Chase Camera Test #612 Vance Brand

Flash Gordon Chase Cam

It was blowing 8 to 10 when I got to the field.  The heavy snow from Monday had melted making it a little muddy but I thought it was doable.  I tied a bridal to the C lines in the middle of the right side of the wing.  The camera would come up and swing into the lines every time.  It was hard to tell if I had enough tether to get the camera flying in the right spot without going into the prop, but it looked right.

The launch was a mess.  The wind, that had been blowing hard, came down dramatically.   I set up the wing and took great care to prevent the camera from crossing any lines.  Well, … while I was setting up, the wind shifted. I wasn’t aware of it because, (like a dummy), I’d put up the wind sock by the truck instead of out where I could see it from the trike.  Needless to say the wing came up hard to the left and I had to abort.  I reset in nil wind.and blew it again because the wind had come up from the wrong direction just as I started my run.  This happened one more time before the wind settled down and I was able to get up.
I could see that the camera was flying off my right shoulder but I could also see that it was swinging left. and right.  The are was mixing and bumpy so maybe that was it.

When I got home and viewed the video the camera was positioned well but the swing was not acceptable.
Maybe Mike will have an idea when I visit him on Sat.

610 & 611 Vance Brand

Two Good Flights. 
The airfield was unnaturally quiet and I wondered if it was because the moron in charge had flown Air force One into Buckley for an anti-gun function with the Governor.  I’ll have to admit that I hadn’t checked for TFRs, but I didn’t even know the president was in the area, until I heard it on the radio, on the way out to the field.  I unloaded the rig but didn’t set up because  I was sure there was an FAA guy waiting in the shadows to bust me.  Like I was a threat to anybody with a contraption made out of Home Depot leftovers. After an hour of kiting the wing and playing with the dog a plane rolled out and I figured the flight restriction had been lifted.
The flights were uneventful which is a good thing.   The air was a bit unstable so I stayed close to the patch.  There were dark clouds with virga over the foothills and the wind was being pulled toward the storms.  I figured I could stay up as long as the activity stayed to the west and the winds were consistent from the East.
The highlight of the day was doing low and slow passes by the truck to amuse the puppy.

Stupid is as stupid does

Well….. Our favorite poster boy for mental illness has done it again.  Just two days after a video showing Dell having a mid-air with a student while attempting a “cage stand”, another surfaces of Dell chasing a bird of prey for 7 minutes, kicking the frightened animal in flight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5Eepa_TfFE

It sure lit up the big list.  Over 70 messages in less than two days.

Sure enough it was taken down by Dell who claimed copyright infringement.  Go figure ?  He is claiming rights to the video which will convict him.  An admission of guilt?  His aide says no, he filed the copyright infringement in the hope the true author will come forward to protest him pulling the video.

I will defer to Jeff Goin who spoke to the media.  His blog post summarizes the case well including in interview on Salt Lake TV.

 http://footflyer.com/Misc/Dell_Schanze_WPPGA/2013-Utah-Hawk/2013_Dell_Shanze_Animal_Cruelty.htm   

Here are links to Jeff’s articles about Dell.

See also www.PPGTruth.com.


Powered Paragliding Vance Brand 605 & 606

What a nice afternoon.  Yesterday it took 2 hours to drive into Denver with heavy snow but today it’s 61 degrees and the field is soft and barely damp.

On the way to Vance Brand Airport I stopped at Boulder Municipal to see if they would let me fly there.  I approached a group of sky divers waiting for their ride outside the Executive Terminal and struck up a conversation.  Good guys.  Bruce told me he had never seen any of us flying in the area but didn’t seem against the idea.  There was very little activity and unless there was some bad history I thought there might be a chance.  I watched the sky divers take off and eventually met the lead instructor at the flight school, a friendly enough guy named Tracy.  The airport manager was out but he didn’t have any problems with me flying there.  When he called the manager I was told that there was a city ordinance against us basing at B.M. Airport but he was cool if I quietly took a few flights.
The air was a bit sketchy with little gusts blowing in every few minutes from the West.  B.M. Air is much closer to the Flat Irons and I was concerned with rotor from the hills and city so I decided to save it for another day when the conditions were calmer.  I chatted with the pilot of the skydiving plane for a few and set off to Vance Brand.
5 miles North it was much better.  The winds were 4 to 7 mph from the North West and there wasn’t a soul in sight.  I launched by the swoop pond and headed over to the High School.  While it was calm at the field it was very turbulent to the south.  I climbed to 500 feet and it got worse.  I climbed to 800 feet and it was worse still!  So… I descended back down to 100 feet and headed back to the field where I played around with the low and slow and practiced touch and goes on the new taxiway.  Eventually the air smoothed out and I enjoyed the glass of until the sun went behind the mountains.

Palm Bay PAL Fly-In

PAL Palm Bay Fly In



Dawn and I flew into Tampa for the weekend.  She had a seminar to attend and I was privileged to come  along for the ride.   On Saturday morning I took the rental car and drove across Florida to Palm Bay for the2 annual  Pal Fly-In. It was good to see Jeff ,Leon ,Ray Eric and Elisabeth ….CC, Tim Gaskins and Marty Hathaway and several others.

Small RCA cars that could go 100 mph+.   Very cool
 Leon’s new frame that,accepts wheels.        Very Very Cool
Ray’s new water cooled motor.                      Very cool and light
The PPG DANCE.    OK … we’ll maybe not so much the PPG DANCE

Breezy  but flyable…. The inland waterway is not too far ( 1 Mile)and the ocean is obtainable (2 miles).  It would be a great place for the Falcon.  I dont know how high I would have to climb to cross the inland waterway but looking at Martin Hathaway’s photos … It would have been Epic.

Photography by Martin Hathaway 

Frontal on Trike Launch Flight 601

Cool Evening 43 degrees.  Robert Kitilla … Ryan …. And I.
The wing started to fold up on takeoff but I was able to slow down taxi until it reenflated and stabilized.
Flew for just under an hour finishing with all three us us in the air.  The new south taxi way is layed and is just perfect to practice touch and goes.  Swoop pond is dry and also good but the surface is a bit soft.