Annecy Trip 2007 - Jason's second dbag attempt
The final flying day of our trip looked soarable, but we weren't going to have any epic XC flights this late in the year. Sebastien and his mate, Helen, Jason , and I all headed up to launch and took off just after midday, struggling to maintain altitude.
Jason launches first and is soon in the SIV landing field.
After a brief soaring flight and a ride back up in Sebastien's car we were soon all back at launch ready to try another dbag attempt. Jason took ages checking and double checking his equipment, but was eventually ready for another attempt. This time all the cameras were working.
Sebastien, a tandem pilot living in Switzerland, sets up on the launch mat.
Both pilots are in the air quickly and the launch goes far more smoothly this time, partly aided by a gentle breeze up the slope. I manage to film their launch before quickly stowing my camera and launching myself. With two people on the wing, they are out running me. Sebastien delivers Jason to the south end of Lake Annecy, where Jason deploys. Sebastien does an excellent job of filming the action up close(paraglider dbag video), and I manage to get a long shot of the drop.
We all land at the SIV field again. This time, in the excitement of the moment, I try to do a progressive entry SAT and it works. It is much less noisey and far lessg-force than a simple spiral dive. The slower descent rate also allows many more revolutions. This is my first 'intentional' SAT and entry and exit went very well. After landing we are lucky to be offered a lift back to take off from another guest of 'Masion du Moulin'. The five of us cram into an estate car already filled with hanggliding and camping gear and get an uncomfortable ride back to launch. This is our third flight of the day. We are getting a good dose of exercise making, the trip from the car park to launch each time, but the lift is patchy and within half an hour we are headed for the LZ again.
Back at launch for the fourth and final flight of the day, and in fact the whole trip, we see many pilots working the weakening lift. We get a memorable relaxing final flight before landing at dusk.
With failing lift the masses of pilots descend from the skies, filling the landing field with their brightly coloured wings. There is a contented chatter as pilots of many nationalities discuss the days flying adventures and pack up their gear. For us, it is the end of an eventful trip. We have met many great people, had some good, varied flying and enjoyed awesome scenery. I've amassed 13 hours in the air, performed my first SAT, and launched with a tandem pilot behind me and a parachutist in front. Jason has taught himself to dbag and we are both safe and sound. It's been a fantastic trip, but now it's time to head home.
|
