Blue Skies and Light Winds

On March 11, 2017March 12, 2017 By The Flying DutchmanIn Aviation, Faith, Opinion1 Comment

This is not the post I wanted to write today. I lost a very good friend today. Leon was a huge part of our airport community and a very dear friend. He always had a way of looking for the positives in a negative situation. He has helped or offered to help me numerous times and was always there at the airport to talk to about my flying, life, and above all, Christ.

Leon was out flying his Challenger II airplane this morning when he collided with his own pickup truck upon landing and, tragically, died. I would like to say that he died doing what he loved, but that would be overly trite and cliche. What I will say instead is that he lived a full life. A life of adventure and love and fellowship. I take great comfort knowing that he is now more alive than he has ever been.

Our loss is Christ’s gain. Blue skies, Leon.

PCC vs PPG What’s The Difference?

On February 28, 2017 By The Flying DutchmanIn Aviation, Six Chuter P3Leave a comment

I’ve had a couple people ask me what’s the difference between what I’m flying now (PPG) and the new flying machine (PPC). The major difference is the type of parachute used. The powered parachute (PPC) has larger air inlets and has a shorter wing span. The parachute is more square. The trike that you ride in is also heavier. The powered paraglider (PPG) has a longer, more elliptical shaped wing. The trike is much lighter. So why would I want something with a smaller wing and heavier? The short answer is stability. The heavier weight and stockier wing give the craft more stability in the air. It is also less maneuverable but I’m okay with that. The other features of the PPC that I am looking forward to is being able to steer with my feet rather than my hands. Steering with rudders is something pilots are more used to. And one of the features I’ll really like is the throttle; on a PPC it is a standard aircraft throttle. On the PPG it is a hand throttle that must be held closed for the duration of your flight. The PPC you just move the throttle to the desired position and leave it there. This leaves your hands completely free.

Here’s a video of the exact model of PPC that I have purchased.

Powered Parachute Progress

On February 24, 2017 By The Flying DutchmanIn Six Chuter P3Leave a comment

I am told that my PPC will be ready some time around the middle of March. I’ve made arrangements to drive up there at the end of March to pick it up. Since it won’t fit on the trailer I have I bought another trailer. The PPC manufacturer just happened to have one that belonged to a customer that the were trying to sell. I went ahead and bought an enclosed cargo trailer. It will not only serve as a hangar for my PPC but will also make a decent camper.

01666d8ce12e95b0fcea5c47e3b95552ba9326fdba

I’ll keep a portable heater and fold up bed on board to make it a mini-toy-hauler. I’ll also need to add a battery so I can run the lights when it’s not connected to my truck. I’ll eventually add solar charging for the batter at some point too.

225244387477a17177eae772a0ac7aa4

This will come in handy when flying from other fields. There is a very active PPC group about an hour and a half north of where I live. It doesn’t make sense to wake up really early and drive two hours just to fly. This way I’ll be able to drive up the night before and camp in the trailer.

NorCal Flooding

On February 12, 2017 By The Flying DutchmanIn Faith, TravelLeave a comment

One aspect I didn’t bring up in yesterday’s blog posting was the adventure getting to and from Lincoln Regional Airport to view the P3 Lite. With all the rain we’ve had in California this year we’ve got some pretty severe localized flooding. Traffic going north bound on I-5 was heavy and slow between Twin Cities Road and Elk Grove. There were no accidents, everyone was slowing down to look at this:

At least the roadways were clear. Coming home was a different story. Google took me out in a different direction than it brought me in. I thought that would be fine because I’d miss traffic taking the back roads. It was not all that fine:

img_20170211_173423

Luckily the deepest water I had to drive through was only about a foot deep. What I didn’t like about it was that it was moving water, not standing water. Providentially I, and the car in front of me, made it through the several sections of flooded roadway we had to pass. These folks could sure you your prayers if your the praying kind.

Six Chuter P3 Lite

On February 11, 2017February 11, 2017 By The Flying DutchmanIn Aviation, Six Chuter P3Leave a comment

I had a chance to drive up to Lincoln Airport today to take a look at a powered parachute being put together. It’s called a P3 Light by Six Chuter. I took a close look, sat in it, and took lots of pictures. The flying characteristics are a lot more stable and more docile. I think at this stage in life I’m looking for a little more stable and docile. I spoke to the owner of the P3. He told me he used to fly PPG and there was no comparisson on how much more stable a PPC is compared to a PPG. I think for my type of flying, low and slow, lazy cross-country flying, the PPC will be a better choice for me.

He also gave me some good ideas for equipping my P3; bigger tires, hydraulic brake, bigger front tire, heavier fork, quick release on the top section of the prop cage. So, armed with this list I’ll be calling the factory on Monday to place my order.

