"What's on" archive 2007 

Sunday 30th December was one of those days you needed to be in the right place at the right time with vatious hill sites being on at various times. However, we opted to go towing in the afternoon and it proved a good choice with tows up to 800' being had in super smooth conditions. Nick G took the opportunity to crack off his "BIG" asymetrics for his pilot rating tasks in what proved to be bouyant conditions. Mark W also had some fun floating around North Cliffs impressing the passers by.  

Thursday 27th December was a fun afternoon at Praa Sands flying a Hanger on the dunes in the brisk conditions. Paul H, Al J and myself took turns in flying with loads of lift to be found on the low dunes in fact the problem turned out to be more of how to get down rather than how to go up!   

Wednesday 26th December (Boxing day) was a fun day with some Zaggy Flying followed by some paragliding at Godrevy on what was a gorgeous day, ideal to shake off some of the Christmas "spirits". Some of the Hangers went to Freathy where they had a top time soaring, ask Al J and AD about it.

Sunday 23rd we headed to Godrevy to start some hill conversions but having set up the wind defied the forecast by being well off the slope so making soaring fickle to say the least until the wind picked up enough to make it possible but on the top end and not good for students. Still we made an early decision and headed to the tow field where we had a fun afternoon towing in the challenging conditions. Nick G and Al j made the most of it on a Para' and Hanger respectively and by the end of the day there were smiles all round.

Saturday 22nd saw us out in the fields carrying out some training but unfortunately rain stopped play by early afternoon making it a short day.

Tuesday 11th December was all it was forecast to be and more with a cracking day in the tow field. Mark T from Kingsbridge on his second day out had a ball moving through all his EPC tasks and even getting in a couple of high flights and circuits so starting his CPC tasks, that's progress. With near perfect conditions and only a few other pilots out he worked well throughout the day putting in a total of 16 flights along with some good ground handling as well, nice one. Bill N, Nick G and Mark W were also out using the lines and generally enjoying the relaxed atmosphere on what almost felt like a summers day. Pete C did a sterling job on the winch despite his recent illness................. 

Thursday 29th November gave the opportunity for a bit of hill soaring at Perranporth where Paul H made the most of it by flying his model first followed by his Hang Glider then as the wind dropped rounded off the day with his Paraglider. There was a good turn out although only Dave B and myself joined Paul in the air as conditions picked up again, still it's always nice to fly with ex students and see their progress. 

Tuesday November 27th saw us back in the fields where Mark T got his first taste of Paragliding on day one of his course. He did well with the ground work and by early afternoon was ready to get his first tow. By the end of the day he was doing a great job flying across the field at up to 40' for distances of 200m putting in a total of 4 flights. Bill N kept the winch busy racking up some more experience in the very light wind conditions. 

Sunday 4th November was a pretty good day in the Tow field at Deadmans Cove with tows up to the 700' mark. Glyn P completed his CPC tasks putting in6 flights and rounded off the day by doing his theory test so gaining his qualification, nice one. Chris H made excellent progress into his CPC also with 6 flights and by the end of the day he only has his "instability" tasks left to finsh off having also completed the theory in fine style. Bill  N added 5 more flights to his tally so moving him nearer to his hill conversion and Kieth W managed 7 looking really neat after a bit of a break. Ron HD made an appearance to try out his newly acquired Wills Wing Eagle 145 which he found much lighter than his old Calypso.  

Saturday 3rd November and it was straight back to work after our trip to Turkey, no piece for the wicked. It was a good day with Ashley T and George R both from St Mawes coming alomg for a taster day on the Hanger with a view to taking up the sport. They both did well and by the end of the day were flying in style across the field at up to 20' and almost looking relaxed. if we can just sort out our left from our rights i think they may have a future, watch this space. Chris H was back and moved nicely into his CPC with 3 flights after completing his EPC Exam in fine style with some high flights including weight shift turns and good landing approaches. Glyn P got back in the air and had a fine time over 5 flights dealing with active flying, Big Ears and an Asymetric so putting him on the verge of completing his CPC tasks not bad after just 5 days. Louise and Seth (Mum and son) came along for some Tandems on the Paraglider which they both thoroughly enjoyed although louise went a little quiet at one point. Bill N on his Paraglider put in 4 useful flights in preparation for his hill endorsement and Ady was out on his hanger just to keep his hand in.  

Saturday saw fourteen Hangers out at Vault the most I've seen for years outside of competition so who said Hang Gliding is on the demise? With 3 of this years ex students up it was a proud day for Myself, Paul H and Tim J seeing the fruition of our training. Voytek got his first Hill flights in on his Wills Wing Sport 2 and was the last to land making the most of the cracking conditions, long may they last. 

Friday was a cracker at Vault bay where after some model flying honing our "skills" the T2 got another airing then as the wind eased the Paragliders took to the skies and we actually got the Tandem Paraglider out and had an enjoyable time scooting around the bay.

Thursday 18th was a glorious day in the field where Tony N finished off his power training with 4 flights giving him a total of 25 on his Bug and doing it in fine style before packing up and heading home to Sussex with a big smile. Geoff h was down from Honiton to carry out a Tow Tandem rating and had a fun day as he worked his way through it taking up a variety of passengers in conditions that varied from smooth to quite thermic so getting the full range of experiences. Bill N put in 6 more experience tows in readiness for the hill whilst Kaz P and Nick G used the spare lines to keep themselves amused. we even got home on time so it must have gone well

Wednesday 17th actually saw us out on the hill just flying!! It was a super day and I managed to get the Hanger out first and had a lovely hour and a half chasing thermals up and down St Agnes Head with Al J both of us on T 2's, great fun. We then packed up the hangies and broke out the danglers and had a similar amount of airtime on them but in all honesty we should have stuck with the hangers as it was still a bit breezy limiting the speed at which we could search the ridge and thermal back. A good reason to fly both. 

Monday 15th saw a short day with Tony N putting in a couple of flights n his "Bug" in fairly bouncy conditions before the wind picked up too much and proceedings were halted. Still all good experience and with a good day forecast for Thursday it gives him a few days off. 

Sunday 14th started a little grey but brightened up nicely and Tony N made the most of it on his Doodle Bug putting in 8 more flights in conditions that ranged from light to none existent as far as the wind was concerned. Tony did and excellent job and is now just 8 flights and an exam away from getting his full qualification. It's not been easy but the smile on his face after each flight says it all.

Saturday 13th started a little dull but quickly brightend up giving some nice thermalling conditions at the field. Mike F from Plymouth and mark H from St Austell were along for a Taster Day on the Hang Glider and had a good day quickly getting to grips with the basics and after a little encouragement sorting out the flying bit as well. Both putting in some good flights across the field leaving me out of breathe trying to keep up with them on a 250m sprint. Bill N was racking up his experience and added 4 flights and  some thermalling to it gaining a good 100' after releasing and circling the field in lift before pulling out of it to land highly pleased with himself. Tony N got back in the air on his Doodle Bug and after a couple of short local flights set off on his 30k defined flight returning an hour and forty minutes later with a huge smile and a good landing. His flight took him across both the North and South coasts  so giving plenty of stunning views. Add in a few "free flyers" and it turned out to be a  pleasant day overall with every body learning something useful and building their experiences. 

Friday 12th was yet another easy going day with some relaxed towing of Bill N on the Paraglider and Voytek K on his Sport 2 Hang Glider putting in 2 tows each. Tony N hoped to further his Doodle Bug experience but alas a technical hitch grounded him. However a little care and attention in the evening sorted the problem and he is now set up any ready to take to the air again in his magnificent flying machine.

Thursday 11th October and another chilled day in the fields saw Tony N put in 6 flights on is Doodle Bug in a variety of wind conditions including the dreaded "nil wind" and do a pretty good job in all of them. having performed the majority of his tasks within spitting distance of the field he had a couple of flights exploring the nearby countryside in the glorious conditions as well as playing with some clouds. At this rate he should move well into his  full rating before he leaves us. A fair amount of towing also got done with myself keeping in touch with the winch by driving it whilst several pilots "free flew" including Bill N this being his first day out as a fully qualified CPC putting in 4 flights on his Pg, nice one,

Monday 8th October gave the chance for a more relaxed day or should I say afternoon in the field where Tony N put in his first full flight on his Doodle Bug. After a small running repair he did a super take off followed by a couple of circuits before performing a near text book landing. Quitting while he was ahead as the wind picked up he is ready for a full day of cicruits next time out and should get his restricted license before he returns to Sussex. 

Sunday 7th October was as forecast with yet another nice day towing. Rob T and Claire from  Truro both had  full Taster days spending the morning learning the basics before taki9ng to the air in the afternoon. Rob took the prize for best landings whilst Claire beat him hands down on the quality of her take offs, but in fairness both did well. tamsin came along for a Tandem flights on the Paraglider and was very chatty until we did the spinny round bit when she went a bit quite but still managed a huge smile at the end of it. Tony T finished off his EPC on the Hanger with some good flights in the by now light conditions and passed his exam with a 100% pass mark, he hopes to be back for his CPC in November. Tony N put in a couple of take offs on his Doodle Bug before the wind became non existent and making further flights a bit on the challenging side. 

