HGFA Skysailor Magazine

SKY SAILOR 29 November | December 2018 the forecast again looked average at best, with rain and strong winds on the Friday and Saturday and clear skies but moderate winds forecasted for Sunday. As neither John nor I desired to camp with a group of paraglider pilots in the rain, we postponed the Saturday flight session and social evening and made it a day trip only. We rolled the dice and hoped the winds wouldn’t be too strong on Sunday. Our first official brief was at 0845 at the official LZ of the St Clair flying site. Arriving at 0830, the Sky Out team were amazed to see so many cars parked in the staging area – resembled an IKEA carpark more than a grassy paddock. There were 38 pilots, ranging from PG 2 to PG5, from five clubs. Worried that the wind would blow out, I quickly briefed the group on the LZ, the correct landing approach (as we would have large numbers of gliders coming in to land at the same time) and associated dangers. I also had the privilege of informing the group that due to the recent rainfall and the risk of sliding or damaging the track, the team wouldn’t be offering 4x4 lifts up the hill for pilots or their gear. If they wanted to fly today, they had no option but to hike. I was grinning like a Cheshire cat as I answered the only question from the group, “What is the hike like?” View of the lower launch area Photo: Rob Chant Above: Pre-flight checks whilst pilots launch, and Gregoire flying his Flow Yoti mini wing while pilots set up Justin Elliott enjoying the view GPS track log of the hike