Northwestern winds

Gotto move inland. Peña Rubia, Almudaina, Carrascoy. Afternoon sites, as sun is on the take-off sides later in the day.

When blue sky, and sun heats up valleys in the afternoon, and that cold norhtwesterly is blowing, we get afternoon thermals nice and smooth.

Syria - paragliding

I don0't think it is the best time to visit Syria right now. But paragliding is done in the dessert mountains. If there is a chance I'd love to go visit that country and fly it.

Maybe we meet ?

Reconco

Inland flights for us. Reconco where Kath showed us her skills.

A lovely area, greener than the coast, trees bigger than knee-height, and here and there some water.

We all loved it.

Paragliding schools

Early flying at the cliffs, later on it got a bit stronger. Easterly winds. Stronger at coast than inland, so there was a choice.
More inland even slight westerly winds, so Peña Rubia, my favourite was on !

On film some tuition by NOT one of our local schools. If you are looking for schooling, get in contact with us. We'll introduce you to Raul or Café, both running local paragliding schools in Alicante.

Weather back to normal

Again 20 degrees during the day. The cold spell is late this year. Although we had enough rain lat days, more than average which is zero..., temperatures are still high.

Flying possible behind the big hills

of Alcoy. Even Villena had slight easterly winds yesterday afternoon.

Foto of one or our small coastal sites, near Villajoyosa

Fliegen macht Frei

Not that free feeling today of flying. Pitchdark clouds in the north, sunny spells in the south of Alicante.

But winds too strong from the west to play outside.

Fotocontest Doyouwanna 2011

A good month later and the year is over, so is our fotocontest. If anyone still wants to join the contest please send your foto's in. Three foto's max per pilot, foto's taken during your stay in Alicante.

These three foto's are from Sascha Nowak.

Best for walking

Not those top days we can get in november lately. Today it is raining, honestly. At last local say, but not so nice if you are visiting the area. The only good thing is the cheer you meet in the bars, because it is .... raining.

Indeed, we get so little of it, it is always good to have some for nature, your garden, the farming.

We just had a big walk with the family, up to Tibi. On foto my thirteen year old Paco.

Santa Pola gleitschirmfliegen

We were flying close to pitchdark clouds. We saw huge curtains of rain near where we were flying. No thunder and lightning but severe weather.

But we had the sea in front of us, the clouds lesser angry above us. We watched each other, and had it great.

Lesser experienced local pilots asked if all was allright. I said yes, but do yo have speedbar connected.

Yes, but never used it.

No, what is a speedbar ?

I have one, but at home not with me.

No worries, we all were there before. Euforic about the flying. Euforic about wanting to be in the air.

I hope in years the will think like us, bloody hell, remember the days went it just didn't went wrong ?

It was a splendid day, yound and old, hairy and bold, sweet and sour !

Love you all, it was a bliss flying today.

Cabo Santa Pola Paragliding

Early day flying for us. Soon those hard eastern winds kicked in.

Our lovely cliff over the mediterranean, urbanisations on one side, and virgin cliffs on the other side.

Piece of heaven our homesite.

Carrascoy

This time the girls had their flight. Boys were too late, as window to fly was smaller than we all thought.

Again very strong winds at Alicante, and in Murcia zero-wind.

Very difficult to win the chase.

Peter relaxed at take off Carrascoy.

Carrascoy Murcia Paragliding

Always a pleasure to see my fellow pilots from Murcia. Amongst the friendliest in Spain.
Mind you with their sites so fragile, with so many restrictions. They never surrender and give up the hard work, making their few sites visually briefed.
So misuse from not local, visiting, foreign pilots is rare.
Please never go on your own to their precious sites, contact the locals or us. More info soon, because again Carrascoy will be closed over winter, everyone should know. Dates soon.

Sella paragliding

Our german friends at Sella. Just a hiking day, through the astonishing nature near the mountain village Sella.
One of our most impressive sites to fly on, no bottomlanding, just toplandings by the way.

Tia Maria, la paella estaba muy rica !

Windy days

While I am getting fan-mail of friends, with foto's from all over, them flying, we are grounded.
We cannot do anything but being patient for next days, when winds should die off.
Meanwhile we go hike, chill, eat and wait.

Snakes

Little proof it is still damn warm in alicante, snakes still on the tarmac,
and how camouflaged they are,
We say them today driving up the hill Palomaret near Agost.

Splendid flying

Have to celebrate something. After almost 4 months of recovery of a broken collarbone, I can do my tandems myself.

Did some fantastic flying with a Polish and a Southafrican tourist. Superb.

