consistent pockets of light lift  to the north of takeoff and eventually made my way on to Benbradagh headland where I reached 500ft above takeoff.

Flying across to the headland to the south resulted in the loss of some 300ft but there was more lift there. On the way back I decided to apply full speedbar, having never done so on the Medium Firebird Raven. I was most surprised to find that even with significant increase in airspeed there was no change in sink rate and I must have flown into some rising air as I crossed the road as the wing started climbing. Removal of speedbar input resulted in a climb back up higher than when I first applied it!

During the later part of my 45 minute flight the wind got lighter but I noticed that it had backed slightly towards the SW so that best lift was to be found to the north of takeoff where the ridge was more into wind. I easily got back for a top landing. My vario showed the temperature at height was 2 degrees C which explained my numb fingers even with gloves on.

Colin went up on the Raven for a flight after waiting for wind to take off in. Surprisingly he managed to soar for around 5 minutes before coming in for a slope landing at his takeoff point. 

A good day in a bad weather week. 

 

Good day at Big Collin, although it needed hard work to make the most of bubbles of lift drifting up the hill in the light and sometimes variable direction wind. Managed almost 2 hours airborne for a change, with the best conditions arriving for myself and the two Fermanagh pilots after most people had gone home! Weather not looking too promising for the next few days though.

Robin Young's came good.

Yesterday (Sat) there was much dithering and to-ing and fro-ing of texts about the weather. I eventually drove out to Agnew's Hill in the late afternoon but stopping on the road, saw that the wind was more north-easterly. So - quick text to Colin D as arranged and off I headed to Robin Young's Hill. On the way I saw what I thought was Ian F's car diving off towards the roundabout at Larne. I stopped at the end of the road he had just entered, hoping that he would see my car in his mirror - but I guess he was concentrating on the approaching bend! Never mind - I'll ring him. But, being a good driver he does not answer his phone when driving nor, it appears, stop to find out who called him until he gets home.

Anyway, at Robin Young's the wind seemed fine so I climbed with my wing to the top takeoff (taking a belated return call from Ian on the way) and prepared to launch. The wind was very light and soaring seemed questionable. However, the arrival of Colin D and Dave T in the car park did the trick. The wind came up to around 10mph and I took off as they started to climb the hill. There was little lift until I got to the far end of the ridge in front of the cliffs and slowly worked my way up in the intermittent but smooth surges.

I was soon joined by Dave and Colin and then of course my 'phone started ringing in my pocket. After a few more beats I top landed and let Ian F know that it was soarable, having told Alastair that it was flyable.

Airborne again for more soaring. Alastair arrived and climbed the hill with his gear. I turned at the high takeoff for one more beat and saw Dave very low on the cliff at the far end. I flew over the front ridge just maintaining height and moved closer to the cliff to let Dave take advantage of any lift on the front ridge. When I turned to follow him back I saw that he was getting no lift. Neither was I - the lift had suddenly switched off and I was forced to try to soar the front of the front ridge. No height gain but able  to maintain and convert speed to lift as I approached the lower takeoff so that I had height to turn and top land there. Dave didn't make it and bottom landed. Colin squeaked in to top land by the car park.


I went up to Alastair at the top takeoff. Flat calm by this time but he made an excellent nil-wind forward launch and flight to the bottom landing field. My warning to Ian F when I landed that he need not come out now was too late but he kindly retrieved Alastair from the bottom field.


Hoping for more soaring soon.

Cracker day at Big Collin

A good crowd of club fliers out from winter hibernation riding thermic conditions on Big Collin sunshine today. Three paragliding schools working too, so expect new club members before long! 


I had a thermic soaring flight whilst waiting for a student to arrive. Looking down from my old Firebird Spider on a new Delta wing was surprising. Traffic hugging the hill plus a search for a thermal that had just left, meant a slope landing first time. Second flight was better, with a top landing that took about 5 mins as the entire hilltop was covered in lifting air.

Worked with my student for a few hours, resulting in Pete finishing all his EP flying tasks. The sky was buzzing with club pilots all the time. While Pete was packing up after his last flight, I went up to retrieve my wing abandoned earlier on the hilltop. Wind was 8-9mph and Andrew D and I took turns to fly. I managed to stay up for a while and landed just below the top to let Andrew off. No lift for him. I then took off again and soared, finishing with a cruise along above the lane halfway to the entrance gate and back to land by the windsock. Andrew flew down to join me. End of a great day. Hoping for more tomorrow!

Another frustrating weekend!

Sunday - reports from the hills said "stay at home": wind, rain, low cloud.

Saturday - cabin fever forced a trip to Mayobridge in remote hope of a flight and to introduce Ian F to a new site. Met a couple of fellow pilots, Colin D and Dave T, driving away from the site - "too windy" they said. And anyway the parking lay-by was occupied by a film crew. We all adjourned to a local hostelry for coffee/tea and scones. 

Suitably refreshed we returned to the hill. Film crew had gone. Of course the wind had no notion of easing off from the consistent 23mph, but Ian did a good job in assessing the characteristics of the site; how it could be flown and hazards avoided. 

The others left for home after a while and we went on a short tour of some of the other Mourne mountain sites I used to fly in the early days when I was much younger and fitter before heading home on yet another typical 'flying' day!

Here we go again!

Went out to Big Collin yesterday (Friday) more in hope than expectation. Wind southerly and varying from 14 - 25mph. Got some much needed exercise walking up and down the hill for an hour waiting to see if conditions would change. No such luck. Gave up and went to visit my brother in Ballymena!

At last!

Great to get airborne after all the hopeless weather - even if it was a roller-coaster ride at Big Collin in the gusty SSE wind. After 25 mins I had had enough and landed by the lane. With the wind seeming to ease a bit I had high hopes of getting Ian F airborne but just when he was revved up, speedbar adjusted and ready to go, we had to abandon the idea as we watched Martin B on his miniwing getting bounced around in the strengthening wind. Even though it had been calm in the morning. the Met  Office low level wind chart was again fairly close to the mark. Maybe better luck tomorrow?

Just when we thought we might fly!

Had a meeting in Belfast this morning but forecast looked promising for Dungiven in the afternoon. Got a text from Danny Y to say it was flyable. After getting home around lunchtime I collected Ian F who was anxious to complete his CP tasks and to try out some new gear that Santa had brought. 

This being Northern Ireland, of course when we got there the wind was too strong and gusty and only Mervyn on his miniwing was flying.

We hung around for a few hours, commiserating with fellow flyers who had turned up - then went home! Typical day!

Will it ever end?

This stormy and wet weather is getting depressing - nearly as bad as the blizzards last year! But it can only get better, can't it? Friends in Spain continue to make us envious by their reports of flying nearly every day in 21 degrees heat and up to seven hours in the air - grrrr....

Thinking of getting a group together and making a trip to Spain later in the year.

Oh! - just had a look at the charts and the forecast. Maybe the chance of a flight tomorrow.

Wishing anybody reading this, a Happy New Year!