tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-146097622024-03-07T18:17:01.065+10:00Jonny DurandNews about Hang Gliding and my adventures from around the world!!!Jonny Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329204130923411192noreply@blogger.comBlogger530125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609762.post-17528773759537711642012-08-09T00:38:00.002+10:002012-08-09T00:38:55.601+10:00World Distance Record VideoHere is the long awaited video of Dustin's and my Record breaking flight. I would ask that if you watch the video and like it that you donate just a few $ to a pilot that had a bad accident and is needing our help. He is a fellow Moyes boy and one of the nicest guys you will meet. Please send anything you can even if it is only a few dollars every one of them will count.<br />
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This is the link to Donate to.<br />
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<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/ericthorstenson123/">https://sites.google.com/site/ericthorstenson123/</a><br />
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Here is the video.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZaGcGBSbFtI" width="560"></iframe>Jonny Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329204130923411192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609762.post-18535267486598876182012-07-03T22:11:00.004+10:002012-07-03T22:11:45.591+10:00Zapata Record AttemptWell today looks like our real first day of a record with good winds and reasonable lift. Yesterday was also good but considering we had about 8 inches of rain over the weekend it was still a little wet in places making light lift.<br />
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It was still a very hard decision to not fly knowing that a 600km flight was possible, However it is unlikely that you will be back to fly the next day which was forecast to be even better.<br />
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As I wake up this morning with a text message from Gary at 5:30am it reads this is a great day followed by another fantastic day on thursday. I am excited and could barely sleep all night as it was.<br />
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It really reminds me of when I was attempting to fly the Morning Glory sitting in a town with nothing to do until it is the day. When that day comes your excitment levels jumps dramatically and your head is running non stop with good and bad thoughts.<br />
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Is it possible to fly 800kms in a hang glider, what happens if I land early and have to watch the others live on there spot trackers all day, Is today the day or is it tomorrow, How early should I be launching to not leave to late but be able to stay in the air.<br />
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So many questions and unfortunately no one knows the answer until the day. This could be it how early will we launch, how long will we fly for, who is going to go the furthest with all these top pilots here, well all your questions will be answered in the next 14 hrs so stay tuned.<br />
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Watch us live as we attempt to break the current World Distance Record of 700kms<br />
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Here is the spot page to track us all on.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><a href="http://chorlton.homeip.net/spotmap/zapata.html">LIVE TRACKING</a></span></span>Jonny Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329204130923411192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609762.post-48677989839323382952012-06-30T14:46:00.002+10:002012-06-30T15:02:15.234+10:00Zapata WRE Attempt 1Well after a 3 hr flight yesterday around the airport getting to 9,000 ft agl I was ready and nearly prepared for the WRE. After a few days of prepration there was only a few things left to complete the WRE here in Zapata.<br />
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My first was to have a practice flight down the course line and get familiar with the lack of landings, lock gates and air space that one has to deal with on a record flight. I had my Spot trackers and also wanted to test them out as they are a huge asset to safety and being found here in this harsh environment.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gary, Me and Davis</td></tr>
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We woke up this morning to thin clouds drifting over with what seemed to be reasonable strength and direction so I thought I would make my first attempt. I was prepared to launch early and see if I could stay up and drift slowly down the course line.<br />
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We had some issues and I was unable to tow until 10:30 am which is still about the time that most of the record flights have started here in Zapata. I decided on setting a distance to declared goal flight to Big Springs 621kms away. I was first up and started heading on course all alone through the locked gates and mesquite ridden forest.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGYviL2v_40FFaAaLGYuKJjoYQPR793u-uobqaJuMtRDGU0xJNPBhNN0GQ7gtDJlxZ7FFqgtu7R5rh9FWVT56eZSp5dvqJ-qsJktBlrApioTulOUVrS11P-Rgwj6d-mouOpg/s1600/DSC08175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGYviL2v_40FFaAaLGYuKJjoYQPR793u-uobqaJuMtRDGU0xJNPBhNN0GQ7gtDJlxZ7FFqgtu7R5rh9FWVT56eZSp5dvqJ-qsJktBlrApioTulOUVrS11P-Rgwj6d-mouOpg/s320/DSC08175.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Preparing to launch</td></tr>
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After about 30 mins in the air it was obvious that the wind had backed off and was averaging about 10kph. This was going to be a long day ahead of me as I basicly had no wind to push me to my destination.<br />
