Task 3, Croatia open

North wind was again waiting for us in the heights, I don't remember that kind of weather here in Istria since I am here. We where at take off Ucka again, rigging in hot sun and sitting on the ramp in cold bresse. That combination led to many back pain among the pilots.
Getting to the cloud base was harder today, quite tourbulent air again made the game interesting. My bad luck continued today as well, my VG got stuck in to a plastick ring. I tried to fix it in the air and managed somehow, but after next glide I was being thrown around again, trying to get the VG cord running.
From the start cilinder it all went out to the blue flats with out any cloud showing signs of thermals. I did not felt safe to fly with group of pilots with stuck VG on such a hard day. I slowly managed to released the VG and went for a landing.
Primoz won the day before Franc Peternel and Alan Sattler. So for now it looks like Primoz is leading before Franc and Stanislav Galovec. Slovenia on first three places.
Today we have a day off as rain woke us in the morning.
Sent from my Nokia phone

Croatia open, task 2, 102 km

Today we watched the clouds on Ucka who where telling us that there is surprise waiting for us up there. Stronger North wind then yesterday was calling for a rodeo. In the valley we should have an west wind. Task sent us over the flats with return to Ucka and a run to the flats again. I waited for the start outside under the cloud where I experienced one of the most severe tourbulence in my past years. North wind indeed. 5 minutes before the start I waiyed for too long under the dying cloud so I ended up strugelling for the better position for next start gate after 30 minutes. No chance to get back up from the lower ridge so I ended up on the official landing field with out even starting the race. 3 pilots made it to the goal with Stanislav Galovec was first in goal. Really bad that we don't have him in the team, maybe Davis can make some work for us :)
The weather is getting worse on Thursday so tommorow is maybe the last day.

Sent from my Nokia phone

Croatia open 2011

First task was made over the whole flying area in Istria. From take off Ucka towards Buzet, out to Motovun and back to landing bellow Ucka. Motovun a nice town on the hill where I spend almost half an hour scratching the castle, shortening the time to the tourists, but gain no height. Sea bresse stoped all who came low in to the valley of Motovun. Classical mistake in Istria. Primoz got first in with Balasz second and Franc Peternel third.
Sent from my Nokia phone

Camping in my home town

I supposed to go to Monte Cucco and join Jochen Zeischka for a 3 day flying at Sigillo, but he told me that the weather isn`t going to be good so he plans to come to my place.
I was happy to have a new pilot here and show him around the Soca valley. Regina also came so the company was too nice to stay at home, so I stayed in a camp for two days in my home town :)
We had two nice days that did not provide some extra flying distances but I had great time showing Jochen around the Soca valley. Flying with bald eagles was as interesting as the first day I saw them. They fly so close to us as they are used to us. We all had cameras with us so this is what it came out after two days. Watch it in HD.

Clouds are not just stamps in the sky

Most people who wander around this world with their eyes mostly to the ground don`t realise that when they look up to the sky and see the clouds, they are not just stamps in the sky. This things made of tinny small drops of water have depth, have volume. You don`t have a sense for that until you don`t actually get a chance to play with them. I had this chance once again now on the flight from Croatia. Easy smooth thermals where you could "touch" the cloud and play with them as they have been growing even bellow my height. The best game to play in the sky :)

Enjoy the vid in HD

From Croatia to Slovenia and Italy

When I started my first long flights in Tolmin I was usually lonely hang glider pilot on top of Kobala. Now I have almost always a nice company to fly with, or Alan or Slovenian pilots or Italian Lupo and Davide who join me most of the time here on Vipava ridge.

They both already tried to fly from Buzet to Slovenia, Lupo (ex-designer of Hazard wing) flew from Buzet to Gorica and then back to Vremscica.
They put up an idea to fly this route again and I was pleased to go with them. Nice cumulus clouds already in the morning showed that we should have our thermals marked for flying from Buzet up on the flats towards Slovenia and known Vipava ridge.

We where a bit late on take off, but so was the air as we saw after the take off. Slow progression to the cloud base and then step by step over the hills in Slovenia. I got lucky under the cloud and gain the height while Lupo and Davide struggled on Slavnik hill. I was searching for Vremscica to point my self up north but found it when I was already 10 km from it :) Slow thermals but enough to move on to the Vipava ridge. This should be easy to make but in the end I almost went down bellow Kovk take off. Blue sky over the ridge but I managed to jump to the Gorica ridge with a hang gliding ramp take off. Quite rough air, right on the ridge where I fly the most :) A rocket thermal got me to the 2000 m over paragliding take off on Lijak so there was no question any more about where to go on. Tolmin.
I never did that before so it was a flight to an unknown land again this days. Small cut over the plateau and clouds on the end of it drove me over the plateau with out big problems. There are also landing fields in this small valley so no problem about that.

Tolmin valley waited in sun so I said lets go on to make three countries in one day. I flew the general path towards Gemona in Italy and landed back in Tolmin.

We spoke on the phone with Lupo and Davide who retured back from the Vipava valley and tried to go back to Buzet. The day should be much much better to fly back to Buzet, but I wont say it is not possible. Scott Dougall who is in Tolmin on flying holidays was so kind to me that he drive me and the glider back to Nova Gorica. The retrieval of the car had to wait for one day.
I did a good job of making it steal safe as I left the lights open so I guess when I was flying over it over Vremscica airfield it was already dead :D

Looking forward for new adventures with this two guys :) It is always fun.