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Feb 27, 2002
Fort Lauderdale, FL

This annual trek with a pre-PPG friend is normally a  non-flying trip...not any more! Now having the gear aboard allows me to take advantage of certain "opportunities". 

Day 1

The first morning I got to meet with controller of the Southern Matrix, Brad Weiss. His inland morning haunt, GDC, offers up many square miles of GDC offer up supreme conditions. 

It was great opportunity for low road flying although the wind came up pretty early. This site tends to become bumpy beyond comfort by 10:00 AM.

Day 2

Next up was visiting Kevin, a longtime friend who has taken some great pictures of Brad and I flying together. Since I was meeting a friend in FLL we were only able to have breakfast before I hit the road again.

It's surprising how tight a spot the 21 foot Enterprise can be squeezed into. 

This waitress (pictured right), not even our own, was a very friendly sort. She eschewed the trappings of internet technology but didn't mind stopping for a brief moment to be caught on camera. 

On the way down to Ft. Lauderdale, the map showed Jupiter inlet as being in free airspace so that's where I headed. The beach was beautiful and the locals were as accommodating as they were curious. Plus they'd seen these contraptions launch from there. 

With a full tank (over 3 hours of duration) in the Sky Cruiser I set out for a 2.2 hour cruise. These pictures tell the story.

1. Surfers everywhere. Apparently the waves were just right because there were a LOT of them.
2. This was part of a state park. The tunnel effect through the vegetation was interesting.
3. After passing the state park, I landed to talk with a fellow who seemed interested. He also agreed to snap this picture of me while kiting.

1. Nature 1, Man 0. 30 years ago this house probably had a significant beach in front of it. Not any more.
2. With the ever-present lift the already-quiet sky cruiser purred. This walker didn't hear me until I was passing here. She was intent on the cell phone but did offer an obligatory wave.
3. A beautiful sight looking North down the beach from about 300 feet up.
4. The trophy houses in these parts are impressive. But without a launch, it's just a house!

Day 3 & 4

1. Day 3 was a blow-out. The impending cold front came and, in addition to a strong NE blow, the temp never passed 70 degrees. This is Myself and Sam (holding the prop) just before my departure for Dallas.
2. I had to get my 6-month simulator training accomplished. It was better than most in that I was able to try some new things that I'll hopefully never see in real life. 
3. The sadistic instructor plys his panel with fiendish skill. Thankfully it serves to sharpen and improve the pilot who is willing to let it. He can "slew" the aircraft to different positions and command a horrific array of malfunctions. During the training session (as opposed to a check-ride) they'll sometimes do double failures, frequently based on real-life events.  

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