New Post, Old Photos

I haven't posted anything new lately because I haven't been able to fly. I was going through some of my old photos and found some that I do not believe I have posted so I pulled them up. If I have posted these, than I will try to find some new ones for next time. Both of these are of Kiwi(John) flying out at the Funny Farm. Kiwi has been doing the most flying of all of us latetly, but even he has not been flying enough. We are all looking into the Sport Pilot coming up, and I guess w/ the new year approaching quickly we will have to get on the ball and get this thing done. I will try to keep our attempts to get our Sport Pilot posted on here so everyone will know the pains and benefits of this new law.

Another cold flight

We got to go up today for about an hour and it was some really nice flying weather. Kiwi and I went up the first time, but bumpy winds and radio problems brought us down after only about 5 minutes of flying. After the radio problem was fixed we went back up and, by than the wind had almost vanished. We both flew out of Joes Funny Farm and had a very smooth flight. I just buzzed around near the house and made one touch and go at Jerry Claytors house. He came out and while I was on approach and we talked for a bit by radio and than it was time for me to head back before it got to dark to fly. Kiwi got some neat video of him flying over his brother-in-laws house while his brother-in-law filmed him from the ground. I will try to post some of his videos, but for some reason I am still having problems being able to get them to post on the blog. I have to go back to work tomorrow, but I believe everyone else is going to take advantage of the weather and try to get some more flying in.

Cold day for flying

We were able to fly yesterday at Joe's, but it was a little chilly after getting up. I was fine all over except for one place, and that was my little toes. I forgot my boots and only had on thin tennis shoes and let me tell you by the time I landed my feet were froze like a block of ice. Kiwi(John) and Chris also came over to fly and we had a very smooth flight. We all flew around an hour yesterday afternoon even though it was opening day for rifle season. I stayed up pretty high so I wouldnt tempt any angry hunters to shoot me out of the sky. I even set a new personel height record by going just above 4000 feet. Hopefully we will be able to get up in the air a little more often due to the weather finally starting to cooperate w/ us.

Finally new pics

Sorry it has been so long since I put a new post up, but haven't had much time lately for flying. These were taken a couple months ago by John(Kiwi) flying out of Rowell International. The one of the chute coming in is me shooting a touch and go at Joes. The other one is of Hales Ford Bridge Kiwi got at Smith Mountain Lake. We are all itching to get back up and maybe the weather will cooperate w/ us and give us some good flying weather. I will try to get a some new pics soon and keep the blog updated as soon as I get some new shots.

Installed new fuel tank

John came over the other day and helped put the other fuel tank that he fixed on the machine. The older tank might have flown its last time due to stress on the spot where the leak is when it is mounted on the machine. John has fixed it twice and even though we thought it was fixed it keeps pulling the weld apart after minor usage. The other tank is also repaired ,but the leak in it was at the top of the tank and in a different spot so I do not believe it will give me any more trouble. We flew the other afternoon and it was a beautiful day to be up and about. The haze of summer was gone and we could see everything. This picture here was taken a while back in the summer. Unfortunately I forgot my camera the other afternoon, but John took a bunch so I will try to get some of those for the site soon.

We were flying around Joe's house when out of sky came another PPC pilot and we were quite shocked to see another pilot in the area. After attempting to contact them on radio w/ no luck the plane landed at Joes. I landed also and found out it was Jerry Claytor also of Bedford and him and his wife were out also enjoying the afternoon. He said he lent out his patch cord so that was the reason he was not able to talk to us while we were flying. They came over and visited for a while and than headed back home.

John, Joe, and I have also all been talking about this new Sport Pilot making its way into PPCing and we all seem to have very mixed feeling about it and the verdict is still out on our approval yet. It seems w/ the list of good things it will bring to powered parachuting their is a much longer one for bad things. We are all still trying to learn more about it so we can make a better decision with all the facts, but until than we will keep flying and enjoying our sport.

John taking off

PPC takeoff
This was taken a while back on a nice afternoon to fly. Kiwi(John) has really been logging in some flying hours until this nasty weather moved in. It looks like most of the hot flying days are gone, and now it is getting close to flight suit time. We will fly year round just alll depends on the wind for us. We are also getting very close to getting a class set up for us to all go on and get our BFI(basic flight instructor). I hope we will all have this before to long so it will be easier to transition into sport pilot. We have also been looking into Sport Pilot and this seems like it could get pretty aggravating trying to get us and our planes registered. I know the whole idea of Sport Pilot is to make things simple and easy, but I will believe it when I see it. It seems everything is still in the making and nobody really knows for sure how it will all work.

