Dream Flight Libelle DLG climbing away from our club field

I used my lunchtime to pop over to the field around 1.00pm today. The weather was calm and warm - just the conditions for some DLG flying. I only brought along my battered and bruised Dream Flight Libelle. The air was buoyant and after trying various launches in different parts of the field I managed to climb away from about 20 metres high. Fortunately, I managed to capture my flying on my helmet cam and hopefully you will enjoy the video below. Watch in HD and in 'Full Screen' for best quality.

I'm a big fan of DLG flying as in my opinion is the most basic, organic form of model flying available. Keep launching it up and watch it continually to watch for signs of lift. Our new field seems to have come up trumps. I have had two trips to the field now on both occasions have manage to climb away from a hand launch which I have not managed before. I spent my hour at the field today trying different parts of the field. Watching which area was warming up and giving off low thermals. I think you need to explore as much of the air available to find which part is working. When you find rising air there is good chance you will find rising air again in the same area. Thermals need a heat source..... could be a line of tree's or a sunny corner downwind of some tree's but if its producing thermals then as the air recycles it should keep on producing small pockets of rising air (a thermal). The problem I find is after I have climbed away is then finding another thermal to climb away in. Usually you have drifted downwind and you then lose height trying to push back into wind and through the sink associated with leaving rising air.
Every launch is a learning opportunity. The model will tell you when its in rising air. The Libelle slows and gently lifts its nose and obviously stops losing height. The big challenge is knowing which way to turn in what you think is rising air and how tight to turn (usually tight turns needed lower down).
You don't need to be an athlete or a massively built hammer thrower to launch a DLG. You don't need to launch it to 30 - 40 metres high to get in a thermal (but sometimes it helps). Give it a go! The Libelle is relatively cheap (£92 from T9HobbySport) for the amount of enjoyment it gives back in performance. I'm happy to help you in any way you want if you want to try out DLG flying. I'm no expert but more than happy to share the little I know.