Saturday 6th October and its hard to believe it's October with another summers day in the fields and a thermal sky to die for. Andrew M from Bristol and Nick D from Camborne were along for a Taster Days Hang Gliding and both did an excellent job of getting to grips with the ground work and basic introduction in the morning before taking to the air in the afternoon as conditions mellowed a little. By the end of the day they were both grinning like schoolboys having flown the Hanger across the field  at heights up to 20' in fine style, if we can only sort our lefts from our rights these guys would find it a Doodle. Andrew was that impressed he's going to take it up so watch out for his return. Paul C from Plymouth was back cracking on with his CPC tasks and worked nicely through the instability maneuvers to complete all his flying tasks so just the exam and some launch marshalling to go and he's there. Jane came along for a Tandem on the Paraglider and was treated to some super views whilst she floated around above the Cornish Countryside as we tried to hook the now elusive lift, she was even tempted to try a Taster Day so we shall see. Voytek got his first flights in on his new Wills Wing Sport 2 Hang Glider and landed with the biggest grin ever which pretty much said it all and Terry put in some "free" flights on his Para to get some flying in after a bit of a break.  

Friday 5th October was another glorious day with wall to wall sunshine and even some nice lift around. We started off again in Deadmans cove  field  but moved as the wind swung more to the south to Hells Mouth site with the Hangers being flown over whilst the Para's bundled into cars for the two minute drive so no big drama, much easier than moving hill. The afternoon saw a lot going on with Glyn P and Paul C making huge in roads into their CPC's working steadily through the tasks completing up to and including Accelerator systems so just leaving the "instability" tasks and the exam to do. Chris H got plenty of ground handling in but had to leave early so just missed out on the flying, still he did get the theory sorted so it was not a wasted day. Tony T got on well with the Hanger sorting out his release flights and gentle turns before going up to the 150' mark and building up to steeper turns so putting him within spitting distance of his EPC after just 3 days. Tony N was along for his Doodlebug conversion and spent the day sorting out his take off technique on the winch with plenty of low power launches to give him the feel for it and by the end of the day he was looking much better. Phil S put in some flights on the calypso before trying a Rio which he fell in love with and is now the proud owner of a fine Hang Glider. Lee H had a fun afternoon putting in experience flights on his Buzz Z playing with the lift and trying out his new Brauniger vario which kept him well amused. Pete C and Mark W also got in some "free flying" both managing to find some lift and generally enjoy the day. 

Thursday 4th October was a classic sunny day a joy to be out in. we started in Deadmans Cove field where Bill N quickly finished off his CPC tasks then enjoyed himself just playing and enjoying the views putting in a total of 7 tows. Glyn P and Chris H both made good progress into their EPC tasks dealing with the light crosswind like old hands and Tony N managed a couple of refresher tows on the Hanager before the wind filled in a little from the north giving some rotor to deal with so we upped sticks and moved to our Hells mouth site where the grass has been cut and it looks like a lawn!. Glyn and Chris had some familiarization flights before going the whole way and putting in their first high flights and circuits ending up with 4 each giving them a total of 12 flights each for the day and taking them through and beyond their EPC tasks, nice one guys.   

Tuesday 2nd October and despite a misty forecast we had some sunshine and a generally bright day out in the fields. Tony T got his first flights on the Hanger and quickly started to get the feel of things and relax. By the end of the day he had racked up a total of thirteen tows (lucky for some) finishing on his first release flight at around 50' and smiling like a Cheshire cat putting him well into his EPC. Mike S finished off his CPC with a couple of nice Asymetrics to gain his qualification, well done Mike, and spent the rest of the day flying as a qualified pilot building experience for his hill conversion. Nick g was along for the ride having a very chilled day and being as helpful as ever whilst Paul H found a new use for the winch as a hay collecting machine, not sure it will catch on though. 

Saturday 29th September saw us in Deadmans cove field where we had a very light breeze indeed making the ground work a little more challenging. Still Rob R from Truro did a fine job getting the hang of the Paraglider in the morning with plenty of practice forward launches and it wasn't long before he was managing to "keep it up" pretty much as long as he wanted to! Tony T from Sussex had his work cut out with the Hanger due to the practically zero wind conditions but did well and by lunch time had moved on to his first hand tows in readiness for the real thing. Yesterdays new boys got things going on the towing front with Chris H moving well into his EPC getting to grips with release flights and starting gentle turns and Glyn P a few flights in front towing a little higher and working on his turns to take him only one more day from his EPC. Paul C got in some super high flights to start his CPC, one of which was helped out with gentle lift giving plenty of hieght and airtime much to his delight. Mike S got to within spitting distance of his CPC qualification sorting out Big ears and was a solid as ever in his flying. Bill N also cracked Big ears and put in his first Asymetric leaving him also on the verge of CPC'ing, he also caught the good lift an could be heard "wooping" it up as he 360'd in it over our heads. Rob P got his first flights in on the new school Elenent glider and did a super job moving from zero to hero with 4 flights the last of which was a nice 60' with a release, not something normally done on a Taster Day but he was pretty good. Tony had to be patient as conditions were that ligt and fickle we decided not to fly the Hang Glider but there will be another day. 

Friday 28th September and it was a super day in the fields with two new starters on the Paragliders having a good time. Chris H from Newquay and Glyn P from Wollacombe both got to grips with the basics of paragliding working out how to control them on the ground before taking to the air in the late afternoon. Chris did well over 4 flights and was looking good at the 40' mark by the end of the day. Glyn stayed a little longer and had six flights rounding off with his first release flight at 60' to get him well on his way to his EPC. Pual C was back from Plymouth and had 5 flights with 3 cracking high flights where he found time to enjoy the stunning views whilst Bill N put in 4 crackers dealing with weight shift turns and active flying taking him nearer to the end of his CPC. Lee H and Nick G used the lines when conditions were a little more challenging and both had fun with lee getting his first flights on his new Buzz Z, big smiles.  

Thursday 27th saw us on the hill at Carbis Bay where a very excited Voytek K took delivery of his new Wills Wing Sport 2  and very pretty it is too. Conditions were breezy so Voytek stuck to the Calypso to finish off his hill endorsement with 5 flights totaling nearly 2 hours airtime all with good top landings. He had a top day flying with plenty of other pilots and getting the added bonus of sea thermals as well giving some good height gains. Good to see a number of others out enjoying the late summer early autumn conditions.

Saturday 22nd was a frustrating day for the Paragliders with the breeze just on the top end for them so no flying to be had although Bill N and Lee H both put in some useful ground handling with Lee getting his first taste of his new Ozone Buzz Z/ woody Valley Peak 2 combination and very nice he found it to.  Brothers Matt and Dan H had made the trip down from Bristol to have a Taster Day on the Hang Glider and what a day they had with near perfect conditions. Both did well in the morning getting to grips with the ground work and basic handling of the glider and had a super time in the afternoon putting in flights of up to 250 meteres across the field flying the glider themselves and ending in some excellent landings, they may well be back.   

Tuesday 18th saw me putting in some time on the Ozone Buzz Z at St Agnes where there were a number of others also flying. With sea thermals around it wasn't long before things were on the up and not long after that I was at cloudbase at around 3000' leaving the others to the ridge. Cross winding saw me arrive at Flushing on the south coast with stacks of height after a super flight which further convinced me that this glider has plenty to offer both the low airtime pilot and the more experienced whilst giving huge amounts of confidence in the air when things get a little bouncy. Two good XC flights of well over an hour in two flights can't be bad, maybe it's time to try one.........

Saturday 16th September and yet again it was wall to wall sunshine at the tow fields. After a quick field change due to a wind shift (easier than moving hill) the day settled down with some nice towing to be had. Keith B from London had a stonking day putting in eleven flights to get through his EPC tasks and having passed his exam on the previous day completed this qualification. he rounded off the day with a high flight to give him a taste of what's to come should he decide to carry on into his CPC. Voytek  put in plenty of flights on the Hang Glider trying out his new harness and got on well with it so is now waiting for a good day on the hill to complete his hill endorsement and get onto his own new Wills Wing Sport 2 glider. Bill N had a chilled day ground handling his new Ozone Mojo2/ Woody Valley Velvet 2 combination, riding the bike and then taking to the air on his new wing for the first time. He did a great job finding the wing much more floaty and responsive than the training wing he had been on. With another four flights under his belt he is within a couple of days of completing his CPC pretty good going for a gentleman of his years (67).   Tony P, Dougie M and Chris W all got some "free flying" in whilst Pete C did a good job on the winch. Malcolm P was down from Sussex with his power unit for some supervised flying and had a super flight from the field towards falmouth and back as part of his full license qualification tasks.

