St. Vincent les Forts

The day started off cold and cloudy with lots of fog and misting rain.  We hiked up the hill to visit Nigel & Carol (and Merlin) this morning and discuss XC routes.  Nigel & Carol are another couple of expat Brits that live in St. Andre.  Nigel is a pilot to and gives us rides up the hill each day for a fiver.

We we arrived we, another pilot, Dieter, that Werner & Jackie know was already there discussing potential routes and the weather.  Carol served tea and we all had a time visit.

The mistral conditions of Sunday continued on Monday.  It was howling at St. Andre.  Werner
suggested we drive 1.5 hours north to St. Vincent les Forts.  This site is a low ridge soaring site at the north tip of the famous Dormulouse run.  We had hoped to see St. Vincent this trip, but by air, not car.

Werner figured that the lower takeoff, and the fact that it was shielded from the winds by the bigger mountains to the NW near Veynes.  Sounded better than sitting around watching the trees blow over, so we piled in the car and headed north.

I drove this time, I didn't want to arrive green again.  Once we pulled into the parking lot my jaw dropped.  The scenery was insane.  This was the most beautiful view from a takeoff I have ever seen.  The blue of the lake, the hue of the lavender fields on the opposite hillsides and those mountains in the distance were breath taking.  Click on the pic to the left for a larger, more stunning image.

The winds were light so we dug in and started parawaiting on the carpeted launch.  Soon cars started pulling to the lot and before you know it there were at least 100 pilot waiting on launch.  Every so often someone would dare to huck, and immediately sink out.  It was very, very light.  Jackie decided to take a turn and soon Werner was on his way down the hill to pick her up.

After a while, Jeff and I decided to huck. We both had extended sledders, working some slight lift on the north end of the hill.  Even for a sled run, it was an amazing flight just because of the view.  Of course my GoPro was malfunctioning so no video!

Right as we were finishing packing up, Steve pulled up to give us a ride back to lauch. As we were coming up the hill, Jackie launched again and we pulled over so Jeff could get some good shots of her in the air.  Werner took a short flight and was able to top-land, but it never really turned on.  After more parawaiting we decided to bag it and head back.  More meat on the grill and beers for dinner.  Another good day!

Hike and Fly

We awoke Tuesday to a forecast of a Mistral wind.  A Mistral is a local phenomena to southern France & Provence.  It is a strong, cold dry wind from the NW, that is caused when there is a high over the Bay of Biscay and a low over the Gulf of Genoa in the Med.  The wind funnels down the long, thinning Rhone river valley that acts as a venturi.  Top speeds of up to 90KM have been recorded.

Given the conditions, we were looking for lower elevation sites that would be shaded from the strong winds.  Luckily Werner knows the area well and suggested we hit Greoliers, about hour to the south.  Greoliers is a hike up site and is south facing and usually a good ridge soaring site as the sea breeze from the Med moves north.

After an hour of Werner's best Michael Schumacher driving thru the mountains we made it, but I was a bit green from the ride.  The hike up wasn't that bad, unless you are a fat, out of shape Alabama redneck.  There was a gentle breeze at launch and our hopes of soars were decreasing.  We had a good time fooling around, taking pics and enjoying the outdoors.  Finally, Jackie and I launched and took the inevitable sled ride down.  Just as I was landing I felt a bubble of lift but it was too little too late.  But at least I flew!

Jeff was coming in behind be and was a bit smarter.  The LZ is actually on a terrance before dropping away to another 700 or feet to the valley floor.  Jeff got over the lip of the terrance as was able to work some light lift before he landed.  Werner did his usual Cuv imitation and caught a thermal and benched up the upper rider where he had stronger winds.  Steve worked his way more east and was staying up, but starching.  Wasn't long before both of them joined us in the LZ.

We loaded up and headed back to St. Andre.  Upon arrival we didn't see any gliders in the air (not expecting to either) but decided to head up to the west launch to see if the wind was going to lay down enough for an evening sledder.  When we got there it was blowing straight in at around 12mph - perfect to soar the ridge.  We all launched and had the entire ridge to ourselves in butter smooth air.  It start to shut down after about an hour and we all headed for Mark's LZ.

Earlier we had grabbed some steaks so the evening meal was tossed on the grill and cold beers were enjoyed by all.


Here's a brief video of the evening soaring session.



La Chavet Soaring from Rob Reynolds on Vimeo.

 

Welcome to St. Andre

I made it into St. Andre around 9pm last night... the drive too forever as I kept getting stuck behind trucks and caravans on sketchy mountain roads.  Jeff and Steve had cold beers and cheese waiting on me.


Soon after I arrived I got to meet Elena, half of the dynamic duo of Mark and Elana and our hosts for the week.  We are renting a gorgeous apartment at the end of their farmhouse.  Beautiful
accommodation and there is a LZ in the front garden.