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I decided that I at least needed to get past Laredo where the airspace was just so I knew my way around and then look at conditions again. After the first hour I had only done 42kms which was not so bad considering the wind strength.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_n4lrGlr7owm03cSeaKGevJqhyphenhyphenB3bYpDfUrz7n-AFaxrDAz31eFNVtfPl5Wp1VMH2t3wPUjNuhZWNZziLaimbNaPMTU-5bR51mLmm11WFVGrn_cZjFDErclp0wetMuLuzQ/s1600/DSC08178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_n4lrGlr7owm03cSeaKGevJqhyphenhyphenB3bYpDfUrz7n-AFaxrDAz31eFNVtfPl5Wp1VMH2t3wPUjNuhZWNZziLaimbNaPMTU-5bR51mLmm11WFVGrn_cZjFDErclp0wetMuLuzQ/s320/DSC08178.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On tow behind Russel at 10:40am</td></tr>
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I wanted to keep going as cloud base was rising to over 4,000 ft agl and some streets were looking good in front of me. I pushed on getting some good climbs of 6-700fpm and thought if this keeps up or gets even better there might just be the slight chance of making the distance.<br />
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After another hour or so I had only reached the 110km mark and did some more calculations. I now knew that given my winds and average speed my goal was unachievable and 4-500kms was all I was going to be able to fly.<br />
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With better days coming I decided to call it quits at 120kms and land next to the road where Timothy was waiting for me.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Packing up under a sky full of pumping clouds</td></tr>
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Glauco from Brazil was behind me and kept flying making it to around the 200km mark before giving up also to the lack of wind. He landed 3 hrs after me so it was clear it was not the record day and we now need to wait for the wind.<br />
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All in all it was a great day out here in Zapata I arrived back at the pool and had a few drinks and watched big black bottom clouds at around 7-8,000 ft slowly drift past me.<br />
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It is so hard to be on the ground when the sky looks so good and even harder to make the decision to land with a sky full of great clouds.<br />
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There is not many places in the World where you land early because you think you can only fly 500kms for the day. Welcome to Zapata this is one of those places and I am sure that in the next week or so you will be reading about some very long flights.<br />
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To stay tuned for all the latest updates and to watch me live with my spot check out the links below.<br />
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<a href="http://Ozreport/" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">www.ozreport.com</a></div>
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This is my page where you will be able to follow me live on my spot tracking device.</div>
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<span class="ecxApple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana; line-height: normal;"><span class="ecxApple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px;">Also you can follow me on facebook under <a href="http://www.facebook.com/jonny.durand" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 15px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Jonny Durand</a></span></span></div>
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<span class="ecxApple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana; line-height: normal;"><span class="ecxApple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px;">everything will also be posting to my twitter account -<a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/jonnydurand" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 15px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Jonny Durand</a></span></span></div>
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<span class="ecxApple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana; line-height: normal;">To watch todays flight below.</span></div>
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<br /></div>Jonny Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329204130923411192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609762.post-34876935064840619242011-09-13T01:27:00.001+10:002011-09-13T01:27:43.137+10:00Brasilia Day 6 Video<iframe width="560" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8YkoRQ8J8T8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>Jonny Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329204130923411192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609762.post-91974294958353441832011-09-13T01:24:00.000+10:002011-09-13T01:28:52.454+10:00Brasilia Day 5 video<iframe width="560" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nx8DCio13cc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>Jonny Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329204130923411192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609762.post-47708508033638700372011-09-13T00:51:00.000+10:002011-09-13T00:52:20.936+10:00Brasilia Day 3 VideoHere is the video you have all been waiting for..:-)<div>
</div><div><iframe width="420" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/AA83CtJL3V8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>Jonny Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329204130923411192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609762.post-80179483352050714742011-09-13T00:30:00.001+10:002011-09-13T00:32:28.342+10:00Brasilia Day 2 Video<iframe width="560" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SQi7v4lP0Qc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>Jonny Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329204130923411192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609762.post-74938205636276915682011-08-22T07:46:00.002+10:002011-08-22T07:52:21.151+10:002011 Brasilia Day 1<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; ">Well today the comp started with a 123km zig zag to the Esplanada. I did the 1st start with Andre and a few others and was leading the pack for the first 40 kms until I picked one bad line while the others hit a good thermal behind me. I tried to catch back up and nearly landed and just had to survive and make goal. Andre will win the day 35 mins in front of me and I should be around 10th or so.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; ">
