Later this season we are once again running some trips to Southern Spain.

We have been visiting Andalucia with groups since the early 90s and have found it to be reasonably reliable for modest XC flying and thermalling even into late November.

Flying Area

Perhaps the most pleasant area is the cluster of sites around the town of Algodonales in the Province of Cadiz. However, it is not unusual for strong SW wind to set in for a number of days, which makes for a disappointing week if you are not prepared to travel away from that area. With such conditions if is often perfectly flyable 200km to the East in the Granada region. Likewise going to the West coast may provide some reasonable coastal flying if the winds are not too excessive.

Essentially we believe it is important to be prepared to travel to where the flying is most likely during these months. The plan would be to collect pilots at the airport in Malaga and based on the weather forecast go to the appropriate region.

Live Tracking and Retrieve

We would be using our live tracking system for safety and retrieve purposes. I would normally be ground/van based on these trips rather than flying with you as I do in Piedrahita. On particularly good days I may recruit local drivers so that I may fly with you.

Numbers, Booking and Costs

Numbers are restricted to 8 with a minimum of 4 to activate the week. A range of dates are available and if a group of 5 wish to adjust the arrival/leaving dates within the calendar then we can probably shift things to accommodate a group.
Have a look at the BOOKING CALENDAR for dates.

The price of 330€ covers airport shuttle, rides to hill, retrieve, guidance and Live Tracking.
As we will be mobile it does not cover the costs of accommodation. This we will organise as and when we decide the location by the day. Assume around 25€ per night for a mid range hotel in a twin room and significantly less if we stay put in an area long enough to rent apartments.

No chance today with very high probability.  Infact thunder as I write this at before 9am.

Nice to have some rain on the ground after so long a dry spell – but no consilation for our pilots.  Anybody interested in a cultural trip to Salamanca?

noon

noon

The trough and upper level cool air is just the right mix for big Cbs

Not the ideal paragliding scenario weather wise with the trough still nearby giving us to much upper level instablity and risk of large cloud build ups. The local forecast gives no risk of storms, howerver the Skew T with seems to hint otherwise.

noon

15.00

South to North section

The heat low has further deepened and we now have an trough across us and a very high probability of isolated Cbs.  The winds are S most of the way through the convection layer so little vorticity and hence little chance of super cell development.  However, early Cu development to Congestus and probably Cbs in Bejar, Gredos and the Avila Valley.  The fact that the wind is South may allow us to escape to the north and the flatlands and avoid the earliest build up.  Wind at take off at 9.30am is S.  It may pull on with the anabatic wind – but by that time it may be already too late.  A trip to the south take off of Lastra may be considered.

Noon

15.00

route for conditions/time

time /conditons

What Happened.

Some nice flying at Chia, though only for an hour and no XC attempt due to cloud build up over the back.

Storms later in theafternoon and spectacularly at around 10pm

As we pulled up at take-off today Andreas arrived and plonked in my hand the recently released Arcus 7.  I have always liked the Arcus – in some of its incarnations  of 1 to 7 the most sold glider ever (so Bruce G told me).  Anyway, off with the Mentor2 and on with the Arcus (80 -105kg with me around 93kgs).  our forecast was reasoably epic, but with some risk of Cbs.

I had around five and a half hours and around 112km to give it a good go.  Full specs and propaganda can be found at the swing website – here you just get my opinion and gut feeling.

The first thing you notice is the massive pitch damping, which is actually very nice.  Sometimes flying here can be like having a pair of excitable dogs on a lead with constant reigning back as you enter climbs.  The Arcus tells you its comming with a little speed up and a dip then cuts straight into the climb.  Nothing wrong with that at all.  Maybe in superlight conditions this may loose sensitivity and make you miss a nearby climb.  However, when small nuclear devices are being released all around you, then this is a very nice wing to be under.  The roll control is nice and progressive and it is easy to put the glider where you want and to hold the bank angle you wish.

I flew the Swing CENC recently and took a while to be confortable.  This wing felt like an old friend immediately.  In fact I have not flown a mono wing with 4 riser sets for some years, so maybe that was part of it.

