Norma (Sun)

Giardino di Ninfa


Unfortunately I missed the good moment for take-off -the conditions seemed to be too weak. But then the wind increased rapidly and no TO was possible for the next few hours. But in the end I was able to make a nice flight...

XCamp - Day 6 (SAT) -Flight 3 -Campochiaro

Campochiaro /Giovanni

Contrary to my expectations SAT proved to be as good a flying day as WED (Bocca della Selva). Campochiaro is North facing, but the thermals were excellent and I was able to cross the matese mountains and land in San Potito. At Gallinola TO, the thermals were coming from the lee side and the first 200m hve been very rough...
In the evening the price giving ceremony was held (- I ended up 4th in the Hobby categorie) and fresh pizzas from the wood oven was served.

Lago di Letine

San Potito

XCamp - Day 5 (FRI)

Yesterday evening the whole gang had been invited for dinner in an Italian 'ristorante'. (Unfortunately I left my camera in the hotel and so there is only this picture taken with my iPhone.)
As appetizer ('antipasto') several kind of cheese and meat (salami, prosciutto, pancietta etc) were served, followd by 2 'primi': lasagne and tagliatelle con funghi prchini; maincourse: sausage with patatoes and salad and then dessert. Vino rosso 'à discretion'. Then I left, but most probably followed by coffee and grappa...
Today we have (strong) Easterly winds and overcast and rain: so no flying.

XCamp - Day 4 (THUR) -Flight 2 -Sant'Angiolillo

Angiollillo TO

Today the take-off site was 'Angiolillo' on the front ridge directly above 'San Potito Sannitico': thermals were more torn apart and base lower than yesterday. I didn't dare venture further into the mountains as I nerver got really high. After 2 hours I landed...
Again: some pictures can be seen here.

XCamp - Day 3 (WED) -Flight 1 -Bocca della Selva

Lago da Matese

Today was the first flyable day - and what a day it was: TO at 1200m/ cloudbase at 3200m with some NW-wind (15-20kmh).
I was able to make a 50km-triangle, but many guys flew much farther.
As the upload of my pictures to Flickr doesn't seem to be working, check out some pictures here.

XCamp - Day 2 (TUE)

As per forecast the winds were still quite strong, but at 0930 everybody was loaded into the bus and we drove towards 'Campochiaro' - hoping for the winds to slow down.
In the 'Bocca della Selva' Leone (the meet director) stopped us, as the winds were still at 50kmh. The desicion was taken to cancel the day (again) - but he assured us, that tomorrow would be good/ excellent...
So the bus took us to 'Attilia', the site of a Roman town and the to 'Benevento'.


Amphitheatre





'Benevento' oder: ein schöner Rücken kann auch entzücken...

XCamp - Day 1 (MON)

Today registration should start at 0900, but nothing happend for the next 45min, then finally the Czeck guys were ready. The forecast called for some rain around noon and high winds - both happend as predicted. So any flying was postponed to 1600, when a desicion for a possible flight would be taken. But the winds didn't slow down, and we were told to meet tomorrow (TUE) at 0900...

XCamp -Day 0 (Sun)

Sunset over San Potito Sannitico / Piedimonte Matese

After a long drive with an overnightstay at 'San Vinvenzo a Torri' near 'Florence' in Tuscany, where I met a good friend from the days in 1980, when I stayed in Florence to leran Italian, and by way of 'Norma', where the dark clouds didn't look inviting for flying, I arrived finally here in 'San Potito Sannitico'.
Registration was supposed to begin at 1900, but the Czeck guys who have been supposed to handle this, hadn't arrived...

Hudson Miracle approach (by Jeppesen)

Link and full story found on "the Aviation Herald".

Fiesch -Day 8

Very good thermals today, but also a lot of wind:
GS up to 65kmh, resp down to 6kmh against the wind:
too much for me at least, so I landed in 'Niederwald'.
This (most probably) was the last day in 'Fiesch' for this year, but I'll be back!

Fiesch -Day 7

"close" encounter

After a very weak SAT and a lousy SUN (-I didn't fly) finally a good (not great) day: initially the thermals very weak and inconsistent, but they got stronger and the base higher. Even if I didn't fly very far - it was a great opportunity to take pictures.








over 'Bellwald' looking towards 'Eggishorn' (right side/ foreground)




'Mont Blanc' (4440m) in the background






>> for more/ higher resolution pictures go to my Flickr page.

Fiesch -Day 5

left: Oberaarsee/ Finsteraarhorn;
right: Grimselsee/ Lauteraarhorn

Another great flying day: today it was (initially) easier than yesterday; but in the crossing from 'Bellwald' back to 'Fiesch' I got stuck in the headwind; I turned back towards 'Bellwald', hoping to climb again for another crossing attempt. But I found only turbulent air with little lift so I decided to go for a landing in 'Ritzingen'.

"Grimselschlange"

Selten sieht man die "Grimselschlange" so schön.
The northerly wind across the Grimselpass is (almost) a daily occurence, as it subsitutes the raising air (in the thermals) of the Goms. But it can rarely be seen as clearly...

Fiesch -Day 4

Michi Müller -our PG club's XC-champion


Aletschgletscher


Matterhorn (rt)

Another beautiful XC-day in Fiesch. I didn't make the flight I had wanted to make, but the excellent conditions permitted some good pictures...

Turbo - Vuvuzela

found on http://thereifixedit.com/

Fiesch -Day 2

Bietschhorn

Today I was more lucky: I was able to close a 100+km triangle out of Fiesch -actually the flight I wanted to do yesterday.
Take-off was rather tricky due to x-winds on launch, but I got off finally without problems...
My flying was rather slow, but I'm quite happy with this flight as it took me quite close to some pretty impressive mountains.

Bridge on the road across the 'Simplon' (to Italy)

Fiesch -Day 1

Männertreu/ Lobelia (?)

First day in Fiesch this year. The conditions were quite good, but (again) I flew not good enough. I had planned to fly a 100+km triangle, but after 62km I stood on the ground :-((
But tomorrow I can try again...

Scuol or: great day-lousy flight

Yesterday -instead of going to Fiesch as originally planned - I went to 'Scuol' (or: 'Schuls').


TO Motta Naluns in Scuol

Arriving at launch I could just watch another glider climb away. Later it proved to be Michi Müller, the top XC pilot of our PG club (see his flight here.)
For reasons still not very clear to myself, I didn't manage to make a halfway decent flight. 


But at least I got to see the 'Bernina' again -from far away ;-)

Bernina

The 'Bernina' has been my "target" for many years -to be reached from Arosa. It doesn't look to be very far away...


Bernina vom Aroser Weisshorn aus

Today I got a little closer... (ca 35km from Arosa)


Bernina vom Albulapass aus



Spectators...

I wonder what she's saying to her friend...

Mt.Caburn (Sussex/ UK)

Last SAT/ SUN - as I was driving home from Manchester - I stopped at Lewes in order to finally pick up my "new" (second-hand) Airwave Mustang 2 (XL) from Carlo& Nancy. They had told me during our trip in Maroc last February, that they had an XL for sale with only about 30hrs.
So on Sunday morning, after they had to help me jump start my car (- I had left the lights on overnight...) we drove to Mount Caburn. Of course here in Switzerland we wouldn't really call this a "mount", because for us it's no more than a small hill. But anyway, we could fly there for more than an hour before the winds became too strong. In the evening we had a very nice steak at 'the Ram' in Firle. Next morning I then took the ferry from nearby Newhaven to Dieppe and arrived at home shortly after midnight.