Tales

The Neil Slinger & Mark Hobson Story

3 Hours 17 minutes on the east face of Mam Tor

A rather windy morning on 3rd October did not look promising and after the usual debate as to which site to use, Neil Slinger and Mark Hobson settled on the east face of Mam Tor. Bill Morris reports that their decision was to result in a flight of 3 hours and 17 minutes.

To Neil the wind seemed too strong (about 20mph) for a large canopy so he choose to fly his Paramount 9/200 which he knew to be fast and have good penetration. After putting on his warm clothing and fixing his seat to his harness, he made a good clean launch about 200 feet below the top of the hill and found immediately that with a touch of brake he gained lift.

To start with he had to work hard, for though there was lift it was close to the hill and with the speed of the canopy he could easily fly out too far and loose it. the weather was fair, no clouds at first and with some thermal activity which gave Neil a 400 feet height gain at one stage but which also led to one loss of lift which he had to fight hard against, by turning back at the hill. He went looking for lift on the saddle between Mam Tor and Loose Hill but found that though there was lift he lost a lot of height getting there and then racing back to the better lift on the East Face.

The first hour passed quite quickly and the second hour seemed slightly easier, though Neil had to find ways of relieving the strain on his arms. He tried back risering, which was productive but needed too much arm strength. As a left hander he found his right arm started to hurt first, so he gripped his harness at half brake with his right hand and controlled the canopy purely by letting up or pulling on the left. As well as this he took both toggles in one hand and found this to be comfortable, possibly because the muscle groups he was using were different. Neil twisted his wrists to relax them and at one stage, feeling a bit of a wally, even flew with his arms straight out in front of him. He also developed a stiff neck looking around and behind as there was activity from aeromodellers and hang gliders, both of which he could see and posed no problems.

There were other canopies in the air from time to time and Neil did feel some dirty air in their wash, usually higher up which caught him by surprise. He was able to ride some of the better lift by small applications of brake, if he was blown too far backwards he used the speed of the canopy to fly forwards, sometimes in the downdraught and he describes the technique like being on a ferris wheel. Halfway through the second hour Neil was determined to do two hours and on passing that target set his mind on two and a half. He was feeling sorry for his observer Mark Hobson, who was waiting below, so he shouted down he would go for three hours and then come down. The shadows were getting longer and the wind getting more ragged with stronger gusts. This kept Neil switched on and he moved further out from the slope so that he had more height if he needed to recover from any instability.

The biggest problem of the day was getting down! Neil had picked a spot on the ground and had been trying to stay over it as this helped his concentration. After three hours he did an extra five minutes for any penalty and then started to descend. He had wanted to do a pure top landing but sensibly decided that with his tiredness and the effect of cold, he did not want to find himself struggling on the ground in the compression area on the top. He front risered to about 20 feet off the slope and balanced a landing onto the slope. He collapsed the canopy easily and sat down to regain his circulation in his arms and backside. Though tired, he was perfectly comfortable and after a rest walked the 60 metres to the top.

Neil felt he had picked the right canopy for his weight, 11 ½ stone, and the conditions. The flight, though strenuous was exhilarating and, he felt, achievable by anyone. Many of the hang gliders had seen his flight and were very impressed, and Neil was congratulated by members of the Sheffield HGC. Neil is a member of Bollington PC. He has flown a lot in the Peak District, and this flight replaced Neil's own existing national record of one hour and nineteen minutes, achieved on 20th June at Parlick Pike in Lancashire. Neil currently leads the Parascending Duration League and his total time, without this score, is 175 minutes over five flights. There are currently at least five people who have done the hour in the UK and maybe one day someone will stay up all day. Neil is to be congratulated on this time. He has shown what is possible and started to show the kind of skills that will have to be learnt for the future. His next plans include some distance flights along ridges before tackling the idea of cross country flights. It couldn't happen to a nicer guy!

Steve Thompson of Sheffield Hang Gliding Club, who also took photographs comments : "Surely the next important step in foot launched canopy soaring will be when someone manages to soar from dawn to dusk, enabling the emphasis to move from duration to much more interesting records : height gain, distance... There is, for example, the potential for some quite interesting out and return flights along ridges."

Source : Skywalker Sept to October 1987.

Sorry Neil, couldn't resist! Pete:-)

A paramotor flight from Sandbach to SkyLincs, North Luffenham, Lincolnshire, 8th July 2007

2hrs 45 mins. 150km.

Got into the air 07.45. Marginal forward/reverse launch decision, opted forward, and with a newly fitted electric start, it was a dream to fire-up when ready, briefly warm-up and then checking line pressure balanced, apply maybe 1/3rd power and away in 5 steps. I circled over my field so as not to disturb locals and eased myself up to 500 ft before slipping trimmers to fast and hooking boots into the speed bar.

Before launch the mind games bring their little dollop of self doubt, but once in the air, I feel very comfortable.

