perh16840 The Malvern hang-gliding club

perh16840TThe Malvern Hang Gliding Club July 2002 http://malvern-hang.org.uk

Clearing Saplings on the Kettle Sings Take-off - 6.30pm Weds 17^th July

In conjunction with the Malvern Hills Conservators this will take place on the evening of the Committee Meeting. Bring suitable tools for murdering saplings (mattocks) before they murder us. The meeting will then be held in the small pub on the lane below the Kettle Sings Café.

July Meeting

I don't know what's going to happen. Chat about flying at the Plume of Feathers over a pint?

Leckhampton Hill

The Friends of Leckhampton Common (FOLK) group was formed a couple of years ago and the MHGC are founder members. Since then they have been working actively with the Council to try to return the hill to its original state of limestone grassland. To do this they really need to graze it with sheep, but in the meantime working parties have cleared sections of it to make it a more open and pleasant environment for its recreational users which include us. Indeed the hill is so overgrown with gorse, brambles and sapling trees that it became almost unusable even for paragliders, apart for the very keenest pilots. Foremost of these is Robert Davis, who helps with the working parties on Sunday mornings. Recently in the Gloucestershire Echo there have been letters from some Cheltenham's citizens, burdened more heavily with time and vexatiousness than sense, criticising the efforts to return the hill to the condition of the rest of the Cotswold escarpment. Rob outlined the MHGC committee's position on the issue in the letter to the Echo reprinted below.

Dear Sir

As users of Leckhampton Hill, we would like to express our support for the work that FOLK have carried out on the Hill, and our agreement with their overall aim. The open spaces on the Hill have been encroached with a lot of shrub and tree growth over the last ten or so years. We are delighted with the clearance, which is trying to restore it to the original open grassland condition. The views are much enhanced; there is less of a fire risk as gorse is cleared and the Hill has a more open feeling. It also makes the Hill a safer hang-gliding and paragliding site. Please carry on the "good work".

Yours faithfully,

The Malvern Hang Gliding Club Committee
Flying Reports

Midsummer Weekend

Great Club weekend both days. Landed at campsite both days.

Made Spaniard Rocks(Sunday) and back up, (only I was higher coming back this time) Alan got 1400 ato. Could have done the Llanmadoc run, but the tide was well in at Broughton Bay and did not want to risk landing out. Sunday was OK for the PG's as well (and I still got to Span rocks and back).

Wind south of west both days.

Regards and much Respect, John

Sunday June 30th 2002, Flew our 'Members Only' site for two hours in rough conditions ( up to 26mph, may be more!), Finally got away after working very hard, only to land at Worcester 7 miles away and did an upright. What a Hoot!!!!!!(Nick was watching from terra firma!!!!!) Regards John.

ps. I hear Neville Almond(Nick's mate) on a Class 2 Eclipse got 148 miles from Frocester last Monday.

I also hear Neville may be buying a Icaro Stratos or a Aeros Stalker 2 next!!!!! J,

pps When are you going to fly again!!!!!!!!!! J.

HAY BLUFF ALL THE WAY?

By Robert Davis

Date	Site:	mB:	Time:
4.5.02	K Sings E	1019	1300 hr.
Wind Dir:	Wind Str:	Octs:	Temp:
ENE	0~10 mph.	3	12 ‘C.
Flight Duratn:	Runs:	Gain:	Max Alt:
02.19.00	11	5485 m	1420 m.
Max. up:	Dist: (GPS)	Max. Vel (GPS)	Av. Vel: (GPS)
250 m/min.	81.2 km.	58.8 km/hr.	31.5 km/hr.
T/O Ref:	Landing Ref:	XC Dist:	Av. Vel
SO 768 421	SO 278 346	49.57 km.	25.6 km/hr.

I arrive at Kettle Sings just after 1200 to find the wind off to the North of the hill. Mark Drake and Bryan Hindle are already on take off and have had short flights with little lift. There is just enough wind to scratch around take off level, using the NE facing sides of the bowls.

A long cloud street is shading take off and while I unpack there is no thermic activity – after 30 mins waiting, the cloud street blows past and in the sunshine the thermals start working. I wait until the next cloud street is about to come overhead and take off. I am lucky with my timing, as I fly straight into a thermal.

