Nope, not turkeys. Dave and Chuck both made thanksgiving day flights on the trikes. Both made 4 great flights. Then the sun went down and ended our fun. Great afternoon!

Just as we hoped, Matt flew his new wing on Turkey Day. After unpacking it and a little bit of practice kiting he put on the Blackhawk 125 at took to the skies on the wings inaugural flight. Things went great! What a great wing! 

Matt's new wing!! A 26M Roadster 2  to be precise. Hopefully Matt will be able to get his new baby airborne Turkey Day!

I put a new carbon fiber prop on the trike. Can't wait to try it out! Should be a bit more powerful now.
I also spent some time Sunday scouting out new places to fly from. This field looks promising, just one small hurdle to overcome.

Sunday, though very grey, was nice and calm so it was flying time! Bernard and Matt B both made flights in the cloudy sky. Matt cranked out 9 flights and checked off a bunch of skills on the syllabus. Way to go guys!

Saturday's weather was crap again so Chuck and I cranked the heat in the shop and assembled his Trikebuggy. Then we paired it to his 180 Minari that we put together last week. When completed we hung the rig from the rafters and set the balance to ensure the front wheel lifts off first. Next up, a test run at the airfield to check everything. Then it's flying time!!

Wednesday evening turned out to be a great night for flying. After a few successful taxi runs down the long runway I turned on Dave's strobelight and sent him down the runway again. It took a little bit for him to get the wing balanced but as soon as he did I gave him the OK to pin the throttle and prepare of liftoff. Moments later he was in the air for his first ever paramotor flight! He made a couple well controlled laps around the airfield and set it down gently on the now very dark runway. Great job Dave!! Your a natural!

In this box that sits in the back seat of my Jeep is Chuck's new Trikebuggy. Soon we will open the box an assemble the trike. Then we will mount his Minari motor (that we put together last week) to complete his "Super Flying Machine" and get him flying it soon.

I met my good buddy Mariyan at the old Badger Ammo grounds for some tandem flying Friday. Mariyan flew customers professionally for four months this year in Saipan, something we can't legally do in the US. Well, we can if the flight is for instructional purposes and the passenger is a student but we can't just take tourists up for fun. Things went great! First he flew with me as the passenger. Then I flew him as the pilot in command. It was as easy and fun as I hoped it would be. Thanks Mariyan!!

Chuck and I made good use of yet another rainy and windy day by assembling his new 180cc Minari paramotor. The design is really cool and the motor is simple and powerful. He opted for the electric start which made the break in process super easy. A quick press of the green button on the throttle handle and it fires right up. I have to say I'm a bit jealous. Next up is mounting this beast to his incoming Trikebuggy.