summer arrives on Wednesday afternoon

Wednesday brings a steady wind but virtually no thermal or slope lift to the hallowed North Downs.

Blaze is set to be the model of 2010

rare evidence of a man multi-tasking as he throws his hat and his wing

The chaps rely on electric assist, bolstered by bbq updrafts to get any kind of sustained flight, then just as the football ends the sky finally comes alive.

nano-paras core out a rather consistent thermal







'gizza fag'












lawn chair cruising...must be summer!




"have you got a copy of 'Fly Spotting' by J.R Hartley?"

Martin makes good use of the Sunshine

Paul's new foamie coaxes the lift

Paul turns up with his new bargain priced foamie which performs jolly well. As soon as he takes to the sky, thermals abound over the castle and the hill and sky come alive for a glorious summer's evening of fine, smooth soaring.

Summer is here...hooorah!! Let's hope it stays for a good while.

meat

meat

battery death

Sunny, breezy day on Sunday. Several of the regulars head out to Wrotham, but Thurnham sill puts on a good spread despite a slight southerly nod to the wind. Sadly though, the camera batteries died 5minutes into the day.

David's lovely K8

nearly a summers evening

building up some kinetic energy

releasing some kinetic energy

and again

an evening for low passes

focused on the task at hand

alula demonstrates its stealthy properties

more visible closer in

a glimpse of the sun

packing the toys away

Sunday letdown

The morning is jolly good by all accounts. 3pm brings a storm and it all goes to pot. The wind dies and when it does decide to pick up again, swings firmly north west.

the storm cometh

having touched the stone of Christ and developed a stigmata,

Trev decides he's now blessed enough to dodge the lightening with his indoor fliers

very, very, very close pass (camera man papped his pants)

a clear demonstration of calm air

the storm pass-eth away

do you know this woman?

Last spotted fraternising with the afternoon shift saddos, and nearly seen holding a transmitter....

frustration at Farthing

High winds and low lift make for grovelly conditions at blown out Farthing Common. Rob, Steve, Mitch, Eric F, Paul and Deryck turn up with high hopes. They end the day with dashed spirits as the picturesque hump in the Downs fails to deliver the goods.

Steve hunts for that elusive low altitude thermal

bizarre found object no.03....the combat cod piece

you never know, he may grow up......one day

three way mash up

maximum lift ceiling of the day

Deryck about to throw his tranny down in disgust






home time

Jason flickerty flicking

Jason enjoys his Binary off the hill

double dip

While office workers across the land gaze out of their air conditioned battery pens at the blue sky, there's a crowd on the hill doing their best to help the country sink deeper into economic crisis.

It feels like the first proper strong conditions day of the year, there's a moderate breeze with some stonking thermals bubbling up. The sink between is severe, but the bigger thermals can be worked back over the hill.

one of Batman's arch enemies arrives, and the slope side takes on a sinister slant

clickerty, click, click, flickerty flick






still hunting the Fuhrer's foamie

launch of the Binary

lovely little model

Flying Fish halts at the edge of frame

on clearing the patch, Paul finds the face of Christ in a flint. The first sermon of Latter Day Slopers will be in the cow shed at 9.30am on Sunday

Hopeless Holly

We try Holly again on Sunday afternoon, but the 2mph breeze is just a bit too far east and the slope isn't working. After a walk of shame from Paul, and with the prospect of a warm summer's evening we head back to Thurnham for some lipo liftage.

either a Common Blue, or a Chalk Hill Blue or perhaps an Adonis Blue? other suggestions welcome

shorts season

the Radian

the Radian strikes back

return of the Radian