Sunday, June 26, 2011

Scramble Scramble Unknown Rider

This afternoon I was sittin' there minding my own business when the scramble alarm went off.  Seems someone thought we were being invaded from another PPG club and I was sent out to investigate.  Lucky for us, I wasn't the last line of defense cuz I'm always liable to crash before I get airborne, just after getting airborne, or blowing a gasket and just barely reaching the (my) crash site. I got airborne and searched for the boagie and finally spotted him down low.  When I caught him in my new fast wing, I recognized him as one of our own, Rick.  Rick flys KingAir's so he's definitely one of the good guys.  We flew around together for a bit and then I came back to do a planned engine out approach followed later by a real engine out approach.  Enjoy!

Saturday, June 25, 2011

A bit of the hair of the dog that bit me!

Oh what a night!  Last night, we went out for a birthday drink and ended up having one more, 10 times.  Ugh!  I started with a little tiny sampler of various microbrews and then got a birthday drink, then another one, and then I couldn't spell anymore and next thing I knew it was 1:00 a.m. and I had to get up inaminute. I had a ball though and thanks Beth and Joy and Matt for a happy birthday celebration! 
I got a new Reflex Wing for my birthday and wanted to try it out.  Kevin, my instructor, was at the field and I decided to give it a try. Later, Matt and Jeff played around kiting it for a while while Mike got ready to fly.  Thanks guys for allowing me to bust on ya'll - you're good peeps!  Hope ya'll enjoy this silly video.
 

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Flying Time Again

I wanted to make sure I got out again this week before my Birthday in case we go busy doing stuff and I wasn't able to get airborne.  I heard of air-sickness before, but I get ground-sickness from not being able to fly every few days.  lol 
I'm happy ya'll stop by and look at the video's; I figure when I celebrate a few more birthdays and my teeth start falling out, I'll be able to look back at these and remember what I used to do as a younger chap.  Of course, they do have quads and trikes that can be connected below the wings, so hopefully I'll still be flying when I'm 102.  Wouldn't that be scary; forget who and where I am at a thousand feet about the ground and not having a clue where to land.  If ya'll find me in your back yard, can you send me home?
Hope you like the vid!

Monday, June 20, 2011

Bugs In My Teeth

The sun just started its morning climb,  get dressed and out of them ‘jama’s,
Brush your teeth and comb your hair, you look like Bigfoot’s Mama.
Grab your motor, grab your wing, and get on out to the field,
There’s sites to see, for you and me, it’s gonna be a thrill.

My wing spread wide, the lines all straight, my beeners secure at the clip,
The grass is wet, must watch my step, so I don’t start sliding and slip.
Bertha is purring, she’s ready to go, just waiting on a squeeze of the trigger,
I pick out my spot and start running a lot, my grin it couldn’t be bigger.

It takes me a while, but in under a mile, I finally have air just below me,
Slowly at first, cuz gas she does thirst, but soon she starts climbing more quickly.
We fly over here, and we fly over there, to see all the sites there below us,
The chickens,  potatoes, the corn maze, tomatoes, the cows that look at us in chorus.

And sometimes it’s fun, to fly way down low, to watch all the sites at our feet,
The perspective of speed is all that I need, when flying in fields of tall wheat.
A wake I do leave, or sometimes a hole, if I don’t judge my airspeed correctly,
I’ve crashed once or twice, or maybe its thrice, where they’ve had to send someone to get me.

But usually I launch and return on my own, to gas up and go for another,
It may be up high, right up in the sky or maybe down here in ground cover.
I’m grinning for sure just zoom in and look at my wing where I’m sitting beneath,
I know this is true, It may have  happened to you, cuz I’m grinning with bugs in my teeth.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Joe & Joe & The Morgantown Creek

This weekend Joe and Joe came up from Delaware and Maryland to see what all this PAPPG (Pennsylvania Powered Paragliding) stuff was all about.  We (PAPPG) think we have a pretty good spot and are always happy to share the air with our friends and neighbors out of state. So much so, in fact, that seldom do we have a week of flying go by that we don't have several different states represented and you betcha that we consider them PAPPG'ers.  They're good folks and always welcome.
Both Joes have been flying for approx 10 years and it was obvious as soon as they got their gear out. It takes me about 30 minutes to get set up whilst it took them about 2, plus they launch with Tea & Crumpets in their hands and I don't think took more than 2 steps to get airborne.  One day I'll be able to match the number of my takeoff's to good landings. :-)  This video shows a bit of the creek that runs down Morgantown and some footage of J2 (Joe & Joe) flying with me.  Hope you enjoy it!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Post Weather Hold Playtime

After striking out twice with the weather days earlier, I was finally able to get back in the air for a fun ride this evening.  A few of us headed back out to Morgantown for some evening flying and Matt and I did some airborne surveillance of the area prior to the sun going down.  With the addition of strobes on our Paramotors, the regs allow us to fly up to 30 minutes past sunset - so we do.  :-)  Landing is sometimes, uhm, fun when I forget to take my sunglasses off (which I use for eye (bugs) protection).  Perhaps some shooters glasses or something would work out better.  We'll see. Hah!   Here's a short vid from today's flying! Hope you enjoy it!

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Mother Nature: 2 Me: 0

Man-O-Man was Mother Nature a wench this weekend.  First, We all drove up to New Tripoli Pennsyvlania to visit with Rob and fly at one of his fields.  Matt & Ginger had gone up to rebuild the carb on Matt's paramotor, and Beth and I showed up an hour later to install some camera mounts on Bertha so I could add some more camera angles to my flights.  After everything was all put back together, we loaded up and drove up the road to do some flying in the fields.  The wind was howling a lil bit but it felt steady, and therefore predictable.  I launched and immediately wished I hadn't.  I landed about 30 seconds later.  That was Saturday. On Sunday, I flew out at Kolb while Beth ran the perimeter of the runway a few times. I got airborne and the ride wasn't bad but clouds began to quickly build and I was afraid that a thunderstorm was developing and didn't want to get launched over to North Dakota - so I landed, loaded up, and will wait for next weekend.  I hate it when I can't fly long.  :-(  Po Me.
Here's the vid: 


Sunday, June 5, 2011

Lil Ole Ride In The Sky

Did some camping out this weekend with Ella.  I went flying for a bit then Ella and I played frisbee and she taught me how to chase bugs.  She was such a lil "ham" out there getting scratchin's from everyone and quickly identifying snack opportunities. Its funny to watch her "in action" as she wiggles up to someone and gives them a big ole smile and then promptly rolls over on her back for a belly run, and oh yea - a snack too.  If she wasn't so good at it, I'd have to stop her from doing it, little baconator!
She loves camping out and is a great tent mate; she doesn't snore (too loudly) and only toots occasionally!  She IS a Bulldog after all.  :-)  Hope you enjoy the video.

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