Yes and No!

Monday 5 December 2016

 A good day at Big Collin for a change. Whilst waiting for my student Paul Cunningham to arrive I examined the 2001 Advance Epsilon 3 M and harness that Kirsty had donated to the UHPC. Although the wing is old it is in excellent condition as is the basic harness. I had a flight down  on it from about half way up the hill - easy inflation; smooth steady controls and easy landing. Seems perfectly airworthy to me and a rough porosity 'suck' test raised no concerns.

Paul arrived and completed eight flights, starting about the third of the way up the hill then last four flights from the top. Excellent reverse and forward takeoffs, in-flight control up to 180deg turns and standup landings - all practical tasks for EP completed. Jut the exam to do!

Monday 12 December 2016

I went out to Big Collin around lunchtime after a calm morning but with an ESE forecast. The wind on the hill was SSE and 14-15mph at takeoff. When standing there I noticed that cloudbase up ahead seemed to be lowering and soon it descended to hilltop level. After a quick word on the 'phone to Colin Dowey and my EP student Paul to tell them not to bother, I went for a walk over by the windfarm and by the time I got back to the car the cloudbase had lowered to the lane and the drizzle had arrived. Time to go home!

No better today!

Wind on Big Collin takeoff was gusting 26-32mph and around 15-20mph at times in the bottom landing area. There was no point in bringing out my CP students who are at the soaring stage - far too strong for any paragliding.

Meanwhile Ken McConnell was out with two EP students, Stephen and Frank, who were manfully attempting ground handling but the gusts were proving a bit of a problem. I gave Ken my small Firebird Trainer wing which is more manageable for ground handling when it's windy and Stephen had a go, but eventually had to give up when the gusts became too great, even lifting Ken off his feet when he took a turn on it.

Here we go again!

Calm this morning but light wind forecast. Went out to Big Collin only to arrive around the same time as the drizzle. After an hour drizzle-gazing I gave up!

Another useless flying day.

Calm and foggy morning. Things had cleared a bit by lunchtime but Phil Barron reported no wind at Dungiven although light westerly forecast.

I went out to Big Collin to take a look at the paraglider that Kirsty had donated to the UHPC. It is an Advance Epsilon 3 28 - weight range 90-107kgs all up. It was manufactured in 2001 but is in exceptionally good condition for its age. DHV 1-2 rated - see http://www.dhv.de/db1/source/technictestreport2.php?item=2888&lang=en. Photo shows a similar wing.

I only had time to lay the glider out and do a couple of inflations using the risers before a hurried repack as light drizzle arrived. Hope to get a closer look tomorrow or Saturday.

Soaring Dungiven

With a calm morning but a light SW forecast, Martin Bates and I headed to Dungiven at lunchtime. We found the wind on the west face 10-14mph. I took off and found patches of best lift in the bowl to the north. I boated around for a while but with only light gloves my fingers got so cold that I came in for a top landing. Martin then flew - also soaring but also with no great height to be had. Gradually the wind eased  to 6-8mph resulting in Martin making a bottom landing.

I drove down to collect Martin and discovered there was no wind in the landing area. However on getting back to the hill we still had 10-12mph W wind! I took off for another flight but had to work hard to stay up in the intermittent blobs of lift coming through. Eventually I started sinking to takeoff level again and came in for a slope landing.

We amused ourselves for a while ground handling before packing up and heading up the Glenshane Pass. Stopping at the Ponderosa we had an excellent meal, then headed to the Dunsilly Hotel near Antrim for the UHPC AGM. Usual good craic there and new committee elected including some of the old committee for continuity.

Photo shows Martin airborne:

Sunny and cold.

Thursday 24 November 2016

With a forecast NE wind for the afternoon I headed to Robin Young's. Wind was very light so I walked to takeoff, only to find the wind very light and blowing along the cliff from the east. By then I had got an email from Ian Cross reporting conditions flyable at Agnew's Hill and LOA clearance had been obtained from ATC. A quick peek over the back of Young's showed two paragliders soaring Agnew's in the distance.

Just as I was about to head to Agnew's and not looking forward to the steep climb up, an old friend and former UHPC hang glider pilot, Loudon Blair and his friend Jack Montgomery arrived with their radio control model gliders. After Jack's story about being flung into the field by the electric fence on a previous occasion, we made sure to use the proper stile.

After launching his soaring model and flying around for a while, Loudon handed me the controls and I had a most enjoyable time cruising the model around to Ballycoose and back. There was fairly consistent light lift out in front of the car park and when I handed control back to Loudon he brought it in for a perfect landing at our feet.

I decided to head over to Agnew's and arrived to see Ian landing out in front of the cliff and well away from the cars, having lost what lift there was. There was another wing still in the air (Steve Hill) - see photo - and three cars on site but I decided I couldn't face the climb up so late in the day and with wind probably dying (according to the nearby wind turbines) so I contented myself by taking a photo and headed home.

Another wasted journey!

Having heard there was snow on the road at Dungiven I dithered about heading out, although the forecast was reasonable with wind supposed to ease. Donal Hamilton was thinking of heading to Dungiven too but a bit put off by news of snowy road. Meantime Tony Davis had headed to Sl. Gullion.

Since I had been grounded by the weather for a while now and believing the forecast of easing wind, I decided to head to Dungiven anyway. On the way I got a message to say that Donal had decided to go to Sl. Gullion. Arriving at Dungiven W, I discovered that the road all the way to the top was bare tarmac, thanks to the westerly sunshine. There was still a light dusting of snow on the grass. The wind was on the hill but 18-20mph and gusting. Too strong for me. There was low cloud on the hills upwind but Benbradagh well clear of cloud.

After about an hour I took another wind reading - now gusting to 21mph! So much for the forecast! Aside from the wind, the cloud had now come down on the hill so I left, coming out of the cloud about 100ft down the hill. Another wasted journey.

To complete my day, I learned that there had been good flying at Sl. Gullion!

One of those days!

Forecast was a bit 'iffy' but winds looked light except for Met Office low level wind chart giving over 23mph at 1,000ft. Deciding that that would be too much, I cancelled training and went to visit my sister in Magherafelt.

Approaching the Castledawson roundabout I decided a quick trip to Dungiven would do no harm even though there were a few spits of rain. Arriving at the deserted west face at Benbradagh I found the wind bang on the hill and 14-16mph and showers in the distance. With nobody else around I waited a while and checked the wind again as it began to feel a bit gusty although the showers upwind seemed to fizzle out before they hit Dungiven.

The wind was now gusting 14 - 19mph but not severely. I nevertheless decided it would not be a good idea to go flying on my own. The fact that wisps of orographic cloud were now starting to drift up the hill made the decision for me - that was it!

Another disappointing day.

Forecast sounded fairly reasonable but, as is so often the case, the forecast bore little in common with reality and the morning brought calm conditions with low cloud and then some very light drizzle. Hoping it would clear as I had four students anxious to get going, I went out to Big Collin around lunchtime when conditions were drier. Low cloud was hugging the top of the hill and there was a moderate breeze from the SSW - not S as forecast!

