tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5417493507299871922018-12-06T08:02:43.920+00:00Fly higher, further, better, faster - no glass ceilingsPat Dowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01888965474028348372noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541749350729987192.post-53638159137314983642017-04-24T15:57:00.002+01:002017-04-24T16:02:57.614+01:00

For XC flying, even on the latest,best EN A gliders, use of the speed bar is a big benefit. In summary: It helps you improve your glide over the ground in sink and in a headwind. It helps you reach obvious climbs quicker. It improves your XC speed and therefore your distance. It might be needed to keep up with other pilots which will allow you to work with a gaggle rather than alone. Many

Pat Dowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01888965474028348372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541749350729987192.post-82286366688362132732017-04-02T11:28:00.001+01:002017-04-02T11:28:52.280+01:00

In tough, weak conditions, even experienced XC pilots might choose to climb in every bit of usable lift. To make more of the day, using the better lift definitely helps you progress along your route quicker. Even on quite average days in the mountains it is possible to cover many km at a time following good lines, without doing a single 360 turn. Flying from the Tolmin area of Slovenia is a great

Pat Dowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01888965474028348372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541749350729987192.post-34425010475088521782017-01-25T12:30:00.000+00:002017-01-25T12:48:13.094+00:00

I am really looking forward to a brand new event "FlyFurther" which I am privileged to be involved with in June. FlyFurther is a cross country flying event aimed at helping pilots learn more, improve their PBs and have adventures flying in the wonderful Julian Alps in Slovenia -  a location of many record flights over the years.  I'll be working alongside: - Brett Janaway of xTc

Pat Dowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01888965474028348372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541749350729987192.post-35132144766301552162016-01-18T20:34:00.000+00:002016-01-18T20:34:27.360+00:00

If your sanity is crumbling as the winter blues hits hard, I have a couple of suggestions. The first is a brilliant book by X-Alps pilot John Chambers called Hanging In There. It tells the story his participation and 5th place finish in the 2013 Re Bull X-Alps. I loved it. It is a great account and helps the reader appreciate the struggle and the elation. The flying side of it is great of

Pat Dowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01888965474028348372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541749350729987192.post-38551775422964128942015-12-30T15:00:00.003+00:002015-12-30T15:03:56.860+00:00

Beautiful! Well – it was with great sadness a few days ago that I said good bye to my Gin Boomerang 10. It is a quite stunning wing with a level of purity and refinement that I have never before experienced. Letting such a crisp, high performing and great handling glider go was a wrench. But for me it was the right decision. Competition level gliders require sharp skills and close attention

Pat Dowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01888965474028348372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541749350729987192.post-53597244692292350242015-11-24T23:44:00.001+00:002015-11-26T08:56:45.481+00:00

Old lessons, new manoeuvres, assessing wings and skills... I was delighted when Toby Colombé at Passion Paragliding said he had space for me on his wing control course in Oludinez in October. As ever it was great to learn in a group and Toby’s special talents, helped by the impressive Mike Agnew eased us all along. I am indebted to Sigmund Aamodt for allowing me to use some photos and footage

Pat Dowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01888965474028348372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541749350729987192.post-38901547339234749432015-09-24T16:28:00.001+01:002015-09-24T16:39:13.882+01:00

The September weather has allowed a bit of reflection time in between flying the new Skywalk Cayenne 5 for Cross Country Magazine and some necessary work. Big XCs at home and abroad, my first PWC for 21 years; a small but regrettable airspace infringement; my first reserve throw: its been fun! I have loved flying the Boomerang 10 this season: the step up in performance; the handling; the

Pat Dowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01888965474028348372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541749350729987192.post-14855964580832975432015-02-16T12:17:00.000+00:002015-02-18T16:53:19.063+00:00

After much agonising and talking to as many World Championships pilots as I could, I finally opted for the Gin Boomerang 10 as my weapon of choice. Taking delivery of my first ever Gin wing was a pleasure! The construction and detail are staggering and Gin have a beautifully finished product. My all-up weight of about 95kg is 5kg below the top and seems a good place to start and I can go

