IHPA FreeFlight Summer 2015

IHPA

FreeFlight Official magazine of the Irish Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association

IN THIS

ISSUE

SUMMER 2015

40 Shades of Dale The differences between flying in Ireland and the UK • No Passport Required David May’s 100km XC Week in the Julian Alps • Site Guides CroaghPatrick, Sky Road, Maumturks and Achill Island • The Italian Job Frank Cornin’s all inclusive week with Fytaly in May • Fly SAFE The first instalment of Nigel Page’s excellent safety articles • Escaping to Alicante Finn O’Nuallain and Martin MacMahon escaped in March • Pilot Profile Tony Davis • Winter is coming Madeira for a week in November

IHPA

H T Lough Bray, Co. Wicklow Dara Hogan SHOT

Content Log Book SITE GUIDE - Croagh Patrick

6 10

Ireland’s holiest Mountain

40 Shades of Dale

11

David May tells about the differences between flying in Ireland and the UK

Winter is coming...

13

Madeira for a week in November

SITE GUIDE - Sky Road

17

Coastal soaring site to the west of Clifden on the Atlantic coastline

No Passport Required

18

David May 100km XC Week in the Julian Alps

Escaping to Alicante

24

Finn O’Nuallain and Martin MacMahon escaped last March to Alicante

Brazil, a Winter Break

28

Pete Darwood, of Yorkshire, tells David May about his recent trip to Brazil

SITE GUIDE Maumturks, Inagh Valley

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One of the most beautiful free flying sites in the West of Ireland.

The Italian Job

36

Frank Cornin spent an all inclusive week with Fytaly in May and tells us how he got on

SITE GUIDE - Achill Island

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An island of flying sites that caters for nearly every wind direction

Pilot Profile

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This issue Tony Davis tell us about himself

Fly Safe

48

This issue see the first of Nigel Page’s excellent safety articles reprinted in FreeFlight

IHPA Sponsors

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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

Summertime and the living is...

EASY

It’s holiday season after all and having just returned from a few weeks in France where it was easy indeed it’s hard not to daydream about what it might be like to live in such a climate all year through.

There’s just something about sunshine that lifts the spirits, and that’s even before you get in the air. Although not a flying trip as such I brought the wing with me anyhow as there was always going to be a flying site somewhere close by.

And if it’s specific flying destinations you are looking for the choice is growing all the time - a fact that is reflected quite nicely in this edition of Free Flight. We cover both hemispheres and stretch the flying season out from February to November - with options like these the long Winter hiatus may soon be a thing of the past.

By the time you read this the Red Bull X Alps 2015 will be underway. I can’t wait.

Fly safe...

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LogBook Planning Flyable Days with Flying Notice WhatsApp Many thanks to Paul Hogan for setting up a Paragliding Group on WhatsApp to help pilots plan for flyable days.

Short messages outlining plans for the day and reports on conditions from sites help pilots get an overall picture of flying activity and conditions a particular day.

Lower Lough Bray Open

WhatsApp is a very effective communication tool that’s easy to use and free.

To join the Paragliding Group please text Paul at 086 3314343.

To join the Hang Gliding Group please text Keith Diamond at 085 768 5550.

2015 Membership Stickers

WMNP has informed the IHPA that Lower Lough Bray has regrettably failed for this year's peregrine breeding season and is now open to paragliders to fly again.

The Upper Lake has been successful and has young chicks in nest so this area is still closed until the end of the breeding season (approx 31/7/2015).

Many thanks to all pilots for adhering to the ban and helping to safeguard a good working relationship between the IHPA and WMNP.

Many thanks to all the pilots who have renewed their membership for 2015. Sticker packs were issued early May and this year see's a new design reflecting the aviator spirit of our sport.

Please display your stickers on your helmet and car so all IHPA Pilots can easily recognise each other when next on the hill.

To help encourage pilots to use their VHFs more often the IHPA also issued small stickers with the IHPA Frequency on them to be applied to pilot’s VHF hand sets and help avoid the confusion as to what frequency to listen on.

If any members would like extra stickers please email: chairman@ihpa.ie

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IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

FREEFLIGHT WINTER 2014

Rossbeigh August Bank Achill Holiday Fly-in June Bank Holiday Weekend Fly-in Now that the road to the Rossbeigh take off has been repaired the IHPA is planning a Fly-in for the August Bank Holiday Weekend (Sat, 1st Aug - Mon, 3rd Aug). Rossbeigh is a beautiful coastal site in Kerry that rises above Glenbeigh Village with views of the Rossbeigh spit, the Cormane Peninsula and Dingle Bay and a Fly-in will be a great way of introducing pilots to one of Ireland's premier sites. Read Gillbert Glennon's article 'Flying Wave at Rossbeigh' in FreeFlight to get a taste of this wonderful site.

IHPA-Flyer Monthly email update This year sees the launch of IHPAFlyer, the Association’s monthly email update.

In between issues of our magazine, IHPA FLYER will help to keep pilots informed of the latest news month by month.

This year’s Achill Fly-in was unfortunately let down by the weather Gods again. Uli Burger managed to get a flight at Minaun Lower Cliffs on the Friday evening and was joined on Saturday morning by Pearse Cafferky to make the most of the short weather window for a flight off Slievemore.

Pearse adds ‘Slievemore is a spectacular site with wonderful views over Keel and beyond. What was particularly memorable was flying over the Abandoned Village and being able to make out the fields of Famine era potato drills on the mountainside. While the flying was nice and smooth both Uli and myself were aware of the forecast for winds to strengthen and where anxious to avoid getting blown over the back as next stop is... CANADA!’ That was the last flight of the weekend and well done to Pearse for leaving Dublin at 4.30am to get to Achill in time to catch the weather window!

A regular feature of the update is a video pick of the month. Please let us know if you have any videos you feel we should feature.

As part of the Update the IHPA have compiled the FreeFlight Site Guide pages into a single document available to download from ihpa.ie.

Each month we add a new site and in this issue of FreeFlight we’ve republished the four new sites so far added to the IHPA Site Guide, Croagh Patrick, Sky Road, Maumturks and Achill Island. Download the Site Guide here.

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

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IHPA

H T Alicante, Spain Finn O’Nuallain SHOT

SiteGuide

Croagh Patrick Co. Mayo Famous the world over as one of Irelands Holy Mountains it is also one of the main flying sites in the West of Ireland.

Wind Direction: N

Situated a short drive from Westport along the south shore of Clew Bay it offers amazing views in all directions. Requires a solid 20 -30 minute hike to launch but rewards with beautiful soaring and, to the south, interesting XC potential.

Being a solitary 764m mountain right on the Atlantic coastline the influence of the sea is never far away which can make it difficult to predict conditions until on the hill. It also keeps base lower than further inland but, if you are lucky enough to be there with a Northerly and high enough base you may be able to make the jump to the Sheffries to the South which opens up the high ground that stretches all the way to Galway Bay.

W

E

S

ree launch directions: North - leave your car in the main car park (C) to the north of the mountain and hike to the shoulder at point A. Depending on how far the wind is off to the NW be careful of flying too far into the bowl as it can be turbulent.

Plenty of landing options - a gentle slope landing above and to the south of the car park or alternatively in the fields to the north of the road. Best to avoid the most obvious field however due to issues with the land owner. This is the one just to the east of the field with the Ship monument.

Note: there is a time limit in the car park so if you think you are going to be longer it may be better to park along the road instead.

South - take the road up to the Mountain Rescue station (D) and follow the track to point A. The first half of the track is over boggy land and can be quite wet but it is a shorter hike than from the North as the parking spot is further up the hill. Abundant landing options best not to land too far east of the main peak to avoid a difficult walkout through forested terrain.

West - take the road that leads up between the west flank of Croagh Patrick (Ben Goram) and the small knoll (Cuillean) and park the car where you can (E). Stiff hike to a relatively small, steep launch spot (B) so you need to be confident with your launch technique. When in the air be careful not to drift back low over the spine as it will rotor. Plenty of landing options by the road where you parked.

General Information: GOOGLE MAPS

CLICK HERE

GPS COORDINATES: Shoulder (A): 53.761588, -9.639639 find a suitable launch site in this area.

Launch West (B): 53.763008, -9.698733 find a suitable launch site in this area Parking North (C): 53.779593, -9.640390 – car park Parking South (D): 53.753634, -9.638909 small car park Parking West (E): 53.763871, -9.705643 side of the road

C

E Cuillean

B

A Ben Goram

D

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

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40 Shades of... ...Dale David May shares with us his article for SkyWords magazine on the differences between flying in Ireland and the UK

W

hat brings you over this way? “Paragliding” I usually reply though of course it’s only partly true – flying in Ireland is not so much different to flying in the UK, certainly not enough to emigrate for. The most common reasons to change country are the 2 W’s – Work or a Woman. I suppose it could also be the 2 M’s – Money or a Man – but in my case it was a beautiful Leeds lass I met on a paragliding trip a few years ago.

