To be a "real" FlyingMonkey

[willsonman]

So... what you are saying is that the build tent will be full of people building potato cannons for Fred's arrival?

Seriously cool stuff Fred. I'd be too terrified to try!

 

[Kurt0326]

Bring your water balloon launchers to FTFF2015 to welcome Fred!

So... what you are saying is that the build tent will be full of people building potato cannons for Fred's arrival?

And we are the ones advocating safety... that's just funny guys.

Oh, post number 500 for me! :applause:
I must be a serious forum addict now...

 

[FlyingMonkey]

I finally got a day that wasn't blowing like crazy, or filled with rain. So, even though I was exhausted, I dragged myself, and the paraglider down to the beach. Winds were low. Very low. In fact I wasn't able to keep the glider in the air long enough to make it worth clipping in, so I worked on "wall building" and free kiting. It was a beautiful evening, calm and cool, with the sun setting behind me. The glider looked great as it inflated and lifted above me. It looked great until the wind would die or shift and then the glider would pull a Hindenburg on me...



Not all of the attempts were failures.



But eventually the end of the day comes, and it's time to pack up.



I learned this packing technique on youtube...

If I'm going to share videos, here's one that's acting as inspiration for me. This is at a beach about an hour and a half west...

 

[Balu]

That guy knows how to crochet

 

[FlyingMonkey]

I know I haven't updated this in a while... but I have news.

I have placed the order for a wing that is appropriate for my flying weight. It should arrive Tuesday. Updated images should follow soon.

 

[Kurt0326]

And what weight would that be... Kidding

How much it's this estimated costing total?

 

[FlyingMonkey]

About 200# for me and another 60-70# for the motor.

All up about $5K

 

[earthsciteach]

You need a pulse jet, my friend. Just so happens, I could help you out with that.

 

[bmsweb]

Can't wait to see some pics!!!

 

[Kurt0326]

About 200# for me and another 60-70# for the motor.

All up about $5K

That's my weight... Perfect all i need to do is sell my car and fly to work

 

[ExperimentalRC]

So Im sitting at the beach on spring break and I see a couple of these fly over. They were doing some ridiculous stunts in 15mph wind and looked like they were going to crash but pulled up at the last second. Amazing. I immediately thought if this thread, and was wondering there were any more updates.

 

[FlyingMonkey]

Yeah... and no.

I did get my new wing, and even had a chance to get out and practice with it once or twice. Then the busy season struck hard at work. So much so that my trip to SEFF this year has been cancelled. (We're down two full time and two part time staff.)

I had the last two days off. I had to drive my wife to work, and took the opportunity to get away from the beach and play in the woods, and today I spent repairing odds and ends around my mother's house. My instructor wants me in the air more than I want to be there. . So, I hope to have some more exciting updates in the not too distant future.

 

[BigAl07]

That's EXCELLENT! Glad you got your feet in the air.

Here's an excellent quote that my wife found and made a collage and framed for me after I earned my PPL a few years ago:

 

[FlyingMonkey]

I haven't flown yet... but it shouldn't be long now. I was very lax in my training for a while there, (insert usual excuses here, work, time, etc).

Well, I went to an event locally that was a fly in for paramotors. It got me excited about flying enough that I went out and did a couple days of practice, and I have the sunburns to prove it.

I ended up writing an article about the event, and you can read that here...

http://flitetest.com/articles/beachblast-2015-ppg-event-in-panama-city-beach-fl

Hopefully some more training, (and flying?) updates will follow soon.

 

[earthsciteach]

Good.

 

[MojoFlyer]

Kiting is really important, even after you finish your training. You really need to be able to feel what the wing is doing and be in control of it when you are taking to the air. I'm a "Free" flyer (sans motor) Paraglider pilot that doesn't get to fly very often due to living 4 hours away from the closest flying site. I kite my wing (an Ozone "Mojo") at a soccer field a few minutes away from my house fairly often (BTW grass is easier on the wing), and more often when I'm planning to go flying in the near future. I learned not to bother going unless I see on the local weather underground stations that the wind is blowing at least 8-10 mph and less than about 16. Keep working on your training, it's all worth it. I'm trying to get my aviation "Fix" with RC airplanes now, to hold me over between flying my paraglider. First time I saw FPV over Furry Field on a FT episode, all I could think is how cool it would be to fly my paraglider over it. I also think RC is a little bit safer form of aviation to share with my 3 kids. I stumbled across Flite Test a few months ago and got hooked, I set out at the end of Feb to watch all of the FT episodes in order and pretty much spent all my free time in March and early April watching YouTube. I really enjoy building stuff and love aviation, FT is making it much easier to get into the RC hobby.

Keep going and don't give up, hope to see video of you flying soon,

John "MojoFlyer"
https://vimeo.com/carolinaparagliding/videos