Hang Gliding, Montsec, Ager, Spain, August 2015 Chris Townsend 2015-08-17 | Hang Gliding, Montsec, Ager, Spain, August 2015
Storm Eunice at Newhaven 2 Chris Townsend 2022-02-18 | Storm Eunice at Newhaven Breakwater, 18/02/2022.
Southern Hawker Ovipositing Chris Townsend 2020-08-01 | A Southern Hawker dragonfly ovipositing (egg-laying) in the margins of our garden wildlife pond earlier today. We have been seeing them for years but I only recently acquired a camera with good video capability (EOS 5D Mk IV, which I am still learning to use).
Spitfire Flight 24 06 2020 Chris Townsend 2020-06-26 | A surprise 60th birthday present. On our 42nd anniversary (about 3 weeks after my birthday) Penny told me we were going for a tour of the Heritage Hangar at Biggin Hill and I would get to sit in a Spitfire. When we arrived, the staff played along and I had no inkling that I was going to FLY a Spitfire until the moment they handed me a flying suit and said "put this on". Utterly, utterly awesome!
Himalayas 2017 Vol bivouac Chris Townsend 2017-10-21 | A little vol-bivouac adventure in the foothills of the Himalayas, Himachal Pradesh, Northern India, with Airworks.
Hang Gliding at Beachy Head 20th December 2016 Chris Townsend 2016-12-22 | Hang Gliding at Beachy Head 20th December 2016.
Hang Gliding Devil's Dyke Sunday 23rd March 2014 Chris Townsend 2014-03-24 | A day of alternating sunshine and squalls on Devil's Dyke. One of the gust fronts blew through at very high speed and had everyone on the ground struggling to pin their gliders down. On my landing approach I am aiming for the Paddock but giving myself the option of falling short in the big field, which is where I ended up, seeing that I wasn't going to make it safely over the bank and trees.
Hang Gliding at Devil's Dyke March 2014 Chris Townsend 2014-03-15 | Hang Gliding at Devil's Dyke March 2014 with friends from the Southern Hang Gliding Club. Not an epic day, with wind off the hill from the west and an inversion at about 2,000 ft AMSL.
Hang Gliding and Ping Pong, Lanzarote 2014 Chris Townsend 2014-02-18 | Hang Gliding trip to Lanzarote with friends from the Southern Hang Gliding Club. Thanks to Mike, John, Damien and Luke for use of their photos and video clips.Music: Arcade Fire - Neighborhood #3
Lanzarote Feb 2014 Chris Townsend 2014-02-09 | Hang gliding trip to Lanzarote with South Downs Hang Gliding, February 2014
Landings 2011-2013 Chris Townsend 2013-12-01 | A compilation of all my hang gliding landings that I've got recorded. As the title says - some good, some bad.
Newhaven to Brighton - the Musical Chris Townsend 2013-11-03 | Version of the Newhaven to Brighton cliff run for those who prefer their hang gliding videos set to music.
Newhaven to Brighton, Friday 1st November 2013 Chris Townsend 2013-11-02 | Ian, Luke and Chris fly the cliffs between Newhaven beach and Brighton marina on a trio of old flexwings. Ian's Aeros Target and 26-year-old Clubman 180; and Chris's first flight on his Avian Java 155.In the morning the sky was black, the wind howling and the rain lashing. But the wind reduced and backed from SW to SSW, the rain stopped (almost) and the tide was low, all as forecast, by mid-afternoon. One of those rare winter flying days to treasure.
Bo Peep, bank holiday Monday 26th August 2013 Chris Townsend 2013-08-30 | This was the first of two flights on bank holiday Monday. The camera battery went flat half way through. Conditions improved and the second, unrecorded, flight was the best I've ever had from Bo Peep.You can see that I'm constantly above Miles, the other Atos VR pilot frequently seen in the video. Or you may think this is a deception created by crafty editing and never pointing the camera upwards. I'm not saying but I think Miles might have evidence in his own very entertaining production: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CT0-rr7QVIA @ 0:57
Firle Evening Ridge Run 25th August 2013 Chris Townsend 2013-08-30 | More of the same posted for my own amusement, so no apology.Having been turned away from Bo Peep because the road was closed for the annual international luge event, I arrived at Firle about midday to a howling wind: 20-25 and gusting to 32 mph. Miles, Paul and David were already there. I didn't fancy even rigging, let alone flying, and at one point later in the afternoon nearly decided to go home. But we hung around, procrastinating over whether to rig, no-one wanting to be first. Eventually, around 5:00 p.m. the gusts started to subside and I thought, sod it, the worst that can happen is I have to de-rig without flying. We launched about 6:00 into buoyant but now relatively smooth air and had a nice hour or so soaring the ridge from Beddingham to Bo Peep, landing just after 7:30 and packing up as the sun set.The angle-of-dangle centering cord on my harness slipped again and I couldn't get out of the feet low, head up position. I re-adjusted it before the next flight.My helper must have nudged the camera off centre just before I took off.
