http://ozreport.com/15.024#2

Erick Angles <atout.ventsatfree.fr>
sends:

Day 16:

The wind is not too strong early on and the cu/s are already forming; As usual,
Bruno takes off first…He catches the service lift and hits base straightaway at
3600. He’s gone for the day! Aodrenn takes off next and goes North towards the
Atlas as he did a couple weeks ago. Bernard, tired from yesterday’s flight helps
me and Lucile to get everybody prepared to get towed.

Next is Patrick who also gets satellites at base and waits for Jacques, his
flying buddy. JM gets towed up around 12:15 and hits ceiling at 3600m also while
Bruno is 30 Kms away at 4000m.

Jacques finally takes off but some emitting radio pb from an unknown origin will
get him and Patrick to land back at the camp…the sound is so unbearable and they
can’t even hear their varios. We managed to over reach that signal trough the PC
Radio and JM, Bruno and Aodrenn switch theirs off hoping for the faulty one to
go out of battery ASAP, I have no more radio contact with the pilots.

JM is following the N10 in smooth and generous lifts with almost full VG. He
bumps into Bruno at KM 75 (who just made a turn point at KM 93). JM continues up
till KM 89 and decides to try to come back also. He will do the first 5 Kms in
about an hour because of the strong head wind until he reaches the daily base at
4420m just before Boulmane Dades. He then does a 10 Kms transition so smooth
that he loses only about 100m…It’s getting late and he doesn’t have time to come
back to base. He will finish his flight with a very long and silky glide and
lands at KM 44 around 7PM with the sun setting on the Atlas while Bruno just
landed back to base about 20 mns earlier. I receive a phone call as soon as JM
landed: ‘Erick, this is the most amazing flight of my whole life!’

In the meantime, back at camp, Jacques and Patrick are so frustrated because of
the radio pb that we are waiting a couple hours for the dust activity to calm
down to get them towed again but by the time it’s good to go, Patrick doesn’t
feel like it anymore and will help Bruno and Lucile to get Jacques ready for
take off while I am getting ready for a little flight.

I finally get towed up by Edouard a bit after 4PM in some very punchy
conditions; although, after zeroing for a while, I find my favorite service lift
which takes me to base vigorously (an integrated +7m/s). I will stop spiralling
at 4400m as I didn’t expect that so late and I didn’t take O2 with me.

I go South towards a village that I have noticed a couple days ago, take some
pictures and then go West towards Skoura. The head wind is strong but I have
enough altitude to continue towards the palm tree plantation…The light and the
ground colors and contrasts are amazing at this hour of a day and I stay a while
before continuing South West towards Ozz and the Lake.

I don’t find any lifts on my way there so I turn around after a couple miles and
finally find small varios at the Northern end of Skoura…The lifts get stronger
at 2500m and I am back at 3200m when I decide to follow the N10 Eastward, North
of the road. The transition to the Antennas about 10 miles further is very
smooth and the landscapes are delightful because of the time of the day…at this
time, (it’s almost 6PM) and because of the radio pbs earlier, I have no idea
that Bruno and JM are both on their way back. I think I am alone and decide to
go land back to camp after a couple hours flight and my head and go pros filled
with memories. Butterfly landing with quite a bit of wind, I just have time to
put my glider in the ‘tent’ helped by Samyr and Hussein when I hear an ‘Howdy’
above my head: I look up and sure enough, it’s Bruno who is getting ready to
land! Bernard, Patrick and Jacques who went to the village for a coke get back
to base at the same time.

We are very excited by the fact that he just finished his 200 Kms circuit…in
about 8 Hours! Samyr and Hussein prepare the tea which we all drink together
when Douchka, Bruno’s wife arrive at camp with the traditional six pack. It’s
sunset. All the pilots have landed (JM just called me) and we all have a drink
before getting back to the Kasbah.

The retrieves are tedious, especially Aodrenn’s who landed in the Moroccan Pampa
again but let’s not spoiled a great day with this.

Day 15:

The weather forecast is similar to yesterday’s and we get to the camp around
10am. As usual, Bruno and Bernard are in the air by eleven as well as JM who
goes North East hitting ceiling straight away at 3600m. The lifts are uneven and
he hits a low point at the exact same spot as Bernard a couple days ago. The
wind gets stronger at all levels and he decides to land. Better safe than sorry.

Patrick and his Tsunami are in the air by noon but decide to stay and fly
locally. He stays hits ceiling at 3600m and flies a couple hours before landing
back to base like a butterfly.

Jacques, who took off right after gets countered by the increasing wind and
lands in the Oued just before Skoura.

Bernard and Bruno finally hit ceiling after about 20Ks and fly wing to wing
Eastward for another 100Kms with very generous lifts (+5-6m/s), up till the
Alnif road junction where they get into a ‘confluence’ where the two different
air masses conflict with one another. Bruno, not enjoying the flying conditions
anymore, decides to land at the exact same spot where Bernard landed yesterday.

I will finally ask Edouard to get towed up much later in the afternoon once I
got done taking care of everybody. My second flight at the feet of the Atlas
range. I hit ceiling straight away at 3600m in one smooth +6m/s lift but it’s a
too late to leave for XC flying; but since my wrist still feels weak anyway, I
will enjoy a nice local flight and will land a couple hours later with sceneries
and colours engraved in my brain forever.

Meanwhile, Bernard continues to follow the N10 Eastward while the terrain and
the topography changes quite often: From a valley opening to a huge stone desert
followed by a yellow and finally red sand desert. ‘It’s splendid and so
spacious!’. He gets himself a bit lost in this immensity; it’s amazingly
gorgeous…he hits a low point at KM 151 but finally catch a lift on his way to
Erfoud.

