Among all goals that I set for myself in 2013 was to do dune/beach flying. It is similar to ridge soaring that I've already experienced, but different in several ways. First, airflow from the ocean is laminar, and second, if wind is not strong - all flying is done pretty close to the ground. I felt confident that I could do it, but anxious, too, as I've never done that kind of flying before.
....
Wellfleet (Cape Cod) was finally open for flying, and forecast was perfect for Sunday, October 13th.
When I got there, my anxiety eased a bit as there were plenty of people, and some of them I even knew. I was sure I'd get plenty of help and advice.
I set my glider up, got ready, and Phil, Carlos and Mike Abdullah helped me to get the glider to the launch. They coached me through the sequence and off I went. I had that naive thought in my mind that if wind is there, there is no way for me to sink out. But, as I learned, there were still different cycles, and wind's strength varied.
I picked a not very good cycle, and I didn't turn aggressively to position myself in the lift band. I was sinking out... My brain, however, refused to accept it for some weird reason.
Here is a video from my first attempt, and as you can see I didn't even get my feet out until 3 feet off the ground. Wheels hit the sand, and I went right through the control frame, but fortunately didn't bend anything, and didn't hurt myself.
I needed a reset. I carried my glider back to the bottom of walkway leading to the top of dune. Mike helped me to carry the glider up so no need to breakdown and setup again.
I gave it another go. This time, I waited for a stronger cycle, turned sooner - and up I went! Exciting!
It took me some time to relax and stop being stressed about the ground being so close. Gradually, I was getting the hang of positioning glider in the lift band, and working my way around other hang gliders, and paragliders.
I started really enjoying the experience. People walking on the beach would look up and I would wave. Lovely.
After a few passes in front of the launch, I got tired of all paraglider traffic. It was a bit too stressful to pay attention to so many elements at the same time. I decided to see how far I can fly along the shore.
Flying north wasn't an option for me that day. Each time I would get to a gap, I wouldn't have enough altitude to cross it. I went south. A few miles and 40 minutes later I saw a lighthouse and much wider gap that I didn't know if any glider could cross. I turned around and made it all the way back to the launch. Then repeated all that again. Two hours later, I started to get hungry, and decided to land while I was still doing great. For the first time in my flying, I landed because I wanted to, and not because I had to. Excellent!
Great day of coastal flying. Cannot wait to go back.
Big thanks to Michael Abdullah, Phil, Carlos and a few others whose names I don't know, who helped me that day. You guys are awesome!
Video of my successful launch (courtesy of Natalia K)
- Landed. Wellfleet, Cape Cod
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