Thursday 13th September and the sun shone all day. Bill n made further progress by completing his EPC exam in fine style so gaining his first qualification. he then proceeded to move well into his CPC tasks with airspeed appreciation. defined landings and also "speed bar". Nick G and myself chased some thermals resulting in me having an hour and a quarter flying the Buzz Z from the field to the coast then upwind to Camborne before heading back to the field, the views were superb with the North coast at its best. Never made cloudbase but with heights up to nearly 3000' didn't really need to.

Wednesday 12th September and Kieth B from London got his first taste of Paragliding with a busy day at the start of his EPC course. With excellent conditions he made good progress completing the groundwork then putting in 7 flights to get him up to 60' and releasing the line, nice one. Bill N had a top day finishing off his EPC flying tasks and moving well into his CPC with five high flights (4-500') to give him a total of 11 flights for the day along with plenty of ground handling. It was good to see Nick G and Ray M out on the field using the spare lines

Sunday 9th September was a quieter day in the field with Brian and Holly R (Dad and daughter) down for a Paragliding taster day along with Bill N  and Mike S on their full courses. Conditions proved challenging with turbulence at height making high level training flights and tandems unsuitable. However down below 100' things were better and after a good mornings work bothe Brian and Holly put in three flights each off the winch dealing well with the fickle wind and both landing on their feet to rounds of applause. Holly is our youngest student so far at the age of 16 and with Bill on the field at the same time ground handling shows that the sport is truly suitable for both young and old.  

Saturday 8th September saw a busier day in the field where we had a number of Taster Days and day one students. Sam, John, Morgan, Les and Greg all had a good time and got their feet off the ground and back down again on Taster Days (Paragliding) and went away with big smiles on their faces. July M starting on her Paragliding course did well until she fell awkwardly whilst ground handling hurting her elbow so stopping play for the day, but watch this space for her return.  Voytek made a long overdue appearance and got back into the air on the Hanger to prove he can still do it and Lee from Plymouth dropped by to keep his hand in whilst awaiting delivery of his new Buzz Z wing. 

Friday 7th September was back out on the tow field where we had a "quiet" day getting Bill N from Liskeard into the air and sweetening up Pete C on towing of students. Bill had a great day with a total of sixteen flights taking him well into his EPC getting up to 150' high, releasing the line and putting in nice turns down to land. With a new Mojo 2 on order it wont be long before Bill will be flying as a qualified pilot at this rate. 

Sunday 19th August - Saturday 2nd September we were in France for some "free flying" at Larange then competition flying (British Nationals HG) in St Andre. We had a top time with plenty of flying and excitement in what proved to be an eventful trip. Kaz managed to get some mountain flights in and can now say that she has flown and survived at St Andre. The comp' went well with myself retrning with third place trophy and Wills Wing T2's taking 2 of the top four places. Maybe we will have a fun trip there next year.

Friday 17th was back in the field where we had a busy day with plenty of Taster Days going on. Les  and Greg both got to grips with the Paraglider in the morning despite slightly challenging conditions and both showed they have what it takes, almost impressing themselves. Wendy and Dante meanwhile wre introduced to the Hang Glider and it wasn't long before they were experiencing their first goes at controlling it on the ground. In the afternoon the hangers got off to a good start following hand tows to get hooked up to the winch where by the end of the day they had both put in some super flights looking more and more relaxed and landing nicely on their feet, big smiles. Meanwhile with the wind picking up a little it became top end for paragliding and whilst Lee H managed a good flight Les , Greg and Bill did not get onto the winch, still at least they are fit and well to try another day..... watch this space... 

Thursday 16th August and just as forecast it was a cracking day on the hill at Perranporth where Ron H'D completed his hill conversion in fine style with 3 soaring flights and top landings. Not to be out done Kieth S put in his first soaring flights and top landings in classic conditions resulting in a huge grin, another dream realized. It was also nice to get up on the Tandem Hang Glider with Richard S , it's always nice to share. Plenty of free flyers were also out making it one of the busiest hang Gliding days for some time. i even managed to get in some practice with my Zaggy model although there is still a long way to go, sorry Nick, Dougal and anyone else who was unfortunate enough to be in the "flight" path.

Sunday 12th August was not as good as forecast but on the other hand better for some with Lawrence O'D finishing off his hill endorsement with a lovely soaring flight and top landing in what was nice paragliding conditions just prior to the wind increasing to make it unflyable for the danglers. The hangers then got a crack at it but with the wuind backing towards the southwest there was only enough time for Ron H'D to sneak in a soaring flight and top landing before the lift got a little fickle. Adrian G was left out there and finally managed to slip his glider in nicely near the front. kieth S was ready at launch as conditions changed and despite being very keen held back to wait for another day 9possibly Thursday) which proved to be a good move. I finally got to put the Demo Buzz Z into a Xcertina bag (new stock arrived) and how easy it is whilst protecting those important mylar webs so keeping the wings performance particularly on inflation for longer.

Saturday 11th August turned out good with plenty of action going on in the tow field. Paul W came along for a Taster Day on the Hang Glider and had a great time learning the basics before getting airborne and finishing the day with a cracking flight across the field at around 30' up looking like he even knew what he was doing, nice one. Ron H'D and Kieth W used the lines to build their experience ready for the hill (hopefully tomorrow) and also got time to play with the regular thermals that were popping through. Kaz, Mark F, Wanda S all got up on the paragliders in what was nearly top end stuff giving some good height gains and again some thermalling. Gerry P put in some more ground work with the canopy but conditions were a little much for her to fly but her husband Kevin sneaked in a nice tow towards the end of the day. With conditions mellowing two young brothers Jeremy and Edward down on holiday got up on the Tandem and had a good time.

Friday 10th August was a beautiful day in the field wherethere was some super flying to be had. Gerry P (Mrs) was down for a taster day on the Paraglider and did a fine job through the day despite a few a few nerves which she overcame to end up with three super flights across the field getting up to 40' in the air with stand up landings, nice one. Lee H from Plymouth fair rattled through his flights knocking off the remainder of the flying tasks of the CPC includingBig Ears and Asymetrics whilst also playing with the passing thermals. Kieth s was back on the Hanger trying his newly aquired wing and did some excellent flights also finding out how thermals keep you up. Nigel S completed his tow conversion on the Hanger with some nice flying but always seemed to get the sink cycles. Nick and Paula used some of the "spare" lines and even I managed to sneak one in as a nice cloud approached seeing me spiral up into the blue and back to the coast for a very nice flight before heading back to the field to carry on working.

Wednesday 8th August was a surprise day at Carbis Bay where we caught it just right as the overnight wind eased and before it dropped off too much in the early afternoon. Lee Knight started the ball rolling putting in some classic soaring flights to be signed off for his CPC having come to us for a "check out" after being abroad. Tony P completed his Hill conversion with another four flights and Kieth W put in three good ones all with nice top landings to complete his hill conversion also. The Demo Buzz Z got an airing with a big thumbs up, try it for yourself. In the Afternoon evening Tony n began his power conversion on a Doddle Bug.   

Monday 6th August and it was off to the hill to get some hill conversions underway. The hangers had the best of it in the morning although the really early bird Paragliders had a good time with Nick G getting in the air at 06.30!! Then as the wind eased and came more on the Paragliders took over. Pete L completed his Hill conversion with a couple of nice flights and top landings looking very relaxed before heading off early as it was his wedding anniversary, good move. Tony P from Birmingham was next off for his first go at the hill and had a good one followed by another four before the day was out with  good top landings as well. Lawrence O'D followed suit and had his first soaring flights and top landings looking very confiident and making the take offs look easy whislt some of the more experienced struggled a little. Kieth W also got his first soaring flight in and top landing before having to leave early so missing out on the extra flights but still setting him up well to complete next time out. Nigel E got a test flight on the Airwave Sport 3 and was that impressed he ordered one there and then, be quick if you want a go as it must move on its travels soon.

Saturday 4th August was a fun day in the Tow field with Nick  and Alan coming along for a Hang Gliding Taster Day and having a ball. By the end of the day apart from being well exercised they both had some super flights across the field even managing to smile whilst in the air they were that relaxed, these guys should go for it. Bill N (well into retirement age) came along to start his Paragliding training and did a fine job getting to grips with the basics of ground handling despite the challenging conditions so setting him up nicely for his next day. Phil S rounded off the day with a cracking flight on a Hanger towing up under a very nice cloud leaving him with the problem of how to get down!

Wednesday 1st August another sunny day in the fields where we had a quieter day giving Nick on the Para and Mark on the Hanger an ideal opportunity to get plenty of flying in. Mark C moved steadily through the day putting in a total of  12 flights taking him nicely through his EPC tasks with the added bonus of a high flight and circuit at the end to around 400 feet, not bad after three days work. Completing his EPC exam in fine style in the evening saw him obtain his EPC as hoped over his three day holiday in Cornwall, superb. Nick W on his third day with us had a cracking time on the Paraglider putting in a total of sixteen flights to complete his EPC tasks with some to spare and not to be out done also finished the day with a high flight and circuit and a huge smile. just the exam to go and that's the first part of his training out of the way then straight into the CPC next time out.  Terry dropped by late in the day to sneak in a few tows and tried out the demo' Airwave Sport 3, ask him what he thought of it. Dan also pitched up in the evening to brush up on his theory before taking the CPC exam which he passed well so getting him fully into the UK system so watch out for him on the hill.