Ken McConnell was already on site with a student who then got one top to bottom flight and came up for a second. By then the wind had gone more westerly in direction and increased to 18mph at times. Then the cloud descended, putting an end to any more thoughts of flying. Yet another parawaiting afternoon!

Taster day

With an NE light wind forecast for the afternoon (it was calm in the morning) I met up with keen potential pilots Karina Golab and Wojciech Bak for a paragliding taster. Both are originally from Poland but have been living in Newry for a number of years where they run a business. We met up at Corr's Corner at lunchtime and from there headed to Skeagh. The wind on arrival was ENE and 14-16mph.

I was glad I had brought the Firebird Trainer wing as this allowed them to practice reverse launch on the lower slope near the gate without the risk of inadvertently becoming airborne. Gradually the wind eased to 5-10mph and we switched to forward launch which both found a bit easier.

I think we should have Karina out on the hill more often as she brought sandwiches, Coke and even  a box of chocolates that we shared!

With a bit of practice both Karina and Wojciech managed a number of low flights on Firebird F1rst wings with good takeoffs and landings and we called a halt when the wind dropped to less than 5mph and both were getting a bit tired.

Mayobridge (Carmeen)

With a WNW forecast and CPN student Gerry Johnston available, I decided on a trip to Mayobridge where I haven't graced its slopes in a long time.

Arriving in bright sunshine with cumulous clouds drifting overhead it looked promising. Gerry arrived and we made our way to takeoff where we found a brisk 14mph increasing at times to 18mph and slightly off to the North.

I took off to check out conditions and found reasonable lift which at that stage was best at the eastern end of the ridge. Occasional light thermals were drifting on to the hill but the sky was becoming fairly well overdeveloped. I top landed and spent a while with Gerry discussing the site as he had not flown there before. We were soon joined by Tony Davis and then by Geoff Dawson.

We watched as Tony and Geoff took off  and got good height at times then scratching along the hill. Geoff managed to squeeze in on top but Tony had a walk up from a field at the bottom close to the hill. They soon got airborne again and Gerry took off on a familiarisation flight and joined them. Being unused to the site and with two others in the air it was understandable that he gradually lost the lift and landed in a field close to the hill.

Whilst Gerry was packing and getting himself back up the hill I took off for another flight. Geoff and I floated about in varying lift that extended well out from the hill but was a bit choppy at times. I came in for a top landing that took a long time as the wind had picked up. At times I was going slowly backwards; at times I was almost on the ground then twenty feet in the air - but eventually I landed safely on the spot from which I had staarted my takeoff run. Tony had left by this stage and Geoff managed to get down near me. We decided that it was too strong for Gerry to carry out any useful CPN exercises and gale hanging did not appeal to Geoff and me, so we packed up.

A lone figure who had been standing by the stone wall at the top watching our landing antics came over for a chat. Turned out his name is Matt; he's an Irish News photographer who lives in Castlewellan and spotted us as he was driving past on the main road. He said that this was the first time he had ever been up on that hill and was gobsmacked by the view!

More action.

Been without my PC for a few days but now catching up with a new hard disk installed.

Sunday 9 October 2016

Good day training at Big Collin. Ken McConnell was working with a student when I arrived on site. I was soon joined by my student Declan McGill and later Gerry Johnston. Wind was slightly off to ESE but generally straight on at the top and varying from 12-14mph. Declan made eight semi-soaring flights and completed all his tasks for EP.

Gerry had three semi-soaring flights and perfected his forward launch when the wind eased. I had a couple of short flights myself - one on the Firebird F1rst S and one to check out a Firebird Raven S that Keith McGeown was interested in. Keith later turned up and had a great semi-soaring flight and landing on the Raven. Seems he liked it! Dermot Lagan also turned up and flew.

As the wind had dropped towards evening, Alastair McMaster and Ken fired up their paramotors and both headed off into the distance in different directions for some sight seeing. On their return we all packed up and headed home.

Monday 10 October 2016

With a nice easterly wind, Agnew's Hill was the place to be. A surprising number of people seem to be able to avoid work on a Monday as the hill played host to eight paragliders and two hang gliders - yes! hang gliders!! ably piloted by Keith ? and Steve ?

The climb up the hill does not get any easier with age and was very wet and slippery underfoot. I took off on the NE face above the cars and flew round to the E face where there was the best lift, helped by passing thermals. Tom Carson having cleared things with ATC Aldergrove for ascent into the Class D airspace overhead, for the next hour I had a ball, playing with the ridge lift and thermals to 880ft above the top of the hill. I was joined by Geoff Dawson and Colin Lown.

After an hour my fingers were too cold - I only had the light summer gloves - so I top landed clost to Donal Hamilton's laid out paraglider. Donal was doing nose man for Keith and Steve launching their hang gliders and I had a brief chat with him before he headed skywards just after Geoff top landed. Hands warmed I was soon up to join them, with Dermot Lagan now airborne. Tom Carson and Dave Tweedie had been flying earlier but had now bottom landed and soon departed.

I flew to Shane's Hill and back, getting fairly low in the dip and thus putting me downwind of a couple of active wind turbines. There was no turbulence experienced at all which is interesting in the light of the proposed new windfarms to be built across the Star Bog Road in front of the main ridge. After another hour there was just Donal and myself in the air and we both noticed a significant increase in windspeed within one beat of the cliffs. My groundspeed was down to 1.4mph at one stage without speedbar. At that stage cold fingers had made themselves known again so I flew down and landed by the windsock near the cars, followed by Donal.

Ken McConnell had arrived and got a short soaring flight as the rest of us packed up. I rang ATC Aldergrove to let them know we had finished and after the usual post-flying waffle, we headed home.

Update

Nothing happening for me on the flying front for a wee while. Spent nine days as an 'extra' on a film shoot (for film called 'ZOO') on various locations around Belfast and further out. Then last weekend I spent at Tollymore National Outdoor Centre on the edge of the Mournes  on a course to renew my REC Emergency Care first aid certification that I need as a BHPA Senior Instructor. This has to be renewed every three years.

The craic at Tollymore was good and the course has a high practical content so you are outdoors a lot dealing with simulated casualty situations. Others on the course included Game of Thrones tour guides who had not been on a course before and outdoor leaders of various sorts. Accommodation and excellent food are provided and coffee, tea etc is on tap whenever you want. It's a little bit mentally tiring but you certainly get your first aid skills sharpened up and the latest developments and techniques explained, demonstrated and practiced.

One of the other people on the course was James Linford. I taught his brother Charles to fly a hang glider many years ago (1970s) but we had lost touch. It was good to have an unexpected 'catch up' and to know that Charles if fit and well and living in England, although not hang gliding any more.

Bad day came good!

