iCamp (SIV) '25 - SIV (Mte Baldo) / Mte Pizzocolo / (Levico)

Thr (15.5.) Another day over Lake Garda; I could make 2 flights, this time with the LeelooX. I repeated the same manoeuvers I did Sun/ Mon with my Leeloo1: Spriraly/ Wingovers etc. One pilot of our group had to throw his reserve and landed in the water, but otherwise no major 'mishaps'....

For a while training had to be interrupted as several pilots landed in the water at the same time, so all the lifeboats became 'occupied'. Again an interruption in the afternoon, as cloud base sunk below launch and some thunder could be heard nearby... But I could make my second flight. No 3rd flight due to wx/ OD...

Fri (16.5.) Most of the pilots felt they had 'enough', so we drove to San Michele for a flight from Mte Pizzocolo. Unfortunatley one 1 flight, as it started to OD and rain in the early aftrenoon. But it's a nice flying area, which can be reached by shuttle form the LZ (in about 30'). Huge TO (facing E-S-W) - toplanding is also possible) as well as a large LZ (large enough for HG). (Unfortunatley no aerial pix as I had forgotten my camera...)

LZ in San Michele

Shuttle: 4*4 Landrover

West-launch (looking towards Brescia)

South launch / Lake Garda

finally a pretty good reverse launch ;-)

Monte Baldo (seen from the west side of Lake Garda on the way back to Rovereto)

Changing risers on my LeelooX (Thomas/ Michael)

Fri, (17.5.) Last day as our iCamp was to end around 1400. The fcst made Michael select Levico Therme/ Vetriolo as today's flying site. I made a small detour in order to be able to take some pix of a church we had seen while driving to / from Mte.Summano.

Eremita San Colombano

Rovereto

Lago di Cadenazzo

Vetriolo launch

Unfortunately no flying anymore as shortly after our arrival the 'North-Föhn' has broken through :-(

As I had 2 more days before heading home, I drove to San Michele, hoping for another flight from Mte.Pizzocolo on Sunday...

iCamp (SIV) '25 - Mori-Nemesimo / Monte Summano

Tue (13.5.) The wx fcst didn't look very good, so the day started with theory/ debriefing/ videos - but I didn't stay for the videos, as I had been quite happy with my manoeuvers on the Leeloo1. Towards noon we received a message, that a flight in Mori might be possible and we'd be leaving at 1330. Mori's LZ is only about 10' form our hotel at Rovereto. It has taken us another 40' to reach launch.

...where is launch?

There are 2 launches at Mori: Nemesimo (lower) and Somator (higher). We launched from Nemesimo, as Somator had been in clouds. Everybody has been able to fly - something we didn't expect in the morning ;-)

looking back to launch

LZ (to the left/ above of the house in the center)

For dinner I stopped at 'Suyosi' for some nice sushi...

Wed (14.5.) Again it didn't look that flying at Monte Baldo would be possible, so we drove to Schio (LZ) (1h30') for a flight form Monte Summano; after another 40' we reached launch.

Mte Summano (Seen from LZ)

LZ Santorso (seen from launch)

launch

Launch is actually quite nice, but there is a fence running across. So it's possible to take-off above -if you're sure about your ability to handle the launch- otherwise you can descend below the fence...

Pano looking North - Mte Summano on the right

LZ (there are other ones)

Landing has been rather interesting, as the good thermal activity -which allowed climbing to 1800m before)- persisted also down to 100m/gnd (most probably released form the many roofs). But with a lot of patience everybody made it safley back to 'terry firma'.

iCamp (SIV) '25 - travel, Bassano and first days of SIV (Mte Baldo)

Thr (8.5.) I departed eearly in the morning for Bassano, where I wanted to make some flights, before the iCamp was due to begin on Sat afternoon. Travel has been without problems and I arrived at Semonzo by 1400. Conditions for flying looked good and Peter (Nitsche) offered me also a ride to launch, but I elected not to fly after the long drive and a 'suboptimal' night.

Fri (9.5.) 2 flights from Antenne Costallunga in strongish Easterly winds - first a good one; on the second I 'missed' all the thermals and had to land (too) soon :-( Dinner at 'Antica Abbazia'.

tagliata di manzo

Sat (10.5.) A nice flight from Tapetti, before departing to Rovereto. Here we met at 1500 and drove immediately to the LZ at Malcesine for briefing, checking harnesses etc. Some of the participants I've met already last year... 

Sun (11.5.) As all the briefings and equipment checks had been done yesterday, we could head straigt for the gondola and arrived at launch by about 1015. Cloud base has already been rather low and we had to choose a launch as far to the North as possible...

I flew 2 Spirals (with room for improvemnet), some nice wing-overs as well as some collapses ('gehaltene Klapper').

