IHPA FreeFlight Winter 2015

IHPA

FreeFlight Official magazine of the Irish Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association

IN THIS

ISSUE

WINTER 2015

Coaching Corner Ed Cleasby discusses winter flying and how to stay warm • Jackpot Paul Hogan travels to Bulgaria • Site Guide Silvermines • Beginner to Novice Kevin Walsh’s evolving relationship with gliding • Fly SAFE Nigel Page outlines techniques for happy Landings • Hike & Fly 2015 Rafal Obora’s travels in 2015 • Top of the World Eugene and Agnes’ trip of a lifetime to Nepal • Silvermines Ridge Joan Ryan’s dream flight • Back in the Saddle Tom Cardas road to recovery

IHPA

H T Mt Leinster Dara Hogan SHOT

Content Log Book

7

Pilot Q&A

10

Rafal Obora tells us about himself

Flying Silvermines Ridge

11

Joan Ryan tells us of the day her dream came true and she finally got to fly the ridge herself

SITE GUIDE - Silvermines

13

A beautiful site in Tipperary

Castelluccio & Poggio Bustone 14 Elaine O’Mullane tells us about a free flying paradise in Central Italy

Back in the Saddle

17

Tom Cardas recounts his three year road to recovery

Great Gastor

19

Gilbert Glennon tells us about the quaint little village of El Gastor, its scenery and its vultures

Beginner to Novice

24

Kevin J. Walsh tells us of his evolving relationship with gliding.

Jackpot

32

Paul Hogan won a one week catered holiday with Rose Valley Lodge in Bulgeria - lucky!

Hike & Fly 2015

37

Rafal Obora continued to Hike & Fly in 2015 in both Ireland and Europe

On Top of the World

42

Eugene and Agnes took three months off this year to fulfil a lifetime ambition to visit Nepal

Fly Safe

50

Nigel Page outlines techniques to help make landings easy and safe each time we fly

Coaching Corner

61

In this inaugural edition of Coaching Corner, Ed Cleasby discusses the less well understood or appreciated hazards of winter flying and how to stay warm THE EDITOR David May E-mail: freeflight@ihpa.ie DESIGN & PRODUCTION Design Focus, The Warehouse, 26A Mount Eden Road, Dublin 4. www.designfocus.ie Free Flight Magazine is published by the Irish Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association Ltd to inform, educate and entertain those in the sports of Paragliding and Hang Gliding. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the Irish Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, their Council, Officers or Editor. The Editor reserves the right to edit contributions.

Contact Send your articles, jokes, comments, sketches, suggestions etc to: freeflight@ihpa.ie

FROM THE

editor

Welcome back...

T

his is the 7th edition of this reincarnation of FreeFlight and it has come a long way since the first effort back in May 2012 which had a total of just 6 pages. This time round we're at 66 pages and have hit a real milestone - it is the first time we received an article without asking. Wow! As always our thanks to everyone who contributed. As a result we have a great collection of stories and photos - from a personal ambition to fly the local site to the majesty (and tragedy) of the Hymalia. It's great to see a story from my side of the country Mayo has some great flying sites as long as you don't mind a hike. And a particular thank you to Tom Cardas who had a very serious accident a number of years ago and kindly agreed to write an account of his journey since then.

Our sport gives so much but can ask a terrible price so with 2015 coming to an end and the weather well and truely closing in, this is the perfect time to think back on the year. And not just the highs but also the lows - if we don't analyze and learn from our mistakes we will be destined to repeat and the outcome may not be so forgiving the next time.

Happy Christmas and New Year to everyone.

Be safe...

PAGE 5

IHPA

H T Annecy, France Tony Taylor SHOT

LogBook Leinster Key Update

The IHPA will be re-introducing the Key-Safe lock again as it is the simplest and easiest way of allowing members access to upper slopes and summitt of Mt Leinster.

The plan is each member who'd like a key to the Key-Safe lock, and access to the Mt Leinster Key, to pay €5 on top of the annual fee when renewing membership. The Key-Safe lock will be replaced each year and new keys issued to renewing members for the extra €5 on the renewal fee.

If the Mt Leinster Key goes missing then we will replace it along with a new Key-Safe lock and key, and those that want a copy will need to pay another €5.

For anyone unfamiliar with the Key-Safe it is a small padlock holding the Mt Leinster key, locked inside a small pipe embedded in a block of concrete which is concealed among rocks in the trees just inside the main gate.

A more detailed instruction will be issued when all is in place and keys are issued to members.

Killiney on Camera Next time you're trying to decide if conditions are right to fly Killiney check out the Killiney Weather Page on ihpa.ie. Along with live weather data from Dun Loaghaire Harbour we've now added a camera view from Bray Sailing Club. The view is of the harbour looking north with Killiney Head in the background. Click on the view and you will be able to zoom in. At that magnification the quality isn't ideal but good enough to see if the Head is clagged in or not. Like the Supermarket chain says 'Every Little Helps'

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

FREEFLIGHT WINTER 2014

Tellus Weekly Flight Plan

The Tellus survey, managed by the Geological Survey of Ireland, is continuing in central Kildare and northern parts of Meath, Dublin and Wicklow. This involves an aircraft flying at a low level (60 m) over rural areas from mid–June through to Autumn/Winter 2015.

Please keep an eye out for the regular updates on the mailing list or log onto www.tellus.ie for further infomation.

Rossbeigh August Bank Holiday Fly-in

Unfortunately the Rossbeigh Fly-in for the August Bank Holiday Weekend was not to be. All the plans were made, hotels booked, gliders packed and various sites considered for most wind directions but the 2016 Summer stuck with gales and millimetres of rain. By Wednesday before the Bank Holiday it was obvious that the weather wasn’t going to play ball which at least gave everybody time cancel and save a wasted journey. Ah well maybe next year.

PAGE 7

IHPA

H T Lough Bray, Co. Wicklow Dara Hogan SHOT

IHPA PILOT What’s Your Q&A Bump Tolerance*...

In each issue of FreeFlight we invite an IHPA Pilot to answer some questions about themselves and this issue Rafal Obora, current Irish XC record holder, gives us the answers.

Bump Tolerance: An acquired ability to fly in and withstand rough thermic air.

*

I changed the first one after less than a season – going from a size L to a size ML – in order to lighten my equipment for Hike & Fly.

How long have you been flying?

8 years and from 2011 onwards I have tried to fly regularly not less than 100h per year.

I like the Delta 2 and I am comfortable on this wing: it is friendly with great handling, good performance and gives plenty of feedback in the air.

What made you decide to take up flying?

Try something new and interesting in life and a desire to break away from reality.

What is your best memory?

When it comes to memorable flights then the 7h+ flight in the Irish Open 2013 where I passed the 100km mark was the most amazing experience. I won't forget that, especially the low save after the first hour near the Galtymore Mts. But paragliding is not only about beautiful flying moments, it is also about trips with friends, camping out and chatting around the fire - the freedom, the beauty of nature, discovering the world while flying, so many unforgettable moments.

What is your worst memory?

On my last day in Austria in 2008, after I had finished the second stage of my training I decided to fly alone. I thought I already knew how to fly and without realizing the danger took off before an approaching storm. I had no speed system and had just learned Big Ears a few days earlier – those 20 minutes were the longest in my life and I experienced very early on what it felt like to be in the air wishing you were on the ground.

If we are lucky we learn from our mistakes and I was lucky indeed. It was a very big lesson that I will not forget.

What’s your current glider?

My first glider was a Macpara Eden3 which I had for a year and then I bought an Ozone Delta. I was happy with the Delta although an EN C it felt as safe and solid as the DHV 1/2 Eden 3.

Since 2013 I have owned two Delta 2s.

PAGE 10

Name:

Rafal Obora

Type of Pilot:

Paragliding

Rating:

PP5

Started Flying: I finished the first stage of my training in Poland in June 2007 and in June 2008 I completed the second stage in Austria.

Have you experienced any other types of Flying?

Just commercial flying but that is similar to being a passenger on a motorbike. I much prefer to be the pilot in command;-) Do you see yourself continuing to fly in the future?

If the weather conditions are suitable then I will fly. I hope to continue to gain experience and to travel as far as I will be able.

What are your favourite Irish flying sites?

Airtime:

500+

In Ireland I like the more steep and high mountains such as Galtymore, Comeragh, Kerry and Connemaragh.

Glider:

Ozone Delta2

But if I have to choose then it would be either the Comeraghs or Galtymore.

Harness:

Ozone Ozium

Going abroad, I love the Alps - there is just so much emotion and the scenery is amazing. I also like to relax on the Spanish flat lands, so much diversity - the world is beautiful.

What’s your bump tolerance?

I don't like fly on days when I know it will over develop or with storms around. On days like these you need to be so concentrated and constantly have to change XC route. 2015 had many days like this.

Also I don’t like to fly in strong wind - when you make just two turns in a thermal and are already back on the hill.

Getting dragged is not a pleasant experience and has happened a few times, mostly caused by rushing to get into the air. Flying regularly give me the confidence to handle most issues thankfully.

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

F LY I N G A DREAM COME TRUE

Growing up watching pilots flying Silvermines Ridge Joan Ryan tells us of the day her dream came true and she finally got to fly the ridge herself

G

rowing up in Silvermines village, County Tipperary, I was lucky to be able to witness hang gliding and paragliding pilots flying over our village on many occasions. It always fascinated me and I wondered what it would be like.

flying off the top of Lijar having booked in for a weeks lesson with Zero Gravity in Algodonales. Jose and his team are very professional and excellent instructors.

I got my next lessons with fab Fred (Paraglide Advenure Ireland) at Lacken and that is where I tried to get to terms with reverse launch. A trip to Ager with Fred last autumn provided super flying and soaring the ridge. It is a very beautiful place even though there is one nasty grey dog! It was lovely to spend time and fly with the group from the Dublin area. I’ve been back with Zero Gravity a few times and also went on a guided holiday with Fly Algo with The Munster Kestrels this spring. Similar to how I was welcomed on the east coast, the Kestrels have welcomed me with open arms and I’ve been very lucky to have made some great friends and experienced some great days out, flying spectacular places including

One month later I was flying off the top of Lijar, Algodonales with Zero Gravity

Fast forward to July 2013 and little did I know that a walk down Rossbeigh beach would end as it did. Some people were paragliding along the dunes right beside me - it was amazing as I’d never seen it so close before. They were waving and cheering back to me so I figured they were up for a chat. Soon my walking companion was left behind as I ran up the beach to where the pilots were landing. I had to talk to them to find out all I could about this amazing sport. Kevin, Gilbert and Tom O’Toole are the reason I am now flying. They told me about flying in Spain where there was more consistent weather for learning. One month later I was

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

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FREEFLIGHT WINTER 2015

Carrauntoohil, Rossbeigh, Bantry, Temple Hill (Galtees), Dingle Bowl and even Rossbeigh Dunes, back to where my journey started.

My family were watching from the village and undoubtedly praying for my safe return to earth

Early this September it looked like there was an opportunity to fly the Silvermines Ridge which has been the top of my list of places to fly. Oh the excitement at this prospect. I socialised the idea, phone calls were made and emails exchanged and it was game on.

It was 1km to walk to take off along a forestry road. At take off Tom O’Toole gave us all a site briefing and took off first to show us the way. Take off involved trying to get as much lift off a little hump out front to allow us to make the transition to the higher ridge. If we didn’t make the transition it would be a tough walk back up through heather so a very good incentive to get every bit of lift possible. Tom made it look easy and then we took off one by one and followed him to the higher ridge. We had perfect conditions and it looked like Gilbert might be heading XC at one point - the long drive from Cork was worth it after all. It was a really special flight for me to fly my home site. I got 250m over take off so had nice views back to Keeper Hill

to the south and picking out our farm from the patchwork of green fields. My family were watching from the village and undoubtedly praying for my safe return to earth. All but Tom top landed. He flew around the ridge to land close to Killoscully village. This flight was fantastic and a treasured memory.