Thursday 15th September 2016

No wind and very low cloud this morning but as the cloud slowly lifted I went out to Big Collin. The hill was by then clear of cloud and the wind was off to the S and 12-15mph at takeoff. I had a quick flight with a few soaring beats before slope landing after my student Keith McGeown arrived. We then got Keith airborne for a similar flight but as the wind went more westerly we left for Agnew's Hill.

More success there. At Agnew's west the wind was spot on for direction and a bit on the strong side at times on top. but mainly 14-16mph. Keith had a ball. He soared on his first flight and inadvertently top landed under full control - maybe just to show me! He followed that up with four more flights semi-soaring  and doing big ears and rear riser steering when he headed out for his spot landings at the bottom.

We wrapped up around 6pm just as the cloud was descending on to the hill. On the way down Shane's Hill road we could see cloud starting to fill the valley below - looked like quite a temperature inversion at work.

Young's and Agnew's - no good.

Took student Keith McGeown out to Robin Young's Hill. On the way we could see that Agnew's Hill was covered in cloud. No surprise then to find Young's the same. We decided to wait to see if the cloud would clear and were joined by Dermot Lagan. Ian Cross rang from a cloud covered Sl Gallion.

We noticed after a while that the wind had moved more easterly so we went to Agnew's. No luck there either with cloud covering the hill so we gave up.

Another 'no good' day.

Low cloud, light wind and drizzle yesterday (Tues).

Lovely sunny day with wind on the hill at Big Collin today (Wed). Windspeed on top 21mph gusting 37mph.

Crazy weather!

Dungiven - hoping!

On the strength of a favourable forecast I headed to Dungiven west. Ian Cross, Maurice McBride, Colin Dowey, Dave Tweedie, Ian Fraser, John Wallace, Tom Carson and Phil Barron were already there but nobody flying as rain showers were approaching and the wind was too light for soaring. Good to see pilots I hadn't seen for a while. We were kept entertained for a while by Phil flying his radio controlled drone.

Macedonian pilot Alex Velichkovski, now based in Letterkenny and his wife and child turned up. Alex is relatively inexperienced and was looking to get checked out with a view to getting BHPA CP Novice rating under the alternative entry system. Dave and I watched as he laid out his wing properly, then put on his harness and prepared to attach the risers without checking the harness and wing. I explained briefly about daily inspection and showed him how this was done. When looking over his harness I noticed, and remarked, that he did not have a reserve parachute. He said he would not be high enough for one to be any use. I explained that I had successfully deployed a reserve at 300ft and even on a straight top to bottom flight here he would be much higher than that, although the need to deploy would be most unlikely. He said he planned to get a reserve 'chute!

Alex's flight plan as agreed with Dave Tweedie was to fly to the bottom landing area doing necessary turns on the way. There was no windsock or other indicator in the landing field and he asked us if the wind would be in the same direction at the bottom. However he did not appear to know that wind direction could be found from drift over the ground. He did a good reverse inflation, turned and took off with about half brake applied all during his takeoff run. He flew into lift but followed the plan to fly down, overshooting the landing area and landing on his backside close to the fence by the lane further down the hill. No harm done.

As there seemed no sign of conditions changing, everybody else left - some going to White Mountain to see if conditions might be better there. After I got a 'phone call from Maurice to say that it looked flyable at White Mountain I was about to follow when Dermot Lagan and his wife arrived and the wind then picked up to around 10mph. We prepared to fly but the wind then died again. A couple of hours later conditions had not changed so we packed up and went home.

It seems that those who went to White Mtn did get some airtime in light thermals for a while.

Saturday 27 August 2016 - Big Collin

Attending the club barbecue, organised by Phil Barron, at Benone was the plan. So, with a forecast SE wind it seemed that a flight at Big Collin before heading north would be a good start to the day. Hardly had the thought occurred to me than I got a text from Dermot Lagan who was already on site and reporting soarable wind. When I got there, Dermot could be seen ground handling at the top of the hill whilst at the bottom, Ken McConnell was busy instructing a student in the same art.

When I got the top the wind was slightly off to the East and varying between 14-16mph. I took off and got sink followed by lift followed by sink but, working the lifty bits, I managed to gain 100ft only to lose it again and did a slope landing just below the top.

The wind had picked up a bit and was now around 18mph most of the time with the odd slight lull. I took off again in one of these lulls into conditions that were a lot more boisterous, with lift well out towards the farm upwind plus associated sink. I managed ten minutes before I decided that I was not enjoying this very much and went down and landed near Ken and his student after a bit of a roller coaster approach.

Dermot wisely decided he did not want chucked around like that so he walked down and, after a chat with Ken and his student, I headed to Benone to join the party.

BARBEQUE

Well - what can I say! Phil Barron, his good lady wife Louise excelled themselves in laying on a barbeque, helped by a few friends, that would be hard to beat. A large gazebo with an extension had been constructed on the beach in case of bad weather and for sleeping accommodation if needed. Those who arrived early were treated to Phil's famous stews, brewed up on a gas burner while the barbeque was being fired up. The recipe for the stews is his trade secret so no point in asking, but taste delicious. Boxes of burgers, bags of baps, lettuce, tomato, onions, sauces, disposable bowls, plates, glasses etc were all there waiting.

Gradually more people started to arrive bearing bags of logs and wood offcuts, booze of various sorts and a firepit consisting of an old washing machine drum was lit. This worked extremely well and kept us warm well into the small hours of Sunday.

  Once Gavin's big barbeque was ready, a steady stream of burgers, topped up with sauces etc started disappearing into baps and down hungry throats.

While all the preparations were going on, Al, Walter and Rory were zooming round the area on their paramotors. Gradually as the evening wore on, some people drifted away - particularly those who had children along or who had children at home to go back to. That left a hard core group huddled round the firepit, lashing back the drink and talking rubbish. One or two seemed to have a wee bit of a balance problem at times.

Dee down!

Strangely, the talk did not come round to paragliding until well after midnight. After 1:30am we were joined by four ladies from the nearby campsite who had decided to go for a run on their bicycles along the beach in the middle of the night. Like moths to a flame, they were attracted by the glow of the firepit and the waffling bodies gathered round it. After a bit of banter they left and the rest of us drifted off to sleep in cars, tents, vans or wherever around 3:30am.

Some five hours later, those of us who had stayed close to the action, helped to dismantle the gazebo, clear away the rubbish and generally leave the beach undisturbed.

Since the wind was on the hill, Dermot Lagan and I went up to takeoff. Wind was around 14-16mph with occasional gusts to 20mph. Since we were both semi-knackered from the late night and little sleep we thought it best to give flying a miss and headed home with our memories of a cracker event.

Big Collin yet again!

Thur 25 August

Calm morning  and didn't look like being worthwhile going out but I headed to Big Collin anyway after lunchtime. As half expected, the wind at the bottom  was very light and variable between SE and S. At the top it was little better but making 4mph at times. While waiting for students to arrive I had a chat with a radio amateur who had set up a temporary station on the top and was chatting to others in the far south of Ireland as well as a Frenchman who called in.