I moved over in 2014 and what with changing country, looking for a job and 2 house moves there just wasn’t much time left over for flying. I made do with a couple of short flights on Windbank and a late in the year SIV with Flyeo. For the rest I studied the sites guide in preparation for the new year. The second house move brought us to Ben Rhydding, just one stop short of Ilkley along the train line and on the doorstep of the Dales, perfect!

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

Which brings us to the reason for this article. I met Tam at one of the club meetings in Otley and had already singled him out as a ‘person of interest’ due to his association with the club magazine SkyWords. For my sins, I am the editor of the Irish magazine (Free Flight) and it is a constant struggle to source content so I was curious to find out how Tam managed not only the quality of the articles but also the quantity – bringing out an edition once a month.

We manage to bring out the IHPA magazine a few times a year! In the end, Tam generously agreed to allow me to republish some articles in Free Flight (subject to the author’s permission of course) and, in the politest of ways, suggested I might write an article for SkyWords about the differences between flying in Ireland and the UK. “Of course I will” I said.

Having already done the math it was pretty clear I was coming out

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FREEFLIGHT SUMMER 2015

on top on this deal and was quite happy to try to give something back, though I suppose the final judgement on whether I succeed will be up to you. Remember, ‘Happy Are The Merciful’.

So what are the differences between flying in Ireland and in the UK? From a flying perspective, not so much really. In the West of Ireland the terrain is most similar to Scotland and I suspect the flying too.

Most sites require a hike to launch and with the Atlantic Ocean so close the weather is quite variable and base is generally low so not the best side of the country for XC. East coast and midlands are better and more similar to flying in the Dales for example. Most of the land is private with the attendant landowner concerns but on the plus side there is usually a drive to launch. Better XC potential with higher base and less rain (Dublin has half the rainfall of the west coast) and the Irish record was pushed to 112km last year which compares favourably to the UK if you consider there is a lot less land to fly over.

The biggest difference is not in the air at all. It is the BHPA structure, or more particularly, the club structure. In Ireland the IHPA have between 80 – 100 members (with probably half that many again that choose not to join) and no club structure to speak of, partly because we are so few and all quite spread out around the country. I didn’t realize how big a factor the club can play until I joined the DHPC and I daresay, given our nature, it can quite easily be taken for granted if you’ve ‘grown up’ with it. I’ve enjoyed the club nights - it made it so much easier to meet people and ask questions. Various presentations – Judith Mole came along one

evening to talk about goals and motivations, we had an interesting presentation on instrumentation and a brilliant day in January at the CSC/DHPC Joint XC Coaching Day. Just by chance I managed to get my hands on Ed Cleasby’s book ‘Defined Flying Challenges’ which is a brilliant introduction to flying in the region and I expect I’ll be going back to it over and over again as the year progresses.

But the real advantage has to be the support that comes with the club – be it the explicit coaching support or the more ephemeral positive energy associated with so many people all doing the same thing and encouraging simply by having gone before.

It’s not difficult to go flying in Ireland – once you know the sites and your free time coincides with suitable weather then off you go.

But progression can be slow – especially the step from soaring to XC. The reasons why you may not make that leap are universal and certainly not particular to Ireland – for myself, it was always the effort I’d have to make to get back to launch. I did much of my flying in the West of Ireland where there were just two of us flying and no public transport to speak of.

And I can’t say which has come first - the move to the UK or a mental shift towards XC – but I find I want to give it a go this year and I’ve no doubt that a significant factor in this change of heart is the background support the club brings. There is a small (but active) group of XC pilots in Ireland but it hasn’t achieved the critical mass yet that starts to pull the rest of us in behind. In the UK it has.

Ok, so I guess I didn’t quite get to the 40 shades but I bet it caught your eye...■

...but Madeira for a week in November puts it off for a bit longer.

Liz Davenport is BHPA CP rated and flies mostly in Dorset, UK with the odd trip abroad where David May bumped into her. Always on the lookout for an interesting article, I asked Liz to describe her week in Madiera the previous year.

F

inally the start of a new flying season. Repack done, kit sorted and I’ve already had a few hours bumbling up and down the local site getting comfortable again. Patience … the long winter is done.

But oh it could have been a lot longer. I remember some years when my last decent flight was in September … more often than not associated with a trip abroad - Spain is still working at that time of year, other places too. But that still leaves a long wait for Spring. I’ve been to Lanzarote in October which shaved another month off the down time but last year I pushed the envelope even further and went to Madeira for a week in November with Flight Culture UK, a Dorset based school.

The island of Madeira sits atop of a massive (extinct) volcano that rises 6 km from the ocean floor approximately 250 miles north of the Canaries. It is a beautiful, picturesque island that has been settled since the 1400's, quickly developing as a stop off point en

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route to the ‘New World’. It has a high, steep spine which tops out at Pico Ruivo (1,861m) and effectively creates a natural north/south divide. With the prevailing northerlies, the north side of the island gets quite a bit of rain and has a tropical feel whereas the south side, protected from the prevailing winds, is much drier. This is where we did most of our flying.

The Airport is close to the capital Funchal which is on the south side of the island.

Virtually the entire population (aprox 270,000) live on a small strip of land along the sea shore with the road network following the coastline. Our base was a surfer’s hotel in Jardim do Mar, a small village about an hour from the airport. It was great fun, laid back and the owner was very friendly – especially when it came to sampling the wine and the rum he made himself. Some evenings we ate out, others John Welch of Flight Culture treated us to a home cooked meal and proved to be an excellent cook.

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

FREEFLIGHT SUMMER 2015

Our main launch site was Arco da Calheta, one of the main flying sites in Madeira and just 20 minutes along the coast from our base.

It is privately owned so there is a nominal site fee but it was part of the package so all we had to do was turn up and take off. This take-off site is usable about 300 days of the year and is well maintained ¬- the owner keeps the grass cut, looking neat and tidy - with loos and a small covered area offering shade. He also has a B&B next to launch and is a pilot himself with lots of local knowledge so it could well be the spot to stay if you are ever heading out there on your own. Of course there are lots of other accommodation options, particularily closer to Funchal but if you are on the island to paraglide, you really need to be on the south west side. Funchal is just that bit too far away - especially as you’ve come for flying time, not driving time.

One of the interesting things about flying in Madeira is that most of the flying is in the lee. The high steep spine of the island provides protection from the prevailing NE winds allowing thermals to form on the south facing slopes which create a consistent up-slope wind. So each day the routine was the same, we’d have a relaxed breakfast and then wait until the blocking thermal flow had set up a constant southerly breeze which was usually around 11am. Flying is a mixture of soaring and thermal

flying which was quite a pleasant surprise in November. And the views are spectacular with the Atlantic Ocean stretching out before you on one side and the cliff line leading up to the rugged interior of the island on the other. We flew over banana plantations and followed the line of the road along the coast and at times were able to get high enough to see across the whole island. Top landing was possible with some sites easier than others but I always preferred to end the day landing down on the beach.

There’s nothing like sitting by the sea with a drink watching the sun set, replaying the day in your head.

Take-off skills and bottom landing Madeira is not a destination for beginners.

You need to be competent with your take-off and be able to line up a bottom landing.

Some of the landing spots are relatively small, for instance the beach below Arca da Calheta is about 40 feet wide by 100 feet long. If you overshoot, you will be landing amongst larger rocks and it's easy to twist an ankle. Many of the take-offs are level areas on steep slopes so inflations can be quite snatchy - the glider inflates slowly from the ground and then as it comes up it accelerates suddenly.

The flying is thermic but is relatively easy - it's an ideal place to develop your thermic flying skills. However as the island gets predominantly northerly winds and you will be flying in the lee you need to monitor conditions: if the blocking thermals begins

FREEFLIGHT SUMMER 2015

to die then things can change quite quickly. As the prevailing wind starts to spill over the top of the island it undercuts the air you are flying in and everywhere becomes quite buoyant – this is really the time you need to manoeuvre back closer to the protection of the slopes and land. If you wait too long the risk is that more and more prevailing wind spills over and you find yourself being pushed out to sea where it can become quite rough. Not a good place to be.

Fortunately, by keeping an eye on conditions – for example the wind shadow on the ocean - you will not have any problem with the back wind. As always in our sport, eternal vigilance is the price of safety.

And of course John was always on hand on the radio to keep us apprised of the situation.

