DK - Ground handling with Mike Küng - Day 4 - Klitmoeller

Day 4 (10.8.) So far the nicest day of this week: warm, sunny, moderate winds. After breakfast I received a SMS, that we would meet at Klitmoeller at 1130 (instead of 1000 at Lyngby). This meant a drive of about 120km, but I made it on time :-)

Klitmoeller is another huge beach, ideally suited for ground handling.

Klitmoeller -looking South

After 'individual' training for about 30mins. Mike set a an out-and-return task of about 2.5kms (each way) - to be done with the wing always overhead -either flying, kiting, walking...

My stamina wouldn't let me do the whole task; so I did turn around after about 1 km; and at the turn point was the only time I had the glider on the ground for a few minutes in order to relax :-)) But getting back to 'goal' I was really exhausted and drenched in sweat. I didn't check how long it took me to do these 2 kms, but I guess it has been well over an hour. The first to finish the (complete) 'task' was Raimond -pix on 'Day 0/ 1'.)

Afterwards I followed Mike and Steff to nearby Hanstholm harbor, where I took some pix of Mike soaring the Quai wall.

DK - Ground handling with Mike Küng - Day 2/ 3 - Lokken

The hut I'm staying is actually named Honsehuset (= hen house)...

Day 2 stared pretty nice, but around 1000 a short spell of drizzle went by; later it became nicer and nicer. The wind on the other hand started of moderate and then got stronger. I was given a smaller wind ('only' 18m2 (projected)). At first this was easy to handle, but with the increasing wind even this was more than big enough for me ;-) Of course the smaller wing is easier to manage, but it is also more 'nervous' and requires quicker inputs/ reactions from the pilot. If the wind speed remains the same as this afternoon, I'll be given an ever smaller wing tomorrow...

Pix by Dirk Scheuner -thanks!

Briefing with MMK

some of the pilots have already progressed quite well...

...I on the other hand have not yet reached this stage, but I still hope I'll get there within the next couple of days...

Later in the afternoon I had to stop my training as my back started hurting: the pain has been released by the well know 'usual' conditions: sweating and coldish wind :-)

For getting back to my 'Hen house' I drove up the wide sandy beach all the way to Lokken (about 10kms) - in ideal condition this can be also flown - and even further until reaching the Rubjerg lighthouse.

Strand houses near Lokken

Dinner then at an excellent Sushi restaurant called 'Kamii'.

Day 3: after a debriefing/ briefing in the theory room we went -as yesterday- to 'Saltum Strand'. Today I was given a 14m2-wing. Even though this wing is even more 'nervous'/ agile as the 18m2-wing I had yesterday, I made good progress today and could 'catch up' a bit on the others. This was also made possible by Stefan and afterwards Baldur spending quite some time we me - thanks guys!

Besides our group I've not seen another pilot on the ground or in the air today ;-)

DK - Ground handling with Mike Küng- Day 0 / 1 - Lokken

The last 2 weeks have been spent 'exploring' Danmark a bit together with Ruth. Some pix can be found here. . 

After having dropped her off at Aalborg yesterday for the return flight (AAL-CPH-ZRH), I headed north to Løkken, where today my ground handling course started: 6 days with Mike Küng (MMK - 'Mad' Mike Küng), organised by Papillon Paragliding.

I'm staying at a small vacation house (named 'Honsehuset = Henhouse) I had found on Booking.com. And every morning I'm getting 2 fresh eggs :-)

MMK is well renowned for his ground handling skills, but I'm wondering if he is not only a super pilot, but also a super instructor ;-)

Besides Mike, there are Stefan and Baldur as additional instructors; so with 14 pilots, this gives a good ratio pilots/ instructors.

The day stared with lots of clouds and drizzle/ rain, so we began with an extended theory session. Initially it looked that this would be all we could do today, but fortunately the light rain stopped around 1500 and we could get our gear for the first attempts at MMK's 'special kind' of ground handling. The aim of the course is NOT to fly as much as possible, but to learn controlling the wing on the ground in strong wind conditions. Therefore probably also no track logs. But today we all could train in light to moderate winds with our own wings. If the wind should become too strong for the 'regular' sized gliders, then Mike has a selection of wings (from 8 to 18m2) we can use, so that we are not 'grounded' due to strong winds. After about 2.5hrs the wind started to pick up and we called it a day.

