Just another day in the life

[MadDog]

Yesterday, Sunday, was a sweet day for me…..
How about for you?
When I was younger….and mammoths freely roamed the land…I thought how wonderful it would be if someone would only invent a lollypop that got bigger every time that you licked it….you probably thought as much yourself….
Yesterday was like that for me…..Everything got bigger and better as the day wore on….And the lolly was certainly getting bigger by the lick,
When you have spent as long as I have…on the outside looking in, on those on the inside looking good…with your little nose pressed against the window watching the proper people getting the cream that you could only dream of….
Perhaps you will know where I ‘m coming from if you were looking up from Thirlspot where your bad luck had dumped you….

I always knew that there was a reverse gear in there somewhere….

Father’s days…seem to always have a twist in the tail for me….My mind goes back down through the years….to a similar sort of father’s day when I was floating through the air over the College Valley standing with my feet on the bottom bar of the hang glider…
(It had just turned over!)…
Wall to wall blue skies surrounded me…and even in the midst of my dilemma, even while my hands were fumbling for the reserve Shute…I thought to myself…How beautiful the world is, and how good it is to be alive….even though I was soon going to be dead….funny that isn’t it!...
One minute your at the top of the world….and the next minute everything changes and the world is at your feet again…..where I suppose is the best place for it……
I’m digressing somewhat here….forgive me, I got carried away in the memory.