Non flying time The island has a wealth of things to see and do - it is famed for its botanical gardens - with world class fishing and criss-crossed by “levada” walks - walking trails along the maintenance paths of the island’s mini-canal/irrigation system. During non-flyable periods time can enjoyably be passed touring around the island at any of these activities. A drive all the way around the entire island takes about 3 hours. Madeira is also famous for its fireworks displays - its New Year celebrations are recognised by Guinness World Records as the largest fireworks show in the world – though of course you probably won’t be on vacation long enough to see them.

All told I really enjoyed the week in Madeira. It’s a great, low-budget option to get away before Winter sets in and with conditions still working in November not only did I get some very nice thermal flying but the wait for Spring was shortened dramatically.

In a way it put the Win back into Winter. ■

Maderia

SiteGuide Wind Direction: N

Sky Road Clifden, Co. Galway Coastal soaring site to the west of Clifden on the Atlantic coastline.

A short drive west of Clifden along Sky Road with a view over the bay and Slyne Head in the distance. Park your car in the small car park along the road at point A (GPS: 53.500679, -10.096485) and launch is just over the low wall.

This site takes pretty much just a SW. However at just 100m AGL it has the advantage of being flyable when the more inland sites are blown out or clagged in.

W

E

S

General Information: GOOGLE MAPS

CLICK HERE

GPS COORDINATES: Car Park - A 53.500679, -10.096485 Take off is just over the low wall.

Landing - B Plenty of bottom landing 53.497611, -10.097667 options at B if needed.

Lots of landing options but without Preferable to top land by a lift back, a long walk by road or launch though it is small hard climb back up the ridge is on and uneven, with the car the cards. park behind and a large pond to avoid. Be careful also of compression on the top to avoid being dragged back over the wall/fence.

If conditions are right you could try the short out-and-return to Clifden, a little less than 5 km to the east. You will need a constant SW and follow the ridge line.

Note: the ridge quickly drops back and gets shallow with landing options becoming small and uneven with power lines and stone walls to navigate. Good scratching technique required. Be careful if you find yourself getting lower and pushing out - there are NO bottom landing options by the sea line.

A B

Clifden

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

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No Passport Required 100km Out & Return from Gemona, Italy to Kobala, Slovenia

FREEFLIGHT SUMMER 2015

Last April David May booked a 100km XC Week in the Julian Alps with multiple world record holder Brett Janaway and tells us how it went.

I

’ve been flying since 2009, mostly in the West of Ireland and topped up with trips to Spain, France, Canary Islands, Bulgaria, anywhere really that has cheap flights and the sun shines more consistently than back home, which meant I was never stuck for choice. For the most part I’ve been quite content to soar, doing what I could with any thermals that may come through but always returning to the hill and I generally flew without instruments, not by purpose mind, it just happened that way and after a while momentum took over.

But in the last year or so I’ve started to get more interested in the idea of XC so I got a vario and GPS, changed wing and bought a pod harness. Yes I know, besides the instruments it’s not necessary to change your wing or use a pod harness in order to go XC but I was flying a 9 year old Chili and it was as good a time as any for a change. As for the harness, well that was mainly for psychological reasons - I was all too aware how easy it would be to fall back into old habits so I figured the pod would act as a visible reminder each time I took off that XC was now on the menu.

It turns out I quite like the pod. I like the neat and tidy lines and it is warmer. Does it provide any performance gain? I don’t really know, at least not that I have noticed.

And on the minus side, there is some compromise in the amount of back protection and having brought it out to a SIV with Flyeo last October, I discovered just how much more prone a pod is to twisting.

With 2014 a bit of a write off for me flying wise I decided to expedite matters this year and booked a week in April with xTc Paragliding, marketed as a 100km XC week in the Julian Alps. xTc Paragliding is based in Slovenia and is run

by British pilot and multiple world record holder Brett Janaway. Among his many accolades, he held the fastest 100km tandem out & return record from 2011 to 2013 on the very same route we would be attempting so he was PAGE 19

FREEFLIGHT SUMMER 2013

perfectly suited as our guide. Coming into the week my best XC had been a 23km flight in the West of Ireland a number of years earlier, more a matter of luck and extraordinary conditions than anything to do with pilot skill, so I felt that 100km was unrealistic.

But I had been out with Brett before and I knew what to expect and I headed off with the hope to at least improve on my personal best and who knows, it’s no harm to dream a little.

Landing in Treviso airport I was greeted by a cold, grey, rainy day that brought the mood down. No matter where you go, weather is always the big unknown and at this point I feared the worst for the week. I immediately recognized Bruce who arrived with the retrieve bus – his full head of ivory white hair unmistakable and if anything, it had only become whiter since we last met. I was the last to arrive and together with a Scottish pilot he had just picked up at Venice airport, we headed north to Gemona where the rest of the group were already settled into the hotel and waiting for us to arrive before dinner. As we got closer to the mountains the sky cleared and hope returned – I could see the line of the Julian Alps rise up in the distance and disappear east towards Slovenia, a route I hoped to become more familiar with in the coming days.

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We were a group of five – two Scottish pilots, a French pilot, myself and an American who had just flown in from Mexico where he lived. A similar mix of wings – a Gin Carrera, a Gin Bolero, a Niviuk Peak 3, a Nova Mentor 2 and my AirCross U Fly 2. Over pasta and Italian ice cream, Brett gave us an overview of what to expect from the week and a weather update – as luck would have it there was a blocking high sitting over the UK (bringing with it some very nice weather back home) that was throwing unusually unsettled weather our way. Strong north winds were sweeping down over the Alps and affecting the more normal southerly thermal induced airflow. In short, he felt we would not be attempting the 100km route until mid-week. But not to worry, there were plenty of other options– Meduno, Aviano, The Dolomites and Bassano were all within striking distance on the Italian side of the border and there were also plenty of flying options to the East in Slovenia so he was hopeful for a good week flying.

And sure enough, it wasn’t until Wednesday that we lined up on Gemona launch with Slovenia and back in the cross hairs. On the Sunday we went to Aviano which is about an hour and a half west of Gemona and set a 37km task that would take us back to Meduno

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

FREEFLIGHT SUMMER 2015

and then out into the flats a little to land by Coopers Restaurant – if you like beer and chicken then this is the place to go. None of us made goal but I managed a very satisfying 26km, beating my personal best by all of 3km and Coopers chicken tasted all the better for it.

stock I realized I had completed a 37km open distance and beaten my PB for the second time in as many days. Brilliant!!! Apart from the obvious satisfaction of having pushed my own maximum a little further the 2 flights were great for my confidence and I couldn’t help but start to think I might have a chance at the 100km.

On Monday, with the weather deteriorating everywhere we spent a few hours boating around Gemona.

Conditions began to improve from the South so on Tuesday we travelled to Lijak just over the Slovenian border where 3 ridges (Lijak, Kovk and Nanos) line up quite nicely and provide for an interesting day flying.

There is even a 100km flight available if you use the 3 turn point scoring system though on this particular day it was highly unlikely as the wind was a little off to the west. Perhaps because I was still on a high note from my flight the day before, I ended up flying too far along the Nanos ridge where the valley narrows significantly and found I couldn’t push back against the accelerated wind. So I picked up as much height as I could and flew off the end to land about 5km beyond. Most definitely the fastest 5km I’ve ever flown and I was relieved to land without incident – eventually backing into my chosen field on bar. Once safely on the ground and I could take

Finally on Wednesday morning, during our usual briefing, Brett gave us the news we were waiting for: conditions had improved and we would be attempting the 100km out & return today. We already had the waypoints loaded to our GPS and Brett went through the route again describing the various sections, where the difficulties/danger areas would be, the landing options along the way (or lack of ) , a rough idea of timing so we could gauge our progress against the various landmarks with a vew to making it back before the day closed down. The route is relatively straight forward: take off at Gemona, fly out to tag the start point over the Gemona LZ then back to launch, gain enough height to jump onto the higher ridge behind and follow it east to the turnpoint at the Kobala launch site at the far end of the Tolmin valley in Slovenia. To keep you focused from the very start there is a 3km transition early on and bombing out here would mean a day following the others in the retrieve bus. The first part is a ridge about

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

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FREEFLIGHT SUMMER 2013

30km long ending at the Stol antenna where it runs down into the Tolmin valley. From here there is another 20km to the Kobala turnpoint: this is definitely the more difficult section technically where you have to pick your route and climbs more carefully: either the shorter and more direct route along the lower hills that line the valley or to drop back onto the high ground of Krn and use it to sling shot round to Kobala. There are abundant landing options all along the valley floor which is a direct contrast to the initial part of the route – less difficult technically perhaps but with sections where there are little to no landing options it certainly requires a greater degree of commitment.

