Cross Fell Today

John Wallis · Post by **John Wallis** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 7:28 pm

They've had a good day so prepare to be bombarded with stories of epic flying......Me bitter...............Pass the rope......

Ahhhrrrgggggg

Post by **gary stenhouse** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 9:25 pm

my flight is uploaded for all to see, i will give a full low doun later

Post by **gary stenhouse** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 8:15 am

Well what can you say other why do I always leave the house so early to go flying? For some reason you feel it so necessary to get up and go at 9am and then spend the next 5 hours waiting for the wind to drop or pick up. Well yesterday I was lured out of the office at 2pm to millers leap radar masts. I knew when I got there that it was flyable so I just got the glider out and headed straight down the ridge to millers, where Alistair was shouting something so I decided to land in case the wind had been to strong at height and Neil was blown out the back. This was not the case Neil had flown to Crossfell only to bomb out at high cap. I decided to take off again as if Neil was stuck at Crossfell I may as well be there with him. It was not easy at first to get into Melmerby bowl as the wind was west with a tad of north. Once you went in to the back there was loads of lift. I worked up my height and headed straight for high cap staying as forward as possible, using speed bar a lot of the time as it always seemed to be into wind where ever you flew. Once there, high cap was working well with some nice thermals or gentle wave not quite sure of which. By then Alistair was down to meet me and had ideas of going down to Appleby, so we headed to wild boar where then Brian and Neil had joined. At this point I decided I would prefer to make it back to the radars as then at least one was back for the retrieve. I managed to get the odd thermal and push forward to the front of Manit edge but then was pushing into a heavy into wind leg so bar was needed a lot. I was getting bits of lift that was better to turn in rather than thermal as I was wanting to stay forward, so I could dive safely to the back of Melmerby again. The problem was by the time I was safe to drop back I was low but I could see a pimple into wind that I could work, this proved to be the right decision and the safe one, I was soaring it until some lift came along and I could make the final push back to the bowl. Things got easy again as lots of lift still from the west, so now the key was to get high and push out over the north side of the bowl and then down to the masts, this required full speed bar as the wind was howling along the bowl. Now I was home and dry as the whole place was lifting and even though I was in front of the radars I picked up more lift and crossed the power lines and soared the hill behind the bend in the road. Even hear I was getting some good lift and I was going to go for one more suicide glide to the café, but decided that at 5.50 it might be nice to land back at the car with a big smile on my face and a big ye ha.

My faith has been restored and I feel the confidence is coming back with more diligence and safety.

Cheers Gary

AlastairW · Post by **AlastairW** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 9:56 am

Absolutely cracking day...... and hats of to Gary who was the only one who made it all the way back to the Radar masts.

The flying was pretty much as Gary describes....

Brian and I went to Millers leap, and Brian launched just as i was walking to t/o. I then saw Neil coming down from the masts, and he went over pretty high. Brian and Neil then flew of down towards Melmerby Low Scar, and then disappeared from sight.

As it turns out Brian went down at melmerby, and Neil at High cap.

I launched, flew up to the masts, to see Gary about to take off. The wind then dropped, and I had to scratch back to Millers leap, crossing the road, and using the lower slopes to gain some height.

By this time Brian had walked back up, and Gary and myself landed.

20 minutes later we all took of again, and with some good punchy thermals crossed to the Low Scar easily.

With about 300ft above the scar I followed Gary into the bowl, took a few beats to climb up, and then flew over man at edge onto High cap, arriving pretty low on the NW shoulder. Scratched up, and soared there with Neil Gary and someone else who's wing I couldnt identify (??)

Pushed on to Wild Boar with Neil and Gary, Neil shouting that we should go down to Appleby. We got to the end of wild boar, and then everything seemed to be going up...... by this time Gary had turned back, and I did likewise, cruising along into wind with a groundspeed of about 18k, but a descent rate of 0 m/s to 0.5m/s..... fantastic......!

Straight over the top of high cap at about 2700ft asl, and over the top of Man at Edge. I would love to say it was down to pilot skill, but at that point it was pretty easy, even with an into wind glide.

By the time I reached Muska the lift had switched off, and Neil and myself were left scratching on the face of Muska, without much success.

Gary had been about 500m ahead of us, and made it into the bowl, to fly on back to the masts. Excellent flying!

Neil and I landed by Gate Hall farm and walked back into Melmerby to be retrieved by Gary.

Brian also had got into the bowl, but later than Gary, and couldnt get out, so ended up in Melmerby with us.

Shepherds Inn was again closed.......!! Does that pub ever open??? So we ended up in Alston for a pint and some food.

Cracking days flying, my first decent flying this year.

Some points to remeber..... wear thick gloves!!! My fingers were numb when I landed.

AND........ USE YOUR RADIOS!!!! Our comunications amounted to shouting at each other. If we had all been radioed up we could easily have made Appleby.

Mike Brown · Post by **Mike Brown** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 10:47 am

Anyone know what a speed bar is for!!!!
Cheers

Post by **gary stenhouse** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 11:28 am

for sink and ito wind stretches to give a better LD over the ground.

Paul Smith · Post by **Paul Smith** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 1:36 pm

is it just like a normal bar but with 2 people serving. Mmmmmmmmm mine is a guiness.
cheers

Fingers · Post by **Fingers** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 2:28 pm

All night party functions, from my experience.

gordie · Post by **gordie** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 5:10 pm

Speed bar....... I went there once and every time I thought I was in with a cute chick some tosser blow a whistle and made me move tables ':D'

brian day · Post by **brian day** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 9:43 pm

Couldn't have put it better Gordie! Perhaps the tosser would need a hair dryer to do the run with? Then he could end up in the Blue Oyster for last orders!

Mike Brown · Post by **Mike Brown** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 8:32 am

Brian when you get fed up drifting with the wind come and have a go with the Hair dryer you may like it!!
Chief Tosser