Declan McGill then arrived and the wind had picked up a bit to 10-12mph. I took off on my Firebird Raven straight into lift and had a pleasant soaring flight for a while right above takeoff while chatting to Declan as he stood on the hill. I then came in for a top landing and reckoned it was smooth enough for a beginner.

We then got organised and Declan had two good flights top to bottom from 3/4 of the way up the hill followed by Paul Cunningham who also had two flights. By the time Paul had climbed up again and we were planning flights for them from the top the wind had picked up to 16-18mph. We waited - and waited. Dermot Lagan arrived and we waited again! But the wind had no notion of dying down and was over 20mph at times.

After we returned to the cars for a bite to eat, we got the Gin Zoom S paraglider that Paul had bought on Ebay, out for a look. It was in excellent condition and real bargain but too far advanced for a beginner. I did some ground handling with it, ending with a short flight from part way up the hill. It was noticeable that the wingtips had a tendency to tuck in any gusts when kiting but steadied up when under load after takeoff.

As the wind showed little sign of dying down we packed up and headed home.

Wed 24 August

IP student Pete Stevenson came out after a bit of a layoff. After a familiarisation flight on the Firebird F1rst L wing we got him ground handling and then airborne on his new Firebird Raven L. He loved it and ended up with a soaring flight and a top landing after a number of top to bottom flights and 3 slope landings. He topped all this by taking and passing his EP exam so now ready to get stuck into his CP Novice tasks.

Windy Gallion

Thurs 18 August

Calm at home all morning. Had to call with my sister in Magherafelt late pm so, since the wind seemed to be picking up from the east, I decided to have a look at Sl Gallion. Arriving at the east face and facing into wind, I noticed that opening the car door met with a bit of resistance. I had just got the car serviced the day before so a stiff door had nothing to do with it. Digging out my trusty wind meter and stepping out I soon discovered that the wind was 24mph gusting 27mph - car door closing strength and a bit too strong for even a mini-wing I thought. But since I didn't have a mini-wing I abandoned that thought and hung about for a while but with no sign of the wind dying off, the lure of a cooked meal at my sister's enticed me away.

No good

Went to Big Collin with a student Declan McGill on the strength of  a forecast, to find that what little breath of wind there was came from the west - no good for this site. We then headed to Agnew's Hill West to find flat calm with occasional less than 2mph coming from every direction but mainly south! One of the turbines at Big Collin in the distance was slowly turning and continuing to indicate westerly wind there but it seems the energy it took to turn the turbine left nothing to travel on to Agnew's. After hanging around for a bit and no change in conditions, we went home.

Dungiven

Arriving at the hill around lunchtime the wind seemed a bit strong. Phil Barron and John Wallace had flown earlier and landed in rising wind - now 20mph as measured by Willie Kane. Noticing that the sky seemed to be lighter well upwind we decided to wait. Owen Rea and Gavin Rabbett turned up hoping to fly.

After a couple of hours the wind eased  to 12-14mph and Gavin took off, followed by Owen and me. There was plenty of lift around and as the wind had backed slightly towards the south west I decided to head over to the headland over the road. It was quite choppy in a few places - but then the wind got stronger and I was at 800ft above takeoff and going backwards even with big ears and speed bar. There was nothing for it but to prepare for a top landing behind the headland. as I got lower and let off the speed bar and big ears I found I was descending vertically and this is how I landed. Meantime, Gavin and Owen who were lower and flying near takeoff managed to top land before it really picked up.

Putting the wing and harness in a stuffsack I walked to the front of the hill and took a wind reading - 22mph with prolonged gusts to 26mph. Definitely too strong to fly so I walked down to the road by the bridge. Willie kindly drove down and gave me a lift back to the car. There seemed no prospect of the wind dying down so we left.

Yesterday - Thursday - with a strong NNW wind on the beach at Benone, Martin Bates and I spent a cracking couple of hours with the X-Sails in the 18mph wind until the incoming tide stopped play. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWxF9a6j-sc&feature=youtu.be.

Yet another day at Big Collin

Sunday 24 July 2016

Five students were raring to go this morning but conditions did not look too promising. I went out to Big Collin to take a look anyway around lunchtime. The SE wind was a light 10-12mph occasionally 14mph on top but a succession of slow moving showers could be seen upwind. As a result three of the students elected to give it a miss but Paul Cunningham and Keith McGeown turned up in hope of getting a flight during a gap in the showers.

Keith managed two semi-soaring flights from the top - taking off in 15mph wind - slope landing on the first and a target landing by the windsock on the second. Paul had a flight from half way up, landing by the lane.Then the rains came.

After Paul did a bit of flying suit modelling and with no sign of the rain stopping, we left.

Another day at Big Collin

Met up with my CP student Keith McGeown at Big Collin. Wind was well round to the South and light down at the cars. Part way up the hill the wind was stronger but starting to get gusty. I called ATC and got clearance into Class D airspace to 3,000ft! Keith had a short top to bottom flight with good stand up landing but on climbing the hill again further up the wind was getting gustier and stronger - around 11-12mph gusting to 19 and 20mph at times.

When it eased a little bit I took off to explore conditions but it was a bit of a roller coaster and no place for a student. Students George Darragh and Paul Cunningham had arrived but since it was too gusty to fly we went over Daily Inspection, Site Assessment, Pre-flight checks and practice reverse launch procedures with the ground handling Firebird Trainer. This was a useful exercise as all managed to control the small wing well in the gusty wind without risking getting airborne or dragged. This is Keith having a go, with Paul and George watching:

I had another check flight on the small Firebird F1rst wing. Conditions were soarable but still moderately turbulent with a height gain of about 50ft enabling me to get in for a top landing.

Later we had to dive for shelter from a succession of light showers that swept through - then floating the wing in the air to dry it!

An attempt to ground handle the F1rst wing in the bottom landing area proved to be a wast of time due to the unpredictable gusts so we eventually called it a day after calling ATC again to report that we had finished activities on the hill. They were most appreciative of both calls.

Martin Bates also had a soaring flight on his Skywalk Chili wing in a rare less gusty spell.

More parawaiting Tues 19 July 2016

Approaching Big Collin around lunchtime I could see a paraglider airborne. It turned out to be Ian Cross on his Sky wing but conditions looked a bit 'lumpy'.  David Tomás Carpeño was just climbing the hill and stopped for a quick chat. Expecting two CP students, I decided to have a flight myself to check out conditions. As expected from the wind that was gusting 9-19mph half way up the hill, it was a bit of a roller coaster with pockets of lift everywhere including out to the farm in front. Having decided I'd had enough bouncing around I landed at the bottom just after David. Ian had already landed.

