Tow Endorsement at Lejair

Well I finally found a couple of days when the weather presented a window for me to do my hang glider winch endorsement. August had so far been a complete contrast to the weather we'd had in July. The venue was Lejair's training site in Norfolk, a new part of the country for me.

With two days booked off from work, I headed up on the Monday afternoon and arrived early evening. Rona and Tony were exceptionally welcoming and offered me the opportunity to start my endorsement there and then. A short while later, my glider was off the car, rigged and positioned at the end of the winch cable. My harness now had a chest release system fitted and a two-way radio.

My first tow was a gentle pull across the field allowing me to feel what it was all about. I left the ground momentarily, floating no more than 1-2 feet, before slowly returning to the ground. It was certainly an odd feeling when compared to running down hills, watching the ground disappear and becoming airborne.

As I was able to accurately control pitch and roll, Tony was happy for my second winch to be a little higher. This time I floated up to 20-30 feet before the winch tension was reduced. Tony's voice came over the radio telling me to land on the wheels, an order which I complied with (I can't remember the last time I did this).

My third and final tow of the day got me to around 100-150 feet with a successful nil wind landing (my previous landing problems now seem to have been resolved). The daylight was now diminishing, so it was time to celebrate with a beer before retreating to my tent.