As I was delayed taking off due to tangled risers from my landing experience the day before I ended up well behind the others and had to play catch up for much of the day. Of course one advantage to being last is you get to see how the others are doing ahead and it makes it easier to pick your line. However as I reached the Tolmin Valley Brett came over the radio to let us know we were running behind schedule and, with only so much sunlight available in the day, it would be best not to waste time if we hoped to complete the return leg. So I had a decision to make: follow the others onto Krn and the high ground or take the more direct route along the lower hills. I choose the latter - it was a gamble as the climbs would be more critical and I had no one in front to mark the way but it would save time. It turned out ok – I caught my best climb of the day half way along the valley allowing me to dive straight to the turnpoint and back, picking up another climb in almost the same spot and before I knew it I was on the Stol ridge again with the border in

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sight and the realization that 100km were now a real possibility.

There was still 30km into wind to fly but the hardest part was behind me. I felt the tension increase with each step closer to goal – passing the Stol Antenna, crossing into Italy and finally that 3km transition which seemed so much wider on the way back - It would be such a disappointment to bomb out now.

When I finally crossed into the goal cylinder around the Gemona LZ I let out a shout of both exhilaration and relief. Five out of six of us made it back and it took almost 5 hours (a definite contrast with Brett’s 3 hour tandem world record). I could have flown further as I arrived with loads of height and one of the group did just that - flying on another 20km. But I was happy to land – I was physically and mentally tired from such a long and emotionally charged flight and of a more immediate nature, my bladder was about to explode.

There was great chat over dinner that evening with stories of climbs and saves and even the news that the next day Thursday and possibly Friday would be non flyable couldn’t put a dent on the positive mood. As it turned out the front passed through a little quicker than expected and we managed to get up on Meduno Friday afternoon. It was too late in the day to go XC so to make things interesting we had a competition to see who could fly the longest 3 turnpoint route, to land at either the Meduno LZ or the one near Coopers Restaurant further out into the flats. It was an interesting exercise and transformed a casual soaring flight into quite a challenging exercise, pushing the distance on each leg as far as possible without bombing out. The best of the day was 33km, I managed 25km.

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

FREEFLIGHT SUMMER 2015

CLICK HERE To view flight in doarama

So all in all, it was a great week and went way beyond expectation.

I flew for 15 hours and broke my personal best XC 3 times, pushing it out to 102km. It was also my best climb and highest altitude and we flew 5 out of 6 days. It has had a hugely positive effect to my

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

confidence and I am looking forward to the year in the UK to see what it will bring. My thanks to Brett and Bruce and to all the group for a very enjoyable week – definitely the best to date. But hopefully, not the best ever. ■

PAGE 23

Escaping to Alic For some early sun and a bit of flying fun!

FREEFLIGHT SUMMER 2015

cante

Finn O’Nuallain and Martin MacMahon met up last March in Alicante to escape the cold Irish and UK weather and get some flying done.

T

his March, Martin McMahon and I escaped the cold Irish & UK weather with a week in sunny Spain. Temperatures were just picking up to the right levels when we landed in Alicante, hitting a 26 degree high. Not too bad considering it was snowing back home. Despite the distractions of the Alicante nightlife, delicious Spanish food and a trip to Valencia's fireworks festival, we did manage to get some flying done.

Being early in the season the sites were generally uncrowded which was a welcome change to my local London sites. We stayed with Nick from "DoYouWanna" who I must say really looked after us and made it a very enjoyable week. There are so many mountain sites in the area but also options of coastal sites, which I really enjoyed.

Alicante is a great place to go if you want a mixed holiday as there are lots of things to do if it's not flyable – see below. It would definitely work with a group that had people that weren't going to fly as they can do their own thing in the afternoon whilst you head up to the hills for some fun. It's also really convenient to get to and has lots of holiday options and English speaking services if you need anything.

Our favourite site of the week had to be Palomaret where we did most of our flying. It was nice to really get to know the site and figure out which parts can work well in the right conditions. Getting to know the bowl and the "house" thermals, we were rewarded with fast climbs and brilliant views all around. Once high up, I enjoyed taking in the views when looking back over the mountain to peer into the natural park, soaring whilst the sun set behind the El Cid mountain and flying over the mountain bikers as they raced down their tracks. And they say we’re crazy! ■

Things to do when it’s not flyable: • Beach

• Hike up to the Santa Barbara castle in Alicante for great views of the city and the surrounding area

• Go mountain biking • Scuba diving • Sailing

• Hire a boat

• Tapas in Alicante

• Check out one of the many festivals that might be on in that region anytime of the year PAGE 25

IHPA

H T Monte Subasio, Italy Frank Cronin SHOT

Brazil

FREEFLIGHT SUMMER 2015

Pete Darwood recently returned to Yorkshire after a number of years living in Australia where he learned to paraglide. David May met him through the local club and, one thing leading to another, he very kindly offered to write up a recent trip to Brazil for FreeFlight.

W

A WINTER ESCAPE

ith winter well and truly set in, no let up in the cold winds in sight and a temporary gap in employment status, a last minute holiday was in order. A quick scout around revealed that Brazil, Columbia or back to Australia were likely destinations.

However, having only returned from living in the latter a month before and with a definite sense of adventure, it had to be one of the former. Having left things so late and being an inexperienced pilot, I decided to see what was available in the way of organised tours. Fortunately trips were available to both countries in February, but I was then reminded about my mother-in-law’s 70th birthday weekend, a no miss occasion, and that left one option. So Brazil it was, with barely over two weeks’ notice, a yellow fever jab to get, sorting out the remaining logistics and deciding which wing to take.

Having just over 80 hours on my school wing, I had started to reach the stage where I felt ready for an upgrade to a low B. The main reasons for the change being fly a wing that better suited my weight and provided enhanced glide performance whilst, at the same time, not wishing to step too far out of my comfort zone. So it was that at the end of January I headed off to warmer climates with a crispy new Ion 3 to join a group of three others from the Lake District for a fortnight.

The flight was long and was almost missed due to snow at Manchester, then Amsterdam, but in the end a tight connection from Rio to Vitoria was made ready for the trip start then next day. From Vitoria we went to Alfredo Chaves, a small site South West of Vitoria and 20km from the coast. This was to be our home for a few days to get everyone warmed up, in both senses of the word. The takeoff was a pleasant hill perched directly above the landing field with cafes at the top and bottom and a relatively short shuttle. The flying itself seemed to be a mixed bag here, convenient in terms of easy access, a relatively low number of power lines and generally smooth conditions early on PAGE 29

FREEFLIGHT SUMMER 2013

and in the late afternoon and evening. However, the sea breeze typically arrives in the afternoon limiting cross country potential and sometimes making the valley and landing a little hectic.

The next stop was Castelo, 50km further inland. This is further into the hills with a far more dramatic landscape and lots of igneous intrusions where fantastic black rock teeth and other shapes protrude from the surrounding landscape. The cross country potential here is significant and even the drive up and a top to bottom is an adventure, with an altitude difference of nearly 800m from the spectacular Uba launch site.

Unfortunately for us we had the tail end of more than a month without rain, so the first days here were reasonably spicy, especially the landings, as everything was so dry and then we had an extremely unseasonable bout of weather which effectively wiped out five days.

The down time was used to travel to the final destination and the principal flying site in the area. Governador Valadares is situated nearly 500km North of Rio, at least 200km from the coast and has hosted many international competitions. The takeoff, Pico do Ibituruna, is an 1100m lump of black rock sitting impressively to the South of the city. It is the largest outcrop in the area and along its spine provides a spectacular takeoff to the North or South PAGE 30

depending upon the time of day. The designated landing options are either side of the Rio Doce some 900m below.

However, people do not come to Valadares from all over the world for the top-to-bottom; the main objective is to head South along the road towards, and possibly past Caratinga, some 100km away.

Whilst being a popular cross country venue, Valadares reaffirmed that for the low air time pilot no XCs are easy! The first problem is the launch time; too early, when the best pilots launch to maximise their flying day, the conditions have not generally developed enough for the beginner to easily stay up, whilst too late and everyone has launched and so apart from a few spectators there are no pilots on launch and there is no one to follow. The next big problem is the hill itself. Being significantly larger than any surrounding mounds, a lot of thermals are drawn towards it and trigger off the sides and summit. This means that if you fail to get a climb from near launch, then it is often a long glide away from the hill before another thermal is found. The key to success seems to be to make sure you climb out above the hill before leaving.

