For those who've net yet heard, I took a job in Saudi Arabia which started Sept 16th. If you want to read about that check http://blog.keen-edge.net.

After just three short weeks at 30 - 35 degrees with no beer (and not much food since it's Ramadan) and way to many prayer calls, I was ready for a break. The end of Ramadan brings "Eid" which is a week-long national holiday. I stretched it out to 10 days and bought a ticket to Rome.

I still had no idea where to fly but I was sure they had pizza, beer and plenty to keep me busy. After looking around on the web, I found many great places to fly in Italy but the season is really winding down by October... except in Norma - just south of Rome.

Vincenso, a local pilot gave me the scoop,

• stay at Hotel Villa Del Cardinal in Norma
• It's a 15 minute walk to Launch, which I can see from my hotel window.
• A short Bus and the train takes me to Rome for toursim when it is not flyable.
• No car needed.

Day 1... Arrived around noon. Did tourist things in Norma and Latina.

Day 2... Spent most of the day on launch watching conditions... Massive cu-nims on the ridge behind and 15km/h wind on launch. Too intimidating for me to take off without local info. Around 12:00 three Norweigans arrived but they feel the same as I do. Around 3:00 Guseppie shows up to guide a Russian pilot. He too is pretty intimidated, we all wait. Around 5:00 it looks like the cu's are not building anymore and the wind is still good so we all take off and fly for an hour or so and top land. Very very sweet.

Day 3... Now it is the weekend and the weather is stabilized a bit so there are about 50 pilots on launch. I flew two hours... top landed... launched again around 4:00 and did 25km or so.. landed out and hitched back.

Day 4. Another 50 pilots. and another 25 km. I'm starting to get this place figured out.

10:00-12:00 it's marginal; it can be soarable but generally rough. Local pilots can't be bothered because they all fly 2/3 and comp gliders and they know it will be better at 4:00.  For me on a 1/2 and desperate for airtime I'll huck off into almost anything. 12:00-4:00 the ridge stops working and the plains in front might be on for flat land soaring. 4:00 the sea breeze from the Mediteranean (15 or 20 km away) sets up and the whole ridge goes off.

Day 5. Not a soul around launch...

but I have the local knowledge now. Flew, off and on, from 10:00am - 6:00 pm. Landed a few times on top and twice in the in valley. Hitched back once and walked up the front once. The front looks like a doddle it even has a an ancent stone stairway for much of the way. But the stairs no doubt used to arrive at some impassible catsle gate or somehting. Now they arrive at a pretty well vertical headwall... not a long climb but pretty exposed;  enough that it freaked me out scrambling up with with my glider I think I find a different path next time.

Day 5. Took the 7:30 bus to Latina and a train to Rome.  Visited the Colloseum, Circuss Maximus, The Forum and more.... back by three for the afternoon flight - two hours in the air.

Day 6. Awesome flying all day

10:00 - 11:30. fly, top Land. go to town for lunch

12:30 - 1:30 great flight all over the ridge but then suddenly 2 or 3 m/s up everywhere I flew.  No explanation.  I don't like "Mystery lift" so I flew to valley arrived over the LZ with 2000m and practiced spirals and wingovers all the way to ground.  Walked back up.  Got lost again and it took almost 2 hours by my "new improved" route.  I won't got that way again.

4:40 flew for another hour and top landed.

6:00 it looks too light but other pilot are stil climbing. so off I go; scrached at "0" for about 45 minutes before finally side hill landing 100m below launch.

Day 7.  I wake up to thunder and lightning... Off to the Vatican Museum for the day.

Day 8. Today.... it's been over developing all day but things are breaking up here now at 1:30 so I'm off to check out launch.

Beer, pizza,  Great Weather, really fiendly locals and visitors from all ofver the world.  Endless history right nearby... and no Imam yodelling prayers at 2:00... I might just stay.

Pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/gtissington/MoreNormaFlying

Two more days and I'm back to the desert.  I get my Driver's license the day I get back and then I can start looking for launches there.

 This is the view from my hotel window as I write this.  Looks good... you go.