Enterprise Log: 2004
Phoenix, AZ to San Diego, CA
Dec 22, 2004 (01/24/2005)
It was time. Tim had been flightless
for several weeks and chomped at the bit to get aloft. This trip would grant
relief.
After arriving early we set out to
get some exercise, rollerblading & walking around the hills near a ritzy
area just NE of Phoenix. It was still chilly there but that wouldn't stop us
from looking for launch.
About 10 miles north of the main
populace we found a great location. Open, smooth and nary a cactus in sight. It
was a wide dirt road that easily contained a wing.
    
1. Tim launching first. Even after not flying for a couple
months, he made it look easy.
2. Cactus underfoot. Don't land here.
3. Cruising together northbound. Brrrrrrrrrr.
4. "It was gonna be a landing" he said. But the temptation was too
great. It turned into a foot dragging pass. The next one was a landing.
5. Tim, obviously happy to get airtime.
Tim needed it more than I, so he
launched first and landed last. It was great to get out though, even with the
cool 55 degree air. We gave the prison a wide birth, cruised some hilltop cactus
and I finally called it quits when the coolness got to my hands. Tim kept
flying.
Day 2
The next day we met up with "Mo
and the boys" on the grounds of his upcoming Arizona
Flying Circus. This place is HUGE! It was too windy at first so a few of us
took to kiting. I kited up Mo's Van then he kited my Enterprise. THAT was cool.
A few minutes later we took off for a brief and blown romp around the immediate
area.
   
1. We past this dust storm on the way to the airport.
Hopes stayed grounded.
2. Alas, the gust front passed and we wound up flying. Here Mo "feels the
power."
3. Tim was kiting and I played just above. Tim decided against flying but saw
fit to bone up on high-wind handling as did many of the local pilots. Photo by
Matt Shields.
4. Mo inspects the roof.
There are these hangar roofs laying
around and it was fun to fly around to one, land and stand there with the wing
overhead using just enough throttle to keep from getting blown back. It takes a
breeze but we had no shortage of that. The winds were fickle though and a few
small gust fronts came through so we called it an evening.
That's a great group of guys there
who made us feel very welcome. Looking forward to returning for the fly-in.
We wanted to make San Diego by the
next morning so we set out westbound. Tim at the helm is a wonderful thing and I
got a lot done on the book. This is the "winter of the book". I
shouldn't be writing this; I should be working on that. A break is good once and
a while though.
Day 3
San Diego is a wonder of free flight
sights but can be a challenge to find motoring sites. Phil Russman was kind
enough to show us one that was right on the border. We were constantly under the
watchful eye of some border patrolman.
   
1. Phil gets airborne first
2. We saw this helicopter and wondered. He saw us and just kept trucking.
3. Phil cruises in front of the airport
4. That airport's control tower. Closed as advertised.
  
