friday 30 september last day of the month
Palomaret up to clouds, later on long time soaring at Cabo. It couldn't get better today. Tomorrow I'd love to go to Caudete, where the windmills are, lets see.
thursday 29 september
Time flies, already the end of september. And my nose still got sunburned today. Blue sky, in the back, more inland, cloudy. It got up to more than 25 degrees today. Still T-shirt and short weather all day and night long.
So with the sunny weather thermals were present at Carrasqueta. A huge ridge near the village of Jijona. Pilots were testing the Gin Zulu, the Gin Zoom and of course the Airwave Mustang. Relaxed flying, no big XC stuff, but a whole afternoon of paragliding.
wednesday 28 september
Col de Rates. Flying up to cloudbase, in the clouds once in a while. Reasons to buy a compass. All afternoon in the air. Hours.
Joachim making big ears, first time he has been so close to the clouds. Don't we all remember ?
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tuesday 27 september
They were waiting for a nice smooth day at Cabo, and today was the one. All up in the air for hours, practising toplandings etc... . Inland we saw the clouds building up, definetely rain and huge storms inland in the mountain area. So lucky we have a choice, inland or coast.
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monday 26 september
Huge clouds, Madge Simpson wigs all over. But found a window this afternoon flying in Hondon. It is a walk up to the take off, a pathless climb. My Danish friends know all about it. After half an hour, climbing, you find a well kept and clean take off. South and eastern take offs. We choose the eastern take off. Waited for some breeze, while clouds were building up behind us.
We heard thunder rolling in from behind. Direction east it was getting dark, and saw the rain coming down near El Cid.
We took off and flew for half an hour, till it became too nasty. Climbs of course were nice, until all climb was given. It was too easy to get up at one moment, so time to get ready flying out and land. When landing it started to rain, needed to pack the glider and get in the truck, heading home. Thunder and lightning now all over Alicante.
saturday sunday 24/25 september
Weekend of competition at Palomaret. Saturday cloudbase was pretty low. Task was to fly to Maigmo, back, and then El cid, back and village Agost. You had to be careful, easily you got in the clouds. I didn't compete, too many tandems to do. I took off with the competitors and easily climbed above them. Soon in cloud, I realized some of the comp pilots wouldn't mind flying in the cloud either. Each time had to spiral down to see where you were flying. All afternoon flying, till late.
In the evening there was the traditional evening meal, and then the prize winners were honoured. As sponsor, my son Paco gave them the various money prices to be spend on buys in my shop. Unfortunately for the competitors and the tombola the other sponsor Juanpe from Aereos was so rude not to give a damn, didn't show up, didn't keep his promise to sponsor the distance cup with nice presents. Shame ! Go back to bed Juanpe !
Hope next year this won't happen again, it is not fair for those who are involved and organise this. And to be honest not fair to me, because the whole year he profited of free publicity on websites and on our Spanish forums. I hope all think twice before buying his paragliding equipment.
On the other hand, Airex the new shop in Santa Pola with whom we work with, gave nice prices last minute for the Liga Valenciana (competition league). Nice one !
The distance cup was won by Lee Paul Garcia won the distance cup with 97, 23 km XC ! Well done Lee.
Sunday, blue sky, southern winds. Window from 2 pm till 4 pm. In the back, cloud development looking nasty for late afternoon. Task was Maigmo, back, Los Ventos, back and village Agost. Again, many visitors, tandems today. Buen anbiente.
Litarde won the competition overall in Palomaret. Litarde is a local pilot, who only flies every other weekend, usually hanging upside down under his Advance Omega6, congratulations.
Oh yeah, where was Steve Cox ? The ruling world champion paragliding . He showed up with his gorgeous girlfriend a bit too late to compete. He reminded me of the brothers Raul and Felix Rodriguez, and of the British ruling champion Russel Ogden. With this I mean, nice chap, friendly, down to earth, as all champions should be.
