Chabre 2009

Monday, June 22, 2009

Video: Windy evening in Laragne

10pm: This is what the mistral looks like when it's blowing through the campsite at Laragne.

Video: Dennis Pagen measures sprogs

Dennis Pagen is a legend in flying circles. He’s written a dozen books and some 400 articles on free flight, and is as interested now in the sport and its various disciplines as he ever has been (he started flying in 1973). This short clip shows him measuring sprogs, which is what he has been doing all morning here in Laragne.

Sprogs are important to the safety of hang gliders – they help control a glider’s stability. The reason they are measuring them all here at the World Championships is to make sure they are all set to within safe limits.

Pilots interested in sprogs can read more here, on the British Hang Gliding Competitions site:

“There are concerns that many pilots are competing with sprogs set too low, improving their glide performance but compromising the glider's pitch stability. As a result there isn't a level playing field: pilots that are prepared to accept a lower safety margin gain a competitive advantage”

Monday 22 June: too windy

12.15pm: Word from the top of the hill is it's "really windy". That's technical talk for you. We are avoiding making forecasts on this blog: yesterday I heard it was mistral till Thursday then rain; today I hear we might fly tomorrow but wednesday is lining up to be fantastic. That's why this blog will be a forecast free zone. If it's flyable, we'll be flying.

10am: Forecast for today is for sun and strong north wind. So far, it is correct. Too windy to fly this morning. Updates throughout the day when things happen.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Video and photos: Opening ceremony

Some photos from the parade today. Everyone's smiling!

Music and drums by Batuc Calu

All the snaps from the opening ceremony are in this Flickr set.

Video: Opening ceremony: Team Colombia meets Team Japan

The opening ceremony has been ongoing since 5.30pm - about three hours. It's windy but sunny here in Laragne, and I think everyone is just happy to be here.

Klaus Ohlmann talk

Klaus Ohlmann has just finished giving a talk on the meteorology and aerology of the area. Klaus holds over a dozen world records in gliding and runs a gliding centre nearby. Last year your blogger was lucky enough to fly with him – he flies a double-seater Stemme – and wrote it up for the Financial Times.

The World Championships scorer Mark Graham has also flown with him.

If you want to fly with him, get in touch via his gliding centre, Quo Vadis.

School Art Competition

The local village schools have run a region-wide art competition with the theme of hang gliding. The results are hanging in the competition HQ. These are the winners. Well done to all who entered and congratulations to the winners!

Hang Gliding Art Exhibition

The town hall in Laragne is hosting a hang gliding art exhibition. These are some that caught the eye.

'La Petite Mistral'

So after eight days of good flying in Laragne - "the best week of the year" according to one of the organisers – we now have mistral. That means it's too windy to fly today. Tomorrow is the first task day, so we will wait and see.

Later on today there is a meteorology talk by multiple world record holder glider pilot Klaus Ohlmann, who lives and flies locally. Then at 5.30pm there is the official opening ceremony.

Wikipedia has a good page on the mistral:

The mistral in France is a cool or cold, often violent, and usually dry wind, blowing throughout the year but is most frequent in winter and spring. It blows from the northwest or north of Europe through the valley of the Rhône River to the Mediterranean

Organisers say what is blowing now is a 'petite mistral'. That is, it blows at 40 kmh, not 90 kmh.

It's not only a wind - it helps shape life in Provence. According to Wikipedia:

"The mistral plays an important part in the life and culture of Provence, The mas (farmhouse) traditionally faces south, with its back to the mistral. The bell towers of villages in Provence are often open iron frameworks, which allow the wind to pass through. The traditional Provençal Christmas crib often has a figure of a shepherd holding his hat, with his cloak blowing in the mistral."