That's what Alicante is all about. A lazy morning, a huge pleasant breakfast, a chill, then a half hour drive towards the mountains. Parking your car just next to take off, and fly thermals till the sun has gone.

I think you should all enlarge the foto above once, it is a great shot from Manolo. Cheers Manolo, thanks sending me the foto. By the way it is an Artik and me hanging underneath.

Oh god, what a day, loved it.

Jan and Jette, 10 years experience, Olla 20 years experience waiting it out.

Clouds already low, winds colder and picking up at take off, no sun.

¡

Last flights, in the middle a low airtimer, I don't know if he liked this.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////

We flew at Palomaret, untill cloudsuck was too strong to be safe.

Even with big ears on it was lifty, spiral dives were the best thing to do. Scary how a low airtimer was told to pull in big ears, all of a sudden we saw the glider getting smaller and entering a stall. And this is not the first time I see this. Often the coloured outer stabilo lines are pulled instead of the outer A-lines which are also coloured, by low airtime pilots.

The colour on the stabilo lines have their importance. If you have a cravate you should try to pull just that coloured line to get it out. It is coloured so you can easily find it when all above gets loose and you don't have time to check which one is now the stabilo line.

Anyway, even top pilot Dudo who changed his brake-lines this week, was making a point about asking to get him that specific colour of brake-line. Because he didn't want to be confused if he needed to sort out a cravate. By this I like to suggest also, to be humble, ask advise, listen to more experienced pilots, never be stubborn and ignore advise. Because when the shit hits the fan, the shit hits the fan !

Down here unfortunately we do not have coaches, or club meetings, where pilots share their flights, their mistakes and accidents, their XC flights. Its a pity.
And this sometimes leads to situations where the pilot has never been in before, and doesn't know what to do. Resulting in sometimes a wrong decision, maneuver. Like today, to give a simple example, to go out flying with these clouds not having a compass on board for instance.

Lets fly safe and listen to each other, never pretend you know it all.

Manolo, our rasta pilot, with his Jack Daniels sweater on. Nice to see you around again Manolo !

We flew at the cliffs today, others flew little at Palomaret, but clouds were too low and too biiiiiiig.... for us......

It was nice seeing Carmen, Alex, Antolino, and of course Jan and Jette and Ola with us, it was heartwarming, good vibes.

Southeastern winds, not spot on, but still toplanding and playing around. Another very joyful day flying our wings.

Peña Rubia for us today. Northwestern site. And cloudy today. We flew till winds were picking up and lift was everywhere. An active day, as clouds were forming rapidly.

Ismael only local pilot, picked up his brandnew Nova Factor. Lets hope he's gonna kick ass this weekend when the first comp day is held.

But most interesting for me was the call from Alex. As you may know my harnass Sup air Vamp was stolen three months ago. This morning Alex saw my harnass pictured on E-bay. I checked phonenumbers etc... and found out it was for sale in a store in Elche. With more help from another friend Antolino we got ahold of the harnass. Meanwhile police was warned. The shop only had it on sale, the bastard who knicked my harnass and offered it in the second hand store in Elche is now searched.

Fantastic to have back my good old Sup air Vamp, including my reserve which was stolen as well.

Thanks, with a lot of help of my friends, Alex, Carmen, Antolino !!!!!

Couldn't believe it when my friend Pani from Murcia called and asked where we were gonna fly today. Because the winds were very strong near our hills.

But again, in Murcia, winds were different. So off to Carrascoy, where Jette, Jan and Cordian had some strong lift up to 1650 m ASL. Thermals 4.5 m/s, and at times it was better to get low because winds on height were just like in Alicante too strong to be good.

Landing as usual, or at least like many times, was tricky again. Always a bit of turbulence above the landing field. And always gusty when coming in, but that's Carrascoy for you.

A good day after all, when we didn't think it would be flyable.

I do have this harnass the AVA X-alps in the house, complete, and brandnew. This harnass which has never never been used , for sale at a bargain price 400 euros all in.

And there is more, all AVA harnasses :

- Samurai with carabines : 595 euros

- Sprinter : 450 euros

- Active : 400 euros

- Cygnus : 450 euros

http://www.avasportcentral.com/eng/products.html

For tandem pilots next offer :

- sup'air harnass bifidus

- sup'air harnass passenge minimax

- protection bumpair 17 cm

- 4 carabines sup'air aluminium

Total price : 800 euros

Early morning sunny,but already very active air. No flying today, from afternoon grey, and here and there loud thunber.

