Category: Uncategorized

721 to 727 Shell Creek

Lots of good morning flying.  I’ve broken discipline and am not posting after every trip to the field.

The last several flights have all been at Shell Creek.  Mostly alone but sometimes with Others.  Larry came out one morning to watch when Paul C drove up from Pine Island.  Paul had bad morning when his motor died shortly after take off.  He came down 1000 yards past the southern end of the runway into a boggy mess.  He later said it looked good and I agree … I would have landed there …
And probably it would have been a rude awakening like I got at Winter Park that time I landed in a bog.
Bob Harrison came out with Mike last Sunday… Very enthusiastic guy with lots of airtime in DC-3s HE HAS lesS than 20 hours in PPG but he knows avaition and has a good feel for the wing.  
Today Mike Lange was kind enough to weld up my cage where it attaches at the bottom.  Thanks Man…
The sky divers are going to be watching us for awhile.  I hope we surprise them with our “respectfulness……

715 to 720 Shell Creek

Good times, at the strip. My only complaint is that the grass is always wet in the morning.  This morning I was going to fly with Bill and Paul but Paul bailed when the weather looked dicey and Bill had an appointment with the VA.  I could see storms building over by my rental house but it was calm at the field so I went up for a short flight.  After 20 minutes I could feel the air losing stability, rather than wait for the rodeo I landed and returned to Punta Gorda where I looked at a hunter 35.

Nice boat. clean and in good shape.  Too bad it’s the first one I’ve seen.

Shell Creek. 713 &714

Monday and Wednesday I went for an early flight.  The field is wonderful, close cut grass without a bump.  The area is mixed agriculture, forest, wetland and a little industry.  No elevation changes.

I’m working on slowing down a little bit rather than mashing the throttle.  Today the wing went through all kinda gyrations before I was able to get it stabilized.  The flights were good and my shoulder is starting to get better.

707 North Port Charlotte

The last three flight have all been at the NPC LZ that Mike showed me.  It’s confined and if the wind changes direction or picks up over 8 or 10 MPH the mechanical rotor will be a problem.  But… it’s 20 minutes from home and very close for Mike.

 On flight 703 I discovered that I had stepped on a fire ant colony while I was gearing-up.  Everything was wonderful, the take-off was clean and I was climbing to altitude before heading off to explore. At 550 feet I felt the first bite, it was sharp like a shot but it was also hot.  I jerked and pulled at my pants thinking that something might be pinching me but almost immediately came bites 2 through 10 and I let go of the brakes and was smacking at my leg like it was made of wood.  Eventually I managed to smash the invaders inside my blue jeans.  Later when I got home I could see the bites starting at my sock line and thinning as they marched north.  NOTE TO SELF… When your outdoors …. look before you stop, you might be standing in a fire ant colony.

My new wing man Mike Lange

After Flight Hot tub action

Back from surgery … Flight # 701

Finally….!   It’s been a long long winter.  The surgery went well, my shoulder has a new ball joint and I’ve recovered 100% of the Range of Motion.  I’m working on regaining the strength I lost sitting on my ass for the last 5 months.  The only real problem is what I think is bursitis that was caused by the fall I took last year at Carter Lake.

This morning was perfect.   The temp was 45 degrees and the winds were nill from the south west.
I had to “jump start the paramotor because I had left the key in the last time I test ran it in Jan.  The launch was less than perfect.  The wing fell off to the left and it took 50 feet of runway to get it up and stable.  Right after takeoff ,I discovered that the trim cam had slipped below the power loops, causing the wing to turn a slow right.  I climbed to 300 feet circling the field and then went to work getting the cam sorted out.  It seemed much harder to move than the other times this has happened but that was probably more due to my lack of strength than anything else.
Eventually I worked the cam into position and climbed to 900 feet where I set off to the south.  There was a dramatic change in temperature at 500 feet where it was at least 20 degrees warmer.  I played around for 30 minutes and returned to the field where Robert Kittila was setting up.  Rather than hassle with jumping the Paramotor again I orbited the field and waited for Robert to launch.  A motorcyclist rode in and he and Robert started chatting.  It looked like it was going to be a long talk so I practiced wing overs for awhile and landed.
Upon landing I noticed a break in the cage tubing inside of the prior repairs. It looks very flyable with a little duct tape but I think I’ll get it welded ASAP instead.
Robert took off and I chatted with a new pilot …. Don, who has Delta and paragliding experience.
Beautiful rig ….Kangook with a Moster engine.  He has just finished training with Mike Robenson and was not 100%  happy with the experience.  Unfortunently he didn’t get off after 3 attempts and I had to leave so I don’t know if he ever did.  It’s not easy training at sea level and going home to 5500 feet.
It’s nice to be back in the air.

691 …. 692 … 693. Tortuga

Good flights
One turtle when the AAssists failed.  No damage.
I forgot the wind sock and did a cross wind landing and take off as a result.   The slight breeze wind shifted 240 degrees after my first launch.
Changed oil and overfilled.  Result in loss of  350 RPM …running fine now.
Said good bye to the balloons for the season.  It’s going to be cold tomorrow and possibly snow the next day.