If you're like me, you got into the hobby for more than the excitement of building, and flying model aircraft, but because of a love of full scale aviation, the history of the aircraft, or the thrill that idea of flying brings.
I've always loved airplanes and flight. It's probably my father's fault. During WWII he served with the Army Air Corps. The aircraft he worked with was the B26 Martin Marauder. He traveled all over north Africa and then into Europe.
After the war he became a pilot himself. He was a member of flying clubs, and flew around the country. At one point he even owned the all time classic, a Piper Cub (which he told me he had taken apart and stored at home, and his parents "threw it away" while he was traveling one time).
His last aircraft was a Cessna 170 that he quit flying about when I was born. It sat in the back yard with the tail and wings off from it. Even if he didn't fly it anymore, as far as my child self was concerned, I was putting some miles on it.
My father encouraged my interest in aviation, and we traveled to the greatest air show in the world several times, Airventure in Oshkosh Wisconsin.
Unfortunately I never showed enough interest in becoming a pilot myself for him to justify the expense of getting me into pilot training.
I tried my hand at model aviation several times through my life, finally getting some success after I got out of high school about the time GWS came out with their foam bodied battery powered planes. I really jumped in with both feet about ten years ago, and have been happily crashing RC aircraft ever since.
At some point within the last few years I discovered FPV. Now this was as close as I've come to actually being a pilot. Other than a flight or two in a small private plane, nothing has given me the thrill of "being in the air" like video piloting has. Anyone that has spent the time and expense getting into this niche of the hobby knows what I mean.
Chances are that if you're flying RC aircraft, you secretly, or maybe not so secretly long to actually climb into the air yourself, leaving the ground, and soaring around the sky. Not all of us can afford the expense of getting a private pilot's license. Even the less expensive "sport pilot" endorsement is financially out of reach due to the costs of training, buying and upkeep of an airplane, as well as the additional hidden expenses of hangar fees, insurance, and fuel. I know the feeling. So for years I've made the excuses that I prefer being on the ground. That I like watching the aircraft more, than being in them. But as someone who enjoys flying through the lens of my FPV camera, I know deep down those are just excuses.
Well, a friend of mine has been encouraging me to get into PPG flying. What is PPG? It stands for Powered ParaGlider. Basically it's a special parachute that you fly with the assistance of a "big fan on your back. Recently I was able to save up enough money to get my foot in the door. My friend that had been encouraging me for the last few years had a unit he was selling, and I bought it.
Here's my friend Russ flying the beach.
And the proud new owner...
Russell just so happens to be an instructor, so pretty much right away he got me down on the beach, and my training began. There's a technique called "kiting" that teaches you the basic handling skills you'll need to control the wing while you're on the ground.
It's not as simple as using the motor to inflate the wing, and off you go. Too little wind, and you're struggling to get it the wing up, too much wind, and you're fighting to keep you down. You need to be able to get the wing up into the air, and keep it there while you run at least a few steps with the right wind, and sometimes many more in no wind at all. This is easier than it sounds. The wing isn't naturally balanced to stay up in the air. So it's up to the pilot to know how to steer it so that it's up there long enough for him or her to get situated, and into a take off run that will result in a successful launch.
I highly recommend finding a good instructor. There's plenty of videos online that show people who are able to "fly" with little or no instructions. These are the ones whose wings are collapsing on take off, or stumble and slide to a stop for their landings. Often ending up with damaged equipment and bodies. A good instructor will help you get the best gear for you. Too big or too small of a motor will make your flights impossible to enjoy. Likewise the wrong size wing can be unpleasant at best, and life threatening at worst. I'm currently borrowing a wing that Russell owns. It's a 24 meter Ozone Speedster. A fantastic wing, but for my weight and the weight of the gear I'd be using, if I was to stick with the Ozone Speedster, I'd need something in the 28 meter range. So, before I take to the air, I'll have to save up some more money to buy myself a larger, more beginner friendly wing. (I have not opened up a Kickstarter campaign yet... but I might end up needing to sell off a plane or two.
)
I've not had many days that the weather has cooperated for me to practice what Russell has taught me so far. One evening I went out, and the winds were too low, and the wing kept collapsing. The next morning, the winds were so strong that when the wing wasn't trying to blow down the beach without me, it managed to jerk me down the beach a hop and a skip at a time until I was able to collapse it on purpose, at which point I packed it up and brought it home. Soon the rain will stop, and I'll get back out there.
