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Home→Categories Paragliding 1 2 3 4 >>

Category Archives: Paragliding

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Hundred House, Wales

Blasdale Home Posted on April 15, 2006 by SteveNovember 12, 2020

For the long weekend we decided (well Steve did ) to go to Wales, staying at the camp site where he had learnt to para-glide.  Fforest Fields, Hundred House in Mid Wales.  Arrived there at around 10.00 on Friday.  First person I saw was Katie, the owner, and she remembered me, it must be over 5 years since I last visited the site.  She said she had very recently looking at my Glastonbury pictures from the 20th Century.  Such a welcome back, the site was definitely a lot busier than a few years ago.

Alas the group were not turning up until Sunday.  So a visit to Builth Welles for some steak and wine, at which stage we realised we had brought virtually nothing with us for camping.  Yes we had matches, but we did not have a corkscrew, one knife and a few plastic plates.  Back at the site, we went for a walk, and then to the pub for a quick half pint of beer, (literally), because Steve was due to meet Will on Treman.  A long slog up the hill, (that glider gets heavier with advancing age) and I made it to the top.  No Will, he had long gone on to Elan valley.  A few minutes rest in the peace and quiet, on with the helmet and some ground handling.

I can tell you the ground handling was so nice and easy, compared with trying it back at home in our field.  The wind was so smooth; the glider flew above my head with so little input.  I even managed without thinking the correct reverse hand launch.  Alas no one was around, so I decided on caution, a simple top to bottom for my first flight in over two years.  Also the wind was not on the hill, so I was expecting the dynamic lift to be poor.  I should have realised the thermals were there instead, looking down the hill, in that cold air, but warm sun, you could see the shimmering air.

A dream slow launch of the hill took me straight into lift, but my flight plan was for a top to bottom. so straight through this broad lift , over the farm, a 360 and then into land.  Instantly surrounded by 6 under 6 children who wanted to see the paraglider, and the young farmer, who I presume was taking over from his father.  Good news.

Back at the campsite, we lit up the disposable BBQ, cooked our steak and went to bed.  It was still pretty cold during the night, so lots of cuddling to keep warm.

Next day we had Welsh bacon and bread for breakfast.  Realised we had been camping next to Vern and Lynda, whom I had flown with in Nice.  They now had an offspring, and stopped flying.  Later in the day Mark arrived, as did a few more Welsh Borders members.  The weather though was not conducive to flying and we left to go home.

Posted in Paragliding, Wales | Leave a reply

Big Fat Repack

Blasdale Home Posted on March 5, 2004 by SteveAugust 29, 2017

Went to the Big Fat Repack at the Reading Rivermead Lesure centre.  I arrived at around 12.45 hoping the ZIP queue had died down.  No way, so I helped Brian Hickman pack his reserve.  He had been the first down at 11.30.

I then joined the queue to practice my reserve deploy.  Success it opened with no problem and was not inside out or with crossed lines.

Then I packed the chute with the help of another Brian from the Annecy trip and Brian Hickman. 

Posted in Paragliding | Tagged Reading | Leave a reply

Stoke Mandeville

Blasdale Home Posted on March 16, 2003 by SteveAugust 8, 2017

On Saturday I travelled to Hundred House and did some paragliding.  Unfortunately on one lading on the slope I heard a load crack.  I assumed my boot had broken.  My ankle hurt, so I packed up and drove home.  Gear changing was awkward as pressing the clutch down hurt my foot. 

In the morning my ankle was too sore to walk on. Rosemary took the day off and we visited A&E at Stoke Mandeville. X-rays taken within minutes, and then a five hour wait for the doctor. Left after seven hours with my leg below the knee in plaster. I had broken the small leg bone near the foot. Some talk of having to have an operation and plate inserted, but as the bone had not moved and I had been walking on it then plaster will be sufficient. What a disaster, when will be be back in the air?

The issue had been my landing.  Not breaking and not standing up in the harness when landing.  Result was foot hit the ground at a fast forward speed. Silly boy.

Posted in Paragliding | Tagged Broken Leg, Paragliding, Stoke Mandeville | Leave a reply

More ground handling

Blasdale Home Posted on March 14, 2003 by SteveAugust 8, 2017

After the previous nights celebrations, paragliding had to take a back seat. Beautiful day, wind machines around the UK seemed to be suggesting a flyable day. Instead I stayed at home and gave the lawn its first cut of the year, and did a bit of ground handling. Mastered this reverse launch!

Posted in Paragliding | Tagged Paragliding | Leave a reply

Paragliding and Triumphs

Blasdale Home Posted on March 1, 2003 by SteveAugust 8, 2017

Well I should have gone paragliding, but instead in the afternoon we washed the Triumph, took it for a drive and boiled the brake fluid. I did wonder why I could only get to 40 mph, and that had to be in third gear. So must speak to Graham to see what damage I have done to the front brake and cylinder. The paragliding bit, well I did some ground handling in the field. My last flights last year were all forwards launches, and I have all but forgotten how to do a reverse launch. I was also trying a technique, which is called the reverse hand launch. Something most people launch with, but I never mastered. It is a safer technique when launching in a strong wind on a hill.

Posted in home, Paragliding | Tagged Paragliding, Triumph | Leave a reply

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