Southestern winds. But by request of visiting pilots we didn't go to Toix. They know the site and thought too tricky, too much stress on that one. My local buddies left for Toix, and I don't know if it was any good up there.

My pilots preferred looking out for an alternative hill to fly on. We checked Orito, see foto, but the winds were too high.

Dear Campo,

I won the flight with Nick and your magazine way back in October (I think)> but was too chicken and kept wimping out of organising. My partner finally> grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and organised it with Nick himself. I> cannot deny that I was petrified. I had butterflies all the way to the> meeting point and even felt compelled to compose a will by video cam> beforehand.> Nick was lovely and so reassuring (no I would not fall and no I would not> break my legs on landing). It was quite a windy day and had to wait awhile> before it was safe to do my flight. The wait was good, and the start of it > I> was half hoping it would all be called off due to weather conditions, but > as> the time went on and I saw the trainee paragliders doing their solo > flights> I was reassured.> So I got kitted out and trussed up like a turkey (you won't be seeing the> harness on any catwalk anytime soon). The take off was a bit hairy as the> wind was so strong and we were pulled about a bit, but this did take my > mind> off the running off a mountain part of my fear. Nick told me to run and > keep> running even when we left the ground, until he said stop. (I am beginning > to> think this was for everyone else's amusement as I look like the roadrunner> going over a cliff...). Once up in the air, it was just amazing. The views> form that angle just take you breath away. We were in the air for about 20> minutes and came down to land, which was like stepping off a kerb (so no> broken legs there). The whole experience was exhilarating and I urge any> other "chicken" winners to get out there and do it. SO a huge thank you to> Campo for running the competition and to Nick for making it so much fun > (and> for donating the prize too), and to Roger for making the phonecall and for> not making clucking noises.> Thanks again,> Ciara Mulkeen>> ps could you please send this email and the photos to Nick as I don't have> his email address> pps the pictures are of take off, the flight and post landing euphoria > with> Nick

Derek, Harry and Mike. Derek is 82 years old and probably britains' oldest pilot, he has been here before some four years ago with our good friend Harry. This time another friend came along Mike. Mike with his 68 years old is not the youngest boy either,although he doesn't look 68.
I knew Derek from three years ago, and lately there was an article published in skywings /paragliding magazine in Britain about him.
You can tell they past their top fitness level, although not in joking and having fun !

So we left this morning to fly our winter thermals. Once at take off, I flew out as a wind dummy.
Too early, there was still windsheer and pretty active flying was needed. Sometimes gusts from the west, from over the back, sometimes winds from the east. Meanhwile bity thermals kicking in.
I was almost asking Derek, Harry and Mike to wait till conditions smoothened out. I looked over my back and who was in the air ? Yes, all three of them.
And how ! Derek was sky-godding for two hours. This is no joke, he was outflying our local cracks.
When I was airborne again, I stayed in the air till the breeze was gonna kick in, and get in collision with the thermals. Because then for a half hour, it gets a bit rough. I had to, and I love to do my job as a guide. I told them if they wanted to come down, we could have a coffee and fly later again.
No sign, they felt very comfortable. And to be honest I didn't see their wings pitching and rolling as I saw on other gliders ... . Good pilots, long time experience, exactly.
Back up at take off, Derek wanted to try the Niviuk Hook. I was happy to give our demo to him. But wondered if he was gonna be cautious with the new wing, he wasn't used to fly.
But again, impressed, took off immediately without hesitation (just the pivot by reverse it not that easy of course, but I secretly hope when I'm 82 that I'm gonna be so flexible, and I doubt it)
Very comforting, very satisfying that he was again, giving the wing the right amount of brake travel to keep it in the turns. I have to repeat myself, time after time he was top of the stack. Flying along with our better pilots, while others bummed out.
It was a fabulous day, I took some pictures just to give you an idea how it went.
One thing. Later in the afternoon, some swedish pilots came along, low airtime pilots, beginners.
8 men and 4 girls.
You know who they were talking about ? The girls of course. Healthy old men.
It was a pleasure flying with them.
Ogi coming in tomorrow, belgians at the end of this week, I hope the flying will be as good as today, because it doesn't get much better.