My first few attempts did not yield much, but I was learning all the time. After the second day I had had a couple of bomb outs but also managed to get to roughly the 20km mark twice. After a lot of analysis, and Brahma, I worked out that I was not paying close IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

FREEFLIGHT SUMMER 2015

enough attention to the sky and in particular which clouds I should be aiming for. The third day dawned and I was determined to put up a better performance. However, the conditions dictated a forward launch from the South of takeoff and after a long glide and small scratch I landed between power lines a disappointing 7km from the hill. Fortunately, our guide was on hand to drive me to the top again before chasing the rest of the group. Now on my own, but with a better looking sky and more thermic action at launch I had a second attempt. I spent the whole flight concentrating on the sky and picking lines, crossing between cloud streets and avoiding blue holes. On my own and with the help of a lucky low save I had reached a new personal best of 50km. Ecstatic, I obviously wanted to go on, but the realisation of the main goal led to lower levels of concentration and before I knew it I was heading to what turned out to be the wrong clouds and ultimately down just past 60km. Threading my way between power lines I opted for the safest landing the far side of the river and in between electric fences. After packing up in the heat, I walked and hitched back to the main road and into the nearest town to find an ice cream and sink a celebratory Brahma.

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

The last day dawned and I had to be back in the city to catch the night bus to Rio. This left a reasonable amount of time to get a flight in, providing I did not stay up too long and there were no traffic issues on the retrieve. As there was no option of a second launch, I left the start as late as possible, however, the day turned out to be much harder and slower than the previous one. A succession of low saves and clouds that just did not seem to work or line up kept me concentrating and all of a sudden I was at the 35km decision point. Sensibly I should have turned around and started heading back to the city, but the allure of another 50km flight kept me heading South. I scraped the 50km mark but failed to make any headway back towards launch, landing almost immediately. Whilst gulping a cold Brahma I checked the bus time and realised it was 30 minutes earlier than we thought; a moment of panic and I started to walk in the baking sun back towards the city. Fortunately, Steve was on hand within half an hour and I made the bus with at least 10 minutes to spare.

Personal bests accomplished, and despite the unfortunate weather, we had a great time. Brazil is definitely a place to go back to, although my sense of adventure is likely to take me to a few other

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destinations first. Getting around in Brazil can seem daunting at first, but is manageable. However, going with a specialist tour company, such as XCBrazil, makes things much easier. I think to get the most out of the trip it is probably advisable to have done, at the minimum, a few small XCs before hand and have a grip on thermalling, although the vultures are a huge help here. Also being on top of your landings and your landing out judgement is

important as power lines are an ever present hazard. Unlike more Western countries these are not always laid out logically and a single strand can be almost invisible until quite close up. Finally, whilst the fresh fruit is excellent, if you like your food spicy I would take a pot of black pepper with you as this proved near impossible to find out there, in supermarkets or restaurants! â–

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IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

SiteGuide

Maumturks Inagh Valley, Co. Galway Situated in the heart of Connemara, the Inagh Valley runs from NW to SE between the 12 Bens and the Maumturks. One of the most beautiful free flying sites in the West of Ireland.

The Maumturks are a range of mountains running along the NE side of the Inagh Valley. The more famous Twelve Bens line the SW side. Although not very high they are steep and rocky and provide wonderful soaring with small gaps to navigate between each of the 5 main peaks (Binnmore, Binn Cha贸naigh, Barrslievenaroy , Barrlugrevagh, Letterbreckaun. Excellent XC potential with high ground stretching to the N and NW as far as The Sheffries and Maumtrasna.

Launch is from Binn Cha贸naigh: Park in the small car park at the start of the path to Maumean (the saddle between Binnmore and Binn Cha贸naigh. Walk up the path to the saddle then cut to the left up the hill. Launch is from about half way up where it flattens out a little. Plenty of bottom landing options all along the valley and top landing possible near launch. However, it is rocky with ledges and can be roung so you need to be careful.

Once in the air you can run the 5km to Letterbreckaun or if the wind is a little to the S then you can push out and try to round corner of Binnmore to the more southerly facing slope. A lot of potential to go XC but be careful to have enough height before going over the back to avoid the inevitable turbulence causes by such steep, rocky slopes.

Although sheltered somewhat from the effects of the sea by the Twelve Bens to the SW keep an eye on the approaching weather as it can change quickly and if you are not careful you can find yourself quite suddenly in thick orographic cloud below the peaks. Not a good place to be.

Wind Direction: N

W

E

S Letterbrcekaun

General Information: GOOGLE MAPS

Barrlugrevagh

CLICK HERE

GPS COORDINATES: Car Park - A 53.483924, -9.669807 Barrslievenaroy

Binn Cha贸naigh

B

Maumean trail

A Binnmore

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

Take Off - B 53.493261, -9.661877 (approx) Follow the trail to the saddle then cut up left and find a suitable launch spot.

GETTING THERE: Travel the N59 from Galway to Clifden. Approx 11.8km after Maums Cross turn right and follow the sign posts to Maumean Trail car park (3.6km)

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IHPA

H T Lough Bray Dara Hogan SHOT

FREEFLIGHT SUMMER 2015

Frank Cornin decided to treat himself to an all inclusive week with Fytaly in May and he’s delighted he did.

H

aving spent many years travelling to various places abroad for flying, Austria, Spain, South Africa, Morocco I decided I was fed up of dodgy takeoffs, tight landings, torn lines, stones, and perhaps I had exhausted the various sites which were available at reasonable cost.

I met with Kevin Begley who owns and operates Flytaly whilst in Morocco in February 2014. He had a group of pilots at Ned Aigle in the southern part of Morocco, a beautiful costal thermal soaring site. We got talking and he advised me of his operation in Italy and invited me to view his website and consider paying him a visit. I was impressed with his approach and with the description of what he had to offer. During 2014 I viewed his website and was impressed with what he was offering and I said “why not.”

I made arrangements to visit him in May 2015. Whilst his normal turnover days are Sunday with the flying week being Sunday to Sunday he accommodated me from Wednesday to Wednesday as it suited my timetable and flights best of all. The following is my opinion on the various aspects of the trip.

FLYTALY Flytaly is located in Perugia in central Italy. It is based at the hotel La Padronale Del Rivo in a village called Rivotorto. Rivotorto is approximately 10 minutes drive from Perugia Airport, 4km walk from the World Heritage Site of Assisi and 10km from the town of Spello. It is nestled at the base of Monte Subasio and is the primary flying site used by Flytaly. Flytaly also has other sites in the Apennine mountain range depending on wind directions.

Flytaly offers a complete paragliding service from collection at the airport, accommodation, all meals and drinks and a nice swimming pool, site guiding, transport to and from take-offs and landings, full site and landing zone briefings as well as retrieves in the event that you go cross country. It is an all in service.

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Of note, Kevin flew with us at every opportunity which was most of the time. Barbara did the driving

GETTING THERE Getting there was a little bit more difficult than normal as the only flight we could get to Perugia was via Stansted Airport and Ryanair.

Flights were cheap midweek. We flew to Stansted on Tuesday, overnighted and caught the daily Ryanair flight to Perugia at 07.30 on Wednesday 13th. Our journey home was via Stansted but got a connecting flight same day back to Dublin. Stansted Airport however is bit of a nightmare and takes a long time to process through bag drop and security, not to mention the pickiness of the security staff as you go through and the lack of people in that area to deal with any issues that may arise. 40 minutes from start of queue to clear security.

Kevin did advise us while we were in Italy that another way to travel would be fly directly to Rome and take a two hour, â‚Ź10.00 train ride to a nearby town called Foligno which is approximately 15km from Rivotorto, the base of Flytaly. I think I will try that next time around.

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The main site used by Flytaly is Monte Subasio which is clearly visible from the hotel. There is a weather station on top which can be phoned and it gives you the wind direction and strength at any time you call. Monte Subasio is quite a large mountain approximately 1,000m in height with a huge grassy top. There are takeoffs for virtually every wind direction except south east. The lowest take off is San Ruffino when winds on top are too strong. I used five different take offs during the week of flying. Drive time to the top from the landing area is between 30 minutes and 40 minutes depending on where you are going.

The western landing field is huge and grassy, clearly visible from many areas on the mountain top with easy approach and landing. This is approximately 2.5km from the accommodation. Similarly the landing field on the northern side is huge and again clearly visible with easy approach.

During the week I was there we only used Monte Subasio and San Ruffino take offs due to wind strength and direction. I can say I did not tire of the location and felt at the end of the week that I was just really getting to learn what it was all about. A simple top to bottom is 15-20 minutes in light airs. As the day heats up it becomes much more active with great height to be obtained in small and large relatively smooth and rough thermals. Cross country IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

FREEFLIGHT SUMMER 2015

flying is possible everyday if you wanted, with a huge valley out in front of the western side of the mountain for flat land thermals.

