Met up with Jeremy (Kiwi) and Olivier (French) at site 30-40 minutes south of Manila. Hard hike up 300 feet - I was soaked with sweat. Still at first, eventually started blowing in lightly. Of course, Jeremy had flown for an hour *yesterday*, landed because it was getting too thermic. They generally fly in the morning and late afternoon. We all had extendos, hiked back up for a second cycle. My first honest-to-goodness PG flight in over 7 months. Felt good! Veni, vidi, voli.
- Hugh
Paragliding Carmona, Philippines
Moderator: CHGPA BOD
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John Anderson
- Posts: 125
- Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2005 9:25 pm
- Location: Vienna, VA
Re: Paragliding Carmona, Philippines
Hugh-- Bravo for the recup and the re-launch! And welcome to Third World scratching (you scratch thru an hour+ of brush, up & up, to get to "launch") and diving (you dive off a stubbly, snaggly launch the size of a king-size mattress)-- I've done alot on 3 other continents, though not your current island abode. Some cool places, some high and some low, but one is usually greeted by screaming, smiling kids at the "LZ". And there are other rewards- keep scratching! --John
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rasmussenv
- Posts: 167
- Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2007 8:37 pm
- Location: Valerie in Northern Virginia
Re: Paragliding Carmona, Philippines
Congrats on the PG flight! Has your HG arrived? Will there be problems reassembling it? But ... if every launch is like that, maybe not a practical option? Woodstock is pretty close to my limit for a hike w/ HG, and that doesn't cause one to be soaked with sweat. If that hike caused it with a PG ...
Valerie
Re: Paragliding Carmona, Philippines
Car is sked to arrive 14 December, surface shipment (with HG) 24 December. The road up to Carmona is unusable even by 4WD truck - because construction equipment is chewing it up and they are PAVING it. This will be good when wind picks up in the monsoon season - HG should come in handy then. The French guy has a smaller "speed wing" PG for those conditions. Of course, they are building the road in order to put houses all over, so the life of the site may be finite...
Also, one of the PGers owns a factory near launch where I could possible store, certainly assemble, with help, the HG.
Last week, I went out to Angeles City Flying Club (two hours north - near former Clark AFB) which operates "ultralights" (they're too heavy, are now called "light sport aircraft" but we won't quibble). Got checked out in a Quicksilver MX II: Rotax 582, two seats, open seating, tube and fabric, 3-axis control. Bit sluggish with the instructor aboard - and LOUD - wearing earplugs next time, intercom notwithstanding - instructor communicates by hand-signal anyway... Bailed on returning yesterday to step up to the RANS S-12 (bit more substantial, enclosed cockpit - plexiglass all around so you can still see well) in favor of contacting the PG group - will revisit next week.
Took PG to Hong Kong for long Thanksgiving weekend, but got skunked: blown out for PG. On the last day, my local sponsor thought the declining trend might continue, so I humped the big backpack onto the historic Star Ferry across the harbor from Kowloon, onto the metro, and onto a suburban bus out to Shek-o ("Dragon's Back"). Hard 400 foot climb from bus stop/trailhead up to 800 foot launch, but it had ramped back up to 30-35 kph. Good hiking on top, spectacular views.
Downtown Hong Kong/Kowloon is one huge glittering high fashion shopping mall. We are getting our money back from the mainland Chinese! A nation of size 2 and size 0 women with straight hair who now must have name brand clothes and curls. (These are the "golden children" of the nouveau riche but there are a lot of them!) There were lines to get into Armani etc...
- Hugh
Also, one of the PGers owns a factory near launch where I could possible store, certainly assemble, with help, the HG.
Last week, I went out to Angeles City Flying Club (two hours north - near former Clark AFB) which operates "ultralights" (they're too heavy, are now called "light sport aircraft" but we won't quibble). Got checked out in a Quicksilver MX II: Rotax 582, two seats, open seating, tube and fabric, 3-axis control. Bit sluggish with the instructor aboard - and LOUD - wearing earplugs next time, intercom notwithstanding - instructor communicates by hand-signal anyway... Bailed on returning yesterday to step up to the RANS S-12 (bit more substantial, enclosed cockpit - plexiglass all around so you can still see well) in favor of contacting the PG group - will revisit next week.
Took PG to Hong Kong for long Thanksgiving weekend, but got skunked: blown out for PG. On the last day, my local sponsor thought the declining trend might continue, so I humped the big backpack onto the historic Star Ferry across the harbor from Kowloon, onto the metro, and onto a suburban bus out to Shek-o ("Dragon's Back"). Hard 400 foot climb from bus stop/trailhead up to 800 foot launch, but it had ramped back up to 30-35 kph. Good hiking on top, spectacular views.
Downtown Hong Kong/Kowloon is one huge glittering high fashion shopping mall. We are getting our money back from the mainland Chinese! A nation of size 2 and size 0 women with straight hair who now must have name brand clothes and curls. (These are the "golden children" of the nouveau riche but there are a lot of them!) There were lines to get into Armani etc...
- Hugh
Re: Paragliding Carmona, Philippines
Oooo - can you fly off Victoria Peak in Hong Kong? That would be worth getting arrested for.
Brian Vant-Hull
Re: Paragliding Carmona, Philippines
Ya, one could launch a hang-glider from the top deck of the Peak Tram terminus (getting it up there might be a hassle, but doable). There is currently a construction site downtown where one could land - wait six months and it'll have skyscrapers on it. The suburban site we went to would be a hard carry for HG, but with sufficient muscle and foolishness one could do it. Beach LZ would work at low tide. Lotsa hassle, maybe a fine for landing in the very expensive golf club just short of the beach.
Here in the Philippines, a wannabe is asking about launching HG from the volcano near the former Clark AFB (I fly powered ultralight near there). A german guy who imported sailplanes/gliders sez he followed the 4WD road up there, thought it too jungly to land on the lower slopes. From the air it looks like there are many landable areas, but you'd have to hire local farmers to help you carry a HG out. If you made it to the flats (I think one might), there still aren't good roads in musch of the rice-paddy country there, but with sufficient planning one might pull it off. there are other better established sites around, though...
Of note, yesterday, 8 December, was the 70th anniversary of when Macarthur had his entire air force destroyed on the ground at Clark, ensuring the loss of the entire Philippines. This was the same daylight period as the attack on Pearl Harbor although the date was a day later because of the date line. I think he had a few hours warning based on the Pearl Harbor attack - will research to be sure...
- Hugh
Here in the Philippines, a wannabe is asking about launching HG from the volcano near the former Clark AFB (I fly powered ultralight near there). A german guy who imported sailplanes/gliders sez he followed the 4WD road up there, thought it too jungly to land on the lower slopes. From the air it looks like there are many landable areas, but you'd have to hire local farmers to help you carry a HG out. If you made it to the flats (I think one might), there still aren't good roads in musch of the rice-paddy country there, but with sufficient planning one might pull it off. there are other better established sites around, though...
Of note, yesterday, 8 December, was the 70th anniversary of when Macarthur had his entire air force destroyed on the ground at Clark, ensuring the loss of the entire Philippines. This was the same daylight period as the attack on Pearl Harbor although the date was a day later because of the date line. I think he had a few hours warning based on the Pearl Harbor attack - will research to be sure...
- Hugh