1. Tim keeps some distance from the Mexican border JUST off his left.
2. After his first motor out, Tim powers up for a forward.
3. No wind made this stuff challenging to launch from but he pulled them all off
on the first try.
The site wasn't much but it was
unique in that it sat only a couple miles from a control towered military field
that we could clearly see. Before going to this sight we called FSS who said the
field was currently closed. But I was still nervous and called the approach
control (SOCAL) who has jurisdiction over it and they said it would be ok. Even
though the field is closed, its "D" airspace becomes the "Surface
Area of E designated for an airport" and would be off limits without
permission. Alas, we now had permission.
Tim had a problem with his motor. It
turned out to be the spark plug boot - something that took him 3 power-off
landings to discover. Perfect job on all of them though!
The beach was perfect and I laid down
the longest foot drag I've done on a beach in many months. That was nice.
Phil Russman came out of his editing
room (working on USPPA's "Risk & Reward") long enough to show us
the site and eek out some soaring on a nearby ridge. He also tried to talk the
the cop (who was politely explaining we couldn't fly there) into letting us
free-fly from that ridge. He didn't push too hard fortunately.
Cotton Pickin'
Bagdad to Phoenix, AZ
Dec 3, 2004 (12/07/2004)
  Chilly
in Phoenix. Yuck. There's no better way to drop my desire for flight than to
drop the temperature and that is what happened. There was frost on plants - no
hope I was going to get airtime on this morning, but it sure was good for
writing.
By afternoon the temperature warmed
enough for "lookin' for launch". Eventually I gravitated to a known
location, a spot that I'd flown with Nick Scholtes a number of years ago, it was
nice to launch into the perfect evening calm.
Cotton fields abound in Phoenix and I
couldn't resist visiting the edge of one. Scooping up a bit from the road
revealed a strange fluff...it's initially hard to imagine this being spun into
clothing until you wind up a strand between thumb and fingers. It becomes
amazingly strong in pull strength. The above picture was my collected cotton
ball sitting in the seat.
As the only flight for this
Enterprise segment, it was good to get airborne. It's always such sweet
satisfaction to pull off a light-winder in a different place. Flying around the
cactus was strange - we'd used them for pylons before but, being alone, I gave
them a wider birth. It was still chilly even in the afternoon; too chilly for
much duration and, after only about 45 minutes I slid back to launch.
Next time I'll try to fly with Mo and
the PHX bunch with hopefully warmer weather then it's on to San Diego.
 Las
Vegas, NM
to Bagdad, AZ
Dec 2, 2004 (added Dec 02).
It works! The transmission surgery
went well and they even cured the
This time I finally made it out of
Las Vegas, over the Hoover Dam and South on route 93. After a couple hours I
staked out a spot in the middle of the desert and called it a night. Turns out I
was near Bagdad! Mind you, there are actually 3 Bagdads in the US: this one in
AZ, another in FL and KY.
The following day was spent working
on the book mostly - the current background of my life. This is the "winter
of the book" for me. One thing deadlines do is compress time: "ok,
it's only Dec 2, I have two weeks to finish the text...". That's good, it
means winter flash by in no time. And what am I doing writing this stuff anyway?
It's really not that far of a drive
to Phoenix but I'm taking my jolly sweet time. It's too cold to fly for me,
unusual here, but the scenery is spectacular and I'm planning drive times during
daylight to enjoy it. Here's a sampling below.
 
1. This little spot was near some construction on 93 just
after passing a beautiful bridge. Few bridges rate such rave but this one and
the one before qualified. I stopped to get my camera in the driver's seat.
2. Your's truly. Soft focus makes me look better - the bridge is the real
subject!
 
1. I try to imagine the city council discussion in the name
selection session. The town is actually called "Nothing, AZ".
2. After "Nothing" there were yet more spectacular vistas.
 