Stay tuned here for more updates as my pursuit to become a "real" FlyingMonkey continues.
I've always loved airplanes and flight. It's probably my father's fault. During WWII he served with the Army Air Corps. The aircraft he worked with was the B26 Martin Marauder. He traveled all over north Africa and then into Europe.
After the war he became a pilot himself. He was a member of flying clubs, and flew around the country. At one point he even owned the all time classic, a Piper Cub (which he told me he had taken apart and stored at home, and his parents "threw it away" while he was traveling one time).
His last aircraft was a Cessna 170 that he quit flying about when I was born. It sat in the back yard with the tail and wings off from it. Even if he didn't fly it anymore, as far as my child self was concerned, I was putting some miles on it.
My father encouraged my interest in aviation, and we traveled to the greatest air show in the world several times, Airventure in Oshkosh Wisconsin.
Unfortunately I never showed enough interest in becoming a pilot myself for him to justify the expense of getting me into pilot training.
I tried my hand at model aviation several times through my life, finally getting some success after I got out of high school about the time GWS came out with their foam bodied battery powered planes. I really jumped in with both feet about ten years ago, and have been happily crashing RC aircraft ever since.
At some point within the last few years I discovered FPV. Now this was as close as I've come to actually being a pilot. Other than a flight or two in a small private plane, nothing has given me the thrill of "being in the air" like video piloting has. Anyone that has spent the time and expense getting into this niche of the hobby knows what I mean.
Chances are that if you're flying RC aircraft, you secretly, or maybe not so secretly long to actually climb into the air yourself, leaving the ground, and soaring around the sky. Not all of us can afford the expense of getting a private pilot's license. Even the less expensive "sport pilot" endorsement is financially out of reach due to the costs of training, buying and upkeep of an airplane, as well as the additional hidden expenses of hangar fees, insurance, and fuel. I know the feeling. So for years I've made the excuses that I prefer being on the ground. That I like watching the aircraft more, than being in them. But as someone who enjoys flying through the lens of my FPV camera, I know deep down those are just excuses.
Well, a friend of mine has been encouraging me to get into PPG flying. What is PPG? It stands for Powered ParaGlider. Basically it's a special parachute that you fly with the assistance of a "big fan on your back. Recently I was able to save up enough money to get my foot in the door. My friend that had been encouraging me for the last few years had a unit he was selling, and I bought it.
Here's my friend Russ flying the beach.
And the proud new owner...
Russell just so happens to be an instructor, so pretty much right away he got me down on the beach, and my training began. There's a technique called "kiting" that teaches you the basic handling skills you'll need to control the wing while you're on the ground.
It's not as simple as using the motor to inflate the wing, and off you go. Too little wind, and you're struggling to get it the wing up, too much wind, and you're fighting to keep you down. You need to be able to get the wing up into the air, and keep it there while you run at least a few steps with the right wind, and sometimes many more in no wind at all. This is easier than it sounds. The wing isn't naturally balanced to stay up in the air. So it's up to the pilot to know how to steer it so that it's up there long enough for him or her to get situated, and into a take off run that will result in a successful launch.
I highly recommend finding a good instructor. There's plenty of videos online that show people who are able to "fly" with little or no instructions. These are the ones whose wings are collapsing on take off, or stumble and slide to a stop for their landings. Often ending up with damaged equipment and bodies. A good instructor will help you get the best gear for you. Too big or too small of a motor will make your flights impossible to enjoy. Likewise the wrong size wing can be unpleasant at best, and life threatening at worst. I'm currently borrowing a wing that Russell owns. It's a 24 meter Ozone Speedster. A fantastic wing, but for my weight and the weight of the gear I'd be using, if I was to stick with the Ozone Speedster, I'd need something in the 28 meter range. So, before I take to the air, I'll have to save up some more money to buy myself a larger, more beginner friendly wing. (I have not opened up a Kickstarter campaign yet... but I might end up needing to sell off a plane or two.
)I've not had many days that the weather has cooperated for me to practice what Russell has taught me so far. One evening I went out, and the winds were too low, and the wing kept collapsing. The next morning, the winds were so strong that when the wing wasn't trying to blow down the beach without me, it managed to jerk me down the beach a hop and a skip at a time until I was able to collapse it on purpose, at which point I packed it up and brought it home. Soon the rain will stop, and I'll get back out there.
Stay tuned here for more updates as my pursuit to become a "real" FlyingMonkey continues.