Rafa if you are reading this, your new Skywalk glider has arrived, at Doyouwanna price, like nowhere else. Concerning the thread about prices in Europe on the paraglidingforum.com , I think some of them have to buy new calculators, and half of what they are saying in BS. If you read an advertisement which says a 10 pound charge for a visual inspection of the emergency chute, then you should know which country the magazine is from... those kind of rip offs are still miles away from where the sun is shining.

With a same pressure gradient up north, you wouldn't have no wind.

But down where we are, Alicante southeast of Spain, we are lots closer to the equator. Compared to England lets say, we have about 35-40 procent more wind with same pressure gradient. (Coriolis/latitude/frequencie, once I was explained but now totally forgotten ...)

So you probably wonder why we couldn't fly today. That was the reason, too much wind.

Warm, but windy. Lenticulares over our hills. Not a lot of paragliding news these days, we are grounded.

Warm, but windy. Lenticulares over our hills. Not a lot of paragliding news these days, we are grounded.

No real flying near Alicante. Just small flights late in the afternoon at Loma Larga.
Still a few more windy days to go, and then back to normal. By the time Harry and co is here, it's gonna be ok.

No window today. West wind again, too strong and gusty. To learn to kitesurf was not an alternative either as the offshore winds were too strong. Bad day, only good to hike or go climbing in the mountains, where all day it was warm and sunny, as it was on the beaches.

This is the sounding diagram of 14 february 2007, near Manilla Australia. Where german female pilot Ewa flew towards the centre of a Cumulus Nimbus, with result known all over the world. She rocketed up to 9750 meters, was unconscious for a while, etc... etc... and survived. Another fellow pilot, Chinese pilot HE, had not that much luck. According to the autopsie he was killed in the air by lightning.
Was it insane to fly that day, was it insane to go fly under these obvious nasty clouds ?
Check yourself.

Some explanation :
As you can tell by the graphs on the sounding, the day only needed a trigger to get very powerfull ascent with a superadiabat, this with 29 degrees celsuis at surface. The climb was definetely gonna be strong, powerfull enough to break through the 'inversion' at 700 hPa. With such a heat, 29 degrees celsius enough power could/would break loose.
Further above on the sounding, you can see where the temp curve (red line) meets the saturated adiabatic (pseudoadiabats), and that at 250 hPa. There she was 9750 m high, unconscious. If you follow the temperature lines, it is easy to notice that up there it was 50 degrees below zero.
Too see what the probability was of a thunderstorms that day, you can use different formulas.
The Lifted Index (LI) which results in a -9 , meaning extreme unstable day, very high probability for thunderstorms. Or the KI (indication K), or using the formula to calculate the convective available potential energy (CAPE) And so on, and so on.
No idea, were there no weather-geeks ? I thought every paraglider had interest in weather ?
And howcome this sounding is/was never published in any debate/forum I checked on this subject.
I asked on certain forums for weather maps, or soundings, but no response, my question wasn't even published on their forum.
I don't know, but I think this is essential information.
To me, it was insane to fly.

But, WHO AM I. I can't even win a football game against my 8 year old Paco, and Ewa was the leading female paragliding champion. But I think some of those competitors lost it.

Anyway, I hope these things won't happen again. Thanks Tony for finding this sounding, couldn't find it myself. Downloaded from NOAA, hope they don't mind.

Today we didn'tfly. Some pilots went to Toix, but it was too gusty, and too west.

Floating down, not flying today. That was all there was possible. At Peña Rubia, no fun.
When I drove home, we got all excited. Winds were southeast and we saw some gliders in the air at the cliffs.
But .... they were moving so fast en were climbing so high. Damn paramotors they were.

You have probably seen this. Above the cloud(s) where the pilots got sucked into. This foto was taken by a competing pilot at the spot (checked on Australian forum). Imagine. The white spots are paragliders.

(thanks Dave for sending me this one !!)

