04/08/2009 by admin.

At the NATS this year it was announced that a new league will be starting, to enable pilots to readu themselves for international competitions. After 2 years of being a marshal at the event its time I took part to fly our flag for Lancashire.

Hopefully now with the good weather this weekend we can get some flying done and i have ready maps for circum navigation around the fylde area.

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04/08/2009 by admin.

Its the first time ive been on here for ages as you can see, and found two posts in my drafts which i thought i had post doh…

Well not much has changed cause the weathers still shit, got myself a new field yesterday, its massive, even paul kilburn could land in it.

I went to see the farmer yesterday and gave him 20 quid for his charity, Aidan said hes not coming back cause it stinks..( Dairy Farmer ).

The weekend is looking great and hopefully get some flying done, the red arrows are here Sunday, so i wont be anywhere else but tera firma.

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29/12/2008 by admin.

What a great year we had last year at Alnwick organised by Mark Ingham, this year was just the same. I arrived Friday night and the car park was already full, sorted my room out and had a chat with the other lads by the open fire.

Saturday morning, the weather was great and we could now fly from the field next to the lodge, i sort Dangerous dave headset out by soldering a resistor to it, to work with PMR radios and started to set my gear up in the field. It was a very firm 6mph northly wind and quite cold, people were already up and away,  a slight down hill run. I kited my wing for a bit as the other lads got ready (Paul, Gabe and Dave).

Camera on, vario, gps everythings checked engine running……just waiting for PK to go…ok nice reverse launch turn and nice gentle run, full throttle and climbed to 800′. The flight was great, carried out 2 circuits over the lodge just to have a look as you have to come in low to get back in…

I flew out over a golf course a few miles away from the lodge and waved at all the golfers as the waved back bemused at my flying machine.

Tell you one thing it was cold, much the same as last year. The one thing i can remember last year was that its was cold and the reason why i landed was cause i was shaking with being cold…..This year was much the same, i had an hour….must be cause im 40 now and the bloods getting thiner.

All in all it was a great flight and a great weekend, i didnt fly on the Sunday and neither did quite a few, the wind was up and down there were constant fronts coming through.

Ill be there next year and hopefully with global warming it will be warmer

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01/10/2008 by admin.

Well thats come round quick..40 years old

True to my wifes word, I woke up Wednesday morning opened my cards, i left the big fat one till last…opened it and a grand in cash towards my new wing from my wife and kids….great maybe forties not all that bad. Called Paul Kilburn and ordered my new wing….full red Dudek Synth 29….cant wait

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23/09/2008 by admin.

Sorry its abit late writing the post, pie and peas event yet again and then again its nearly here again. Set off again fully loaded kids and caravan on tow.

I was still buzzing from my flight yesterday so it was all good. First problem we had as soon as we got up there and entering the place i got the van and the car stuck in mud.

All the usual candidates were there all set up, engines reving and wind socks flitting in the wind.

It was a bit windy when we got there and a bit out of my comfort zone, so no rush set the van up and went for a chat and assess tomorrows weather.

I got up early Sunday morning, and people were already getting setup to fly, I pre flight checked all my equipment as i do before every flight wether or not it was the day before I flew everything needs to be checked.

I watched a few lads go on there new dudek wings and thinking its my birthday soon and thats what im going to buy a new wing Mel said she would give me some money towards its, Gabes got one so has Paul Kilburn…gota keep up.

Well all setup and ready to go, first reverse launch and i was off down the valley. The flight was great 1hr 30mins it was a bit bumpy but as soon as you got above the glider ridge thinks seem to smooth out, just under 3 litres of fuel used and the motor just sounded great. We came home early monday as an event for the walkers arrived and seem to take over the whole of the ridge.

A great weekend i feel a dudek synth on the way….

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19/09/2008 by admin.

At last after all these months of rain, winds and doubt, I was up there with the seagulls at Rossall Beach.

I was down our field last night and attemted two launches but the first i nearly ended up on my face cause i tripped and the second and wing just fell to one side….not enough effort…maybe.

Its been quite hard these last few months cause ive renewed fuel pipes, filter and stripped my carb down and done a bit of a mod to improve idle.

So i think this time its been quite hard to get back into it, with all these little nigling things of tinkering with the engine and douting myself that its going to conk out as soon as i took off, and the obvious thought of do i really want to do this.

Well it didnt and it sounded great, the wind was a bit of a problem because it was nearly nil and varible, i ended up with 2 failed launches, 1st one due to the wind the second because i was getting hot and sweaty and not enough effort but both times my wing just went over to one side. 3rd time lucky i was up, i think because of my angle of attack during take off as soon as my legs were up i seemed to sit straight down on my seat, a good thing a bad thing im not sure maybe im pulling my leg straps too hard.

I dont really care cause i flew and im buzzing 15mins, 2 hours who gives a f***

Pie and peas tomorrow a long weekend away in Yorkshire with lots of flying. By all accounts according to all sources its going to be a corker. 

Ill report back soon…….

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12/06/2008 by admin.

Well… ive been thinking hard and about the mistake or misjudgment i made about flying that night. I just cannot rattle my brains and think about what i saw and why it was a misjudgment.