Tom also arranged a trip to Keeper last month. Unfortunately the weather conspired against us but we got to practice forward launch and had a real smooth flight.

My Dad got to witness my flight from the landing field and he is still talking about it!

Here’s to many more flights and adding new Irish sites and friends to the ever growing list. Maybe next year will bring some XC! ■

SiteGuide

Silvermines Co. Tipperary

Wind Direction:

A beautiful site in Tipperary, overlooking vast green pastures with Arra Mountains and Lough Derg to the NW.

N

The top of Silvermines has one of the most extensive views in Ireland including counties Limerick, Clare, Galway, Laois, Offaly, Carlow, Waterford and Cork. Flying sites visible are Arra Mt, Devils Bit, Galtees, Sliabh na mBan, Mount Leinster and Knockmealdowns. Once you gain altitude over the ridge you will be treated to great views of Keeper hill domineering the southern scape.

W

S

A notable part of the landscape below you is the remainder of open cast mining; the mine itself, the excavated soil/rock on the hillside and the ’tailings pond’ out in the valley. This was in operation from 1963 to 1993 but records of mining activity goes all the way back to 1289. The mine has a surface area of 50 acres, is 300 feet deep and now half-filled contains 352 million gallons of water. The barytes mined here was used in the oils wells from the North Sea to Houston Texas.

General Information: GOOGLE MAPS

CLICK HERE

GPS COORDINATES: Parking (A): 52.775790, -8.231262. 390m

This is a good site for XC with the south clear of any airspace restrictions and 120km till you hit the coast. Be careful when going over the back to make sure you have enough height to reach Keeper Mountain to the south as bombing out in the lee between the two is sure to present rotor.

Take off (B): 52.777813, -8.248887. 470m

Getting to Launch:

Take off (C): 52.777343, -8.256363. 480m

From Silvermines village follow the signs for Newport scenic route. Coming up the main street looking at the church take the first left. Turn right at the next junction and drive to the top of the hill to parking (A). Plenty of parking here but don’t leave valuables on view in your car. Walk west past the barrier and take the middle road at the next junction.

Continue for 1.2km on forestry roads to take off (B). For a more NE take off on the higher ridge walk to take off (C) - note this is a much more strenuous hike and take off is possible at (B) in NE.

C

E

Time to car park from Newlands Cross, Dublin 1hr 45 mins.

Time to car park from Glanmire tunnel, Cork 1hr 40 mins.

B A

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

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Castelluccio & Poggio Bustone

A free flyer’s paradise

FREEFLIGHT WINTER 2015

Elaine O’Mullane tells us about Castelluccio, Central Italy, a free flying paradise for paragliding and hang gliding.

H

ow many times have you been asked- ‘How did you get into paragliding?’ My answer is always the same‘The book fell open’. Thirteen years ago in a hostel in Rome I was trying to figure out what to do next. I had been travelling for a couple months trying to find myself (I’m still looking). My travel guide fell open and there on the right hand page was a short piece about paragliding and hang gliding in Castelluccio di Norcia. That was my introduction to Castelluccio and Prodelta (www.prodelta.it), the flying school and club.

Castelluccio is situated well above the searing heat of the Italian flatlands After another spectacular week this summer in this free flying paradise for paragliding and hang gliding, Irish pilots (recently described as International pilots) might find Prodelta as a valuable link to flying in central Italy. Castelluccio and Poggio Bustone may suit pilots who have a few days flying to yourself on holidays or business in Italy and don’t want to be tied to a long package (for example-you can leave the family at the beach and head off flying).

Direct flights from Dublin to Rome are the easiest access point to Central Italy (Ciampino Airport-184km/ Fiumacino-204km to Castelluccio, 109km from Ciampino Airport to Poggio Bustone). There is public transport to Poggio Bustone but travelling to Castelluccio can be challenging- car hire is the easiest way but for the adventurer there is a bus once a week from Norcia, the nearest town.

Castelluccio is Prodelta’s summer flying location (MaySept/Oct) and then in the winter they move to Poggio Bustone,

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FREEFLIGHT WINTER 2015

Rieti. Castelluccio is situated well above the searing heat of the Italian flatlands and nestled in the Sibillini Mountains National Park.

The village is one of the highest settlements of the Apennine Mountains (1452m) and below the village lies the ‘Great Plain’ (1270m) an open 13 sq km which is famous for the ‘Fiorita’- the season where the famous Castelluccio lentils flower- a beautiful sight to fly overhead. The take-offs are generous and apart from sheep or horses, the landing areas large and unobstructed.

Flying in Castelluccio ranges from the novice to the advanced with one of the spectacular flights being above Monte Vettore (2,476m).

This flight brings views of the Pilate lakes at the top of this mountain and Adriatic coast in the distance. Another special flight, especially in evening restitution, is from Tabalone (1500m) towards the nearby town of Norcia. Castelluccio has many take off sites which allow for most wind directions but beware of the dust devils on the great plain at the warmest part of the day.

The school is situated in the village and provides information and maps of the local take off sites. Prodelta staff will give briefing information of the best daily flying site with most of the take-offs within 30 mins of the village. Most of the take off sites require 4 wheel drives to access and special permission to the sites within the

National park. An easier option is to avail of the school transport to the take off site for a per flight payment (this year €7).

Poggio Bustone is a beautiful flying site with a mild climate and flyable throughout the winter. The main takeoff is from Monte Rosato (1000m) which is flyable with winds from the S-NW along with other local take off points within a few km for different wind directions. There is the possibility of thermal, dynamic and XC from Monte Terminillo. In 2009 Poggio Bustone was the takeoff site of the PWC semifinals. The landing is large and easily visible from the take-off.

The flight school offers travel packages for Poggio Bustone (maximum 8 pilots) inclusive of transportation to and from the airport, with accommodation in local B & B’s and a guide to the various flying sites.

Needless to say the focus is on the Italian food which is gourmet and I can recommend Castelluccio the ‘Prodelta’ hospitality which is Poggio unmatched. ■ Bustone

Tom Cardas recounts his three year road to recovery and how he’s now back flying again.

T

hree years ago ago, on a pretty cold, dry October day, I paid a huge price for routine overconfidence in my attitude to flying. I can’t remember what exactly happened as my personal memory hard drive was erased with the impact of my body on a rocky part of Blackwater beach. Only a few blurred images of that day remain in my mind but they cannot be reassembled into a coherent record of the events.

I will spare you the details of my overall condition that was presented to my wife, nor will I subject you to the details of the repairs made to my skeleton in the numerous surgeries that followed. I survived and three months later I was admitted to the Dun Laoghaire National Rehabilitation Hospital where my recovery kicked in.

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

Another three months of intensive training in every aspect of my new life resulted in the biggest possible improvement that I could have made; I walked out of NRH on my own with the aid of just a stick and a splint on my leg.

My rehabilitation continued as I got back home. Initially I could only walk for a few meters. That changed quickly as I took over the duty of walking my dog. A short time later I signed up to a local gym and swimming pool. I was making a rather clumsy attempt of swimming as I was literary dragging my right leg behind me and to ride a stationary bike I had to use a strap to keep my foot on the pedal.

But with time and work I was getting much stronger: I even managed to climb up Slieveboy and then Bray Head!

After a year I got bored with riding a stationary gym bike so I decided to give

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FREEFLIGHT WINTER 2015

a regular road bike a try. Again I had to overcome some technical problems as I still had very limited control over my right foot. My right leg is about three times weaker than the left one so I’m not able to climb up steep hills on the bike but other than that I kept going and even managed to complete the 70km Tour de Kilkenny charity cycle event.

All in all cycling turned out to be the right way to go as not only my endurance improved but my walking abilities have improved also.

In the meantime I missed flying a lot. Surprisingly, despite the accident I didn’t feel any fear of getting back to flying. What really concerned me was my family’s attitude to paragliding and it took me a lot of time to get the green light.

My generous friends arranged full paragliding equipment for me and worked out the best solution for me to launch and got me airborne once again.

Paragliding is no longer as simple as it was before the accident. I cannot go flying on my own as I am not able to carry my gear to take off. And because I cannot run I must be held by someone to prevent me falling when I inflate my wing. Also, I have to plan my landing well in advance and avoid remote, sparsely populated areas which often results in shortened cross country flights.

Nevertheless my flying now is even more intense and enjoyable than ever. ■

Great Gastor

A few tales from El Gastor, Andalucia Gilbert Glennon tells us about the quaint little village of El Gastor, its scenery, its wildness and its vultures.

T

he village of El Gastor, Andalucia, Spain lies just off the Algodonales to Ronda road, about 10 km from Algodonales. The co-ords are 36°51.322’ N 5°19.352’W.

The village nestles under the North side of two giant rocks (El Gastor). As far as I am aware there is no English translaton for that word.

The rocks are known by visiting pilots as “The Twin Peaks” and are spectacular, rising to 1020 Mts. AMSL and seen for miles around.

As the vulture flies the rocks are about 9.5 km from the Sierra de Lejar West takeoff. An easy flight on a good day but requiring at least 1 thermal to make the rocks. The village itself is a delightful little place with many bars and its own town hall (El Ayuntamiento) I have had many flights to El Gastor over the years. One time I spent over an hour above the rocks, just floating around with the

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

vultures waiting for them to show me a thermal. It never happened but I got on first name terms with some of the vultures; eventually I had to land on the public park at El Jaral, a good bomb out field in that area.

The local farmers are friendly. I once landed in an enclosed estate to the East of the rocks and was locked in behind 3m high fences. I wasn’t down long when the farmer arrived. This is it I thought, he is going to tell me off. I greeted him in my bad Spanish. “Buenos dias senor, como estas” he replied with a thick rural accent which I could not understand. Despite not understanding a word he was saying he continued to talk to me. I knew by his tone that he was not annoyed by my presence. Sensing that I was not much good at the Spanish he began to speak more slowley and clearly. I gathered from him that the last pilot that landed there was killed (a hang glider pilot). Probably went over

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FREEFLIGHT WINTER 2015

The rocks of El Gastor

El Gastor backdrop El Gastor too low and failed to make the next ridge (1028 Mts.) and was then faced with landing in the lee of the rocks. This tale sent a shiver down my spine, however I had not flown directly over the rocks but instead flew around the north side and out over the town, landing in clean wind coming from the North West.

After he had finished telling me that piece of good news he offered to drive me into the village conveniently dropping me at a Venta (pub). There I awaited my retrieve.

Another time I took off from the Sierra de Lijar westerly take-off; climbed to cloud base and headed for El Gastor. I flew over the south east take-off and then over the tunnel to the south. Sure enough the house thermal was working and I was soon at 1700m. So it was tally ho for El Gastor by way of the South East Ridge along the Ronda road – this is always good for a thermal, either somewhere along the ridge or on the numerous little hills dotted about the area. But this time my luck was out and I did not find another thermal on the way

Four tourists in the main street PAGE 20

One of my flight instructors but having started the glide from 1700m I had enough height to glide to the foothills of El Gastor, reaching it at about 800m. That is just about where it turns almost vertical and is about 100m above the public park at El Jaral. No sign of any more thermals. This is it I thought; it’s a bomb out in the park.

Just as I was about to give up a pair of vultures took off from a ledge below me and as those guys do not take off for just anything I followed them out. I knew they had a thermal in their sights; which is literally true as their eyesight is far superior to ours and they can see insects and small debris in a thermal. They flew out past my left

A El Gastor Street IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

FREEFLIGHT WINTER 2015

El Gastor Andalusia, Spain PARAGLIDING EARTH CLICK HERE GPS COORDINATES: 36°51.322’ N 5°19.352’W

El Gastor

side ignoring me completely and headed off North West towards El Gastor. Very soon they were in a strong thermal and climbing well.

