Ok,... so in 2011 I had to hang it up,... but, I was never to Oshkosh, so I actually was able to go in the summer of 2012 and make it an Epic Adventure. Man, if I only had a GoPro then.
I saddled up my motorcycle,... yes, motorcycle, to trek from PA to Oshkosh WI to go to the Mecca of all Airshows. The ride was great and I would do it again for certain. Along the way I stopped back in to see Steve and Gina in Ohio who graciously opened their home for me to stay the night. There were two main attractions for me at Oshkosh, Warbirds and Ultralights. The rest was a sea of vendors selling things I couldn't afford and a sea of airplanes that were amazing to see, but knowing that I couldn't fly GA anymore kind of snuffed the interest down a notch.
Ultralights had my attention, as they are affordable and retain the love of flight. Not going to far destinations or IFR weather, but flying over this amazing countryside in the early morning light or warm summer evenings. But, where do you store the craft? I have a garage that I could have one on a trailer and still take to an airport,... or,... these Powered Paragliders just stuff into the back seat and sit in a truck bed,.... COOL!
After researching for a few months on them and contacting various vendors and instructors, I found the one I thought would fit the bill best. It was now Oshkosh 2013, and that vendor was at Oshkosh and was having a sale as well,.... even though I wasn't there, they agreed to give me the show discount!
My Paraglider Arrived!
I chose a very bright colored paraglider for me to grow into. This is a Velocity Elektra, EN-B rated glider. What is nice about this one is that the color is on the top and bottom skins of the wing, where many are white underneath and just have the color on top. This also has trimmers for trailing edge adjustment in flight and the capability of connecting a speed bar to the leading edge. All these allow you to change the in-flight profile and angle of attack to aid in wind penetration and increased speed. But, with increased speed comes increased risk of collapse,... remember, this isn't a rigid wing, it's a bedsheet. :-)
All opened up for the first time
Above is the glider opened up at my instructors home during training. Yes,... I'm a Private Pilot but I still need training. And wow,... was it intense! A lot more physical than it appears to be on YouTube or watching those that know what they are doing. I'm writing this now a year into flying and I still get sore if I go out and do a few flights in one evening.
How do you fly into the sky? You ask?..... well,... I strap a gas tank to my butt and a nicely sculpted 2x4 attached to an over sized weed eater motor,.... yea,... I'm crazy. In essence, I have a harness that I strap into that has shoulder straps to carry the weight of 60 lbs, a front strap to keep me in,... and leg straps to keep me dangling by my precious parts till I can get altitude and get in my seat. Here is what that looks like in the front.
My harness and seat
The business side. 125 cc 2-Stroke with clutch gearbox
The engine is a 125 cc Two-Stroke engine which puts about 20 hp out. The engine idles around 2000 rpms and at full throttle I'm breaking 9500 rpms. I use 93 Octane fuel with 2-Stroke Synthetic racing oil. I'm still learning how to maintain this thing, but so far it has been very reliable.
Training consists of learning how to handle the glider in various wind conditions and being able to fly it like a kite, but putting it in the sky under control the whole time. Walking forwards and backwards, side to side, laying it down lightly, opening it up,... high winds, low winds,... basically a full body workout. Only after you master the glider can you start doing all that again with 48 lbs on your back (no fuel) so you can feel the handling with the motor in the takeoff position. Then finally you add fuel and taxi around the field keeping the glider above you and in control while managing the engine. And then one day,... you just squeeze that throttle some more and try to keep your heart from beating out of your chest!
Packed up from a long practice evening
My Wing in the air while practicing
Flying By
Flying away
In the Private Pilot world, you fly with an instructor in the plane with you and they teach you along the way. In the early days of aviation, the instructor may sit behind you. Once you Solo, the tradition of cutting the shirt tail off the new pilot was a sign that the instructor couldn't tug on you anymore and you were free,... so I asked my instructor, Kevin, to cut my shirt tail that evening of my Solo. I'm going to have it framed with my Private Pilot one too when I get the chance.
Instructor Kevin, Cutting my Shirt-tail for the traditional Solo Flight.
And,... here is my perspective on my first solo flight with a Powered Paraglider!
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