Wow! Three first flights in just two days.
Monday I met Brad and Ryan at the sledding hill with the plan of making sled runs in preparation for flying with motors the next day. They both did great and made several flights down the hill. Tuesday it was Jim’s turn on the hill. We also hoped to be adding a motor later that day for an evening flight. He too did well at the hill making many flights. Tuesday evening it was time for motor flight for Jim and Brad, Ryan wasn’t feeling well and decided to sit it out and watch the others. As practiced earlier in the simulator and the sledding hill they took turns making their first flights while Ryan looked on jealously. Brad was up first. He got into the seat a bit early on launch but other than that did great. He made the planned laps around the field and then set it down safely on the runway. Congratulations Brad!! Next up was Jim. Learning from Brad’s flight he launched cleaning letting the machine lift him into the air. He too did great and landed safely on the runway. Way to go Jim!! Wednesday morning I met Alex and Eric for some morning flying. The grass was a bit wet from the morning dew so we laid out the tarp to help keep the wings dry during launch. Alex disappeared for a couple hours immediately after launch and spent the morning exploring the countryside. Eric and I added to his skills with a mid-air engine restart and several accuracy landing challenges. Just the PPG2 test and a few more flight and Eric will graduate. Doctor Mark stopped in for an orientation Wednesday morning after Eric left. He is doing research on crop heath with aerial photography and all his time spent in small planes has made him want to learn to fly himself. He signed up and we spent the next two days preparing him to solo a PPG. Mark’s next task is a trip to the sledding hill. Wednesday evening Eric was back for more flights. Kevin from Florida was there too with hopes of making his first flight. I really enjoy Kevin’s colorful expressions, very different from your typical Wisconsin talk. After I gave the boys a short demonstration it was Eric’s turn to take to the sky again. He is becoming very comfortable up there. After that it was time for Kevin to give it a go. As Eric and I did moments earlier, Kevin launched the wing cleanly and squeezed the throttle to full which pushed him quickly into the evening air. The smile on his face as he flew overhead was clearly visible from the ground. He told me after he landed that the flight was so much more fun than he ever expected. Nice work Kevin!! Many more fun flights to come. Andy and Jae were back to training and spent all Saturday with me. We watched the scary movie, discussed FAR 103 and spent a few hours in the simulator. They too are ready for a trip to the sledding hill, then it’s time to solo!
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Paul CooleyOwner of MadCity Paragliding and Adventure Addict Archives
May 2021
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