Sunday morning Mariyan and I met Leif at his runway by Portage to give him a tandem demonstration. He was impressed and agreed to let us use the runway whenever we wanted. While flying the short distance from the launch field to the Wisconsin River we came across this crazy tree maze.
Then it was back to Sauk City to tow free flying pilots. We made several successful tows but unfortunately before to long a small rain cloud parked overhead ending the day prematurely.
Then it was back to the hanger to meet up with Rick for some trike practice. He did great and I’m sure will be flying soon.

Friday evening Ben made his first flight. He successfully launched on his first attempt and even stuck the landing! Congratulations Ben!!
Cole made his 25th flight. Just a little more ground school and the PPG2 written test and he will be free to fly on his own.
Saturday morning Nick unpacked his custom Ozone Roadster 2 and tookit for it’s maiden flight. It was a bit bumpy but he managed nicely.
Then it was off to Sauk City to tow paragliders. On hand was Dmitri, Mariyan, Nia, Lisa, Derryl, David, Jeff, Mark and Kaden.

Dennis met me shortly after sunrise today for a ride to the hanger. There we met Mike and introduced him to the joys of morning flying. Specifically the wet grass that makes wings heavy and landings slippery. Then it was time to rewind the winch spool in preparation for an afternoon of towing which included a special birthday tandem ride.

So much has happened in the last week: went to the Corn Alps in Minnesota, towed a bunch of paragliders, lost all 6,000’ of my line in the Corn, found it, Mike C made his first flight, Adam started, Ben started, Brian graduated, Mark tried his new wing that he won from Cross Country Magazine, Mike P is getting closer to flying, Cole is up to 18 flights now, went to the EAA mass arrival which got fogged out...and so much more!

Cliff and I worked on his taxi skills while we waited for the fog to clear. When it cleared we grabbed a dry wing and made a run at it. Cliff managed to make his third flight ever and his first flight with his own gear. Way to go Cliff! Then it was time for Heidi and Hilton. Heidi arranged for Hilton to take a tandem flight with us for his birthday. Mariyan and Hilton spent about half an hour exploring the skies. Hilton loved it and said he planning to begin training this fall when his calendar opens up a bit. Then it was off to a new area to tow the free flying crew into the sky. I ended the day with Nick back at Syvrud. There he made 3 flights bringing his total to 9. Can’t wait to do it again tomorrow!

Met Todd and Steve at the hanger tonight. Severe storm warnings in the area didn’t scare them away. I took a flight to check the conditions for them and decided it was bumpy but definitely flyable. Steve didn’t hesitate and quickly prepared for the adventure. The sky didn’t disappoint. As promised, it was bumpy but Steve remained focused and made 2 quick laps around the field then set it down. I jumped up again to test the waters for Todd. The conditions were unchanged. While Todd was preparing to take off, lightning flashed about 20 miles away. Although it was no threat yet we still decided to call it a night.
​Better to be on the ground wishing you were in the sky than in the sky wishing you were on the ground.

Brian took his 25th flight with Alex and I Saturday night. Along the way we had an up close view of some fireworks, too close for my liking. Now he just needs to pass the PPG2 written test to complete his training. Nice work Brian!! Monday I met Mariyan, Greg, Gary and Dan in Sauk City for some towing. Dan and Mariyan made a tandem flight together that evening to enjoy the view of the Wisconsin river. Please welcome Ben!! He began his training today with some kiting and a trip to the Elver Park sledding hill where we met Paul from Milwaukeee, Greg from Madison and Mike from Kenoshsa. Everyone did great!

Mark and Mike met me at the school soccer field for a morning of kite handling practice. Next we went to the hanger where we met Greg to give him an introduction to paragliding. I think he’s hooked, just trying to decide between PPG and PG. Then it wa back to the garage to finish prepping the Air Conception for Dennis.

lots has happened in the last few days, Cole came up and made several great flights Friday in the nice breeze, Mike generously donated a small fridge so we can have cool drinks at the hanger, Mariyan and I drove to Minnesota to meet with USHPA towing administror Steve to get our Tow Tech 2 ratings, Todd busted his first prop slipping in the wet grass and Mariyan introduced Ivan to the joys paramotoring with a tandem flight, and so much more...

Nick got up early to do some flying before the day got too hot. Morning flying can be challenging with the wet grass, light winds and building thermals but Nick managed to push through to make several laps around the field. Then it was time to call it quits and head home to his little wingman to celebrate the 4th. Happy 4th everyone!