They were thermalling to the left so I joined them in the thermal staying about 10m beneath and didn’t seem to mind my presence at all. Everywhere they went I went. Surprisingly enough they were easy enough to keep up with in the thermal. Some of their moves were unusual to a paraglider pilot but I stuck with them and was well rewarded. I eventually finished up in the saddle of El Gastor climbing like a demon with vario screaming.

At the top of the giant rocks the vultures suddenly changed course and sped off somewhere else. What a great flying lesson that was from the experts. Now with plenty of height again I went over the back of El Gastor and headed for the Montecorto ridge about 2.5km to the South East. No sooner had I crossed over the back when I ran into the lee thermal. This whisked me up to 1800m plenty to glide to Montecorto where I picked up another thermal that took me to within 5km of Ronda. There I bombed out by the road. No more thermals and no more vultures to show the way. As I sat in my favourite cafe (the venta El Castillejo) I thought of the two vultures that made this flight possible and hoped they were enjoying a feed of smelly meat somewhere. I lifted my glass in a toast to them.

I never cease to enjoy flying around this area, for its scenery, its wildness, its vultures and the quaint little village that is El Gastor.■

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

Lost in El Gastor

PAGE 21

IHPA

H T Inch Beach, Co Cork Tony Taylor SHOT

From Beginner...

...to Novice

FREEFLIGHT WINTER 2015

Kevin J. Walsh tells us of his evolving relationship with gliding.

I

t’s November 4th, 2015 and I'm hiking a hill. I can’t see through the dense fog. I continue on, sweating through my t-shirt, alone apart from a few sheep wondering where I am going. Finally I emerge above the clouds. A nil to light south east wind had been forecast but a southerly is threatening. I'm hoping it will stay SE. This site has to work. Has to. And no better day than today to try it. ‘Positive things for today.

Positive.’ I re-enforce these thoughts against the doubts that emerge most when you fly alone. I certainly don't fancy a long walk back to the car if the flight goes south, literally. ‘Hey, feck that’, this is not going to be my last flight of the year. Questions continue to rise relentlessly in my mind - will the fog come back? Will I clear the trees? Will I make the landing zone? What is plan B landing zone? Has this site ever been flown? I recompose, reassess and launch. Into my unknown!

Five minutes later I’m back on the ground, thrilled. I've flown Buckoogh - a 580m hill to the north of Clew Bay between Westport and Malranny. Today a top to bottom for me but more likely just a stepping stone for ambitious XC pilots visiting Mayo.

I still remember the realisation as a young child that my less than perfect eyesight ruled me out as a jet pilot It has been a long journey - I was north of my mid-twenties, broke but staying afloat, just about. Surfing and windsurfing my sports – not that I ever threatened to break into the pros but I still love to get out on the water. And flying was always an ambition - I still remember the realization as a young child that my less than perfect eyesight ruled me out as a jet pilot.

Now, summer 2007 stretches out before me and the choice ahead is between kite surfing or paragliding - I can only afford one. Heck, I can’t even afford a harness for either but regardless it’s off to ebay I go.

Now, I know what you’re thinking and I won’t say you aren’t right. I bought Learning to Fly and Ground Handling Techniques before persuading a friend who was considering the

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FREEFLIGHT WINTER 2015

same idea of flight to go halves on an Ozone Harmony 24 wing.

Certainly not the most sensible thing to do - the harness must have been from the late 80's and of course there was no reserve. That season I just about got inflations going and sand hopping but it had that novelty feel going for it. And of course friends had a ball with that Irish skinner of ‘what's the daft ejit doing now?’. And although they were fun times I’d like to think we had some sense to realize it was not a sport to mess with. Just too many fatalities on YouTube to keep us reminded. And of course opportunities were few and far between - dry, light, moderate weather is not what my home down West is known for. But I was excited and I cut my teeth ground handling on GAA grasses and clean, empty beaches. Undoubtedly these sessions proved helpful but only to a certain point – the one essential ingredient, the feeling of lift, was missing.

as I floated off, untwisting and realising, ‘Shit! I have no reserve’.

This was only meant to be a quick hop - conditions were light, it was late evening and yet, here I was, higher than ever before. My friend on launch was even more concerned than me and happier when I landed safely down by the road. We ground handled that wind to destruction. Seasons came and went like day and night.

Every book was read, videos watched but progress was slow and I felt it was time to get serious or give up and concentrate on water sports.

She put her foot down and declared ‘you’re not to fly those things without getting trained’

My first flight was from the Windy Gap between Castlebar and Nephin. I remember that it seemed faster in ground and air speeds than expected, heck I didn’t know what to expect but I landed nicely and I was hooked. One of the most memorable incidents with that kit was being sucked up in reverse launch position on the edge of the Sheeffry Hills that line the Doo Valley in Mayo - that really was an experience in lift I'll never forget. The mind became very focused

2011/12 came and went. I was scouting for ‘cheap’ kit and slowly building up essential items. Married now and Dirika, my wife, would get stressed at the thought that I really wanted to fly paragliders. So she put her foot down and declared ‘you’re not to fly those things without getting trained’. She even looked up Club Pilot and Para Pro for me!

It was decided then and I go and do what I should have done 5 years previously - join the club. The response was great, people reached out and offered advice and it came down to either a school in Dungiven or Wicklow. I decided to go down the Para Pro (PP) route as I had read about it as an international standard so I opted for Fred Lahiffs school Paraglide Adventure Ireland in Wicklow. I had a few good sessions with Fred, the passion was reborn and I began to take

it seriously. But Ireland does not have enough reliable training days and after a year of hope and disappointment checking- in with instructors around the country it just made sense to book in with Zero Gravity in Spain rather than spend a fortune on 8 hour round trips back and over the country trying to get through the PP training.

So with my wife in shock as I abandoned her to spend 2 weeks in Algo over the last 2 seasons I finally got my PP3.

Epic, just epic both trips. The best part unquestionably was hearing the vario scream as I experienced my first real thermals.

done it. I was exhilarated. The adrenalin flowing freely through me.

Alan was the only other pilot there to witness my moment of personal triumph to the realization that you are the only one on the controls; its always the case the final decision to fly is yours alone.

He was still in the air soaring around above me. Me? Of course I was wishing I was still up there too but thrilled that I had been, even for a few moments. There will be longer and more arduous flights in the future but that doesn’t take away from this breakthrough. So much still to learn and I’m looking forward to many more opportunities ahead to push my boundaries.

The best part unquestionably was hearing the vario scream as I experienced my first real thermals.

This year has been by far my luckiest in Ireland so far. Fresh from my PP3 certification in early April where I met Tony (an Athlone boy wouldn’'t you know). Shortly afterward I met another pilot – Alan - on Nephin when we both turned up to fly. Alan is an experienced pilot and I’m sure he wondered that day as he soared high above Nephin what was taking me so long. ‘Jaysus, will he ever fly?’ I felt the thermals roll strong over our launch site and as those cycles came and went I began to feel very much the raw, inexperienced, nervous novice. I was on launch for what seemed, in my heightened self-conscious state, to feel like an eternity. But finally the cycles eased and I felt ‘now's the chance’. I went for it and …

I’m flying. Within 3 minutes I was back on the ground but I had

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

Luckily Alan who has hundreds of hours experience has moved to Sligo and with Tony exhibiting similar levels of eagerness as myself, we agree that Mayo/Sligo is now our flying zone with Alan readily on hand with advice and

experience.

Hungry guys that we are, we’re using the precious evenings and weekends to hike and fly as much as we can. My wife probably regrets persuading me to get trained now or maybe she prefers more time alone with our baby Elijah. I think sometimes, even now, he must wonder ‘where is Daddy going?’ Yes, you do have to be selfish when the flyable days roll in and be thankful for an understanding partner but it most certainly is worth it. Alan is really helpful,

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encouraging me to push the boundaries of my comfort zone. I think it’s only going to get better when the new season rolls in as the tactic knowledge of the local environment born of first-hand experience is now part of our souls. Ambitions and dreams of flying local sites have been realized. Bonds are well forged and set to be strengthened as we push ourselves in Ireland's western flying zones.

So what would I say to those wanting to enter this sport? Persist, keep the flame of passion alive, a club can only do you good (it remains a personal regret that I did not join sooner), XC Magazine can keep you dreaming and books will teach you there's so much

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more to this than you could ever imagine.

The Chinese proverb says ‘a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step’. Through those clouds and into the unknown, atop and above Buckoogh that nondescript November day became one of those small steps that propelled me to my ‘Leonardo 10 hours post Para Pro 3’ mark. Hopefully over the following seasons we’ll all reach further, fly more together and continue to learn about our obsession. Next for me I hope will be a SIV and this time I will bring the family with me.

I don’t think I’ll get away with it for a third time. ■

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

IHPA

H T Mt Leinster Rafal Obora SHOT

Jackpot!

FREEFLIGHT WINTER 2015

When Paul Hogan won a one week catered holiday with Rose Valley Lodge in Bulgeria he really struck it lucky!

A

s a kid, I was always extremely lucky when it came to competitions. Lego competitions, art competitions, raffles – I always seemed to strike it lucky! Last winter whilst plotting 2015’s paragliding adventures, I entered a competition for a one week catered holiday in Sopot, Bulgaria with Gavin and Lucy Jillings at Rose Valley Lodge. It seems I’m still pretty lucky. I won! So my next paragliding adventure was set – a week in Bulgaria in August.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Bulgaria. I was unfamiliar with that part of Europe and was looking forward to discovering it. I flew via Frankfurt with Lufthansa – not the cheapest, but quite convenient for transfers. Ryanair is an option, if you are prepared to do a baggage transfer in London. Flying into Sofia, I arrived quite late on a Friday night, landing during a dramatic thunderstorm. I stayed at an airport hotel that night and the next day I took the train from Sofia to Sopot. Gavin and Lucy normally do a collection from Sofia, but I decided to take the train to see more of Bulgaria by train – something I would highly recommend. Snaking through the valleys along the feet of the Balkan Mountains, my appetite was well and truly whetted by the beautiful views. The weather was still recovering from the thunderstorm the night before, but the weather forecast was to come good.

Gavin greeted me at Karlovo train station and we took the short drive to Kliment, a small village across the valley from Sopot. Gavin’s wife, Lucy, was waiting to welcome me and show me around their guest house. Gavin and Lucy are a couple from Northern Ireland and are quite new to the business of paragliding holidays. Yet they seemed to be long term pros at it! The lodge is a beautiful house with a large veranda overlooking the garden and pool area, which is also the perfect viewing point of the main take-off at the top of the Sopot chairlift. Gavin and Lucy emanate the vibe of the holiday – laid back and all about the flying! My first night there I had a delicious Spaghetti Bolognese courtesy of Lucy

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(dinner is inclusive in their holidays) She is a fantastic chef! After a couple of beers, I went to bed on a full stomach with the hope of Sunday bringing flyable conditions.

On Monday morning we had a bright and early start, greeted by clear blue skies – that’s better! At breakfast I met the new arrivals – a group of Swedish pilots – Lars 1, Lars 2, Hakan and Thomas.

Getting to know the guys it was evident that there was a real mix of skill levels, from 20 years XC and tandem all the way down to recently licensed. This was ideal for me. My own expectation for the week was to further develop my thermalling skills and try to set a new personal best XC (my longest before this holiday was about 10km). So after a breakfast briefing from Gavin, we headed to Sopot. The day was looking fantastic, with the first cu nim forming directly over take-off. I launched and spent the first 20 minutes finding my thermalling groove – something that is surprisingly allusive when you’re more used to bog ordinary ridge soaring in Ireland!