I have spoke to a BHPA instructor the last few days and hopefully within the next few months go and get my BHPA paramotoring rating. I explained the event to Paul at Paraventure and at first we both agreed cloud suck, until i mentioned our location……oh its not cloud suck its sea breeze convergence or also known as a sea breeze front.

All the things seem to add up for this type of front, 180 degrees change in wind direction, 300ft per minute lift and we are about 3 miles inland at Singleton so we must be in the zone for this type of convergence. Paul’s advised me to read about it because it will happen again and there are tell tale signs, a cumulus marks the front as the air rises and joins the inland air flow and where the offshore breeze meets, this is where the lift is as it flows upward to produce a cumulus cloud.

I also spoke to a paragliding pilot and when I explained what happened to me he  replied wow…..thats some good lift……yes right maybe for you tree huggers but not for us boys, the only lift i want is if i land out and need a lift home…..

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06/06/2008 by admin.

I have had a good day today to try and have a think about what was going on, I sent a few emails to Mike Brown a good friend and Commercial Pilot for numerous years. When I climbed out and got to 900ft and found I was entering low cloud, we both now think I could of been quite close to some roll cloud. Mike had a look at last nights radar and saw the small storm/downpour we had at about 7pm and said he could see it was quite active in this area. Problem is I didnt go to the field and think should I or shouldnt I, so what did I miss. How did the first ten minutes into the flight become so active, I think next time instead of locking my throttle off and taking pictures and climbing out i should have a better look around.

This picture was in front of me when I climbed out facing south…….At first I thought the lift was from a thermal, but if I was in the core I would of been roughly in the same postion in relation to the groud instead of traveling 3k in one direction going up, so judging by the photo this cloud was also forming and increasing in height and taking me up with it. So was it really cloud suck from a roll cloud, suppose ill never know but i did learn something that day i was f..king glad to be down.

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06/06/2008 by admin.

Fright number 8…….more like shite myself number 8. Went down to the field tonight Thursday 05/06/08, perfect 4mph NNE wind. So I began to setup my gear give Mel a ring and told here the cows had gone and it was safe to come down to the field. A bit of tinkering with the throttle idle and ready to go……now nil wind but still NNE take off. Perfect forward straight up and full throttle down the field, straight and kept climbing, got nice and compy in my seat and made a right turn and started to climb out now heading south westly. I locked the throttle off, hands of and took some photos, by the time i put the camera away I was at 1700 ft and felt the wind in my face as i turned more westly……erm strange made a turn to the east and felt the wind behind me and i was drifting. I was now moving quite fast and was on idle but wasnt making any desent. I looked to my left and right and i was at cloud base 1805 ft, going with the clouds and the same height…..cloud suck shit, i looked behind and between these two clouds was a gap. I was seriously scared, I just had an image of just going higher and higher, so i made a turn into the wind and clouds passed me no bump still with the throttle of and at idle I started to desend very slowly, i bet i was 2 miles from the field and i got back on idle and landed in the field. This has been the worst situation I have been in, im going to have a look at my gps data and see what was going on.

But perfect landing and perfect take off, I even walked my wing back to the car as it was still inflated as i landed.

Think I need to seriously have a look at what was going on, there were some quite cum nim about 15miles away but i think my cloud suck came form these two that were level with me. Bit of a bump when i was coming into land but that was nothing, it was the sight of the field getting bigger that was interesting me and what a great sight it was…..times like this im thinking what the fuck am i doing.

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06/06/2008 by admin.

UK National Paramotor Championships Group Photo

Wow wow and wow, this must be the best event I have ever been to. I don’t really know how to put the 3 days of tasks into words.

The organisation of the event the people it was just fantastic, eveyone was there for one reason to support paramotoring and for the love of the sport.

Traveled up Friday morning set off at 7.30am and arrived a little after 2pm, set up with the awning and went for a wonder, Gabe, PK, and Mark arrived later in the afternoon after taking one of Marks short cuts……glad I went my own way now. Friday night saw the first pilots and Marshal’s briefing, I was quite excited being so close to the action, pilots from around the world supporting there country were in there small groups talking over the tasks ahead.

Saturday morning saw the first of the early starts, up at 6am and ready for the Marshals meeting. I was on take offs, controling the pilots taking off with red and green flags, 41 pilots on the flight deck all in different stages of getting ready. The first task was a nav task with a spot landing at the end of the task. All pilots in the air safely and time for a brew and an hour or two to spare, as the pilots started to return I was on spot landing duty, and my task was to keep the centre spot which was about 9″ in diameter covered with flour to give that dusty effect upon landing…..(oh did I say, I landing 1 foot short of the centre spot when i landed after my free flight and even got flour on my gloves…..framed I think so).

These was various other tasks during the next few days, and my duties varied from controling the take offs from the flight deck to recording the scores for the spot landings.

Gabe attached a wing to his wheelchair, and PK pushed the chair to get the wing up and flying….and they did do it, it was so funny. Eveyone was in high spirts and we were all ther for one reason to support the game we play even if sometimes it can be a rough one.

I had a short and bumpy flight, perfect forward launch straight down the runway, insight of all the spectators and anyone else mulling around, felt great up again.

All in all a great time had by all, the drive was more than worth it. I hope Norman or Mike Brown do sort out smaller events during the year with similar tasks just to give that confidence a nice little boost.

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