Entertainment: Just For Fun

Oshkosh Radio Station Interview

Last year, before my yearly PPG presentation, I agreed to an interview with WOSH's JT Vogt. It was, overall, a stressful morning that turned out to be a lot of fun, too. Oshkosh is the world's largest aviation gathering and, although there were no paramotor makers showing, there was a lot of interest. We had fun talking about everything from how precisely the craft can be flown, to what horrors await the victims of engine failure. Oh my.

JT is an aviation enthusiast who genuinely seemed to enjoy his job. If you gotta work...

The 10 minute talk was held in one of the main tents while OSH's swirl continued outside so, every now and then, an air machine made lots of noise as it passed overhead.

All of the WOSH interviews can be found here on a calendar and my interview is here as an MP3.

Boxing Ring - Fan Man Re-creation

For a change, paramotor flight was the main attraction. "We got a guy just crazy enough..." Fox Sports aired a 10 minute segment on their Sports Science show that was yours truly landing in a boxing ring. Here is the article and video.

Paramotor Waterskiing

Alligators. They eat things that go into the water. Food that tries to get away gets drug to the depths of their drowning lair. Alligators are big. Much bigger than yours truly.

But the water was shallow, the temptation was high, the opportunity was fresh and Stan was insistent.

1. Stan Kasica made me do it. Paramotor water Skiing in the St. Johns River.

2 & 3. Stan went next. He's a better skier than but also more aggressive as picture three shows.

Winter Wonderland

Oh what we put up with in winter. Terry Lutke shared this amusing look out his back yard. No flying here, that's for sure.

PPG PJ Party

Sept 21, 2007, Albuquerque, NM

A correspondence sent out to the Albuquerque Route 66 Flyers by Michelle Daniele chuckled my funny bone but good. When announcing their paramotor pajama party, Michelle had to set a few things straight from the outset. Make sure to read to the end.

Don't run over any pajama sleepers. Be early but there's no "booby" prize.

Spidey Senses

Aug 28, 2007 Twin Jet Turbine PPG, powered para jet?

During the Dave Purdin Fly-In near Peebles, OH, we were treated to this site.

Spiderman does a great job with that web shooting but it requires buildings. What to do when the villain is terrorizing corn fields and playing havoc with soy production? You bet, PPG.

One handy ability is turning any wing into a reflex profile—shoot a web up there in just the right places and voila, reflex! Drag is a problem and don't that web fall into the prop while it's coming out your wrist. Ouch.

Informants have snitched on the clandestine photographer as Ken Sheen and rumor has it that Darian Fields is the mortal behind the mask.

An anonymous informant sent this capture of a superhero moment.

PPJ

Aug 28, 2007 Twin Jet Turbine PPG, powered para jet?

We received a picture of a strange craft and posted it on the front page. After further investigating, we turned up one more picture of the "black" program that this hardware represents.

Neither Fresh Breeze Germany nor the local importer, Southern Skies, would comment but Mr. Downey was able to obtain another picture showing the training materials used by its creators (PPG Bible plus Risk & Reward). Obviously we're pleased.

It's not known how the pilot is protected from an appendage puree in the turbine discs which would seem to be a big risk. It's likely this is shown without protective intake elements.

The motors appear to be very high bypass which makes them more suited for our slow speed application. Even then, fuel consumption would be.

Another option is that the ducted fans are made to pivot to allow vertical flight without a PPG wing. That would consume copious amounts of fuel but could get the pilot to a suitable launch site for efficient winged flying.

From the creative genius of David Downey. Paramotor pilot and master animator.

A Good Use for Toilet Paper

Aug 24, 2007 humorous look at repair advice

I appreciate the comments I get on various articles but this one gave me good chuckle. There's a section under Chapter 12 that addresses how to rebuild a Black Devil pull starter. Paul from Dayton wrote:

The Skate-Launched PPG

July 20, 2007 in-line skate/rollerblade launch of a paramotor

Yes, this is ridiculous. I've flown aircraft with 1 wheel (sailplane), 2 wheels (helicopter), 3 wheels (Bonanza), 4 wheels (quad PPG), 5 wheels (King Air), 6 wheels (737) and wanted to try PPG launching with 8 wheels.

Mixing two of my favorite passtimes. Here's what happened when I tried to launch the paramotor on roller blades.

New Tool

June 24, 2007

He's not much but he's my first!

I'm learning a new tool to be able to illustrate certain maneuvers and actions required of paramotor pilots. My artistic ability at drawing 3D diagrams is limited. I've always thought that, if I could create a 3D image then move it to different camera angles, I could quickly explain concepts that are otherwise difficult. The correct picture really will be worth a 1000 words.

So now I'm learning the tool that will let me pull it off. Additional benefits will be the ability to animate certain movements for video. For example, once the 3D objects are created, it will be easy to show a landing pattern in winds or the effect of gradient on climb, turn or others.

Building a 3D paramotor is quite the undertaking so I have hired that out to a pro but, in the meantime I'm learning my way around the program. No, I'll never likely be proficient enough to create such intricate objects as the paraman but I'll hopefully get to the point of moving him around enough to get shots to clearly illustrate certain concepts.

A new medium is discovered!

1) This is my first 3D creation.

2) This is Tim's. He's the pro. "Oh really?" We've got some fine tuning to make the straps and risers all go to the right place but he's done an awesome job.

What's Wrong with This Picture?