What site can beat Clough Head for good flying?
Its one pedigree hill.
I’ve never known it not to come up with the goods….It just sits there harming nobody and you can kick its tyres as much as you like but it just won’t stir until its ready, and climbing any higher won’t do you any more good….but come mid-day or ever so shortly after….something stirs and the sleeping giant is ready to let you ride on its back again……I love it…..next time I go there I ‘m going to bring some back in ajar and put it in the garden..
I seemed to spend a lot of time at the bottom of the stack yesterday…and every time I looked up there were people on the edge of space….How do they do it?….
At one time I even thought I was on my way to the bottom field until I managed to wind something coming up that craggy, frightening face…this evened the odds up a little and as I climbed above the top a little, Kay came and joined me.. then proceeded to out thermal me…
You can go off people you know Kay…?!.(But not you)
The people who were high….Very high…started going South towards Helveln …and I started going myself but gave up because I was in so much sink….so what was the score so far then…..?
Proper pilots…10……..Whitley Bay loser…..Zilch……
But the pages in this book of life, where just about to be turned…and this little lad was about to give up expediting uselessness for a change…
Bring it on!
The next time the lift came through everything was different…..I don’t know who threw the switch but everything changed over from……
No- can- do…..to…….. Allow me young man….
Just like that….and off I went for the back of the ridge….in lift…and staying in lift……steadily climbing into the comfort zone….you know how it is…I
saw some ace come screaming in to where I was circling….I thought…now he looks like a proper pilot…..How wrong can you be?. It was little Jim Bittlestone…..
Can’t you read the sign Jim…..?
“This is a private vortex….please do not trespass,,, go and find your own”
At least he had the decency to not thermal up through me…..thanks for that Jim.
I gathered all the height that I could around me before setting off to jump the gap between where I was and the end of the lake…..one eye on the gliders in my area who had bitten off more than they could chew and were now hightailing it forward for the safety of the forward ridge…and in all probability the Thirlspot gobble pit…my other eye was taking in the sites around me….the walkers on their long slog up the slope to Helveln….Striding Edge….First time I have seen that…..Ullswater down in the next valley…all lovely stuff….wish I had the camera….
I flew forward and around the corner of Helveln….safe now….. with landing fields coming into view…..and downed gliders, filling them I might add….further ahead again I could see a number of gliders and they seemed to be struggling… one was not far off bottom landing status…..My heart was bleeding for him…Tee Hee!
I was losing height here, but not a lot…I kept slowing down whenever I thought lift was around….drifting further towards the hill that overlooks Grasmere….and now I was only just above the last ridge….waving at the walkers…..Now that’s a bad sign…and the brown. cows I had seen grazing high up the slope were now very definitely sheep
Well bonny lad….I thought, this is good enough for the day….get yourself down to the cricket pitch in Grasmere…Relive the moment that you had a thousand years ago when you first landed your hang glider there…and even as the thought went through my head I looked up and….
Would you believe it…three gliders….High….Three aces….Two proper aces and an imposter ace. Gary…
Spare me the shame God….Of being a loser, and thinking the fight was over
Determination gripped me and I set my heart on getting to where they were
Which was really a big deal…seeing that according to Brian Day later….I was flying the lee side of the hill…..
Ace pilots always fly Leeside just to keep their licence current …It’s no big deal!
I got me self stuck in….and slowly but surely every thing came together….this is where the luck comes in….I hope you realize that…
Without luck you are nothing
Believe me….I’ve been nothing for a very long time!
Would you believe it…not long later…there I was… exactly where they had been….No wonder they had been there all the time that I had been scratching….the place was full of magic lift…some kind of convergence I would think , I just filled me boots with the stuff then off I went away again…..Where had the enemy gone?...I saw an orange glider, low…(Gary)….no doubt he’ll soon be thermalling out of there….If I know him…as it happened he was on his way to the ground….shame…
Why are you smiling?
I looked around me again….beauty everywhere….Up the Patterdale valley towards Blencathra….downwind to Ambleside….and beyond to Morecombe Bay….further to the west the long hazy outline of Coniston and the brooding mass of the Old man of Coniston almost lost in the moisture of the sea breeze….
Bells should have been ringing with me by now ….But I was oblivious to everything I was just living the dream…as you do….and gulping down the day in very pleasant bites
Thank you God for your goodness to me today!
Ambleside would do for me….so I thought.. and I determined to stick to the north of it well away from the town centre….so I set myself up for a long straight glide, letting go of the brakes while I got out the knitting….Plain one Purl one…..Bleep bleep went the vario….Here we go again…never say no to lift…..and there you go….soon I was climbing yet again….only this time I was going back the way I had just come….
Switch on son…this could be good…this is the sea breeze….and it was but.. I just couldn’t face going back again into those mountains…
Should I call the Mountain Rescue ?
I could see Staverly just below me…and in the distance. Kendal…..that will do for the day… the lift had disappeared now or was in short supply so off I went looking for somewhere safe to put the spacecraft down….. and there it was…… just by the roundabout where the road branched down into Kendal town centre , down into the long sweet smelling grass I went….On me bum of course….
Why change the habits of a lifetime?.....
I looked at the readout on the Competino…Two hours forty seven minutes… why ya bugger was that some good flight …Or what?
As I was packing things away I saw a double Decker bus passing….with the number 555 Keswick….That would do…if I had flew the least distance..
I would have thought twice about catching it if it had been the 666!..mind you.
At this point in time I was still sure that if an old has been like me had got this far then the proper pilots must be at the East coast by now….but no….among our lot I appeared to have done the best….Yippee!
Couldn’t happen to a nicer man!
So that was the day over….Brian was back at the car by now…being a loser….and all I had to do was sit outside the Pub on the main road into Kendal…drinking a lovely cup of coffee that the landlady never even charged me for…basking in the sunshine of another lovely day and wait for them coming for me…..
All great stuff….and modesty of course…forbids me taking credit for the good flying that day….I blame it all on my new SAS camouflaged trousers ….do you know what it says on the label on the back?
Who Wears…Wins.
They won’t be going back to Peacocks next week!
Thanks again to Chris for carrying my glider up…and someone else who doesn’t want to be named…..You lads are so good to me…I don’t deserve you…but thanks...
And believe it or not ..I had requests to write about my flight….I hope that you have enjoyed reading it….sorry that it has turned out to be so long…..


Picture time again….and one that someone took earlier.

