Author: JoeO

Powered Paraglider pilot since 2005

Flight #1138

Beautiful clear morning with just a whisper of breeze from the South East. At the intersection I picked the North West runway and set up. The previous launch I observed that the lines were being held back by the keepers so I stuffed some paper towel into the bottom to prevent any pinching. It worked . The wing was slow to inflate but once it caught it came up straight and clean.

Landing was the worst in a long time. I came in with almost no power , trimmers “all in”. The flare was probably a tad high because I ran out of authority and came down hard. Not enough to stress the rig but certainly not the slow greasy landings of late. Next time, I think the conditions are similar I’ll put the trim to neutral.

Getting more comfortable with the risers every flight.

Flight #1136

I discovered the risers needed to be swapped left for right. After totally screwing up and creating a tangled mess ! I turned the garage into a wing loft and restrung the risers. Yesterday I was able to kite it and Today was the test.

First launch was aborted. I believe there was a crosswind just above the surface or bad timing on my part. Second launch was fine. Wing flew well and WST is much better swapped.

Landing was spot on.

Flight #1134 Immokalee

No Drama. Better weather than the last time. The field was wet making for a spicy drive across the field. There were tiny biting ants that would find you as soon as you stood still for a minute. The takeoff was long but the flight was short. No particular reason. I just felt like heading back. I hung around till everybody was down. Took a minute to meet the guys. This is the largest group I’ve flown with in a long time. Watched the newbie carnage . No injuries except a couple of props. The new pilot was nervous and should probably not have been pressured into launching.

Flight #1130

Launch was sloppy due to the port side A’assist not being attached. I fought the wing into the air and after a couple of deflations was able to stabilize it overhead for a brake assisted rotation. That, and a light fuel load made for a short sweet flight.

I flew to Safe Cove and back experimenting with the WTS. I’m confident that I’ll be able to reroute them without having to lay out the wing. I have not inspected the prop repair but it didn’t explode in flight.