The
Malvern Hang Gliding Club March
2003
http://malvern-hang.org.uk
In the Robin Hood, just
south of Castlemorton Common on the Gloucester
- to discuss new names for the club
Hanggliding and Paragliding club of Malvern (HAPCOM)
Malvern Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club
Malvern Free Flying Club
The Malvern Flyers
Malvern Vol Libre
MALVERN FOOTLAUNCH GLIDING CLUB
And my favourite
Malvern Union of Free Flyers
Piedrahita Trip 30/8/03-6/9/03 now has nine on board, including the Brians, Rob D and Chris Smith. Contact Bryan Hindle if you are interested.
Easter Fly-in, Scotland Aerotow Field
Situated
25 miles north of Glasgow in the Stirling Valley
18th - 21st April get as much flying as possible.
The emphasis will be on getting people into the
air, with an early start for the competition if the weather is good enough, and
then signing off aerotow endorsements and taking dual flights.
1 XL and 2 Quantum tugs.
Static winching organised by Selby Potts.
A race round a course, starting and ending at the
airfield, for hang-gliders, rigids, and hopefully sailplanes and paragliders
Free flying, dual flying, demo gliders, hopefully
paraglider winching, FLPA, microlighting.......
The usual bar-b-q, camping on the field, B&B’s
near the airfield.
Derek if you start walking now you’ll be there
right on time. Mark and I will take your glider up. Ken you could fly up in
Romeo Oscar.
Contact Ken McAlpine 0141 5754828 ken-mcalpine@beeb.net
18th ,19th Feb A high pressure settles in and there is reasonable soaring to be had at Malvern, even though its cold and not too sunny.
Sunday March 2nd A post cold frontal westerly. A good tranch of XC flights. Roy Dade ‘took the paramotor out to Stresham at about 4p.m.and flew home from there. Took about 6 attempts to get airborne as the wind seemed to die completely and it had swung around to the SW but it was worth it. Had a nice trip along the Severn watching the sunset from 1500ft then swung E over Mitton to land back in Ashchurch’.
Chris Smith wrote ‘
It was very NW when I
got there: Probably even NNW, strong (24+ on top) and
gusty. Forecast was probably about right as the wind did back during the
day (ending WSW) but much stronger than expected. Nice sunny spring day
with beautiful clouds and one of the best cloud streets I've seen.
Found Bryan hiding from the wind but in the sun. We were joined by a Nick
(rigid) and Derek (stiffy) who had both bought their wings with the intent
of carrying them up the Beacon. Much impressed. However, after discussing
the landing field options and not happy with the gusts Nick and family went
for a walk and Derek did hung around for moral support and some ground crew
work.
Paddy turned up later and decided it was OK so he was volunteered as wind
dummy. It was still gusty but getting better and he seemed to be coping
fine. He got quite a bit of height and went a long way out and eventually
went way off the end of the hill (to fly home?) A couple of others
(including Bryan) went up next but still too strong for me: I did notice
Bryan gale-hanging with speed-bar for a while. When it calmed-down a bit I
launched for an hour of classic beacon flying, i.e. lots of ups and downs
with no chance of getting to cloud base or enough height to run. Not rough
but certainly not relaxing. Max 400" ATO but others did much
better. Landed only because I had to be somewhere but some must have had
2hr+. I counted 7 flyers.’
Paddy McCarthy flew home 4.5k into wind, not quite making cloudbase and surviving 2 major collapses.
Thurs 6th
March
Chris Smith reported:
I had to work until
2ish this morning so I thought that earnt me a day
off! Arrived at about 11 to find Derek rigged (apparently been there since
7 o'clock, now that's keen!!) and hiding from the wind with
Bryan. Beautiful day, very nice clouds streets forming but too strong: 25
gusting 30 at a guess but all the windy-ometers read different as
usual. Anchored Derek's glider down and were joined by Rob for some
para-waiting. Bryan had to go just before wave clouds set-up behind the
ridge: Could this be the day...? At around 3:15 Rob had plucked up enough
courage to be our wind dummy as conditions seemed to be a bit better (could
be to do with that big cloud directly overhead... ?) Seemed OK so I joined
him closely followed by Derek. Lots of lift and not as bumpy as I
thought. Managed over 1000" ATO just gale-hanging into wind. Derek saw
his chance and went over the back, didn't see him land but he was past the
3 counties (where did you get to Derek?) Wind picked-up when we were a bit
S of the Beacon, had to use big-ears and speedbar over the Wyche,
ouch! Decided I'd had enough so tried for the landing field but landed a
bit short. Rob did just fine. To round it all off Bryan had come back and
ferried us back up to the car park, cheers for that
Derek landed next to Ken Shail’s house
Dave Quinn went to the Mynd: ‘I had the afternoon off and
went to the Long Mynd. Miles went over the
back and got to Much Wenlock. Pat Sinclair broke two uprights in the morning
(that makes three in two flights!). Not enough to go over the back, but also
made over a grand. Wave lift everywhere and flew all over the sky. Over
Wentnor, off both ends of the hill to the river in bright sparkling
sunshine. Birds of prey everywhere and everyone with a large grin on their
face. Just what flying is for’
Newsletter Editor’s Job up for grabs
After about 5 or so years of editing the newsletter, it’s about time someone else had a go. I am resigning at the AGM in March.
Gordon Allison