january 2006 22 flyable days

We are closed from monday 17 april 2006 till tuesday 25 april 2006.

tuesday 31st january

Not flying at all. Very windy north west, had an Alicante visit etc... . Mañana we fly.

Just a foto of Collin sent in by Paul Hyde. Foto was taken last week. Collin, what a man, actually managed to land on the only bush at landing near Cabo de Santa Pola. Accuracy 'a tope'.

monday 30th january

New gang of british pilots came in today. A bit cold down here for the moment, obviously not what they expected. The wind was picking up by afternoon, and gusty to 40 k/h.

Tomorrow better weather coming in, hope in time for afternoon flying.

sunday 29th january

It's been raining the last two days. It's been cold. So what happens ? At altitude it's been snowing. At 1000 m ASL there is snow.
Today, blue sky with on the mountain tops snow.- A marvellous view.

Many sites not accesable with cars. The convenience of driving up to take off, gone.
The emotional calls and messages from the locals were tremendous. If you live here, it is absolutely amazing to see so many hilltops covered in snow.

Traffic jams up to the hills. Little snowmen on the hood of the cars, driving down. If the snowman lasts and gets home, everybody is treated with candy. Tradition.

We flew at Palomaret, others at Biscoy, most of local pilots at Calpe, Toix. Thermals up to 4 m/s. All enjoying winter thermals, but especially enjoying the views which are so exceptional down here.

21 days flyable so far in january.

You probably expected meters of snow, hey this is Spain man.

As usual i carried my camera whilst flying. But with the ski-gloves on it was impossible to push the little button and make a nice picture. So only one of take off Palomaret. Freezing but special for our spanish friends, used to more comfortable temperatures.

So what do you do on a sunday afternoon after flying. You get together and have paella with the buddies !
A great bunch of british pilots, all members of Paraventure club led by Jerry, are leaving tomorrow. Hey guys, I enjoyed your company and hope we'll see you again some day. Good friends, great attitude, no hassles ! Happy landings.

saturday 28th january

Same thing today. Grey and overcast. And it is getting cold.

friday 27th january

A day to forget. Windy, but worst of all rainy all day.

Grey, no colours, umbrellas, no smiles on faces, windscreen wipers, people waiting for the bus.

No colourful wings in the air, no blue Mediterranean Sea, Spain is not made for rain, neither am I.

thursday 26th january

Off to hondon ! North east, strongat coast less inland. Bollocks.

No wind at Hondon. Luckily my friend Jose Luis got me info about flying at Cabo. Weak but possible. So when we arrived he was scratching his brandnew Airwave Mustang against the cliffs. Managed to make top landings etc... .
Our visiting group made several flights, of which most memorable the landing of good old Collin. He managed to hit the only bush at the landing field. He was hugging the bush, I mena if this was an accuracy landing competition, nobody could have beaten the chap. No harm done, big laughs, unfortunately no camera at hand.

Sky-god today ? Well, who else but Stevie G, who flew over an hour in these marginal conditions.

wednesday 25th january

No flying today. I just made a top to bottom at San Antonio. Very light wind and bits off to the east. No sun, very cloudy today. East ? Cabo ? No way too strong at the coast up to 30 km per hour.

Tomorrow looks sunny again, and in the afternoon southern winds, better.

Tuesday 24th january

Excellent flight at La Solana. Too windy everywhere else, but the group still had a agood afternoon. A little rigde soaring and winter thermals taking you up to 900 ft above take off. In the air for almost an hour watching the sun go down, with a nice and easy landing area.
by Stevie G. Wales

Monday 23rd january

Most locals left for Calpe, to fly at our tricky and technical site. We have "a not so very experienced group" of pilots visiting, so we chose for easier flying, and finally got to El Cid. High mountain near Novelda. Height difference 650 meter, with three take offs, two south and on west.

sunday 22nd january

Soaring at the coast for muchos pilotos. Tandems all over, making our winter tourists happy.

Jerry's gang, low airtimers were soaring above the most known soaring site in Spain today. They adventured strong take offs, while in the distance scary clouds were forming. But nothing dangerous for the coastal site. They flew for hours.
It was different for some local pilots who had to stop flying because of rain inland. Gotto go, we all have tapa's together tonight at Toni's place in our village El Altet. Rings a bell ?

saturday 21st of january

Time square at Palomaret today. Pilots from Albacete, Madrid, Valencia, Ontinyent and our group of 10 Brits.

