( Pilot’s eye View )
Mike Bennett said he would be at Dick’s at 6:30… I arrived and unloaded at 5:30 so I could launch before the sun. It was 57 degrees and the wind was steady from the SSW at 5mph.
I set up and launched with only one issue. …….
Last week Mike Savino commented on my Facebook ….Check Lists …Check Lists… Check Lists… Well…. Today, the little thing I missed was the trimmers. I’d left them open after kiting in high wind on Wed. The buggy got up fairly quickly but the climb was terrible. I closed them and did a couple of laps for altitude. The plan was to traverse the new neighborhoods high and then descend to 150 feet and circle the old tower at Stapleton. If all went well I would get a trophy shot of my shadow on the tower, unfortunately there were three or four police cars spotlighting an apartment building directly between me and the tower. I could probably have pulled it off because I doubt they could have heard the 4 stroke from 1000 feet but…No good would come from getting their attention, so I decided to abort on the side of discretion and save it for another day. On the way back after crossing the highway I explored the southern field from 150 feet. Lots of trees but plenty of room to work with.
When I got back over the field Mike was setting up and Paul Dillon pulled in shortly after I landed. By the time I went up for the second flight Paul M., Dan K. and a couple of new guys were there. Shortly after Paul launched a Gov. type showed up looking for a fight. Apparently we had crossed into the Rocky Mountain Arsenal. I don’t think any of us was ever more than 600 feet inside the fence but from his perspective it could have looked like we were much deeper into his turf. After pleading ignorance, begging forgiveness and promising to brief the “new guys”, he cooled down and and left. 
( Photo Mike Bennett )
I set up on the entrance road to avoid the low clinging weeds and launched behind Dan and had a great flight.
It was good to see so many of the Denver Flock in one place. I had to leave to get to work but the gang hung around and worked with the new guys (Tom & Branden) on ground handling.
( Photo Mike Bennett )
This was a strange one. I got up early so I could launch before the sun only to find that I’d left the ignition on and the battery was dead. I pulled on the starter cord until I was sweating like a dog. This was different: every other time I’ve pull started the 4 stroke, it was a piece of cake. I don’t know if I was just weak or perhaps a circut was switched off …. whatever. I couldn’t pull start it. Two hard inspections didn’t turn up the cause. 
Eventually I decided to try jump starting from the truck and it fired right up. The motor idled while I set up the wing and when it was time to launch it started on the first pull. Huh? 
Powered Paragliding. A most Personal form of Flight 
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