Gusty conditions continued for the rest of the day but Ian manfully provided the entertainment on his new Ozone Swift wing - on one occasion ascending rapidly vertically with no forward groundspeed at all. But he never reached the 5,000ft that he had been cleared to by Aldergrove ATC!

Dermot Lagan had turned up by then but wisely decided to stay on the ground - as did my two students, Gerry Johnston and Keith McGeown. When Ian had to leave, after getting an extension to sunset from ATC, conditions still did not improve so we passed the time with some paragliding theory discussion on various aspects such as site assessment and meteorology, trying to work out what was going on with the weather. 

The wind was still gusting and switching rapidly from ESE to SSE and back to SE at times. Overhead and approaching scattered Cumulus clouds appeared to be shredded and never got fully formed. Meanwhile in the distance upwind was a large wave cloud with some Cumulus and Stratocumulus mixed in. The hot sun was certainly cooking up lots of thermals  and the whole mix seemed to be contributing to the strong and gusty conditions. Eventually we decided that the gustiness was there to stay and we called it a day around 6:30pm after 'phoning ATC to let them know. Yet another day for the parawaiting logbook!!

Big Collin today

Early indications were that maybe Big Collin would be flyable although the Met Office low level wind chart was giving 20kts at 1,000ft. I should have heeded that. Wind on the hill turned out to be very gusty - mostly averaging 18-19mph but frequently gusting 13-26mph SSE. Another lovely day for a walk but no change in the wind so after an hour I went home.

Gusty

I went out to Agnew's Hill W in the hope of getting a couple of my students airborne. No good - wind gusting between 13 and 24mph by the lane at the bottom of the hill. Went for a walk on the hill for an hour - no change in the wind so I came home!

Good day at Dungiven West

After speaking to Martin Bates who was heading to Mayobridge to join a couple of others there, I took Keith McGeown out with me to Dungiven W just after lunchtime. Wind looked strong and a bit gusty at home but we decided to take a chance. We were glad we did. Coming within sight of the hill we saw three paragliders up high. They turned out to be Ian Cross, Maurice McBride and Mark Piggott all jockeying for position in the hope of an XC flight although conditions were completely overcast and remained like that all day.

Colin Lown was at takeoff practicing his Mitsos launch technique (using A and C risers), Simon Finlay and Davy Boyd also got airborne. Wind was 10-12mph, occasionally 14mph. Gerry Johnston (CPN student) was getting ready to fly, so to check out conditions for him I took off on the Skyman Heartbeat M using a Cobra launch and quickly got into a good climb in a large smooth thermal marked by Maurice - Donal at this stage was high downwind and looked to be off on an XC (turned out later that he didn't get far, having to fly in and out of lift at cloudbase in decreasing visibility he turned back and landed within walking distance over the back road). I left the thermal at 800ft above takeoff and flew out into the valley to lose height before turning to top land in the usual spot.

Gerry had five soaring flights with attempts at slope landing on four of them and practice Big Ears when he got height. Keith, who had finished all his EP tasks last September felt confident enough to go for a soaring flight. He ended up having four excellent soaring flights following detailed flight planning and minimal radio guidance, achieving 3 good standup slope landings and one at the bottom landing area. Keith topped it all by passing his EP exam. Now ready for the rest of his CP Novice tasks.

It seems that there was good flying at Mayobridge and also at Magilligan today too.

Too windy at Young's.

With a NE wind forecast and despite the Met Office low level wind chart promising 23mph at 1,000ft, I headed out to Robin Young's Hill anyway. Arriving as the only occupant of the car park the wind did not seem too strong so I headed up to the top takeoff with my paraglider. Wind was bang on the hill but seemed a bit too strong - confirmed by the windmeter that showed 20mph gusting 26mph at times. There was some lively looking cumulus around, mixed with bright sunshine. I texted my students to tell them not to bother making the journey.

I was soon joined by Dermot Lagan and we had a wander round the clifftop and round by Sallagh Bowl with Dermot, who hasn't soared Young's yet, getting some site assessment practice in. In the strong wind it was easy to demonstrate the rotor behind the cliff by throwing up a handful of dry grass and watching it swirl all over the place. We were entertained by a soaring buzzard in Sallagh Bowl and the views across by Ballygally Head to Scotland were crisp and clear. Apart from me getting a mild dig from an electric fence, we managed to sort out the EU Brexit argument in advance of the referendum next week!

After wandering about for over two hours it became apparent that the wind was not dying down and as it had now moved more Northerly there was no point in waiting so I had the rare privelege of carrying my kit back down to the car. A Northerly wind here generates severe turbulence on the NE facing hill.

...and again!

Saturday 11 June. Mist and haze all morning and into the afternoon. I took a quick trip out to Big Collin more in hope than expectation around 4:30pm. The wind at the bottom was straight on the hill and just 5-6mph so it looked like a flight was 'on'. At the top the wind was varying from 12-18mph with some gusts. I took off in a slight lull and straight into good lift. Unfortunately  that was followed by sink and the rest of the flight was the roller-coaster we sometimes see at the Collin. I put it down to wind shear because I was being bounced around in a headwind whilst the windsock by the car was only showing a gentle breeze. Anyway I landed ok by the car in hardly any wind. As soon as I finished packing, the rain came on.

On the way out the lane I noticed a dead sheep and 'phoned the farmer to let him know. He was a bit concerned as, having rounded up and checked all the sheep yesterday when we were there, he thought they were all ok.

Big Collin again!

Dull and misty all morning. I went out to Big Collin where there was a 10-12mph SSE wind on the hill but with a low cloudbase. Being a bit optimistic I rang Aldergrove ATC for clearance in case by some miracle I got high enough to get into Class D airspace. The official number (9448 4282) was answered but I was quickly told they were too busy and they gave me another number to ring. That other number (9448 4281) was answered by a pleasant young lady who kept me on hold for a while then put me through to Simon Savage - I gather he is Operations Manager. Simon apologised, saying that this was the first time he had to deal with our LOA arrangements. Of course I told him it was my first LOA call too.

I explained that it was unlikely that we would infringe Class D because of the light wind and low cloudbase but was letting them know just in case and to check if ok. There was no problem and we were cleared to 3,000ft ASL until 6pm local time (which is when I said we would be finished).

Martin Bates amused himself practicing ground handling and low flights on his ancient Airwave Voodoo wing. I took the large Firebird Raven half way up the hill and took off. Lift was a bit intermittent - mostly little more than ground skimming - but I eventually managed to get enough height for a landing on the top. I walked down to where Martin was playing and we were joined by Ian Fraser and his brother who was on a visit from Iceland (the country - not the frozen food store in Glengormley!).

Ian managed a couple of low soaring flights before packing up to go and collect children from school. I took off into a surge of lift  which continued out to the farm and approaching cloudbase, followed by sink but managed to scrape back to another top landing. I then flew down to try to land by the cars in the second layby but there was lift everywhere. I eventually landed in the usual bottom landing area nearer the gate.

