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 Wings
& Strings
by Bill Hocker
Nov 12, 2001
Note: You can click on the pictures for a full-size version.
On November 9-12 the Parastars flying club had an opportunity to
participate in a large music and flying event. The 7th Annual "Wings and Strings" Bluegrass Festival took place at the
Fantasy of Flight Museum and airport located between Orlando and Lakeland. It involved 5
stages and over 100 shows. Arrangements between Jim Jackson of Para-Lite and Fantasy
of Flight management allowed for participation of the Parastars.
 Over 4,500 people attended the event, and many had never seen a PPG,
so it was an excellent chance to expose a large segment of the central Florida population to a new sport in flying. Hang gliders from the nearby
Wallaby Ranch HG club came by and did some towing and tandem rides, and a tandem PPC
piloted by Lon Chaney did some tandem flights also. Antique biplanes gave rides and there were a lot of new students that got a chance to do a
tandem flight on the "Monster" motor unit with Eric Dufour. A balloon launch with
over 20 balloons during the mornings was a highlight also.
 The flying started Friday afternoon, with the winds being pretty much
completely still, so forward inflations were required. After becoming airborne, the air was smooth as silk, and we all flew until sundown. Saturday saw the Parastars given the task of flying during the
opening ceremonies. Eight pilots of the formation flying team did four fly-bys,
proudly displaying the American flag during each pass as the "Star Spangled Banner" played on the PA system. The afternoon involved some high
flights, with Jeff Thompson and myself going above 8,000 ft. AGL . It was cold up
there, 41 degrees is pretty cool when there's a 30 mph wind in your face while wearing a t-shirt.
 Sunday had some more great flying weather, and the Parastars took
advantage of it. The festivities wound down at near sunset, and the PPG boys packed up the gear and went
home. Before that, though, Jeff Thompson couldn't resist going for another high flight up to 8,823 ft. AGL
before running out of fuel and coasting down to a soft landing. A new personal high flight for him. Many pilots took the opportunity to view the hangar area while
there.
 The owner of Fantasy of Flight, Kermit Weeks, has an extensive personal
collection of antique and warbird aircraft on permanent display. There are also WWII
fighter aircraft with cockpit simulators that allow the person using them to take on various "enemy" aircraft. It's about as realistic
as it gets without bullets being involved. All the photos of the event and flying are at the following site:
http://photos.yahoo.com/paraflyer22. Dylan Conway did an excellent
job of capturing the essence of what happened in his pictures.
Fantasy of Flight will also be the site of the upcoming
Para-Lite/Sky Cruiser Convention from November 30-December 2.
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