Home now, all dusty, tired. Tomorrow looks cloudy, but some friendly flying at the coast guaranteed. Good night.
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| Scary spaniards racing the rocks terrain with mountain bikes. Palomaret in the back. | Some of our friends receiving the prices, distance cup. |
friday 23 september
Pilots bumming out, some toplanding, after been lucky just to get in the right thermal. Weak conditions, not a lot of sun. Low pressure, lower and lower clouds when afternoon passed by. Forward tandem launches in the end. Brrrr.
Tomorrow we should have our good old sun back, she has been gone for a day and we already miss her. Tomorrow it is important to have sun, because a competition task is organised by club Mas7 at Palomaret. We expect lot of pilots (40 - 50 ???), and one pilot should be outstanding. Steve Cox, world champion paragliding is giving it a go, to get the cup. I tell you my friends, we are not gonna make it easy for him, huh.
Saturday evening the trophees are handed over for best XC flight, etc... etc... .
Should be fun, international company, music, dance, girls, boys, kids, food, drinks, ... , no hassles. I tell you all about it sunday night, because we stay overnight at Palomaret tomorrow. Bye now.
thursday 22 september
All day flying at Palomaret, bit knackered we all are. Flew alone at three o'clock, and the conditions were strong. Later on all in the air, with same cloudbase. High all over Spain, flyable daysm, flyable days, warm, hot, warm, hot, sunny, blue skies, blue thermals.
wednesday 21 september
Once a week we go to a special site. Sometimes a bit of a drive, or a walk up. But always worth it, as it was today.
At first winds very cross, but flyable. You had to get the cobwebs out of your head, and think about your flying. No easy ridge runs, not the usual housethermals that we fly every day. Not a pretty unknown site Caudete, studying the terrain, with the complication of cross wind. Take off was the tricky bit, leaving the hill nad trying to find lift in the valley. As the photos show, late in the afternoon 5 pm and onwards, conditions were getting easier. Rafa, who else, got to 2300 ASL. Couldn't go XC, hiscar broke down, and had was in repair in the village Caudete itself, down below.
Foto's, from above and from landing zone.
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Tuesday 20 september
Next weekend a promising competition at Palomaret. So most pilots practising their skills at Palomaret today. Good vibes, all happy. The french pilots Jildaz y Nathalie go home tomorrow, a shame, Geert hurt his foot and cannot fly any more,shit ! Tone, another belgian, is a so much better pilot than years ago. You can tell he followed perfection courses. His flying, turns, thermalling is so smooth, no hooks at all. It is a pleasure to see him fly. Our german friends leave as well tomorrow, they a good week, flew several sites. I hope to see them back.
It was warm today, 30 celsius at the coast, blue sky, not a cloud to be spotted.
Monday 19 september
Flew above Benidorm. Could have gone inland more to get thermals in, but some low airtime pilots surely appreciated the smoother soaring for once. Later on in the aftenoon, winds kicked in from east, and as always as a surprise. Then landing is very nasty, you have to approach from the nasty side, where the lampposts are remember.
Late in the afternoon, flyable at the special site of Finestrat.
sunday 18 september
What a difference a day makes. Carrascoy, northwest. At first strong wind, thermals strong but broken and sometimes conditions pretty aggresive. A bit of a wait for most of the pilots so. The more smooth and all in the air. Later in the afternoon, crosswind from the east, no good. Some pilots didn't make landingfield, wrong route planning.