Arriving for a second flight: cloud base had sunk below launch and it had started to drizzle; the track to launch had become very slippery and I fell (nothing hurt but very dirty). After hanging around for quite a while I decided to ride the cable car back to Malcesine... Much later it had become possible to fly again.

as yesterday quite a few pilots landed in the lake...

Mon (11.5.) As the fcst looked very similar to yesterday, Michael decided to use a lower launch, which has to be accessed by 4*4 from the middle station of the cable car - he had organized the Landrover beforehand.

nice, grassy launch with the wind coming straight in

I flew the again spirals (better: > 10m/s); I also tried big ears, but I have been unable to reach the A-lines with my right hands; so I only could do 'small' ears, but accelerated and with weight-shift it resulted in a moderate descent.

For the second flight it has been decided to lauch from the top (again), but unfortunately by the time we got there, cloud base sunk below launch. We waited quite a while ready 'for departure' but finally packed up and waited in the restaurant. For some time it has been raining heavily so together with 2 others from our group I rode back to Malcesine. Much later It cleared up again and flying had become possible again. But my wing was already wet and I didn't feel like slipping once more on the wet tracks...

some 'comfort food' on the way back...

Hüsliberg

Tue (22.4.) Arriving at the LZ in Rufi and waiting for the shuttle to Hüsliberg, it didn't look very promising: much less than anyone had expected. I even have given up my reserved space on the first shuttle as I wanted to see, how the situation would devellop...

...and when I got there, almost nobody had taken off so far... But at least the wind was coming in nicely so I decided to get myself ready.

And for once I have not been the last to depart (rather in the first third...) After the 'TO-fiasco' in Feltre, I have been a bit anxious before this launch, but the Leeloo2 behaved very well and I became airborne without any problems :-))

By now the conditions had turned on nicely and the longer the flight lasted, the more abundant the lift became - even to such an extend, that pilots have been looking for sink in order to get down. I also flew for quite a while with ears and accelerator...

I landed after a bit more than an hour. Some pilots reported (very) bumpy conditions after landing, but I had just felt an occasional bump - not super-smooth, but certainly well within my comfort zone.

iCamp: Wed: Levico / Thr: Feltre / Fri: (Marostica) / Sat: (Levico)

Wed (9.4.) Flying in Levico.

After a theory session and analizing yesterday's launches, Michael fixed the 'problem' of the 'too short' manoeuver-lines. As obviuosly it was not possible to lenghten these lines, he had to shorten the other lines by 1 cm. Immediately inflight the wing has been much more stable on half-bar. But the manouever-lines still feel under a bit of tension, so he'll be flying the wing on one of the next days in order to see if further action is needed.

Michael also flew my 'Japanese' Leeloo: comment: it behaves properly, but he advised to have a line.check done (but without a test flight).

Almost all pilots made 2 flights (with the exception of Uwe, who stayed up for 5.5+hrs, flying Thomas' Leeloo2).

 

Thr (10.4.)

Before driving to Feltre we had another debriefing (yesterday's TOs) and theory session (outlandings)

After a lousy night an equally lousy day/ flight: problems (on gnd handling and on launch), a flight I didn't enjoy and a lousy ldg to finish :-( The best thing has been the visit to the gelateria in Pedavena - instead of going up to Monte Avena for a second flight ;-) I've said to Michael we'll talk only twice about this day: the first and the last time...

Feltre

Pano on Mte Avena: looking N to NE

Sunset over Brenta

Fri (11.4.)

Today we went to Marostica, a site I have visited once before: it's a private take-off and you need permission from the owner to fly there (which -of course- Michael has received for our group). The place is ideal for training launches on a shallow slope and for top landing. BUT: yesterday's 'fiasco' with gnd handling and launching had overstrained my back so that I have been in no position to do either...

 LZ Marostica / Rubbio

Which is a pity as all (?) in our group have been able to make the short XC to Bassano...

Again Michael has flown my LeelooX and there (still) seem to be some problems which need to be adressed. I left the wing with him as I'll be back in about 5 weeks.

Sat (12.4.)

Alreday the last day of this iCamp, where one could have flown every day (except today: too windy) ;-) 

Even though my back feels a lot better, i have decided not to fly (even if it would have been possible) and give it some more rest; also in view that I had to sit in my car for the 5.5hrs drive home, which turned out in a 8.5hrs drive: I have been asked to drive 'by' Feltre in order to pick up a glider which had been left behind and take it to CH...

But once more the iCamp has been a very interesting and rewarding week. I have been told a lot of things, if -applied correctly / consequently- would enhance my flying quite a bit: especially launching. But the 'problem' always is the implementation ;-)