Old Photos

Here is some shots of a house I got a while back I found as I was going through some older pictures of us flying. This house is a lady I know from the gym I goto and she lives just down the road from Joe's house. It is a beautiful house and everytime I seemed to take its picture it was just before dark and the pictures weren't that clear. As you can see from the one picture she lives on the side of mountain and that would be one heck of a backyard to have.

Grounded Again

It was a beatiful afternoon today and I was over Joes and decided to try to get an hour in before it got dark. Their was no breeze and everything seemed perfect for a smooth flight, until I started filling the machine up w/ gas. I was filling it up and all of sudden I looked down at the tank and I noticed a small stream running down the side of the tank. Before I could even turn the pump off to stop filling the machine their was a steady stream of gas running down the side of the tank. Unfortunately where Kiwi had fixed my tank a while back it sprung a new leak. I guess it was just not meant to be w/ this tank. I still have the other tank that Kiwi also fixed and I am crossing my fingers that it want leak and I will be back flying soon and then I will have pictures of us flying.

Corn maze at Layman Farms

I was flying the other afternoon when I flew over this maze and I snapped a couple shots of it real quick. I found out later it is a corn maze at Layman Farm in Montvale off of 460. I was just flying around when it caught my eye and couldn't believe the detail they are able to put in it.
I think I might have to go try it out because it looks like fun, but I will have a copy of this picture to help me from getting lost. I might try to get back over their the next time I go up so I can get some better shots of it, but the weather lately has been pretty windy.

Flying over the house

Here are a couple more shots from the other afternoon when Kiwi and I flew over Smith Mountain Lake. The one of the house that you can barely see due to all the trees is mine. It was hard to even get a shot at all of it from it being hidden in the trees. The other house is a friends that both Kiwi and I work with. He wasn't home when we flew over but his mother-in-law was there babysitting, and she came out to wave to us. He was my first captain when I came out of the academy at the fire department, but now he has moved on to another station, and left Kiwi and me to hold the fort down.

Smith Mountain Lake

Flying over Smith Mountain Lake

This was taken the other day when Kiwi and I flew over to Smith Mountain Lake. After installing the original gas tank back on my machine that Kiwi fixed I wanted to take it for a test flight. After double checking everything we were back up in the air. I flew around for a bit just to check everything out, and than we were off to the lake. The Buckeye flew just great, and we had a great flight w/ some really nice scenery. We flew about an hour and after landing I checked the gas tank out to find no cracks or leaks. Looks like Kiwi fixed it for good, and I am back in business.

Gas tank might be fixed

The leak in the gas tank might be fixed this time. Kiwi was able to work on the tank again, and I we believe this time he got it sealed. He thinks the first time he just didn't get the tank hot enough for the plastic to bond together and seal. We put some gas in it and it seems to be holding w/ no gas leaks. So hopefully the tank will be put back on the machine and have me ready for flying again without worrying about the tank.
I have to thank Kiwi for fixing the tank even if if doesn't hold this time. I was giving him a hard time about the first time since it didn't hold. We give each other a hard time and this one was really getting to him since he loves to tinker w/ stuff and he was on a mission to get it right. I have to admit he is very smart when it comes to tinkering, and a guy once told me that "if you want to know something about nothing, just ask Dubose", well that could not be more true. He knows a little about everything and a lot about somethings, so he is a very good resource to know and have as a friend.

UFPPC(unidentified flying powered parachute)

I was on my way to the office w/ Mr. Noah and had to stop to fill Leah's car up w/ gas(whole nother story). I was standing out pumping the gas and I just happened to look up in the air and saw a PPC flying around. I was filling up at the station right near the D-Day Memorial and I figured it was Jerry Claytor since the field he flys out of is very close. I finished up filling the car and thought I would head up to his field to watch him land but this chute just kept on flying right past the field. I started to wonder if he was just doing a low pass, but than I realized that this chute did not look like the one Jerry had last time I saw his machine. I was going to hang around and see if the PPC was going to come back but Mr Noah decided he did not want to stay and he let me know that it was time to eat. The rest of the way to the office I kept looking for the UFPPC, but I never saw it again.

Grounded Again

A couple days ago Joe put the old tank that Kiwi fixed back on the machine and while filling it for the first time it started leaking again. Kiwi tried to fix it from where I cracked it the first time from a hard landing but, unfortunately it didn't take. He still believes that he can fix it so maybe this gas tank problem will finally be fixed once and for all. I wish I could find another tank just like the original, but according to Buckeye the mold for it is gone. The same day we found out about the tank Kiwi was still able to get a little flying in and he is really racking up some flying hours. He is landing and flying like a pro now and I don't know if we can stop him or if we have just unleashed a flying monster.haha Aunt Tammy(Kiwi's wife) comes over and she helps watch Noah while we are up flying.