[gary stenhouse]

fantastic flight and right up but as you said in the van its not about luck it is all about pilot skill now your back as the top dog.

cheers gary

[brian day]

So there we have it,,,,, another dog has his day,,,,this is beginning to become tooooo regular on trips to the Lakes!!!!
As John says I was sat on top of Helvelyn watching clouds develop and move in from the east, looking down on John, I must admit to a little chuckle as voices crackled over the radio,,,,,,,come on Gary,,,,come on John,,,,,down to the landing fields at Grassmere with all the real pilots. Bet John doesn't know he's trying to ridge soar the lee side of the hill.
I left for pastures new seeing Gary attacking the climb mapped out by another pilot, but thinking poor John was destined for Grassmere.
It wasn't long before I was battling into a sea breeze head wind, brain dead after fighting with Helvelyn for too long and being worried about which side of the hill to fly, so it was where to land with trees blocking any further progress it was a gentle circuit to the ground.
A few calls and texts later I set off for the main road,,,,,,,,,but what's that????? barking from above!!!!!! it's the dog!!!!
Now it's not often you're on the ground and look up to see a pilot and you think to yourself,,,YES!!!! GO ON THERE!!!!!!
Everyone thought I was plain bonkers shouting and barking at the sky,,,,,,,,Hooooowwwwl,,,,go on John,,,,,go boy Hooooowl!!! as the tiny dot circled in the distance and then headed off to the south east.
My lift back asked when I would start to worry about not hearing from him,,,,,,,'well he'll have to land when it gets dark,,,,I think'
Not quite a flight to the dark John, but a great one well done mate!
Hooooooowwwwl!
A pleasure to retrieve drive for you, but I think you talked more than Gary on the way home!!!
Hope you're still smiling and positive next trip!

[GlennP]

Brilliant! Just brilliant!

[Jan L]

Great write up,, FANTASTIC flight
Welldone

[Neil]

lucky b..

[Chris L]

Fantastic write up John............yes me & Jim landed in Looserville, Grasmere, after flying down the ridge and over Helvellyn with Gary, but what a flight.
From the cliffs I spotted you like a shotcock skybound in a thermal with the other top dogs on there way to join you and then ventured round to the same area hooked into a nice thermal which I took to 4200 foot. At first thermalling with big man Bradleisure who then disappeared and shortly after fireman Jim & motormouth Gary were below me trying to get in on the action. The three of us flew together down the ridge marking areas of best lift for each other. Impatience as normal was my downfall thermalling with Gary in zeros and half ups just before helvelyn I watched Jim a bit lower heading to a North facing bowl further down the ridge which I thought would be working so took off after him. We both arrived to get a good kicking and not much more height so scratched into anything we could on the ridge in big sinking air all the way to Grasmere. And boy did we try to get a low save Jim was King scratch and sniff diving into anything that could release the slightest burp or fart, but alas no phantom raspberry blower big enough to pump out a thermal. Bummer!! We both landed to see Gary back up high from the small thermal we’d been in together (I must be more patient, must be more patient …..)
We pleaded on the radios for him and Brian to come and join us both for a pint in Grasmere. We’d marked out a lovely field for them to land in full of buttercups, sweetness and light we tried to entice them down, but it didn’t work. 10 minutes later came The Dog, getting low and lower, that’s it HE’S DOWN to join us, a bit more radio banter to him about beer, girls, carrying gliders back to the car. Didn’t work he also climbed back up and was away. We applauded him on his excellent skills at getting back up from so low. NICE ONE John. Every Dog has his Day. And what a great day it was.
I even managed to video the flight but must have got so excited the camera lens steamed up but I’ll post a few clips shortly

[Jim Bittlestone]

Fantastic Mad Dog, Top Man, Top Pilot.
Thanks for the write up, its been too long since your last.
Great flying with you again Chris, even if we did end up in Loserville, the crack was champion.

[Aeros]

Usually I get lost in your writing John ..... Dali-esque treks through youth, the universe and everything. But .... that piece of writing was superb; so different from the usual flight reports. I think it deserves a wider audience .... too often the mags don't reflect what the rest of us mortal fliers feel. You got to the heart of it there ......... well, I thought so.

I'd love you to send it to Skywings ..... plenty of photos of the day; even got some on my solitary wanderings over Patterdale.

[Kitt Rudd]

Great to hear the various accounts of the day being retold. This was an interesting day on many counts.

Firstly it seems many pilots were expecting just another normal day on clough and yet those pilots who ventured down the ridge found conditions not as they might of expected. However the clues were all there from the various forecasts, hearing of pilots climbing out early on Barton and yet those on clough where still rooted to the ground, Seeing a good kicking on the spine approaching Lower man on Helvellyn, the very sinky leeside conditions round Nethermost Pike, The high wave cloud in the Eden valley and the raggy clouds round Grasmere/Ambleside area.

