Saturday 13th July 2013 Results and Closing Ceremony

Saturday 13th July 2013 

Closing Ceremony


http://dca.ffvl.fr/hg2014/index.php/en/

Well, this is it. The last blog for the competition. And what a comp it has been! Team GB should be very proud of what they have achieved. With some of our highest ranking Rigid pilots unavailable for this competition, this trip was not about medals or podiums. It was about learning the terrain, gaining mountain experience, and nurturing new talent. We all learned a great deal.  Some of the visiting pilots told me that this was the first comp that they had not made goal  - it was not easy.

Neil "Bomber" Atkinson - perhaps he should be renamed "Grafter"

Neil Bomber" Atkinson managed to double his mountain flying time, even though he was struggling with the set up of his glider, which has now gone back to the AIR factory for assessment and set up. It was a gallant performance, and one which we should all applaud. Having flown alongside Neil many times in the UK, I know what a good pilot he is, setting himself and achieving ambitious tasks  - he hasnt been leading the UKNXCL out of luck.

Luke "Skywalker" Nicol

Luke "Skywalker" Nicol joined the team late in the day on the BHGC Training Camp initiative and was paired up with mentor Andy "Buzz Lightyear" Hollidge. His drive, focus and talent shone through, and his flying was way beyond what one would normally expect from a relatively low air-time pilot with limited competition experience. I just loved the day he got lead points for being ahead of the lead gaggle due to making a very good decision on which line to take en route. He clearly gained a great deal from the camp, and maybe, just maybe, with a more competitive wing, there could have been a few surprises in the results. Perhaps next year, Luke?

Andy "Buzz Lightyear" Hollidge

Andy "Buzz Lightyear" Hollidge did himself proud. In his early flying career, Andy had competed alongside the best of them, but like so many pilots, work and family commitments meant that his competition career was put on hold. Now back on the scene, and as hungry as ever to prove himself, Andy flew his socks off, frequently making goal, and often with, or ahead of, the lead gaggle. Until, that is, it came to gliding - perhaps there should be the rigid equivalent of flex Sprog testing to even out the playing field. The day the task was accidentally stopped just for Team GB was the day when I believe he was going to be first in goal. Like a true gent, he took it on the chin, picked himself up, and flew continually well. On top of that, he was also mentoring Luke, helping in task preparation and was often heard on the radio offering advice en route. What a team player. Maybe next year it will be "To Infinity and Beyond...!"

Kath landing

It was a real shame that Kathleen Rigg picked up an injury to her shoulder, meaning that she could not fly the competition after day one. It is clear that Kath is highly respected on the circuit, with many of the  pilots telling me that they have taken inspiration from what she has, and continues to, achieve. Hopefully next year Kath will be back out here giving them a run for their money.

Buzz and Ben celebrating a goal flight

I was very proud to be once again looking after a team that was representing our country. Even though it is a minority sport, hang gliding is treated with great respect in many other countries. The Pre-Worlds and Worlds in Annecy have received the full support from the local authorities who made it clear several times during the competition how much hosting these events means to them, the local economy and the future of hang gliding. I was glad to be a part of it. 

Jean Louis Debiee (General Director of Championship)

and Doussard Mayor Michele Lutz

The organisers did a fantastic job in managing this event, always listening to feedback and implementing changes to improve the way things were working. I am convinced that the Worlds next year will be a fantastic event. Bravo Jean Louis! 

The Silverware

Organisers T Shirts

The Class 5 Podium 

2nd Walter Geppert, 1st Tim Grabowski, 3rd Herwig Mayer

Womens:
2nd Corinna Schweisighausen, 1st Francoise Dieuzeide-Banet, 3rd Helene Toyer 

Class 2 Winner: Mafred Ruhmer

Sports Class:
2nd Serge Mainente, 1st Fabien Garing, 3rd Benoit Benier

The Pre-Worlds Posse

Friday 12 July 2013

Final Day and The Big Stuff

(Uploaded via mobile - pictures to follow)

Competition Website: http://dca.ffvl.fr/hg2014/index.php/en/

This is it, the last day, and from what we had heard it had the promise of being a big day. During breakfast it was clear that Neil was still in some considerable pain with his battered knee and arm. Dosing him up with prescription strength pain killers, we were hoping that he would be able fly.

