IT - Castelluccio

Sat (13.9.)  After having had breakfast in a bar along the way from Aquila to Norcia, when we arrived the area had been still covered by fog. Once it had lifted we moved to Forca da Presto for some ground handling and a flight, before conditions became too windy. In the afternoon some more groundhandling at the training hill. We also wanted to make an afternoon flight from Refugio Perugia, but the wind speed was well beyond what any PG could handle and it also didn't decrease later when the sun had set...

I got here just in time to catch the dissipating fog...

Forca di Presto

Rifugio Perugia

Sun (14.9.) Before driving up to Castelluccio, we parked my car at the LZ in San Pellegrino. Gudrun and Michael could make an extended sledder from Rifugio Perugia down to my car - the wind being around 20+kmh (much less than the 40+ of yesterday evening). No more flights have been possible due to increasing winds, but I ground handled for some time. Beside us absolutely no other pilots here...

Rifugio Perugia, looking North-East: Monte Vettore

heading for the LZ (on lh side along the road)

Mon (15.9.)  very promising day...

Michael had organized a ride in Claudio's LandRover to Tabellone, one of the nicest launches in this area. We had to wait for about an hour or so until the conditions turned on nicely.

Tabellone - looking W-NW: Norcia

looking at the LZ in San Pellegrino (below the white PG)

looking back to launch, Castelluccio and Mte Vettore

Parasol in my LZ

Very nice flight, lasting 1+hr. For a moment it looked likeI had to land in San Pellegrino, but as we had no car parked there (contrary to yesterday), I wanted to avoid this and had to fight for a quite a while in order to get high enough so that I could glide towards the main LZ.

Later in the afternoon we headed towards Vetoretto, but I declined, as I would have had to carry my gear too far up the steep hill. I said goodby to Gudrun and Michael (who tried to fly from there) and started my drive North towards NE Italy, where I hoped to fly the next few days. 

short stop at Visso ;-)

For the night I found a B&B NE of Bologna...

IT -Abruzzen -Gioia dei Marsi / Boville Ernica / Calascio

Mon/ Tue (7./8.9.)  Flying at Gioia dei Marsi, 1, respectively 2 flights with a top-landing.

Cobra-briefing by Igor

Wed (9.9.) Rain and wind, so I used the time to look for a coin laundery, which turned out to be more difficult than anticipated: 1) Gioia: closed for vacation; 2) Venere: closed ufn; 3) San Benedetto: no time; 4) Avezzano: didn't exist anymore and finally 5) Avezzano: working... and of course a stop at the gelateria ;-)

Gelateria del Duomo (Avezzano)

Thr (11.9.) Boville Ernica: a nice little site about 1.5hrs driving from Gioia. Unfortunately I had forgotten my instruments and camera in my car when I changed to the bus; luckily Michael could lend me his vario-prototype - many thanks! For once I have been the first to launch (!) and I could right away climb to about 1000m over launch, whereby a vulture showed me the thermal and flew with me for quite a while. I landed after about an hour. Getting back up to launch, the wind speed had increased beyond the skills of most and we headed back to Gioia for a very nice late afternoon/ sunset flight.

Boville Ernica

Gioia dei Marsi

Fri(12.9.) last day of iCamp: Calascio (Panettone). Heading north (homeward bound), we stopped (again) at Calascio, where all could make 1 or more flights. I stayed near the LZ, as I had had a very lousy night and didn't fell 'fit' to ride the partly rough thermals... After saying goodby we (Gudrun&Michael, I) continued towards Castelluccio, stopping for the night at Roio (near Aquila) in a very nicely renovate palace (Palazzo Palitti).

Calascio (Panettone) looking South

looking North: Gran Sasso, Campo Imperatore

ULM-LZ (along the track in the middle of pix)

Conclusion: flying every day (except one) :-))  No really great flights, but not due to conditions but I concentrated in this iCamp more on my reverse- and Cobra- launches (there have been a couple of good ones). As usual: great guides and nice participants - thanks to ALL of you! And even a new flying site: Boville Ernica...