Shortly after meeting Elana, Werner & Jackie arrived from Switzerland.  Jeff meet them last year and had a blast hanging out and flying with like minded people, so they coordinated their vacation with our trip.

After a good nights sleep, we headed up the hill for a morning sledder off the south launch.

Wide open launch and an easy flight to get things started.  The main LZ in town is at the confluemce of 3 valley and can be windy and turbulent,  and Mark's LZ in front of the house is just slightly better.  But no issues as we all had great flights.  Toward the end of the flights we all notice the bubbles of thermals, so once we landed we wasted no time in packing up and heading back up the hill.


Our second flight was more what we were looking for.  I launched and scratched around for a while to the east of launch, while Jeff, Werner & Steve went west.  Jackie, the sensable one, stayed on the ground as it was gusty and starting to look like it would overdevelop.


After boating around for a while, I got a really nice, extended climb that took be above launch so I decided to top land and get the car.  No sense in having to ride back up the hill in the dark to retrieve it.  While I as packing up, Steve came in and top landed in style to check out the conditions.

There were over 20 gliders in the air and most were on big ears to avoid being pulled into clouds.  After figuring that it wasn't going to OD, Steve took off again and I finished packing and headed down.  A quick stop at the market for more beer, cheese and bread and I picked up Steve in the Main LZ.  We go back to the house just in time to watch Jeff and Werner land.

Great day flying!

Here's some video from the second flight of the day:

 

Vive la France!

Well, I finally made it to Nice.  Quick post here from my cell as I wait for bags.  Got into Madrid early and cleared customs in record time - enough time to make the earlier flight, which was WIDE open... not even 10% full according the the seating chart on Iberia's website.

Long story short, Iberia customer service sucks.  Rather than move me to the earlier, wide open flight and thus freeing up a seat on the SOLD OUT afternoon flight - they decided they would rather try to extort 1100 euros out of me to change my ticket.

The lady kept repeating that my ticket was too cheap.  "You have the cheap ticket".  Guess what lady, your company sold it to me.  Not sure she understands how the airline industry works but if you have a customer wanting to trade a high demand seat for a low demand seat, you make the swap and your company profits.

So I spent the day in the Madrid airport, drinking the local brew, eating ham sandwiches and catching up on emails.   Its almost 5pm here now, looking forward to getting on the road to St. Andre.  Jeff and Steve arrived this morning and got some flying in already, so I am behind!

Never again Iberia.  Never, ever again!

Off to the Alps!

Tomorrow I leave for our annual paragliding trip in Europe.  After visiting Switzerland 4 years in a row, we decided to try something different this year - France!

The Jungfrau is a great place to fly and visit, and we have a wonderful setup with the apartment we rent from Diane this year, but the weather there has been very unpredictable for the last 3 years.  On top of that, peak flying season there is late spring/early summer and that is hard to do with my work schedule.

This year we decided on St. Andre in the Maritime Alps of Southern France.  Jeff and Steve visited there for a long weekend last October when they were in France for work and had a blast, so we are giving it a go!  Not to mention that both the British and Eurpoean PG championships where held there last year!

St. Andre is only 1.5 hours from Nice by car, and Jeff found a great apartment (gite, in French) for us to rent from a British couple.  He's also a pilot (HG & PG) and has lots of local experience so we plan on pumping him for advice.  They certainly cater to pilots, as you can tell my their website at Fly St. Andre.

I'm flying out late tomorrow to Madrid on my ole standby, USAir, and then I have a 9 hour layover before getting into Nice around 4pm on Friday.  Why a layover?  Well, USAir couldn't get me a decent, upgrade-able ticket into Nice, but could get me to Madrid for $600 bucks AND a free first class upgrade.   My Madrid to Nice leg is on Iberia for only 160 euro.   I'm going to need to collect bags, clear customs, and then take a bus to another terminal and recheck bags.  Everything I have read online suggests that things move slower in Spain and this process could take 3 hours.  The first available connection is 2 hours after I land and I don't want to risk it.

Next post will be from France!

Motor XC Saturday

I hit EKY early this morning for a little motor XC.  Flew out to the west to check out the strip mines east of the I-20/I459 interchange.


Check out either the XComp GPS track or the Leonardo track.

Motocross & Paragliders

Jeff, Cuv and I were back in SoCal this weekend.  I was in LA for meetings Thursday & Friday and was able to get some flying in at Torrey Pines in late Friday afternoon before picking up the other two from the airport.

We crashed at Ron's Friday night and then headed to Elsinore on Saturday for the final MX race of the season.   It was hot and dry but the race was exciting (despite having to walk over a mile to a different Will-Call for our pit passes).  We got to hang out with Christina and the Rock River team and stayed hydrated with Bud Lites.

