19 April 2013 PCS-LOQ-RNI-PCS
(von KATE BYRNE)
Flight in SGC's DG505 Orion, 5GC. P1 John Williams.
(von KATE BYRNE)
Flight in SGC's DG505 Orion, 5GC. P1 John Williams.
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19 April 2013 PCS-LOQ-RNI-PCS
(von KATE BYRNE) Flight in SGC's DG505 Orion, 5GC. P1 John Williams. |
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| 10:40 - 10:45 | Takeoff from Portmoak |
| 10:45 - 11:11 | Scratching in weak thermal conditions. V light W wind. |
| 11:12 - 11:20 | Down to circuit height... before catching good climb off Vane Hill and climbing to about 3000' to set off. |
| 11:20 - 11:30 | Task start at 12.20 BST. Heading for the Ochils via Kinross and Balado. |
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11:30 - 11:32
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Crossing the Ochils around 12.30 local. Cloudbase not that high. |
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| 11:32 - 11:48 | Heading on across the flat plain between Ochils and start of the hill country near Crieff. |
| 11:48 - 11:51 | Low point crossing plain between Ochils and Crieff - head for hills. |
| 11:51 - 12:12 | Lift steadily improving as we come over the higher ground. Sensation of climbing up a ridge line, almost like walking on the hills. |
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12:13 - 12:15
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First view of Loch Tay on way north, with Ben Lawers beyond. V light NW wind at this point. |
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| 12:16 - 12:19 | Heading NW, slowly gaining height. |
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12:19 - 12:20
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Heading north for the pass between Tarmachan Ridge (on left) and Ben Lawers (on right). |
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12:20 - 12:22
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Crossing Loch Tay, looking east. |
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12:22 - 12:25
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Passing Ben Lawers. |
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12:25 - 12:28
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Looking WNW over Loch an Daimh (Stuchd an Lochain on left) towards Glencoe. Mamores and Nevis on horizon towards the right. |
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12:28 - 12:31
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Looking north across Loch Rannoch towards the Ben Alder hills (I think). |
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12:31 - 12:40
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Heading towards the Grey Corries. |
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12:41 - 12:42
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Looking NW, Loch Rannoch and Ben Alder on right, Grey Corries on left. |
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12:40 - 12:43
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Loch Ericht and Ben Alder. |
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12:44 - 12:45
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Looking back (SW) across Blackwater Reservoir and Rannoch Moor, towards the Glencoe hills. |
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12:45 - 12:46
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Heading towards Ben Nevis and the Grey Corries; Mamores on left. |
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12:46 - 12:47
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Could have done with a higher cloudbase. :-) |
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12:47 - 12:52
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Loch Ossian and Beinn na Lap, with Grey Corries beyond. |
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12:53 - 12:54
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Loch Trieg and the Easains. |
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12:54 - 12:55
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Passing the Grey Corries. |
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12:55 - 12:56
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Looking NE to Loch Laggan and Creag Meagaidh. |
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12:56 - 12:57
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Topping up at north end of Loch Trieg (looking south over the Easains). |
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12:57 - 13:02
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Looking back at the Grey Corries. |
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13:03 - 13:06
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Approaching Loch Lochy, with Loch Arkaig beyond. |
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13:06 - 13:07
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Looking NE along Loch Lochy and the Great Glen. |
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13:07 - 13:08
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Near Spean Bridge, looking back towards Ben Nevis. |
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13:08 - 13:09
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Crossing the Great Glen! |
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13:09 - 13:10
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Looking west along Loch Lochy. |
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13:09 - 13:10
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Arriving on the slopes of Meall na Teanga (north shore of Loch Lochy). This was taken once we were established in the thermal and climbing - we were just a tad lowish before that. (Fields available at the southern end of the loch.) |
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13:10 - 13:11
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One of the high spots (metaphorically) of the flight. This is the first of a series taken as we climbed over the spectacular Coire Lochain on Meall na Teanga... |
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13:10 - 13:11
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...next in the Coire Lochean series... |
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13:11 - 13:12
