Flying With The Birds

If you have been reading this blog then you know I recently purchased a Powered Parachute. This unique aircraft uses a large parachute as a wing as it flies through the air. After flying this unique aircraft for a few months now, I have come to the following conclusion.

This is FUN!!!!!

Now a powered parachute flies differently that a regular airplane. In a regular aircraft you fly at least a thousand feet about the ground at a speed of 80 mph or faster. People look like ants on the ground. You pass cars on the freeway and towns quickly disappear behind you. This is regular flying.

Even though I have to obey the rules of the sky just like any other aircraft, powered parachutes fly differently. First, let me tell you that powered parachutes travel about 30 mph over the ground. They travel a little slower into the wind and a little faster with the wind. Compared to regular aircraft this is pretty slow. Rarely do you get more that 500' above the ground when flying the powered parachute. Usually, when I fly, I remain only 250' to 300' above the ground.

Because of this slow speed and low altitude, you get to see people waving from the ground. You can see the smiles on the faces of the people below you. You see cars pull over just to watch you float by, people coming out of their houses and kids on the playground all running to get a better look. You see people stop what they are doing just to watch you fly by. This is fun flying.

As I travel over the country side I see all kinds of people outside waving at me. If I see a cookout, or a party in the backyard, and they are waving; I make it a point to fly around them a couple of times, just to give them a mini-air show. I can see the people with their cameras and video cameras shooting away as I circle overhead. I can even hear the shouts of people on the ground. This, to me, is fun.

I have had people follow me around the county just to find out where I land. They drive up and have a thousand questions about my powered parachute, questions that I am glad to answer. I have had people drive up and ask me to go back up and fly around a cookout at their home again. Then, when I am done flying, come down and join them, which I have gladly done.

When the powered parachute is loaded up on my trailer I get different questions. Usually it is, “What is it?” I explain that it is an ultralight aircraft. Some do not believe it can fly and I show them the pictures of me flying this crazy contraption. Yet, after viewing the pictures and looking at the cart (the place where I sit and the engine is), most people still look like they do not believe that it can fly.

Maybe, because the cart looks like a collection of pipes with the engine in the back and two seats in the front, the aircraft looks like it would be unsafe. My Mother asked me, after seeing some pictures of my plane, “Do you call a mechanic or a plumber to fix it?” As for the safety, I feel really safe flying my powered parachute. I have studied the accident reports of all types of personal aircraft and the powered parachutes are one of the safest. When I decided on which model to purchase, I picked the model that has the highest respect in the industry. Hey, it is my butt up there, my butt needs the best.

I have made many new friends since I started flying my powered parachute. I could not have asked for a better way to have fun. While I was having all this fun, I studied and now I am an Ultralight Flight Instructor. I am now able to teach new students to enjoy the fun that I am having every time I fly. Hopefully, I will find some new students to teach and make new friends along the way.

While I was learning to fly this powered parachute I had a dozen questions for my instructor and many of these questions were sent through email. In one early email I sent to my instructor, I wrote these words that I believe sum up everything. I said:

“The word 'Fun' is not big enough to describe this.”

I am still having FUN!