Tuesday 31st July and summer is here! With a late start in the fields (13.00) we timed it perfectly as the brisk morning breeze dropped nicely to allow towing to get underway. Mark C on the Hanger for his second day had a whale of a time moving onto the Mars and getting up to 100' release flights whilst practicing his turns down to land over a total of 7 flights. Tim on his second day of his Tow conversion got to high flights and completed the conversion, and picked up a few useful tips on the way with a total of 9 flights for the day. Richard C who was with us for a Taster Day did really well sorting out the ground handling nicely before getting onto the winch where he put in 4 cracking flights with the last one being a nice 60' one with  release, that shows how well he was doing, he should really take this sport up. Katie and her Dad Nigel came along for some Tandem flights and along with Louise all of whom are down on holiday had a fun time experiencing free flight whilst getting some stunning views along the coast and across Cornwall on and extremely clear day, long may the sun shine.

Monday 30th July was a classic in the tow field with a sky to die for just inland. in super conditions we got Dan sorted with his towing and even filled in the missing asymetric from his training abroad so now only the CPC exam and he is fully into the UK system. Dan also took the opportunity to try the Buzz Z and seemed more than pleased at the way it not only performed but also the ease of use and confidence inspiring feel, with a total of 12 flights he had a good day. Tim (Lawrence O'Ds firend) came along to start a Tow Conversion having qualified on the hill in March but been frustrated by the lack of hill flying since and made good progress completing his first release flights and putting in 5 flights. Nick W on his second day on the Paraglider got further into his EPC tasks with some nice flights setting up well for his next day out. Mark C a Paraglider pilot from S.Devon began his Hang Gliding conversion course and had a fab' day putting in 8 flights to complete the day with a couple of cracking flights without tethers well across the field to much applause.  Paul C from Plymouth turned up in the evening and rattled off 7 flights bringing him back up to speed and moving him into his CPC tasks with a super high flight and circuit to round of a busy evening. Add in some Tandem flights for Mark and Rachel who were down on holiday (honeymoon) both of whom were amazed at the stunning views on such a clear day and some "free flyers" it was a busy but fun day.  

Sunday 29th July was a good day in the tow field with plenty going on. Lee from Plymouth progressed into his CPC with a high flight and Dan got his first taste of towing in the UK before things got a little on the bouncy side up top for the Paragliders. The Hangers however had a top time with Ron HD, Adrian G and Chris W making the most of it. Rob L on a Taster Day put in some super flights on the Hang Glider matched by Matt P on the Paraglider both having good introductions to the sports. Pete C under Tim J's watchful eye honed his winching skills and did an excellent job to regain his winchmans rating including the towing of students.   

Saturday 28th July saw us out in the tow field (North Cliffs) for an early start as the wet weather was forecast mid afternoon. Paul H and Keith W tested the lines prior to me taking up the Tandem and both reported buoyant conditions but smooth. Dominique was the first Tandem and enjoyed a couple of super flights taking in the stunning views and hopes to return for a Tandem hang Gliding flight when conditions permit (Happy Birthday D). Gay J also popped up on the Hang Glider and along with the Paras ( now joined by Lawrence O'D on his new Arcus  wing reported that conditions were becoming lifty despite the overcast sky. Chris was next on the Tandem and on our second flight we met nice steady lift giving a superb flight,. all recorded on his video, of around 10 minutes so making his day. Phil S got up on the Hanger to keep his hand in and found the extra height a bonus giving more time to sort things out. With condition improving Paul H enjoyed 20+ minutes at cloudbase (1000') before returning to earth by choice. Keith W had the flight of his life being sucked into the misty stuff and reappearing some distance away giving him his first cross country to tehidy country Park where I picked him up. Gay kept the Hangers side up with a final flight in good lift but decided to pull back to the field to save the walk. All in all a fun day with everyone having fun and packing up before the rain arrived as forecast.     

22nd July - 25th July was off to Wales for the final round of the British Open Series even though the forecast was poor. We managed one days flying so making a toatl of 5 tasks out of a possible 13! Unfortunately I was unable to take advantage of the conditions and whilst maintainig a healthy margin over third place I could not make up the small gap to take first place so finished runner up, still not bad and plenty of fun was had. Kaz even got some flying in on the Mynd.

Saturday 21st and as the weather in Wales was atrocious and the weather here improved from forecast we spent the afternoon towing and Tandeming in the field. As luck would have it Camborne Show was on in the modelers field so it was ideal for some free advertising. Both hangers and Paras were sent aloft to fly the flag and Pat B even managed to get hold of the PA system to give us a plug. I got my hands back on the winch again whilst Paul H played with some thermals.  

Thursday 19th July was a "staff training" day where i operated the winch whilst Tim and Paul went flying along with several others. It was a good day for all with plenty of thermic activity around although no one quite hooked in to it there were numerous extended flights. Everyone behaved and were very polite about my towing but I suspect they will be pleased when the regular winchmen are back at the controls.

Wednesday 18th July was back to summer in the field where we had a busy day with Mark D and Nick W both on first day Paragliding and Lee on his second. Mark and Nick had a good day getting through the basics and even looking pretty good with the ground handling before getting onto the winch. They each put in 3 good flights across the field although Nick did do his best to out wit us however Paul H on the winch was ahead of him. Lee cracked on with his previous training helping him out and by the end of the day  was carrying out his first high flights and circuits in fine style moving through his EPC nicely. Alex & Gemma came along for some Tandem flying and both thoroughly enjoyed the experience with the added bonus of some nice thermal flying adding to the flights.

Saturday 14th July was a brighter day than forecast and actually a pretty thermic one out in the field which delayed towing for the less experienced but gave the more experienced some good fun. Tom , Max and Adam (Groom) wre all along as part of a stag do for a Taster Day and had a top time all ending on some excellent tows up to 40' across the field and what's more all fit to go to the wedding at an added bonus. John G came along to try Paragliding and also made the most of the day ending with a super flight across the filed looking like he knew what he was doing! Think we will see more of John. Graham P having completed his Hill endorsement earlier in the week came along to get back into towing and had some super flights including some nice thermalling. A fair number of "free fliers" made up the numbers both Hangers and Danglers to make it a busy day. Paul did a top job on the winch dealing with the bouncy conditions early in the day.      

Thursday 12th July saw us back in the fields where Stuart from Bude came along for a Taster day on the Hanger having seen some flying only the day before and thought he would like a go! he had a top day, after grasping the basics he was on the tow line and experienced Hang Gliding whilst flying solo across the field. each flight taught him a little more and his final one was a real beauty with a super landing, we may see more of him. Lee h from Plymouth came along to start his training with us having done a hill EPC in 2000 elsewhere. After a bit of recap ground handling he too was quickly onto the line and by the end of the day had put in 6 flights the last one being some 400 m across the field at 60' above it, this convinced him that towing was the quickest and easiest route to learning, release flights next. Paul C was back after a bit of a break and quickly slotted back in with release flights and gentle turns, next stop 150' plus ones.

Wednesday 11th July and waking to a breezier day than forecast we made a quick decision to head to Perranporth to get Graham P back up on the Hang Glider before the wind dropped. On site at 08.00 conditions were good so we lost no time in getting Graham airborne resulting in another three flights and top landings and adding another 35 minutes to his log book. Big smiles all round as he completed his hill endorsement to round off his training spred out over nearly 16 years! should have come to us first........With the wind dropping it was time to get the Paragliders out and it wasn't long before we got Ed G in the air to complete his CPC after a bit of a lay off and he had a super day  not only completing but putting in several additional flights afterwards. Pete L got back up on the hill and had two cracking soaring flights with good top landings to take him within a day of his hill conversion. there was also a good smattering of ex students out led by Ray M who looked smooth and confident weaving his way amongst the other fliers. Wanda S seemed to set some kind of duration record only landing when all feel in her fingers had gone. dave Beard popped by and up before heading off to get some sleep, Dougal M also had a good one with the added bonus of some brisk exercise not doubt encouraged by Nick G. Lawrence O'D got his first feel of his new Swing Arcus 5 and will hopefully try it out in anger soon. All in a ll a good day with lots of progress made. 

Tuesday 10th July and after a blustery start to the day we headed out to Perranporth in mid afternoon to hopefully get some hang Gliding in. As it turned out our timing was perfect and it wasn't long before Graham P from Farnham was up on his first soaring flight. with conditions improving he put in a total of three flights and top landings racking up over an hour in airtime, fantastic. It almost seemed criminal to leave the hill early as it was so flyable but both graham and myself were pretty much worn out. 