Flight to Friends landing strip

Yesterday Kiwi and I flew over to another field to practice some touch and gos. This air strip is really nice and belongs to a man who flys a Piper Cub out of it. Jerry Claytor also lives on this strip and he flys his Buckeye PPC out of it as well. I guess this is what you would call an ultralight heaven w/ your front yard being your airport. You could pull right out of the garage and taxi to your runway as you wave to the neighbors. Jerry came out to watch us as we did some touch and gos and he got on the radio and said his brother and him would fly w/ us tomorrow as long as the weather cooperates. Jerry has his own website for PPC's and it is Chutetothrill.com.

Kiwi touch and go

Kiwi doing touch and go

Here is a short video I got of Kiwi doing a touch and go yesterday afternoon at the Funny Farm. He was practicing his landings w/ and w/ out power so when he flys for Jeff again he will be ready. He did a couple dead stick landings which means he cuts the engine completly off and comes in w/ out power. Both dead stick landings were really good and he made it look easy like he has been doing them for many years. We are all getting close to being ready to test for our BFI or go on and get our sport pilot rating for powered parachutes. I hope that we will all have our training completed by Xmas, but a lot of that will have to do w/ the weather and our instructor working together at the same time. Tomorrow looks like it might be some good flying weather so we might get some more hours logged and new pictures for the blog.

Kiwi's camera hard at work

These were taken by Kiwi on two different days that we flew. This is a great picture of the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford and the other one is a beautiful sunset over the Roanoke Valley. The Memorial is only about 10 minutes away by air and it is right beside another ultralight field that local friends fly out of. The D-Day memorial is a really nice place to visit and I recommend it to anyone that has not been there yet. It is a very moving experience to see the Memorial and when my Granddad came up from Mississippi we took him to see it. He was one of the Heroes that hit the beaches in the war and it was really interesting to see him talking to other vets who were there, and telling us about some of his personal experiences.

Here is myself coming in for a final at Rowell International

Beans Landing

This was taken by Kiwi of myself coming in at Joe's Funny Farm for a final landing. Our rescue crew of three dogs w/ 11 legs was first on scene to make sure everything was safe. They are always excited to see us come in and they are usually the first ones to congratulate us on a safe flight. The weather is still not good for flying, but their was a glimmer of hope today for a couple hours when the sun came out and showed itself, but as I am writing this it is sprinkling again outside. It is hard for me to complain about the rain since my yard was pretty much dead before we got all of this rain.

Jeff doing a barrel roll in his PPC

PPC barrel roll

This is a short video of our instructor Jeff flying his PPC last fall at the Brookneal field. We were all down there for Kiwi's wife to go up w/ Jeff to make sure it was OK for Kiwi to buy one. Jeff took her up for a orientation flight and she loved it. Jeff went up in the PPC flying solo and pulled a couple stunts while flying to show us what they are capable of doing in a Buckeye Dream Machine. She can not wait till Kiwi gets all of his training done and the new Sport Pilot rules come into effect so she can go up and enjoy the views from above. The weather is still terrible for flying right now w/ all this rain, but hopefully it will break soon and let us all get back up in the air.

Video from the other afternoon

Beans taking off

I know it has been a while since I last posted, but unfortunately the weather around here has been terrible for flying. We are getting the weather from tropical storm Ernesto right now and we are enjoying wind and rain from it. I did notice that the Red Baron who is flying coast to coast using a PPC is stuck right now also due to the weather I believe somewhere in GA. He is so close to making yet the weather just want cooperate to get it done. I hope he will be able to make soon and safely.
I hope to get myself back up in the air sometime soon, but I like to fly when their is almost no wind, and we all know that is almost unheard of around here. Maybe the weather will break coming up and we will finally get some decent flying weather.
This video was taken the last day I flew by Leah of me taking off from Rowell International. Leah would have taken more video and pictures but the camera battery died. This was the day Kiwi and I flew and the wind picked up that later in the flight. Iwish the camera battery would not have died because it could have taken some really good pictures of mine and Kiwi's happy faces as we landed safely.

