Arran gets the dry slot between the weather fronts

July 26, 2007 on 12:38 am | In Paragliding |

 The Sunday Post took to the skies.

A good weeks flying on Arran luckily escaping the rest of the UK’s  extreme weather.

Fortunately the flyable conditions coincided with a group of students going through their club pilots licenses, whilst some others had  just begun their training.

19th, 20th and 21st July an Easterly soaring wind up the String road on the higher hill.  

Small flights practising, take-off technique and slope landings. Vicki did her first phase of training before rain stopped play on the 20th. 
Marrick from Poland and Katarina from Latvia had their first small flights on the 21st.
 

Pilots worked on technique. It is important to load your weight on the harness.

 Lean forward and put your centre of gravity outside your body balancing the brakes with your arms back and relaxed.  Control is very important. The wing must be stabilised and checked with the pilot feeling the wing. Looking ahead and staying on the wind line during takeoff.

Ian’s new Bolero 3 wing and Plus Max helmet (Certified for air sports and skiing/snowboarding.) Andi and David discuss.

22nd and 23rd July - westerly wind, good thermals soaring at Dereneach.  The students climbed in their first thermals.

Scott from Aberdeenshire on his new Airwave Sport 3
Tuesday 23rd July : Catacol wind West/South West thermic and soarable all day.

Richie the photographer and Euan the Journalist came, they both had a Tandem flight Euan said it felt like stepping into a dream. The flying fever story should either be in this or next weekends edition.

Harry and the two Ians completed lots of tasks, top landings, assymetric tucks and big ears.  Visiting pilots Scot from Aberdeenshire’s club and Donald an Arran regular from London who plays Cello in the BBC Symphony Orchestra. 

David flew around on the new Mescal Skywalk wing.  The second hand wing he was planning to buy from another pilot has been sent down to Aerofix to test the porosity of the wing and strength of the lines.  (they purposely brake a line and replace it to test the strength.) They have said the porosity of the fabric is down to 6 seconds and at 5 seconds they advise not to fly it.  One set of main lines needs replaced but they think its not worth spending the money on it as it is near the end of its flyable life.  I waited till the end of the day to tell him so as not to spoil his flight.

All second hand equipment should be tested before you buy it (Or have a test certificate that is within the year) or the bargain you pick up may cost you either financially or with equipment failure.

Another wing I had had for a while an extra light weight one failed its airworthyness test.  It had hardly any hours on it but it was old in years the fabric can deteriorate even in the cupboard.- another wing for groundhandling only on the beach.

Zabdi Keen
http://www.flyingfever.net
Paragliding instructor and tandem pilot and run a paragliding school on the Isle of Arran and in Nepal. New mother overcoming the challenges to continue being in the hills with my new baby.