SFra -5: St.André-les-Alpes

Last day here in St.André: again 'blue', but more (West-) wind and thermals not so abudant as yesterday- I didn't make it to the Cheval Blanc today :-((

I got to see a Kobo eReader running LK8000 (connected via Bluetooth to a XCtracer) - so far the best readable display I have seen...

The vultures showing where to find the thermals...

I didn't get beyond this 'mountain'

After the flight I left St.André and drove 1.5hrs to Vilhosc, a small village near Sisteron. I'll stay here for the next couple of days with my friend Martin.

SFra -4: St.André-les-Alpes

Another 'blue' day here in St.André-les-Alpes. Almost no wind and thermal tops at 2400m (predicted to go up to 2700 at 1600). So I made an attempt to fly to Dormillouse (and hopefully back) - like many others...

my friend Vincent (we met here in 2003!)

le Chalvet - west launch

heading North towards Cheval Blanc

It was pretty easy going until the 'Cheval Blanc'. I made two attempts to get over the top of this mountain, but failed bothh times (like many others). Some continued without this additional height, but for me the risk of sinking out in the narrow valleys beyond (with little or no roads/ traffic at all) seemed to big so I didn't take the chance and turned around.

'Cheval Blanc' left side of pix

heading back

...one cannot start early enough...

SFra -3: St.André-les-Alpes

Contrary to yesterday, for quite a while no single cloud could be seen and also later in the day only a few white 'puffs' on the horizon. But thermal tops have been quite low (I think lower than anticipated).
It took quite a while before the thermals started to devellop, so some parawaiting was called for before launching into the north westery wind made sense. 

...not really alone...

looking north across the west launch

my friend Vincent (Advance Sigma)

looking south towards launch

With the  predominant NW-wind and low base I did just some local cruising around...
Tomorrow is supposed to be (much!?) better ;-)

SFra -2: St.André-les-Alpes

'Early' in the morning (0745), the sky looked pretty promising.

But around 1000 it already started to become cloudy; some pilots meant, that it wouldn't be worth while even going up to launch... But around 1200, a few 'blue holes' started appearing and Igot a ride on the shuttle to launch. Lots of people waiting on the South launch and a few gliders already climbing up.

le Chalvet: south launch 'near' lake; LZ: the large meadow in front of lake

It was possible to climb almost to 2500m, but the 'blue window' didn't last very long, so after 1hr I landed. Rain later in the afternoon.

looking North: 'Cheval Blanc' on the right side

St.André & le Chalvet: LZ left side; South launch on the 'shoulder' to the right of the highest point

In the morning I had Vincent, an old flying buddy from 2005, 2006, 2007...
Furthermore I saw on the XContest that another friend is also here: I'll have dinner tonight with Beat :-)

SFra -1: St.Vincent-les-Forts

Early departure for a long drive to Southern France...
After half an hour the trip could already have been over: while stopping for a red light, I got hit by the car behind me - luckily no major damage (I hope). As it is still possible to close and latch the door of the trunk compartment I was able to continue.

Untile Berne the usual stop-and-go, but thereafter no more problems. I made a stop at Lumbin (St.Hilaire du Touvet); but the TO was just in clouds and then there was a transport problem: the funiculaire had just closed down for the season and also no more shuttles running... So I decided to continue and eventually ended up in St.Vincent-les-Forts.
Upon arrival nobody was flying, as the wind so far had been too weak; the first pilots were just getting ready to launch.

Pano looking west: note the nice carpet covering the launch area!

Lac de Serre-Poncon

Unfortunately it (too) quickly clouded over and the wind died; but at least I had chosen the right moment to (top-) land ;-). So after a short flight I continued towards St.André-les-Alpes.
On the way I picked up a hitchhiking PG Pilot, which had to land out due to the cloud cover.

IT, SI -12: Cornizzolo

On my way back home I stopped at the only place I had found, which looked flyable: Monte Cornizzolo near Leggo/ Lago di Como.

Lago di Annone; Monte Cornizzolo

Unfortunately the sky looked as clear and blue only in the morning... Arriving at the LZ in Suello and hoping to find a shuttle, extremely few pilots have been there. A local tandem pilot said that it would be unflyable as there was north wind. Well I could see some clouds moving south - but only slowly.
And once in a while some pilots also took off. Finally at 1330 a shuttle drove up with the waiting 7 pilots. By that time the sky was almost completely covered and I made just a sledder. Though I have to admit that by observing the sky more closely and waiting maybe 20 more minutes on launch, a longer flight probably would have been possible as the sun was coming through a bit more.
I then went up for a second flight, but this time no more 'blue holes' in sight, which would have been worth waiting for...

Bosisio Parini

LZ in Suello

But all in all it has been a very successful trip: flying on most days, 2 new sites, meeting many old friends, excellent food,getting a new glider  :-))

IT, SI -11: (Brestovica), Lijac

Today I got some material from Max, a guy who did take some pictures yesterday at Brestovica (>> many thanks, Max !!).

getting ready...