I have not brought along my Leeloo, but instead Andy has lent me his old Swing Mistral 6 - thanks a lot! I'm using my harness from 'Flugsau', which is much better suited for this kind of work than the Sup'Air Delight.

Stefan kiting Andy's Mistral

Løkken: MMK (right)

Interestingly, the Danish PG association recommends to fly WITHOUT reserve; as  apparently during ground handling sometimes a reserve has come out of its container and when it opened the pilot got dragged by the strong wind...

Pix by Dirk Scheuner -thanks!

According to the wx fcst, the rest of the week should be dry :-) I'm hoping the winds will remain light to moderate - at least until I'm a bit more proficient.

Scuol -Leeloo days

Monday, Tuesday: Gudrun and Michael (Profly) had come to Scuol to deliver some Leeloos ordered by some of my friends and also to let other pilots test this wing: everybody seemed very pleased by the glider and Gudrun could take at least one more order. It had been a happy reunion for everybody and on both days nice flights had been possible - albeit only in the morning, as in the early afternoon the North wind started to break through: this made launches impossible, but also the wind at the bottom of the valley became (too) strong and also came in from the west, which is rather unusual here. But thermals have been strong and tops around (or above) 4000m. On Tuesday, one thermal at Piz Chapisun (between Guarda and Lavin) had been really rough with climbs up to 9m/s; of course the wing had to be controlled, but never collapsed: 'Leeloo rocks' ;-)

Monday pictures

Launch Motta Naluns

Ortler (3905m)

Reservoir at Schlivera (water used for producing artificial snow in winter)

Tuesday pictures

Bernina group: Piz Palü (3899m) , Bellavista (3885m), Zupo (3995); Piz Bernina (4048m),
Piz Roseg (3935m)

Michael: I had hoped he'd climb more towards me, so I could take some more pictures...

Macun

Pano near Susch (looking SW): Zernez, Upper Engadin

At Zernez, for a moment I had been tempted of trying to fly into the Swiss National Park, then across the 'Ofenpass' into 'Val Müstair', but with this strong northerly component I finally decided against this route; instead I just headed back towards Scuol, but landing at Tarasp.

LZ Tarasp (on the meadows to the left of the lake), Castle Tarasp

LZ in Scuol in thermic conditions can be a bit tricky, whereas landing in Tarasp is easier. And every hour (at xx15) there is a bus back to Scuol.

Remark: when staying in a hotel in this region all guests receive the so-called 'Guestcard Plus', which offers many benefits, among them free travel on the gondola to launch and on all public transports (train and bus).

Wednesday: less North wind, completely 'blue'. Probably I had launched too early, as in the beginning it was really hard getting high; later conditions improved and I got to nearly 3000m. Just some local 'cruising around' as for getting comfortably away I felt that I'd need more altitude...

Tarasp, River 'Inn'

Castle Tarasp

Remark: probably this will be the last post for the next 3 weeks, as I'll be going to Danmark with Ruth :-)

Galgenen

A very (!) short flight at Galgenen - even though conditions would have been rather good - but I bombed out :-((

Steph -thanks for the ride!

...but at least some pix ;-)

(Ebenalp) Hoher Kasten

Short trip to Wasserauen (Appenzell), wanting to fly at 'Ebenalp'. But getting there, the whole area was shadowed by clouds and -rather unusually- not a single glider in the air. So I decided to continue to nearby Brülisau, as this area was out in the sun and the general wind direction looked good for  a flight from 'Hoher Kasten'. The reason 'Ebenalp' is more popular than 'Hoher Kasten': at Ebenalp, the TOs are just a few minutes away from the cable car station, whereas at Hoher Kasten one has to descend to Kastensattel for launching (about 20 minutes) and of course - if it's not flyable - hike back up again...

