Its 10.30 am on 4 April 2007, the car is all packed and I say goodbye to suburbia, heading south to collect Ron and Johnny. I arrive at Ron’s house without much hassle to find Johnny there still packing his glider and equipment! Ron’s wife, Val had cooked us a lovely ‘full English’ to send us on our way!
A quick 1.5hrs from Ron’s to the Dover ferry then 1.5hrs crossing followed by 3hrs to Düsseldorf airport with no hassle at all. We arrive at the airport in the early hours, dump the gliders and other kit at ‘arrivals’ where Ron and Johnny stayed while I parked the car, again no hassle and only 90 euro or 50 euro if you can get into the cheap long stay.
LTU were great ~ Zero hassle on getting the gliders on the plane and at little or no extra cost. No queues to check in, security or boarding! Why would I want to depart a London airport again?
Why Dusseldorf? Guess you all know that checking hang gliders on planes in the UK is impossible, believe me I tried every option and airline, escalating to Board level at Virgin – seems the largest piece of sporting equipment they will accept is golf clubs!
All going fine so far. Will it last? Will it balls!
We arrive at Miami and now the hassle starts. Car hire? What a bunch of tossers! Even if you get it printed in blood and pay in diamonds they will still cock up. The van we ordered was not there. I called the depot to be told it was in Orlando because I had ordered it for Orlando even though I had the receipt from U-Save to prove it was booked for Miami Airport! So we head off to the U-Save depot where we are informed that it was ordered from the 8th and that it’s my problem and to go away! Getting angry now. Not my problem? AGGRRRRRRAAAAAAAAHH. After a long wrangle and several phone calls we get offered the bus they use to ferry people to and from the airport. It smells of wee and has a few dents but it will do the trick so we take it. Insurance is the next issue; all drivers included? No, only 4 in a 12 seater (well 9 seater as the back seat is missing!!? I shall say no more on this.
It seems there are 2 days wasted with people running around getting put on insurances and finding roof racks.
I suppose at this point I should introduce the ‘team’:-
Bruce Kavanagh - Posh Bloke (WW T2)
Dave Matthews – What’s a tent? (Litespeed S)
Johnny Carr - 3 Arrows (Airbourn C4)
Nigel Bray - Dogleg Fred (WW T2)
Rich Lovelace - Happy Sad Lad (Aeros Combat L)
Ron Richardson - Mr Whippy (Moyes Litespeed RS)
Sue Brooks – our fab Retrieve Driver, thank you Sue (Chevy LT 3500 Bus, Van o wee)
…. and Grandson George – George McD - navigator
We arrive at The Ridge for a couple of days practice flying prior to the comp starting - for those that have gliders that is! Mr Whippy’s is a day late and mine (Happy Sad Lad) is 2 days late (now a very Sad Lad)! So as the others enjoy some fantastic flying with a sky filled with cu. I sit fixed to the Internet and Voipcheap trying to track ‘ma beyatch’. She arrives with Camble skid pants (XLAtos pilot, very nice guy who could squash you with his little finger) the evening before the comp starts and is set up in the dark and tied down on the line so she can familiarise herself with the opposition. Ever seen toy story? I swear I got up in the early hours to find a WW trying to mount her! Pesky Americans, she was a virgin after all. 3 Arrows saw an eclipse of the moon on the same night! (a ball on a power line – too much beer?).
The Florida Ridge (no ridge in sight by the way) is the most southern flight park located SW of Lake Okeechobee so there can be a problem with cool air coming off the lake in certain wind directions, which can kill the lift early. The lake is so big it creates its own sea breeze effect. The flight park has open air showers, diy coffee machines, swimming pool, fridges filled with cold water, blue lagoons with islands that grow every day, wi-fi, tap water that you can drink but you wouldn’t want to as it smells of bad eggs but is full of minerals that are apparently very good for you - you soon get used to having a shower in it. The people that own and run the park are very friendly, there is a local pub called the “Gator Bait” that serves freedom fries, fantastic salads and stays open for food late with a karaoke on Fridays as long as you know country and western or Elvis! 3 Arrows was lovin’ it and Mr Whippy had a smile on his faceJ they didn’t get up and do a turn though.