Nicole, flying 777's new school glider

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Today 'Lijak' looked to be the only flyable site in this region. So also the pilots of the Serial Cup presently held at Tolmin moved there to have a task...

Lijak

Serial Cup: heading for the second waypoint

As can be seen in the pix above the sky was rather cloudy, so there has been a lot of shadow and the thermals not as abundant as I had hoped. After leaving the last hill (not nearly as high as would have been necessary to arrive comfortably at the next ridge) there was only shadow and sink. I landed near Ajdovscina, walked about 2km to the city's bus terminal where after just 15 minutes waiting there has been a bus going to Nova Gorica, thereby passing the LZ at 'Smihel'. This way it was not necessary for Nicole to come and pick me up.

near  Ajdovscina (thanks to Photoshop the sky looks more blue than it actually was.)

IT, SI-10: Rook2, Lijac, Brestovica

...well, as some of you already guessed: I couldn't resist the really generous offer I got from Nicole for buying the Rook2. In the morning I had driven to Adjovscina to get the glider in the colors I wanted. 

Lijac LZ; Rook2 - 'just out of the box'

777 Rook2

I had a really good launch and conditions have been strong, but due to the increased instability not as nice as yesterday on Mangart. I have to admit here that I misjuged the wx situation a bit: I should have landed at least 15 minutes before I actually did: when I was approaching the LZ thunder could be heard and the first few drops of rain started falling; I didn't even try to pack up the glider, but just stowed it in my car...

that's just how it looked a fe minutes later...

We had actually already decided to call it a day, when Nicole got a call from some pilots telling her that they had moved to Brestovica (near Monfalcone) and that it looked flyable there. So we decided to give it a try...

Brestovica -launch

launch

Nice soaring for about half an hour, then it suddenly turned off... But a nice site with a good view of the Adriatic Sea and Monfalcone,

Sela na Krasu &the village near launch)

my launch (Pano by Alberto)

According to Nicole's reading of the wx fcst, that was probably the last good flying day of this trip to IT and SI... Many thanks to her and Alberto for taking me around and showing me these new sites!!

IT, SI -9: Mangart-2

I have also received some pix Alberto has taken of my launch at Mangart (flying again Triple Seven Rook2).

IT, SI -9: Mangart-1

Early departure for 'Mangart'. I had visited this site already twice (without flying due to wx). But today looked fine and Nicole had arranged transportation from the LZ at 'Pod Log Mangartom', where we had to be at 1100.
On the way there, we stopped in 'San Pietro al Natisone' at the pasticceria/ gelateria 'Paradiso de Golosi' - the name says it all! (auf Deutsch etwas: das Paradies der Schleckermäuler).

...just a small part of the available treats

LZ in 'Pod Log Mangartom' looking towards 'Mangart' (2677m); lanuch is on the shoulder to the left of the peak.

launch at 1950m, a really nice meadow

left side: LZ; right side: TO (1 wing) (looking NW towards Italy/ Canin)

Bovec

We've made it to the LZ right on time, where the shuttle was already waiting - contrary to Nicole's opinion that 'the Slovenians are always 20 minutes late...'
Another 30 minutes drive got us to the parking below launch on a very interesting road, built in the late 1930's by Mussolini for defense purposes. It's the highest road in Slovenia.

TO is a nice meadow, with no obstacles/ stones at all. As conditions have been picture perfect, everybody (including me - again on the Rook2) had a clean launch.
Planned was just a flght to the LZ, but nice thermals/ high cloud base not only permitted a flight to 'Bovec' (normally not too easily done), but I was even able to continue beyond towards Kobarid :-))

IT, SI -8: Meduno, Rook2

According fcst it should have been a great day for flying Gemona: in the beginning still a little East wind, but otherwise nice and clear, so we drove up only at 1330. But already on departing the radar showed different cells in the region of the IT-SI border slowly approaching. When we got to launch the situation was getting worse, so most of us decided to take the shuttle back down. A few stayed waiting for the situation to improve.
Nicole, Alby and I then drove to Meduno, which looked clear. I had been given a Triple Seven Rook2 in L (up to 130kg) to try.

Triple Seven Rook2

I have seldom flown a wing, where doing wing overs was so much fun! The 2 launches I made didn't pose any problems, but with such a nice head wind any glider should have been easy to launch... Tomorrow I'll be flying this wing again.

Meduno

For dinner we shared a nice 'Fiorentina' on the way back - mmmmh!

IT, SI -7: Aviano

>> Sorry, no actual pictures today: I forgot the camera in the car :-((

In the shuttle to launch I met again Romeo (one of the 2 guys who had helped me yesterday getting back down from Piancavallo). A nice flight today here in Aviano (TO: Antenne), close to 2hrs; nice thermals up to 1650m.
Just as I was leaving the LZ, a few drops of rain started to fall: I hope it remained at that, so the other pilots could continue flying.
I have moved now to Marcos' place in Fogliano Redipuglia, where I'll stay for the next 5 or 6 nights.

(Sept'15)

TO Antenne (Oct'10)