The Wind Factor

One major element everyone has warned me about with doing this trip is the wing.   

As the day heats up so does the ground and thermals start, sea breezes intensify and come ashore and the trike becomes like and offroader going over boulders.

The best times to fly is when the ground is the coldest which is usually at sunrise until around 9am afterwhich a solid workout commences.

Once landing the problem becomes the wind throwing the microlight on it’s side.   This is a real problem and a constant source of worry for me.   Without being tied down the trike almost acts like a big parachute and a wing up in the wind can have disastrous consequences and bring the trip to a very quick end.

When I landed in Inhambane, with some large tent pegs and climbing rope, I tied each wing down to the ground, then the cross bar on either side 4 times before chocking the wheels.

Last night was a fairly windy night, probably up to 15 knots at times and I had a very disturbed sleep.   Everytime I shut my eyes images came of my plane on it’s back with crumpled wings.  

This morning I drove out to the airfield and checked with a helpful local.   All was well and my worries needless.   Regardless, I retied down the entire trike adding some more ropes for measure.

Hopefully the no gales are coming.

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