Mooove Out The Way

I managed to leave work on time and get home to recover my glider and kit before I headed to the Devil's Dyke. When I arrived, the wind was strong and I debated with myself about flying another day. Only after I watched others fly and with the knowledge that the Sting 3 has an effective VG, I decided to give it a go.

Prior to launch I set the VG at 50; if was going gale hang, I wanted some confidence that my glider would penetrate through the area of 'accelerated air flow' sufficiently. As I stood at the front of the hill the glider felt stable. Nicos kindly assisted with my launch and as I instructed 'release', he dived out of the way and I accelerated my glider down the hill.

I took to the air with relative ease and penetration was ok. After a couple of beats back and forth on the main pub hill, I crossed the bowl with the intention of doing the Truleigh Run. There was more of a northerly component than a westerly in the wind than I had realised which made my westward progress towards Truleigh a little faster than I had expected. I arrived at the Pylons at 100 feet above the ridge but climbing higher proved to be a more of a challenge. As I continued past the pylons I started to find more reliable lift which gave a boost to my progress toward Truleigh.

When I reached Truleigh Hill, I was rewarded with a climb that took me to 500 feet above take-off. Only Chris T. and I on flex wings had made it to Truleigh Hill, there were some rigid wings several hundred feet higher. After I had explored the air at Truleigh, I started my return journey back to the Dyke. With a westerly component in the wind, the return journey was swift and I didn't need any turns in left to maintain height.

Back in the main bowl, traffic was moderate and the wind seemed increasingly stronger so I decided to repeat the Truleigh run for a second time. As before, height gains were minimal, most likely due to the time of day, so I concentrated on efficient flying whilst maintaining an eye on potential bottom landings should I need one! I spotted a kestrel that hovered above the ridge, clearly on the hunt, and for a brief moment, I considered sneaking up on it using some aerial manoeuvres, but decided against it.

Back at Truleigh for the second time, I enjoyed the scenery but wasn't rewarded with any significant height gains. I feared the wind may drop and with the sun starting to get low, I decided to return to the Dyke and conclude my day. Like my earlier return along the ridge, progress was quick and I arrived back at the Dyke itself in good time. Considering the wind strength it felt scratchy and when I tried to get height for a top landing I struggled. That said, on my first attempt I was too high and gently skimmed the top landing field but was unable to get my feet on the ground! I overshot which was when things started to get interesting.

The top landing field was the place to be if you were a cow. The grass was certainly greener here and unfortunately for me, as I began to overshoot my top landing, I began to skim across the ground toward the cows! I had never slalomed my hang glider before, and after I negotiated my way around the first two cows, a third appeared right in front of me. With eye to eye contact with the cow and a collision imminent, I wondered who would flinch first; me or the cow? I considered running along the cow's back but at the last moment, it flinched and literally leapt out of my way! With the cow successfully negotiated, I was free to fly away from the ridge for a second landing attempt.

The wind had very evidently increased and I hovered for about 40 seconds and about 50 feet up before I very slowly penetrated forwards. After a few more beats I was high enough for a second attempt. This time, I touched down perfectly in the centre of the Paddock and where Paul L. was conveniently placed to grab my nose wires.

As I packed up the sun slowly slipped towards the horizon colouring the sky with a nice shade of orange; what a great way to spend the evening - shame the pub was shut!