Arosa

Some days in Arosa...

Sunday: Weisshorn

Unfortunately no flight due to wind on launch- otherwise conditions looked great :-( 

Pix by Webcam

Monday: Medergen/ Wangegg

The last time I've flown from here: 1997!

Today has been a very good day for me: first in the morning some golf (8 holes: 4 good/ 2 ok/ 2 bad - considering I haven't been on a course for at least 7 months). Then in the afternoon I've been able to carry my gear (without cockpit/ instruments) for almost 50' (and 175m uphill) to this launch with no major problems (like pain...)  :-))  Unfortunately the wind was NNW (iso W), so no soaring. But still much better as no flight at all and having to carry the gear back down... (no tracklog avbl)

launch is on the very lh side of the pix - on the ridge, where the snow is in front of the Schiahorn

 

Later dinner with Ruth at our hut in Medergen 

 

Tuesday: Weisshorn

Again some golf (7 holes) in the morning... Once more tricky conditions on take-off (2*RTO due to wind) but finally I managed to have a good launch.

But conditions for flying have been very nice :-)   I flew for a bit more than an hour -taking also some pix of the launch from yesterday's flight- before landing at Prätschli.

Bernina

Weisshorn

Wangegg (yesterday's launch area) - looking towards Sapün.

Cavallaria

Last day of this trip to Northern Italy.

Luckily I could make one more flight today (after the last 2 days without).. But already before 1100, the sky didn't look too promising at all - and the Cumuli were growing fast!

...while waiting for the shuttle to depart...

On the ride to launch PierAndrea suggested that I shouldn't  hang around but get airborne quickly and of course to keep an eye on the clouds. He also offered to pick me up where ever I'd land as I shouldn't attempt to get back to the LZ at Lessolo just because my car was parked there when the wx got 'out of control' - just fly downwind and land in a sefe spot!

Manifestazione-launch

PierAndrea

Normally I'm rather slow in my preparations, but for once I've been ready launch just a few minutes after PierAndrea ;-)

Pano looking South

I just flew for a little more than 1.25hrs as I didn't 'trust' the conditions too much. And just after having packed my glider the first sounds of thunder could be heard...

Instead of flying a (last) capuccino and some gelati before heading home

looking to Cavallarina while driving home

All in all this has been a pretty nice trip: except for 2 days, where the weather dind't permit flying, I could make at least 1 flight :-)  And I have been able to meet almost all of my Italian flying firends (as well as some others. But these I have not specially mentioned in this 'flying' blog.)

(Cavallaria/ Santa Elisabetta)

 

Rain in the morning...

...something to lighten my mood during the day...

and thunderstorm(s) in the afternoon... (pix: Cavallaria/ Andrate)

As you might have guessed: unfortunately again no flying :-(

(Mombarcaro)

Too much instability today, so I didn't even attempt to find a flyable site :-(

Instead I headed to Alba for a drive through the 'Langhe' and went looking for some wild orchids.

I also passed through Mombarcaro, the highest village here in the Langhe (860msl), which also has a nice (top-landable) launch.

Pano on launch, looking towards Monesiglio (center of pix); LZ is in the valley (approx behind the bush on the left)

Mombarcaro: launch in the field in front of the antenna/ reflector

LZ

'Ice cream-wise' it has not been a good day, as all of my favorite gelaterias had their day off ;-) It's also difficult to find open restaurants on Mondays.

Unfortunately the wx outlook has changed for the worse; I'll have to wait until tomorrow morning if PierAndrea is able to find a flyable site for me -maybe Santa Elisabetta or Cavallaria...

Cornizzolo

Arriving at the LZ in Suello at 1000 I just had to wait a few minutes for a shuttle to arrive :-)  While during the week there are just a few shuttles available and a space must be reserved beforehand, on Saturday and Sunday the shuttles run continously. It takes about 25' to get to launch (cost: 9€) - money well spent to get about 800m above LZ. It's not possible to drive up in your own car, as there is a locked gate about halfway up...

Pano on launch: looking South

Excellent conditions with nice thermals which got better as the day wore on - once (with big ears) going up with almost 3m/s...

Lago di Annone

looking west: Lago di Pusiano

left: Lago di Pusiano/ right: Lago di Annone

I landed shortly before 1500 as the clouds grew bigger and bigger; later in the evening thunder and lightning,

LZ Suello, looking ENE (direction Lecco, Grigna)

Bassano

I'm now slowly working my way back home.