Nicer news, we flew today of course. See nicer foto's above the dark one.

It was Jose Luis choice, he choose Hondon. But when we got there it was still too off to the west, so we went with Antolino for a drive to look for western sites. Looking for a deco-sauvage, but couldn't find one before Rafa called us, hey down here in Elche it is turning east, where in the heck are you guys.

Back to base, back to Hondon. Another climb on a pathless hill.

Once at take off, conditions even looked limited. Somewhat strong winds, and cloudy very cloudy. Ok, we all took off and had the smoothest flight ever untill we felt some raindrops on our nose. See you tomorrow, we all had a good time.

Training day lets say.

Arrived early with Rafa, only bits of sun, wasn't burning through yet. So we agreed on trying to fly as far out in the valley as possible.

Cloudsuck, but not like in Manilla ...., over the bridge then sink sink all the way, so heading back as fast as I could, down safe, waiting for retrieval. Meanwhile Rafa got to the clouds over Maigmo, although I left the hill miles above him,I was on the ground before him.
Hey Rafa where's the plan, we said valley, not Maigmo, you sneeky b..... .

Soon after my retrieval he bummed out as well. It was clear we were gonna have to fight for every lift to get somewhere. Great, I love this more than easy lift all day.

An hour later our friends Jose Luis, Dudo, Imre, Antolino, Rafa 2 arrived.

As soon as we were in the air, we could have stayed near take off and taking the old foto again. So we left for Maigmo, knowing it was gonna be scratchy.

While low airtimers were having fun soaring above the take off, mor experienced pilots were trying to do the rigde run to Maigmo. It was a matter of sun and shade, of being there at the right second. Once you got above the ridges, the clouds worked.

Another half hour of practising, no succes.

Bloody Dudo on the radio, hola chicos, where are you, no radio on ? I am at 1500 meter, and still climbing.

Ok, ok Dudo, you are a champ.

Later in the afternoon I found a naked man in the swimming pool. We usually bath in april, but it hasn't been cold this winter, so.

Although he looked pretty blue and small when he got out.

Nobody around. Had a day off.

Don't know yet if any of the lcals went out for fun.

Clear sky this morning, but westwinds, too strong. This afternoon, angry sky. And we have our limits, flying our wings in angry skies is playing russian roulette.

Above a photo of our Polish pilot Cordian, flying his Sport3 Airwave at Toix this week.

If you want to read about the most stupid woman on earth who flies paragliding,
here it is :
http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=29&ContentID=21564
It was here second close call this year. Unfortunately a Chinese pilot who was found later, was found dead. Other ( belgian, dutch pilots etc... ) had to throw their reserves. Some radios were fried by lightning.
As you can read on several threads on different forums, the flying in those conditions were insane.
I am sorry, this is not making me sad, but angry. This has nothing to do with flying any more, it is about who has the biggest one. They lost it.

All day flying over the coastline.

Marcel finished his 6 week winterstop with hours of smooth air. His friends Piter and Frans would have loved it.

Two norwegians still around. One had better luck than the other, the old Edel Control didn't seem to do the job. I think I have never seen such a bad glider before. This one is made to float, not to fly I imagine.

Too warm for the time of the year, it was 30 degrees on the terrace. The air was nice and comfortable, not chilly at all, although it blew from northeast.

Although the wind was laminar, some pilots (still, after all these years ...) couldn't take off, and had to pack their gear. Better, because if you can't take off in a 15 km wind, you shouldn't soar it neither. So good thing, they went off and had a drink instead. Imagine the site got jeopardized again, by visiting pilots who refuse help from us locals, more experienced pilots, because they think they know it all... . These kind of people, aaaaaarrrrgghhh.........

Hoy hemos volado en Villena. Today we wanted to change sites and fly at La Solana, Villena. and we did. Marcel almost flew two hours.

4 Norwegians showed up, two of them out of the blue. We all flew nicely at La Solana.

I had to do a tandem with Clara who won a contest with a magazine.
Her winning price was flying with us doyouwanna tandem.
Take off was great, and her landing was fine.
Just when I got out of my harnass, my flying suit ripped apart. Jesus, half naked. just boxer short, very white legs, white socks, sneakers.