Monday 9th July was a fun day at Perranporth where we spent the day tethering in the fresh breeze with plenty of sunshine. Steve, Paul and Tony all had a great Taster Day getting plenty of airtime on the tethers and by the end of the day they were all pretty much flying the glider themselves and staying up for minutes rather than second. Graham P down from Farnham also made good use of the conditions to get him back in the air in preparation for his hill conversion which he has come to us to do having got frustrated elsewhere, lets hope it's a good week. 

Weekend 7/8th July was an additional comp' for the British Open Series and we were there. On the Saturday a huge task of 178 k was set which was partially cross wind and amazingly 3 pilots got there! Unfortunately i was not one of them having landed near the turn point at 110k, still it was lovely flying. On the Sunday a race to goal was set at 78k which actually proved trickier than thought and whilst there was some racing to be had in the early stages the last 30k was not so easy. Personally it was a better day with me arriving at goal first to be joined 15 minutes or so later by the previous days winner Dave Matthews. Not seen the overall results yet but pretty sure this puts me in second overall behind Dave M with Bruce Kavanagh in third so it's two T2's in the top three must prove something. 

Wednesday 27th June and yet again it was on at Perranporth where Adrian G finished off his hill endorsement on the Hang Glider with another super flight and top landing in excellent conditions. He then put in another couple of flights trying out a Woody Valley Flex harness which met with a large grin of approval. Well done Adrian, look out for him on the hill. Paul H and Gay J were also out having a fun time on their Hang Gliders but apart from them and John W who was hoping for the wind to drop so he could get some more airtime on his new Nova Rookie paraglider it was very quiet with only the gulls for company.

Tuesday 26th June and the wind dropped off a little and backed as forecast in the evening and fortunately Adrian G was there to make the most of it. After 10 minutes of scratching along the dunes the wind filled to give superb soaring conditions seeing Adrian climb to around 400'. After a 40 minute flight he performed a super top landing to round off a cracking flight. Jay B also popped out for a Tandem flight and had a super flight in near perfect conditions. After a bit of soaring which included some very close quarter flying with a bird of prey he took control to get the feel of flying  for himself. A gentle top landing rounded off the flight as the sun set and the moon appeared, almost poetic! 

Sunday 24th June and despite an appalling forecast it was a lovely day again at Perranporth where I spent most of the day playing on the Buzz Z. The hangers waited patiently all day but despite some flyable slots only demo flights took place due to the fickle wind, still it's always good to be out in such nice company. 

Saturday 23rd June and it was a busy day at Perranporth where there was a mixture of both Para's and Hangers. Conditions were variable at first but got better as the day went on. ray M put in a couple of cracking soaring flights to gain his hill endorsement, not bad at the age of 81! Dave B also finished off his hill endorsement so making him fully qualified. The hangers got the better of it at the end of the day as the wind filled in with Adrian G putting in a couple of soaring flights and Ron H'D having a good one in the best conditions. Nigel S got back to soaring after a 10 year break and looked very pleased with himself. I managed to squeeze in some flights on the new Buzz Z and what a lovely piece of kit it is, several pilots had a go on it and the feedback was unaminous as to what a super glider it is.  Several ex students were also out playing and looking good. 

Sunday 17th June was back on the field where Mac M from Liskeard was along for a Taster day and made rapid progress as the weather was forecast to deterioate. After a a cpouple of good ground handling sessions he got used to some hand tows before taking his place on the winch. three super tows followed with each one better than the one before rounding of with a near perfect one ending in a super landing, BIG SMILE.  Suzy and Gerry dropped by for some Tandem flying and had a fun time before heading back up country to Sheffield. Lawrence O'D, Chris W and Adrian G all had some nice flying wi9th some lift to be had very now and then. Rain stopped play at around 17.00 so it was an early bath!!  

Saturday 16th June turned into a good hill day despite a unpromising start to the day. By 11.00am things looked better so it was off to Perranporth. After a little ground handling the wind filled in a nd Dougal M from Plymouth got the ball rolling with his second soaring flight on his Paraglider followed by Paul H and Ray M. All had good flights and top landings in the smooth conditions which generally improved as the day went on. Dougal put in another flight before being signed off for his hill conversion and taking to the iar for a third as a qualified pilot and having a good time, well done Dougal. Paul H also completed his hill conversion so giving him the freedom of the hill whilst Ray needs another day. Adrian G took full advantage of the freshening breeze at the end of the day on the Hang Glider putting in his first flight off the hill with a nice 5 minutes soaring before electing to go to the beach as a large rain cloud approached. he followed this with his CPC exam which he passed with flying colours so completing his CPC, congratulations. There were several ex students out having fun and it was nice to see Mark f and Wanda S back on the hill after a long absence and both doing well. John W was also out trying his new Nova Rookie which we supplied and looked very pleased after a nice flight to Penhale and back, anyone want a used Airwave Sport 2?? 

Sunday 10th June looked like a hill day so we headed to vault bay to catch the afternoon low tide. Conditions looked good on arriving and a quick demo' flight proved the air ok. Paul H put in another soaring flight but as the conditions changed he slipped his Paraglider in on "top" ending up in a large gorse bush! conditions continued to get lighter and more easterly despite the forecast so no other students took off although plenty of ground handling was to be had.  Tony M had a super flight on his Hanger cruising around well above the Para's whist Ron HD and Cathy L put their Paragliding skills to good use and enjoyed some flying before things got too light.

Saturday 9th June and the sun shone again at the Tow field where despite an "early" finish (6.00pm) 82 tows were put away. again it was a good mixture of Hangers and Para's out with Al J on his powered Hanger in for good measure. Tim H got to grips with towing as he began his Tow conversion and had a fun day putting 12 tows in all. Cathy L was down from Warminster to get back in the air on her Hang Glider and did just that with her confidence building on each of her 7 flights whilst her partner Tony M got back into winch towing after a very long lay off. Despite some reasonable looking clouds moving over the field from the south the sea breeze held and little lift was to be found so the "free flyers" had to be content with spot landings and general playing. Ron HD from Bristol was back on the hanger to keep his hand in and did really well with some excellent spot landings whilst Tony Peach from Birmingham again took the spot of the day.

Friday 8th June was a record day with a total of 105 tows taking place! The day was a pretty full one with a good mixture of Hangers and Para's, students and "free flyers". On the training front Al S had a top Taster Day in what proved to be ideal conditions with bright sunshine and a perfect NE breeze. After a morning mastering the basics he got on line and had some cracking flights including a bonus release flight at the end, nice one Al. Lee K started with us having done some training abroad and seeing that towing was the quickest way to get sorted in the UK, by the end of the day he had put in 9 flights,  was "high flighting" and carried out his Big Ears and Asymmetric's  to a good standard setting him up nicely to get into the BHPA system. Kieth S was out on the Hang Gliding side and had a busy day with 10 tows seeing him convert to the Mars then the Calypso and finish off his CPC tasks, just the exam and he's through, well done Kieth. Nigel S was also out on the Hangers having not flown for over 10 years and never towed he did well learning new tricks over his 6 flights with some good tows to the top of the line, "the perfect way to get back into it" was the comment. Phil S also was on a Hang Glider and had a good day putting in 4 flights whilst practicing his spot landings which worked well so completing his CPC tasks and looking nice and confident in the process. A host of "free flyers" were also out including Adrian G on his newly acquired Calypso flying well, Tony P on his new Mojo 2 looking really good and winning the spot landing comp' MarkF back in the air after a long break and enjoying some well earned relaxation. The day rounded off nicely with a couple of Tandem flights followed by a BBQ and unwind time. A Cracking Day**

Wednesday 6th June saw us at Carbis Bay where Paul H managed a couple of soaring flights the first followed by a good top landing and the second ended up on the beach where he was joined by another experienced pilot as the wind dropped. despite a lot of "hanging" around the wind failed to recover. Still it was a pleasant evening chatting on the hill. 

Tuesday 5th June was a shorts and T shirt day with brilliant sunshine in the field. Paul C from Plymouth started his EPC on the Paraglider in earnest and had a great evening (didn't get there till 4.00pm) by the end of which he head put in 7 flights up to 60' including releasing getting him nicely into his EPC course. Nicky came along for a Tandem Paraglide and enjoyed the whole experience with a mixture of smooth flying to enjoy the views and a bit of the more exciting stuff to get the stomach going. Mike W from Plymouth came along on his hanger to take advantage of his "inclusive" day having completed his Tow endorsement. Adrian G popped by after work to consolidate on his Hanger CPC and had a good time. there was also a good number of "free flyers" out and it was good to see Wanda back out after a long gap having fun and looking like she had never been away. The evening finished with a BBQ on the field and a cracking sunset with another 50 tows put in the log book.   

