February 2005; 15 flyable days out of 28 days

Photos on :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/doyouwanna-paragliding/

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28 february 2005

15 days flyable out of 28 is more than 50 procent, but not the best this year. Today nice eastern winds at the coast at first, but it soon started to rain. So no flying today.

27 february 2005

Alicante, Costa Blanca, sea, sex and sun. Not today though. Today we flew at Palomaret and had to big ear it down, to get out of the snowstorm. Hey, we did it again, despite all weather forecasts against us.

26 february 2005

Peña Rubia, northwest. Very cold in the morning, although blue sky. Many had a tandem assessment with Robin Airtopia, who was down here all week with his guys to train for tandem-rating.
I don't wanna blow his trumpet, but Robin must be one of the best BHPA instructors I met so far. Definetely try to go out with him on an overseas trip, I'd say.

It was very interesting to see what BHPA (British hang- paragliding federation) expects from their future tandem pilots.
I got the feeling that our (Spanish) federation puts more emphasis on checking the passengers' feel about the tandem.
Make him feel at ease, not overinform him, check out if he is not afraid, nerveus, etc... . Checking if passenger is ready for such an experience... .
While flying, checking the passenger now and again, and make him feel happy, relaxed about his flight experience.
I didn't see much of that sport-psychologie part in it.
Oh well, a bit of both would be the perfect mix I guess.

Two years ago now, we made 80 (eighty) tandem flights with mentally disabled passengers in one weekend. It was a marvellous experience for them and for us.
I am waiting to organise this event again, but waiting for a green light to do it at our famous site Cabo de Santa Pola. For the moment the site is still fragile.

25 february 2005

Meteo scientists had it wrong. Moderate northeastern winds they said. No way, shitty northwestern winds, bringing in the cold and rain. Tomorrow sunny and west, better.
13 days out of 25 so far, not the best.

24 february 2005

Hard to choose if this was our february top-day or if it was last week the 17th or the 18th. Anyway, for those who were around today, they won't forget. Nice lift all over, and late in the day they could fly under nearby clouds. Get experience in flying in the cloud and big-earing out of it.
Weathe forecast was predicting overcast and eastern winds later in the day. Luckily clouds were nice and gave us nice suck. The eastern winds never gave us any problem at our southern site. Big stuff. Skygod today ? Too many too choose.
Maybe StevieC, who Robin asked to keep an eye on, his low airtimer down here. Well only three 360's took him 200 meters above take off for a start. Or Warren, or StevieG, Dave1, Dave2, ... .

23 february 2005

Left early, stayed on the hill till 2 pm. Didn't fly at Calpe. Previson was west and windy. But in the early hours it looked flyable. When we got to the site though, we had eastern breeze. Shit.

Waited, because all information from other sites was west, southwest, west, ... . But, no, no way, it stayed east and got stronger. We left for Cabo de Santa Pola, because that is an easterly soaring site ! Once there, guess what, yes west, west, west ,... .Look at the isobarmap, a huge front all over Euope. It is snowing everywhere, een down in Spain. Luckily we had sun at the coast, inland big black clouds. And tomorrow looks the same.

22 february 2005

Sunny, beautiful lenticulares, hope to have shot some photos which will give me a free subscription to XC magazine. So very windy and sunny, almost Lanzarote-like weather.
We did some rock-climbing and abseiling (rappel), under the professional supervision of Tete and Fernando.
Finishing it with a BBQ at the chapel of Santa Anna in Onil. Thanks Robin for being our cook.

21 february 2005

What looked like a bad day, turned out to be a good day. Easy flying at Cabo, at first top to bottoms. Then at the end some soaring. Unfortunately no blue sky, but belgian grey, and irish cold.

20 february 2005

Took off early to get some flying in at Peña Rubia, but ended up having a morning coffee in the abandoned village of St Eulalia. Sunny, nice and warm if sheltered from the northwestern winds. Upcoming days same winds.
Tomorrow we go rock climbing.

St Eulalia a pretty twelve year old girl,suffered martyrdom for the faith. Her body was torn by iron hooks. Fire was applied to her wounds to increase her sufferings, and in the process her hair caught fire. She was asphyxiated by the smoke and flames. Ouch ! That's just wrong. I just read this, she was punished after spitting in the eye of the deacan of Merida.

19 february 2005

1 pm take off Peña Rubia. Weak north. Once in the air, you clould feel the thermals starting to kick in. After 1/2 hour of flying, the wind (as usually before cold front) was picking up. It was pretty much active flying, and willing to deal with it. Thermals were getting wilder, windgusts came through. Warned my guest to be prepared to fly with speedbar. Bo made some XC to Biar, and landed in a football field: I know Bo pretty well, he was probably hoping the cantina was gonna be open.
Daniel landed last, and had to use his speedbar for 1/2 hour to get down safe. Some of the bit rusty british pilots, decided to leave it today. Not a bad decision at all.

