TANDEM FAST TRACK COURSES |
22nd March DEVILS DYKE |
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| (1:) Take off at Devils Dyke. (2:) Head up wind easy climb/ Vario malfunction. (3:) New timber 2,000ft (4:) Height 2,300ft (5:) Trimmers off and straight glide 33Kms (6:) Last turn and time for a cup of tea from the Devils Dyke Inn. | |
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22Th March 2009. Devils Dyke take off. Tandem Fast Track course. |
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Conditions thermic and not suitable for low air time pilots. |
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Rob Chisholm on Tandem, student Mike from Air sports learning big ears and air law, 360 turns and spiral drives. |
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Although these task, except big ears are not on the CP tick list. You can learn these after CP with Rob Chisholm on Tandem. |
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Trevor Hurt joins us in a thermal. Trevor a former student now pilot. |
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Both Trevor and I on Tandem fly over the back of Devils Dyke. |
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Thermals are good and climbs nice. My vario packs up at this point, so i am working off my altimeter wrist watch. X Red Devils and none battery operated. |
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Devils Dyke car park, busy day for the Inn. Oh its Mothers Day ! |
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Another thermal comes off the dark field below, we head over for some lift. |
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Trevor on solo lands over the back, but I just pop my trimmers up to full speed and the tandem pushes forward, with no worries dude. |
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Back at the Dyke lift zone, with height to spare. |
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Catch another thermal and climb with this red glider. |
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Back over the dyke again, this time heading towards Ponying. |
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And then onto New timber Place. |
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Watch out for Pilots above, they give way to pilots below, but never rely on others and keep watching for pilots rising in thermals below. |
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Clouds forming into perfect conditions, no bleep from the vario, battery has gone on the Brauniger Helmet Vario, I have to fly on fly alone. Ponyings coming up. |
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Ponyings below. |
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A little history about Ponyings. The Domesday survey of 1087 refers to a church at this location, and there is little doubt it superseded a Saxon place of worship. The Norman building stood for 300 years until the reign of Edward III |
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Now onto New timber place, pushing up wind some more required a little more effort and a vario would have helped loads here. |
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From here it was possible to fly I say to Lewis on Tandem. I chatted with my passenger "Kaori" it was her fourth flight and we been in the air for some time and she was a little overwhelmed with the flight. |
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So it was decided to fly one more across the front of the Dyke and enjoy the views and top land. |
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Here Devils Dyke top landing. |
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We arrived back over Ponyings with more height when the vario was not working than it was working. I really did not wish to land just yet. |
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Just a quick flight I said to my passenger to a little place called Fulking ! |
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And then back to take off, below is the landing area of Devils Dyke. |
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A couple spiral dives to come down to around 1000Ft. |
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Um that did not seem to work very well, you cannot see it below, but a flock of sea gulls take off and we all go back up, i need to find some sinking air. |
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Some more spirals for now, well they are fun after all. |
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In the distance is the top landing area of Devils Dyke and we are well past the road that has the landing area next to it. |
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Well back to Ponyings and wait for some cloud cover. |
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Cloud cover will shut the sun off and stop the thermals for a while. |
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I have marked the cloud shadow passing the ground and see 25 Km over the ground and mark our flight into wind. i wait for cloud cover and winds and thermals will slow. If they do not I land at the bottom, where the air will be quite and easy for landings. |
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Back near launch area and a loan pilot catches a thermal, they are weak the thermals now. |
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A couple of other pilots come along with the solo pilot in yellow, which i think is Trevor Hurt. |
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Yep thermals now easy and float, big ears to landing and time for a hot chocolate and a good days work done. |
| If you are from EP and up Tandem is a perfect way to gain air time in the comfort of a person like myself, i have been in the air since 92. I have years of teaching solo and tandem. Learning your first 360 turn is not part of the CP rating, simply choices of which way do i turn in the lift, need to be made in seconds in order to fly with the most efficient effect when using the air. All this can be done on a "Pilot Fast Track" course. | Contact "Rob Chisholm" for more options on expanding your flying skills and progressing to "Pilot Rating" 01273 628793 /07958 440519 |
Devils Dyke Tandem Flight.
Looking to fly a new site and take the controls, a tandem flight can be an excellent way to be introduced.