A quick 1.5hrs from Ron’s to the Dover ferry then 1.5hrs crossing followed by 3hrs to Düsseldorf airport with no hassle at all. We arrive at the airport in the early hours, dump the gliders and other kit at ‘arrivals’ where Ron and Johnny stayed while I parked the car, again no hassle and only 90 euro or 50 euro if you can get into the cheap long stay.
LTU were great ~ Zero hassle on getting the gliders on the plane and at little or no extra cost. No queues to check in, security or boarding! Why would I want to depart a London airport again?
Why Dusseldorf? Guess you all know that checking hang gliders on planes in the UK is impossible, believe me I tried every option and airline, escalating to Board level at Virgin – seems the largest piece of sporting equipment they will accept is golf clubs!
All going fine so far. Will it last? Will it balls!
We arrive at Miami and now the hassle starts. Car hire? What a bunch of tossers! Even if you get it printed in blood and pay in diamonds they will still cock up. The van we ordered was not there. I called the depot to be told it was in Orlando because I had ordered it for Orlando even though I had the receipt from U-Save to prove it was booked for Miami Airport! So we head off to the U-Save depot where we are informed that it was ordered from the 8th and that it’s my problem and to go away! Getting angry now. Not my problem? AGGRRRRRRAAAAAAAAHH. After a long wrangle and several phone calls we get offered the bus they use to ferry people to and from the airport. It smells of wee and has a few dents but it will do the trick so we take it. Insurance is the next issue; all drivers included? No, only 4 in a 12 seater (well 9 seater as the back seat is missing!!? I shall say no more on this.
It seems there are 2 days wasted with people running around getting put on insurances and finding roof racks.
I suppose at this point I should introduce the ‘team’:-
Bruce Kavanagh - Posh Bloke (WW T2)
Dave Matthews – What’s a tent? (Litespeed S)
Johnny Carr - 3 Arrows (Airbourn C4)
Nigel Bray - Dogleg Fred (WW T2)
Rich Lovelace - Happy Sad Lad (Aeros Combat L)
Ron Richardson - Mr Whippy (Moyes Litespeed RS)
Sue Brooks – our fab Retrieve Driver, thank you Sue (Chevy LT 3500 Bus, Van o wee)
…. and Grandson George – George McD - navigator
We arrive at The Ridge for a couple of days practice flying prior to the comp starting - for those that have gliders that is! Mr Whippy’s is a day late and mine (Happy Sad Lad) is 2 days late (now a very Sad Lad)! So as the others enjoy some fantastic flying with a sky filled with cu. I sit fixed to the Internet and Voipcheap trying to track ‘ma beyatch’. She arrives with Camble skid pants (XLAtos pilot, very nice guy who could squash you with his little finger) the evening before the comp starts and is set up in the dark and tied down on the line so she can familiarise herself with the opposition. Ever seen toy story? I swear I got up in the early hours to find a WW trying to mount her! Pesky Americans, she was a virgin after all. 3 Arrows saw an eclipse of the moon on the same night! (a ball on a power line – too much beer?).
The Florida Ridge (no ridge in sight by the way) is the most southern flight park located SW of Lake Okeechobee so there can be a problem with cool air coming off the lake in certain wind directions, which can kill the lift early. The lake is so big it creates its own sea breeze effect. The flight park has open air showers, diy coffee machines, swimming pool, fridges filled with cold water, blue lagoons with islands that grow every day, wi-fi, tap water that you can drink but you wouldn’t want to as it smells of bad eggs but is full of minerals that are apparently very good for you - you soon get used to having a shower in it. The people that own and run the park are very friendly, there is a local pub called the “Gator Bait” that serves freedom fries, fantastic salads and stays open for food late with a karaoke on Fridays as long as you know country and western or Elvis! 3 Arrows was lovin’ it and Mr Whippy had a smile on his faceJ they didn’t get up and do a turn though.
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