Long-time Wessex Club chairman Pat Fry flew a Cloudbase. I recall him launching during a competition, his wing even more majestic than the one in this painting. Its leading edges were bowed into deep curves by tension in the deflexor cables -- as per the latest factory-approved re-trim. Like an expert sailor heading out from the beach, with minimal control movements, the angle to the wind quickly and correctly set, Pat's wing headed slowly out from the hill and up.

Progress is inevitable, and so the sight of these huge moth-shaped wings soaring our hills has gone forever. Pat is also gone. He suffered a stroke some years ago and has since passed away.