The view from Rose Valley Lodge - After the storm

The next day the skies began to clear after breakfast, so Gavin and I headed to Sopot to be introduced to the main landing and takeoff. A group of pilots was due to arrive on Sunday evening, so it was just myself and Gavin for the day. The chairlift station is about a 10 minute drive from the lodge. The chairlift to the main take-off costs 10 leva (about €5) and takes about 20 minutes to reach the top. On arrival the cloud was still struggling to clear. Unfortunately, the cloud wouldn’t budge, so we knew it would be a top to bottom flight. The take-off area is a huge grassy slope, a good steep gradient, good for forward launching in nil wind conditions. We laid out, rigged up and launched. A top to bottom takes about 15 minutes – giving you a good feel for the terrain and the landing approach.

Happy with my first day exploring the Sopot take-off and landing, we headed home and I took the afternoon to go for a run and explore the local area on foot.

Rose Valley Lodge

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Sopot Take-off

Once I found the house thermal I was slung up to cloud base, where I waited for the rest of the group. We then flew east along the mountain range towards Karlovo. The terrain is an endless series of spurs and gullies – initially quite daunting, especially when you hit sink, but once you get used to finding the next thermal “dripping” off the ridges, it becomes less stressful. Sopot is located at the foot of the Balkan Mountains, a range which runs the width of Bulgaria from west of Sofia to the Black Sea. As it was our first day of flying as a gaggle, we were quite spread out. Myself and Gavin flew as far as the Karlovo Gap, a large gorge that poses the first challenge to make height to keep going east. We bopped across after some thermalling efforts and proceeded another few kilometres before turning to head back to Sopot. With a light wind from the east pushing us along, we landed after a couple of hours in the air. A short but rewarding flight, followed by a swim and another delicious dinner of barbeque pork ribs. I could get used to this!

The next day was more of the same – blue skies and growing bubbles rolling off the take-off. With my thermalling technique improving I was feeling more confident. I was feeling enthusiastic about making my first XC effort of the holiday. Straight from takeoff, the house thermal was like an elevator to cloud base. Once there, Lars 1 and I bopped around in the clouds waiting for the rest of the group to catch up before heading east. With plenty of height gained, we hopped from spur to spur, easing over the Karlovo gap at

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

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2300m. After traversing the mountains for 6km, the strengthening wind from the east was making it harder to make ground, so we chose to turn and head west. Passing back over take-off we regained height on the house thermal. Hakan and Lars 2 headed to the landing. Myself, Thomas, Lars 1 and Gavin chose to head west along the range. Time to go for it! I flew close behind Thomas and Lars My gypsy yard landing. Yikes!

1 with Gavin on my wing tip for about 10km. Following the ridge line as far as Karnare, the views over the valley are incredible. Eventually, I started to loose lift. I fought to stay up, scratching tight against the mountain, passing over mountain roads and tree tops. Eventually I had to commit to making a landing in a little village called Hristo Danovo. Due to the strengthening wind from the east, I had limited choices for landing. The only spot near enough for a landing was a gypsy yard fenced in by overhead lines on three sides and a house on the fourth.

Tight stuff! But I was buzzing. A new personal best of 21km XC! I packed up and headed for the village centre where I had a beer and a sing song with some “well lubricated” locals outside the village shop whilst waiting for Anna (one of Gavin’s guides) to retrieve.

Wednesday brought another booming thermic day, this time with the wind from the west. Myself and Gavin headed east along the

mountains. The flying in Sopot is so easy, with so many options to hang around or keep moving, it’s easy for gaggles to get split up as people do enjoy the playground! After a couple of hours, we landed around 15km from Sopot at the renowned fish farm for lunch. Highly recommended!

After some delicious fresh trout, waiting for a bus back to Sopot a random stranger stopped and offered us a lift. He had very little English but was extremely friendly and happy to give us a lift in his tiny car all the way to the chair lift station at Sopot. I paid him with a mini windsock from my radio, in turn he showed us his hobby – an antique target pistol! Yikes!

No wonder he didn’t mind giving us a lift! I finished the day with a short top to bottom whilst waiting for the others to land. A dip in the pool followed by another delicious dinner and an evening chilling with the Swedish guys and reflecting on another epic day’s flying.

Thursday brought even more excellent conditions. Today we ventured west again, with the intention of going further than the previous days. As we bopped across the mountain tops, I passed the marker of my previous best distance with ease. My flight was going

Looking back at the Balkan Mountains from the valley

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Gavin has recently established a BHPA licensed school with another local business, Skynomad, and offered to bring me up to give me some pointers on thermalling – a guidance technique he is keen to utilise with the school. I wasn’t sure if I would take much away from it. On the contrary, I learned a lot more than I thought I would.

Gavin walked me through many of the more subtle skills of thermalling, such as reading the movements of the wing, watching for movements of the trees, choosing when to search for lift and when to keep moving, approaches to making low saves and, most importantly, when to bail for the valley. I completely forgot that we were flying in a “competition”, engrossed in learning. We flew just over 11km, while the other teams struggled to get away from takeoff. Gavin is an excellent pilot (maybe the tandem wing made a difference too…).

Friendly Bulgarian… and his gun!

fantastically until just after passing the monument at the top of the main mountain pass, about 18km from Sopot. I suddenly fell out of the convergence between the north and south winds and was completely flushed down. I had to commit to a top landing and thankfully managed to neatly top land on a mountain path between peaks beside a group of wild horses… 130 meters above the Sopot take-off! Shortly after I landed, one of the other pilots from our group landed near me, having suffered the same fate.

We packed up and hiked to the road in search of a suitable take-off area, hoping to fly out. We eventually found a small take-off near the road. I launched first and scratched for 10 minutes or so, but the wind hand come too easterly with us stuck in the lee of a spur and unable to get enough lift to get out to the valley. I top landed and we set about hitch hiking back down to the valley. Quite bizarrely, when I eventually flagged a lift, the driver who picked me up was a local guy who lives in the UK and was visiting his family for the summer. More bizarrely, he is best mates with a guy I went to school with! It definitely is a small world! A funny end to another crazy day.

Saturday was my last day in Sopot and a chance to exercise my learnings from the previous day. I confidently bopped to the top of the house thermal after take-off and lead the gaggle with Thomas.

We flew east past the Karlovo gap with loads of height. I spent time exploring the ridges and playing with the thermals – a new level of appreciation for something that was quite allusive to me before this holiday. I ventured up and down the ridge waiting for others to catch up. Gavin had his sister’s boyfriend on the tandem with him, so we did some close flying for photos. Thomas and Lars 1 kept going east aiming to finish the holiday on a high, but I knew I had a train to Sofia to catch at 5 o’clock so time to land! I followed Gavin on the tandem out over the valley towards the fish farm. After a feed of trout and one last pint with the guys to celebrate Gavin’s 40th, I said my goodbyes and caught a bus to Karlovo.

As I sat on the train to Sofia watching the sun set on the Rose Valley, I reflected on an epic week. I had developed new skills, set new personal bests and made some great new friends. Most of all, I am now primed and hungry to go higher, farther, for longer. Now all I need is a new glider and more awesome flying conditions… It’s a good thing I know a place I can get both!

A huge thank you to Gavin, Lucy and Anna at RVL for a very special week. Until next year! ■

Day six brought competition day! Gavin had decided that he

Tandem thermalling training with Gavin

wanted to try something different – he was going to do a team competition with Gavin and I representing Team Ireland… tandem!

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Tandem thermalling training with Gavin

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

and

Rafal Obora continued to Hike & Fly in 2015 in both Ireland and Europe and tells FreeFlight how he got on.

Mount Cornizzolo - Above Take off

I

n the summer 2014 edition of Free Flight we ran an article about a small group of pilots who were experimenting with Hike and Fly in Ireland. It ended on a positive note with the promise of more to come so a year further on and with the 2015 season almost at an end, I thought this would be a good time to check in again with the group to see how they got on. Here is an account from Rafal Obora of their adventures since then.

In Ireland the 2015 flying season was not as good as we hoped but still, we managed to have some memorable flying days; Galtymore, The Comeraghs and even Carrantuohill in County Kerry - the highest peak in all of Ireland. Light wind, blue sky what a spectacular day that was.

But Irish weather of course is so unpredictable which can mean a lot of travelling in the search of flyable conditions. And why limit your territory to just the island of Ireland? With light equipment (tent, sleeping bag etc) planning a trip abroad gets much easier - you don’t have to spend time, energy or cash on accommodation.

It’s just a matter of checking the weather and buying the tickets.

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Twice this year (April and June) we did just that, flying to Bergamo and driving the short distance to the Bergamasque Prealps (or Prealpi Bergamasche in Italian). This is the line of mountains that run along the south of the Alps from Lake Como in the West to Lake Iseo in the East. On both occasions we left Dublin on an early morning flight and returned late at night. With one day off work and a bank holiday in between, we had a 4 day trip.

You can do a lot of flying in 4 days!

With such a short trip it’s well worth spending time researching the area before you leave home.

One site we found is Valcava which takes a SE-S-SW and is only 35 minutes from Bergamo airport.

Another even better site is Mt. Cornizzolo (also take a SE-SSW) which is only an hour from the airport. As an added bonus during weekends there is even a regular shuttle bus at Mt. Cornizzolo that runs from the landing site to the big, beautiful, grassy launch, which comes in handy in case you bomb out. But on a good day you won’t need it; there is great flying in all directions with 70-100km triangles possible. One

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Galtymore

route is to first head West to Como or even further over the lake to Lugano in Switzerland before turning back and east to Valcava. Along that route, you’ll fly over some beautiful lakes and alongside high steep mountains.

In August I took part for the first time in a ‘hike and fly’ competition in Sopot, Bulgaria – the Trans Balkan 2015 Hike & Fly event. It is organised by the SkyNomad Club – a very nice and friendly bunch.

It was a wonderful experience and I met new pilots from all around Europe and discovered some beautiful landscape. The competition taught me to rely on all the experience I have gained so far in my

Carrauntoohil, Co. Kerry

flying career – staying in the mountains on my own for a few days I had to pick which hills to climb, the best hiking route, choose the launch sites and read and plan for the weather.

It was an amazing experience – the livetracking and competition with other pilots just adding to the adrenaline rush. I hope to return in 2016 and with luck we’ll have better weather this time. To get there I flew from Dublin to Memmingen (Germany) and then on to Sofia, returning by the same route. I would recommend Sopot as a flying destination to anybody: it is friendly, inexpensive and has the added bonus of a chair-lift to the top.

FREEFLIGHT WINTER 2015

Portugal-Spain border In September we went to Piedrahita in Spain for 4 days. We have all been there before and it is a great place to fly when it is on but this time the weather was not so good. This isn’t the problem you might at first imagine - with tents and light packs, we are not tied to accommodation and have so much freedom we are able to find a different place for ourselves everyday On the first day we went to Torre de Moncovo in Portugal (takes NWN-NNE) and is only a 2.5hr drive from Piedrahita. It was a beautiful day - white, puffy clouds dotted around a lovely blue sky and we all had a terrific day - flying 50km to 90km XCs. The following day we headed to Arcones (takes NW – N) which is the first big ridge about 50km north of Madrid. It is a great place to fly with a long, long SW to NE ridge and wide open flatlands out front.

We all made 90km XCs that day.

Day 3 we found ourselves at Lagunila, a SW-S-SE site which is about 30km west of Piedrahita and we had a pleasant flight until the clouds overdeveloped and we all landed. On our last day we finally got to fly in Piedrahita.

