27.1.2010 - Southwest and temperatures rising

An ordinary day, with a warmfront approaching. A few days ago I exspected sunshine with good lift, later on a covered day with lots of dynamic lift, and finally got a day with a long wait until there was enough to go out.

I timed it well though, since I skipped all the parawaiting the hardcore pilots had done before my arrival and got there in time to take nice pictures, unpack and fly the fly-to-the-sky! Not a day for a spectacular flight, but it was way better than to dream only!

In this image the site looks so vast and it is so small!

afterthoughts:

I have a gut feeling we will get into some tangling one of these days; pilot skills in Jena get better and better, and lots of new pilots arrive, eager to learn and progress - actually a wonderful development I would not have anticipated some years ago.

Yet over-confidence seems not far away and I notice how close wings get in the air - the margin for mistakes drops.

I ask myself: Does one become more prudent with age or am I too critical? Hmm, will need to watch this closely, but get out of the way early enough ;-)

24.1.2010 - Grey has it going

on sunday the wind suddenly picked up more than I exspected - and you cannot stop the hardcore pilots of Jena, they were already at it!

It was cold and unfriendly - the night teperatures dropped down to -15 and now we measured not more than -5. Nevertheless there were the 6 of us and what a day it was in terms of flying! Little lift integrated in a good dynamic front wind - lots of time to work on your technique and to fool around!

19.1.2010 - Niederhorn

As I had anticipated the day before, this tuesday was just gorgeous! I decided to drive to the Bernese Oberland for the day, changed my mind and headed for Interlaken instead. There I hooked up with the paragliding school from Solothurn and from the LZ we took the bus and the cable car up to the Niederhorn.

This is the Niesen seen from the Beatenbucht, the bus stop where you change ride.

Since we were late there was no chance of finding much lift any more - but everybody was excited and thrilled to fly in such a panorama!

I settled for a wonderful ride and could not stop thinking: what a sight!

It takes about 20 min to fly down - calm air and time to enjoy the changing landscape, this impression of sinking back into the landscape, and not to forget all the urge to conserve these impressions!

Just for the fun of it I handed the flight to the leonardo server - distance wise it is just about as long as the "fight" I had the day before!

check here: http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/296102

Boezingenberg - the local hangout for pilots around Biel

everytime I feel overconfident I just need to come the the closest site to Biel (CH), the Boezingenberg. The day after my wonderful flight at the Chaumont I went to the Boez, confident it would work since I saw some wings in the air - and yes, I took of, hooked my first chance and could stay there, struggling to stay up and would finally make a good 50m, just enough for my first top landing on the west takeoff. But as I started again I did not watch closely enough, missed two little bubbles and down I went - slowly but steadily. Once on the ground you ask yourself how you could miss all these options, especially when watching even students climb the week lift.

Then I tell myself it is time again for a reset - be humble and not depressed, accept the day and your weakness.

Since Hasle-Rueggsau the weather was unpleasant as can be in the area - grey, foggy, more snow, and so I was eager to take the first opportunity to get out again. And monday was the day! I leafed through the weather pages and decided against the Alps (will be better the next day) and for the Jura - looking out the window I saw Cumuli early on a bright blue sky. Took me a while to get started, but eventually I opted for the Boez with its easy retrieve possibilities.

Coming up to the restaurant it was time for pictures - this is one of the lowest points in the Jura chain where you can see almost 180 degree of the flats stretching south towards the Alps and today, what a sight!

Soon afterwards I headed for the east takeoff Since the forecast called for a bit of Bise. Arriving I was afraid not to be able to clear the takeoff; sometimes a small indication of thermal activity, but often a slow back wind. The nice clouds from this morning had given way to some smaller ones.

Well, gave myself a shove, the wing a pull and made it out with a little support from the sun factory. Flying out of the clearing I noticed how much the wind came from the east: no dynamic support today! Since this was the first time so far east, I struggled to stay up - the thermals were weak, the wind did not help but blow the thermals from littler clearings below me along side the ridge - a bumpidy ride without much gain in altitude, yet enough not to sink out. I tried going west without much luck, lost too much and turned again; I tried going east and was more rewarded, so I continued.

As I came closer to the end of the ridge I slowly climbed above and that is where I found the best lift of the day: Bise pushing over the back of the ridge joined the small thermals coming up the front of the ridge.

Yet I never really made base - it was already too late and I was getting tired of circling 50m above the plateau, keeping those landing options in the corner of my eyes, so finally I decided to go land and enjoy the comparatively warm afternoon!

