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Good days and Bad Days!

It's funny how one can go for weeks with no calamities but then ......

Last Wednesday was a decent flying day and there were a number of members at the field.

For a time there was extraordinary thermal lift and a number of members were enjoying flying in such good conditions.

However, there were gremlins in the air!

I had climbed to what I later found out was a very high level. I am reluctant to say just how high! However, I decided that I had been flying for long enough, the pain in my neck convinced me! So I planned a descent.

It turned out to be a scary moment! My Phoenix flew from cloud to clear blue sky and for a moment I couldn't be sure which way up it was, what with the height and change from dark to light sky. By the time I managed to make sense of it, the Phoenix was diving vertically downwards at high speed! I tried to regain control with gentle movements so as not to rip the wings off! Nothing seemed to work! After a moment of sheer panic when nothing seemed to stop the downward disaster the Phoenix eventually pulled out of the dive and I seemed to have control again! Landing was a welcome relief after this episode!

Not everyone was so lucky!

A 'senior' colleague who has trained many pilots in his time, apparently suffered a similar incident with hisĀ  Bird of Time! The main difference was his landing was a bit 'heavy' due to the fact that the wings of his Bird folded before he got to the ground! It can happen to anyone!

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