Just before the 10am briefing I had a quick chat with Joel Favre, the local weather guru, who let on that a task was likely to initially stay near to the lake, followed by a leg East in to the massif. Not for the first time, I felt a pang of regret that I was not flying – the flying would be challenging but rewarded with spectacular views. This really is a very special area. Lakes, mountains, old city, great weather, friendly people, flying, skiing, walking, cycling… it seems to have it all.

We were not so quick off the mark to get up to La Forclaz launch so the boys missed out on their usual rigging position next to the ramp. Luckily there were only a couple of pilots in front. With words of encouragement for Neil, we got his glider up the steep path for him – at least if we got him rigged and ready to fly he could make a decision later on whether to launch or not. With the promise of amazing scenery, I was keen to get one of my boys to fly with the GoPro, but no-one was interested. There has been a lot of talk during the competition of reducing drag with pilots making every conceivable efficiency using streamlined helmets and harnesses, minimal instrumentation, and of course Buzz Lightyear’s magic bat wings. Maybe some of the other pilots would fly with it? Not a chance! Walter Geppert and Tim were fighting it out at the top of the Class 5 competition and didn’t want anything to get in the way of a win. Oh well, another time…

Walter, friendly as ever, offered some more tips to get the gliders flying well, so armed with this “secret” information I got the team around Neil’s glider to show them the set up. Unfortunately for Neil, the decision to fly or not was made for him there and then. Luke noticed that the pin on the top of the upright was bent significantly and would definitely need replacing before any flight. The upright itself was also badly damaged, leading to questions of it’s structural strength. It was a no-brainer: with Neil and his glider both in need of some TLC, he was not going to fly today.

PG failed launch (not the tandem pilot)

Just above us on the paraglider launch, things had been getting interesting. With many hang gliders opting to rig up on the artificial grass surface and be able to launch from the smooth take off, it was incredibly crowded and busy. The paragliders have been allowed to launch outside of the competition launch windows and today was as busy as ever, with flying school tuition and tandem flights happening all at once. Watching the mayhem I took a few photos for the blog. I later found out that a tandem pilot with a young girl as his passenger had been preparing to launch when some onlookers noticed he did not have his legs through the leg loops – a potentially lethal situation where a pilot can fall out of his harness. The pilot, ignoring the shouts, launched himself and his child passenger, only then to discover why people had been yelling at him. The last they saw of him at launch was him trying to get his legs in the harness. Imagine if you had been that little girl? We later learnt that he did in fact make a safe landing back at Doussard, but I would not have wanted to be in his shoes when the parents caught up with him…

Back to the hang gliding. At briefing, the task did not disappoint. Via multiple turn points, a 140km launch to landing was called, taking the pilots first North to the East side of Annecy, then West over the lake along the Semnoz ridge, then heading on a long leg East in to the massif before heading finally back to Doussard. A challenging task, but with the forecast of improving conditions as the day went on, there was every chance that Andy and Luke would be in goal.

1330, and time to launch. Not being the first in line to take off gave Luke the opportunity to watch other gliders. By coincidence, it turned out to be fortuitous that we had got up the hill a little later than normal. The gliders flying were really struggling to get up, and were slowly sinking to the valley below. As the lift improved, Andy was the first off, darting immediately to the right and finding a weak climb . Luke followed and was soon also climbing in a very weak climb. But with only a hundred feet above take off, the next sink cycle came through. For the next half and hour Luke worked hard at staying up near launch, while Andy had dived around the corner and managed to work his way up to the Wolfs Teeth. Luke was having to exploit every last bubble of lift in an increasingly busy sky.

“Luke to Ben – there are gliders turning right. It’s chaos”. Ignoring the “turn left by launch” rule, some pilots were creating potential mid-air crashes by turning right.  I called to the organisers and other support crew to contact the pilots by radio.

“Its getting bloody dangerous – they’re crazy”. As Luke was circling just out in front of launch, a glider a few feet beneath him was turning right, unaware that Luke was just above him, and potentially causing a crash. With both Luke and myself now shouting, the message finally got through and the pilot changed course.  After some considerable time, the lift started improving again. The task started and both pilots were flying.

Back down at Doussard, I dropped Neil off at competition HQ with an ice bag for his knee. Sitting in the glorious sunshine we could watch over the landing field and listen to the radio. The boys were making very good progress. Andy had already completed the first two turn points and was now starting the long leg in to the massif, while Luke was headed in the opposite direction over the lake towards Semnoz. All going well.