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; ">It was so nice to be back in a country where you take off and the first thermal you get is 1200 fpm to 9,000ft. It was a great day but was easy to pick bad lines and it played to just watch from behind on many glides. I was very happy with the glider I was test flying today straight out of the box a RS 3.5 he will be a happy pilot tomorrow when he gets to fly it..</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; ">
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; ">The weather is looking like a typical Brasilia with wind and clouds predicted for the next 3-4 days so it should be some good fun racing to be had.. I will try and get some photo's up later and unfortunately my GOPRO camera battery was flat today so no video..</span></div>Jonny Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329204130923411192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609762.post-84882784367349331012011-07-28T22:54:00.001+10:002011-07-28T22:54:49.826+10:00Day 9 Photo's<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="600" height="400" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2FJonnydurand666%2Falbumid%2F5634382951179257889%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Jonny Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329204130923411192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609762.post-15501390423846994482011-07-28T22:31:00.002+10:002011-07-28T22:34:13.082+10:00Worlds Day 10 CancelledAnother day of sitting around as we watch big clouds forming all around us. It seems that it may have been possible to fly as there are pilots free flying around us. It is low base and would have been tricky to set a task in the right area without flying into rain though. Tomorrow is our last day and the forecast is only slightly better than today but Im sure they will send us up the hill to try for one more task.<div>
</div><div><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="600" height="400" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2FJonnydurand666%2Falbumid%2F5634372633953223169%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></div>Jonny Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329204130923411192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609762.post-36205726161127020702011-07-27T06:23:00.000+10:002011-07-27T06:24:48.128+10:00Worlds Day 3 photo's<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="600" height="400" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2FJonnydurand666%2Falbumid%2F5633750855249978545%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Jonny Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329204130923411192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609762.post-91117381049059949442011-07-27T05:41:00.004+10:002011-07-27T06:23:34.292+10:00Worlds day 8 Task 2<div style="text-align: center;">
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</div>Finally we get another task with the chance of storms we set a short 115km course with 4 turnpoints. It was pretty clear that you needed to do the first start in case there was a stopped task from the building clouds around us. the 150 pilots were all launched in less than 1 hr and it seemed that there was at least 130 pilots making the 1st start gate.
I had a great start nearly at the top of the group with Alex and Christian leading out just above me. We had a fast run down to the 1st turnpoint which was only 17kms from our start. I pushed hard coming back olong the ridge to the 2nd turnpoint trying to chasedown the Icaro boys. I was flying with Franz and Robert resinger and we were leading the big gaggle down the ridge with Alex and Christian just in front and higher.
We got to the 2nd turnpoint and I found a good strong thermal which nearly caught me back up to Alex as he seemed to have forgotten about the turnpoint. He had to go back and get the turnpoint before heading back to launch where we climbedup below Christian.
<img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBOl8ED-SFbNfPFgc3TosNbfw1NxYvcXCFj1UqWKgAsa0ZVk1-UUBM7og2-Knhq0Lx2Toos731iOyNLdxxxzk7VraADm4Mjk2OTwJZk4degXWMtEnvfVBWT4o9r1nhS4VX5g/s320/DSC01262.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633758503573215794" />I followed the guys out into the valley under a cloud street toward the 3rd turnpoint. We had lots of shade in front of us and it was clear we needed to get as high as we could before making the glide out to the turnpoint in the shade. I came in below Alex and Christian about 6kms from the turnpoint under the last cloud. Christian was just leaving at cloudbase when I arrived below and Alex started to follow but stopped and kept turning. He stayed in light lift and watched Christian glide off as he whited out in the cloud. If only my camera had not run out of battey I would have been able to film it but I guess it was not meant to be.
<img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtWtV72u9dWekL_0i3SHwSyV020xs_Oz33KoMCr5lqoDQF9e2JYi_ngzh-AZ7Pyg3PWlfmXcRRxuMH4choaIhwXftZRD2rkVPbBtx2-x1K_1T9ALmVI5G61TfiP4Qej3o5hw/s320/DSC01167.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633758498400596690" />I left just below cloudbase and headed out into the valley behind them. I was about 2kms from the turnpoint when Alex came back past me still higher with Christian lower infront of him. I knew that this was going to make a huge difference as they were able to get back into the main valley below the gaggle who were climbing. I did the turnpoint just in front of Manfred and Franz and we were now forced to stay on the Gubbio ridge in the shade. We hit a light thermal and circled as we watched Alex and Christian climb out good behind us. We spent the next 20-30mins low waiting for the sun to come out so we could climb back up.