I mean I am not vain, but it is very embarrassing in the middle of the valley with a lady on the side, losing your clothing. I am never gonna buy another Paratech flying suit any more !

Got to go. My lady neighbour turned 80 today , so she invited us for tapas and wine. As she is 80 , or more, she starts repeating herself every other minute. To keep the conversation going, I usually drink too much of her local wine from the bodega. And since her elderly husband doesn't drink any more, the glasses get filled up quicker, wonder why.

I love the old lady though, abuela, bless her. Cheers.

Two norwegians nearby, in crime city Torrevieja they stay.

Very low airtime, no reason to take them to Calpe today.

So had a bit of a day off, riding the motorbike and all of a sudden watching a trike passing over.

Got closer to where it was gonna land, and surprise surprise it was Basil who was trying out his new trike.

He's gonna try to make some money flying tourists in his trike.

In the air !

Calpe, southwest. Frank our norwegian friend was cruising around to find us, but at last we met him. Meanwhile Marcel this his maiden flight over the cliffs of Calpe, overlooking Toix, one side Calpe other side Altea.

Some foto's can tell you how pretty it was, and how summery it was. Foto's by Jose Luis Segorb.

During today, I had to meet somebody who had a car for us to take to Africa. Yes, we will go to Africa this year in october, Morocco, Mauretania, Senegal, Banjul Gambia. We will fly as much as we can during our trip. Once arrived, the car will be sold for charity. We are organising this with a belgian organisation.
We will ask for sponsoring in due time. It'll be humble, like making publicity on our car with putting your sticker on it, lets say for 25 euros. Or sponsoring for charity, 1 cent per kilometer or something. Lets think about it. We will also bring toys, if possible drugs, good drugs I mean David ! along. Fly and drive !! Can't wait to fly in Morocco.

The car that is taking us is an old Mercedes from 1982, fingers crossed. See foto.

More details you can find on our webpage, just click on things.

Western winds again, keeping us grounded. Very strong winds, and unstable in the northern parts of Alicante.

A sunday, a spanish sunday. Families picknicking in the open, a picknick is always in the open no ? But again too much wind, from, you guessed it, the west.

We left early to check Toix, but too much west, too tricky.

Pascal and Maggie, two girlies left today. I was happily surprised by their greed to get in the air, and all the time being keen to go fly. Their skills are there, I could tell.
I do guide daily and this for over 7 years now. I get low-airtime pilots, to comp pilots coming down to fly or train for bigger stuff.
I was very quickly confident in taking the girls to the hills to do some thermalling.

Once a decision was made to turn into the thermals, I sensed no nervousness, I only saw smooth turns. And when I drove down I could only see happy faces after happy landings. Unfortunately your airtime wasn't doubled, due to the weather.

I hope to see you again, and fly together. See you later Pascal, Maggie, Dave and Ron.

A very warm day again, but way too windy.

As soon as it is dark, wind droppes, not a sigh.

Very windy today, up to 90 km per hour.

We went for sierra de Aguilas, visited the copper mine. There was nothing else to do, not even kitesurfing was possible, way too strong.

We enjoyed it, even with this wind we managed to find a windless spot to have a BBQ. It was a deep bed of a dry river. Bits later in the caves of the copper mine with torchlights.

Soon after up to Jijona to taste some 'turron', and a 'muscatel'.

We had to enjoy ourselves doing something else than flying, and I think we can't complain, we were out in fantastic scenery and had a good time. Sheltered from the wind it was warm, in the wind, the cold northwestern wind cut into your cheeks, brrrr. I think my blood got thinner, that's why we had several 'orujas' to warm up.

Maggie, Pascal,Dave and Ron looking for gold near the copper mine as foto, cheer up, soon we tell you about our thermals again.

The Bracknell isobarmap shows that all over the western parts of Europe it is shitty weather.