Flying a good distance in these conditions is always going to a bit more technical, Hats off to those that did make it past Ambleside and commiserations to them that didn't

Here is what I read from the clues I saw

The forecasts I saw were suggesting a fair amount of North in the wind coupled this the fact that this was still a high pressure day so likely to be inverted at some point though Rasp did show base to be good.
With High pressures the air mass gets squashed to some degree depending on the pressure of the high. There was an inversion but this was at an altitude which we were unlikely to visit, and this protected us from the wave which was rippling above the inversion but because we had an inversion the air is getting squished ( sorry cannot be more or tech technical than that) and as such the air was getting drawn up both sides of the main ridge, Those that were low on the ridge line got a kicking. Seen by the M2 at Helvellyn but if you were higher you were rewarded with much stronger and smoother lift. Brian arrived at a good height on th back ridge to exploit the convergence effect whereas I opted for the more protected side as the height where I would have joined the ridge would have been roughly the same height as the M2, so tucking in low I skirted round Helvellyn and into more alpine like leeside conditions, perfectly flyable but be prepared for some bounce particularly when poking up above the ridge line.

The cyclic conditions which occur in these conditions can give strong flush effects and hence why some experienced the consistent sink past Hellvellyn to the deck at Grasmere. My advice is take a good look at your maps and try to imagine what is happening with the air remember you need to look at a bigger picture and take account of the airflow from Ullswater, Thirlmere, as well as Windermere. Doing this can go a long way to explain the apparent convergence sometimes around the north side of Seat Sandal the rough and sometimes downright dangerous air on Great Rigg and also why Grasmere proves all to often to be the first real height gain for many an xc out of the lakes.

Three of us played happily in the consistent lift around Grasmere then tiptoed our way East along the convergence line towards the westerly line of ridges which form the Troutbeck , Kentmere and Longsleddale valleys.
At Troutbeck a similar effect was occurring to that around Brown Cove with the sea air coming up both sides of the two valleys. with the slopes not really working as well as one might have initially thought. Gary tried hard here but did not see the clues in the cloud formations, When I did I climbed out effortlessly while Gary bailed out for what looked like a very sinky glide towards civilisation ( sea air scouring the slopes of lift).

To continue with my flight now I had to a combination of flying sunny leeside, windward NNE ( the effect from sea air pushing up the Eden Valley and squishing the air out the head of the Mosedale valley, observing Alex Butler on his M2 scraping round the SW ridges firmly in the sea breeze while Mike Cavanagh still climbed along the ragged convergence line between the two air mass's. Having a slightly delayed climb out from the Troutbeck valley gave me the ideal opportunity to piece the puzzle together and hopefully make the most of the conditions. seeing the options taken by both pilots I opted for a line that would see me take a more southerly route than Mike but a better line than what Alex was forced to play. I dropped into the sea air but with a more protected valley to give the required final climb out which would allow me to cross the M6 and get onto the Howgills. My mistake was seeing what I thought was a pilots car and choosing to glide to the LZ of Whitestones, thinking I was on for an easy retrieve.

There was a lot going on that day and it provided us with great technical flying and as I mentioned to Brian in a PM conversation If someone had asked where might one land today I would have said it quite feasible to make it to Sedbergh if you play the conditions right. In the end I was not far out, and if I had not got lured by what I thought could have been a simple retrieve, maybe I could have played the last few km along the Howgill ridges to drop into Sedbergh.

I reckon that when everyone appears to diss the Cheviots as being no good, Pilots are forgetting to look at the clues, do their homework and try to solve the puzzles of the day. Then again maybe pilots are happy to turn up on a site and expect a 'normal days flying'.

Edit Just seen Ed's Photos - the second shows clearly the convergence line which we surfed along from Grasmere to the Howgills and the suppression on development from the inversion above. Nice one Ed.

[Bradleisure]

Cracking write ups for a cracking day, and also some great information to ponder.

Mad Dog as has been said on the forum before you really are TOP DOG!