Last night I stopped at Bassano and today I had a nice flight there. Wx-conditions have been much better than predicted just a few days ago :-))

Very typical 'Bassono conditions': lots (!) of pilots/ students; cloud base initially rather low, but slowly rising; already rather early nice thermal activity; interestingly only a few really long xc-flights...

I launched from Costalunga/ Antenne (not shown on pix below) and flew for about 2 hours (which could have been extended to as much as one felt comfortable with...)

Today I saw for the first time another Leeloo - and it had even the same colors ;-)

Bassano: overview of the different launches/ LZs:

 After my flight I continued towards Lecco, where I hope to fly Cornizzolo tomorrow.

Meduno

The last 2 days I've spent in Meduno (Monte Valinis). My friend Marco is staying here doing tandems before going to Kobarid on Saturday to drive/ retrieve for the competition to beheld there next week; Nicole will also be going there to help setting tasks.

Marco preparing his passenger (this time his son Paolo) for flight

Marco (Paolo) toplanding

'Castello di Toppo'  (near the LZ)

As you can see from the pix, it have been a fine flying days - a very typical 'Meduno-days': steady conditions, quite a lot of people, a bit windy on launch during the afternoon, not very high cloudbase and not easy to get away ;-)

On Thursday I could make 2 flights and then had dinner together with Marco; on Friday (where the wx has been much better than originally predicted) just 1 flight as afterwards I've been driving to Bassano del Grappa - hoping that the wx again will be better than forecasted ;-)

----------------------------------------  Insiders' tip  -------------------------------------------

If the wind at the normal launch (HG ramp) is too strong or if you just want to get away from the crowd, there is a 'secret' TO spot just a few minutes of hiking from the parking; there is also a wind spy...

...and some more nice flowers...

Bernadia, Lijac

...on the way to Torlano...

As the 1030-shuttle at Gemona was already fully booked Nicole sugested I'd go to Bernadia: some pilots would meet at the LZ in Torlano at 1030 and hike up to launch and that there might be a chance for a ride as well,,, So it turned out: Alessandro Pera took the packs of all the hikers, some food, me and my gear and drove to launch: MANY THANKS for the ride!! And it's only a few minutes to launch from where the cars are parked :-))

looking from LZ to launch (left side)

Pano on launch - looking South

Launches on Bernadia are not very easy: small and steep, but the mountain provides nice thermals.

LZ Torlano

Landing is rather tricky, as the LZ is surrounded by vineyards; in addittion it can be rather 'lifty' in the final approach. Luckily there is an additional grass field beyond the LZ (not shown on pix), so there is no need to 'force' the glider into this LZ.

My flight lasted almost 2 hours.

Afterwards I drove (again) to Lijac and I made it just in time for the 1600-shuttle.

Contrary to yesterday I had a nice flight of about 1.5hrs.

I flew a bit towards Ajdovscina, but turned around about halfway as I preferred to land near my car. The wind was about 15-20kmh from the WSW-WNW, so part of the ridge was on the lee. Looking West I saw a glider rather low trying to make it in front of the ridge. It was difficult to judge his actual hight about the trees and whether he would make it. I said to myself: 'I wouldn't want to be in his position'. And just a few moments later...

...he ended up in the trees...

LZ (center of pix) looking to launch

With this 1.5hr-flight a great flying day ended; on the way back to my hotel the 'compulsory' stop at the gelateria 'Fiore di Latte' in Gradisca ;-)

Lijac -bad timing!

Arriving at the LZ conditions looked pretty good. But as I waited for the shuttle to depart and then finally was ready to launch, it started to cloud over rapidly. For me it didn't look as conditions would get better again, so I launched.

As above the ridge the lift was not very special and out in the plain pilots had been climbing well I decided to try my luck also away from the ridge - wrong desicion :-((

In addition, after having landed and packed up it started to clear again. But unfortunately the next shuttle was already full and I didn't want to wait for an (eventual next) shuttle maybe 1.5hrs later.

But the trip to Slovenia has been worthwhile anyway as I could fill up my car...

the price is nice here in Slovenia ;-)

...and of course a visit to the best gelateria around here: 'Fiore di Latte' in Gradisca d'Isonzo...