After the race, we decided Ron needed a new grill, so it was off to Lowes.  Jeff promised it would fit in the back of the rental.  It didn't.   We got lucky as an older guy was leaving and asked if he could help.  He had a truck and was headed right past Ron's, but his small truck bed was filled with an old grill he had just acquired for 5 bucks.  We were able to fit this grill into the trunk, put the new one for Ron in the bed of the truck and we were off!


The forecast for the local soaring sites wasn't great on Sunday, so we ended up back at Torrey, along with Ron and his visiting fraternity brother, Smith, from Birmingham. Good flying in very light conditions and Smith got a long tandem.


The main purpose of this trip (other than the motocross) was to test out Jeff's new LM5 and Cuv's new Delta 2.  The LM5 is a beautiful glider, handles great and glides like crazy.  Of course we weren't able to test it in thermic conditions so I'm still hesitant about flying it in big air.

I also liked the handling of the D2, even thought I was under the weight range.  Of course it was easy to stay up in the light conditions when you are light on the glider. 

Oh, Jeff's motor student, Joe, was out at Torrey working with Phil Russman on his P2, so we got to see both Joe and Phil and share a post flight beverage.

Thanks again Ron for the place to crash!

Next up in 2 weeks - our Alps trip!  This year the destination is Saint Andre in the French Alps!




Brief wing testing video:

More EKY Fun

Hooked up with Curtis and Mark at EKY this morning.  The light breeze and high overcast made the air smooth as silk.  Easy launches and landings as we chased each other around the airport.  I'm so glad the management at EKY is ultralight friendly!

Chasing Greg (Paramotor Style)

Meet up with the rest of the 'Bama gang at Cleveland today to burn some premix.  Greg and I got up first and I had a blast chasing him around the area.  He's pretty fast all loaded up on that trike.

Saturday at EKY

Curtis joined me yesterday at EKY (Bessemer Airport).  We did a little jaunt around the local area.  Gotta love having an entire GA airport to yourself on a beautiful Saturday morning.

Video evidence of our fun:

Back to Blossom

Another business trip to LA, so I spent the weekend in San Diego at Ron's new place in Vista.   Jeff and Cuv joined me and we hit blossom again.

We all made it to El Cap this time - special thanks to Phil Russman (Lite Touch Films) for the encouragement to make the jump over the valley when I didn't think I was high enough.

Here's my track.

And a Doarama of my flight.
 


Here's Jeff's video:

Motor fun!

Sorry for the lack of updates - not much flying going on recently.  I used the down time this winter to get some motor maintence out of the way.

Anyway, I got my usual Saturday before Fathers day Hall Pass and used it to go flying!

San Diego Weekend

Rob C, Steve and I had business on the west coast, so we all met up in San Diego for some flying.  Jeff straggled out and joined us.

Rob, Steve and I flew Soboba on Friday and it rocked.

Then we hit Torrey Saturday morning, then Blossom Saturday afternoon and Sunday.  Great time and excellent flying, especially Blossom, although no one managed a run to El Cap and back.

My Soboba track is here.


One of my Blossom tracks here.





Some video from Blossom:

Ozone Ultralight 3- Mini Review

Received an Ozone UL3 in a 25M late last week. Incredibly light and small. 


I laid it out against a S swift 2 and a MS Geo3 - looks to be the same size and shape as a small Element 2.  The size of the risers is sick - so small, thin and light!

Photo comparison of the UL3 on the left, compared to a Swift 2 on the right, along with the light risers:

I put about 4 hours flight time on the UL3 last weekend at Torrey Pines. It was all ridge lift with the exception of one climb in the house thermal on the south side. Glide is better than expected and because I am light on the wing, I was usually the highest glider on the ridge.

My all up weight is 79kg and I was flying the 25M size with an Advance Lightness harness.

The good:

• launching is a breeze... very stable overhead too.
• very responsive, once you learn to give it quick, deep inputs
• surprisingly good glide - a bit less that 7.5:1 but I think I am light on the wing.
• typical smooth ozone handling
• love the light weight and packing size
• love the light brake handles - very comfortable, especially with taking a wrap.
• very easy to make a flat turn, without the need of outside brake

The not so good:

• the light risers are a pain in the ass to sort
• no brake line snap - just some velcro that doesn't work well. will be modifying that.
• glider seemed very slow (but I am coming from an A2/Swift2 as my usual wing)
• the speed system requires a good bit of pressure to engage
• weighshift is not that great, but once you get in a turn initiated, its easy to keep it in the turn without needing brake

Love the glider, but I think I am going to sell it and get a 23M. I got the larger size because I intended to use it for vol biv trips and wanted a better glide, but I think the 23 will be just fine and also give me a bit more speed for mountain flying where there are high valley winds.