Here are a few pictures of the P3 Lite…

I’m going to order a larger front tire and fork like this one. Also shown is the steering bar. You steer with your feet. Push on the left bar to go left, the right bar to go right. Your hands are free. img_20170211_162434

This unit also has the larger front fork. An item I’m going to order as well. img_20170211_162511

I love the open front seat. I feel very constricted in the harness of my Nirvana. img_20170211_162514

The top portion of the prop guard is removable on this unit. I’m going to build mine the same. img_20170211_162516

I’m also going to order the larger tires as on this one. Will make for operating in rough terrain easier. img_20170211_162525 img_20170211_162533 img_20170211_162535 img_20170211_162555 img_20170211_162610 img_20170211_162620 img_20170211_162627 img_20170211_162641

This is the tiller. It’s only used for ground steering. Move it left to turn left, right to turn right. Also has a hand brake. img_20170211_162646 img_20170211_164316

Showing the front hydraulic disc brake. img_20170211_164328

From PPG to PPC

On February 10, 2017 By The Flying DutchmanIn Aviation, Six Chuter P3Leave a comment

I’ve been flying my powered paraglider (PPG) for a year now and very much enjoy it. However, one aspect I do not enjoy about my PPG is its susceptability to wind. This past flight where I took off in calm air and then had the wind pick up before I even landed which had me trapped in my harness for a few minutes made me realize I need an aircraft that is more stable. I have since decided that I’m going to trade my PPG for a powered parachute (PPC). The wing (parachute) on a PPC is far more stable than a PPG. That can also be read as far less maneuverable but I’m fine with that.

p3lite2 Right now I’m leaning towards purchasing a P3 Lite by Six Chuter. Like my PPG the P3 is classified as an ultralight aircraft. This means that it’s exempt from most FAA regulations. I can do all the maintenance myself and can fly it without a pilot’s license. I have a pilot’s license so that wouldn’t be a problem but FAA certified aircraft require annual inspections from FAA mechanics. In California where I live I’d have to pay a luxury tax on a certified aircraft. So the two big factors in sticking with an ultralight aircraft are cost and regulation. And in the end I believe it will be every bit as portable as my PPG is. Plus it should be far more stable for low and slow cross country flying which is what I would really rather do. PPG’s are more suited to aerobatics which, I’m not.

More to come.

p3lite

One Year Ago Today

On January 31, 2017 By The Flying DutchmanIn Faith, Opinion, WorkLeave a comment

I have a bad habit of hanging on to calendars so I can see what I did over the past few years. I was looking at last year’s calendar tonight. Last January my son had just moved out to the first of three group homes he lived in. My wife was just getting over the flu. I was still planning to live full-time on the road and finding a way to get my employer to buy off on my hair-brained scheme.

The plan was to travel from data center to data center, hitting all our properties on the way to or from. I had meticulously planned routes to RV parks and campgrounds closest to our business properties. My job at the time was pretty much location independent. However, management being what it is, they always wanted us to be somewhere so it’s pretty unlikely they would have bought off on this plan. I was still blissfully unaware of the plans management had for us. I was still driving an hour to our corporate headquarters to plan to bond two core switches together. Happily, my time with my employer came to an end before I had to do that work. I was wondering why my boss wasn’t pushing me to move faster on that project. Now I know why, I would never have been able to complete it before the transition happened.

There’s no moral to this story. No point really. Just reminiscing while looking at the calendar. Well, maybe there is a moral to the story; don’t set your plans in stone, stay flexible and be ready to adapt those plans to what life hands you. And if you’re so inlined, as I am, never stop having faith that God will work things out for the best for those whom He loves.

Airborne Again

On January 28, 2017 By The Flying DutchmanIn Aviation, Powered ParaglidingLeave a comment

I’ve been feeling grumpy all day. Not sure why. Just moody. I was so happy to see the wind forecasts were very favorable for this afternoon. Sure enough, when I got out to New Jerusalem (where the earth meets the sky) there was only a hint of thermal activity and very little wind. I laid out my wing, warmed up the motor on my trike, strapped in, and had one of the best launches I’ve had in a while. Slowly advancing the throttle, flying the wing first, then squeezing in the throttle more and more until the wing lifted me into the sky.

I flew over to the Tuolumne River to see how high it was running. It’s still well within it’s banks but still running much higher than normal. It’s a reminder of it’s former glory before the dams and irrigation canals were built.

There was one house that was completely surrounded by the rising waters. Their barn and equipment were under water. Hopefully the waters will recede before the snow starts melting in the mountains.

I flew along the river until I started getting cold. I turned back toward the airport and decided to do a few touch and goes. All four touch and goes were really good so I decided to call it quits. My hands were starting to cramp so I was just done. I rolled to a stop in front of my truck. I sat a listened to the birds and felt so much lighter than I did when I took off. There’s just something about flying that frees me.

Broken Hip and Finally Flying

On January 25, 2017 By The Flying DutchmanIn Aviation, Powered Paragliding5 Comments

It’s been an exciting few days. I got home from work yesterday to find my mother-in-law sitting on the floor. She had “fallen and couldn’t get up”. Poor thing had been there for an hour or more. I felt so bad for her. We had to call an ambulance to take her to the hospital because she couldn’t walk to the car. Turns out she had broken her hip. She got a partial hip replacement today. Now she’s on the road to recovery.

Since we had been at the hospital most of the night, I decided to call in sick. Cristy would need help and support while she was helping and supporting her mother. Later in the day after things had calmed down I decided to head out to New Jerusalem (where the earth meets the sky) and see if I could finally get a good flight in before the next storm comes in. The winds looked very favorable on the ground as I was preparing to launch but the atmosphere was still pretty thermally. I took off and immediately found out how thermally. It was controllable but not comfortable. I landed and kited a while then decided to stop and wait for calmer air.

img_20170125_171352 Finally as the sun dipped behind the Diablo Range the already light winds stopped and all thermal action ceased. I launched into the air again and found some nice silky atmosphere to play in. However, the sun was going down and it was CHILLY. I came back and made a great landing and sat and just enjoyed the airport noise as is my custom after a flight. It was a wonderful end to a crazy two days.