Pat Dowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01888965474028348372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541749350729987192.post-40834495600065332552015-01-24T21:07:00.000+00:002015-01-27T07:09:49.994+00:00

A few days in the sun in January for Cross Country Magazine gave me first chance to try the high EN B gliders from UP and Advance. At Cross Country we are always looking for new ways to explore the gliders we fly. A day over the water at Monaco under the watchful eye of Russ Ogden gave us a really interesting perspective on these two fine wings. My first stall on the Summit XC3 Not the best

Pat Dowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01888965474028348372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541749350729987192.post-43081121767114978252014-12-29T10:40:00.001+00:002014-12-29T17:25:29.349+00:00

As well as having some beautiful scenic flying on clear winter's days, this is good time of year to practice skills. For example: why not do a few exercises to improve your gliding ability by developing your rear-riser control? Rear riser control is accepted by most top level pilots as an essential skill on 2-liners and is also very useful for a much wider range of pilots and gliders. Using the

Pat Dowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01888965474028348372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541749350729987192.post-47552183512746849682014-11-18T11:29:00.002+00:002015-03-30T21:04:35.811+01:00

A pilot I am helping told a tale of a recent where he just did not feel happy in the air and went to land. Other pilots continued to fly and seemed fine. He worried that he was losing his touch! In this situation, digging deep with the pilot can reveal or sorts of reasons but many pilots just have days when they are happy and other days when they are not even though conditions seem the same. So

Pat Dowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01888965474028348372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541749350729987192.post-16718404782586071022014-07-19T17:39:00.002+01:002015-03-30T21:06:07.837+01:00

Pedro Bernardo on the South side of the Sierra Gredos in central Spain delivered 7 tasks out of a possible 7. Not that the flying was easy and many good pilots found consistency eluded them. A big test came on the last day for the day 6 leader Manuel Quintanilla. A strong westerly flow and a cross wind task was going to be a test of skill, judgement and determination. The young Mexican had a 150

Pat Dowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01888965474028348372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541749350729987192.post-52694450339801901562014-07-05T09:40:00.001+01:002014-07-05T09:40:29.402+01:00

Friday was simply beautiful, with nice cumulus, convergence and comfortable winds. 101km flight to goal and lots of happy faces, including me. Bold moves were rewarded fairly often so it is easy to feel excited and pleased. I was nearly crying after final glide needing 12:1. I diverted for a low save which cost a few minutes. The feeling was one of relief rather than frustration! Now at 9th in

Pat Dowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01888965474028348372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541749350729987192.post-15167446819716265382014-07-02T16:57:00.001+01:002014-07-02T17:21:24.114+01:00

On the second day of bad weather, it has been possible to reflect back on the Spanish Championships task 2, 157km  elapsed time race. The earliest starters were at 13.50. I started at 14.10 and winner (Francisco Reina) started at 14.25. Reina made the classic elapsed time strategy work by storming through the field to arrive only a few minutes behind the first to finish in 3hrs 48. Another top

Pat Dowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01888965474028348372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541749350729987192.post-67379623921367348082014-07-01T09:45:00.001+01:002014-07-02T16:38:56.082+01:00

Pre-frontal conditions gave the chance of a classic long flight to goal just shy of 160km. Sensibly an elapsed time task was set to cut down on time spent waiting in potentially windy lee-side conditions. I delayed my start a bit as climbs were weak in the early afternoon, although I didn't play too much brinkmanship and rejected the idea of waiting for the final gate. It was a really mixed

Pat Dowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01888965474028348372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541749350729987192.post-38640979805611974152014-06-30T09:24:00.001+01:002014-06-30T09:24:53.107+01:00

Day 1 A great starter task of a little under 70km after a front had cleared during the night. We had 2 turnpoints before the start which meant that the field formed into to different groups. Having turnpoints before the start can fool some instuments. No problem on Flytec and Flymaster but LK8000 did not appear to support that option. Any ideas? Once I had re-tuned to my IP7pro, having been