Afterwards I thought: what a rewarding flight! It was a short distance but gave me so much pleasure - much more than the flight next day!

check here: http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/296103

Bisehoger

Bisehoger is a swiss-german word describing a hill facing the northeasterly wind blowing through the flatland between Jura and Alps.

The myth about this hill in the middle of no-where (paragliding-wise) is much larger than its dimensions: it seems almost ridiculous that the pilots here would even think about flying there. As I am used to the flats and know what potential lies in a tiny site facing N or NE, I was eager to explore this hill sooner or later.

This certainly was not a good day - something between fog and small raindrops had iced my windshield already on the way there, but I ignored it. Seeing the first wing almost in the clouds (no wonder, the cloudbase was only 50m above the hills) gave thrust to climb the steep woods and we approached the takeoff from the back.

take-off from behind (see the wing above?)

No sense in waiting forever - we set out and had fun! Even in these light conditions I could get a feeling for the potential of this site. I will be back!

...only too short, since the wind started degrading, and after about 45min I found myself starting to scratch the hillside, desperately hoping for stronger gusts, but without much luck.

In the end I decided to land. Close to ground I made one last turn away from the wind - and suddenly I found myself in stall: No sound, no speed, just vertical drop, fairly fast I must say, for the last 20 m.

No damage, but I looked at myself and the equipment: That measly rain I noticed on the way here had done the same to me - check the icing on that cake:

cheers!

one might be biased thinking the first flight of the new year is a telltale of what will come, but it certainly motivates me in a special way! I was not lucky enough to get airborn on New Years Day, but the weather forecast showed some sign of mercy, resp. sun on the 2nd and 3rd.

Snow was falling in the morning of the second, but towards noon the sun started peeking through and we set out to the Chaumont, a lower extensions of the Chasseral, and one of the best NW-ridges I know of.

cloudbase on the ridge (left)

Why is it supposed to be so good? Well, I have no extensive knowledge of the place, but I have seen some crummy days, cloud covered with a sun peeking through every now and then - and where you could see the sunny spot, you suddenly found yourself unscrewing out of earthly bounds, unreal as it seemed given the measly conditions.

On the realistic side: It is a steep ridge of about 5 km with a small take-off that does not leave you much room for faulty handling. Since it is quite a bit lower than the Chasseral you are sheltered from heavy winds and boes that might beat its big brother. Soaring is excellent as well as the potential for xc - just keep in mind that going with the wind will mean crossing the flats towards the Alps: Plenty of airspace-restrictions on your way to get there - but don't worry, you can make it!

Anyway, on this saturday we hit the take-off around eleven, seeing some blue and some sun amongst the white cloud or fog (difficult to tell at that time), and after the long weeks of rain and gray there was no holding back: I just jumped out!

At first it felt like measly soaring with maybe not enough lift to keep us going. Since the wind came a bit too northerly, I tried advancing towards the Chasseral and the sides of the ridge better exposed to some sunrays. Soon enough it felt more like thermal lift than dynamic. The sun kept pushing and shoving at the clouds, these seemed to understand and lightened up, and lift got better. I hit cloudbase for the first time, feeling like the king of the hill, given the season. Through the clouds around me I could see over the Chaumont towards the plateau of Diesse, and further down to the lake of Biel and its green plaines behind - in the other direction the lake of Neuchatel was peeking through the clouds, as well as the folds of the Jura, one after the other as the view got better and better.

I forgot about time. It was like the winter fairy tale you remember of your childhood: Snow covered trees, powdered houses, fences, meadows. And as the sun got stronger the light white blanket of snow on the ridge started melting, suddenly revealing colour in this reduced landscape of lights and darks.

I am pretty sensitiv to cold on extremities, but this day thermalling kept a good amount of Adrenalin flowing, it seemed, and I noticed my sweat of excitement. After nearly three hours though I could hardly feel my feet - before landing I kept beating them against each other to get back some feeling. And as I stood on ground again I do had a rush to go up again and continue!

What a start into a New Year!

see also:

http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/294594

I will need some time to filter through the photographs I have taken this weekend - such good conditions on a weekend, in fall, is the exception in our latitude.

It drove them all out (the active ones) and most pilots enjoyed long hours in a row.

I still have to take it easy with my shoulder and paused too often for my taste, but managed to get some wonderful tandem flights with Leo as passenger, and with Ade - as pilot up front! Suddenly I had all the time to look for great shots!

the takeoff in Laucha