Windy Flight

These were taken yesterday when Kiwi and I went up flying. It was not the best day up there for taking pictures since it was so hazy. When we took off their was very little wind blowing, but while we were up it started to pick up a bit. Kiwi was funny when he said he finally gets his letter to fly from our instructor Jeff and his first flight is the worst weather he has flown in. I was also caught in some wind that actually might have been the worse I have ever been in since I have been flying. I had just made a touch and go and was going back around w/ everything going smooth when I just started bouncing and swinging. I was close to a mountain so I am guessing the wind was swirling around it and really disrupting my air. After being beat around a couple minutes I headed back to the field for a final so I didn't have to fight the wind anymore.
Kiwi stayed up and said he was starting to have fun in the wind. I am the opposite and would just rather stay on the ground if it is not smooth flying. Kiwi came back to the field and set it down like pro with a perfect landing making it look easy, but I know he was a little nervous after his fun windy flight.

Finally have video on the blog

Powered Parachute


Kiwi and I finally figured out how to get some of our videos on the blog so now we can show everyone what it is like when we fly. We actually don't have that many videos of us flying, but now that we know how to get them up we will start filming a lot more. I am still learning everyday about new stuff I can do w/ the blog and hopefully it will only get easier. I believe this video was taken sometime in the fall of last year at Rowell International of me doing a touch and go w/ Kiwi filming.

More shots of the Kentucy Fly-in back in June

Kiwi finally gave me a disk w/ all of his pictures he took while at the Kentucky Fly-in. He was able to get some really nice shots and I picked out a couple that I liked of around 100. I can't believe it has been so long since we were up in Ky.
I was able to fly for about 30 minutes yesterday and try out my new EGT probe we installed. I have had problems w/ my EGT lately bouncing from 900 to 1700 every couple seconds. We changed all the connections and one of the EGT probes but w/ no luck. I guess we will try changing the other EGT probe and if that doesn't work Joe thinks we should look into gettting a new EIS. I have a Taskem now and if we go that route I think I will try to get a Grand Rapids since Joe has one and it has more options on it.
If anyone has any suggestions on my problems w/ my EGT I would greatly appreciate any information that could fix my problems.

No new flying stories

Unfortunately no new flying pics but I found a couple that I don't believe have been on the blog yet. Hopefully we will have some weather that will cooperate soon. Kiwi has ordered the tools and supplies that he believes will be able to fix my gas tank problems. It would be nice to have a gas tank that wouldn't leak so I don't have to worry about that anymore.
I went to the Hospital today for my stress test and according to the Dr everything looks as normal as it can for me, and I should be fine.

Finally flying again

Well, I finally was able to get back up in the air and see what flying was like again. The gas tank problem is just that, still a problem. Joe had to grind the tank down a little so we could get it to fit, but in doing so we put another hole in it.
Fortunetly the hole is at the top of the tank and we were able to temporarily fix it so I could fly w/ Kiwi and Joe the other afternoon.
Kiwi finally got his letter from our instructor Jeff and he is a happy pilot now. He said he had some of his worse landings yet but I think in whole he did a good job while Jeff was watching him.
I thought Jeff was going to get to fly w/ us but we ran out of daylight so he had to do all his flying from the ground.
I took a little time off from posting due to the other night at work I ended up at the ER with heart palpitations. After about 5 hours there they let me go w/ a monitor that I had to wear for 24 hours. I have a stress test scheduled next week, and than a follow up w/ the Dr. to find out what is going on w/ my ticker. I don't believe it is going to amount to anything and I should be back to normal in no time.

Kiwi can fly

These were taken yesterday of Kiwi flying. He bought his machine last year and already has almost enough hours to test out for his BFI. I believe that he has the best looking PPC that I have ever seen. He was telling me yesterday about the bars that come down in the front and how they do obstruct some of his view as he flys but that you get kind of use to it. I hope to fly his soon and than fly mine right after it so I can compare them.

Almost Ready to Fly

Joe and I put the new gas tank in yesterday afternoon. I snapped this picture after we were done and placed the old tank beside it to show the difference in tanks. There is a big void now where the old tank followed up the back of the seat. The tanks both hold 10 gallons but they are shaped quite a bit different.
We ran into a couple small problems, but Joe was able to think outside the box and fix them. This is where I run into problems, if it doesn't work the way it is suppose to than I have a chance of breaking something from frustration.
I plan on going back over to the farm today and taxiing it just to make sure everything is working right and if the weather and machine cooperate maybe even get to fly.
I had a crazy dream last night that Joe and Kiwi were taking off beside me and than my machine took off w/out me on it. It just kept going up while I chased it w/ my line socks and parachute bag. It finally landed right beside a lake in someones back yard. I have to admit it landed pretty smooth considering their was no pilot. I guess I dreamed this cause it has been so long since I have flown.haha