So it’s on to the 2016 season and this year it will start early – on 31 December I will join Bogdan Bialka in Roldanillo, Columbia for 12 days. I hope for nice weather and to return already warmed up for Irish season! ■ Details of all flights can be found on Leonardo and Rafal Fracz has also made some wonderful movies from these trips which you can find on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/user/rafalolsztyn1).

See Rafal’s IHPA Pilot Q&A on page 10

Trans Balkan, Bulgaria

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IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

Eugene and Agnes took three months off this year to to fulfil a lifetime ambition to visit Nepal, see the mighty Mount Everest and enjoy their mutual passion of paragliding. They got to do it all and then some.

FREEFLIGHT WINTER 2015

W

e are both IHPA members living in Wexford. It has been a lifetime ambition for both of us to visit Nepal and see the mighty Mount Everest. We had seen videos and read articles on Nepal that enchanted us because of its diversity.

From the lowland Terrai, rice fields and humid jungle to the juniper and Rhododendron and the snow caps peaks of the Hymalia, Nepal rises from 70 mtrs to 8848 mtrs. It has an abundance of wildlife, flora and fauna, steeped in rich culture and history and still retains most of its stunning natural beauty and charm. With an average annual income of just â‚Ź202.36 it is one of the poorest countries in the world and relies so much on its tourist trade.

After some consideration we both decided to take a three month break from work and to travel to enjoy our mutual passion of paragliding.

Or first choice was to travel to Spain by camper van and paraglide there. Then it changed to travel through the popular European Paragliding destinations and eventually thought, why not go to Asia and fly in Nepal and see Everest. So we planned our trip to Nepal, Malaysia and Thailand. The itinerary was to spend a month flying in Sarangkot, a village at 1592m in Nepal near Pokhara, then to go on a two day, three night trip to Chitwan Safari Park to include an Elephant ride in the jungle and White Water Rafting on the Trusilli River. Then back to Kathmandu (KTM) and trek to Everest Base Camp. We would leave Nepal on 24th May and fly to Kuala Lumpur Malaysia and Bangkok on June 6th travel south to Phuket by bus and rail and fly back to Ireland on 24th to arrive home on 25th June.

So on the 31st of March 2015 we flew to Kathmandu the capital of Nepal with a population of over a million people. We stayed with our Trekking Manager from Adventure Glacier Trekking for first two nights. As this was our first trip outside of Europe, Kathmandu was quiet a culture shock. Sacred cattle lying in the centre of crazy traffic, honking horns, a maze of phone and power lines supporting the odd monkey. Everything was new and different and exciting.

We went to see the sights of the city including Durbar Square with its ancient Buddhist and Hindu temples and Stupas, The Monkey Temple, outdoor Crematorium Ceremonies and shopping for trekking gear in the famous Thamel tourist area.

Then leaving Kathmandu on April 2nd, we took a crazy, seven hour tourist bus drive to Pokhara on a dangerous mountain cliff road with speeding buses overtaking other buses on blind bends, honking their horns to warm oncoming vehicles of their approach.

Pokhara, with its beautiful Phewa Lake and back drop of Fishtail (Machhapuchhre) snow-capped Holy Mountain in Annapurna, was a welcome sight. A world renowned paragliding site overlooking Pokhara is Sarangkot at 1592 mtrs, with spectacular views of the Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Lamjung, Fishtail and Himchuli peaks.

We got settled into our accommodation, familiarised ourselves with the village and got the local knowledge and tips for paragliding. A taxi ride to takeoff on Sarangkot took 45 min on an extremely bad road. It amazed us how the small taxis managed to make it up carrying 3 pilots and all their gear.

Takeoff was buzzing by 10am mostly with local tandems who went first then solo pilots. The sky was extremely busy especially in the only house thermal but the views were amazing. Sharing the sky with vultures and eagles in 30 degrees with the warm wind in your face...pure magic. There are a few different landing fields surrounding Phewa Lake in Pokhara all bustling with landings every few seconds and local boys and girls running to greet each pilot hoping to make a few rupee by folding their wings for them.

On my first flight I had a nice landing. A short while after Agnes lined up for landing but at the last minute the wind changed direction and she was pushed into a rocky patch. She tried to glide past it to reach the grassy area just beyond but realised too late that she didn't have the glide ratio to do so. She pulled the brakes but came in hard and fast, the momentum causing her to crash in and lose her balance landing hard on her left arm. She was slightly shaken up but thankfully was ok, managing to carry her glider back to our room. Later her arm swelled up, was badly bruised and movement very restricted. She was out of action for over 2 weeks but got back flying eventually. It was only after we got home in July that Agnes had her arm x-rayed and discovered that she had broken her elbow in the fall! I continued to fly with the other pilots, one a Galway lad Carl, whom we met on the landing field.

As it was almost the end of the flying season some days the weather was too strong or over developed with occasional thunder storms.

One day we spotted a local pilot who got caught out when the weather changed. He was forced backwards from Sarangkot by the wind over the city of Pokhara. We watched him for ages as he struggled to lose height while being blown back. Eventually we lost sight of him and feared the worse as the area he was flying over was

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overcrowded with buildings, antenna and electric wires and cables.

We could not believe it when we heard a week later that the pilot had managed to land safely on a rooftop amidst all the buildings.

One lucky guy!

O

n April 25th Carl, Agnes and I were having a meal on a first storey open rooftop when the first earthquake shook Nepal at 11.56 measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale. The glasses on the table began to shake. The owner said it's ok we get these tremors about four times a year but as it intensified the glasses fell from the tables and the building shook violently. The owner told us we needed to get down and out of the building quickly as he realised it was a big quake and not just a tremor. We didn't need telling twice and we made a run for the stairs and a safe haven by the lake near open ground. It was a weird sensation to have the ground beneath you shake.The restaurant wall was severely cracked but as far as we know no one died in Pokhara although it was only 50 km from the epicenter. We didn't realise the seriousness and extent of the quake until we saw images on the news later that evening. Needless to say flying was the last thing on our minds following the disaster.

The following day after a chat with Carl the three of us decided we would travel to Kathmandu to offer to help out. The next morning we caught the early bus to the city. We were practically the only bus heading to Kathmandu. We met hundreds of vehicles crammed to bursting with Nepalese people too frightened to stay in the city as there were still frequent aftershocks. It was a scene we had often seen on our televisions. People were hanging from the sides and on top of the buses. Inside they were 3 or 4 to a seat sweltering in the heat with no air conditioning. Trucks, vans, lorries and buses all loaded with people were bumper to bumper on a mass exodus from Kathmandu.

the Indian Cockoo, Woodpecker, Bee eater, Kingfisher and wild life such as the Gharial and Marsh Mugger crocadile, Endangered One Horn Asian Rhino, and Spotted Deer. We enjoyed watching the elephants relaxing in a stream as the mahout scrubbed them down. During one of the nights we were awoken by a most majestic thunderstorm. On the last evening at Chitwan we visited the village for a cultural night.

In the morning we got the bus and headed for the Trusilli River to do the white water rafting, which was a few hours drive towards Kathmandu. We got off the bus with our guide at the rafting spot.

However there was no sign of our new guide and eventually we learned that he had gone home to his mountain village to rebuild his home after the quake. So we caught the next bus for Kathmandu where we stayed overnight in Thamel. We bought our trekking gear and left in the morning at 5am to catch our 6am flight to Lukla. Due to the lack of radar, the location of Lukla and local weather conditions in the Hymalia, flights only operate in the morning. We boarded a small 16 seater plane with Buddhist monks, trekkers and locals making sure to get seats on the left for best views. It was a spectacular flight with amazing views of the Hymalia. Lula is considered the world's most dangerous airport at 2848 mtrs with a steep short runway perched on the edge of a cliff.

As there is no Irish Embassy, on arrival we went to the British Embassy to register and enquire about helping out. We were informed that they had enough professional and international military help so they advised us to try to get home or return to Pokhara.

As we were less than a month into our three month trip we decided to return to Pokhara. A few days later we got word from our trekking manager that it was ok to continue with our itinerary so we headed for Chitwan where we enjoyed a very pleasant two days and three nights exploring the safari park. We visited the elephant sanctuary where we saw the mahout taking great care of the elephants and calves. We took an early morning trip on a dugout canoe down the Narayani River and saw a variety of birds such as

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

F

rom here we began what was to be our 12 day trek to Everest Base Camp. The weather was perfect, the scenery spectacular, the going was tough at times but worth every step. We trekked through rhododendron forests, wild rocky paths, across high long suspension bridges, over moving glaciers, and alongside waterfalls. We spotted some wildlife including eagles and pheasants.

In more remote areas the snow leopard and bear can be found. We shared the path with porters carrying super human loads down from Everest. Some loads were over 100kg!!! Many of them were PAGE 43

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bringing down equipment from the cancelled expedition trips. We met mule trains, at times more than 60 in number, then higher up ox and higher again above the snowline beautiful yak. These animals are the lifeline of the mountain villages as they are their only means of transporting supplies around the area.

We passed numerous stupas and shrines, many damaged, that were covered in prayer flags and burning juniper incense offered in prayer for safety to the holy mountain, staying overnight in Teahouses where we huddled by the stove fuelled by dried yak dung. The food was tasty and nourishing. We played cards with guides and trekkers to pass the evening hours.

On the 10th of May we reached the memorials dedicated to the lost souls of Everest's mountaineers, one of which was Scott Fischer, and it happened to be the 19th anniversary of that infamous storm and tragedy. The one that inspired the recent Everest movie. It was a timely reminder to offer a prayer in memory of the mountaineers who died in the avalanche at Base Camp only two weeks previously.

The next morning we set off early as usual to head to Gorak Shep 17,219 ft, 5140 mtrs, which is the village nearest to Base Camp and overlooked by Kalapathar 5550mtrs 18,209 ft. Gorakshep is a frozen lake bed covered in sand, only inhabited for a portion of the year. We had to cross the Kumbu glacier to reach Gorak Shep. It took an hour to cross in a fresh fall of snow which made it ever more dangerous on top of the danger of tremors after the quake.

Parts of the trail were badly damaged from rock falls and landslides due to the quake. In places we saw where swathes of trees had been broken in half from the landslides tumbling down the mountain side. From time to time we encountered massive boulders that had crashed down from higher up and come to rest on the path. In areas we could see overhanging rocks and boulders perched precariously above and below us. This was slightly unnerving as Nepal was still experiencing tremors and we had to move quickly but cautiously through these areas.

This has just reminded me of a funny incident which happened when we went exploring one of the villages. We had crossed a short high suspension bridge over the river to the other side of the village.

There were houses right beside the high banks of the river on that side which had suffered extensive quake damage. We stopped to take a few photos. The ground between the houses and the river had huge cracks in it. As I leaned hesitantly and peered over the edge I heard a loud rumble which startled me and I jumped back shouting to Agnes 'Quick get back. It's a quake'. When I looked over at her she was bent double laughing with tears in her eyes. It turned out the rumble wasn’t the result of a tremor or quake but Agnes passing wind!!! When I got over my initial fright we both had a good laugh about it lol. Needless to say I've been slagged many times since. Flatulence is a common effect of trekking here due to the altitude and diet.

We arrived in GorakShep by lunchtime and we were looking forward to the last leg to Base Camp in the afternoon which was now within view. We could see the Kumbu Icefall and hear the cracking ice from the glacier way below us. Then our guide got word that Base Camp was declared out of bounds by the Nepali government. Following this we had a discussion about our return trek and in light of the damage on the trail and the danger posed when crossing the bad areas and the continuing tremors we decided to call in the rescue helicopter to take us to Kathmandu. Our guide made the arrangements and our rescue was set for the next morning.

