Evening groups up and running

Hurrah - the evening groups have begun again!

In a blaze of determination brought about by lack of flying we managed to fit the following activities into a couple of hours on Tuesday evening:

• Jump in the glider for a take off on 24 - wind at 90 degrees to take-off.
• Receive instruction to change runway to 06 from the tower.
• Strap most of the launch point to the buggy and race across the field before the tug lands.
• Sneak in some more flights vaguely in the direction of 06 - wind still at 90 degrees to take off.
• The evening tuggy, then rushed from cockpit to lectern to deliver a fascinating talk on mountain flying.

If field selection in flat lands causes dread, reading the instructions for emergency landing fields in the Alps is not for the feint of heart: My recollection of one such landing field is as follows:

"Fly over the first electrical wire, but under the second. With 18m wings, sideslip a lot to fit between the trees, then land on the first rock at no more than 60 knots, so that you only have a glancing blow on the second boulder at 45 knots... and do not land long: The lake at the end has piranhas with a taste for dehydrated glider pilots. Successful landings usually require retrieval by helicopter. Ratio of successful to unsuccessful lands so far is... "

I exaggerate for effect of course...

Then we dreamed of having the skill and nerve to soar amongst the magnificent peaks - whilst making "friends" with the chef at the pub, by ordering eight meals two minutes before his home time.

Fantastic!

Talk about squeezing a lot into a short amount of time.