Jason, a local flying buddy who flies out of a field near J16 M6 was texting while I was setting up, he was going to try and photo a friends house near Beeston, a wedding prezzy.

I crossed the rugby club at Sandbach at 800' and followed the M6 down towards Keele services, where I would turn left a bit. The met looked ominous out to my right, out west, but I was going south then east, so not my problem!

I got sandwiched between low scuddy grey cloud and the hills at Keele (the forested kink in the M6) and felt a little uncomfortable, and opted to stay the M-way side of the hills on the left which looked a bit razorbacked and rotory. I was getting cross wind from the right, a south westerly breeze. Once past the main hill there I slipped across to a main road that parallels the M6 and took me down to Stone.

On a direct line in the far distance was a lake with a dam. I couldn't see it yet so just maintained track with compass, boot mounted ball type. I always get leg shake when I extend my foot to orient the line on the compass, and it amuses me as the compass self gyrates to the rhythm.

I also had cooling towers to look for....a lesson here, I had not previously realised that arrow point clusters on the air chart were cooling towers. i spotted them anyway, quite quickly in the into-sun haze, and soon the lake, just glinting as a thin line on the horizon. It was my 1hr check point. only 15 mins to get that far! I arrived 5 mins late.

I took a photo of Tattenhill airfield as I passed what would have been their climb-out. i was looking directly down the runway from about 3 miles out. The lake had been quite spectacular, sun reflecting and the big dam. The dam was a major help in getting the next bit right. I had to head not quite 90 degrees from its line but just north of that heading. the map from here was a blur of nothingness for some distance until Burton on Trent and Tattenhill was a route confirmation. I just stuck with compass and hunted out any distant reference points that corresponded with the map. The Trent valley and Burton itself, north of my track ahead on the left, was all I needed.

I got a thermic dose of some farm dung pit, and it lasted for ages. The Trent had flooded the valley plains. No wonder I couldn't find this ribbon of lakes on the map, they were temporary. From Burton, I had another map, folded alongside my 1/2 mill air map in the flt deck, which was a road map all the rest of the way. The two maps gave different info and helped with village to village nav or long distance nav. The airchart only shows obviously visible features, the road map close detail. I couldn't afford a mistake here East Midland control zone was just on my left.

After the Trent, I found the top of the M42 then Coalville with a massive open cast quarry/mine and took a couple of photos down into the depths, the stepped sides relieved dramatically by the sun light. It was nice and warm now, had been cooler earlier. I needed a pee.

From Coalville and its masted hill, I had Leicester to find on my right and then, past another raised area of ground, a hidden Rutland water. Got some shots of the city south of me and then Rutland Water as I approached. At this point I could relax. I had fuel, I knew that, I knew where I was and there was only Cottesmore and Wittering MATZ stubs to dip below....no real need on a Sunday, but best practice just in case either was a diversionary. Lower down it was warmer still as I rounded the pointed tip of the lake and worked my way over the caravan park and Luffenham service accommodation blocks and the rotting Mig. I photo'd the scouts' camp ground and videod Glenn on tow with a passenger (almost got him in shot for a half second) and then noticed more parked cars....hmm aero models, so turned towards the parascending Launch Point, sharpish to keep out of their way, cut engine and landed. 2hrs 45 mins. 8.75 ltrs used, 150k. and a long pee. Had a cuppa in Steve's winebago trailer wagon....he was flat out on the bed, knackered.

Jason got 10 mins into his flight when the exhaust swung into his prop. he killed the engine ahead of major damage and landed. there followed a faff walking back to the car and collecting his gear.

Vinod gave me a lift back after we'd flown everyone, but Pete was there offering a lift too, thanks chaps.

So in order of magnitude I've done Southport from Manchester, loose plug landed me on the way back. I've done Sandbach to Darley Moor, Airways airpark, out and back.. minus 6 carb icing etc, that was the Skywings write-up. Then I did Sandbach to Otherton, the microlight field on the left near M6 J12/13. Nice bunch there, very welcoming. Then I did Sandbach up to Model Ridge in Cleveland (190km) via the low level up to Thelwall, past Barton, right of Winter Hill, up the M66 and M65 to Burnley then across to Ripon and then upto cloudbase to avoid Leeming Dishforth MATZ'z and then the final warmer descent over Northallerton and then along the hills to Model Ridge...great run that, very pretty. 3 hrs 5 mins. Then last week the Luffenham run. Nationals was a day after day 40k 70k etc series of tasks which were just massive experiences. I missed no sticks in the low-level slaloms and speed work, and missed only 3 gates all competition and would have come 3rd but for an error. I fell over walking away from a DC on the target and lost 500 points!! ironic or what...so 8th place and reserve pilot for the UK team in China for the worlds. I probably wont go, unless someone drops out soon, which I cant see happening. So, progress. Great fun and like the Bollington crew, all pilots I've met in PPG are very genuine easy going people.

By Neil Slinger 7/07