Successful test of the Scooter Tow 2.0 last night with Maryian. Both he and I were able to make several motorless flights from about 250' AGL. The soccer fields were very wet and felt like a big wet sponge but they worked great for the south wind we had. 

Way to windy for flying this weekend so I spent the time prepping for when the weather improves. Kaden and I put the finishing touches on the new simulator. Now with risers, brake toggles and a powered hoist to lift students off the ground automatically! We also painted the new tow winch scooter. I added some ATLs (Anti-Torque Lamels) to the new Fly Products paramotor too. All and all a productive weekend but I'd still rather be flying. 

Last night's breeze was almost directly across the runway so Jake and I took advantage of the conditions and worked on his spot landings using the center of the grass strip as the bullseye. The penalty for missing the target was lost time spent  untangling  the paraglider's lines from the crop stubbles. Fortunately, Jake only missed the runway twice out of eight flights. One of the two missed landings he was able to kite the wing back to the grass before setting it down. Nice work Jake!

Last weekend was a bit too windy for flying but Jake still managed to continue breaking in his paramotor with the help of his brother Max (pictured here) and a pair of skis. Max reported that the Moster 185+ is scary fast with skis. He and Jake estimated that they could do at least 80 mph with the set up although neither tested this hypothesis yet.  Perhaps if we get snow again this winter we can do some drag racing on the runway!

Look what DHL dropped off for me, a new Fly Products Rider Thrust with the Moster 185+ and all the tandem gear!! This thing is sweet! Unlike my other tandem bar this one attaches directly to the frame and the passenger harness attaches to the front of the push bar. What does that mean? It means the motor pulls the passenger forward during take off so they don't need to run as hard and it keeps a reasonable distance between the pilot and passenger.
Oh, and it'll be a blast to fly without all the tandem stuff hanging on it.

Jake met me at the airport yesterday to try out his new Power2Fly Moster 185+. Both him and the machine performed flawlessly. Jake easily executed 3 no wind forward take offs with the help of his new powerful motor. He was a bit shocked how quickly it climbed compared to the paramotor he was using before. Before he knew it he was practically at cloudbase!

Scott spent the morning with me exploring the idea of taking up paramotoring. He was filled with energy and lots of great questions. He did great considering we were running around in 10" of fresh snow in all our snow gear. In case your were wondering, Yes, he will be joining us for lessons soon. He is already shopping for a wing. Welcome Scott!! 
Saturday afternoon I met Dimitri, Alex and Matt B on Lake Mendota for some "inner city" flying. It's not often we get to fly in the middle of town but when the lakes freeze we have a whole new play area. It was a bit of a challenge taking off of the ice with it's fresh snow covering but totally worth the effort!

Wednesday afternoon Mariyan met me at the airport to give the scooter tow a test run. We successfully made two flights with the machine of about 500' each. Not bad for a first try with the new machine. I still plan a few more mods before calling it ready to go.
Jake also stopped by closer to sunset to take his 3rd and 4th flights in the cold but smooth winter air. This was the first time he flew his new Ozone Roadster 2 and he loved it. It's a beautiful wing. Unfortunately he didn't have time to pack his new Power2Fly EVO 8 paramotor so he made use of the school's Blackhawk 125. 

A couple days in the shop with the welder, saws and wrenches and the first tow scooter prototype is ready for trials. 1,000' of spectra line, drogue parachute and an ATV winch fairlead paired with a wrecked scooter I found on Craigslist and we've got ourselves a portable training hill that works whichever way the wind is blowing. Next up is a trip to the training field for some abusive testing pulling skiers around in the powder to see how much this thing can handle. I know it sounds like more goofing around but this is serious work!