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...next in the Coire Lochean series... |
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13:11 - 13:12
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...next in the Coire Lochean series... |
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13:12 - 13:13
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...next in the Coire Lochean series... |
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13:13 - 13:14
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3800' QNH on Meall na Teanga (3010'); almost ready to leave the beautiful Coire Lochain. |
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13:15 - 13:16
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Setting off NE from Meall na Teanga; Loch Arkaig on the left. |
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13:16 - 13:17
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Looking back towards Ben Nevis (top is just in cloud), across Loch Arkaig. |
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13:17 - 13:23
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First turning point in sight! Loch Quoich, with Gairich to its left. |
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13:24 - 13:28
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Running in along the ridge lines to Loch Quoich dam. Gairich to the left of the loch. |
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| 13:28 - 13:29 | First turning point, LOQ. (Loch Quoich East) |
| 13:30 - 13:45 | Beginning the second leg. One of the low points. Fields picked by loch, but found lift over the hills on left. Google Earth doesn't show the windfarm that's now on this hillside. |
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13:46 - 13:47
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Hieght regained and now established on the second leg ENE towards Rhynie. Heading towards Fort Augustus and Loch Ness. |
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13:47 - 13:48
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Looking SW towards Nevis and Loch Lochy, from near Fort Augustus. |
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13:48 - 13:50
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Crossing back over Loch Ness and the Great Glen. |
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13:51 - 14:10
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Second leg was the easy one, in middle of the day with strong thermals, a tail wind and much less challenging terrain. |
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14:11 - 14:16
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On the second leg, heading eastwards with Cairngorms on the right... |
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14:16 - 14:17
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...and the Moray Firth and Inverness on the left. |
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14:18 - 15:08
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Remainder of second leg to Rhynie (RNI) uneventful. Should probably have taken advantage of easy conditions and tailwind to climb higher, before turning into WSW wind for third leg homewards. |
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| 15:09 - 15:10 | Second turning point, RNI (Rhynie). |
| 15:11 - 15:42 | On third leg. Now heading SW into gradually strengthening WSW wind, with thermals slowly dying. |
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15:42 - 15:55
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Got a very good climb just north of Aboyne, to hgihest point of the flight (around 7000'). Setting off southwards over the mountains from Aboyne. Cloudbase high on this side of the country - which is good as we have a lot of rough terrain ahead. |
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15:56 - 16:04
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Passing Lochnagar and Loch Muick. |
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16:04 - 16:09
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Heading south across the last set of mountains, with comfortable head-room now. |
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16:10 - 16:21
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Crossing the Cairngorms, via Spittal of Glenshee, with landable fields within reach. Finding odd bits of lift but gradually descending, as the thermals start to fade. |
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16:22 - 16:23
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Reached the flat lands of Angus, near Backwater Reservoir. Now begins the slow tip-toe home in the evening, with dying thermals and a strengthening head-wind. |
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16:24 - 17:13
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Turned slightly downwind, towards Dundee. Steadily descending and willing to take any lift going. Down to about 2000' in the hills just north of Dundee. Considering landing options, and trying to contact Perth and Errol - but they seemed to have gone home for the night. |
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17:14 - 17:18
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The last good climb of the day took us to high over Dundee, after a prolonged struggle. Still below glide though. |
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17:18 - 17:23
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Setting off homewards from Tay Estuary, tippy-tip-toe... Tantalising close to being on glide, but definitely touch and go. |
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17:24 - 17:25
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Looking back towards the Tay Bridges and Dundee. We made it back from here... just. Landed shortly before 7pm BST. |
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17:26 - 17:48
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A marginal glide back to Portmoak, trying to catch scraps of lift on the way, and relying on Bishop Hill to be working - in what's now a moderate westerly - to get us home comfortably. Landed shortly before 7pm BST. |
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| 17:48 - 17:51 | Landing at Portmoak, 18.50 BST. |