As the afternoon drifted by, I was starting lose radio contact with Andy but could still hear Luke clearly before he headed in to the big mountains. I suggested that he call Andy to get some advice on which route to take – all part of the Trainee/Mentor scheme which the BHGC have started. In amongst the crackles of a weak radio signal I could hear Andy describing the course he took, hopefully giving Luke a helping hand with decision making. Soon they were both out of radio contact, so all I could do was sit and wait…

Organiser takes a well earned nap...

With the top pilots probably getting close to making the final turn point their arrival in the goal field was imminent. The Doussard field is a busy place, but with the local rules in place, it can cope safely with a lot of incoming traffic. That is if everyone follows the local rules. Expecting a gaggle of hang gliders to come racing in soon, the paragliding canopies being inflated in the landing zone was not helpful. In fact, it is very dangerous. Luckily the organisers too had noticed the problem and decided to use the PA system to “name and shame” any pilot risking the lives of others by blocking the field with a canopy. “Pilot with the purple and yellow canopy. It is forbidden to inflate your canopy. Move to the side of the field”. It worked. The landing field had once again become just that: a landing field, not a place to practice inflations, pack away your canopy, or just have a good old chinwag.

Hearing that several of the leading pilots were down I was hoping that Andy and Luke had gone in to survival mode. Knowing when to “switch gears” when flying is really important  - instead of racing on expecting big climbs, a pilot can win the day by slowing up, staying high and making sure they make it in to goal. With the British weather, our pilots are used to working weak conditions.

Phone beeped with a message.

“3 gliders down in same field in the valley. N45.56.170 E006.27.783. Sorry to land out”.

Sorry to land out? He was obviously gutted, but was also concerned that there would be a potentially long retrieve. What a team player. Jumping in the truck, I was soon en route. Just past Annecy another text came through, this time from Luke who was down a few kilometres away from Andy.  The scenery driving up in to the massif was fantastic.: rugged, magnificent moutains, beautiful alpine meadows, quaint towns and villages. Very, very picturesque. I promised myself that I would come back and fly the region for myself.

Having picked up Andy and tried to console him with a beer, I programmed Luke’s position into the GPS. He was only 10km away back down the road. Or so we thought. As the distance started counting down, the direction arrow started pointing off to the West. We soon realised that he was just the other side of the mountain. There was a choice to be made: either head right down the valley to find the road to take us back up the next one, or take a more direct route and take a mountain pass over the top. Being already some way up the mountain we decided on the latter…

Turning left and driving up the hairpin road, the GPS was counting down, 5km, 4km, 3km…. it seemed to get stuck on 3 for a while before counting back up again. We were obviously headed away from him again. So, finding a smaller track signed to “La Clusaz”, we turned on a more direct track towards Luke. The GPS was counting down again. Good.  The road turned into a lane, which turned into a track which turned into what can best be described as rocky path. 

Stopping the truck, Andy and I looked at each other, both thinking the same thing. Should we or shouldn’t we? The next thing I know we are driving up the side of the mountain in full off-road mode, navigating our way up a twisty, rocky, gnarly path cut in to the mountain. Of course, it was not going to last.





 In fits of laughter I stopped the truck as the path ended in a mountain top meadow. Back down the mountain and to the valley to take the road to find Luke. If we had chosen that route to start with, we would have saved an hour, but it would not have been so much fun!

Back at base at 8.30pm in time for the end of competition party. Now nursing a headache, and that was from the music...!

Thursday 11th July 2013

You Cant Have Your Cake and Eat It.

Competition Website: http://dca.ffvl.fr/hg2014/index.php/en/

After such a long run of bad weather in the UK, it has been nice to wake up to blue skies every morning. With a ten o’clock briefing, Team GB could get a bit of a lie in. After eight days of back to back flying, tiredness and exhaustion was starting to creep in – not surprising really. Its not just the physical demands of flying that tire you out – continual decision making, experiencing new and challenging situations, it all adds up.

Breakfasted and refreshed, we drove off to Doussard for briefing. With the weather improving it looks like today will be a good day, with the promise of tomorrow being the best day of the competition and a big task set in to the “big stuff” tomorrow. Bring it on. Yesterday one of the Aussie pilots had landed in the lake, luckily at the shore line,leading to some amusing additions to his harness today...