There are however some airspace restrictions due to the proximity of Assisi and Perugia Airport and another landing strip close to Foligno. All in all Monte Subasio provides a no stress take-offs and landing zones.

Jane and I arrived in Perugia safely about 11:30 on Wednesday 13th May. Bag pickup and passport control was on the slow side and it was about an hour before we got into the arrivals hall. Kevin and Barbara were waiting there for us and brought us straight back to base at the hotel La Padronale Del Rivo. Coffee and refreshments were available straight away.

We met with the one other pilot Rob, who was there for the week. He had already flown that morning. We made arrangements to go straight up to the mountain to get flying before it got too strong or too rough. Landing field in the west side was visited and full site briefing given on the way up the mountain. Lunch was available at the takeoff on San Ruffino.

Winds were somewhat strong and this is why we used San Ruffino.

Had a great flight of about 40 minutes to view the mountain from

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

above and landing approaches, feel the thermals that were being generated and get a good banker flight at the start of the week.

Winds were too strong during the afternoon and we therefore enjoyed the sun and the swimming pool. We were back to the mountain about 6:30 and again flew from San Ruffino with a number of local pilots until landing shortly after 8:00. It was necessary to be out of the air by about 8:15 to 8:30 as darkness was falling rapidly at that time. We enjoyed a good four course dinner, prepared by Barbara, wine and good company.

Thursday, 14th was a different kind of a day.

We went to the mountain early but winds were too strong and cross at the southern end of the mountain. We had no morning flight and retired to the town of Spello for coffee. Afternoon was spent in visiting Assisi, which is definitely worth at least one visit.

The winds did not abate during the afternoon or evening so we had a no fly chill out day. Kevin and Barbara provided us with transport to Assisi where we used up the afternoon.

Friday brought similar conditions to Thursday with strong wind, and rain was threatened. Again we spent the day exploring another

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local village known as Mary of the Angel's, the local war cemetery and the afternoon chilling at the pool, reading, swimming and getting that bit of bronzie. Winds abated during the late afternoon and we went to the top at 7:30 for an evening/sunset flight. Gear was quickly pulled out of the van and brought to takeoff at which time the heavens opened and it rained. Needless to say we abandoned and retired to the hotel for another four course dinner.

Sunday, 16th May we left for the mountain at 8:15 am after breakfast. Unfortunately on our arrival the clag came in making it unflyable.

We left the mountain at about 10:15 and explored Spello for the morning.

Walked back from Spello to Rivotorto and chilled out until late afternoon. At about 4:30 we went to the hill and the wind was from a north/north east direction. This meant a different takeoff which was again a huge grassy area and a landing on the northern side. We had visited that landing field to get full briefing before going to the mountain. The cloud was very low when we were taking off at cloud base. However it was a very pleasant 20 minute flight to the bottom and the skies opened with rain again when we were wrapping up the gliders. Back to the hotel where again we enjoyed another four course dinner and local wine.

Sunday brought a complete change in weather with no wind

PAGE 40

whatsoever. A new pilot, Darren from the UK arrived this morning.

Jane and I decided to visit the Roman ruins below the main square in Assisi. At about 12:15 while underground a telephone call arrived from Kevin to say that the wind had returned to us and it should be flyable from the easterly take-off. He picked us up from Assisi and we headed to the mountain. This was the third takeoff which I was to use during the week. At approximately 1:00 pm we took off from the easterly end of Mount Subasio. We searched for thermic activity on top and over the valley with no real results or thermals to work with. However the wind got really strong and it was necessary to use a speed bar to get into the landing field at the bottom. Unfortunately one of the other pilots was not so lucky and tree landed, going backwards. He was relatively uninjured, only bumps and bruises and no glider damage. That completed our flying on the Sunday.

We had another chill out afternoon in 32 degrees, swimming etc.

Monday, 18th May brought the most spectacular flying day I have had in a long time. We started the day off at the south westerly take off on Monte Subasio at 9:30 for our first flight. This was a beautiful smooth banker flight for the day. We returned to the hill again at about 11 o’clock. The wind was still south westerly but considerably stronger and thermic activity was starting to grow. This was a much longer flight exploring the length of the mountain and well out into

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

FREEFLIGHT SUMMER 2015

the valley with many useful thermals.

Third flight of the day was taken at about 14:30 when the thermic activity had eased somewhat. Again this was a spectacular flight with great height to be achieved. At one stage I was approaching the landing field with about 60 or 70m to go to landing and unable to find a thermal when I found one directly over the LZ and climbed in excess of 900m to above take-off to fly longer way out into the valley and back.

The last day, Tuesday 19th brought similar flying conditions to the previous day for early morning, mid morning and lunch time flights. We were joined for the lunchtime flight by a group of 12 Hungarian pilots who arrived at the LZ after the second flight of the day as we were packing up. Wind got too strong after the third flight of the day and my last landing at approximately 1:30 proved to be the last flight of the week.

In summary, I really was rusty in dealing with thermals but improved as the week advanced. I enjoyed it immensely, no stress takeoffs, no stress landings, lots going on and lots to explore, particularly for cross country in the future.

Fourth flight of the day brought us to takeoff at about 5:30 pm. Again the area was very active and we took off from the western take off with a bunch of local pilots who came up to the takeoff in Kevin’s van. All of us were knackered after about an hour’s flight and came into land for another rest.

Final flight of the day took place from 7:00 pm until almost 8:30 in smooth and restitution conditions.

All in all a wonderful day of flying during which I got to know some of the vagaries of the mountain and experience the possibilities for long cross country flights from this location.

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

We didn’t visit any of the other sites as Monte Subasio was working well and there was no necessity to travel further but I look forward to further flights at other sites in the Apennines on my next visit.

Will I Go Again?

I enjoyed myself there, I liked the weather, the locale and there is so much more to do on my next trip, both in terms of flying and tourist stuff.

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FREEFLIGHT SUMMER 2013

Jane’s Non Paraglider view Having been on paragliding holidays with Frank to Austria, Spain and South Africa, I was really interested to experience what Flytaly had to offer in an all-inclusive package. From the moment they met us at the airport Kevin and Barbara did everything possible to ensure that I enjoyed my time in Rivotorto.

I went to the flying sites. The countryside, the birdlife and the views were spectacular. I also went to the landing fields with Barbara. One, way up Monte Subasio actually passes the gates into the walled city of Assisi and going in the other direction takes you past the gates into the beautiful walled town of Spello

On the no fly days Kevin offered to drive us to any of the nearby attractions. There is so much to see and do within walking distance that we didn’t need to avail of his offer.

The whole area is completely safe and I had no problem staying by the pool at the hotel or walking on my own while Frank and the others went flying.

I had a wonderful time and look forward to going back to Rivotorto. Frank will find it difficult to get away without me. ■

Summary To summarise the trip, I make the following comments: Assisi

1. LOCATION A superb location, good weather, good flying, easy take-offs, easy landings, good thermic conditions with strong cross country possibilities. Plenty to see and do for WAGS.

Hotel Rivotorto

2. HOTEL The hotel La Padronale Del Rivo is now being operated by Kevin and Barbara as the base for Flytaly. Villa Pia which Kevin was using until this year as the base for Flytaly is 45 minutes’ drive to Monte Subasio. It has comfortable accommodation with everything you might need from an open coffee bar, sandwiches, fruits, water, all of your meals, beer in the evening together with good local wines, and excellent company. The Hotel was full with other guests over the weekend. Food was excellent with great variety for lunch and dinner.

Rivotorto

3. SERVICE The service provided by Kevin and Barbara is superb. They do deliver all they promise on the website.

4. VALUE FOR MONEY The cost was €720.00 per person for the week to include everything except flights. We did not have to put hand in pocket except for the odd coffee when we were out exploring. I consider it was good value, perhaps marginally more expensive than other places I have been but when you add up all of the costs it works out pretty much the same but with no hassle.

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IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

SiteGuide

Achill Island

Wind Direction:

Co Mayo

N

Achill Island has a long tradition of free flying in Ireland going right back to the very beginning An island off the west coast, it is connected to the mainland by a short bridge at Achill Sound. A great place to go if you want to get away from it all for a few days and, for the free flyer, it caters for nearly every wind direction. Flat peat land and the enormous Keel beach provide ample bottom landings and relatively easy top landing on the main site (Minaun)

W

E

S

For details on the most popular flying sites around Achill Island see over.

Keel West (Lough Accorrymore)

Minaun Lower Cliffs

Minaun Heights

Minaun West Cliffs

Knockmore

Atlantic Drive

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

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SiteGuide

ACHILL ISLAND CO. MAYO

N

Minaun Heights GOOGLE MAPS

A C B

W

CLICK HERE

GPS COORDINATES S Take Off: 53.957373, -10.026432, AMSL 396m.

