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I was feeling very drained this morning. I was glad to be going home tomorrow. The sun was shining however, so one more flight beckoned. Breakfast as usual. The soundings to me suggested a less good wave profile today. But as usual let's see what would happen. The gliders were out before briefing once again. A warm front had gone through. It felt warmer indeed and looked more humid. Cloud was clearing the top of Cuculo. 15 planes were incoming from Barcelona so there was a delay after briefing. We gathered in the clubhouse for coffee and our own briefing. I was to be first up with John in the DG1000.
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A typical Santa Cilia breakfast. | The weather looks nice enough to swim now. | Derek captured the moment I was struggling to switch oxygen cylinders in the Duo Discus. | Oroel banner cloud. | One of many arriving visitors. | The tug dropping the rope as it comes in to land. |
During the afternoon I helped gliders turn around when they landed and enjoyed the warm sunshine. When the Lasham DG1000 turned around we also checked its trailer was ready as we would derig it to return to the uk soon. Just after 5PM I paid my bill with the club. Soon after 6 the gliders had landed for the last time.
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The visitors parked up very neatly on the apron. | The Duo Discus put away for the last time (by us). It is staying behind to be hired by visiting Lashamites into April and May. | A picture postcard view of the local peaks. | The DG 1000's last landing of the expedition. |
After the DG1000 landed we derigged it by 7:30PM. There was a gorgeous sunset too at that time.
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De-rigging the DG 1000 into its trailor ready to be towed home to Lasham. | A spectacular sunset in progress. | Is this the equivalent of Alpenglow? |
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An arty arrangement of two lenticulars above Oroel. | The half moon shining above the airfield. | Closing up the DG 1000 trailor. | Fragmenting sunset cumulus. |
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More spectacular sunset scenes before we leave the airfield. | E6 on circuit during the sunset. | The Lasham DG1000 leaving the airfield. |
Then back in the room I cooked the remaining fish fingers and vegetables before going to the final night meal for 8:30PM. As expected the food was inedible to me. I was glad I'd had the fish fingers! Atleast dessert was nice with chocolate and ice cream. Then just like last year, acoustic guitars and singing followed the meal. I escaped soon after 10:30 as I was exhausted and wanted to sleep.
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Gathering in the bar. | Assembling for dinner. | The guitars soon come out after the main course. | Paul's wife was given a surprise birthday cake. | After some Spanish songs, countersinging 'Jerusalem'. | Toya playing the guitar and singing. |
I woke up early so was packed and sarnies for the trip home made by breakfast time. We watched the Formula 1 on the big screen as well as paid up and checked out. (I put the luggage into the car during a safety car period.) After the race around 11AM'ish Derek and I decided to move. We left Santa Cilia and headed for Riglos and the sandstone cliffs. It was much nicer weather than last year. The cliffs really do almost glow in the warm sunshine. There were lots of rock climbers on the cliffs. That explains why the car parks were full. We parked on the side of the road ok though and walked up through the village to the church and enjoyed the views for a while.
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The sandstone cliffs of Riglos. | Across the valley is what looks like a large granite tor. | Looking up at the cliffs as rock climbers have fun. They look like ants against the massive cliffs. | The church below the Rigloss cliffs. |
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Riglos panorama. | My best vulture shot of the trip, soaring the air currents around the cliffs. | More views of the Riglos church. | Looking up the path that extends above Riglos. |
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Looking back down the path above Riglos. | More views of the roick climbers. | Arty view of the cliffs from a narrow Riglos alley way. | Walking back down to the car. |
Eventually we moved on and headed for the airport. We got there just after 2PM and dropped off the car. There we relaxed until boarding. We took off 15 minutes late due to 'airspace restrictions' apparently. We were expecting bad weather near the UK end of the flight too. After launch we flew past lots of lenticulars thaqt were all around us, until we vanished into cirrostratus cloud. Then nothing much was visible until much further North. (I must remember to go on the right hand side going home next time. There was a great view of the Pyrenees for those people.) Later in the flight we started to descend back into clear air. There was lots of lower cloud but there were gaps and I got a view of the Isle of Wight and nice views across the Home Counties and Northwest London. I even spotted Sunny Hill Park and Costco. We only landed a few minutes late in showery conditions. But I was glad to be home, even when it was pouring down on the M11.
Note that they specifically stated that devices with flight / airplane mode enabled could be used for the whole duration of the flight. This enabled me to use the iPhone's camera from launch to landing.
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Launching from Zaragoza. | Lenticular cloud above. | A snowcapped Moncayo to the West. | As we climb higher and head North the sky fills with spectacular lenticular clouds. |
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One more lenticular panorama as we approach a layer of cirrostratus. | At the top of the cirrostratus layer a subsun becomes visible. | A layer of lower stratus below a thinning cirrostratus. | Sun dog. | More views from high above a layer of stratus. |
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The Isle of Wight. | Another subsun. | Ice crystal on the window. | Cloudscape over Southern England. | Views of my home patch. Right under the aircraft is Sunny Hill Park. Edgware and Stanmore are in the shot as the M1 snakes its way up from J2 to J4, and past Aldenham and Hilfield Park Reservoirs and Costco to Watford in the background. |
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Cumulus clouds to the North of London. | Landing at Stansted Airport. |