1. I always wondered what a "Joshua Tree" was, having seen the
forest name on maps for years. Now I know.
2. Even the miles behind can look good.
Las Vegas, NM
to
Las Vegas, NV (oops)
Nov 8, 2004 (added Dec 02).
When the Enterprise arrived in Las
Vegas it was bleeding transmission fluid, a frustrating disappointment since it
had been rebuilt in the summer. At least that meant it was under
warrantee.
I left it for a couple weeks and
returned in the evening of Nov 8. After an unintended taxi-tour of the strip, I
retrieved the Enterprise and spent the night nearby figuring on heading out in
the morning. I woke up to a river of red - transmission fluid again.
Some little $6 seal would take a full
day of work to extricate and then another to put all the pieces together again.
It became obvious that I wouldn't be going anywhere on this trip and headed
home.
It was good to meet and spend time
with fellow PPGer George Foisel (thanks for the ride too!) but we were unable to
fly together.
 Elephant Butte, NM
to Las Vegas, NV
Oct 24, 2004 (added Dec 01).
It snowed.
My original mission included the
concept that the Enterprise would never have to be "winterized" and
would never have the windshield scraped. Although never needing scraped there
was plenty of snow to be had while traversing the high elevations near Flagstaff
Arizona.
I've flown over the Grand Canyon a
thousand times and enjoyed its splendor of expanse. But being there is to be
consumed by it. The South Rim, where we stopped, was first ensconced in cloud.
Soon the cloud gave way a spectacular demonstration of cloud formation right at
our fingertips. These will be some great pictures for the book.
Then it was on to Kingman, AZ where
my mission was to get a cover shot for UltraFlight. Tim was kind enough to
oblige my roving camera and we got the shot. Many of them - a wonder of digital
freedom - keep snapping 'til your fingers drop!
Afterwards we reboarded the
Enterprise and wandered over the Hoover Dam and finally Las Vegas. Here the
Enterprise awaited service on a leaking transmission that took two attempts to
fix. Lord willing, it's fixed and will soon be on its way to the next stop,
Phoenix.
Albuquerque to Elephant Butte, NM
Oct 20, 2004 (added Oct 22).
 Elephant
Butte lake south of Albuquerque will still have to wait. Tim and I met up with
the Enterprise at Albuquerque then met up with Michelle Daniele and a bunch of
the Albuquerque flyers. Only the morning on Wednesday was good and even that got
pretty bumpy by 10AM. What a great bunch of people. We enjoyed the day anyway
and then headed out for points west.
Joel, Carlos, Michelle, Myself, Bob,
Lee and Jeff gathered immediately after I landed. Bob had landed just before
while I stayed airborne to direct Tim with the Enterprise. He elected not to
launch after watching my long run.
Jeff Martin was kind enough to let us
come spend the afternoon at his place on the lake - ok, NEAR the lake!
Albuquerque, NM to Las Vegas, NV
Nov 1, 2004
You can see what the Enterprise did
for its stay in Albuquerque - the 2004 American Flyer Event. The camping trip
that followed ended with some storms that saw the worst hail in years. The trip
itself was an absolute blast and even being in a hailstorm was cool until the
hail became rocks and we had to stop to avoid getting our windshield broken. The
melee continued and wound up denting in the upwind panel and hood. Fortunately
the windshield held, many didn't (especially those who kept driving).
Home to Albuquerque, NM
Oct 22, 2004
A rebuilt transmission survived the
long haul. With Captain Kaiser again at the helm, we set out for the fabulous
flight of American Flyers' Balloon Fiesta event.
 First
stopped at Tim's childhood home and flew - that's always a treat - to go home
and catch the new perspective.
 The
best stop along the had us stumble upon a lush river and miles of low-flying
paths to be explored. The smallish launch was downhill which helped and this
beautiful area was only about 5 miles distant. We learned about it when a
passerby started asking questions of our strange contraptions and then, after
learning we'd take flight with them, steered us towards this area. Boy was he
right about it!
 The
trip through Colorado was fraught with wind and cold so there was no flying
there. But the scenery approaching the mountains made it more worthwhile.
Of course the destination was it's
usual awesome (report is here) as Jerry &
Michelle Daniele hosted another memorable gathering.
Moline, IL
Sept 16, 2004
Local sojourns continue as the
Enterprise gets ready for it's fall departure. Some necessary maintenance items
have been completed including a much-needed replacement of the rear
"Enterprise" logo.
On Wednesday, Sept 15 the weather
didn't look good; it had to be better out west. So Tim Kaiser and I set off for
a two day adventure towards the promise of better air. Westward ho to Moline we
go! Moline, IL that is, just across the Mississippi River.
Clouds and rain greeted our arrival
which would certainly not do - we continued westward. Eventually, Captain Kaiser
piloted the Enterprise to a little airport near Tipton, Iowa. Ahhh...now that
will do just fine.
We launched into the waning wind of a
bright post cold front afternoon with it's crystal clear air. Hay fields gave
swift foot drags and the Cedar River flowed as a backdrop to some great
pictures.
The following morning we had to
settle for a gravel road and bumpy air. But at least flying was done! The
farmers that came to visit were quite interested and will hopefully join us
someday.
 