Bo Peep on a grey August day Chris Townsend 2013-08-09 | Hang gliding at Bo Peep, South Downs, Southern England. Arrived about 10:00 and it was a tad too windy to rig the Atos so I rigged the Litespeed to take some photos. Wind eased a bit so rigged the Atos, had lunch and took off into a good wind. It was overcast and dark grey in patches but quite lifty in a 20mph wind. With a few spots of rain around I didn't fancy getting too close to the clouds so stayed below 1,000ft ATO. The lift switched off a bit after a good hour or so and it was looking greyer so I landed behind the PG bowl. I still like lots of space to land the Atos. A while later when I was about to start derigging it started to rain heavily so I sat under the wing and waited for it to stop. It carried on raining until I got bored so derigged anyway, getting soaked. Just as I was zipping up the glider bag it stopped raining. Then I had to carry the two halves of the glider, harness and other bits back to the car. It's a long way with that much clobber. Thanks to SteveU for help. Early evening the wind eased more and got nice and smooth for a few PGs.
2013 07 11 Bo Peep empty skies Chris Townsend 2013-07-12 | Flying at Bo Peep mid week in empty skies. It was a sunny high pressure day with a very pronounced inversion making it thermic but a bit rough. Others were out but I had the sky to myself for most of my flight. Tried out a new landing spot behind the PG bowl - much nicer than the narrow strip further down by the HG rigging area, although I wouldn't want to try it on a PG-able day, in case of an overshoot.
Devil's Dyke 1st June 2013 Chris Townsend 2013-06-01 | A nice flight for my birthday. Made my first UK cloudbase and a small triangle. Unfortunately the camera battery went flat well before the end of the 2 1/2 hour flight and didn't get me at cloudbase or my better than average landing (honest!).
201305-25 Firle Thermalling Chris Townsend 2013-05-26 | A beautiful day at Firle, full of promise that only a few others managed to take full advantage of. This was only my second "proper" flight on the VR. I never managed to break through what felt like a shear layer at about 2,200 ft AMSL but enjoyed every minute of it nonetheless. The first landing attempt was quite an exciting overshoot. The second was a belly flop too pitiful to include.
2013-05-19 Bo Peep Sled Ride Chris Townsend 2013-05-22 | When I arrived on the hill there was a brisk, soarable wind. By the time I'd rigged it had dropped to about 5-8mph and 25 degrees off the hill. Thinking it would only get worse and coaxed on by my hang gliding buddies (none of whom rigged, by the way), I took off, not expecting to stay up, and was not disappointed. 20 minutes after I landed the wind picked up to a nice soarable speed again. Then as I was packed up and heading for home, the sun came out.
First flight on Atos VR, Bo Peep, 30th March 2013 Chris Townsend 2013-03-31 | First flight on my "new" (second hand) Atos VR from Bo Peep, South Downs, Southern England, on a cold and blustery spring day. All the great things they said about this glider are true - it's a joy to fly :o)
Hang gliding a windy South Downs site, March 2013 Chris Townsend 2013-03-03 | A video, just for the record, of a short, choppy, unpleasant flight with no more than 200ft height gained. Wind off the hill to the East. It got more buoyant later when the sun came out but also much windier on launch at 25-30 mph, grounding those of us who weren't already in the air. The flight, and more particularly the landing, were more significant for being my first return to the site since breaking my arm there last June.
Scratching Devil's Dyke 7th Feb 2013 Chris Townsend 2013-02-07 | Three flights melded together. Middle section is speeded up (x2) for effect.
Dyke Truleigh 2013 02 02 Chris Townsend 2013-02-03 | Hang Gliding ridge run from Devil's Dyke to Truleigh and back again, twice, on a cold and blustery February afternoon.
Bo Peep 13 01 2013 Chris Townsend 2013-01-14 | Hang gliding ridge run Bo Peep to Beddingham in January.
Bo Peep-Beddingham-Firle v2.wmv Chris Townsend 2012-05-27 | Shorter version of previously uploaded video of hang gliding flight in the South Downs, from Bo Peep to Beddingham and not making the return leg due to head wind..
Mirador 2012-01-28 v2.wmv Chris Townsend 2012-05-27 | Shorter version of a previously uploaded video of a hang gliding flight at Mirador, Lanzarote, January 2012.
Annecy 2012-04-09 v2.wmv Chris Townsend 2012-05-27 | Shorter version of previously loaded video of a hang gliding flight from Col de la Forclaz, Annecy, France, April 2012.
ATOS VX rigid wing tandem hang glider flight, Plumpton, East Sussex, Feb 26th 2012 Chris Townsend 2012-02-28 | John Barratt takes Ozzie Haynes for a tandem flight on his ATOS VX from the Southern Hang Gliding Club Aerotow Group field at Plumpton, East Sussex.
Hang Gliding Cross Country, Southern Spain Chris Townsend 2010-12-25 | First hang gliding XC from Loja, Andalucia, Southern Spain