Walter tweaks Neil's glider

Forclaz launch. We have missed our usual rigging spot today but the boys were still very close to the ramp for a quick get away. 

Throughout the week, as pilots and support crew have got to know each other, the level of banter has increased and the atmosphere is fantastic. Its situations like this that remind me why I love the sport (apart from the sheer joy of flying, that is) - it’s like having an extended global family.

Back to business. The sky today was not looking as lively as yesterday, but there were still signs that things could overdevelop in certain areas. At briefing the task set was a complicated and challenging route back and forth over the lake and in to the smaller mountains, with a point to point distance of 140km and a goal at Doussard. 

The strengthening wind would make for a few difficult cross and upwind legs. Apparently the task was designed to really start pushing the pilots. 

On the task board, the Task Setting Committee try and calculate the actual distances taking in to account the different size of turn point radii, but this leads to a “guestimated” distance that bears no relation to what pilots see when loading the task in to their instruments. Maybe they could revert back to the standard way of doing it just as a double check for pilots.

Will the smile last...?

Launch window open and Luke is predictably pushing to get off quickly – unfortunately today there was one French pilot in front of him not in his harness, so with a polite nudge, he soon scrambled for take-off allowing Team GB to get airborne.

Andy ready to go...

Luke launches

There were good climbs along the ridge. With the start cylinder further north en route to the first turn point, most gliders tracked up towards Annecy, waiting for the 1415 start. 5 mins to start, 4.., 3…, 2…, 1…  “1415 showing on GPS. Start get open. Good Luck!”  Time to drive down. Keys? At the last minute before launch Andy had to get something out of the vehicle. Oh no.

“Andy, I think you may have the car keys…”

“Oh bugger” interjected Bomber.

“Check the back pocket of your rucksack Ben. That’s where I put them”.

Phew. No drama there then.

Right at the start, Luke was not having the best of times. Having chosen a route to get him in an optimum position to get the start cylinder and first turn point, he got drilled behind the Veryier mountain. At briefing there had been warnings that with the North East wind there could be turbulence in that area. They were not wrong.

“Luke getting low. Heading back to Plan Jeux to soar the Paragliding ridge”.

With the binoculars I could pick him out gliding in to the gaggle of paragliders. After a few beats up and down the ridge, I could see him get established in a weak but accelerating climb, soon climbing out above the ridge. Good work.

Andy in the rough air...

...and in a gaggle glide

By the time I had driven down to Doussard it was already nearly 4pm. With the big doors of the hall open, the organisers had set their desk up on the raised stage looking out over the landing field. A great office window. In the glorious sunshine it made the perfect spot to set the laptop up, radio and phone to wait for news from the team. Bomber had gone very quiet on the radio, but with no text message, I had to presume he was still flying. Luke, after his early struggle, was making good progress around the course.

With reports of some Class 5 gliders being down, today could present an opportunity for Andy to deservedly jump up the leader board a few places. Predictably, his radio messages were frequent, helpful and, in his case, marking good progress. Turn point 2, Turn Point 3, Turn Point 4. He was getting around the course.

Walter arrives

Listening out for the next update, the silhouette of Walter Geppert’s glider could be seen making a final approach in to Doussard. He had stormed the course and was first in by some considerable time margin. About fifteen minutes later only another two gliders were in. Andy was fast approaching the last turn point. For the first time this competition I had the opportunity to send an update via Facebook, giving a live progress report for Team GB.

“Just so you know, the wind in the landing field is blowing NW about 10mph, across the field”. Topping up 2km out from the last turn point, Andy, now at 3500 above the goal field, was in a position to make a glide to the turn point and then straight in to Doussard. His instrument was telling him that he would arrive at 1800’ above the goal field, but was not taking in to account the strong headwind that had set up for the last 6km run in to goal.

“Make sure you have enough to get in, Andy”. Of course he would. He wouldn’t blow it at the last minute….

A few minutes later, my heart sank.

“Ben, this Andy. 2km out. I am getting low. I am not going to make it.”

Balls. A recurring them this year.

“Andy, the ridge to the East of the landing field is in to wind. It might help you in”.

Silence.

Bugger. So close yet so far. Or so I thought. An agonising wait until the radio crackled in to life again.

“Ben, think I might make it in….”

Looking to the ridge I could see a glider at about 300’ heading out towards me. It did not look like he was going to make it as he seemed to be dropping behind the trees. Come on, Andy.