I packed up the Raven and had another flight on the Skyman Heartbeat. After five minutes or so the wind eased and I landed by the cars around 4pm and 'phoned Aldergrove ATC to tell them we were leaving the site. About five minutes later while I was packing up, I could hear an aircraft hidden in the low cloud overhead on course towards Aldergrove!

Earlier in the day I had 'phoned Dermot Lagan who had bottom landed at Cregagh Hill but said that Tom Carson, Dave Tweedie, Maurice McBride and Colin Dowey were flying there.

Monday 6 June 2016

Discovered wind on the hill at Big Collin again - but gusty. Windspeed at the top was varying between 16 and 20mph with a gust or two to 26mph. Down at the lane 8 gusting 14mph at times. No point in getting my student out in that. I had a new Large Firebird Raven for one of my students so decided to take a look at it and maybe do a little ground handling.

Having walked up about 10yds from the car I laid the wing out, did a daily inspection, clipped in and did a reverse inflation. All looked good so dropped the wing again. Second go at reverse inflation had me becoming involuntarily airborne resulting in a short rollercoaster soaring flight and landing back beside the car. I reckon the wing is ok for many happy hours flying!! Dermot Lagan arrived but wisely decided not to fly.

Knowing that Dave Tweedie had gone to Shane's Hill and reported 8-10mph wind there earlier, I headed round to Shane's, arriving just as Dave was putting his gear into the car. He had been able to soar - just - but not getting any height. We noticed a lamb that appeared to be ill, lying by the gate so, when Dave left I drove up the back lane where Sandy Magee, the farmer, and his team were clipping sheep and told him about the lamb. He thanked me and said he would take a look.

Quick evening session at Slieve Gallion

Saturday  4th June. After chasing the wind - what little there was - I called at Robin Young's to find a very light wind coming and going and well off to the east. Whilst debating the possibility that Agnew's might work, I got a text from Uel Glendinning who was at Sl Gallion to say that there was a nice 10mph wind bang on the easterly small ridge.

I headed over to join Uel, letting my EP student Paul Cunningham know as he lives in nearby Maghera. Paul joined us on the hill just before 5pm just after paramotor pilot Chris Stockdale had a quick top to bottom flight on his paramotor wing (without the paramotor) as I was preparing the Skyman Heartbeat for a flight. I managed to get quite a few beats in before the wind eased and I, too, ended up at the bottom. Fortunately the ridge there is not that high so a walk back up is not too bad.

Paul got organised with the small Firebird F1rst and, after a bit of getting used to ground handling in a stronger wind - up to 14mph at times - he had three very good top to bottom flights with standup landings.

Good day's training at Big Collin

Although the wind was light and variable from zero to 8mph we had a good day on the hill. John Kelly and Colin McQuaid were out for a taster day and Paul Cunningham was on his first EP training day. The light and variable wind - mostly on the hill or off a bit - still allowed lots of forward launch practice for all three.

When all three were well practiced and had a rest we started moving up the hill. By the end of the day Paul had flve flights from near the top of the hill with Colin and John flying from half way up. All three made good forward launches with good inflight control under radio guidance and good stand up landings at the bottom.

Martin Bates and Dermot Lagan also flew from the top a number of times. Tom Carson and Colin Dowey called by then went and got some airtime at Shane's Hill and Agnew's.

Another good day at Big Collin!

Initially the wind was quite strong and just slightly E of SE but with little lift. I had a short top to bottom flight as my first student arrived. Students practiced their reverse launch ground handling initially. Got Taster student Declan McGill ground handling then three good flights getting higher each time and all standup landings. CP student Gerry Johnston also flew for the first time in 6 months having been off with a health glitch. Dermot Lagan showed how ground handling should be done and also had a number of flights top to bottom as did Martin Bates on his single surface Niviuk Skin wing.

It seems that there was some reasonable flying at Agnew's Hill underneath the new Class D airspace, with rarely seen Mark Gibson and Richard Stewart getting some airtime with Colin Dowey and Tom Carson. It was also good to hear that former club member and excellent pilot John McNamee also put in an appearance with a view to getting back into the sport after an absence of five years!

Good day at Big Collin yesterday (Tues).

More ground handling with Willie Armstrong and Paul Cunningham in slightly gusty ESE wind - not the best direction for flying Big Collin but ok for ground handling. Martin Bates joined us for a while. Paul managed one short hop before the wind went Easterly and we stopped.

Promised something but delivered little.

Took EP student Gintaras Jakutis out to Agnew's West around lunchtime when it looked as if the showers might stay away and the wind remained light. Arriving there, we found the wind spot on and around 7-8mph - just nice. After the usual thorough daily inspection, GT (as he is known) got plenty of practice in at reverse inflations and turn for launch as well as repeated pre-flight checks.

There was a lot of towering Cu clouds around and it wasn't long before the wind became gusty and variable in direction although overall wind strength never got above 12mph but momentarily fell to 2 in lulls. GT still managed to control the wing in the gusts but then the wind swung round to the NW and stayed there as some light spots of rain arrived. After some discussion on various items of paragliding theory, we called it a day.

Gusty wind day!

Yesterday (Friday 13th) I took paragliding taster students Paul Cunningham and Declan McGill to Skeagh on the strength of a favourable forecast despite calm conditions at home. Arriving at Skeagh we discovered that the NE wind was gusting up to 18mph - too rough for even the Firebird Trainer.

With nothing better to do we went round to Robin Young's where it was just as gusty at the car park. After a chat to one of the radio control model flyers who was still in his car having reckoned it too gusty even for his model, we went down to the bottom landing area to show the newcomers a bit about the site.

We had only been there a few minutes when the landowner, Campbell Tweed arrived in his car to check out who we were. He was content when he recognised me and we had a short chat before he headed off. It seems there had been a bit of sheep stealing in Co. Antrim recently but we were innocent of any such suspicion!

Although still gusty, the wind was a good bit lighter so Paul and Declan were able to get a good bit of reverse launch ground handling before we called it a day after 5pm. Incidentally, Declan's father-in-law is Terry Moseley, former UHPC hang glider pilot and UHPC secretary and prominent in astronomy circles.

Blustery day at Skeagh again.

Yesterday (Friday) at Skeagh looked promising. Newcomers Willie Armstrong and Paul Cunningham on their first day were raring to go. The wind initially was northerly and a reasonable 10-12mph. With the BHPA required paperwork completed, we got set up on the lower slopes for the usual introductory daily inspection and ground handling among other basic explanations. I had noticed that the wind was now becoming a bit gusty and this was confirmed when I demonstrated ground handling with the medium Firebird F1rst wing - far too much of a handful for beginners.