Dec 3, 2006 Jeff flying in a way that's not quite right

For the past several days I've been trying out descriptions of techniques and assorted other flying tasks. It's quite fun to compare an intended explanation with its execution in the field. Like editing, there are surprises descriptions get revised.

Plus it was fun enjoying the beautiful Phoenix, Arizona landscape. The Enterprise has been busy.

See how long it takes you to figure out what ridiculous thing is going on  in the picture at right. You can expand it by clicking. Here's a hint: the propeller is not turning.

While much of the country struggles with snow, cold, wind and winter's general frothing, the Phoenix boys are out there plying the skies. It was nice to join them. Keep the air warm, I'll be coming back!

Click here for the full Enterprise Log story if you don't see it.

Having a Woody

Nov 24, 2006

Aluminum is good, it comes from supernovae. After some cooling and coalescing into planets, and a few more things, we then we mine it and make paramotors with it. But paramotor parts can also grow out of the ground, too, as Terry Lutke discovered when he wanted to add wheel launch to his paramotoring skills quiver.

Terry had wood, not aluminum and found that it worked rather well. Of course it's a few pounds heavier but, as long as you don't have to lift it, what the heck? And if something breaks, the cost of repairing the 2x4's can't possibly exceed $12. Another bonus: at the end of a chilly flight, there is a ready supply of campfire material. 

After seeing the virtue of cellulose, Canadian Wayne Mitchler sent a picture of another unconventional use for the same construction technique. Keep on rollin' guys!

(Left) Terry's trike made from about $12 worth of 2x4's and another few dollars worth of hardware. (Right) The perfect way to arrive at the flying field towing your wooded trike.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Nov 24, 2006

The polar bears are still at bay although winter awaits, lurking just around the corner, ready to pounce on our thermic paradise. But, for now, we're enjoying unseasonably survivable weather here in the hinterlands. And so, with thanksgiving dinner (chips and salsa) downed, the dishes done, it was time to celebrate.

Warm in November means 53 degrees. Neighbors can be seen, occasionally, without their usual winter space suits at such temperatures. Paramotor flying can even be done. Almost. Fortunately, my other conveyance has one of transportations greatest inventions-the heater knob.

Tim Kaiser and I toured the western suburbs of Chicago aboard Ellie. After launching from a backyard pad, we headed for a suburban paraplace called the Polo Field. Nobody there, too bad. But it was nice flying and, at the end, I topped it off with an auto-rotation (power-off landing) to the north end of our home runway. Ahhh. Next up: to the Enterprise (in Phoenix).

Jeff Goin and Tim Kaiser over the western suburbs of Chicago. There are some advantages even beyond the heat knob: it goes 85 mph without risk of collapse and doesn't require mixing fuel. 

You Think We Have It Bad?

Nov 15, 2006

I've stayed in cold tents, braved rain and mud, slogged gear through wet grass and endured other insults to satisfy my various quests for airtime. But never have I gone to the degree that these two young men went through in their own quest for a Playstation 3.

While exiting Best Buy on Wednesday I talked to these two, and others, who had been in line since the morning for a planned release date of Friday. Your calculations are correct--they had two more full days to stand in the Chicago chill.

They had plenty of company and I'm sure even more by the time Friday morning rolled around. 

When asked what they were going to do with their games, the answer was surprising. Probably half planned to resell them for a profit. Apparently, they're going for significantly over purchase price on E-Bay.

Thanks guys for sharing your story. Long live Capitalism!

And Yet We Still Fly

Oct 12, 2006

I love meeting new enthusiasts. Really I love meeting new people, period, but those with a passion for life, and especially those who share this passion of flight, are particularly special.

At the 2006 Albuquerque Fly-In, I met a man who loved flying and wanted to be better at it. He only had 10 flights but sought to get the most of it by improving his skills in a ratings clinic I was helping run. His easy-going enthusiasm made him a quick friend. This would be fun.

Later that morning, Barton George collided with another pilot while flying around the field and did not survive. What a punch to the gut. I couldn't fly anymore that day nor could others. But, as with other events where such catastrophes happen, we did eventually seek our familiar perch aloft and took to flight. More circumspect, to be sure, but still we plunged back into our known risky activity. 

We all know that calamity lurks on every flight but we push it back, sloughing off the risk in a "it won't happen to me" mentality. Hopefully we've learned enough to make that more likely—minimizing time spent in the sport's various danger zones and taking the appropriate cautions when we do venture to safety's edge. We have to or we'd never leave the ground.

For those who's primary entertainment stares back at them in Technicolor, flight's risk may seem unreasonable. I envy them, in a way, that they can be so fulfilled with such simple pleasure. But I doubt I would trade my life for that and am thankful for the opportunity to live it, and hopefully survive, it's adventurous offerings.

I harbor no delusion that it can't happen to me. There've been close calls and will probably be others. These words may outlive me but know that I'm thankful for the experience that let them live through me.

Yes, in spite of the loss, I will still fly. I'm sorry I won't get to share it with Barton, but I'm sure he'd understand my continuing.

Keeping an Eye on Things

May 24, 2006

A recent flight with Tim provided him a great opportunity to enjoy the countryside. The store that he manages is located just south of a large field - perfect for observation from a powered paraglider!

Although checking out the store wasn't really our mission it sure made for a good photo op. This was about 10 miles from our launch site and the entire flight lasted about 1.3 hours. It was a wonderful afternoon jaunt about the Illinois countryside.

Much of the flying was along the DuPage River which meanders through oh-so-flyable sod farms and other fields near Plainfield, IL.