And then it was clear he was going to get goal. Even if he didn’t make it in to the field we would make the finish cylinder. Whoop! Whoop! Watching the nose drop, I could see Andy pulling on speed towards me. In front of the waiting crowd he skimmed in at speed over the field with just enough height to perform a final low level 360 degree turn and land in to wind.

Bloody fantastic! The beaming smile on Andy’s face said it all! Time for a celebratory goal beer and of course Bab’s Retrieve Cake, the ultimate “get to goal” motivation!

Soon after I got a text from Neil that he was down in the pass again. Luke was still flying, and on the radio.

“I am getting low”. He sounded tired and despondent. With Andy and myself offering words of encouragement he did get in to a climb and was soon skying out above the ridge as he headed south.  The next text from Neil was worrying. Could I get some ice for his knee… Quickly on the phone to him, it was evident that he had bashed himself quite badly. It would take me a good 45 minutes to get out to him. 

Yves from the organising team arranged for one of the nearby “navette” retrieve buses to pick him up. It would be quicker. In the meantime Luke texted in to say that he was also in the pass. Again it seemed to make sense to get him on a retrieve bus. Unfortunately the trip back was not the most comfortable for him or his glide, but luckily no damage done. Back at base, Neil had his knee inspected by a paramedic. Maybe with ice and rest he can fly tomorrow.

A day of mixed fortunes. With a big task promised, it could be an interesting last day…

Wednesday 10th July 2013 "Balls as Earrings"

Wednesday 10th July 2013 

"Balls as Earrings"
Briefing today had every chance of becoming lively. With Andy’s “stop task” score calculated by taking his height and estimated glide angle at the time of the mis-communication, there was the possibility that other pilots could protest if he had an unfair advantage. In fact, as it transpired, Andy maintained his 9^th place so there was not too much to complain about. It was never going to be easy for the organisers but to be fair they have tried their best to sort it out as fairly and amicably as possible. Who knows what might have been…

Patrick Chopard - the man to beat

The main issues being discussed was why a task for one class can be canned on safety grounds, while the task for another can remain active when on the same course line. Joel Favre explained the local meteorological conditions  - at the end of the day, these guys live and breathe this terrain and know it like the back of their hand. If they say it’s dangerous, I am more than happy to go along with their view.

Today the forecast was pretty similar to yesterdays with the high possibility of CuNims developing over the massif and spreading up towards the lake. With no further to do, we were dispatched to La Forclaz take off. 

Under the watchful eye of the Gendarme

At launch I grabbed the harnesses and reserved a rigging spot for the boys. Some flex wing pilots were still trying to rig in the rigid area, but at least now were responding to requests to move back – well, most of them. As gliders were rigged, there was a lot of talk about the developing sky. It was definitely going to be an issue today.

Military PG

The task set was over a course that cris-crossed the lake and down the Semnoz ridge, basically creating first a small then a large triangle, with goal field at Doussard. As soon as the launch window was open Luke launched, again quickly followed by Neil and Andy, with Neil marking a good climb out in the front of take off. Soon the sky was filled with wings – a spectacular sight when set against the backdrop of the mountains and skyline. Andy was the first to enter the start cylinder, literally seconds after the gate opened (hopefully his GPS times are accurate). From the communications I was receiving there were good climbs to be had – not surprising with the sky looking so active.

Already behind launch the sun was being partially blocked by a growing cloud. Luke radioed that the cloud was beginning to tower. Relaying the message to Richard (Deputy Safety Director) I was told that they had weather spotters on a couple of mountains including Semnoz and were already aware of it. It was not causing any problems at the moment…

With the Rigid Team all active on task, I headed off back down the mountain, reassured from the radio comms that they were making good progress, especially Andy who once again seemed to have the bit between his teeth. I gave a lift to one of the more senior competition helpers who took great delight in telling me how a driver had been killed recently on the mountain road by accidentally reversing over the edge… And with that thought we continued our descent.

Bomber and Skywalker

Back at base, I was about to get set up with laptop to catch up on emails and work when the phone bleeped. “Neil cocked up. Near Luke’s LZ. Landed on top of pass in TP3. N 5.46.411 E 006.07.777. Balls. Balls. Balls.” 