One of the oldest free flying sites in Ireland due to the tarred road to RTE Transmitter Station at the top (A) with ample launch and top landing opportunities. When top landing keep well clear of the Mast and the line of power lines that run along the road. The main 3 mile long ridge is NW / SE facing but a series of spurs at the N end ensure the site is soarable in most wind directions. The west facing cliffs (B), south of Minaun Heights, are flyable in a WNW-W if you are prepared to take-off in a cross wind from the NW launch at the masts - a spectacular run all the way down to the headland and a hidden beach.

Definitely for experienced pilots only - there are no bottom landing options.

The road to the top of Minaun Heights (C) is from the south side of the hill.

N

Minaun Lower Cliffs GOOGLE MAPS: CLICK HERE

A

E

W

GPS COORDINATES S Parking: 53.960185, -10.045186 On the road to Keel Beach, turn left at the Church (approx 2.7km from Keel) and follow the lane to the sea. Take a short hike up along the rising ground leading to the cliffs to find a suitable launch spot (A). The lower cliffs can be flyable when it is blown out on top though care needs to be taken to avoid being blown too far back up the slope.

Keel West (Lough Accorrymore)

N

W

B

E

E

GOOGLE MAPS: CLICK HERE GPS COORDINATES Take Off: 53.977618, -10.1708746

A

S

Situated on the road to Keem Beach, Keel West is the ridge and bowl above Lough Accorrymore and is a site you can fly in an Easterly. Take off (A) is on the ridge south of the Lough where you gain height before moving over to the bowl (B). When flying in the bowl be careful not to get blown over the back – next stop Canada.

Knockmore and Atlantic Drive GOOGLE MAPS Knockmore: CLICK HERE Atlantic Drive: CLICK HERE

A

GPS COORDINATES Knockmore: 53.977618, -10.170874 Atlantic Drive: 53.879717, -9.966301

B

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These sites are flyable in a SW when Minaun is no longer soarable. Knockmore (A) is the higher and smoother of the 2 sites but requires a longer hike to launch. Atlantic Drive (B) is a series of rocky outcrops that run for about 2 miles, getting higher and steeper as you move further SE. Plenty of landing options before the road but be careful not to overshoot as the sea is not far beyond.

N

W

E

S

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

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

In each issue of FreeFlight we invite a IHPA Pilot to answer some questions about themselves and their flying and this issue Tony Davis gives us the answers.

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

*

How long have you been flying?

As above - Light Aircraft for 5 years at Weston, Dublin.

I’ve been flying for 15 years but family and work commitments meant little flying in the first 10 years.

Last September I had a flight in a Flex Wing Microlight at Derbyshire, England and it was very enjoyable.

What made you decide to take up flying?

I’d always wanted to fly and flew light aircraftCessna 150 and Rallye R100 aircraft at Weston for 5 years from 1999. However the costs became prohibitive and reluctantly I had to give it up. I considered Hang Gliding but there didn’t appear to be any training in Ireland. While searching internet I came across Paragliding and in 2005 commenced training with Fred Lahiff at Paragliding Adventure.

What is your best memory?

There are many but my first light aircraft solo and my PPL solo light aircraft flight cross country, Weston to Shannon Airport to Galway Airport and back to Weston.

In Paragliding it would have to be my first soaring flight at Mount Leinster and my first real experience of thermals at Castejon de Sos in Spain

Do you see yourself continuing to fly in the future?

Yes. Definitely. And hope to try some XC flying in the near future.

What are your favourite Irish flying sites?

Name:

Tony Davis

Type of Pilot:

Paragliding/ Fixed Wing

Rating:

Started Flying: June 1999 Airtime:

What is your worse memory?

Trying to master reverse launch. But definitely it has to be parawaiting. After over 6 hours parawaiting at Lacken, some years back, I had to give up and head home. I heard later that remaining guys flew later until dark.

What’s your current glider?

I recently purchased a Skywalk Chili2 and love it. It is far more responsive than my old Niviuk Hook but still very safe. I still fly the Niviuk Hook on some of my local coastal sites.

Have you experienced any other types of Flying?

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

PP3

Dreaming of flying 40 years; Light Aircraft 110hrs; Paragliding 260 hrs; Parawaiting 1,000hrs

Glider:

Skywalk Chili2, Niviuk Hook

Harness:

Apco Chairbag Reversable, Sup Air Altix

I have many favourites. The Carlingford and North Louth area has many sites both coastal and mountain with a great range of wind directions and beautiful views, with the added advantage of being close to my home in Dundalk.

I flew Lacken in Co. Wicklow while training and went back there a few times last year. It’s a lovely site.

I also fly regularly at Slieve Gullion and Mayobridge.

Rostrevor and Robin Youngs in Northern Ireland are also lovely sites.

Flying Abroad?

I like to fly abroad for a week or two every year and mainly fly in the Alicante, Murcia and Pyrenees regions of Spain. Generally flying in these areas is confined to morning or late afternoon as midday conditions can be very challenging with strong thermal activity.

What’s your bump tolerance?

I think flying regularly increases your confidence and ability that’s why I try and fly as much as possible, even if this only means a short TTB flights.

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. ■

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IHPA

H T Madeira Liz Davenport 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. Nigel is a senior paragliding coach with over 20 years of flying experience and his articles cover safety issues and flying techniques essential to all pilots. In this issue we reprint articles covering thee important issues when flying on the ridge, Collision Avoidance, Following and Crowding.

ON THE RIDGE

Collision Avoidance

I

OK, supposing we encounter someone like this.

B HILLSIDE

n paragliding and hang-gliding there is a surprising amount of confusion about what is a “right of way”. In fact what we do to avoid collisions on the hill in the UK is partly airlaw and partly convention. “Right of way” may not be the best concept. If we are keeping a good lookout and thinking well ahead we should only need airlaw, convention or “right of way” very rarely. Anyway, let's start with the obvious.

A

HILLSIDE

In this case if we (glider A) were to decide to pass to the right we would have to make a sharp turn across the front of the oncoming glider (B). It is obvious to us that pilot (B) should turn to his left to avoid us. I think this is what we should expect in reality.

However pilot (B)'s sometimes have other ideas like: “If I turn to my right and move closer to the hillside glider (A) will have to give way to me.”

We find ourselves head on to another pilot and turn right to avoid him. He obviously cannot turn right because he has the hill on his right which is why the convention in the UK is that the pilot with the hill on his left should turn to the right.

Is pilot (B) OK to do this? No, definitely not at the distance apart shown in the diagram which is much closer than we would expect to be before one of us turns. If pilot (B) was very much (several times) further away and moved into the hill pilot (A) could not really grumble. The key point is that both pilots should have decided what to do about it a long time before reaching this situation. Does this seem a bit of a “grey area” or “wishy washy” to you? Good! It is a grey area, and it's no good pretending it isn't.

As always both pilots have a responsibility to each other, to keep a good lookout, and to think ahead.

Copyright © - Nigel Page - March 2013

PAGE 48

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

ON THE RIDGE

Following

H

ow far can you turn your head around to see behind you?

I think my neck is fairly good in this respect. If I try I can probably just see something directly behind me (at 180 degrees) from the corner of my eye. If I rotate my shoulders from a seated position I can see something behind me a little better, but still not properly. I reckon most paraglider pilots cannot observe properly more than about 135 degrees each side in flight, leaving an area behind poorly observed.

135°

little more away from the hill which will quickly reduce his groundspeed along the hill. When the pilot in front turns at the end of his beat the pilot behind can usually deal with it easily.

However if the wind is light our lift will probably be mainly thermal lift even though we are soaring the hill. We are no longer “crabbing” significantly.

135°

HILLSIDE

Poor vision in this area

If we are soaring a hillside in a fairly strong wind we will be “crabbing”. Our groundspeed will be quite low and our view along the hill will be good in both directions. We can easily see gliders behind us.

HILLSIDE

If the pilot in front slows down the pilot behind can easily turn a

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

Our view behind us is now much worse and our ground speed is higher as we are not “crabbing”. When things happen they will happen quicker. A pilot too close behind another now has to make a sharp turn if the pilot in front slows or manoeuvres. It also sometimes happens that the pilot behind finds he cannot easily fly as slowly as the one in front and gradually creeps up behind.

Getting too close behind someone is extremely dangerous and we must turn away well before this happens.

PAGE 49

FREEFLIGHT SUMMER 2015

So, our intrepid pair are nearing the end of the ridge and will want to turn back before the lift drops off. They have been flying close to the hill on their left and, believing the lift is strong only close to the hillside, they will want to make the return beat close in too.