All afternoon thermalling, up to 3 m/s. Those with low airtime waited it out in the sun. They all flew later.

friday 20th of january

Missed you guys. A wonderful day at Cabo it was. At first a bit cloudy, but later in the afternoon blue sky. Lots of pilots in the air, just as if spring was arriving. But, careful, we still have february to go, maybe temperatures will drop one day.

Demo gliders for use, Sigma6, Niviuk Hook, Axis Pluto, and of course the Airwave Sport3.

Down below three foto's of the NIVIUK HOOK Dhv 1/2, don't underestimate this glider my friends.

thursday 19 january

Moscow minus 35 degrees celsius, Alicante 18 degrees celsius. But the weather was too good. Inversion, high pressure. No sea breeze kicking in, no moderate eastern winds as was promised. We stayed at Santa Pola, but nothing there.

Only top to bottom possibility, and pilots don't come to Alicante to do top to bottoms, you come down here to fly of course. Same thing inland, no thermal activity. Just one cycle, if you missed that one, you were bumming out.

As dealer of Niviuk we do have a HOOK Dhv 1/2 medium to try out this weeks. And a Sigma6 Advance, and an Airwave Sport3.

wednesday 18 january

Stevie G from Wales today. I lost count of how many times he's been down here. And again today, it proved not to be the wrong decision.
Got off the plane from Wales, a kiss and a hug, and off to Peña Rubia. One of my favourite sites, yihaah.

Nobody there of course. It is below 16 degrees, and spanish are not active when temperatures are that low. I can't blame them.

So we got airborne, just the two of us, after messaging the local buddies that it looked promising.
Soon I could invite Stevie to join me to Biar, next hills. On the radio brave Dudo and superdude Antolino. Hard core !
We reached cloudbase at 1450 ASL and it was cold. After two hours of flying, bones hurt, knees ache, nose froze.

Café con leche por favor. We deserved it, because you got to be strong, very willing, passionate and eager to go out and fly under 16 degrees no ?

tuesday 17 january

Somewhere, somehow the weather was a mess. But not in Alicante. We had a splendid flying day. Early take offs took you to 1600 m ASL (800 m above take off this is). An hour later the sea breeze took cloudbase lower, down to 1200 m ASL.

Sunny afternoon, with its winter smooth thermals up to 3 m/s. Splendid, never get rusty down here.
If you from up north, and if you don't fly every week, you may get rusty. I would advise to go for a run now and then, before coming down to Spain.. Do those sit-ups, push-ups. So you are in good shape physically, mentally, to take those thermals. You feel better if you are in shape, and feel more confident, resulting in better decisions. Safer flying.

monday 16 january

Rainy grey day. We can't even think of flying today, hope you guys flew somewhere.

So what does a 7 year old son called Paco do, with a 46 year old dad Nick ? Both bored because they cannot play outside.
Well they play a boardgame.

sunday 15 january

Toix - Altea Hills - Sierra Bernia - Calossa d'en Sarria - Toix - Peñon de Ifach - playa Calpe, olé !

A not promising day this morning, with cloudbase under the peaks of our mountains. But in the central hours, nice and warm. Antolino, Moncho, Nacho made above metioned Xc flight. Also flying in Villena by our friends of Onil - Ibi.

saturday 14 january

Some of us flying at Palomaret, some of us at Cabo de Santa Pola. Very cloudy inland, all over Spain rain. Not at our coastal sites though, although this region is desperate for water.
Why not build another golf course ... knowing it has an annual consume of water of a village of 10000 inhabitants.

Tomorrow it seems to be cloudy again, fronts passing through. I guess it's gonna be a lazy sunny afternoon, soaring at the Cabo. Always lots of locals around, especially on sunday, fun.

friday 13 th !!!

Top january day, I guess.

