Another Beautiful Shelar Evening
Sanjay and I drove to the site together just after the team. The wind was straight when we got there at 4 pm. The tandems were already in the air and students were ground handling and doing hops. Got to takeoff at past 5 and geared up. It was a full on Shelar evening with lift all over, strong wind above and getting high was the easiest thing in fact one had to fight to come down to land at sunset. It was even lifting as low as the final landing approach making it pretty tricky. Dag took Hiren on a full on acro tandem and introduced him to the subtleties of a good spiral.
Tranquil Skies
Although the wind was cross when we reached the site in the afternoon it turned earlier than last week. I can see that we are approaching the ‘Full On’ Shelar summer days. A nice steady wind coming in straight meant good lift and the possibility of wandering about in the sky. Spotted a long bill vulture after ages which along with surreal skies made the day special
Crosswinds
A cold north wind penetrating all the way down to the peninsula ensured ‘iffy’ conditions at Shelar. I was able to stay up for half hour of scratching along the little south face. The wind was cross coming from the north – a phenomenon we are seeing a lot of for the last month or more. Managed to stay at takeoff level for a while but the wind was mild and the small face to the left was not much help. It feels good to be airborne.
The Restitution Rules
Again this weekend the wind is cross and mild. But patient paragliders got the most amazing flights. Characteristically the afternoon began with us all hanging about in the shade of the 3 Bhendi trees by the landing field. As the evening progressed the restitution gracefully slid in and Sunil, Ron and I enjoyed the smooth buoyant conditions that characterize this wonderful site. Ron a helicopter pilot who came in from the US said he simply enjoyed the silence and the cool welcoming air above. The students too did a stint on the lower slopes as well as solo flights. Guess the skylark we saw while walking through the fields was a good omen after all!