You guys must have had all the good weather today. Because down here it was pouring down with rain all day.
Its not abnormal, we had such a great weather for almost the whole month of March, so at one point the sky needed to be crying.

No flying for Frank, see foto below.

Morning flight, at Cabo, but soon too south to be good. Off inland, but a very angry sky, and cloudbase sinking sinking. Only the always present daily flyers like Pepe and Ismael were already in the air, and cruising above El Cid.
Nobody of our group fancied flying in this rough stuff with no cloudbase, and a dark cloud looking from behind.
Back at the cliffs we had the best soaring you can imagine. Smooth climb all over. It doesn't always have to be bumpy.
And above all a great end of a splendid week for Jan, who flew 7 out of 7 days this week. With special sites like Caudete, Fortuna, Carrasquete, and usual sites like Palomaret and cliffs of Santa Pola.

Strong at first, at twelve o'clock that was. 4 to 5 m/s thermals and cloudbase only 300 m above take off. Inversion, the ceiling was blocking all the thermals to punch through. No cloudbase.
Later it got a bit gusty, but died off sooner than we hoped for.

Local pilots came late, we were the only ones who got on the hill in time to get the pure thermals in.
Later on, one by one although even tricky at take off were bumming out. Cycles, good times, bad times, wasn't easy to fly it properly.

I didn't fly a lot, just preferred to have a late flight and scratch a bit. But did a whole lot of talking to several pilots. And it was so obvious again, chatting with good top pilots who are so humble about their achievements, and lesser pilots nose up, talking big stuff. Weird, it is a sport where lots of personalities have no scrupules to exagerate or to express themselves as if they know it all.
It is actually quite insulting, thinking that the other is convinced you believe him, hence thinking you are thick. But, it is never gonna change, it is a sport for ego's.

As long as everybody keeps it safe and flies within his limits. And that's actually the message Toni, our clubs' president, was briefing us through the forum lately. March and april, statistically the months where shit happens, be careful out there.

Also the time of the famous spanish fiestas start, every week something is going on. Here is a foto of the Caballos de Vino, held in Caravaca de la Cruz. Beginning of may,don't miss it.

As we said yesterday we were gonna fly Fortuna. Sierra del Corque, only the name attracts me actually. But the site is abandoned, nobody ever flies here, which is a pity. Local pilots do prefer more and more, to fly on their known site, where they can park their car, where all conditions day after day are the same. A shame actually, because the "flowers of the day" have been given out too many times already. No adventure in it for me. But I don't care, I just do it my way, and guide my visiting pilots all over, as much as I can.

We flew at midday, together with Pepe and Ismael. Strong thermals up to 4.5 m/s. Cloudbase not the highest, but still Pepe, Ovind and Ismael took off at the lower take off, only 80 m high up and thermalled up to 1100 m. Untill it got too strong, too 'spring'time.

We had a break near highest take off, enjoying the views over the back Sierra de Pyla and Sierra del Carche.

Later on, after a nap in the sun, hey its' gotto be done, we took off again, and thermalled till it was almost dark.

In the end the lift was so smooth, I recommend to fly it without vario, without the annoying beep beep. So much more chill, relax, so much more just fingertips on the commands, so much more really feeling what flying and floating is about after a long day.

Was it good ? It was excellent.

Down below a link to something I really loved. Watch it, pull up the volume and use a full screen.

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2539741

Morning soaring at the cliffs and afternoon thermals inland. Jan topped up another 4 hours today.

Maybe we should try another site tomorrow, I'd love to go to Fortuna.

Still two days flyable weather predicted, and weekend mostly windy. Doesn't matter, we have been filling our boots lately, sufficiently flying for no being worried to do something else.

Foto take off Fortuna

http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=CA4G28fM_eI&feature=email

John Sylvester

Hot in Murcia, 25 degrees and up. Suffocating dry air. Drove up to Carrascoy where is bound to be the wind dummy. Looked all strange, felt weird. Gusts from the west, down in the valley still smooth norhtern winds.

Tried it out, but no good. Not so turbulent, but when landing, just 20 meter high, strong gust from the back, the south.