Unfortunately for us the sun started back near the turnpoint so the whole gaggle of about 70 gliders behind us managed to get high and glide in above us before the last turnpoint. I did a long glide to goal from about 10 kms before the last turnpoint on a 21:1 glide. I was about 40th around the last turnpoint and decided to go straight line to try and beat some of these guys who had over taken me.
I managed to overtake quitea few on the final glide and finished about 1 min 30 seconds behind the 3rd place which was Manfred. Alex crossed the line first 1 second infront of Christian and about 7 mins faster than Manfred. Christian will win the day with the leading bonus and 95 pilots will make goal. There was 60 pilots that finished within 5 mins of each other so the landing field was complete chaos but everyone survived.
We were quite lucky to get the task in as there was some big over development around the outside of our courseline. It was a very interesting day and I have never seen such a finish in a hang gliding comp before. The weather for the next day or two does not look good but it seems we will fly again on friday. We now officially have a valid comp so there will be a 2011 World champion.Jonny Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329204130923411192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609762.post-43007079806181587632011-07-27T05:39:00.001+10:002011-07-27T05:40:37.178+10:00Moyes dinners and no flying<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="600" height="400" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2FJonnydurand666%2Falbumid%2F5633734681849743409%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Jonny Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329204130923411192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609762.post-83230805028763749542011-07-27T04:43:00.003+10:002011-07-27T05:41:05.780+10:00Photos from task 1<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="600" height="400" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2FJonnydurand666%2Falbumid%2F5633726597191013025%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Jonny Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329204130923411192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609762.post-12806095481477494252011-07-26T01:35:00.002+10:002011-07-26T01:40:25.001+10:00World Championships Day 5,6,7The last 3 days have been cancelled due to rain and wind. It seems the forecst for the rest of the competition is not great and im not sure we will even get to fly again as some people tell me. It is such a shame to have come this whole way for so many pilots and not get the conditions to decide our next World Champion. <div>
</div><div>We only need one more task to make it an official competition however we all know that 2 days is not enough to found out who is the best pilot. The organisation has been great here and unfortunately you can't choose the weather. Lets wait to see if things change as the last 5 days tick over.</div>Jonny Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329204130923411192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609762.post-53666242769441609202011-07-26T01:34:00.001+10:002011-07-26T01:34:47.286+10:00World championships Task 1 Video<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/O19Yyw12mIA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>Jonny Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329204130923411192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609762.post-8305955659316635752011-07-23T07:39:00.002+10:002011-07-23T07:42:24.169+10:00World Championships Day 4<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">With another windy forecast they decided to send us to another takeoff where the wind would be less in Asissi. It was quite a drive and many of us got lost getting there but once we arrived it was gorgeous. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span>
</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">The wind was not so strong and the launch was huge with plenty of room to setup the 150 gliders. We set a task which would keep us in the valley with big landings as the wind was forecast to get stronger as the day went on. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span>
</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">It was quite a mess on launch trying to get off but eventually all pilots launched safely and were ready for the challenging 121km task. I was not in a great position at the first start gate so I decided to wait for the 2nd start 20 mins later. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span>
</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">I had a great start with Carl, Balazs and quite a few others. There must have been about 100 pilots who took the first start so there were plenty of markers out there in front of us. I had a fast run to the turn point and was only 8km behind the lead gaggle at the turn point. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span>
</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">After the first turn point we had to fly back down the ridge to launch. When I arrived there the lead gaggle was just leaving on the way to the third turn point. This was the hardest part of the task as we had to leave the ridge and fly into the valley into the strong wind with lots of shadow on the ground. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span>