Yep, balls. A drive up the windy “Tour de France” route again. Back in the truck and off to pick up an obviously fed up pilot. Luckily knowing the route and location I was with him very quickly and with the well-drilled derig procedure we were soon driving back down Saint Jorioz before heading on south down the west side of the lake to Doussard.

Bomber going radical

With Andy and Luke still flying, my concern was now redirected to the weather. Clouds were building to the South, East and West, and there were now rumblings of thunder. As Luke flew back towards the lake from the West, he was obviously becoming concerned, and rightly so, about the sky.

“The sky looks bad. Has the task been stopped?”

“No, task is active. Task is active”.

Andy was now approaching the last turn point and about to make a final glide in to goal. He was going to make it. Nice work Andy, especially after yesterdays debacle.

Luke’s concern was now being reflected in his voice. Listening to his requests for information, his voice was getting noticeable higher. A difficult situation – of course it is every pilot’s responsibility to keep safe, but as a relatively young pilot, Luke’s experience of big mountain flying is still limited. Assessing whether or not conditions are too dangerous is difficult. 

“Gliding towards la Forclaz – there is a huge cloud above it. Can you confirm the task is active?”

Having heard the word “stop” being used on the safety channel, I phoned through to Richard to get clarification of the task status. Only Task 1 and 2 were stopped. 5 was still active.

“Andy and Luke, the task is still active. The task is still active”.

“OK, this is Luke gliding towards lightening….” The pitch in his voice was now even higher. Neil and I were also getting worried for him. Andy was on finals and with his experience was less of a concern. But still a worry.

“Luke, if you think it is too dangerous make your self safe, but the task is still active”.

“I have a 35km wind, and very bad turbulence up here”.

Enough already. The trees by the side of the lake were now being blown over in a strong, gusty wind. Very dangerous conditions for anyone trying to land.  Phoning through to Richard again I called a danger level of 3 (the highest available in the agreed procedure) and Richard immediately stopped the task.

“Team GB – all task are a STOP STOP STOP. All tasks are STOP STOP STOP. Land immediately”.

With Luke acknowledging the message, and Andy presumably already down, that was the last of the radio communications.

The next forty minutes were not pleasant. At all. As a Team Manager you feel very responsible for “your” pilots. Well I do, and talking to the other Team Leaders or Retrieve Drivers later in the evening, so does everyone else. Losing contact with Luke and Andy at the time of increased danger worried both me and Neil. Deciding not to try and second guess where Luke would fly, we based ourselves on the side of the main road by the side of the lake, giving us quick access to go wherever he landed. A gaggle of flex wing gliders were making approaches to the field next to the road. With power lines, a lake, a main road and with trees on the upwinside, it was not going to be easy bringing a glider down safely.

Dave "Balls as Earrings" May

 I recognised Aussie Dave Mays glider executing fast banked turns over the base leg of the field, obviously flying at speed to maintain full control in turbulence. If I hadn’t known what a tough time he was having, it would have been a spectacular display. But Dave’s mind must have been in mega-focus mode, basically fighting for a safe landing. Fight or flight. Very intense. With a fast turn in to wind he looked like he was on a roller coaster before finally and skilfully bringing the glider to a stop. The only comment he made afterwards was:

“I had balls as earrings during that landing!” Just about sums it up.

So where was Luke? No radio, no text message, not answering mobile. Come on boys, give us a clue. The longer the wait, the more the worry. Without dwelling on all the possible outcomes, you cannot help but think of what might have gone wrong…

Still no response to telephone calls. And then the phone rang.

“Hi Ben, Andy here with Luke in Doussard”.

“Thank goodness. How long have you guys been in?”

“Quite some time…”
I had been nearly 45 minutes since the task was stopped. A long time to be waiting.

With a mixture of relief that the boys were safe, and annoyance that they had not called in immediately Neil and I returned to Doussard. In seeing the boys at the bar I made it very clear that as a team there is a responsibility to let everyone know that you are safe immediately, especially after events like today. No-one likes being told what to do, but this is a serious part of flying. As a pilot your actions do have repercussions for other people. As Andy put it “There is no “I” in team”. Enough said. Move on.

A couple of beers later and were off to get supper at a local bar. Pizza, burgers and beer. Andy and Luke had flown really well today and Neil had made some adjustments to improve his glider. A challenging day, but a good day, with lessons learned by everyone.

Oh, and watch this space for the launch of a new trike...

Laurent Thevenot with his new collapsible trike