My old flying machine

[C5Engineer 1170]

Came across some pictures of my old Powered parachute that I owned for 8 years and put nearly 600 hrs in. Sure had a blast in that thing. Take off and sit back and relax and enjoy the ride at 26mph. You haven't flown until you've done a touch and go on the top of a big rigs trailer or a bail of hay!!

[akflyer 1427]

Sweet pics! Anything that gets a guy in the air is of great interest to me! I was going to buy a PPC at one time, but with the normal winds we have it would have been flying backwards 80% of the time

[bowfish 0]

Years ago I was fortunate enough to have a friend whom got me interested in PCCs, purchased one and it was a blast except for limited days of flying.

[dholly 718]

I love that feet crossed pic!

When I picked up my Avid Mk-IV kit, the seller and I took his J3 up for some Cub fun and a few wing overs on a pretty gusty day. We were #2 on the grass at Warrenton, VA behind two guys in a PPC who were having a devil of a time getting a ground roll. Every time they got strapped in, the wind would flip and bugger up the chute... Pilot would unstrap, run around to straighten everything then climb back in and buckle up... musta done it a dozen times. We actually shut down and waited before they let us play though. Dunno what the max winds are for those things but we both thought it looked like a lot of work. They were nowhere to be seen when we returned, no idea if they packed it in or finally got off and were blown into the next county!

[EDMO 1078]

I love that feet crossed pic!

When I picked up my Avid Mk-IV kit, the seller and I took his J3 up for some Cub fun and a few wing overs on a pretty gusty day. We were #2 on the grass at Warrenton, VA behind two guys in a PPC who were having a devil of a time getting a ground roll. Every time they got strapped in, the wind would flip and bugger up the chute... Pilot would unstrap, run around to straighten everything then climb back in and buckle up... musta done it a dozen times. We actually shut down and waited before they let us play though. Dunno what the max winds are for those things but we both thought it looked like a lot of work. They were nowhere to be seen when we returned, no idea if they packed it in or finally got off and were blown into the next county!

"NO OLD BOLD PILOTS": I was one of the "bulletproof youths" in my day - But the day I saw a PPC driver get blown 200 feet off of the runway, and end up with his legs inserted into a hanger tin roof, I decided that "lighter-than-planes" was not for me.

Liked your brave photos tho.

ED in MO

Edited 21 Sep 2012 by Ed In Missouri

[SuberAvid 617]

They look like a lot of fun, but I've got to admit to likeing the enclosed cockpit for much of my flying. A few years ago I was heading out to fish up the Yentna River in my MK IV and it was kind of rainy and windy with low clouds; I was considering turning back when I passed a guy flying a powered kite. Man did I feel like a wymp. I would love it on a nice warm day though; like riding my motorcycle on a nice desert evening when I lived in Utah; doing that in the air woud be even better.

[C5Engineer 1170]

As all of you have implied good flying days are few and far between. Where I live the delta breeze blows 15-20 all day every day. After getting the Avid flying and watching it in the back of the hangar I sold it.