So the secret weapon was deployed - the small Firebird Trainer. Both Willie and Paul had initial difficulty with reverse inflation and control but by concentrating on what they were doing right and encouragement for getting more things right, eventually both managed to keep the twitching wing overhead. As the afternoon wore on the wind and gusts increased. Martin Bates and Dermot Lagan joined us but by then the wind on top was 20mph. After a battle to keep his lightweight Skin wing from wrapping itself up on the ground, Martin had a short hop from half way down the hill. Dermot wisely decided not to fly and both of them left.

Shortly after they left, Willie Kane appeared - he had been working in the area and came up for a chat. Down at the bottom the wind was still gusty and increasing at times to 18-20mph. We called it a day and two happy chappies looking forward to more action on a better day.

Picture shows Willie, Paul and Martin.

Skeagh on Thursday

New EP student George joined me at lunchtime for a trip to Skeagh to start training. A few miles down the road I remembered that I had forgotten to put the large Firebird F1rst wing in the car! Doh! A quick nip back home to collect and we were on our way again. Arriving at Skeagh we found Dermot Lagan and Martin Bates had beaten us to it. They had hoped to fly Robin Young's Hill but the wind was too far off to the north.

Wind was gusting 12-16mph which was too strong for first day ground handling of a large wing. So the small Firebird Trainer was  pressed into service. After the usual initial overcontrol, George eventually mastered the beast in less than ideal conditions.

See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGdi0C3dcr4.

Meanwhile, Martin wrestled with the Niviuk Skin which, being single surface and so light, turned out to be a bit of a handful but eventually tamed. Dermot, whose ground handling is excellent, flew from the top when a lull in the gusts allowed for a neat takeoff.

We called it quits around 5pm as the wind showed no sign of easing and all that ground handling was tiring.

Quick evening flights

With little or no wind all day I got caught up on some chores at home. Then Tom Carson rang - he was at a course in Belfast and just happened to have his paraglider with him and was thinking of a flight after 5pm. Needing a breath of fresh air, I headed to Big Collin with no great expectation, having texted Dermot Lagan who had been enquiring earlier.

Arriving at the hill I found the wind straight on but very light. A climb to the top did not reveal any increase in the wind which varied between 3 and 8mph. I amused myself ground handling and practicing the Cobra launch technique. I was soon joined by Dermot and then by Tom. The wind did occasionally gust briefly to 10-12mph. I managed two semi soaring flights, trying to work small blobs of lift drifting up the hill but as there was nothing big enough to get a complete turn in, I ended up landing by the car at the bottom.

Being in need of some exercise I popped the wing and harness into a stuffsack and climbed to the top again where Tom was doing a bit of ground handling. I showed him how I did the Cobra launch and of course he put my earlier failures to shame by completing a Cobra inflation spot on the first time he tried it!

We all flew down with no more success at staying up but able to prolong the descent a fair bit by chasing light blobs of lift. All landed safely near the cars and we packed up and left around 7pm.

Another windy day

Grasping at straws - headed out to Skeagh with Steve McCabe for his first day. Although it did look a bit windy when leaving home, the hope was that we could at least get some ground handling done with the small Firebird Trainer. However on arrival at the parking place the wind was NNW 20mph and gusting!- too strong and gusty even for the Trainer. We hung around for a little while but gave up in the end as there was no sign of conditions improving.

UHPC Annual Dinner Fri 8 April 2016

A good time was had by all at the Templeton Hotel, Templepatrick last night. The whole thing was very well organised by Eveleen McMaster and the food and service were excellent. Old hands and new joined in the craic and banter but some regulars we meet on the hills were missed - maybe next time.

Colin Lown did MC for the prize giving. Maurice McBride again won the shield for coming top in the XC League but there were no entries from the diminishing hang gliding side. Eveleen had also organised a draw for prizes which were won by Ian Fraser, Jennifer Bates and Tom Carson.

The last stragglers were leaving close to midnight - all well fed and watered!

Today (Saturday) I took a trip out to Big Collin. Sites Officer Alastair McMaster had done a great job filling in the potholes at the gate and along the lane. The wind was initially SW with sun and scattered Cu. Then a massive bank of black cloud with what looked like rain slowly started approaching from the East whilst the wind on the hill was SW! Eventually the black cloud arrived and the wind swung SE - but no chance of a flight as a blizzard came on and the hill turned white in a short time! Another typical flying day. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_MecUgbv1w. 

Agnew's West again.

Student Pete Stevenson managed to get two good flights in 10-12mph westerly before the wind swung to the north and died. Martin Bates had a shortish soaring flight from the top on his Niviuk Skin wing.

Stole a gap in the showers!

Student Pete Stevenson got in some valuable ground handling in gusty conditions at Agnew's Hill west this afternoon. Wind was varying between 12 and 18mph. The small Firebird Trainer wing is a bit of a handful in such conditions but he succeeded in taming it. When a short shower came through we adjourned to the classroom (my car!) where we had a useful discussion on various aspects of paragliding theory. For most of the afternoon we watched large slow moving showers moving in the distance north and south of us, leaving 'our' hill in the clear but for the one light shower.

Good day at Dungiven

Some good flying at Dungiven W this afternoon. Jim Rainey was in the air as I arrived. Phil Barron and Dermot Lagan had flown. Phil and Jim left soon after for other engagements leaving Dermot and me to carry on.

That seemed to be the cue for the wind to pick up with sharp instant gusts 9 - 20mph coming through. I tried ground handling in this but the lightweight Skyman Heartbeat wing was a real handful, tending to leap about on the ground and a small tug on the risers resulted in the wing instantly flying up overhead and beyond and then tucking after briefly lifting me on the way and dropping me again!

We waited and were eventually rewarded by the wind dropping to a manageable 12-14mph for takeoff around 4pm. I had a couple of good soaring flights, discovering that the wind at height was more NW and noticing that smoke from a fire across the valley was showing a consistent N wind! Lift was more or less everywhere and mostly smooth with the occasional wobble.  Approach to top landings was smooth. Dermot had another flight as I was getting ready to pack up.

Training at Skeagh

Lovely sunny day with some thermal activity. My two EP students, Pete Stevenson and Gintaras Jakutis had a ball for a while. Pete had eight flights from the top, with standup landings by the windsock on most of them. Variable wind put him off course on a couple of flights. Gintaras (known as GT) still has some trouble with reverse launches and involuntary braking for takeoff but improved with practice and got two top to bottom flights - one with a 'bum' landing but no harm done.

Activity was abandoned around 2:30pm when the northerly wind began gusting 9 - 21mph. Dermot Lagan had arrived for a look but wisely decided to keep his wing in its bag.

Robin Young's Hill

Another day with little to offer by way of flying. At the top takeoff at Robin Young's  the wind was on the hill but varying between 4 and 12mph. When it picked up a little I took off and turned to fly along the cliff. I didn't get enough initial lift and flew along the top of the front ridge. There was very little lift - barely maintaining and close to landing. when I flew off the end of the front ridge and back towards the cliff bowl I was still only maintaining height.