He still doesn’t know that he got ‘lost’ and zigzags for about 50 Kms
contemplating from above a Dust Devils ballet quite unforgettable. Getting to
Erfoud, he sees from a far distance a large Oasis in the middle of the red sand
dunes. He finally knows where he is and decides to follow the N13 towards El
Rachidia to the North. He flies above a gorgeous valley filled with many Oasis,
the whole thing which is fit in the middle of a canyon.

A little soaring above the canyon to wait for the 4x4 to get closer to him and
he lands in a Moroccan little soccer terrain surrounded by kids with astonished
eyes all over this weird bird.The retrieve gets there a few mns later with
Khalid, Bruno and JM onboard. On the way back to the Kasbah they will experience
an unreal late day lighting on the Atlas; the colours are amazing and the
atmosphere so mystical that they decide to stop on the road to eat a traditional
Moroccan tajine.

Bernard goes to bed with his head filled with unreal landscapes and priceless
memories from that flight

Day 13:

Bruno and Bernard are ready early and get towed first as usual. They follow the
N10 Eastward until they hit a low ceiling and shitty lifts at Kelaa M’Gouna.
They fly on until they arrive very low at Boulmane Dades (Pic), the beginning of
the Gorges of Dades, when they finally get a strong lift which take them at
ceiling at 3400m. From there they continue towards Tin Ghrir (The entrance of
the Valley of Tograa) cloud hoping below very cute cums and amazing landscapes.
Sadly, Bernard is getting quite cold starts voluntarily to not take any more
lifts hoping to warm up in the air below will land at KM 120 while Bruno makes a
turn point at KM 112 and starts his way back to base.

I will take off for a nice little local flight mid afternoon after the Tsunami
and the flexs got towed up. Luc, JM, Patrick and Jacques are flying East on the
N10. I hit ceiling at 3400m with my first lift and I bump into Aodrenn who
stayed locally also. We fill fly together for a while a bit North of camp (Atlas
direction). Jacques lands at the gas station of the village of Skoura while the
others land just outside the first village the opposite direction. Aodrenn and I
will land back at camp a bit later.

We are now waiting for Bruno, who has had a real hard time since his turn point
due to a fairly strong facing wind. He is now having a great time with beautiful
cloud streets and 4000m ceilings. He has now flown over the camp and is going
towards Ouarzazate, the Dam and the Lake but his wife, Douchka, is waiting for
him with a six pack at camp and he finally decides, after an eight hours flight,
to come back land to the base. That’s a 256Kms roundtrip flight!

Day 12:

Cums are forming pretty early today. Phillipe and Doms, the two Swiss pilots
decide not to fly and help me at the camp with the take offs etc. They are so
efficient that Bruno and his VR10 are towed up just before 11am and goes East
and catch some snow flakes about 10 miles in! What the F!? He comes back towards
the base and is joined by Bernard, his usual flying buddy and Patrick with a
very Tsunami.

The 3 Rigids leave towards the Ouest and the Palm Tree Forest/Oasis but the
cunimbs are forming and well, they are on their way back when I announce some
rain drops at camp. They will land a few minutes later at the exit of the first
village without a drop ;o)

The Atlas range and the Mt M’Gnoun are gorgeous with their brand new snow
blanket (Doesn’t usually happen in April either).

The Oued by our Guest House/Kasbah (River bed) normally dry is filling up
quickly and by night, we are on a big island and we wonder how we’ll leave the
guest house the next morning…But ‘Ma Ken Muchkin. No worries in Arabic: Tomorrow
is a new day.

Day 11:

Today is the day for me to get back on the horse after my little accident a
couple months ago. Everybody helps me getting ready cuz I am a bit
stressed…that’s actually a very cool feeling at the time to have my pilot
friends etc. being so nice The towing goes actually much better than I thought
it would besides for the couple peaks I do at the landscape which is not helping
but I cant help it ;o) I finally see what I came for! I catch a bubble and
spiral in it a couple times. My wrist still feel a bit weak. It’s time to land.
The wind gets stronger by the minute. Damned F….. wind: Nobody else will take
off today.

Day 10 :

There is a bit less wind (O.S.O 15-20 Kmh) but the air mass is pretty dry and
stable…A couple pilots already went back home (Schoeb father and son) and Phiphi
is leaving tomorrow. Everybody is getting ready asap for take off.

3 Rigids and 2 flex manage to fly on following the N10 towards the East while
the others stay stuck and fly locally…The stability and small varios are
confirmed.

2 VR 10s, Bernard and Phiphi are flying wing to wing at 2500m above the N10 for
quite a while when they can’t find any lifts and Phiphi has to land while
Bernard manages to get on in a Zero vario…He’ll continue for another 10kmh but
the wind is getting stronger at all levels (about 40Kmh now) and he decides to
land after about 75 Kms by precaution and has a very hard time folding back his
glider alone…

The 2 Kingpost Flexs, JM and Jacques will also ended up landing because of the
strengthening wind. Jacques on a Plateau above Kelaa M’Gnouna in the ‘Valley of
the Roses’ and JM at KM 60 and the ceiling of the day: 3300m

It was not the best weather but everybody is very happy with their day.

Days 6,7,8,9 :

All the pilots are here but basically, too much wind to do much distance flying.
The people from the area, looking at us like crazy people when we are towing at
the camp, tell us that there isn’t usually that much wind in this season in the
region…well, we seem to have lots of it since we arrived. Some pilots will still
do some great ceilings (4300-4500m) in very smooth and generous thermals and
amazing shades of colours and a diversity of landscapes reminding me of
Colorado, Nevada and Utah. The only difference is that here, we get the Atlas
range free of charge ;o) Personally, I am still grounded due to the fact that I
am still in recovery of a broken wrist a few weeks ago but I hope to fly soon.