Here are two of my video's from this past weekend. I have another one of Rob getting airborne that I have to finish editing. It'll be up soon! Hope you enjoy the video's.
1. Huntin Corn
2. Germansville Ball Diamonds
OtisAir's Airborne Observations
Just turned final approach into our Powered Paragliding field that we fly out of in Morgantown PA. We were testing a tow behind camera.
The completion of formation flight training in preparation for the first evern formation flight of 50 Cherokee aircraft doing a mass arrival into Oshkosh.
The fun of Oshkosh just coming to an end and now its time to cleanup and get back to reality.
This is actually my 2nd PPG flight ever. My buddy captured the flight in video and I took a snapshot from the final approach segment.
Went back up to Rob’s today to do some more flying in the great Northeast of Pennsylvania. It’s real purty country up there with lots of neat hills and valleys to fly in. We launched about 7:15 pm, but I think we should have waited a bit longer because it was still a bit more turbulent than I love to fly in. Oh well, it builds character, right.
Rob told me it was going to be a “technical” (he called it) departure. I didn’t know he meant we’d be departing towards the mountain, running up hill, in front of the woods, near a 500 kV power line! I got airborne, made a left turn out and began my standard slow climb back to the South. A few minutes later I was up to about 500’ and out of the wires, woods, and wind shear. The rest of the flight went perfect!
Have a looksie:
I finally did it!!! I finally “cut the cord” and flew a good distance away from the field and stepped out of my comfort zone flying PPG’s and went somewhere. Where? 20.02 miles down the way! I departed Morgantown this morning and pointed Bertha East towards Kolb Field in Phoenixville. I immediately began wondering if I made the right decision because it was quite a bit bumpy with early morning lifty / sinky air. I pressed on and 37 minutes later, I landed at Kolb Field.
I thought for a while about calling for a ride back, but figured I’d better at least try the flight back to Morgantown before throwing in the towel. On the way out to Morgantown this morning (at 5:00 am), I stopped by Kolb and left a full gas can and set up a wind sock. I topped off my fuel tank and got airborne again, this time having difficulty gaining altitude due to the “rotor” effect of the wind off the tree line surrounding the field. I did get airborne and high enough to miss the tree and the lines and began my SLOW 6 mph journey back to Morgantown. I was headed in to the wind this time and boy it showed. No longer could I enjoy the 40+mph ground speed that I had experienced on the way over.
I flew about 1/3 of the way back to Morgantown before finally accepting the fact that I wouldn’t have enough fuel at this speed to make it back. I landed in a field across the street from O & J Roberts High School and gave my buddy Matt a call to come get me. He quickly arrived and back to Morgantown we went. I’m really happy that I did the cross country and I can’t wait to redo the return trip with more cooperative winds. Here’s the vid!
Given most any weekend where the the weather is nice for flying, you’ll find a tent or two set up out in Morgantown PPG Field. It makes it so much easier to fly until 30 minutes past sunset (with a strobe), and then get up and fly again 30 minutes before the sun peaks back on the other side of the whole wide world. This really does happen most weekends!
This weekend we must have had 10 wings up and 5 folks staying over night having a swaller of beer after flying and sitting out by the camp fire in the darkness of a night. Out here in Morgantown, there isn’t any light pollution so you get a GREAT view of the stars so pack a sleeping bag and a tent, and bring a long a telescope; we’ve got the beer.
Hope you enjoy the video!
The Finish Line |
Raw Oysters with Beer Shooters to celebrate our Victory! |
Fun Mud Bath, Yesterday Not So Fun Mud Bath. Not My Photo. |