Beyond Extreme Chat Forum
|
Author: Melise (---.lds-bng-011.adsl.virginmedia.net)
Date: 24-07-10 19:19
I went on the Dales Coaching Day today at Windbank in the southern Dales. This site has been on my "want to do list" for a long time so I was pleased to be going at last. It's actually three sites in one with Windbank, Hawkswick and Knipe Scar going along the ridge from west to east.
Windbank takes a S-SW wind and is 850ft AMSL with 100 ft top to bottom. The take off is on the limestone scarp so if it has been a nice sunny day you can get some really good evening flying here with thermals popping off the limestone (or so I'm told, not been the best year). In the photo I've attached we are stood on the lower take off, the upper take off is above the limestone to the right.
When we arrived the wind in the car park was blowing through pretty strongly so we thought it might already be blown out. Whilst we were waiting for everyone to arrive one of the coaches walked up and took off and said it was a bit rough low down but nice and smooth when you got some height. Another coach on the ground said it was then blowing 24 mph on top so we should go to the lower take off.
When we got up there it was cycling through from pretty much zero to 24 mph at the lower take off and the direction was a bit all over with it even coming over the back at times. Some of the experienced guys flew, launching between gusts, with some staying up high and having fun and others landing and saying it was ok to get up but not that easy to get down and that it was a bit turbulent.
So I ground handled for a bit, between the more severe gusts but it was a bit frustrating really. Then the experienced guys reported they could see a front coming in and they were getting some cloud suck already, moving right out into the valley to loose height. At this point I decided to put my wing in it's bag so it wouldn't get wet if it did rain and I had just packed up when it started raining. So I ran around helping the others in the coaching group to pack up in what was now wet and windy conditions and then walked back down the hill ......... bah humbug.
I'm really looking forward to going back to this site, it has beautiful views down the valley and an excellent pub down the road from the landing field.
Anyone do any better today?
Melise
|
|
Reply To This Message
|
|
Author: Andrew Donnison (---.in-addr.fast.co.uk)
Date: 24-07-10 20:14
Good effort Melise, I went to the Gyrn this morning and met up with Mark and the students. We were rewarded with some excelent views of cloudbase as we were in it!
The wind was way off to the west being light and variable, then it would rain, then it would clear, then it would drizzle again. You get the picture. We sat it out in the land rover to see if it would clear enough for Mark to fly but the wind picked up and started howling through. By 12:00 we gave up and drove down to see Chris with 5 students in the landing field huddeled under a treee keeping dry. After a spot of lunch the students tried once more but it was a no go. I headed home with Mark and the gang heading over to the 'Bend in the Road' site which has a more westerley face. Not sure how they got on?
Sunday looks like a coastal day for us as it might be a little strong inland? Who knows it is only a forecast and they have been known to be wrong.
Happy day's
|
|
Reply To This Message
|
|
Author: Melise (---.lds-bng-011.adsl.virginmedia.net)
Date: 24-07-10 20:27
At least we had a pretty view for a while and weren't stuck in clag.
I was thinking of going to Tailbridge, the northernmost of the Dales sites tomorrow as it looks like the only one that may just work but that might be blown too. I'll look in the morning.
|
|
Reply To This Message
|
[Admin]