Friday June 1st was an interesting day in the field with a good mixture of flying going on. Malcolm P returned to us from Sussex to complete his restricted licence on a powered Hang Glider putting in 5 really nice flights and enjoying some sight seeing in the company of Paul H along the north coast. Llawrence O'D caught it just right in the afternoon finishing off his Paragliding CPC tasks in fine style and enjoying some good lift into the bargain before taking his exam and passing with flying colours. Congratulations to Lawrence on his new CPC qualification. Adrian G turned up for the evening and had fun on the Hang Glider also completing his CPC tasks clocking up another 6 flights and rounding off with a super last flight having his highest tow yet. Paul C from Plymouth also turned up for the evening to begin his Paragliding course and did well to progress through the ground handling stage to hand towing before the wind picked up, so setting him up well for his first tow flights next time out. Ray M was also out to play looking good in the gentle lift.

Tuesday 29th may was a bouncy day in the tow field with plenty of thermic activity going on. Lawrence O'D made use of the quieter periods to move ahead with his CPC tasks completing his Accelerator Systems tasks. Adrian G popped out after work and put in a good number of flights on the hanger to sweeten up his overall flying before getting signed off. Ray M, Kaz P, Dave B and Pete C all came along to play with the thermals and Pete had a top time working them up before disappearing off into the great blue yonder. Ray also had a really nice float around the field later in the day. as the light dropped we packed up after a long day at 21.30! 

Thursday 24th May and it was back to the tow field where we had a fun day with plenty of flying. Kieth S on the Hang Glider had a top time putting in a total of 12 tows all of which were high flights and circuits after the first two recap ones. he moved nicely from the donkey leg release to the chest release taking him within a day or two of his CPC. Mike W also on a Hanger completed his tow conversion in good style putting in 7 tows for a nice day. Kieth W got to try his new Mojo 2 and got to grips with it quickly looking very confident and smooth by the end of the day with another 7 tows to his credit. Paul H was on the receiving end of the line for a change putting in 7 tows and had a fun time completing his CPC tasks with Big Ears and Asymmetrics followed by some excellent spot landings. Ray M played all day and even managed a mini XC to the field next door on one of his 9 tows. Paula M and Nick G completed the days participants both having some good tows so keeping their hands in whilst the wind is too light or too off for the hill.

Tuesday 22nd May and the good weather returned so it was off to Perranporth to hopefully get some first time "soarers" going. Paul h started things off with a super 15 minute flight looking very comfortable before the wind dropped to 8mph and he gently made his way to the beach for a peachy landing. Ray M was next as the wind filled a little and hung in there for a full 20 minutes before performing his first slope landing so saving a walk! Dougal M had the best of it with a smooth 15 minutes although he did have to contend with several other gliders which he did well before slipping in on top with a huge smile. ray then took to the air again and put in another 15 minutes with plenty of company before conditions eased again seeing him on the beach. still a cracking afternoon with all three getting their first proper soaring flights in fine style, here's to tomorrow. 

The Bank Holiday weekend saw me head to Wales for the first round of the British Open series and the British Open competition itself. the weather was not as good as forecast however we did mange to fly. Under an unimpressive sky a crosswind turn point was set followed by a partial crosswind leg to the coast totaling 31k. Flying a brand new "out of the box" Wills Wing T2 144 i managed to be the only flex wing pilot to reach the goal so winning the task by a good margin. Unfortunately the weather then refused to play ball so no further flying took place resulting in my first place taking the overall comp. The glider flew perfectly with no adjustments what more can you ask for

Friday 28th and the good stuff returned so it was back to the fields where Kelly down from Oxford joined us for a Taster day of Hang Gliding. She got off to a good start making light work of the ground based activities before putting in three super flights across the field each of which was over 200m in length and up to 30' in the air. To round off her day she took a Tandem Paraglide flight which put the icing on the cake at the end of a full day. Mike S on day three had a cracker with a total of ten flights to his credit moving him well into his CPC, instability next!! Adrian G popped by after work to make the most of the evening and managed seven flights on the Hang Glider taking him nearly to the end of his CPC with some nice flying. Mike W was down from Plymouth to do a Tow  conversin on a Hanger and got half of it done in fine style whilst enjoying the whole relaxed feel of the "field". Add into the mix some "free" flyers on both hangers and Para's, Deb's on the Tandem and it was a pretty full day.  

Saturday 21st had a light southerly forecast with the potential for some thermals making an interesting day. The first few tows of the day proved that things were stirring and on my first on the Para to test conditions I found a gentle thermal which took me to over 1000' before pulling back to the field to get things moving. Conditions quickly developed and it was soon too bouncy for students so they had to sit it out whilst the more experienced played with the lift. However it wasn't too long before things mellowed and teaching got under way. Phil S on the Hanger got off to an interesting start by bouncing off the telephone cables and redesigning the Calypso but preserving himself in fine shape. Kieth W then set things in motion for the Para's and completed his remaining CPC tasks so completeing his tow rating whilst also putting in a bit of thermalling alongside it, well done Kieth. Ray M had another super day consolidating on his CPC flights and hooked a couple of thermals to 360 in back over the field accompanied by shouts of delight, amazing. Ray also had to pose for yet more photo's for the article due to appear in Adventure Cornwall mag'.  Mike S on his second day put in some ground handling then got on line putting in 9 flights to complete his EPC tasks and round off with a couple of high flights and circuits to set him on to his CPC, quite an achievement in 2 days. The hangers also had a good time with Adrian G trying the Mars before converting to a chest release then moving onto the Calypso and loving every moment of it and his BBQ was good too. Ron H-D was down to keep his hand in which he did very well and enjoyed a 10 minute "stooge" around the field in gentle lift with out a vario before putting in some pretty good spot landings. Phils S got back in the air and proved he can do it and also sneaked a go on the Tandem Pg. With plenty of "free" flyers and tandems Tim J on the winch pushed the new tow record to 80 for the day!! A special mention must got to Jon T who flew from Godrevy hill site where he thermalled up to the tow site on his new Mantra M2... proves something....stunning.....       

Friday 20th started a little later than normal with us arriving at the field at 13.30 ready for a good afternoon/evening session. With a gentle sea breeze conditions were classic for training and new starter Mike S made the most of them working through his ground based tasks in fine style before taking his first flights on a Paraglider in the early evening. he then made excellent progress ending the day with release flights from 60' to put him well into his EPC after 7 flights. Ray M cruised through his asymmetric's then finished off with a couple of fun flights to round off his CPC flying tasks and adding another 5 flights to his credit. Adrian G dropped by after work and built well on his flights on the Hanger with a couple of good medium level releases with turns before heading to the top of the line for his first high flight and circuit which was quickly followed by another as the sun began to drop so putting im nicely through his EPC tasks and into his CPC ones. Again there wasa good number of "free" flyers out including Gordon who was down visiting from Scotland and it wasn't long before a hottly contested spot landing comp' got going. was never sure if there was an overall winner as i think more than one person centered it, Jon?? Whilst on the subject of Jon T check out his new wing an OZONE MANTRA M2 which he seems pretty chuffed with.  Again paul H on the winch did a cracking job not only getting people up but also keeping them safe over the 54 tows that took place, a well earned "day off" tomorrow courtesy of Tim J. 

Thursday 19th was a cracking "summers day" on the field with everyone getting a sun tan. Slightly quieter than previous days we had a good time with plenty of flying. Ray M made good progress completing his Accelerator system task and moving into the final stages of his CPC with a couple of really good flights including the "Big Ears" maneuver giving him 6 flights for the day leaving only the asymmetric's to go, not bad at over 80 years of age. Mike and Sim came along for some tandem flights and were treated to fantastic views up the coast and down it and right over to the south coast, both were well impressed and agreed it's an experience not to be missed. Terry having completed his conversion course turned up to have a consolidation day and made the most of it with 10 flights. Both Hangers and Para's used the "spare" lines keeping things moving and with an early wrap we still managed 55 tows for the day. 

Wednesday 18th  and it was good to get back out after a few days rest. the field was busy with a mixture of taster days, training, conversions, re-cap,s tandems and "free " flyers all added to by the presence of a photographer taking piccies (hopefully we will get some for the web site) for an article in Adventure south west magazine so watch out for a few familiar faces. Terry got things really moving starting his Pg tow conversion and quickly got into the swing of things completing it easily and ending up with 15 tows to his credit and now looking forward to those thermic days. Ashley R from plymouth was down to get his hand back into Hang Gliding after a lay off of 14 years and slipped back into the groove easily on the Calypso whilst enjoying the views with  6 flights a quick letter to the BHPA and he is back in the game, good to see such a nice flyer back in the sport. Richard S also on a Hangy spent the day working on his landings and showed a marked improvement by the end of it. peter G was with us for a Taster Day and had a busy time getting to grips with the basics and ground handling before getting onto the tow line where he put in 4 solid flights getting up to 60' off the ground, nice one. Dave L, Mike the photographer and Carl all got a go or two on the Tandem and with such a clear day the views were superb to round off the day. put into the mix some "free" flyers and Paul h on the winch put away another 68 tows in all, guess I need to put more fuel in for tomorrow then.    

