31 December 2016

last light


The last session of 2016....it's late, it's gloomy, but the hill is working....just!



maximum paraglider altitude




Eric has the tool for the job 




its beady eye is watching your every move




early effects of the new year celebrations  #nofilter




yes it really was this dark and miserable




(slope)police line, do not cross




Paul revs up for a fence line scratch around




he wasn't really going this fast...it's just the super slooooooow shutter speed
brought on by near darkness



He lands, and immediately has to wrestle his confiscated model
from a passing EASA officer (just out of shot) who tries to book Paul for
flying his 'UAV / drone' too high, too heavy, too close, etc etc.



Meanwhile Eric adheres strictly to the rules.





...and so there goes 2016


22 December 2016

xmas bash


As per last year, final date and location
to be announced here with as much
notice as possible. 


21 December 2016

Les


It's with great sadness that we pass on the unexpected news that Les passed away recently. His enthusiasm was very much in the building side of the hobby, and he loved to pass on his knowledge as well as the fruits of his tinkering. It's good to know that a part of him will continue to live on in his numerous creations still being flown by others.





19 December 2016

vitamin d


even in today's midwinter gloom there's
sunshine up there......somewhere



05 December 2016

mental mig


Gary's Mig 15 with on-board hair dryer
from a few years back


28 November 2016

into the pit



Winter is officially (just about) with us. Here then is a quick reminder of the current time-scales
we're working to before things once again slowly start to improve...





21 November 2016

more from the archives...


This dates back to 1953....chocks away old chap!
recognisable viewpoints detailed below...




several bits of the hallowed turf are clearly visible...


At 27sec. the T21 can be seen flying over the gulley to east of the lane




At 37sec. (facing south) you can clearly see where we fly from...except there's a hedge
running down the middle of the landing area. You can still see evidence of this on Google Earth.
Isn't there a rise (or a dip) in the field somewhere on this line?





At 1min 10sec. again looking south, you can see how clear the
area of land dropping away from the castle used to be.



12 November 2016

quad on the slope


another bit of archive footage finally sees the light of day.....

06 November 2016

longest day 2015



out of deep storage....some footage from last year

04 November 2016

a silent dream in an indian summer


I think this all happened somewhere in
the middle of September.



plenty of landing lubricant on the patch




the cows sneak up on Eric




his Silent Dream is the flavour of the day...








hmmmm sunlight through wings




more of a glider guider's wet dream than a silent dream




a giant banana cruises overhead looking for its dinner no doubt...




the Silent Dream scampers away







I can sense a theme building....




some discussion over what this lovely looking model was...
suggestions welcome!



just a little more of this beauty




I hope you note that for once, there's no shortage of flying shots! 




no sign of the model eating flying banana, so they're carelessly frolicking in the lift again....




but it's spotted hovering at altitude, ready to dive on its prey!




Time to launch the Fyffe seeking missile



19 October 2016

the goodwind gratis giveaway


This week's special offer; a lifetime's supply of virgin bead white foam.
Enough wings in there to see you through until you shuffle off this mortal coil.
Collection only from the shoreline east of Oare Nature Reserve.
Nearest parking space 2.5 miles away.



15 October 2016

tipping the balance


We've now slipped firmly into the season of longer nights and shorter days. But there was a time when daylight extended well into the evening and soaring enthusiasts gathered on the hallowed turf to celebrate the summer solstice....




sun, sky and soaring, as opposed to mud, moisture and misery.




something sleek and sexy lurks in the vegetation...



she's a bit dirty, and scantily clad in black plastic....but then aren't all the best ones so? 




Pete's past self is receiving a message from the future via the medium of this blog-
only a few months till retirement sir!



Simon gets a firm toss from Mark.



The final rays of the longest day.




Eric (well not actually Eric, rather his Cularis) scratching around
in the magical evening light.







starting a theme of dodgy focus images; a slope-side orchid.... 



.....and what would have been a cracker of an arrival shot



Not sure how you fly these new cutting edge models with the transmitter
actually moulded into the wing?!



....but they seem to perform very well indeed!



12 October 2016

badwind




Do any of your models weigh more than 250 grams?

Do any of your models fly faster than 33 mph?

Do you enjoy flying higher than 50 metres?

Do you enjoy flying further than 100 metres away from yourself?


If you have answered yes to one or more of these questions then you should be aware that European law is aiming to make any such model flying illegal. So unless your passion is flying your government registered Alula around your tx aerial then take the time to sign this petition. In fact, sign the petition using every email address you own, and then get all your relatives to sign it too, then lobby your local MP using the previous suggestions.


Act now- Brexit won't save us from this one!