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t 10am on May 12th the helicopter arrived and all three of us boarded along with a local girl who hitched a ride with us. We flew along the valley bordered by the majestic Hymalia with a bird's-eye view of the suspension bridges and river valley which we had trekked in the last week. The pilot was detoured to Lukla to assist with delivering aid and supplies to areas still cut off by the quake. We landed at Lukla after collecting two monks from a rural village on our way.

We made our way to a Tibetan restaurant beside the runway to pass the time. About an hour and a half later the second Nepali earthquake struck. We ran to safety outdoors and huddled in a PAGE 44

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group on the lawn beside the runway. It was hard to believe that another quake had struck, 7.3 strong. We could see the dust and hear the rock falls thundering down the mountain across the valley and below us. This was a more frightening experience for us than the first quake but thankfully we were once again in a safe place and came to no harm. The epicentre was only 20 km away. A short time later the local school children came running past as they evacuated the school. It was amazing to see how calm the vast majority of the children were. Despite damaged buildings we didn't hear of any serious injury or deaths there. Of course our helicopter had to carry out several more rescue missions ferrying terrified young and elderly to the safety of Lukla.

lentils other various foodstuffs plus what looked like bags of cement and other building materials. How this old dilapidated bus managed to carry all us passengers along with all the extra cargo up that steep winding road was mind boggling.

It was around 5 that evening before we were finally told we were to be taken to Kathmandu. As we flew the rest of the journey we wondered just where along the trek we would have been when the quake struck had we been on the trail as originally planned. We felt we had someone watching over us for sure.

The ride in the helicopter was spectacular as this time round we got to be up front beside the pilot and enjoy the panoramic beauty.

Upon landing at Kathmandu airport we were quickly ushered out through a side entrance and were met by our trekking manager's driver who took us back to Dil's house where we gladly enjoyed a warm shower (we had not showered in 4 or 5 days) and a delicious hot meal. Due to returning early from our trek we found ourselves at a loose end.

Our trekking manager was from a small mountain village called Jymrung in the Dadhing region and very close to Gorka the epicentre of the first quake. Over 90% of buildings in Nepal's mountain villages had been either badly damaged or destroyed including Dil's mother's, his brother's and his sister's houses. Dil's wife and son had gone to the village to give the villagers money which had been sent to Dil by friends and previous clients from all corners of the world. Some members of our family had sent us donations too so we decided to travel to the village also. We decided we would donate the money to the school as we felt this would benefit the whole community.

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t 7am we caught the local bus heading to the village. We had travelled less than a kilometre when it broke down and the bus conductor was dispatched to fetch the necessary help. In a short time he arrived back with a small plastic bottle of what looked like engine oil. The contents were poured into the engine and with a few taps of a large spanner on the starter motor we were good to go! Agnes and I looked at each other wondering how this old thing which seemed to be on its last legs was ever going to get us to our destination.

We were glad to finally arrive at our stop. Here we were met by Dil's son Divas and we followed him through the Terrai crossing the river via the suspension bridge and on up to Dil's place. His mother's and brother's houses were built beside each other and both had been rendered uninhabitable by the quake. The families had set up tents for sleeping and cooking purposes in front of their houses. Younger members of the families had travelled from Kathmandu to be with their parents and grandparents and to help with clearing out the dry stone, rubble and rocks which they were recycling to build a new house. We were greeted warmly, made to feel very welcome and given one of the tents to ourselves which we refused but they wouldn't take no for an answer.

The following day we went with Madhu, Dil's wife and Divas as they visited the other villagers to distribute the donations they had received. Every home was severely damaged, some also lost precious livestock. It was great to see the money going directly to those affected as it is common knowledge that there is widespread corruption and many of the donations didn't reach the people.

From there we visited the local school which was also very badly damaged. The school master had agreed to meet us so we could personally give him the money that we had for him. He and all the

The second part of the journey to Jymrung was quite arduous as the road was little more than a large track cut into the mountainside and there was mostly only room for one way traffic.

Luckily traffic was sparse and most of the traffic we did meet was just motorbikes and scooters. We did however have an occasion when our bus had to reverse back the narrow track. We held our breath looking out the window at the big drop as the bus inched slowly backwards. The bus was packed full with passengers and no air conditioning. Even the rooftop was full up.

The journey took over 9 hours with the bus making a number of stops in the larger towns to take on rations and provisions to be delivered to family members in the various villages along the way.

The aisle of the bus was soon piled high with 40kg bags of rice, IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

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villagers we very appreciative of all the help. We bade goodbye to them all and then as we wanted to purchase some provisions for our meals Diwas took us to the nearest shop which was a few kilometres down the valley through the corn Terrai and across the river. When we got there we found the shop had been levelled but the shop keeper had set up a temporary shop in a make shift hut with the few supplies he had managed to salvage from the rubble.

We headed back and we spent the afternoon helping to clear out one of the houses. As we worked a local stone mason used the stone to build a new home. ĂŒt was tough dusty work in the afternoon heat but we managed to get a lot done. We finished around 6pm as the light began to fade. After we washed up the family invited us to join them for a very welcome, delicious, traditional meal of Dal Bhat, (rice and lentils). With our lack of Nepali we had great fun trying to communicate with gestures and grimaces but we all enjoyed the Craic. Exhausted we retired to our tents as we were catching an early bus in the morning to Kathmandu.

We were up with the sunrise and said our emotional goodbyes to our new friends. As we departed Dil's mother gave us a wonderful parting gift of a Nepali Tikka blessing in thanks for our help and financial assistance. Tikka is a blessing symbolized by a red mark on the forhead made of red powder mixed with yogurt and rice grains. The bus arrived more or less on time and Madhu, Diwas, Agnes and I settled ourselves into our seats for the long journey ahead of us back to Kathmandu.

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e spent the last few days of our stay in Nepal exploring Kathmandu including a return visit to the now destroyed Durbar Square where we met up with our fellow IHPA member Tony Taylor who was in Nepal with an international aid agency. We also visited a hospital to see Charlie, a German pilot whom we had befriended in Pokhara. He had

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recently had an unfortunate accident on takeoff on Sarangkot when the wind switched and caused him to crash into a hut. He suffered a hip injury but the prognosis was good and he was looking forward to flying home to his family the next day.

Our last day in Nepal finally arrived and we said a sad goodbye to Dil and his family. We made our last journey through the chaotic city traffic to Kathmandu's Tribhuvan Airport, looking forward to the next leg of our trip to Malaysia and Thailand. We had planned and hoped for an adventurous and safe trip to Nepal and we can certainly say we got all that and so much more. Nepal has so much to offer: a nice if somewhat busy flying site, unspoilt spectacular beauty and majestic mountains, delicious cuisine (a mixture of Nepali, Tibetan and Indian), great value for money, very low crime rate and such lovely friendly, people.

Our hearts and hopes go out to all the people we met and all those who were affected so tragically by the earth quakes. â–

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

IHPA

H T 9 Stones, SHOT Mt Leinster Dara Hogan

IHPA

H T Rossbeigh, Co Kerry Joan Ryan SHOT

FlySAFE NIGEL PAGE

Nigel Page has kindly allowed FreeFlight to print his excellent safety articles originally written for the Derbyshire Soaring Club magazine and later added to his website 50K or Bust. w Nigel is a senior paragliding coach with over 27 years of flying experience and his articles cover safety issues and flying techniques essential to all pilots. In this issue we reprint his article outlining techniques to help make landings easy and safe each time we fly.

Happy Landings

Landing accidents continue to happen, even to experienced pilots. The techniques below are intended to help make landings easy and safe each time we fly. In Ireland and Britain we normally fly in conditions dominated by the geostrophic or “meteo” wind and the direction is usually obvious in ridge soaring conditions. However when wind is determined more by local thermic conditions things can be more tricky.

Priorities and Margins If the field is big, use it! More than one experienced pilot has crashed trying to land in a particular spot near the edge of a massive field. Our list of priorities should be a bit like this: 1. Not to get hurt or to hurt anyone else.

2. Not to damage our glider or other peoples property.

3. To do a “nice” landing without struggling or thumping in.

4. To land in the landing field.

5. To land in particular place in the landing field. Not to millimetre accuracy (this is not about accuracy competitions!), but within a limited area as a practise for when we might really have to.

We should always try and land with some of our safety margins and options unused. If little or none are left when we have landed we need to have a good think about the decisions we made on that flight.

Assessing Landing Conditions - Be Observant - Be Sceptical!

often beneficial. From, say, 400 feet up we may think we know what the wind is doing in the landing area but it may be quite different when we get lower.

Observing the presence and behaviour of other aircraft which are trying to land will also be part of our assessment. We should keep a sharp lookout for other pilots throughout our approach and landing. Once down, we must continue to look out for other aircraft while we clear the landing area and keep out of their way whilst they land.

Assessing Wind Observation of trees, water, flags, windsocks, gliders landing etc. can tell us a lot about the wind at the surface. We can also test the wind at our height by flying particular patterns. One way is to simply fly back and forth and see if we drift.

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IN

D

No Wind

We should be positive about what we are doing when landing but being sceptical about conditions in the area we expect to land is

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If the direction of the wind is roughly aligned with the line along which we are flying we may notice a higher ground speed on one leg than the other. GPS will give us a ground speed directly but after each change of direction we must make sure we have flown for a few seconds to allow the value to settle before taking a reading.

STRON STRO NG

LIGHT

We can also check the wind by flying in circles.

Poor airspeed.

Sharp shear boundary.

Glider stalls!

IN

W D

As usual the best defence is to maintain a good airspeed which will reduce the effect and help us to control any surging.

Some GPS instruments can determine wind speed and direction when a glider is flown in circles. These can work very well but do need the circle to be flown smoothly. Near the ground it may be a better idea to rely on our eyes and brain.

When the wind is strong enough for its direction to be obvious we can check its strength by briefly turning into wind.

In a wind of any strength we should always try and allow for an unexpected wind gradient. Unless we really have to, it is not a good idea to do our final turn too low or too steeply. As well as the above hazards, turning into wind through a wind gradient can cause a rapid loss of height.

Last Minute Surprises - Expect The Unexpected

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IN

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If our assessment of conditions in our landing field are good we should not get caught out in the late stages of our landing. However we cannot all be brilliant at judging landing field conditions from altitude and sometimes they can change quickly, especially if it is thermic. A “lifty landing field” can rapidly eat into our safety margins.

Practising Wind Assessment

Again if we know our glider's trim speed, the GPS ground speed and a quick sum will give us a numerical value for the wind.

Keep Doing It! Don't just check the wind once. Keep an eye on it all the way down.

Wind Gradient We know the wind strength can drop considerably as we get near the ground. As well as messing up our approach this decrease can be quite sudden and if our airspeed is already low our glider may surge and drop.

STRON STRO NG

Even when landing in well known fields at regular sites we can still treat each landing as a training exercise. We may have a wind sock or be able to watch others land but we can still assess the wind by other methods for practise and comparison. Today the wind strength and direction may be obvious but would we have been able to tell that if the wind sock was not there or other pilots landing?

Controlling Rate Of Descent And Approach Angle Landing any aircraft is easy if we have a large enough landing field.

Just get downwind, aim at the middle of the field and wait until the ground comes up to meet us. We need to do better than that.

We want to be able to steepen our approach in a controlled way.

Sailplanes have a special control lever to do this, usually coloured blue, which works the airbrakes. Unfortunately paragliders do not have such a device so we have to use other methods.

Wing Control

LIGHT

Low airspeed.

Glider pitches and drops.

Tucks or closures near the ground are particularly dangerous so we must be able to deal with any turbulence we find over the landing field. Wing control or “pilotage” courses are greatly recommended.

Brakes

If the boundary between the fast and slow air is a bit sharp and air airspeed is very low we may even stall with the glider going parachutal.