</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">I had almost caught the front guys and was only a few kms behind but lower. Manfred came in above me and all of a sudden I thought wow life is good I have 20 mins on him and everyone else around me. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span>
</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">We glided 8kms to the 3rd turn point arriving somewhat low and then turned tailwind for the hills to get back up. I hit a low save about 800ft off the ground with a few other gliders. The guys that were following us a bit lower all landed so we just drifted in the wind to stay in the air.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span>
</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">I spotted Manfred he had managed to glide more to our right very low and hit a strong climb but I was unable to reach him as I was lower. As I drift in the wind I see many pilots all landing behind me. It turns out that 60 pilots landed just after the 3rd turn point so it was not an easy part of the course. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span>
</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">I spent the next hour trying to battle the 35 kph+ cross-headwind low trying to reach the last turn point which was 10 kms away. I struggled but eventually made it from ridge to ridge fighting the wind. I soared up to get the last turn point as it was on top of the ridge and climbed high enough to make final glide. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span>
</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">I finished just behind Blenky and will place 16th for the day and will be the only one to make goal from the 2nd start gate. Primoz won the day about 5 mins ahead of Alex with Gerd from Germany in 3rd. 22 pilots made goal with many top pilots already landing out taking them out of the comp. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span>
</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">I did not have the best day but I made goal and only lost 150 points to the winner so I am still in the game. </span></p>Jonny Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329204130923411192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609762.post-1021768642520955362011-07-21T03:06:00.003+10:002011-07-21T04:01:02.708+10:00World Championships Day 2<div style="text-align: center;">
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</div><div>The competition put on a dinner for us last night in castle close by Sigillo township. The castle was turned into a hotel for people to stay at. We all enjoyed a smorgasboard of light snacks followed by wine from their celler. We thought maybe if we had a big night of partying it would lead to flying the next day.</div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-OhmLBOKOTawfoxIl3iFOUXyxO2_qN6Qz1Yf33VoxlXIzHTAZO82iR5nEUeRT3FMnAQzqy9V4iqonZFjCAemTon7oNzW5yNNex2XpT2Zsd6_39UBl_0cmwZ67z8VT4aQ9A/s320/DSC01088.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631483776891397330" /></div>We woke up to another day of trees blowing over. This was the worse day we have seen for wind since I arrived 1 week ago. After a quick meeting this morning the day was cancelled and the 150 pilots were free to enjoy another day in central Italy.<img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcixsafIIsfgS-nO1S55TgbbdIfjFqdeXGirsjeS_qtlc_VqZAc2aN8f0smHwFOMxCLDUsmuysnYzTmntsyo0IsBpU-wtgl-Bw5DHKcMg6twgWzzTVcBjoiSNrfEhGRaMgXQ/s320/DSC01078.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631483776385923442" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJe9InM-15sY5gd47dMjcnH5umzop4FavfvAToUJJh0BhWEPtJ_TRBD6lMzrA_Szl1dg_YzGCX8jBDYtTGwO5iunqwdGLw7AbZdKlfuW5k24e0cePEDeEqFnQuGWI-pVkSiQ/s320/DSC01070.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631483767049543010" />
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</div><div>I went golfing today to try my luck out there in the 40 knts of wind but have decided that I should stick to hang gliding. It was a great golf course situated around a beautiful castle. I am hoping the we will get to fly tomorrow.</div>Jonny Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329204130923411192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609762.post-57276481709179825772011-07-19T22:18:00.003+10:002011-07-19T22:28:01.819+10:002011 Worlds Monte Cucco Day 1<div style="text-align: center;">
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</div>Well I am here in Sigillo, Italy ready for the World Championships. There is around 150 pilots here and now we are just waiting for the weather to be good enough to fly. I have managed one quick flight on my new glider a few days ago in the last week. Today we woke up to more wind and after the team leader briefing Day 1 was cancelled. <div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 173px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7KlBDn0cN9cJWvxH64c8lKPRUO911W9ZvmSeezcYuVVoqKOPCTRlsxNeTPfwVt0KDQ-Qbw-FWa1Ffj_prnBDjqxYvew8ycjOKLF2GyNn0EO3xoNuAaOv3pfbp2MVlg-7FKA/s320/DSC01002.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631038806800167186" /></div><div>It seems tomorrow is also going to be even windier than today so</div><div>at this point our first flying day will be on thursday. We had an amazing opening ceremony followed by quite a big party night in the small town.</div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEpfgN6Uho2DNXX2FzDWuvQNYeRSUjdDaqcH_sQ8HH_-htNOShv332jDahP4bssgzDacqrbEZmsk5fz3n8a6O7C9aq3D9BTdL-pCmReur4sSnCLdSYFjJWak3_dheONu__SA/s320/DSC00911.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631038799478890130" /><div>