I core up for about 400 ft. and then decide to fly upwind for a bit, as my first thermal seems to be weakening. I fly upwind under the cloud street in strengthening lift, over the three Counties showground before going deciding to go over the back with this thermal. It takes me to cloudbase at about 3,500ft. My drift is towards the SE and Ledbury. I decide to leave the cloud and look for new lift as I want to fly to Hereford and will need to track to the North of the drift route. I get low the far side of Ledbury, but head for some ploughed fields. These are working well and I soon get back up to cloudbase. I head for the ridge behind Tarrington, but the clouds are not really working well. I start getting low again above Stoke Edith and head for another group of ploughed fields. Bingo! The fields are good and produce another nice thermal. I get a "top up" from the quarry at the end of the ridge, part of the Foley Estate.

The cloud street that I am under is going to the south, so I cross to the next street to the north and get more lift from ploughed fields. Lower Bullingham is on my left and Hereford dead ahead in the middle of a big blue hole. Ever the optimist, I expect to get some thermal lift from Hereford. Wrong! There is sink ++. At about 2000ft there is some very bumpy and trashy air over the cathedral. I get a 20% tuck, which pumps out without any problem. More sink, so I head for the cricket pitches by the river thinking that I am about to land.

But on the far side of Hereford the vario starts bleeping rather than groaning and above the Cemetery at 600 ft I get into a thermal. A buzzard shows me the way, soon to be joined by house martins and swallows. It turns into an excellent thermal taking me all the way to cloudbase, now at 4,000ft. The cores are quite strong –1000ft/min on the vario. The clouds are now working well and I fly past Madley. I fly towards Peterchurch in the Golden Valley and once more get low. Again I head for ploughed fields (with moving tractors this time) and get a "save". By now cloudbase is about 4,500ft and I make sure that I get right up there. There is another blue hole towards Hay Bluff and by now the cloud drift is due South. I also note that the last 3 thermals have been weaker and there are "decked" gliders on the Bluff. I decide to head for the Cat’s Back, hoping to find some lift. I arrive low and the wind is off to South! I land on the hill above Crasswall and walk to the Cat’s Back car park, before starting hitching back to Malvern.

Some thoughts: A very nice flight with high cloudbase and stunning views. Good thermals with nice cores – some very smooth and large – my shoulders were aching by the end! The Argon canopy is really very responsive and gives lots of information about thermals.

What could I have done differently?

I should have used my speed bar for inter-thermal glides, particularly when quartering the natural wind drift direction. As the climbs were quite strong, I would have made better time and perhaps more distance.

Perhaps I should have flown directly downwind? But I wanted to go over Hereford and I wanted to make sure that I avoided the SAS Danger Zone south of Hereford.

Was there "reverse coriolis"? It was certainly my impression that the higher I flew, the more the wind was blowing towards the South. This was the opposite of what I expected with a NNE wind.

My average (non GPS speed) was quite slow (21 km/hr). This reflects (a) not using the speedbar (b) a low windspeed and (c) flying across wind. I also had a large number of climbs (11) and a high total gain in the flight of 5485m. (This is greater than when I flew 79.8 km.) This reflects a lot of inter-thermal sink - (as expected when crossing from cloudstreet to cloudstreet, rather than flying underneath the street) - and not "hanging around, circling under clouds"! (The m. vertical gain/km was 111 compared with 56 when I flew 79 km.)

Contributions to Footlaunch to Gordon Allison at gordon@gallison.co.uk or to 150 Brunswick St, Cheltenham, Glos GL50 4HB.

Safe T-Lines (2)

Foreign Flying

oor Joel Kitchen. He is the pilot who has disappeared in the Indian Himalaya. I am sure that we all feel for him and his family. What a terrible ordeal for them all.

But should he have been there?

Lots of unanswered questions:

I read in a paper that he trained in Goa and then went up to the Himalaya for a flying holiday.

His father stated that he was "moderately experienced".

I also read that he was part of a group flying from one town to another.

What was his level of training? How experienced was he? Did he train under BHPA guidelines? Was he up to this sort of flying? If he was part of a group, what of the other members or organisers?

I hope that in the fullness of time there will be a report on this accident so that we can all learn from it and not make the same mistakes.

One thing is for certain, and that was his inadequate level of Insurance. Foreign Flying is not without risk and some considerable thought is needed before embarking on a trip.

What will the air conditions be like and have you got the level of experience to deal with them and do you understand the local meterology?

Should you go with your mates and just "have a go"?

Would you be better off with a local guide and asking locals about their knowledge and experience of the area in which you intend to fly?

If you do have an accident what is the local medical infrastructure and rescue service like?

Does your Insurance cover every eventuality?

Does someone know where you are going and what you intend to do?

e all enjoy flying in foreign locations but a trip to the Alps with a guide is very different from solo exploration in Africa. I would urge you to give some thought to the "bigger picture", when planning your flying trips. Life is for enjoying and living, not for chucking. Which brings me neatly to next month’s subject – Reserves.