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

In many ways brakes on a paraglider do exactly what they say. They slow us down. This also has the effect of steepening our glide and we can use them to control our approach. The problem is that the more we slow our wing the less stable it becomes and the greater the risk of stalling or being stalled by a gust. Nevertheless controlling our approach angle with the brakes is fine as long as

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we don't overbrake and maintain a good reserve of airspeed for the conditions we are in.

Always maintain a good airspeed

Approach Patterns For Busy Fields Using a standard landing pattern can make our landing easier for us and for others. This is particularly important where our field is shared with other aircraft types.

Let's have a look at some basic circuits used by power aircraft and winch launched gliders. The simplest circuit which might be in use at an airfield will look like this.

“S” Turning “S” turning alters our approach in several ways.

Downwind Leg

1. It makes our flight path longer.

2. It increases our rate of descent.

WIND

3. It increases our airspeed.

These are all useful effects, but there are downsides.

4. It increases the width of our approach path making it more difficult for another aircraft to approach alongside us.

Airfield

The aircraft takes off, turns downwind, turns into wind and lands.

This might be modified in a number of ways, often to avoid flying over nearby buildings.

WIND

Powered aircraft usually incorporate crosswind legs to make a more rectangular circuit.

Approach blocked

Where gliding and power flying is going on at the same airfield it is common to find power aircraft doing a circuit on one side and gliders on the other.

Landing Field Downwind Leg This can be alleviated by making our “S” turns to one side of the approach.

Powered Circuit WIND

WIND

Airfield

Most of approach clear

WIND

Gliding Circuit

Landing Field Downwind Leg Most of the approach is now clear for another aircraft to use.

“Constant Aspect” or “Curved” Approach This is a powerful method of approach but more difficult technically. We will come back to it later.

Big Ears The use of big ears near the ground is not a good idea as a landing aid. Modern paragliders tend to be susceptible to stalling as the ears pop out.

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A power aircraft approaching this airfield to land will join the power circuit on the downwind leg and a glider will join the gliding circuit on its downwind leg. Joining on the downwind leg has the particular advantage of giving the pilot a good look at the landing area before turning to land.

So how does all this help a hill flying paraglider pilot? If we are near a flatland airfield on a cross country flight it might help us to understand what is going on and avoid the busiest bits of air. One day we may even wish to land at such an airfield. Let's look at a half circuit approach we could do on a paraglider.

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FREEFLIGHT WINTER 2015

Downwind Leg Downwind Leg

WIND WIND

Landing Field Landing Field

This is just a half of the circuit type we looked at earlier. As before, it gives us a good look at the landing field and if a large number of aircraft are using the field it also gives us some order. This approach pattern, sometimes known as a “J� approach is a formal requirement in some busy flying areas. The idea is that pilots wishing to land lose any excess height upwind of the landing field and then do a half circuit approach.

WIND

Lose height in this area

Losing excess height upwind has a number of advantages.

Half Circuit Landings - What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Starting Too Low There we are happily flying about gradually losing height upwind of the landing field. All is well until we start our downwind leg.

Suddenly we find we are rapidly losing height and struggle to reach the field. What has gone wrong?

The area in which we were losing height may have been inside a weak thermal which was reducing our sink rate. When we flew onto the downwind leg we flew out of the thermal, perhaps even into sink.

Always allow a good margin of height when approaching a landing field Flying Too Far Downwind This time we are on our downwind leg with plenty of height. We turn into wind but are unable to get to the field because the wind is too strong.

Downwind Leg

1. It keeps the number of aircraft in the final approach area of the landing field to a minimum.

2. Whilst losing height in the upwind area pilots can observe the landing field and other aircraft wishing to land and plan to avoid conflicts in the later phases of landing.

3. Particularly for paragliders, from a position upwind of the landing field the chances of ending up unable to reach the field because of the strength of the wind are minimal.

Note that if power flying or winch launching is going on on the field we must not hang around losing height in the area into which aircraft are taking off or launching.

The half circuit gives us a simple means of controlling our approach by selecting the point at which we turn in.

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

WIND

Landing Field

Paragliders are very slow aircraft and it is easy to be caught out in this way.

One way of avoiding this is to lose height by flying along inside the line of the downwind boundary.

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We can simply fly along the downwind boundary and choose a suitable point to turn in.

Practising Half Circuit Approaches For some of us, (me at least!) half circuit approaches on a paraglider are not always that easy. If the wind is strong the high ground speed on the downwind leg can be a bit scary, especially if we are not used to it. An easy way to learn half circuit approaches is to simply do the half circuit high and finish with the sort of straight in approach and some “S” turns we may be more used to. If that is comfortable we can try it a little lower the next time and gradually develop our half circuit skills. As with thermalling, we must make sure we can do our half circuits turning to both the left and to the right.

WIND

Landing Field

Stay upwind of this line

Downwind Leg

This is a compromise in that we are now using the width of the approach to control our descent so we will have to be more careful about other aircraft landing.

If it is windy keep upwind of the downwind boundary of the landing field

WIND

Landing Field

Stay upwind of this line

In this case if we need to lose more height we can do so by flying further crosswind rather than downwind. We still have many options to control our approach.

This method is also useful if we have a long thin field whose short axis is in line with the wind.

Practise half circuits to the left and to the right Alternate Fields And Embarrassment Let's look back at the order of a couple of items from our earlier list of priorities: 3. To do a “nice” landing without struggling or thumping in.

4. To land in the landing field.

Reaching the landing field is secondary to making a nice landing.

As long as adjacent or nearby fields are landable it is not the end of the world if we don't actually make our landing field. Fear of embarrassment has made many pilots crash on or near the boundary of “official” fields when good alternate fields were available. The wrong field is a much less embarrassing place to end up than a hospital bed.

Look for options in case things go wrong - don't be afraid to use them Nil Wind Landings The air is seldom completely still and true nil wind landings are rare. The hazard we need to address is having to land when air is wafting unpredictably back and forth such that we cannot be sure of its direction on the field.

Signals from pilots in the landing field can sometimes help but are often confusing. If the wind is that light and there is no wind sock the best signal from someone in the landing field is probably to dangle a streamer, empty stuff bag or something light and let the landing pilot sort it out for himself.

WIND

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Light crosswinds are not much of a problem so rather than trying to land into wind it is more important to try and avoid landing downwind. If, say, we are unsure of the wind direction but believe it to be somewhere in a 180 degree sector we can approach in a direction which gives us the least probability of finding ourselves flying downwind.

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enough to slow and perhaps stall the glider to a shorter stop, but we must not allow the glider to “balloon” upwards with the risk of stalling at height. It is a bit of an art and there are no firm rules. If you have a method that works for you on your glider that is fine.

WIND?

The Lifty Landing Field

Landing Field

If there is a significant crosswind we will be pushed to one side as we approach.

Despite our best efforts at judging our landing we may come across thermal breaking from our landing field at a late stage of our approach. We are now floating down the landing field losing very little height with the end fence looming towards us. There are no magic solutions and our only options are to brake or use “S” turns, and it can be a difficult call. Braking carries the risk of stalling and “S” turns the risk of swinging into the ground, but we must take action and the earlier the better. This is when we find out if our safety margins are sufficient.

Landing Out

Landing Field

CROSS WIND

In a light crosswind we can probably land straight ahead with little problem but we may be able to make a gentle turn to bring ourselves more into wind in the late stages of our landing.

Landing Field

CROSS WIND

Most of the principles of landing at a “proper” landing field apply when landing out on a cross country flight. The main difference is that now we have to choose our field from the air. Our criteria are that ideally the field should be big, flat and clear of wires, crops and animals, but here are a few other points.

1. Landing away from buildings is generally a good idea. Almost all occupied buildings in rural areas have some kind of wires nearby and we don't need to test people's sensitivity unnecessarily.

2. If fields in the area are small, we can try and pick one which has other landable fields nearby to give us some options as we get lower.

3. Horse riders are very vulnerable to their mounts being scared by paragliders. Keep well away.

The vast majority of country people are nice and are often quite interested in paragliders landing in their neighbourhood, but occasionally we can come across someone who is not. Try to be sympathetic and not to aggravate anyone. You may never land in that area again but other pilots probably will.

The “Constant Aspect” or “Curved” Approach

Sometimes, despite our best efforts, we may end up landing downwind.

This has been left until last because it requires a bit more skill than the methods above. It is a very powerful method for getting into a small landing area but requires some practise. It is probably a good idea to get comfortable with half circuit type landings before trying this.

1. Do not try and spot land. Concentrate on not crashing.

Our constant aspect landing approach looks like this.

D IN

3. In this situation I usually take a wrap on the brakes. I may not use the extra brake travel but it is there if I need it.

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2. Landing fields (in Derbyshire at least!) can be rather bumpy. If we have picked an area which is relatively flat and unobstructed it will help considerably.

4. Be ready to do a PLF. Most modern paragliders can convert speed to height quite efficiently. As long as we approach with sufficient airspeed we should be able to round out the landing so we are flying just off the ground without stalling. At this point we have two options. We can continue to hold ourselves off the ground by gradually applying more brake until we touch down naturally. We can also brake hard

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

This means starting upwind of our landing area and making a 180 degree turn towards our target. If we keep the view of our target PAGE 55

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D IN W

area at a fixed angle or “aspect” relative to the ground we should arrive at it somehow. This seems a bit technical so why do it? The answer is that it gives us great flexibility in our approach. If we are too high we can easily open out the turn.

D IN W And if we are too low we can tighten the turn or even make directly for the landing area.

D IN

D The perfect system? Not quite. As with a half circuit approach, if it is a bit windy our ground speed downwind can be a bit high and make the timing and accuracy of our turn very critical.

W

IN

W We now have a wide range of adjustment of our approach and only have to make a turn in one direction. i.e. We don't have to reverse the direction of the turn or turn away from the landing area.

Turning also increases our sink rate from a straight in approach further helping us to get down cleanly.

Starting from a similar position upwind to one side of our landing area we make a sort of S turn in using the wind to move us crabwise downwind. As with the curved approach this gives us flexibility to open or tighten our turns to control our approach.

This method helps to keep us upwind of the downwind boundary of the field. In a very strong wind we might even do something like this.

In this sort of wind we are probably going to be quite glad to be on the ground! Practising Curved Approaches Again it is best to start by practising landing in a large field with extra height and finishing with a straight in or “S” turn approach.

If this is OK we can go a bit lower next time and work lower as we gain experience. We do, of course, need to practise doing them both to the left and to the right. ■ © Copyright Nigel Page - June 2015

Instead we can do a sort of hybrid approach.

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IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

IHPA

H T Lough Bray, Co Wicklow Dara Hogan SHOT

IHPA

H T Kinsale, Co Cork Joan Ryan SHOT

IHPA

H T Aglo, Spain Dara Hogan SHOT

COACHING

CORNER

Ed Cleasby is the Chief Coach for the Dales Hang Gliding & Paragliding Club (DHPC), an accomplished XC pilot and has a wealth of experience flying both Hang Gliders and Paragliders. He has kindly agreed to allow us republish a number of his coaching articles in FreeFlight so watch this space.

A CAUTIONARY

NOTE

In this inaugural edition of Coaching Corner, Ed Cleasby discusses the less well understood or appreciated hazards of winter flying.

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t the start of Springtime it’s usual to warn of the dangers of the combination of winter-rusty pilots and those first spring thermals. However, I’m coming to the conclusion that winter brings its own hazards and that they are less well understood or appreciated in our flying decisions. This short article results from a number of incidents and email accounts which have come my way, one of those concerning myself!