</div><div>The Aussie team is here and all set ready to combat against the worlds best pilot so stay tuned for some updates as the competition unfolds around us. We will have live tracking so you can follow our tracks online while we fly. </div><div>
</div><div>Check out the official website for all of this information <a href="http://www.cucco2011.org/">Worlds Website 2011</a></div><div>
</div>Jonny Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329204130923411192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609762.post-61952746569132494052011-05-22T15:55:00.002+10:002011-05-22T16:02:54.044+10:00Mid West Championships Task 1Today was looking very average with low base and rain forecast. I decided to have a quick tow to see if there was any chance of setting a task. I released at Cloud base 1000 ft agl and was in misty rain. I came down and landed and watch Carl and Dustin tow to see what they thought.<div>
</div><div>We all had the same opinion and decided to cancel the day. Here is a short video of the flight park and some of the activities that went on.</div><div>
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</div><div><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/g8NQ2A56nm0?hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/g8NQ2A56nm0?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div>Jonny Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329204130923411192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609762.post-89087440651021440662011-05-22T15:46:00.003+10:002011-05-22T15:54:51.991+10:00Mid West Championships Task 1After 2 days of no flying and freezing cold condtions the sky opened up and blessed us with a 88km triangle task. Here is a video of the first days activities unfortunately my camera battery ran out so I missed getting Dustins arrival at goal along with the other 5 that made it..
Enjoy.<div>
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<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3eHqu6zpbno?hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3eHqu6zpbno?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div>Jonny Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329204130923411192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609762.post-85492597522596513642011-05-19T08:48:00.002+10:002011-05-19T08:50:31.353+10:00The Flytec Rally MapHere is the track that we flew throughout the 5 days of amazing flying. If you were not there it is very simple you missed one of the best comps in 2011.. Hope to see more there next year.
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi06B5KtVWpXmJ7-e315pwNikQHnwkeKhhu_ey3qYdPAHDq5Z5L-qYmSNnG3hVo2LwzVyyK-bA0DBsiKBGb3eFAwzvfZgZPIb4v4snajst212Pw3iIwRZoreixWRxTWHSWIdw/s1600/Flytec+Rally+2011.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi06B5KtVWpXmJ7-e315pwNikQHnwkeKhhu_ey3qYdPAHDq5Z5L-qYmSNnG3hVo2LwzVyyK-bA0DBsiKBGb3eFAwzvfZgZPIb4v4snajst212Pw3iIwRZoreixWRxTWHSWIdw/s320/Flytec+Rally+2011.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608192245678024674" /></a>Jonny Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329204130923411192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609762.post-3630659084919818572011-05-18T06:12:00.002+10:002011-05-18T06:16:23.838+10:00Flytec Rally day 6This wasan interesting day with a 136km task set almost downwind. The climbs were strong and base was up to 8,000ft. It was a very turbulent day and many people had interesting stories. Curt wins the story telling by actually winning the task a minute in front of me but about 50kms from goal he hit strong turbulence and his instrument pod snapped off and fell into the forest.
He lost both his GPS's so he was only able to get distance points for the day which took him out of 2nd place for the comp. I ended up winning the day making it 4 wins from 5 days. Watch the video for more entertainment.
<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Gv1BrD-kB-s" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Jonny Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329204130923411192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609762.post-28583342582247150662011-05-18T06:07:00.002+10:002011-05-18T06:11:50.860+10:00Flytec Rally Day 5We decided to change our course direction as the weather was turning bad to our north. We decided on a 194km dogleg task to the ENE to keep us in the good flying conditions that we had been having. It was one of the best days I have flown this year with cloud base around 7,000 ft and climbs up to 1000 fpm. I think more than 40 pilots out of 50 made the goal with Dustin winning the day less than a minute in front of me. We ended up in Vidalia which is the home to the sweetest onions in the world. The town was very hospitable and looked after us with wide open arms.
<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mekHuW9j0sc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Jonny Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329204130923411192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609762.post-81320921468918122312011-05-11T02:26:00.002+10:002011-05-11T02:29:13.097+10:00Flytec Race N Rally Day 2We had a great racing day with good climbs and base around 6,000ft. More than 30 pilots made the 114km headwind task from Live Oak to Moultrie, GA. After the flight we all enjoyed 2 for 1 magaritas at the Old Mexican resturant in town.
<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2YZVp01LG5Q" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Jonny Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329204130923411192noreply@blogger.com