It was after all a superb day for all. Thermals, fingerlicking good.

Lovely temperatures, sweet conditions, and friendly company.

Got to go celebrate, talk to you mañana.

Didn'¡t happen

Toix, Calpe. Southwest just what was forecasted. But too strong. Damn, this site has to be 100% on, if not it is just worth the visit.

Foto of previous flights over the Med, near Altea Hills.

Cartoon blue sky

We all were at the wrong site. All of us. We all knew the winds were gonna blow southwest, so we paid the price.

We should have gone to Calpe. But knowing Calpe is 'only' soaring, and the fact that the last days we hadn't flewn, we were all so eager to get some thermals in.

But wrong site. Palomaret is at its worst when it is southwest. I can tell as I have flewn this site, several times, and being bounced around like a rock in a biscuit tin.

I didn't like it at all. As I was wearing my T-shirt I DO CARE, I hoped no-one was gonna soar the hill too close. So I flew out, way out in the valley. Where a cloud of little birds corkscrewed in the air. That's where I oughted to be. Got there, and lift was great. Until I got height enough to boat to the immense fields near the village of Agost, to land properly, not in the rotor at the official landings fields.

A cartoon blue sky it was though.

Seaside soaring

November, lots of westernwinds. Give us more attention to go to our seaside-sites.

Paragliding Spain

A couple of days not flying and getting nerveus. Thought about joining the rugby team in Benidorm. Forget it !

Cabo Santa Pola

Last day of not flying. Tomorrow lesser winds.

Another day of strong winds

No flying, extreme aggressive sky. With strong gusts.

This is a foto of Iquique flying in Chili.

Charity event in Guardamar

Bad weather, bad bad bad. It kicked in strongly and it doesn't look like it is moving fast.

If you are around next week there is a charity event, in Guardamar. Always nice to join, live music, food drinks and fun. They will bid again on our tandemflights. Last time a tandem flight was sold at 600 euros, amazing. All for charity.

Parafly Club Schwaben

A little review of our german friends who have visited us several times by now, again last october.

Their very active club is called Parafly Club Schwaben

On the foto down below, Sierra Helada and Benidorm on its left.

Alicante paragliding

Autumn kicked in strongly. Bad for flying, rainy in the morning and strong winds during the day. Good to go look at the Volvo Race, sailboats millions of dollars worth playing near our coastline. Shake your jewels.

Meteo Santa Pola

According to an ancient omenm if the meditteranean surface appears dark, then great turbulence will hit the country. So we were warned. Clouds in land, looking angry, and a dark sea surface.

But Frank with his Skywalk Chili2 did well, and squeezed a best flight out of the conditions.

His Skywalk Chili2 by the way is one of the best gliders I can advice for pilots who have more or less 50 hours of airtime a year. Just by the way ... .

Locals fly less

Yeah ? or Yeah !

Over twelve years doing this, I think I have collected enough stuff to write a decent book.

About who came down, what persons you met, how it developed during the years. How fly-guide was gently introduced in the way to go abroad and fly safe.

About the many, unfortunately, accidents that happened.

About the super flights we had. About the emotional moments we shared together flying.

About the pesonal achievements clients made, and touched me, the not forgotten moments.

About the hard work integrating in the local paragliding community.

About the friendship with the locals, but still knowing in the end you will be the foreigner who arrived on their doorstep.

About the culture difference between working with a federation at home and down here in sunny lovely slow pace Spain.

And surely also a chapter with the above title : Locals fly less.

On certain days on our hills, we know better. We know the site, we know what meteo situation there is. As being with it day by day, we almost surf on that meteo change.

So us locals, we standby and we chat.

We look around, spot the sea gettting nervous, see the clouds in the back.

Have seen wrong decisions before and don't have to fly every minute.

If wanted we can easily top up 500 (five hundred) hours of airtime a year This should be a reference not to be flushed down the toilet.

We can relax and judge from a distance. This should result in good advice, honest tips.

Sometimes it works in vain.

Resulting in visiting pilots, having to fly that day, that minute, taking off in tricky conditions. Not having a clue, not having the technique yet. Being ignorant.

It hurts the eye, seeing stubborn pilots who get hurt, who embarrass themselves taking off being dragged on the spanish grass, shaved knees.

When this weekend, someone asked how strong the wind was, himself standing at take off, we told him too strong for flying, for us locals. Oh, don't worry about me, I fly comps ... ?¿&%$?¿

Minutes later he was catapulted, several times ... , trying to take off. Later on when I left, heard he was dragged on the spanish grass, not so beautiful.

Locals fly less ....