IT - Abbruzzen - Rocca Calascio_Pinetina / (Cannatina) :-((

Sun (7.9.) ...not my day...

Calascio_Pinetina (upper launch) looking South; in the middle/ front: Panettone launch

Rather windy day: after several attempts I finally 'got launched' into a very active airmass :-(  After this rather lousy launch I never felt comfortable in the air, and the flight ended after less than 25' with an equally lousy landing. Just maybe - if the launch wouldn't have been so 'disappointing' - I would have been able to handle this bumpy air a lot better...

launch on lower rt corner

looking back to launch: highest point above my glider

Almost all pilots landed after only a short flight, not having liked the air much...

As I have been rather frustrated with my flight, I decided not to go for another one - even if this meant missing a new site: Cannatina. Instead I had an early dinner at a nearby restaurant, followed by an ice-cream at Pescina on the way back to the hotel...

But as it turned out; they couldn't fly at Cannatina (due wind)...

quite a decent sized steak: 500gr ;-)

IT -Abbruzzen (San Donato_Valle di Rio) / Cassino

Sat (6.9.) Difficult wind situation: It has been decided to try San Donato_Forca di Acero (from where I had made a nice flight in 2023). But the wind has been too cross... Michael knew of another possible launch;but only he, Igor and I went there to have a look: Valle di Rio: this launch can be accessed with only about a 10min hike from where you have to park the car.

Michael getting ready...

He could launch with a nice head wind, but soon reported that he didn't want me to launch - a desicion I had already made myself a few minutes previous: there  are almost no emergency landing options at the beginning of the flight. So Igor had to carry my gear back to the car - many thanks!!

Michael landing NEAR (!) the HG-LZ: paragliders are not really 
welcomed there - especially on weekends!

Then we continued to Monte Cassino, where the rest of the group already has been flying. For once I had a rather good reverse launch :-)) I have been able to get (almost) to the top of Monte Cairo, then headed South to the monastery of Cassino.

Monte Cairo

...flying towards the monastery (in the shade)

Monastery on Mte Cassino: it had been completely destroyed during WWII, then rebuilt

Pano looking North: Mte Cairo on left side

IT -Abbruzzen - Rocca Calascio_Pannetone, Madonnina Capo da Serra

Fri, (5.9.) Another promising day :-) We drove 1.25hrs to Calascio, where all have made a nice flight. I got up to 1900+, where (again) it started to get a bit cool ;-) I attempted to top-land, but misjzdged the approach and landed eventually at the 'ULM-LZ'. Hans (one of our 2 drivers) picked us up and, as it has become a bit too windy on this launch, we headed for Madonnina Capo da Serra. But also here at first it remained to windy/ gusty, we stopped at nearby for some drinks. Later a nice flight became possible with great views of Grans Sasso and Campo Imperatore. I even managed to land at the 'ULM-LZ' near my car, thereby overflying the Calascio launch - this time top-landing should have been possible, but relaunch?

Rocca Calascio

Calascio, Grans Sasso (left) Campo Imperatore

Madonnina Capo da Serra

approaching launch (looking South)

Gran Sasso, Campo Imperatore (Looking N)

Calascio launch

IT -Abruzzen - (Norma) Gioia dei Marsi, Cassino

Wed (3.9.) A sledder at Norma would have been possible - but not worth the hassle of getting back from the LZ to Norma ;-) So I drove to Gioia dei Marsi, arriving at the same time as most of the group got there. Later, here a very nice flight has been possible with tops at 2400m: unfortunately I had underestimated the temperatures at that altitude :-((

Cori (near Norma)

Gioia dei Marsi -launch (looking W-NW)

looking SE-S

LZ ('above' the road)

Thr (4.9.) Driving 1.5hrs to Monte Cassino, as all closer sites would have been under the influence of the North wind... I flew for an hour, but never really felt at ease and with the high temperatures (> 30°C) I decided not to fly again, but returned to our hotel instead. This proved to have been the right desicion, as I almost immediately felt asleep ...

Pano looking S-SW

Launch