Carrascoy is a strange place. It is very very important to listen to the locals. Many times I've seen visiting pilots taking off, and locals waiting it out. At height there is always a strong wind when north. You can fly it, but after a half hour it is pretty tiring and you can go nowhere. When northwest, the house thermal is on the left side, and usually some birds of prey show you the way. If blue sky, sea breeze kicks in from the back, so you better be in the air quick. Once seabreeze doesn't permit to take off any more, aim for the valley and get some convergence lift in. Watch out, landing can be very active. Everywhere, anywhere, it is better to hang out with local pilots and rig and go when they rig and go. Simple !
saturday 17 september
Lightining, thunder, winds, all shit to fly today.
friday 16 september
Front approaching from down south, heading up north towards the med. We could't get in the air. It got windier and windier. Now it is 6.30 pm, and cloudy. Still very hot and humid, a dip in the sea or pool is the message.
thursday 15 september
Glad I am sitting on my chair writing you this. It is a lot more comfortable than being thrown around in the harnass. It was so rough today at Palomaret it was better to stay in the air and deal with it, than go land. Up and down, strong thermals that only took you to the inversion layer at 1150 meters.
At 5 pm, everything got back to normal and all of us flew.
wednesday 14 september
It was supposed to be blown out today. But winds were not that strong. I even believe we could have gone inland and fly. But new pilots around, always nice to get some airtime in at Cabo. Get used to flying again, because of what I heard it's been pretty crap this summer up north.
It was great, 150 m climb ATO (above take off), so easy to do B-line stalls, wingovers, spirals, just get used to the maneuvers we maybe need to do soon, because XC days are coming up ahead.
tuesday 13 sept
A two hour window to fly at Cabo. Even a hangglider in the air. Inland bad clouds. Later in the evening maybe flyable again, but after a beer ... .
monday 12 sept
Summer is definetely over. It is nice to wear some clothes again. We have been waxing our legs, looking, feeling, smooth all summer long. You thought only push bikers shaved ? No, no us as well. All aerodynamica, especially in our sport. Some claim, you don't gain an inch, some say at least it looks so much more sexy.
Especially when landing on the beach as we did this afternoon.
Sunbathers standing up, watching us. Imagine there are two hairy legs coming down, thighs like an oak. No, a supine harnass, comp wing, oval helmet, and shaved legs.
For aerodynamica we should go to Germany, and buy their leggings. 
Today's conditions :
sunday 11 sept
Not a lot of pilots around. Too bloody windy in the morning, almost till midday. But then in certain valleys winds died off. Called around to see where my pilots were. They were all still eager to fly, although in the morning I briefed them it was almost certain a not flyable day.
But then again, you are guided by somebody who has been doing this already almost 7 years (ahum) and you stay with Doyouwanna having contacts all over with the locals (ahum), but most of all it is Alicante, one of the best regions in Europe to go get airtime in. Enough bragging ...
Early morning western winds. You could easily sea the front moving from southwest to northeast, like a widespread feather from early morning, moving from inland, towards the sea. So, or it is too strong, or you find some lee-side hills, or you go way out of your way to find a site.
The front dying off by afternoon, we had a chance to fly with the dying southwestern winds at Calpe. But we choose to check Benidorm, because its lee potential is amazing.
Nacho, Moncho, Mirko and Pedro made their best flights ever to get over to the back mountain Puig Campana, finding their ridge run easily towards Algar. And this by at times strong lee thermals and bouncy conditions.
Late afternoon, cherry on the pie, flying near Calpe, a southwestern sea breeze, that took us easily to Altea Hills and let us fly till sunset. What a view. What a day.
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| Still see 'em | Can hardly see him, zoom in, it's the white spot above Puig Campana |
saturday 10 sept
Murcia, a bit of a drive but always worth it. For the pilots who flew and made XC, it was of course a very good day. Not too strong in the air, once op high at cloudbase. For those who didn't fly, it was way too cross at take off to feel safe. Good decisions if they are made for safety reasons.
friday 9 sept
Bunch of smiling pilots at landingzone. Top flying at Palomaret. Strong at first as always, but soon getting weak enough to do all the tandems and get the beginners in the air.
Windsheer at 1200 meters, that was the only rough bit. Winds blowing from sideways southwest, If you know the site, you know this happens a lot.
thursday 8 sept
My Icelandian friends who just left will hate this today section now. Because just after they left, a good day was promised near Murcia, not so far away. We headed to Carrascoy, one of our main winter sites near Murcia. Thermals up to 6 m/s (exceptional hammer thermal up to 11 m/s, exploding one's U-turn glider after a collapse and recover, ripping 5 lines !).
