Lynx 2s go BIG in the Kerio Valley
06-02-2025
#Team
Conditions were ON in the Kerio valley at the end of January / beginning of February! Italian team pilot Alberto Assouad was there with two fellow Italian pilots, all three flying Lynx 2s, racking up the kilometres and the memories!
After waiting a week for conditions to come on, Friday 31st January and Saturday 1st Feb were BIG days: Alberto flew 237.25km and 240.94km (flat triangles), Carlo Vimercati flew 234.65 and 240.73km, and Duilio Macchi flew 184.76km and 234.62km.
They launched from Kilima. Alberto explained that the usual route is to fly south first, which means closely hugging tree-lined ridges in weak conditions at the start of the day. “Lose the lift and you will bomb out!”, he said. “You also have to be careful of the lee sides in the section to the south. Staying in very close to the ridge is safer than being further out, as there is less turbulence”.
Then you head back towards take-off and continue the track to the north. When the ridge stops you switch to mountain-flying mode, and these are big mountains. “More than 3,000m. And big cumulus. It’s strong conditions and you need to stay high. If you are not high, it is easy to bomb out, and then it is a long retrieve!”
They flew full-bar for much of the time – “otherwise in the strong winds you lose a lot of time. It’s not for beginners!”, he laughed.
And the landscape? “Beautiful! There are big cliffs with waterfalls in the south section; to the north, the high mountains are green and covered in jungle. Out front is flatlands and savannah, with maybe 700 elephants roaming down there – you don’t want to land there!”
Congratulations to all three pilots, and thanks to Alberto for the interview.
Find them on Insta: Alberto @albeassouad, Carlo @vime01, Duilio @duimacchia
Alberto's 240km flight on XContest
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After waiting a week for conditions to come on, Friday 31st January and Saturday 1st Feb were BIG days: Alberto flew 237.25km and 240.94km (flat triangles), Carlo Vimercati flew 234.65 and 240.73km, and Duilio Macchi flew 184.76km and 234.62km.
They launched from Kilima. Alberto explained that the usual route is to fly south first, which means closely hugging tree-lined ridges in weak conditions at the start of the day. “Lose the lift and you will bomb out!”, he said. “You also have to be careful of the lee sides in the section to the south. Staying in very close to the ridge is safer than being further out, as there is less turbulence”.
Then you head back towards take-off and continue the track to the north. When the ridge stops you switch to mountain-flying mode, and these are big mountains. “More than 3,000m. And big cumulus. It’s strong conditions and you need to stay high. If you are not high, it is easy to bomb out, and then it is a long retrieve!”
They flew full-bar for much of the time – “otherwise in the strong winds you lose a lot of time. It’s not for beginners!”, he laughed.
And the landscape? “Beautiful! There are big cliffs with waterfalls in the south section; to the north, the high mountains are green and covered in jungle. Out front is flatlands and savannah, with maybe 700 elephants roaming down there – you don’t want to land there!”
Congratulations to all three pilots, and thanks to Alberto for the interview.
Find them on Insta: Alberto @albeassouad, Carlo @vime01, Duilio @duimacchia