Pat Dowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01888965474028348372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541749350729987192.post-33762649286884588432014-06-07T17:15:00.001+01:002014-06-07T17:15:42.238+01:00

For most of us, even after a succession of good flights, there is always the chance of a disappointment just around the corner. Or in my case, two disappointments in one week. The first came on a mediocre day, but there was definitely more to be had. The second was a largely blue south-westerly day from Eyam edge in Derbyshire. I was in the air first but with the low level wind WSW the ridge was

Pat Dowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01888965474028348372noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541749350729987192.post-86150408974869479772014-04-16T11:10:00.001+01:002014-04-17T09:24:54.779+01:00

I looked with envy at those souls who got out on Monday and Tuesday this week with more great flights. Hugh Miller and Guy Anderson led the way with the first two double tons of the year; congratulations fellows! Thanks to Helen Gant for the lovely photo from last Friday with me on the IP7 Pro. On the way from Wether Fell. Photo Helen Gant

Pat Dowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01888965474028348372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541749350729987192.post-10827983662595992642014-04-13T19:26:00.001+01:002014-04-14T14:25:10.892+01:00

Friday 11th April got lots of people very excited, especially in the north of England. Pilots in the South headed for Bradwell in Derbyshire and those already in the North headed for Wether Fell in the Yorkshire Dales, which promised better air over a longer distance. Other than a quick warm up ridge soar on Mam Tor, this was my first proper flight on my IP7 Pro, so I was even more excited. I was

Pat Dowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01888965474028348372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541749350729987192.post-45007801497861595462014-03-23T09:50:00.001+00:002014-03-23T09:50:12.620+00:00

Many thanks to all the pilots who came to the North of England events and the South of England ones in collaboration with Flybubble. Every time I do these courses I love getting the ideas and perspectives from different pilots and this is one of the important things which allows the courses to continue to evolve. We had one really interesting discussion about the 5 thermalling methods and why

Pat Dowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01888965474028348372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541749350729987192.post-60671206872718550272014-03-06T08:46:00.001+00:002014-03-06T08:46:39.964+00:00

The wettest winter on record doesn't seem to have stopped the early spring thermals forming despite a few gloomy predictions from some pilots. It will be interesting to see how all the damp ground affects things. I fully expect lots of big flights again this year although climbs may be a bit more gentle and start a bit later in the day until the ground really dries out. Weak lift often means

Pat Dowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01888965474028348372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541749350729987192.post-28343758874601787982014-01-17T08:48:00.000+00:002014-01-17T08:48:45.683+00:00

Jean-Baptiste Chandelier has excelled himself again. This beautiful 5 minute video might be best bit of your whole day!  Click here to view "Touch"

Pat Dowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01888965474028348372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541749350729987192.post-72284030591610288982014-01-13T10:09:00.001+00:002014-01-14T15:16:44.034+00:00

Many fine minds have been working away to try and untangle competition gliders from the EN Certification system. It makes sense: safety does not appear to have improved by making the best pilots in the world fly EN D gliders and there have been a whole raft of unintended consequences. The latest proposals from CIVL have a lot to commend them but are fraught with compromises demanded by bodies

Pat Dowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01888965474028348372noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541749350729987192.post-24993981851183022892014-01-07T15:24:00.000+00:002014-01-10T12:52:37.200+00:00

I am delighted to announce a new collaboration with Flybubble to offer a special event in the South of England. Actually it's two events over two days. Before the season properly starts, we are aiming to give pilots the best possible leg-up for their XC flying. Pilots can attend either or both of the days depending on what their needs are. Day 1 is the renowned XC workshop, refined and developed

Pat Dowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01888965474028348372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541749350729987192.post-70287260912881121162013-12-23T10:26:00.000+00:002013-12-23T10:26:03.724+00:00

Recent discussions about wing choice with a pilot I have been helping have reminded me about the information that pilots have to unpick, before placing their order. The pilot in question has good core skills and thermal and XC experience. However a demanding job has limited his airtime, especially in the the last 12 months. It is now widely recognised just how wide the EN B class is. At the top

Pat Dowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01888965474028348372noreply@blogger.com6