Thursday 12th saw a little more haze than previously with the threat of the odd shower however, it turned out nice again. Jo and her mum Di turned up all the way from Gillingham in Dorset for a taster day Hang Gliding and had a super time with plenty of running around and 3 cracking flights each across the field  ending in good landings and huge smilesand quote of the month from Jo "that wa ******* awesome", hopefully some photos will follow. Ray M tried our small Mojo and made huge progress putting in a total of 8 flights 6 of them high flights and working himself well into his CPC tasks having finished his EPC ones in the first 2, even his spot landings were pretty close. Lawrence O'D was back having fun and making progress over 6 flights putting him nearly half way through his CPC tasks having completed his EPC exam in the morning. Adrian G got to grips with the Hanger turning up for an evening session and still managing 6 flights which now see's him on the verge of his high flights. The Tandem got airborne taking my Dad up for a spin the first time he's 2free2 flown for a while, could we yet see him taking up paragliding?? kaz and John T also pulled a few lines to check out the air rounding off what turned out to be a super day. 

Tuesday 10th was a late start on the field for an afternoon/ evening session. Things quickly settled down with some good towing going on. Karen R moved well into her CPC with 5 flights and Ray m just about finished his EPC with High flights next on the list. Several recentely qualified pilots were out joining the more experienced "free" fliers and competing in the spot landing comp' which was hotly contested, I think John T took it in the end with a dead centre away from Dave B and Kaz P both on 1 pace. A super BBQ at the end of play rounded off a lovely evening as the radiation mistsettled on the field and its not even summer yet.

Monday 9th and the breeze finally picked up to a level where we headed to the hill, Perranporth. However the forecast backing of the direction didn't occur until late in the day so only a little flying took place at Perran whilst the more experienced had a good time at St Agnes Head. Still we made best use of the time and Kaz's caravan with Phil S and Kieth W passing their CPC exams in luxury. myelf and Ron H-D enjoyed some technical soaring on paragliders whist Paul h sharpened up his ground handling and model flying.  

Sunday 8th April was a little less busy on the field on what was another beautiful day. With near perfect conditions Ron H-D completed his CPC Hang Gliding putting in plenty of extra tows and doing some excellent spot landings over 9 tows, well done Ron. Ray M made excellent progress on his Paraglider getting to release flights and turns down to land before taking an early shower after 7 tows. Karen R had a good day ending on a high flight and circuit to complete her EPC tasks putting in 9 tows. Lee B from Essex on a taster day had a great time ending up with some excellent flghts across the field and looking good hopefully some good piccies will follow soon. plenty of action by the "free" fliers made a total of 55 tows for the day allowing an earlier than usual finish much to the relief of Tim J and myself. 

Saturday 7th April and the good weather continues, can this really be a bank holiday weekend?? The field was again busy with a good mixture of students , taster days and "free" fliers. With conditions a little on the lively side to start with the more experienced Hangers took advantage of the lines whilst the students had to wait a while and the taster days got to grips with PLF's and ground handling. By early afternoon things improved a little and Martin F on his Hanger started to circle the field and climb out (with out a vario), Paul D  quickly launched and joined him followed by Al J both on hangers and the sky began to "fill" up. i took a test flight on a Paraglider to test conditions for the students and found it remarkably pleasant on the tow and off where there was plenty of lift so spiralled up to join the hangers at somewhere over the 2,000' mark before leaving them to play and heading back down with full big ears and some speed bar to get out of the lift, it's a hard life. Doug M clutching his new CPC qualification ( completed in under 3 weeks) took to the air followed by Kieth W who both had several flights mixing it with the thermals during which Kieth sorted out his speed bar and Big ears so moving further into his CPC. Ron H-D put in a couple of nice flights as did Phil S on the Calypso both getting some lift, not always appreciated though before coming back to land. Adrian G took to the air on the Condor for some more release flights and experimented with varying airspeeds off the line....hmmmm. The three hangers finally came back to the field to land after some stunning flying and spent the next 30 minutes chatting about the flights and the amazing views. Next it was the turn of the taster days to get on the winch and despite the now fickle conditions necessitating several winch moves Gauten, Chan and Dee all put in 3 flights each up to 40' across the field  and some even had good landings and some found the PLF training useful but all enjoyed themselves being relaxed enough to take in the views out to sea, nice one guys. Thanks to Tim j on the winch and John T helping out with the Paragliders and apologies for him missing out on the "slot".   

Friday 6th April was good as the day before  but busier with a full house on the training front. Dougal M started proceedings on his paraglider finishing off his CPC tasks before enjoying the rest of the day perfecting his technique with another 7 flights. Ron H-D then got the Hang Gliding front going converting to the Calypso and chest release ending on a cracking flight with a super "spot" landing to take him within spitting distance of his CPC after another 6 flights. Keith W had a whale of a time with 7 flights all to the top of the line so taking him well into his CPC with only the instability tasks left to do and a bit of theory, will he make it before his new glider arrives?? Lawrence O'D started a little wobbly but quickly got to grips with it and completed his EPC tasks and moved into his CPC tasks over 7 flights with the latter ones being high flights and circuits followed by some super landings. Ray M was back at it putting in 4 flights in preparation for his release flights with good stand up landings on all of them. Adrian G had fun on the Hang Glider (Condor) getting his first untetherd flights and quickly moving on to release flights followed by turns down to land pushing him further into his EPC over 8 flights.  Karen R then joined us on her Paraglider having been away for many months and spent a nice afternoon re gaining her confidence ending with a cracking flights to 100' before releasing and carrying out turns down to land putting another 5 flights in her log book. Phil S also appeared  later in the day and rattled off 3 flights on the Calypso proving he can still do it and taking him to the end of his CPC tasks although a little work on spot landings is still required. Add in some Tandem Flights and some "free" fliers and the total for the day came to 68 tows, it must be summer. With Paul H's head frazzled having spent the whole day on the winch he gets tomorrow off and it's Tim J's turn - when do I get a break ???? 

Thursday 5th April was a glorious day with sunny skies and a light NNE breeze. On the tow field Tony P got back in the air after a bit of a break being down for a few days from Birmingham and had a great day putting in plenty of flights so preparing him for the arrival of his new Mojo 2. Ron H-D made great progress on the Hanger moving from the Condor to the Mars and rattling off high flights, prone conversions and various landing methods to take him well into his CPC over 9 flights. Dougal M completed all his CPC flying tasks including the "instability" tasks in fine style and put in some excellent "spot" landings. Ray M (our oldest flyer) had a fine first day on the tow line experiencing a couple of Tandem flights before going solo for 4 flights getting up to 40' and landing very nicely indeed. Kaz P had her new Mojo 2 (s) out for the first time and was well pleased with everyone being amazed at just how easy it is to launch, seeing is believing. As it was my Birthday some friends and family turned up for an evening BBQ which everyone joined in making it a very social day to. Cath H, Lee P and even my mum took advantage of the Tandem and had super flights with stunning views, not too sure if mum had her eyes open though. John T also turned up at the end of the day for a few tows to take us to a total of 60 flights for the day. Paul H did a fantastic job on the winch and looked like he was ready for a well earned rest by the end of it before hopefully more of the same......

Tuesday 27th March looked good  although the wind was always forecast to be on the move. out for another afternoon/evening session we had a great time even though the winch had to move 3 times to accommodate the shifting wind, still better than having to move hills (assuming you've got one in the right direction). Dave B had the flight of the day enjoying some gentle lift around the field and making the most of it despite having no instruments on board. Barry H made an appearance to keep his hand in before disappearing off for a few weeks so ensuring some consistency to his flying which he wouldn't get purely on the hill. Nick G and Pete L got into a "who can tow the highest" competition and by consistently improving their techniques each added a 100' to their starting tows resulting in only 4' between them by close of play. However on the training front Dougal M from Plymouth had a fantastic day completing his EPC and moving well into his CPC with a total of 11 flights including  7 high flights and circuits all with cracking landings and looking very confident to boot. With a bit of luck he will complete his full course in less than a month from scratch. 

Monday 26th  March turned out good for everyone even though some had to be patient. Starting off in our Deadman's Cove field it was plain to see it would be thermic and with the wind straight down the strip things looked good. A couple of flights on the Paraglider and Hang glider confirmed this and the next one saw myself spiraling up at a rate of knots to well over 3,500' where i pulled out to head back to the field to teach. however on arrival back the wind had backed and it was time to move to the Hells mouth site. After a quick move we got going with Nick G (Para) enjoying the breezier conditions along with Richard S (Hangy) before it dropped enough for Kaz P to get on the line. Doug M made the best of it as conditions further improved taking the last line at 20.00hrs! summer must be here. We also put in some Tandem flights on the Paraglider  with passengers getting a stunning view of the coast. 