Here is a quick video of a short flight in very light conditions at Torrey... I top landed after a single pass rather than risk a hike up from the beach.  


UL3 First Flight from Rob Reynolds on Vimeo.

Switzerland 2012 - Wrapup

Another great time in the Jungfrau - lots of flying and on the 2 days that were not flyable we did some hiking/exploring and rented downhill mountain bikes.  Loads of fun.

Here's some photo's from the week.

Parawaiting:

Rob C:

Launching at Mannlichen:

 

The crew, going for a hike:

 Hiking to the Lauberhorn:

 The crew, starting the muddy ride down:

 Post ride:

 

The town square slackline provided hours of entertainment... especially on the way home from the bar:

 

 Steve at the top of the Shilthorn:

 Jeff:

Steve:

Rob R:

Switzerland - Just a little taste!

We all made it to Switzerland - Jeff, Rob, Steve and I.  Today we took the train from Wengen to Niesen to fly this famous mountain site.

The valley winds were strong and we should have stayed in lea in front of launch.  We didn't.  Everyone had good flights but the landings in the valley were interesting.  Rob and I landed at the official LZ in a howling valley wind and lots of thermic bumps.  I was on full speedbar until about 6ft above the gound and barely penetrating.

Jeff and Steve landed in a tiny field near the train station.  They were about 2 miles up the valley and the winds were not as bad for them.  Rob and I got a nice workout hiking to meet them.

Looks like its gonna be a good week!

Sample from today's flying:

A Peaceful Sunday Morning at Torrey Pines

Spent the weekend with Jeff & Rob in San Diego.  Got to put some hours on the new Swift 2 - very pleased.  Love this glider.  Handles great, good glide & excellent speed.  Glides really well at half bar too.


Can't wait to hit the Alps with my new ultralight setup - Swift 2, Advance Lightness harness & a  Plum ultralight reserve.

Here's a bit of video from Sunday morning.

Peaceful Sunday Soaring

New GEO 3 for Sale.

UPDATE:  Glider is sold. Thanks!

Since the buyer I had lined up for my Geo 3 backed out at the last minute, its back on the market.

This is a custom color scheme Ozone Geo 3 in size Medium-Small. Colors are White/Light Blue/White/Blue and it has the standard risers.

Brand new, been out of the bag and flown for less than 6 hours from a grassy coastal ridge soaring site(Torrey Pines).

I purchased in December but didn't get the chance to fly it until this weekend. During that time, I lost weight and also went to a lighter weight harness and reserve. The result was I'm too light on this glider now. I am about 1/4 into the weight range.

Glider performed great but handling was sluggish. Once I added almost 10kg (21lbs) of ballast, it was a different glider.

I highly recommend flying this glider in the upper third of the weigh range (above 87kg - 190lbs or so - its a much better handling glider when loaded up.

Comes with inner stuff sack, speed bar, ultralight concertina pack. and light rucksack. Rucksack is brand new. I ordered a new one for this glider since the original rucksack that came with it got a bit scuffed from checking my kit on the flight out to San Diego.

Free ground shipping in the lower 48 US states.

Asking $2600 but make an offer, I need to move it fast as I have already replaced this glider with a smaller wing.

More info on the Geo 3 at:

http://flyozone.com/paragliders/en/products/gliders/geo-iii/info/

Weekend Trip to Torrey Pines

The DN's and I (Jeff, Steve, Rob) too a quick trip out to Torry this weekend to fly and go to the supercross races. Great time, got to fly Friday, Saturday & Sunday and had press box seats at the Supercross races thanks to Christina at RoostMX.

Take aways from the weekend:

- The Geo 3 needs to be flown at the top of the weigh range... handled very poorly with the light weight harness and reserve. When I backed 20lbs of ballast into the harness, WOW! Completely different glider.

- The Geo has a great sink rate for a EN B glider; until you push the speed bar. Sucker drops like a rock on full bar.

- Fared harnesses make all the difference. Jeff was on the top of the stack all weekend and we didn't know if it was because of his new Alpina or the fared harness (Impress 3). So he switched gliders with Rob C (Rush 3) and was still on top of the stack, even with moving down to a EN B glider. The drag reduction of the fared harness is significant.

- Rush 3 vs Alpina - hands up, the sink rate is about the same, but the Alpina is faster and turns better. Since this was Torrey, the air was smooth, so it will be interesting to see how the Alpina handles in the mountains.

Given the weight issue that I have with the Geo, I need a smaller size, so the I have a Medium-Small Geo3 for sale. Ping me if you want a great EN B hike & fly wing cheap.