18 february 2005

Flew at our classic site Palomaret. All pilots in the air. There was a big of a parawait till 4 pm. It was too cross to take off and fly safe before 4 pm. But then after half an hour of checking the air, all could fly. Some XC to Maigmo, Los Ventos and back toplanding was done by upcoming local pilot Dudo. Ken Wilkinson on his Vibe did well, reaching Maigmo and heading back to be in time for his return flight back home.

Thermals up to 2 3 m/s, smooth by the end of the afternoon. No stress.

17 february 2005

I let somebody else fill in my flying diary, here we go :

" An excellent blue day, at Peña Rubia. Superb thermals up to 2.5 m/s, massive and smooth. Height gain in the day of up to 600 meters above take off.
Best was two low saves, one on the way to the landing field, from 200 meter below take off to 500 meters above the top.
When the convergence set in, others got to 1300 meters above take off ! More please !
Tomorrow is my last day."
Ken Wilkinson (Avon Club, Gr Britain)

16 february 2005

In the air, and freezing cold. Went for Agres, northern site. First visited Bocairent, lovely village, and went for the arabic caves. Didn't find Osama behind his Macintosh though, sorry Rummy. Then had some very typical food from the region. (had to kill some time , it was still too windy) Typical food like layers of goat-cheese, a bit of honey tasting olive oil, etc... .

At three thirty, no more time for coffee. Went up the mountain and Ken took off. But too cross from the East. Seabreeze ? Today ? He asked us not to fly, bit scary. So always listen to your fellow pilot I say. So Bo (yes that's a boys name), Daniel and Okay (yes that's a boys name, and also Swedish) waited for half hour.
Then took off, when it was clear eastern winds were dying off. We had the prevailing norhtern wind again.
I drove down, had a coffee in the village. When I got to the landing field, after their more than an hour flight, I saw four pilots dancing the po-go ???? They were frozen and started a dance.

15 february 2005

I used to live in Brugge, Belgium. And when I was a little kid and it was very windy, I was always afraid we were gonna loose the roof. So scared, I held my blankets very tight, as to protect me.
Well, that's how it is now in Alicante. I outgrew the scary bit, but it is howling like it can be howling in Belgium. Not a very optimistic note for the paragliders visiting now. This force of nature, palmtrees bending over, lenticulares up north, old women flying over, dogs moonwalking.

Thursday we leave early, to get good flying in at Almudaina, that's my plan. On that one, there is no bottom landing, you have to topland. It is northwest and facing a huge valley, with a lake. It is a bit of a drive, but the effort will be made with pleasure, because we all want to fly ...

I always tell my guests, february can be good, but nasty as well, they know.

14 february 2005

Sunny, very nice out of the wind, but not a flying day. too strong nothwest. Almudaina I thought, but no, too strong.
Blue sky and nice temperatures, bot not a good flying week this one.

13 februayr 2005

Good "old" Bo is back. Together with some swedish friends. And Ken arrived. Too bad that my Norwegian friends and buddies from the Isle of Wight had to go.
Today sunday, too much wind from northwest. But nice and warm, temperatures 25 degrees celsius. Actually I even heard the vikings had a swim in the sea yesterday. They told me they had to cool down after "beer-o-clock" on a terrace in Alicante. They couldn't believe the parade of lovely Spanish girls on Alicante's ramblas yesterday.
Hmm strange, I never noticed.
Looks like we are gonna have two days of strong winds. Planning to be on the outlook for Calpe, because with its micro climate sometimes it is amazing that we fly there, while blowing a gale in Alicante.

12 february 2005

Long wait for nothing. all over western winds, not flyable at mos of our sites. So we went for Calpe. A pretty site, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Lovely site, but no wind at all. It looked very inverted in the valley of Altea/Calossa. In the distance above Aitaina, lenticulares.
Waited for hours, sunbathing, but no wind in late afternoon. some locals went for a top to bottom. As a soaring site, with the landing a bit far away, we didn't bother. Tomorrow most of the pilots are leaving.