1. Jeff cruises by the Enterprise (not pictured)
2. Tim moves into position for the requisite color capture.
 
1. The Cedar River is enjoyed by both.
2. Tim enjoys the cold front's receeding cloud line.
 
1. Rolling hills of green
2. Rolling hills of foot-draggin' green by Tim.
Oshkosh, WI
Aug 3, 2004 The
Enterprise has made numerous trips this summer including the annual pilgrimage
to OSHkosh, Wisconsin - the world's largest airshow. I did fly there ever so
briefly but it's not the place to plan a lot of ultralight flying. It's the
place to showcase the sport.
James Zeman and Phil Rusman
accompanied me on the trip and James provided the bulk of Captain duties,
successfully navigating us to our various destinations.
I got to fly Jeff B's new homebuilt
machine, a beauty indeed. And I did a slide show on the sport of powered
paragliding that was pretty well attended.
Naperville, IL
July 2, 2004 Continuing
to enjoy the ten minute summer that is Chicago's brief time of flight - we take
to the skies locally. Of course it's nice being able to loft without all the
cold weather accouterments.
Steve King is down from the
hinterland (Toronto, Canada) and, along with new entrant Tim, we flew at what
was PJ's landing. The sight of Illinois' first fly-in has been sold, is
overgrown and soon will succumb to the ever expanding suburban sprawl. But for
now it served it's intended purpose.
All the locals use the same FRS
frequency and so we can frequently hear each other in spite of nearly 20 miles
between the three primary flying areas. We could hear pilots at the both the
Paradrome and Harryport although it was not clear enough to really converse.
 
1. Steve climbing out from a low pass with Tim above in the
background.
2. Tim is practicing maintaining a straight line as Steve launches.
Naperville, IL (Home)
Jun 19, 2004 Now
with the Enterprise home it is good to use for local trips, allowing an
overnight stay or just an easy day trip. Good gas mileage makes it not much worse
than my other vehicle.
 This
trip had no specific destination in mind. After a visit to the Scholtes "Paradrome"
we headed West on I-80 with Carved Rock in mind. After spending too much time
there we headed back with launch radar turned on hi. What we found was a great
little area although not big on scenery.
There's something appealing about
heading out and finding different sites to fly; analyzing their idiosyncrasies,
checking out their surroundings, meeting new people and just the value of
variableness.
The landowner turned out to be a real
gem and, in spite of me not having any "Landowner Brochures", she
wrote up a quick liability release and let us fly.
Tim got more practice at various
tasks such as flying a straight line over the geography and we both got to take
in some perfect mid-summer conditions. We did miss flying with some of the boys
at Kenny Carlock's gathering which was also going on but the need for early
arising on Sunday didn't allow it.
A sweet landing on his feet put this
trip to bed and now all we have to do is get our windsock back. Yup, we left it
there!
Jackson, MS - Naperville, IL (Home)
added Jun 21, 2004 Among
the sites visited, a fellow airline pilot turn PPG addict, Ron Hultin. He took
me out for a cruise up the Mississippi. Among the wonders of that flight was
walking along the river bank with my wing overhead. Then I stopped, brought it
down and marveled in my locale. Ron Landed next to me and we chatted. This is
flying the way it was meant to be!
My last target before reaching home
was the place where I essentially got married and also first upgraded to captain
on something! That was in a Dornier 228 commuter airliner in 1987. But this
return was as captain of my Sky Cruiser & Silex and it was even more fun
(although it didn't pay as much!).
In wanting to fly over my dwelling of
the time, I had to use an aircraft radio and talk with the Springfield tower.
Fortunately they were understanding and the flight went off splendidly. Foot
dragging the railroad track was cool too.
Orlando, FL - Jackson, MS
added Jun 21, 2004 This
trip served also as my Instructor certification through Eric Dufour of Fly-By
Ranch. My victim, Tim Kaiser, was fortunately an easy pupil as he picked this up
quite well. Of course it helped that we spent a fair amount of time practicing
kiting, something he does very well.
The Enterprise transmission has been
acting up doesn't like going into 3rd gear on occasion. So once we get on the
highway we like to stay there until necessary. Fortunately Tim likes to drive.
An evening stop in New Orleans let us
catch up with Bud Johnson. We braved some juicy bumps to fly (level 4 and
occasionally 5) one of his local sites. I got to try out the Paramania Action
again. Like my Silex, it makes easy work of these conditions by offering
exquisite handling and great speed as well as collapse resistance.
Orlando, FL & All Around
added Jun 21, 2004 Several
trips to a variety of local flying haunts ensued for the winter. They included
visits to the haven of Brad Weiss, Fly-By Ranch, Parastars places, Paralite and
others along with a trip down to Key West. Even some flying near Key West! |