Saturday 24th March was a busy day on the tow field with pretty much a full house. The Paragliders got the best of it as we started them off early in the light breeze as it was forecast to pick up by midday. They had a good time with Keith W rattling off 6 flights the last of which was his first high flights and circuit so completing his EPC and setting him on his way to his CPC, big smile. Mark W completed his Tow conversion and put in a few extra to sharpen up his technique and Steve H also enjoyed some tows on his paraglider. With the breeze freshening we got the Hangers students on line with Ron H-d getting them started followed by Keith S and Adrian G. Chris W and Paul D also used some of the spare lines in between on their hangers. Conditions up high proved challenging as the wind increased so limiting training to low level, suited Adrian a treat who got loads of flights in putting him nicely into his EPC.    

Friday 23rd March was a fun afternoon evening with myself and Nick G using the lines whilst waiting for Kaz to turn up to try out our new Ozone Magnum Tandem Wing. The Magnum proved to be a super bit of kit and the new purpose built harnesses extremely comfortable as well, no compromise's here. We look forward to getting a bit of thermalling in on this along with showing the joys of flight to the un initiated.

Saturday March 17th was breezy so we took the Hangers to the hill at Perranporth where a great day was had tethering. Ron H-D, Keith S and Adrian G all had plenty of flying with thethered soaring flights of 10 minutes plus giving them plenty of time to practice base bar conversions, prone flying and general glider control. A rest period in Kaz's caravan was greatly appreciated mainly by Keith as he could watch the rugby. a further session left them all with over 30 minutes airtime each, not bad for a "blown out" day.

Friday 16th March proved a little breezy for Paragliders in the tow field but excellent for hangers with Ron H-D ( qualified Paraglider pilot) from Bristol starting his course on the Hang Glider to give him the option of both depending on conditions. by the end of the day he had put in 12 tows and was up to 60' and releasing the line not bad for day one. Dougal M and Keith W kept warm with plenty of ground handling and also helping out with the tethers, thanks guy's.

Thursday 15th March saw a busy day with plenty of Paragliders out and also a Hangy power conversion to keep us entertained. Malcolm P was down from  Brighton with his Eagle Wasp combination to get some power flying in and had a good time learning lots. With the students waiting for the wind to ease a little the more experienced Paragliders mad full use of the lines including Nick G, Pete L, Kaz P, John T, Mark B and Glen F the latter proving that a 20 acre field is just not big enough to land in! Keith W got things moving on the training front moving well into his EPC and was quickly followed by Dougal M on his second day nearly catching him up with his previous Hang Gliding experience helping him along a little.

Wednesday 14th March was a gorgeous day in the field and lots going on. Phil S on the hanger had an interesting day on the Calypso but ended on a high note and the experience of a good down wind landing. Hayley Land Ben S on taster days had a fab' time with some super tows by the end of the day (watch out for an article in "Coast" magazine in June/July). Dougal M from Plymouth started his EPC course and got off to a flying start so building a good foundation for the future. Paul D (Hanger), John T (Para), Nick G (Para) and Glen F (Para) also had fun on the spare lines.  

Saturday 3rd March dawned fresh and bright with a moderate to fresh westerly breeze so we were off to Chapel Porth to do some Hang Glider soaring. Al M was down from Bristol having learnt with us last year to get to grips with his Wills Wing Sport 2 which he did in fine style raking up well over 2 1/2hrs airtime and topping out at around 700' mark. Paul W was down from Wiltshire to build some hours which he did on the Calypso before test flying another Sport 2, his reaction said it all and convinced him that it's the glider for him. With a total of four flights and  nearly 3 hrs added to his log book he had a cracking day. There were a good number of local pilots (10) out as well enjoying the classic conditions.  

Thursday 1st March saw another day at Perranporth where Paul H had been flying all day. We went out mid afternoon as the wind was forecast to drop to Paragliderable levels. Whilst waiting for it to drop I had a fly on Pauls  Wills Wing U2 160 and have to say it was really good reminding me of just how far Hang Gliding design has come blending performance and handling. As the wind eased Nick G led the way on his Paraglider followed by myself and Terry (from Bodmin) and we all enjoyed some super flying up to 350' in the gentle sea thermic conditions. Unfortunately by the time the wind dropped enough for the students it was dark!!  

Monday 26th February was a fun day on the hill at Perranporth where I was trying out a recently traded in Calypso Hang Glider and what a nice wing it is too, with a new set of  lower side wires this very low airtime example will make an ideal first glider for someone or a great easy to fly second glider to compliment that topless hot ship. Nick G fresh from his success at Godrevy made the most of conditions having some excellent soaring,  his Ozone Buzz coping with the fresh conditions with ease. As the wind eased a little Paula M got back into soaring with a cracking 25 minute flight sitting comfortably above most people on her Ozone Mojo before top landing. Pete L and Ray M were also out but with conditions still a little on the lively side took things easy and waited for a better day.  There was a good showing of local and not so local pilots also out enjoying the spring like weather. 

Tuesday 20th February saw us at Godrevy where Kaz P put in a fine 15 minute soaring flight with top landing to take her just one  away from gaining her hill endorsement. Nick G also had some nice flying putting in 3 flights and looking good in the varying conditions. John T was out to try the Mantra 2 on the hill and was just as impressed with it as he was on the tow, I think we have a winner in the DHV 2-3 market.  

Sunday 18th February turned out a busy day on the tow field with plenty of action going on. Lawrence O got off to a cracking start on  his EPC Paragliding course getting through all the ground based tasks then moving into his first flights. By the end of the day he had carried out 7 flights getting up to 60' and releasing the line on the last ones, that's progress. Kieth W on the third day of his EPC also made excellent progress over 6 flights topping out at up to 150' releasing and carrying out good turns before landing taking him within spitting distance of his qualification. Mark W started his Paragliding Tow Conversion putting in 5 flights so setting him well on his way and introducing him to the fun of towing. Chris W completed his Tow Conversion on a Hang Glider in fine style then put in a few extra consolidation flights giving him 4 for the day. It was good to see Martin F back on the tow field on a hanger after over a four year lay off and getting straight back into it, nice one. John T was out testing the new Ozone Mantra 2 and the smile said it all.... ask him for more information. Kaz P kept her hand in on the small Mojo once again taking the highest tows of the day and Glen F popped by for a tow before heading off to Godrevy to get some exercise walking up the hill. Paul wa busy on the winch training Pete C up who did a top job and now joins the team as another operator, well done Pete.

Sunday 4th February was a gorgeous sunny day on the tow field with a good variety of pilots out. Graham M started the ball rolling by test flying a Talon 150 to which he gave the thumbs up, is this the end of the great Kiss love affair? Glen C came along to do his Paragliding Tow conversion course and did so in fine style enjoying every minute of it. Keith S was out on his second day on the Paraglider and put in 6 flights finishing with his first release one so moving him well into his EPC. Barry H recently tow converted had some fun flights just enjoying the whole thing. Chris W came along late to put in another couple of flights towards his HG tow conversion and John T dropped by and took a ride on the last couple of lines of the day. All in all a very pleasant and useful day.

Monday 29th January and despite a trip to the hill we ended up in the Tow field where we were able to use the longer tow giving heights up to 700'. Richard S came along for a days confidence building after a lay off and put in some good tows whilst working on his landings which ended up really sweet. Phil S continued with his Hangy CPC moving onto the chest release and the Calypso glider and did a fine job of both towing and landing. Paul H got his hand back in on the Paraglider to help him a little further in to his qualification. Voytek and Nick G also put in an appearance enjoying the views and the longer tows. To keep us entertained a few mini XC's were also had with both Hangers and Para,s landing in adjacent fields I guess a 25 acre one just isn't big enough!

Sunday 28th January and we went to the hill at Perranporth in the moderate to fresh breeze which was a little strong for Paragliders but excellent for Hangers. Paul W got things going with a superb soaring flight and top landing to complete his Hill conversion having learned on the tow so giving him the best of both worlds. Kieth S returned to begin his CPC hang gliding and had good fun on tethers to gain some additional experience as did Phil S also working on his CPC. we managed to also fit in a few dual flights including one with Tony P (CPC Paraglider Tow) so giving him the idea of what's to come when we take him to the hill. Plenty of club fliers out to notably Al J who entertained us with some low passes whilst landing my T2 144 for the first time at Perran, in fairness he did a pretty good job.   

Saturday 27th January saw us back in the tow field after a bit of a break. there was a good turn out of pilots doing a variety of things. James T and his girlfriend Sam D were along on a Taster day and had a top time finishing off with 3 good flights across the field and both had stand up landings. Kieth W started his Paragliding course and showed promise also putting in 3 flights. Phils S returned after a break and jumped back on a hanger quickly showing that he hadn't forgotten how to do it with 5 high flights moving him nicely into his CPC course. Barry H came along and completed his Paragliding tow conversion course having a total of  4 flights. Tony P from Birmingham was down again after a long lay off and his first time back since passing his CPC, he quickly got back into the swing putting in 4 high flights. Chris W started his Tow conversion course on a Hanger and did a fine job over 6 flights to get him halfway through it. Kaz P was also out  having fun on a Paraglider to keep her hand in whilst Al j went for a spin on his powered hanger. All in all big smiles all round  with Paul H carrying out 40 tows at the winch end.