I flew without vario, and heard Imre on the radio he reached 1750 m ASL and was still climbing. So we were at cloudbase somewhere around 1850 I think. Enough to go XC. So Dodu, Rafa, Sylvia and Jose Luis took off. One with more luck than the other. Bit surprised our friends from Onil were when they saw Dudo over their heads at 1500 ASL. They were still walking, yes walking !, up their hill Biscoy for take off.

Someone was singing : " I feeeeel good ... ", wasn't James was it ?

Thermals were smooth, and easy to catch under the clouds. Just a photo to show you how it looks like from above. Our region is pretty dry, a bit like Arizona.

thursday 12 january

Typical Alicante winter day. Unique, but not at all exceptional fo our winter flying. Smooth thermals low, once above take off, find the best lift, and get to cloudbase. Once in the clouds, big ear it, and do it again.
Dudo, definetely is in good shape. Laughing at us, from cloudbase and flying off to Maigmi, Los Ventos. Mocking at Rafa, who is scratching his way up again, and again.

Good friends, good flying, no hassles.

wednesday 11 january

From 1 pm flyable on little hills near the sea. More inland, and this only 15 k it was cloudy. We didn't go out to fly, it would have been a little soaring on our alternative hills, like Buenos Aires, Orito. So lets not call it a flying day, because no feet were off the ground that I know of.

But if you would have been here, it would have been my job to take you out there.

tuesday 10 january

Just me alone, flying at Cabo. No visitors, guests, pilots, locals. Sniff, sniff.

Had to get in the air today. Sometimes I don't need to, sometimes ,after all these years, it itches, like today.

I love flying with everybody, but also flying alone. The whole bit for yourself, no instruments, no beeps, no radio. It's something else.

Soaring, no stress, alone, no other pilots to look out for. Just staring at the sea, with its white caps in the distance, behind inland dark clouds. Down below, someone letting his dog out. Everything so silent. What goes on in your head during those flights, its amazing.

Damn, once a hippie, always a hippie yo might think. So what. See you guys soon.

monday 9 january

Winter thermals, yesterday registered up to 5 m/s. Today a lot weaker and clouds all over from 4 pm onwards. Daylight till 6.30 pm, giving the sun time to heat up the air in the valleys. Up at take off, wintercold.

In the distance today we say cumulus nimbus being formed. When you see the top of a thundercloud, flattening out into a anvil shape, you are looking at the boundary between the troposphere and the stratosphere. Some clubs, schools, even bars are called 'cloud nine'. In 1803 an english pharmacist Luke Howard gave clouds a name. The cloud atlas dating 1896, divided his clouds into ten basic types. The ninth was cumulus-nimbus. There is an expression "to be on cloud nine", I have no idea what the expresion means.

sunday 8 january

Great, fantastic flying today. Instability coming in from the north, cold upper air, but the sun in a Spanish mood, nice and warm in the valleys. Promising clouds early morning.

First sunday of the year, traditional lots of hugging and a kissing on the hill, wishing all the best luck. Unfortunately 12 guys and only one girl. And the girl was at cloudbase 1550 ASL, Syliva come down !! We are in desperate need of hugging a female. But she loves flying too much. But it was nice to see the growing affection between our president Toni mas7 and our dear Antolino, there's no such thing.

Bits later Toni and Bartual went off XC. Kick off 2006 I guess it was.

But sad news as well. Our fellow pilot Runar Jenssonar, Iceland, who visited us in september 2005, died last week in Columbia after a paragliding accident. It is always sad to leave a fellow paraglider pilot behind. Our thoughts are with the family and friends from Iceland.
(press article : http://www.visir.is/ExternalData/pdf/dvpdf/DV060104.pdf )

I can only say, be goddamn careful out there, cause if you're gone, we're stuck without you.

saturday 7 january

Rainy day, no flying.

This afternoon I received a message that Johan Bossuyt, was killed in a paramotor incident during a New Years event in Belgium. He spiralled-dived with his passenger, and couldn't get out of the maneuver. Both Johan and passenger were killed instantly. Johan Bossuyt was a fellow belgian pilot, and leaves wife and three kids behind.
I know Johan because he was here years ago to learn how to free-fly. During his first visit, he told me he could spiral dive down to 18 meters per second with his paramotor. . I told him I didn't believe him but if he said so.
On his second visit he gave me a tape with proof of his maneuvers. He filmed his flights and his vario prooved a - 24 m/s sprial dive. By the way a DHV spiral dive during tests is sufficient reaching only 12 m/s.
Just practising one of these maneuvers with a passenger on today's "new years meeting", ended fatal. During last years, he competed internationally, one year he was third in the word ranking paramotoring. I feel sorry for all friends and family, of both killed in the accident.

friday 6 january

No foreign pilots around and it is as if locals don't need to fly either.