In the late 80's/ early 90's, this area has been much more popular and we have launched here often; not only from Kasten Sattel, but also from Kamoor, the hill behind.

Hoher Kasten_ looking down to launch (Kastensattel) (and Kamoor)

...and looking back up from launch.

Pano on launch (looking West): Säntis (in clouds), Ebenalp (in shadow)

(too) interested bystanders, which I had to shoo away

With the wind straight on the nose, I just had to wait for a good moment before I was airborne...

Kastensattel (launch) (looking East - Rhine river)

above launch: Hoher Kasten, Sämtisersee

Conditions improved continously and soon pilots started launching also from Ebenalp.

Brülisau: LZ, parking and gondola station

I landed after about 2hours at Brülisau: very enjoyable flight in smooth conditions :-))

looking back up to launch: Kamoor, Kastensattel, Hoher Kasten

Airolo (Alpe Fieud)

As the fcst indicated (too) much wind in Fiesch, I've tried my luck south of the alps, So I drove across Nufenen pass to Airolo, than up the 'Tremola' to Gotthard hospiz and from there to a launch above Airolo: Alpe Fieud.

Biel (Goms)

Pano on launch (looking SE): Airolo/ Leventina

While waiting, 2 local pilots arrived, who have given me some valuable information regardin landing options and the status of the AD at Ambri.

one of the locals launching

'Tremola', the old road up the Gotthard pass. The road is still paved with cobblestones

looking NW: Bedretto valley, Nufenen pass, road to Gotthard pass

...the usual traffic jam in front of the south entrance to the Gotthard tunnel...

Just flying for 45 minutes, because I didn't 'trust' the wx  As this was my first flight here, I feared, that the valley wind could become too strong later in the afternoon.

no official LZ, but some decent landing options

Rather interesting was getting back to my car parked at launch: I just had missed by a few minutes the Post Bus departing Airolo at 1420, which would have brought me to a stop just 15 minutes from launch in less than 20 minutes. The next 'direct' bus would depart only at 1710, arriving at 1726. But there has been another option: the 'long way around': departing Airolo at 1458: trains via Göschen to Andermatt, then bus over the Gotthard pass, arriving at 1629.

Then back to Niederwald via Airolo and Nufenen pass. Today it felt that every biker in Switzerland (and surrounding countries) has been driving across the passes here ;-)

Fiesch

I had arrived in Niederwald already yesterday evening, as I wanted to avoid the Saturday Southbound traffic on the Gotthard route, but even so, the traffic jammed just before Wassen, where I wanted to leave the highway. But even so I reached the car-train through the Furka tunnel with about 10 minutes to spare.

I stayed again at Niederwald, as for me this is the most convenient solution: free parking, less than 5 minutes to the train/ bus station/ landing just a few hundred meters from the hotel/ car. Anyway, I try to avoid landing at Fiesch, as in some wx conditions the winds can be really tricky there; whereas here at Niederwald, the wind can just come from the west (mostly) or the East (rarely).

For once, the actual conditions turned out to be much better than predicted by XCTherm :-)

On launch I've met Rob. He runs a very informative website about flying here in Fiesch. And -as the world is a very small place- I also met a guy from Colorado, who is organizing a fly-in in September, which I hope to attend together with Andy and Stacy...

looking South-West: Matterhorn (4478m), Weisshorn (4505m)

Eggishorn (left); Jungfrau (4158m), Aletschglacier, Jungfraujoch (3571m), Mönch (4110m)

Climbing to > 3000m above launch was been pretty easy, as conditions turned out to be rather better than predicted by XCTherm. So I headed up the Goms to my turning point near 'Sidelhorn'.

near Sidelhorn: looking East: Dammastock (2630m), Grimelpass, Totsee, Furkapass, Oberwald

 Also on the way back; great views (top at 3250m).

near Münster: Minstigertal, looking towards Finsteraarhorn (3641m)

 Gr.Wannenhorn (3906m), Fiescherglacier, Finsteraarhorn

again near Eggishorn: Aletschhorn (4194m), Aletschglacier, Jungfrau, Mönch, Märjelensee

Landing at Niederwald after a little less than 3 hours.