Soaring the Long Mynd

Both the Southern Hang Gliding Club and the Suffolk Coastal Floaters Hang Gliding Club [my two main flying clubs] were headed to the mid-Wales area for the weekend. Due to a Friday evening commitment, I opted to travel up early on the Saturday morning. Yesterday's forecast of a Westerly indicated the Long Mynd as the most suitable site, so that's where I headed.

I arrived at the Long Mynd early afternoon and saw the sky literally fully of paragliders. I started to wonder if today wasn't quite so suitable when I walked across to the launch and saw many hang gliders rigged and a few flying, I felt more confident of flying!

After paying the £3 site fee I rigged my glider and met up with both the Southern and Suffolk hang-glider boys. My personal mission today was to complete two successful top landings - I needed this to complete my BHPA Pilot tasks. A short while later I was ready for my first fight. The launch was very smooth and uneventful and my normal nervousness was non-existent, a credited to the Sting 3!

There wasn't as much lift as I was initially expected as I set off and explored the ridge. A short distance headed north from launch is a small bowl. When I overflew the south facing side of it, I connected with my significant piece of lift and I concluded that the wind was more of a WSW. After that initial climb which I shared with some paragliders, I set off and began to explore the rest of Long Mynd ridge. I was having so much fun that I'd almost forgotten about my personal goals. Reminded of this, I started to set-up for a top landing. After a few practice approaches I attempted my first top landing, I approached from the South and was aware of another hang glider doing the same from the North. It was very likely we’d converge, so acknowledging the rule, on the right, in the right! I turned early to avoid conflict. This lead to an overshoot but I was able to get my feet on the ground for a moment before I was lifted back into the air again. That was a touch and go so mentally, it didn’t count as a top landing!

The lift had reduced and I had to work quite a bit before I had sufficient height for another top landing attempt. I pondered different landing approaches and for my second, I decided on an approach from the Northern end of the ridge. The approach was much easier and I gently touched down in the centre of the field. That was top landing number one completed; tick!

After friendly banter with other pilots about which bits of the ridged worked and which ones didn’t, I set-off for a second flight. After a few beats I was around 200 feet ATO so set-up for another top landing. As before, it went to plan and I was back on the deck. Top landing number two in the bag and some surprised faces that I was back on the deck so soon! They hadn’t realised I was on a personal mission to complete tasks for my pilot rating!

With my personal goals achieved, I was a little more relaxed on the hill. It was at that point Will came up to me asking if I had any rope in the car. Will then explained that a hang glider had landed in a tree whilst bottom landing. After much scanning of the bottom field, said glider was spotted spectacularly resting in the trees, with pilot dangling beneath. With no way of recovering the pilot, the emergency services were called. Soon after an off-road fire-engine equipped with a variety of ladders was on scene and sometime after, the pilot was back on firm ground. The only problem, the glider still firmly planted on top of the trees - that was a problem to be solved by the hang glider pilots later!

With all that excitement far below and the knowledge that the pilot was now safe, I was ready for my final. I launched one more time and it felt like there was lift everywhere; perhaps this was that magic lift people talk about? By now, friends from the Suffolk Club were airborne and I shared the lovely smooth air with Will, Duncan and Paul. After I reached a good 1,000 feet ATO with the wind seemingly getting stronger, I returned to take-off and completed my third and final top landing of the day. That was me done for the day; I was whacked, but chuffed with my accomplishments for the day!

The only other little bit of excitement [if I can call it that?] was Tom’s very slow top landing that resulted in two bent uprights and a glider teetering on the edge of an imminent ground loop! As we all rushed to his aide, that inevitable ground loop occurred - I've never seen a glider with pilot attached to it loop that quickly before! Fortunately, Tom was ok and that signalled the end of the day!

Video Highlights

I was fortunate enough to have a video camera mounted to my helmet for my first ever flight at the Long Mynd: