Shannon Glide In
Photos from this event can be viewed in the gallery -- click here.
What a day!!! From early morning the clans gathered, the young and the not-so-young, the sick, the lame and the dying. The call had gone out, "there's glider flying on Tountinna, will ye be there? And we answered loudly, " we will be there!" and they came, from Cork and Dublin and the Midlands and Kildare. The boys of Wexford came and the local lads from Limerick and Clare were there.
All day we flew. Early on, slope lift from the north gave people a chance to get some long flights in and check out the flying area. The positive lift encouraged more and more models into the air. Models climbing and diving, looping and rolling. What a sight! Every sort of glider was out there, 4 metre models, 2.5 metre floaters, 0.5 metre chuckies, 1.5 metre all singing and dancing glass and carbon machines. A feast for the eyes!
As the day progressed, slope lift faded and was replaced by thermal lift. It's not often we get thermal lift on the hills so this was a welcome challange to search out, find and stay in the thermals. Definitely not as easy as slope flying. It was fascinating to watch the models rise like home-sick angels only to drop out of the lift and struggle back to the hill to start all over again. A good test for everyone's patience and nerves.
Towards evening, the wind returned. It had changed to a north-west direction so we obediently changed with it. Now, we were working a different slope and the large scale 4m+ models came out to play. The sight of these models wheeling and screaming in flight is incredible and will remain in the memory for a long time to come.
While all this flying was going on, pilgrimages were taking place between the ridge face and the car park as people came and went in search of sustenance. Tea, coffee and sandwiches kept us going through-out the day.
Finally, after everyone had had they're fix, we reluctantly decided to call it a day. Models were de-rigged, cars re-packed and promises to do it all again soon were given. By about 7pm, all was peacefull on the hill.
But not for long because we will be back!!!!.