Wasn't sure if I was messing up your thermalling Chris? So thought I'd look for another, guess that with hindsight we were going up so no problem, but please tell me if ever I do anyone!

So it was you out at Patterdale Ed, nearly flew over to join you but had a hot date working in the Cafe at Glenridding (does that count as a declared goal?). So enjoyed burning off height and a standing ovation on landing, so buoyed by the thrill of wingovers and medium 360s I hauled my BIG ass up Place Fell for another go. Ed can I get a copy of the original file of your Glenridding.jpg then I can pretend to be the photographer.

Where do you get your forecasts Kitt? Mine seam to be getting further from what happens each time I use them. Have you had many flights on the XC3? Is it as good as the XC2? Have to catch up some time soon.

[Kitt Rudd]

Where do you get your forecasts Kitt? Mine seam to be getting further from what happens each time I use them. Have you had many flights on the XC3? Is it as good as the XC2? Have to catch up some time soon.

Basically regarding forecasts I don't listen/view just one forecast but take a few and make my own interpretation based on what I hear/see.

I have only had a few flights so far on the Xc3 and have to say this is a very sorted wing and an absolute delight to fly, so much easier than the scimitars I have been flying in recent years. - As long as you are on your xc2 you won't get to catch me on my 3

Maybe best to call and arrange a test flight

Kitt

[brian day]

As longas you are on your xc2 you won't get to catch me on my 3

Certianly a fast piece of cloth!! When Kitt left the thermal after our first climb out of Clough I was following,,,,,,errrr being left standing,,,half bar,,,,no effect,,,,,,full bar,,,,,he's still leaving me!!!! Give up and fly your own flight. I was going down faster as well!
Worse still,,,,he joined the thermal below me, thermalled up to me, then continued to climb above me.
A day to eat humble pie.

[gary stenhouse]

It was really a great day to see what others were doing and thinking, for me I was trying to play the long game and get high and stay high, though with 3 thermals to make Helvelin it was not easy. I was with Chris and Jim and they decided to go the lower road based on impatience and not holding back.
I must say most of the flight I did not find it too rough though I was aware of the changing wind directions. I must say once I got in to the Troutbeck valley I did think am I doing the right thing as for one it was a big walk out and the other was I had to get in too close for comfort, though I felt fine.
So I did go right in and got reasonably high taken a thermal very close in, only to see Kitt getting higher further towards the Windermere end, so off I went for his lift only to get the sink. I decided that enough was enough and I went on a final glide in hope of a thermal but got nothing except the last 100 ft. Still it was an interesting day and watching Cav and Kitt thermaling high each time showed I still needed to sharpen up. The main thing was I always felt happy and in complete control of my wing though at times I felt like I was on a speed wing I was going down so fast.

Cheers Gary

[Jim Bittlestone]

Very interesting write up Kitt, cheers.
Observation is so important.
The really good pilots are doing this constantly, looking and understanding, this seems to me to be the main thing we underlings need to improve, to break through from obscurity into paragliding stardom to join mad dog himself.

I noticed this yesterday flying with Ali, he notices a buzzard farting at 40 paces, then tells you with a quick sniff what it had for dinner, its a common thread.

Its not always the wing that holds you back, its the knowledge to put that wing in the right place that seems crucial.

I honestly didnt notice the clouds coming over the ridge until I stopped flying, even then it was the reflection in my pint and not me looking up!
Oh yes, I sussed what went wrong in the beer garden, again.
Isn't hindsight a wonderful thing? But thats how you gain experience I guess, Rome wasnt built in a day and I know it will come, eventually.

Patience is what's required, slow down now and again, take a sniff of the air, look for the farting buzzard then move, having checked what has changed.
I fell into the same trap as last time, not getting high enough at or around Helvellyn and leaving good lift when I had it.
Got into the Grasmere sled ride, hard work from there.

[Sad Northerner]

'field mouse'.

[Fingers]

carefull John, the poet is not supposed to be the "winner". Two days of extacy in less than two weeks?... Get those irons clamped on extra tight Field Marshall Miller.

[brian day]

'field mouse'.

BBQd or spitroast?

[Chris L]

Lens steamed up so not good to watch but may be interesting for a few who were there with me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UHqkVVLD9U