Had to run my legs off not to land on my face.

Local pilots decided as well to move on to Alhama de Murcia, but down there, southern winds never reached the hill. And the sky became angrier and angrier.

Murcia Carrascoy, where we fly over the valley of oranges.

Kath
Paco and me

Jan Bernaerts

Ismael and me

Christopher, prince

Yeah, Frans took all these foto's. Thanks sending them Frans.

Drove around a bit. Southwest strong, dreaming about flying at Toix, landing at Calpe and having lunch in the sun on the beach. I know where they serve the best seafood, meters away from the washing sea.

Well, winds were too strong, so no fresh clams, shellfish, no fish freshly out of see, and cooked in a fingerlicking sauce, accompanied with a slightly sprankling white wine from Galicia. No, none of that. We were here to fly.

Left the beaches, passing Benidorm, the smell of Paella fading away, as we were approaching Jijona, where the best rabbit stew I ever had in my life is served in Venta Teresa.

Venta Teresa just down the landing field of Col de Carrasqueta. Have his deep red Rioja wine, a classic.

And after your meal the owner is always proud to offer you a home made herb-liquer, made of all the herbs you can find on his hill.

We went up to take off, and had to spend some time in the back of the open truck, sunbathing untill strong gusts died off.

At 5 we were airborne, and enjoyed the valley, full of almond trees. After all the nearest village Jijona is the main village, actually the only village which makes the heavenly tastefull TURRON.

Turron is the spanish version of marsepan, or nougat for the french, and for that you need deliciously roasted fresh almonds.

A good day of flying, again.

Take off Caudete

Caudete, cloudbase at 2000 m, which is a 1000 m climb. Caudete just at the border between Alicante and Castilla La Mancha.

We were there with Ismael and about 8 other pilots from all over Europe lets say.

At first, Ann was showing us the way, and was carving the sky with her Ozone Geo.

Later on we lost sight of Toni, who flew his Ozone Addict, and made a out and return to the village Villena and back.

Later on Ismael 1900 m and left upwind, trying to find XC possibities, following an easy retrieval along the highway, Alicante/Valencia.

O/vind, with his brandnew Sigma7, Kath HOOK, Frans HOOK, Jan Sport2, and Urs who left for Germany today under his Mistral4. There are no bad wings any more, all and under every other wing were having a superb day. At times smooth, at times sharp edges around the thermals.

More towards Murcia, same thing, a group of local pilots had their personal bests as well, and Dudo who is a bit of a Palo-addicto (Palo-junkie) did it again at his favourite site Palomaret and landed near Banyeres. At the cliffs of Santa Pola, others were having it more relaxed and flew too.

Who else was happy ?

Oh, bottom foto Ann, Jan, and Frans from the FREE PARAGLIDERS club from Belgium. Frans, Ann thanks visiting Alicante once again. You can only tell your fellow members what they were missing. Great flying, chill and fun.

New HOOK, tandems, please don't sit before you run, and a bit of a confusing foto down below.

Jan, Ann and Frans, on their favourite site Cabo de Santa Pola. Last day for Steve, Dazz and Chinny. Chinny who topped up his airtime this week with 12 hours. Tony Blacker, british national team accuracy down here, Urs german pilot who can't believe his luck to have flown so many hours on his dreamsite.

Euh, who else, damn almost forgot myself. I had a jolly good time, making others happy, doing tandems.

O/vynd came in from Norway this afternoon for a week, and had his first flight just after arriving already.

Toni, Alex, thanks helping me out with tandems, when winds were strong. I owe you both a good bottle of Rioja Crianza, I keep my promise as I always do. Salud.

Remembe this view don't you. Flying over the lighthouse, island of Tabarca in the front, salt lakes with the flamongo's in the back ?

Well that's where it happened again today.

For some of us a good practice to get small thermals in. Winds were off a bit, but made it all more more challenging. If its' too easy, there is no value in it, ain't it ?

Good one, again, almost forgot to tell the temperatures was in its twenties, with this present high pressure.

Jan, Michael, two brothers, two danish kinda speaking russian as far as I could understand, left today for sunny Denmark. I do know a lot of danish pilots already, lets add these two as friends and we have a pack of danish wishing them all the best for the upcoming flying season.

Ville bedst, skäl !!