The pilot in front may well not have the same confidence in the lift extending as far along the ridge as the pilot behind thinks it does, and he decides to turn rather sooner than the pilot behind expects. The pilot in front will probably choose one of two options for his turn.

1. Wide turn

So does this exonerate the pilot behind from responsibility for what happens next? Of course not. He knows full well that the pilot in front will want to turn at some point and the closer he is the more difficult he will make it for the other pilot. The pilot behind must keep his distance or turn early. Both pilots each have a duty to look out for each other. If there is a collision it is unlikely to be soley the fault of one pilot. If they are both very lucky they can argue about it afterwards from adjacent hospital beds.

Another thing we hope the lead pilot will not be considering even if he is a bit further ahead. He might make a tight turn knowing full well that there is a pilot behind, but on the assumption that getting the ridge on his right will give him “right of way”.

HILLSIDE HILLSIDE

2. Tight turn

HILLSIDE

As well a being bad airmanship, selfish and potentially dangerous, a pilot intentionally placing himself in someone's way in this manner is in breach of airlaw.

OK, I hear you say, we've sorted that out. What about when a third pilot is somewhere nearby? Yes, it all gets more complicated. If it seems complicated to you it is getting crowded and you must do something to give yourself more space.

Copyright © - Nigel Page - March 2013

A wide turn gives the pilot behind the option to pass between the pilot in front and the hill and fly further along. A tight turn will create serious difficulties for the pilot behind. The pilot in front must not make a tight turn into a space he has not been able to see clearly before he turns. If he cannot see properly right behind he must not turn tightly. A third option, if he cannot see behind well, is to start a wide turn and tighten it once he has turned enough to see properly. It is worth remembering that tight turns are not always the most efficient, even on the ridge. Turning wider may very well lose less height and may also reveal that the lift further out from the hill is better than we think.

PAGE 50

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

FREEFLIGHT SUMMER 2015

ON THE RIDGE

Crowding

I

n a recent discussion someone asked “How do we know when a ridge is getting crowded?” The simple answer is “When you, yourself, think it is getting crowded.” Different pilots have different ideas of what crowding is. Crowding may happen gradually over a large area or suddenly become a problem in a limited area. Let's have a look look at a typical crowding situation.

We have a light wind on a hill with a promise of thermals. A lot of gliders are rigged and waiting to take off. One or two people are scratching about in a limited patch of lift close to the hill in the area shown by the blue shading.

WIND Most pilots are simply waiting for better lift and the few pilots who are flying might land from time to time and take turns to fly in the limited area of lift.

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

PAGE 51

FREEFLIGHT SUMMER 2015

The lift begins to pick up and soon lots of people are airborne. Staying up is not too difficult over a large area just by flying back and forth.

Some pilots have found thermal cores and are circling.

WIND However, the good lift does not continue. It is “cycling” and after ten minutes or so it starts dropping off. Pilots do not want to bottom land so they head for the area they know was working before the cycle began with a view to top landing if necessary.

WIND Suddenly it's crowded in front of the launch area. To make matters worse some of the pilots who messed up their launches when the lift was increasing have not twigged that the lift is dropping off and are still trying to launch (yes I have done this!). It's a real mess.

Can we avoid this? The first thing is to be aware that in light thermal conditions lift is likely to come and go. When the lift drops off all the airborne pilots have to go somewhere and most will want to top land or scratch about near the launch area. If we seem to be flying towards a busy area we must turn away and be prepared to bottom land if necessary. It can be surprising how quickly crowding can occur.

If we are heading for a very small area of lift we may suddenly find out that three is definitely a crowd.

If we are having difficulty launching we must keep a check on the general situation even while we are struggling with our misbehaving glider. We must make sure we do not inflate as someone is coming by. If it is busy we must not launch.

Another key element is lookout. On roads we become very good at keeping an eye on the relatively limited areas we need to observe for our safety. When flying we need look all around and up and down very frequently. We must also keep refreshing our mental image of the wider scene as well as gliders nearby. Intentionally looking around also helps to avoid “target fixation” when we forget to look around because our focus is on a hazard in one direction. Yes, I sometimes find myself doing this too.

If it is too crowded it is too crowded. If we are on the ground we must not launch. We might consider balling up our glider up to make more space for those wishing to land. If we are in the air we must keep away from crowded areas even if it means bottom landing. Air to air collisions are often lethal. We all have to be a bit more careful and alert.

Copyright © - Nigel Page - April 2013

PAGE 52

IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

IHPA

H T SHOT

Nine Stones, Mount Leinster Pearse Cafferky

Irish 100km 2014 XC Challenge Win a new U-Turn Rescue System by becoming the first IHPA member to fly 100km in Ireland!

The Irish 100 U-TURNs XC Challenge is a new initiative, founded to encourage more pilots to improve their flying skills in Ireland – we Challenge you to fly further!

By becoming the first IHPA paraglider pilot to log a 100km flight on one of the International XC contest websites (XContest, Leonardo) you will win a U-Turn new rescue System.

The challenge is sponsored and monitored by U-Turn.

Have fun going XC!

For further details contact Dorin at: borodescud@gmail.com IRISH HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

PAGE 53

IHPA NEWS

2015 SPONSORS IHPA would like to thank our many sponsors. Apart from the wonderful prizes for our 2015 AGM, we have also received merchandise from a number of other manufacturers and what’s more, we have secured discounts on certain items of equipment.

Finally together with Up and U-Turn we are continuing our 2 amazing XC Challenges for 2015.

All available to IHPA members only. So read on...

Merchandise Gifts Good news for those of you who might be looking for some new equipment.

Thanks to the efforts of our Competition Officer Dorin Borodescu, we have managed to secure some great items from the following:

World Leaders in the Design and Manufacture of Paragliders, Harnesses, Parachute Reserve Systems, Power Wings and Accessories for the Pilot

;A><=I >CHIGJB:CIH

For further details contact Dorin Borodescu at: borodescud@gmail.com

A I R B O R N E

S E N S AT I O N S

The 150km Win an UP Harness of your choice* by becoming the first person to fly 150km** in Ireland The Irish UP XC Challenge is a new initiative, founded to encourage more pilots to fly further in Ireland - the potential is there, now we just need the pilots to step up to the task!

By becoming the first IHPA paraglider pilot to log a 150km+** flight on one of the International XC contest websites (XContest, Leonardo) you will win a UP harness of your own choice*. The challenge is sponsored by UP International (www.up-paragliders.com) in conjunction with UP UK/Green Dragons, and monitored by Green Dragons. (www.greendragons.co.uk) Have fun going XC! *Harness must be from the UP range current at the time of flight completion, and in stock at the UP HQ in Germany. **With the Irish XC rules this amounts to 150km on A and B wings, 165km on C wings, and 180km on D wings. No limitations in regards to brand.

For further details contact Dorin Borodescu at: borodescud@gmail.com

Flying in Umbria The heart of Italy.

Flytaly is a dedicated paragliding company based in the beautiful mountains of Umbria in central Italy. A stunning 18th century manor house will be your home for the duration of your trip and they provide all transport so there is no need for the added cost of a hire car.

Every effort is made to ensure that you get the most airtime out of your holiday and each day ends with a 4-course meal, prepared by talented chefs using the finest locally sourced ingredients.

Accommodation and catering included in your stay â&#x20AC;˘ Family holidays for flyers and non-flyers alike

Learn to

Paraglide in Ireland

D Discover iscover tthe he eexcitement xcitement and and ppassion assion ooff paragliding paragliding aand nd pursue one of man’s ultimate dreams, to fly like a bird!

Learning to fly a paraglider can be great fun and isn‘t as difficult or daunting as you might think. Training begins on a gentle slope, learning to take off and land. Initially we do some ground handling which allows you to learn the basic controls followed by gentle flights from low down on the hill and extending higher up the slope as your ability and confidence grows.

Paraglide Adventure is Ireland’s oldest established paragliding school and currently the only full time training facility in the country. This means that we are available to teach whenever the wind and weather are suitable and not just on weekends.

Áger, Áger, Spain Spain 2015 2015 Paraglide Adventure will be running it’s annual foreign course this year in Áger, Spain from 15th August to 2nd of September.

Suitable for low airtime pilots, or any pilots who are looking to complete their flight or task requirements to gain a PP3 rating or who just need to work on their techniques and log some airtime.

C all ffor or ffurther urther ddetails. etails.

Call View a short video of Paraglide Adventure’s 2013 trip to Áger

For more information on paragliding and our main flying sites contact us at:

paraglideadventure.com 14 Saint Patrick’s Road, Drumcondra, Dublin 9. T 01 8303884 M 087 2589245 E fred@paraglideadventure.com