You must know that most of the pilots on our hills, especially during weekdays are foreign visiting pilots. The messages between my local buddies and us DOYOUWANNA with his foreign pilots, work for lots of us like the driving force to go fly. It's great.

If groups were around I could have gone to El Cid or El Carche and tried the western southwestern faces, but nobody is around.
But if you have the luck to live here and fly many times in excellent conditions, it is hard to get up of your couch, just by yourself to fly ofF those mountains in merky conditions. Instead we went for cleaning up a new take off near the south side of Orito. A new playground for next spring ? Lets try it out first.

Thursday 5 january

This morning flyable at Toix. Toix southwest, bit tricky site for low airtimers. Between take off and landing there is only the sea for instance. And that's only one of the tricky bits... .
So let us brief thoroughly before we take off, shall we ?

wednesday 4 january

Palomaret again, some flying in. But the best at Cabo, Gary got half hour soaring in. Up north, some of our guys flew near Col de Rates. Big hill, low cloudbase, could be snowing up 1500 m ASL.

Althoug at the coast it was still nice not windy and warm.

tuesday 3 january

Palomaret saved the day. Rafa called, said cloudbase 1800 ASL, nice if you know that take off is 830 meter ASL.

I couldn't go, had to stick with paperwork, accountantwork.

Heard afterwards that maybe he flew ok, but others didn't do so well and bummed out. Jose Luis Segorb, XC pilot, tried out his brandnew Airwave Mustang. Watch out buddy, it looks sexy, and it is fast !

monday 2 january

Lazy monday. Too much wind, from the west. Gusty up to 50 km an hour. Blue sky, very dry weather. Nice time of the year to be here, no tourists around, beaches empty. Great for hiking in the mountains, but too strong to fly unfortunately.

sunday 1 january

Happy Newyear

Don't know if it was safe to fly today, things had to be done last night, and got up with a bit of a headache. Hope you all had a great party, friends or family.

Down here today it was 20 degrees, sunny but windy from the west, off-shore so.
No calls from local pilots, just wishes by message.

Soon we will be on our hills again and let you know what is happening down here in Alicante.

I have no wish. And if I would have a wish, it would be to have a year like 2005. I had again, a fantastic time with my wife Kath and son Paco.

And again, I met many pilots from all over, from France, Iceland, USA, Japan, Holland, Sweden, Ukraine, Belgium,. Britain, etc... etc... .
Lots of airtime for most of them. Only a few accidents, and none very severe. Good laughs, good fun, good friends. Lots of repeated "customers", which I hope means we run our service pretty well.
Some of you guys bought gliders, harnasses, electronical equipment, etc... . I hope you are all still happy with this.
All of you guys were very welcomed by the locals, and were thanked for the support you gave them, contributing in saving the sites. This year CABO de Santa Pola, thanks thanks thanks.

Lets hope we can share some excellent flying and good times in Alicante, again this year. Cheers !

Nick

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I started this diary just a year ago. So this means twelve months of daily uploading, what we did during the day. I count 270 days of flying last year. And this is no bullshit publicity. This should be a guideline for all who want to come over and fly with us. I think this proves that DOYOUWANNA is run efficient and professional. We are always out there when there is a window to fly.

It is a guideline to choose your time to come down and fly with us. Down in Alicante with DOYOUWANNA you don't have to be lucky to fly, no you will just be unlucky if you can't fly.
We are just a spot on earth, so of course also dependent on the weather. But the climate we live in is amazing. Why do you think grandma still dances and has fun down here in nearby Benidorm. She was never stupid, that's why she choose the best climate in Europe.

I hope to see you. And also, I hope more guides put in a dairy on their website. Because the feedback I get from pilots, repeated or new visitors is good. And it can only benefit their bussiness. What do you think ?