I flew with Enzos, Mentors, Deltas, and B GTOs for a fair time.  Yes it may go a little worse, but it did not significanty penalise me in any way. I was using the speedbar a fair amount and the sink penalty was not to bad for its level, but the speed gained was not so much either ( I was pully to pully quite happily in rough air).

At around the 3.5 hr mark, thinking the glider infallible it was reminded that it is only a bit of soft cloth up there with a 90%aysmetric near the windmills in a rough climb.  This is the biggest collapse I have taken in years, so maybe that damping does reduce a little ones reactions.

Anyway, a sexy looking glider (more so than the Mentor 2 with all that sweep back), plenty of performance and a very easy ride.  Andreas left before we made it home so the glider is here for a while if anyone wants to demo it.

Swing Arcus

Upper level wind very light and c15km/hr westerlies in the convective layer and likely convergence in the Ambles valley.  Cu development then rapid build up of congestus clouds once thermal trigger temperature is reach.  Not an ideal situation for stress free paragliding.  Limited XC potential if the forecast is correct as Cbs may build early in the convergence area towards Avila.  However, today we may be lucky with just sporadic build up and we may be able to divert to the north to avoid the worst of it.

1500hr

Time conditions sections PN to Segovia

What Happened

a very high quality day and luckily the instability stayed in the mountains.  Unfortunately the Pass claimed its usual victims, but 3 new PBs (personal bests) for those who got over.

Pete at  111.5

Marshall 75.6

Kim at 92.3.

Myself and Nigel landed near Pete.  I was flying with the wrong tracker today and showed as the Van if anybody watching the live tracking was confused.  I also test flew the new Arcus from Swing and had plenty of time to get to grips with it and will do a little review else where.

Booming thermals to around 3600m.  A real quality day.  Nigel and I nearly missed it with a 80m save near  the cemetery.  I am sure the other guys had mulitple similar adventures on what was a superdooper day.

Tracks

Marshal

Kim

Pete

Nigel

nr Avila looking back

Segovia

The temperatures should steadily rise over then next few days with the formation of a heat low over the Iberian Peninsula.  By Wednesday we may see some more instability in the upper levels.  Today very light winds and the dry adiabatic is well to the right.  Probably a late start but then good as the trigger temp of around 29-30ºC degrees in the valley is reached.  light variable winds but dominance of a N-NE componend which should set us off towards Barco initially unless we get very good climb outs around take off.  A multitude of closed circuit options, though best decided in the air as conditions develop.

The time/conditions cuts from the take off to the end of the sierra de Francia

0000h

a possible

section /conditions/time to NW

What Happened

The day never really blossomed as the stability made for difficult climbs after Barco.  I guess Bill is the hero of the day as he declared Barco as goal and got there (along with all the others too) but had a tough time with low saves near the Chalet.

Kim, Marcus and myself went a little along towards the Tornavacas Pass but landed around the 26km mark.

A bif forest fire about 20km NW of Bejar and a small one broke out near our landing as well.

Nice evening flying and I got to fly Silvia, who we could not fly last monday as we were on our way back from he 106km with Gavin.

Silvia´s tandem

Now here is a joke.. Fresh from Geneva from Emilio

The Archbishop of Canterbury and
The Royal Commission for Political
Correctness

announced today that the climate in the
UK

should no longer be referred to as
‘English Weather’

Rather than offend a sizeable portion of
the
UK population, it will nowbe referred to as:

‘Muslim Weather’

( Partly Sunni, but mostly Shi’ite )

Nigel has got his aritime up near 30 hrs in the last week. Today, while I was doing the airport run he did an attempt at a return from Barco, but the headwind stoped him near La Aldeauela. Nice evening flight for the new group (though a bit east)

Nigles Sunday track

Generally light winds with predominance of N.  Thermal tops around 3300m with cloud formation and some deeper congestus.  Tricky for Open distace so some form of local circuit probably best between the Cherry Tree Pass and the Villatoro Pass.

noon

Skew T 1500

Tornavacas to Avila section

What happened.

A loose plan of flying to Barco the back worked well with most getting to Barco and a little back-  Nigel, Gavin and myself made it back then carried on to Bonilla, Gavin successfully returning from the Corrral area.  After I landed back from Bonilla Nigel continued for a few more circuits.  probabmy around 80km circuit for Nigel and around 60 circiut for Gavin.  Good stuff!

Tracks