I then turned to fly along the front ridge lower down - 172ft below takeoff. Surprisingly I was able to maintain height and by staying in close managed to gain enough height to get back and turn into wind to land by the car park. I guess the glide at speed of the Skyman Heartbeat I was flying, saved the day.

The radio control model flyers were out but not enough wind for them by that stage. The wind later went north and got very gusty - measured 8 gusting 17mph at the lower takeoff. No more flying.

Another day on the ground!

Spent the morning at Greenmount college at a seminar on "Building United Communities through outdoor recreation". Before things got going and at tea break, Ian C and I managed a chat with the National Trust warden for Divis and Black Mountain. As a result we are reasonably optimistic that free access to that site can be achieved.

After lunch I headed to Robin Young's Hill. On the way I spoke to Dermot L on the 'phone and learned that there were two paragliders airborne at the Carnlough site we had visited yesterday - turned out it was Mark W and Mervyn G again.

Robin Young's was clagged in so I joined Loudon Blair and his mate Sam in the warmth of Loudon's car as we waited for the cloud to lift. The wind was very light and off to the east a fair bit.

Eventually the cloud lifted and I got a 'go', flying Loudon's radio control model glider. With only rudder control that I was never used to, I found it a bit tricky and had to be 'rescued' by Loudon a couple of times when I overcontrolled. Great fun until the wind died and put an end to the flying. Meantime Dermot made the pilgrimage to the top of the Carnlough site just as it all went flat calm so he did not fly.

Much running around without flying!

Following an early email from Ian C, I headed to Agnew's Hill before lunchtime. Martin B and Dermot L were already there, but as the wind was off to the NE we decided to try Robin Young's. I arrived there just as Ian F was landing near the car park and Mark W was packing up his wing. Ian reported that the wind had been strong earlier then dropped and was now too light to soar. Another pilot arrived in the car park - believed to be Mervyn G but who didn't come along the hill to speak to us. He and Mark left as I was helping Ian to pack his wing.

Withe nothing better to do, Dermot, Martin and I headed to Carnlough for another look at the Binagee site. We were able to drive up to the bungalow again but the surface of the lane above that was too loose for driving on. We took a walk up the lane to the top where we had a brilliant view of Carnlough bay. The wind was coming and going and predominantly off to the NNE - too far off and variable to consider flying.

On a spur lower down to the north we saw what appeared to be Mark W and Mervyn G preparing to launch on the NE face of the spur. They had a couple of short flights each with little lift and slope landings followed by top to bottom flights to the fields by the farm below.

Returning to Robin Young's Martin, Dermot and I had a word with former hang glider pilot Loudon Blair and his radio control model flier buddies. One of them returned from the top of the hill to report that the wind at takeoff was on the hill but over 20mph! Loudon had flown his soaring model earlier and said that the air was very turbulent. Not long after that Dermot measured the windspeed at the car park - 20mph! That was that! Going home time.

A good day at Big Collin

Yesterday - Sunday - saw three paragliding schools in operation at Big Collin plus a handful of UHPC members.

Beginners Pete Stevenson and Gintaras Jakutis spent some time at the bottom learning to master forward and reverse launches before moving up the hill where they both got airborne successfully.

Word from members who flew was that it was quite gusty higher up and many slope landings and bottom landings were noticed.

Light wind faffing about.

Martin Bates, Dermot Lagan, Tom Carson and myself spent the afternoon at Big Collin in sunny and mild conditions with light and variable wind, mostly SSW. Phil Barron was getting a student successfully airborne as the rest of us practiced our ground handling at the top, interrupted by semi-soaring mostly groundskimming short flights ending up our last flights by the cars.

I was playing with the Skyman Heartbeat M - a lightweight EN B wing. In a bit of breeze it easily inflates in a reverse launch by simply stepping back in the harness without the need to use the front risers. Cobra launches are also very easy and the glide was better than I expected as I overshot my intended landing spot. Handling is light and precise and the wing is noticeably faster 'hands up' than my Firebird Raven M. This might be down to reduced drag from the thin risers and line arrangement.

A pleasant day to be out and useful ground handling practice but not an epic flying day there.

Light wind fun!

Went to Agnew's Hill initially with taster student Pete Stevenson. Ken McC was already there with a student ground handling as the wind was well off to the NW. We then went on to Skeagh where the 5mph variable wind was mostly N backing NNW at times. After the usual preliminaries and some practice with forward and reverse launches, Pete ended up with excellent flights progressing to the top of the hill and getting in corrective turns to a stand up landing every time. Wind later increased to 14mph backing NW and then dropped.

Now we have another keen enthusiast raring to start a course. Coming from a background of kitesurfing and diving he is fully prepared for the inevitable parawaiting!

Just knew it!

I knew it was too good to last more than a couple of days - back to wind and rain again today!

Two days in a row!

Flew with Mark Piggott and Dermot Lagan at Big Collin whilst Danny Young and Al McMaster flew Knockagh today. Collin conditions were very variable with next to no wind on top then blowing 10-12mph intermittently. Flights were short and mainly slope landing after fighting with - and losing - small thermals that drifted up the face at times. Nevertheless more welcome airtime on top of yesterdays excellent conditions.

More airtime at last

A good day's flying at Agnew's Hill on Saturday 27th February. Good soaring with light thermals with eight other UHPC pilots. The hill was the wettest I have seen and the air so cold that after 20-30mins most of us were top landing to renew acquaintance with our fingers - despite two pairs of gloves in my case. Even a couple of additional latecomers as the wind eased got decent soaring flights. There was the usual exchange of banter in the landing area before we headed home.

Off to a start in 2016

No wind at home all morning but went out to Big Collin anyway around lunchtime. Colin D and Tom C were already there and getting airborne in the light breeze. Martin B had climbed the hill with his new Niviuk Skin single surface wing but not yet ready to fly. I climbed to the top where I also spoke to Dermot L who had dropped by for a look but did not have time for a flight.

On top the wind was picking up to over 20mph at times. Since this was to be my first flight for a while and on a new Skyman Heartbeat wing, I decided to walk down to the lowest ledge above the lane for a bit of ground handling and possibly a small hop to the bottom. Wind on the ledge was 13-14mph when I took off. Colin had slope landed nearby so I was very pleasantly surprised that I was able to stay up, gradually working very small patches of lift that took me eventually to around 100ft above the top of the hill. I was then joined by Tom C and also Martin on his maiden flight.

After about 20 mins the air became much more choppy, as is often the case on this site as the wind shifted a bit more southerly. We noticed a large lenticular cloud formation well upwind to the south and concluded that, apart from the usual turbulence from the lower ridge upwind, the downflow from the wave had probably entered the mix. Bottom landing approach was a bit of a roller-coaster needing quick reactions to the sudden changes of airspeed. All landed safely.

Colin had been adjusting his wing loading earlier with a feed of sandwiches so did not come with Tom, Martin and me to the nearby Misty Burn restaurant for a welcome hot bite and old parapensioner tales before we headed home.