In Spain unfortunately this time as well. South of Alicante down to Almeria, they had howling winds, up northwest they expect windgusts of 120 km/h.
We didn't have any wind, but slight miserable rain all day. Luckily those days are very rare. Tomorrow we are looking at a non flyable day, becasue of the wind. But sunshine and 20 degrees at midday.

We plan to visit Sierra de Aguilas, and climb down in the old abandoned coppermine. No flying, we have to enjoy the weather and the surroundings this way.

Felt like spirng today. Looked like spring today.

20 degrees, warm, beach weather. But not flying weather.

Too much west wind, and west is the pest down in Alicante for flying. Give us anything else and we fly.

Chuffed to bits !

That's how our british pilots felt after this day.
We left early, told them to be sportive about the day. Maybe it was gonna be too strong, after all west wind was forecasted. And that's no the wind we want !

Passing Peña Rubia, it looked, shit coffee I guess, lots of wind.
But lets check La Zafra, where we were supposed to meet Jose Luis (thanks for the foto's !).
All of a sudden blue sky, not the mist, fog, the clouds we had from coast to Peña Rubia.
At take off, almost no wind, but right on the hill. So parawaiting - I hate parawaiting.

Girlies first for top to bottom. They are real low airtimers, so it was good for them to check the air, have a no stress take off, no stress flight and a lovely landing.
Bits later winds picked up and hoorah !
Look at the pictures, the sky was great, the thermals were present.

I told a week ago, we were gonna be back at this never visited site, La Zafra. Well we did and how. It was a superb day.

We're all chuffed to bits !

Lots of pilots around. A group from Cantabria, family of the famous spanish pilot Borja Rodriguez. One lost pilot from Madrid, and Basil with his students. By the way he teaches in English, so if you Brits want to learn the sport in a better climate, we can make you an offer.

By the time we left, more coming up the hill.

I think all felt a bit lonely, because it was obviously not the best day to call in sick.

At the coast the sun burned through the clouds, but inland it didn't.

Special mention for Maggie, who was brave, keen, strong, very committed today. She ran her ass off, alpine launching her Ozone Buzz.

Thanks Alex for giving us that update on the wind. Just when we got at the site winds were perfect. And it stayed that way till dark, two hours window.

A couple of hours soaring, just what my guys needed to get all ready for big flying tomorrow.

Lets think big, we should have thermalling weather and that's just what my rusty pilots need. Winter thermals in Alicante.

Sup'air Altix Medium, that's the harnass which I have on offer. It is brandnew, not even taken out of its box yet. Some pilot let me down, never transferred the money so I want to get rid of it.
Price is normally 490 euros all in, I sell it for 440 euros all in.
If somebody is interested please let me know ok ?
More details on sup'air page :
http://supair.com/fr/index.sellette.php?id=33

Today we were grounded, too much air from the east. And cloudy.

Friday today. Cliffs of santa pola where the site this morning.

Strong in the afternoon so we had to be early at take off.

Windlines on the sea, nasty clouds above it. Some of us flew, being ready to use maneuvers to get down in case.

On the photo some Med colours.

Ex Belgian air force colonel Marcel, jumped up the tree after seeing
a scorpion at take off.
Left of him Sonja, his girlfriend, taking photo's of the 'beast'.

Today was one of our better winter thermalling days in february !

It was Ian's first thermalling flight (over an hour), and Noel's best thermalling flight ever (over an hour), Leonard our kiwi, flew his brandnew Nova RA, Ogi sky high in the valley under his Airwave Sport3, and good old Henrik from Sweden, as always topping up his "Alicante-airtime". He's been here more than 10 times already, and still loves it (me).

After flying for over an hour in thermals, some development was coming in from the east. All of a sudden it got pretty gusty. Looking around it looked as if overdevelopment like yesterday was possible. But luckily it all died off, and we could do some flying in more dynamic conditions, till winds died off completely.

It's full moon, and tomorrow we get eastern winds. This could mean night flights at the clifs, overflying the lighthouse, watching the full moon as a spot on the mediterranean sea.
But then it has to be perfect, wait and see.