11 february 2005

Went for Palomaret and it was blowing west. Parawaiting. But not under a bush, sheltered from some rain, or with a village down below in smog. No, on a sunny hill, huge valley in front of us, El Cid the majestic mountain on our right, and left the peak of Maigmo.
Two hour later, still west. The vikings started getting their axes out.
One hour later, I had a message the breeze was kicking in at the coast. A bit of a relief. But still west on our hill.
Vikings warming up, swinging their axes around.
And then, ... ,yes , see, I told ya !!
Breeze kicked in, Toni (president of local club mas7) got in the air and gave us the allright sign. Half hour later I was rigging my tandem to take the girls up in the air.
Thermals above the crest of Palomaret, big airtime and low airtime pilots rewarded for their wait with great smooth winter thermals. All this had to be celebrated at the old mans bar in Agost. Brotherly drinking beer, vikings (Norwegians) and brits.

Thank God, axes were put away.

10 february 2005

30 pilots, both brits and vikings in the air. Went to the Jalon Valley pretty early. Took off at 11 pm, and stopped flying at 4.30 pm. Everybody in the air, and I was impressed by all good landings on not such a big field. Actually, before you hear from another, the most crap landing was on my name. Coming in I hit two almond trees, but no harm. Good thermalling weather till saturday.

9 february 2005

Hopefully last day of three day cycle of bad weather. Tomorrow we leave early to check out the Jalon valley. Bit by bit we should get clears kies and lighter norhtern winds. Fingers crossed, there are loads of eager pilots waiting to get in the air. And I want to please them.

8 february 2005

Early morning start. At take off cliffs 9.30 am. Took off, but too north. The sea was already pretty nerveus, so wasn't a good sign. A bit later we called it a day off, so all went go-karting, sleeping, drinking, ...

Had some time to update my pricelist on equipment, you can check it out on pricelist till end of march 2005

7 february 2005

I am glad nobody took off today. I'd probably had to pick'em up all over Spain !
Overdevelopment, thunderstorms inland, not the most beautiful side of Spanish weather for the moment. Cerveza, tapas, and carajillo's should do tonight.

6 february 2005

Weather forecast looked horrible this morning, but Alicante showed his good side again. When I almost invited my guests to go wild on the go-cart track in Finestrat, all of a sudden eastern winds started to kick in. I counted 40 pilots in the air at one point. The lift was amazing. Low airtimers had their first toplandings, the better did a sat maneuvre. Watching the tired faces just a while ago, I think all will sleep well after this great soaring afternoon at the cliffs.

5 february 2005

Dark clouds, rainy, few sunnyspells in the afternoon. But not with the right wind direction to have any flying. Tomorrow looks bad as well, lets hope we get something going in the afternoon.

4 february 2005

Danish, british, norwegians, all in the air at Cabo. Some soaring over the mediterranean. Light eastern wind, was supposed to get strong, but nothing like it. Inland very instable, BBC's - big black clouds, brrrr.
At the coast nicely soarable.
Early night for the norwegians who just arrived, and who had to fly their wings, an hour after landing at Alicante airport. They're knackered. Tommorow more norwegians and sunday more brits. We're ready.

3 february 2005

Awesome. All pilots up in the air for hours of thermalling. At three pm it got a bit too punchy, so I asked to be careful. Low airtimers were asked to stay down. Clouds were forming rapidly, and it got pretty rough. It is winter, so the higher air is damn cold, while the valley warms up nicely, spanish sun this is.
Big fat thermals were kicking off al of a sudden.
At 4.30 pm it was more smooth, so I asked if anyone wanted to have another flight. But the magic word "beer" had fallen, so landed near the hacienda and had a beer and tapa. Home now, checked the weather forecast for tomorrow. For the norwegians coming in tomorrow, have an early night if you want to fly tomorrow afternoon. It could be good again, and yes thermalling conditions.
Today's skygod ?? Sean made a hell of a flight as a lowairtimer, Jan looked happy. Martin , well what can I say, he is always doing very well. Malcolm, well he looks like a punter but flies very well.

2 february 2005

Early morning west wind, later east wind. Went to a less known site near Alcoy. At start a bit weak, but it got better. The mountain is overlooking the valley with large town Alcoy. ( Alcoy is known for its largest Moros y Cristianos festival. ) Something you shouldn't miss when visiting us in May.
Some of us got height above take off. Overlooking the valley, blue sky, and snowy mountaintops in the far north. Nina, you would have loved the views.
Conditons were smooth , nothing like two days ago. Lots of clouds coming back to Alicante, Maigmo was totally covered in cloud. Not very promising for tomorrow, maybe the coast will work. Mañana, no stress.

1 february 2005

West wind, went to peña rubia. A couple of hours thermalling in the valley. Martin and locals went off to the eastern side of the hill, direction Biar. And as always, winds started to get stronger by the end of the day. Sunny, no clouds, blue thermals.

On the sidebutton "movie" you can watch a movie, shot by Jan Bernaerts (Belgian pilot). Hope you like it !!

¿ Is anyone reading this actually ¿