What do paragliders do when it’s too windy to fly? Well, in the winter we go kite skiing or ice climbing of course.
Sunday it was blowing over 20 all day with gusts occasionally over 30. No way we were flying in the air but the kite skiing was great! Matt, Dmitri and I spent hours racing around Lake Mendota. Matt was impressive, he pulled off several huge spinning jumps including one right over me as I was picking myself up from a wreck. So cool!
Monday was forecast to be another blown out day so I made plans to take Phil ice climbing at Wyalusing State Park. The wall was in big this year, lots of routes to choose from. First I lead a moderate line to get to the top of the wall where I set a top rope for a more challenging section. Then we spent the rest of the afternoon taking turns up the steepest part of the ice. The climb was about 80’ of nearly vertical ice. One really cool thing about this area is that it is right on the Mississippi River, just a couple of train tracks between the belay station and the water. The view is wonderful looking over the river to Iowa.
Spring weather can be frustrating for paragliding so it’s nice to other activities to keep your adrenaline pumping.

Saturday’s weather went from bad to worse but that didn’t stop Brent and Jeff from training. In fact, we were able to get all of the PPG1 ground school tasks completed. We went over preflight, starting the motor safely, visual signals and all the simulator drills. We also watched the Risk and Reward DVD as well as prepare for and take the PPG1 written test. Both Jeff and Brent scored 100% the test. Way to go guys!
Next up is more wing handling on a favorable day and then it’s flying time!

Friday was definitely Dave’s day. Conditions were perfect and and he was spot on with his skills.
After a little kiting to warm up his wing handling muscles we prepared for an afternoon of flying. I jumped up first to test the sky for our soon to be new pilot. It was still pretty early in the afternoon so the bumps were kinda big and I got tossed around a bit. We decided to hold off a while and let the air settle down some before attempting to send Dave aloft.
After a 45 minute refuel and snack break we headed back to the runway to have a go at Dave’s first flight. The winds had definitely calmed a little and everything looked great. We set up for a forward launch into the light breeze right down the runway. On Dave’s first attempt the wing came up nicely and after a short taxi run I gave him the “FULL THROTTLE!” command over the headset. He responded by gently squeezing the controller and moments later Dave left the ground.
​Once airborne he quickly became accustomed to the controls and made three well managed laps around the airport before bringing the paramotor safely back to the the earth in the center of the runway. Way to go Dave!!
He made a few more flights that afternoon before calling it a day and retiring to the hanger exited for the next flying day. With daylight savings starting Sunday, suddenly weekdays after work are now a real possibility. Now if only the weather will cooperate...

Luckily Reon had Thursday morning off because the conditions were great! A nice steady breeze blowing and the sky was gray. Most people think a blue sky is desirable but us paramotor pilots long for cloud cover. No sun means no thermals which means we can fly all day!
Reon added five flights to his logbook. His confidence and skill increased with every flight. Way to go Reon!

After a morning of volunteer work, John stopped by the airport to research paramotoring in detail. He is a pilot now and he flies his race plane regularly but he’s looking for something portable. No other aircraft is as portable as a paramotor. In fact, some machines come with their own travel case, like the awesome Parajet Maverick.

Jeff and Brent began their training Saturday by jumping right into wing handling. Both picked it up rapidly. With the winds blowing from the north I thought we would try some kiting at the sledding hill and perhaps if things went well enough we could try some short flights.
Things went great and before the day ended Jeff and Brent were making flights from the top of the sledding hill! Sure we still need to fine tune their skills but they both made great strides Saturday. Way to go guys!!

What a great day at Madcity Paragliding! Both Josh K and Reon made their first real paramotor flight this morning.
Reon went first and nailed his take off on the first attempt! Reon’s cheers of excitement were so loud we could easily hear them from the ground. With a little guidance from me, he made a few laps around the airport and then set it down right on the runway. Nice work Reon!!
Next up was Josh. His sky diving experience really showed. His canopy handling is excellent! Once aloft he looked very confident and controlled. He too made three laps around the airport before setting it down perfectly on his feet. Way to go Josh!!
The fun didn’t stop there. Reon made another flight before he had to leave. Josh made 8 more flights that day including a 45 minute cross country flight with me around the nearby town of Brooklyn. Epic first day of flying for these two!

Josh met me at the airport this morning for training. The winds were light and unfortunately across the runway when we arrived. The forecast was for a 90 degree change sometime before noon. Sure enough about an hour later the breeze built in strength and lined right up with the plowed strip.
I prepared the winch for towing while Josh got the wing set up. We started off small with a short tow just 20’ or so in the air. By the time we breaked for lunch Josh was releasing from the tow line about 100’ up then gliding down softly to the middle of the runway. Way to go Josh!!
The winds were supposed to build even more and stay perfectly lined up with the runway for the rest of the day so we planned on Josh making his first paramotor flight when we got back from lunch. However, when we returned from our break we found the wind had turned and was once again right across the runway. Argh!
We spent the rest of the day preparing for the PPG2 test while waiting for the wind change back, it didn’t. Unfortunately with all the snow in the ground right now we need to use the plowed runway. Running through a foot of crusty snow just doesn’t work. Hopefully this weekend’s weather will improve the ground conditions.

The conditions Monday were just right for a day at the Elver Park sledding hill. A nice gentle breeze was blowing from the north. Dave made his first flights down the hill and Mike added to his flight count. The flights were short but well controlled. The next time I meet these guys it will be time to fly with the motor!