Nortwestern winds were blowing right on the hill, windows were big enough for safe take-offs, and in the air it was all or nothing. Later on we got the sea-breeze on the opposite site, near Alhama de Murcia. Unfortunalely the remaining Iceland pilots left for France, and weren't bothered. Strange, heading for the bad weather, knowing down here they can probably fly every day. Hope there is a girl involved.
Stevie, Scott and Warren are down here, always good for a laugh. John is around, the Norwegian Brit, and Gerd, flying his Omega6. Some photos to give you an impression.
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wednesday 7 sept
Checked Orito, El Plantio, Atalayas, all alternative sites, when west wind is blowing too hard. None of these were flyable either.
Today we had our first rain for six monts, all locals very happy, farmers doing the polonaise.
Except us, paragliding pilots, not very happy.
 | On the left, Orito south
On the right, the other side, El Cid |  |
tuesday 6 september
Not the best scenario for my Icelandian pilots visiting. Today the forecast was strong westwind from first hour. And it was. Just at 5 pm, there was a window in the lee to fly at Benidorm. I hurried down there, trying to get the boys flying. (Unfortunately) they were enjoying the waterpark in Benidorm and hadn't brought there gliders. It was too much of a hassle and stress to get to Alicante and back to get some flying in. That's the way it is, nobody's fault, just being unlucky they were.
Tomorrow looks like we are gonna have our first rain in six months, I hate to say that the group is leaving on thursday.
monday 5th sept
Too strong western winds, only dying off when the sun setted. Clear blue skies for the Icelandian friends, getting s suntan I suppose. Pretty relaxed boys, having fun. I hope tomorrow I can get them in the air. It is supposed to be north west - west.
sunday 4th september
We had a skygoddes today. Lynn was doing great in her thermals at Palomaret. With her Airwave Wave DHV1 , top of the stack at times,
Most pilots took off late in the afternoon. At take off thermals gusting up to 20 km/h max. Once in the air, first 100 meter climb was pretty smooth, until we met windsheer, winds from all directions. My XC trainer (get one ! it is a marvellous machine) gave me east to southeastern winds, up high, southwest to western winds. Punchy thermals were suddenly blown apart by strong winds. So it was pretty active flying at first.
The sky was dotted with few, not very outspoken, lenticulares from the west. Ahead of us, facing sea, several inversion lines. Stable air, getting messed up, I think western winds for tomorrow, if I read (and felt) the sky allright.
At 5.30 all died off, and many happy pilots, many happy landings, but oh, an Icelandian tree landing.
saturday 3rd of september
If you would have thought that eskimo's from Iceland can only use snowmobiles nowadays. Well you are wrong. They actually do very well in the air. Nice thermalling skills, most of them having good controls at take off. It'll be fun this week, as they will progress.
friday 2nd of september
Only Jose Luis took off and it was scary. Launched like a rocket, up the thermal. As a good pilot luckily held his glider right above his head where it belongs. Conditions were too strong, and getting stronger by the minute. We didn't fly and went to the coast to see if we could get some sea breeze soaring in. But winds didn't die off enough to fly.
1st of september 2005
No more house of the rising sun in the big easy. I've visited New Orleans years ago , and still remember it as a poor city, with its music, french quarter, street brass brands, the dangerous Louis Armstrong park, the local pretty scary bar near our guesthouse. Bermuda wearing americans having their beer in styrofoam cups outside in the street, European looking like laid-backness. All wiped out, hope all these folks will get better days soon. Most of them black people.
Today my Iceland pilots did very well to get in the air on today's limited conditions. Winds were strong at take off. Nothing too reckless, no harm was done. All in the air at last, but it took a lot of determination of the pilots, and I can only admire this.
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