OK, let’s make a start

Essentially, due to cold dense air, a wing’s flight performance has changed

As aircraft go, paragliders are pretty near the bottom of the food chain, certainly in terms of their performance. It takes very little increase in wind speed before we get that awful ‘pinned’ feeling. In summer with higher temperatures we don’t experience that as much, but come winter what feels like a perfectly reasonable breeze can surprise us with tricky take offs, draggings on landing and penetration problems. Essentially, due to cold dense air, a wing’s flight performance has changed, from its stall speed to its top IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

speed- even a glider’s handling is affected. (That last statement may cause debate).

Air density is important because it affects not simply perceived but actual performance. Put simply, thicker or thinner air can change the parameters of our glider’s performance and its resistance to collapse and subsequent recovery behaviour. Air density is affected by three primary things: • Ambient temperature (decrease in temp means increase in density) • Pressure (decrease in pressure means decrease in density) • Humidity (increase in humidity means decrease in density – honest)

Effects of air density on paragliders (or any aircraft) More dense, or "heavier" air will slow down objects moving through it more than less dense or “lighter” air. This is because the object has to, in effect, shove aside more molecules. We know this

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as drag and the effect increases with air density. You won’t penetrate as easily or as well on a cold, dry December day as you may have been used to in warmer summer air – which could have been 20°C warmer. It’s true that in summer the air may be very cold near cloudbase but density compensation is brought about by a decrease in pressure with height. So the effects of air density are far more obvious in winter than at other times of the year. And the conditions where it is most pronounced are a combination of dry air mass, high pressure, moderate winds and low temperature.

Ideal perhaps in summer (apart from the low temperatures) but in winter it can be a very different matter.

For it to make any practical sense it may be useful to provide an example. The following account relates from very recently when it turned dry and cold (around 3 -7°C) with forecast light to moderate winds. The tale I’ll put flesh on is my own. Yes, after all these years I should have known better.

What it can mean in practice.

I recently arrived at take-off on Barton Fell, a well-known Lakes site that I am pretty familiar with. It was sunny and no more than 12-15 mph at take-off with odd slightly stronger moments. Eager to be off I quickly geared up and expected a fairly easy launch on a gentle, clean, grassy slope. Generally above 12mph I use A/C risers and find it straight forward. On this occasion it took four attempts and the impression was of a very strong wind launch.

Once airborne penetration was difficult at trim, yet my instruments only suggested 15 mph wind speed. A long into wind leg was slow (usually quite good on my M6) and coming back downwind I expected a fast 55 -60 mph speed; yet it only reached about 53mph at best at trim.

An hour or so later, against my better judgment I headed deeper into the hills and I soon regretted it! Probably only a small increase in wind speed but I had penetration problems with forbidding terrain downwind. I was also experiencing a sustained period of

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rough surging air (characteristic of denser air) making speed bar use (necessary to get forward) somewhat harrowing. It took a good, testing 15 minutes to ease my way out. It felt very strong, but again, the wind speed was still showing less than 20 mph and I was around cloudbase (3,400’ asl). Effective speedbar use was essential and without it I would have been stuffed – there are several lessons here: make sure it’s connected, you can get at it easily, it operates across the full range, you know that range for your glider (which will be less in winter) and understand the possible consequences.

Later, back near the car parking, I decided given the strong wind conditions (remember it felt that way, but was actually still giving only 15 mph) to land higher on open ground, as it slopes and is boggy near the cars. That was another mistake, I’d made two classic ones already. I landed in a ‘mere’ 14mph but that felt in terms of glider behaviour like 25 mph and was going backwards at a fair rate. It wasn’t a pretty landing - had I kept my video on it would have been a bit Keystones Cops!

Again, as I packed up I thought how pleasant the wind ‘felt’ compared to how it ‘flew’.

Back at the cars it was almost flat calm. From what I subsequently heard on the grapevine I wasn’t the only one to experience the effects of dense, cold winter air. Certainly it reminded me to switch into winter mode when it comes to assessing conditions and not to regard what might be a nice breeze in summer in quite the same way in winter. Flying at this time of year can be fun but remember to take extra care and assess conditions with a different mindset do a proper ‘winter’ assessment.

And while you’re at it don’t forget to give some thought to other winter phenomena such as wave, cold air pooling and catabatic effects. And of course the COLD, which leads very nicely to our next article, Brass Monkies....

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COACHING

CORNER

IT’S COLD OUT THERE Ed Cleasby continues his Winter Flying theme and tells us how and why we need to wrap up correctly when thinking of flying in the winter months.

W

hen I was a lad (brought up on a hill farm during the cold winters of the 60’s) my Dad swore by clogs in summer and wellies (with liners) in winter. So I had a ‘wellies in winter’ upbringing – and it seemed to work. Whether snagging ‘nips’ or Kale in a muddy field on a bitter winter’s day or chasing ewes around sodden fells, I don’t recall a childhood marred by frostbite or trench foot. This, of course, was before the days of ‘modern materials’ and child protection agencies.

even in summer to staggering heights, this applies equally well to flying at any time of the year but for this article I’ll limit myself to the particular issues of staying warm whilst flying through winter.

With free flying we adopt a fairly sedentary/ y inactive position with full exposure to the elements for longish periods of time

Which leads me to the horrors of flying through winter …… and the best ways to endure it or enjoy it. I know some pilots who store away their glider and don’t take it out again until the second daffodil appears whilst others spend hours behind the wheel in search of a weather slot coinciding with a flying site. I’m a bit of both - I don’t pine after the fjords but I do like to get out and about on a decent winter’s day and keeping warm is key. I suppose because we ascend IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

There are many outdoor activities but ours is a little unique in that we adopt a fairly sedentary position with full exposure to the elements for longish periods of time. More active pursuits continually provide heat generation, whereas we are more about heat conservation: in fact I’ve come to the conclusion that a decent walk-up is more a necessity than a chore on a cold winter’s day as it produces the core heat

for the flying part.

The basics of keeping warm You'll lose heat from any uninsulated body part -you'll lose as much heat from an uncovered neck as you will from your head PAGE 63

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for example. Head, neck and ears where blood vessels run close to the surface lose heat more quickly than other parts of your body so a long balaclava that tucks away or a neck muff is a good idea and the balaclava should pull up over the nose and ideally be breathable material to avoid frosting up or misting goggles/glasses. I also tend to use my full face helmet on cold days as opposed to the lightweight one.

And it’s not good enough to simply add insulation to the body parts that are cold. Your hands are often the first thing to feel a chill as a result of their position but a symptom of your entire body being cold is that it prioritizes heating your essential organs in your torso over pumping warm blood out to your extremities. So if your hands are cold, it's a sign that you're not doing a good enough job at keeping your whole body warm. In my own case I wear two weights of glove, both fingered and put the second set on over the first once settled and airborne.

Mitts are warmer but could compromise safety in a number of ways, not least the ability to deploy a reserve. Even in summer I still use the two pair system – lighter gloves for ease of instrument/ radio/camera operation and a second, heavier pair for flying at altitude.

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Legs are another area to consider. I often see pilots with a pair of wool socks, boots and three sweaters on, plus a down jacket and a balaclava. But, they're still cold. Why? All they've got on their legs is a pair of jeans or single skin trousers. Their legs may not feel any colder than the rest of their body, which feels cold because they're shedding so much heat from their bottom half.

While your torso does require the most insulation, you can't neglect your limbs. Full flying suits were a common site once upon a time but with the emergence of pod type harnesses (both PG and HG) they became less necessary and have fallen out of fashion. But without an enclosed harness a pair of really good, well insulated, wind proof trousers are essential (in fact I’m wearing mine as I type this – sat at a keyboard can be a freezing activity on a pension!).

The principles of layering and the need for a flexible system During the walk in/up with 15 -20kg you’ll be doing something fairly energetic so you'll want a base layer that prioritises sweat reduction over warmth while on the move but still provides insulation when you slow down. Merino wool is an excellent

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choice in this respect and many swear by it. But it doesn’t come cheap.

Mid/top layers: This is where you want to wear your more substantial, bulky insulation.

Think wool shirts, fleece jackets, lightweight down jackets and fleece or lined trousers. Warmthto-weight and warmth-to-bulk ratio count most here - you want the warmest possible mid-layer with the least amount of size and weight for more comfort and freedom of movement.

waterproofed leather, most people are served best by a membrane and it has the added advantage of being idiot proof). Which brings me back to wellies. Personally, I’m not a fan of boots, which goes back to my climbing days when they tended to be much heavier than modern ones. I’ve seen plenty of purpose designed flying boots and they certainly offer ankle protection but seem way too bulky for tight modern pods.

Of course this may not be a factor if you don’t use a pod.

Some of our walk in’s in winter tend to be very boggy and wet – I do deviate from paths a lot admittedly. Lightweight socks inside thicker woollen knee length with wellies over the top works wonderfully and keeps you dry. HOWEVER, I wouldn’t recommend them on ice or snowy slopes. Once (circa 1980) they were the modern pilot’s footwear of choice, but don’t please act on my recommendation.

YYour hands are often the first thing to feel a chill, that's partially because you're not wearing gloves, but it's mostly a symptom of your entire body being cold

The Shell: So you've taken care of sweat reduction and your next-toskin insulation with a quality, flexible base layer and your major insulation needs with mid/upper layers. Now, you need to keep the wind and rain off and ... for the hardiest of all pilots, the snow too. You'll see "soft" shell and "hard" shell jackets and trousers. Hard shells crinkle when you move and include a waterproof membrane like Gore-Tex that's breathable. They can be thinner and lighter and more capable at keeping the weather off than a soft shell. But, a soft shell is typically more comfortable to wear and breathes better, but is water and wind resistant as opposed to water and wind proof. Which is best for you? Most people who regularly go outside in the winter own both and grab whichever one's going to fit their needs best at any given time. Personally when going flying I have little more than very basic, lightweight waterproofs stowed away in case of showers. For hill walking on the other hand I use a heavier duty breathable set.

On either type of garment, look for pit zips and other vents that you can open up as you start doing energetic stuff or temperatures increase. These are killer if it's raining but fairly warm or if you just need to let your body breathe a little more. Zip them all up if you're cold.

In summer jeans are typically adequate but it’s worth even then thinking about the lapse rate and what the temperature might be at 5000’+. A good base layer underneath may serve you well so consider a quality pair of purpose-designed pants. Being a penniless fashion guru I obtained my ideal combination of fit and style with technical functionality and warmth at the local market.

Love ‘em! And great pocketing too. You don’t always need to buy a ‘brand’ at high prices.

Feets and Hands: The same layering principle applies to your feet and hands (I mentioned my system earlier). You'll be warmest and driest with good silk socks or glove liners worn under a wool insulation layer. Your boots should add a little insulation while keeping the weather off (you want either a membrane or

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When buying boots, make sure there's adequate room to wear both those silk sock liners and a good pair of thick wool socks. Boots that are too tight will limit your circulation. As a note on socks, those really heavy, loosely-woven wool socks aren't going to be as effective as a tight pair of tightly woven wool socks of the kind sold by reputable outdoors brand.

Finally I’ll end with gloves. Look for those with a membrane that is laminated to the shell and this will increase dexterity over separate layers. A pair of cute wool gloves knitted by granny will keep your hands warm if all you're doing is sitting around a campfire, but you need weather protection if you're doing anything more. We all hopefully know that mittens wear warmer by allowing your fingers to warm each other, but that design massively decreases dexterity and as previously mentioned could compromise safety and fine control.

I have seen large over-gloves fitted to brake handles but I don’t find them particularly easy to use and am not a fan.

In summary keep warm you will enjoy far more the flying that winter has to offer. Once cold has set in you’ve pretty much exhausted your heat reserves and it’s time to land as it will only get worse from there.

So get warm and stay warm - energise and insulate.

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