Clouding Up in Rustavi | GoPro

Catching up with processing some of the old recordings. Here is one of a good Rustavi flying day that was bright and sunny, and within 35 minutes the clouds had closed in, the wind got stronger, and it was high time to land. You see the difference from cut to cut.



Long video (and I forgot to switch off the camera at the end, so there is a glimpse of me reflecting on weather patterns with Nodari & the Boss) --  I still love the panoramic perspective of the GoPro in these wide-open spaces.

 More to follow.

Rustavi Soaring | April

Here are some impressions from soaring in Rustavi. Wind like this (NW, 300-320 degrees, 10-12 knots at TBS airport, frequency 138.500) is rare, but when we have it it makes for great flying.



You see Alexander flying, and Roland launching. We were in the air for more than two hours. Generally, we stayed well in front of the ridge line, to be ready to descend in case the winds get too strong. (A few weeks earlier, winds had increased from around 25 km average to about 50 km average, within 30 min.)

Flying in Tianeti

This has been a wonderful site for thermal soaring. No cross-country beyond 10-15 km yet, going East. We did our very first flight there in 2007, and Roland did the largest distance in a single flight towards Akhmeta, landing in a small clearing. In 2008 two further distance flights East, beyond Tianeti town, and in early 2009 one more flight East, also of about 10 km.

Here for the soaring, which on a typical day can last for hours.



An even better day was this:



Super easy takeoff and landing. This is a very forgiving site.

Bakuriani | June

The mountain north of Bakuriani provides interesting flying opportunities, although often the wind is too strong. Here is some afternoon soaring, at about six o'clock. The launch was very fast, and wind speeds were above 20 km/h. The soaring could have gone on for much longer.



Generally, we haven't been trying this site enough. It is 45 min. up from Bakuriani, which itself is good ways from Tbilisi. As a location, it requires an overnight stay, since you typically need appropriate rest before undertaking flying in such territory.