Need a babyseat for a Buckeye

Kiwi came over to the Funny Farm yesterday to get some flying in and we decided that it was time for Noah's first flight. Unfortunately Noah did not meet the height/weight requirements and he was not able to go up. I guess he will have to wait a couple more years before he can get his first flight in.
Even though Noah didn't get to fly Kiwi went up for about 45 minutes. I was still grounded due to the gas tank problem and I had hoped to have it done yesterday, but Noah kept us pretty busy so not much work was done on the tank. Joe believes he can make the tank work and hopefully I will get back over there today and be able to help him.
I got some pretty good pictures yesterday of Kiwi flying, but I liked this one because it looks like the chute has grabbed and pulled his head back as well. haha

Update on gas tank

I just got off the phone w/ Joe and he told me the gas tank is here and we should be able to install it this afternoon. This tank is not identical to the one that was broken but according to Buckeye it should fit. I believe that if anyone can get it to work Joe will be the one.
Joe is one of those guys that seems to know a little about everything and able to figure out how anything works. I am the complete opposite of that and even when I read the instructions of putting something together I have problems. When Joe was in the service he worked on jets so for him to work on PPCs is nothing.
I hope to have some new photos of us flying at the Funny Farm tonight and I will post them as soon as I get them.

Gas Problem

I went over to the Funny Farm yesterday afternoon to get some flying in but ran into a little problem. My gas tank sprang a leak a while back and between Buckeye and my instructor Jeff I have not been able to get my hands on a new one. That is a long story in itself but Joe talked to Jeff yesterday and we might get one in by Thursday.
I had to make some adjustments to the prop yesterday and after doing so I was taxing around to warm up the engine. After getting the engine ready I pulled up to where we normally take off from and after getting out to lay my chute out for takeoff I smelt gas. After further investigation Joe and I found that the leak was back and I was loosing fuel so instead of flying we spent the nice afternoon draining the tank.
Jeff told us that when Buckeye went bankrupt a while back that they sold the mold of the gastank to someone else and since than that person has also went under. This leaves me in a spot since Buckeye said they only have new tanks but that it should work. Thankfully Joe and Dubose are around because when it comes to engineering something in that isn't made to fit I believe those two can do it.
Needless to say I am very dissapointed in Buckeye but mabye they are right and we will have no problems getting the new one to fit. Might have to use some bubble gum and shoestrings but I will fly again.

Ok,Ok,Ok finally a new post

I know I have really been slacking on the site since the baby being born, but hopefully with everything getting settled in I might be back up in the air soon. I know that I am still watching the wind every morning and afternoon checking for flying weather. Sometimes I see the tree tops sitting still and think about slipping over to the field but I know their will plenty of time for flying soon enough especially once we figure out how to put a baby seat on it. haha
These pictures were taken at the Rowell reunion this year.

Cool Pirate Chute

I was reading the new Ultralight magazine and found an article about this guy who designed a powered parachute w/ the pirates of the caribbean theme to it. It was really neat to see the pictures of it and I hope you can see the chute in the picture cause it is one of coolest ones I have seen.

Ready to fly again

I know that the site has kind of taken a back seat to Noah and I should get back to posting on us flying in the next couple weeks. Kiwi called and bragged about going flying the other day down at the lake w/ Chris. He told me they got to fly around an hour and half but it was a hot and humid day. Old Kiwi is a regular pilot now and should be signed off whenever Jeff gets around to training again. We should all be testing for our BFI soon so we can take passengers up and they can enjoy what we are always telling them about.

I am still working on a baby seat to take Noah up when we get home but I guess he might have to wait a little while to get the flying bug. Leah told me I needed to go flying some since I have all this time off and it would be a shame not to get to fly any. I can't wait to get back up in the air and see if I can still remember how to get that powered parachute up and down safely.

New Blog started for Noah

We decided to make a new blog so we can devote it to family and friends. The new blog is Noahs-Arkives.blogspot.com and that is where all our new photos of Noah and family will be placed. I also put a link to the blog in the links section of this blog so it would be easier to find.

Were Going Home

We are all finally getting released from the Hospital. Everything looks good and Noah and Mom are doing great. We will probably leave around lunch time today. We are looking forward to sleeping in our own bed again. All those tiny clothes that we have for Noah are still to big but we are hoping he will grow right into them w/ no problems. Everyone at the hospital here in Roanoke were great to us and could not of asked for a better group of nurses and doctors. I will keep the site full of new photos as we take them.

Happy Grandparents

Here are a couple new shots from today. Everything is going great so far and Noah is doing awesome. He is sleeping most of the day until it is time to eat and he lets everyone know when that time is. According to the Dr. we will probably being leaving tomorrow afternoon w/ the baby. We all three want to thank everyone again for all the visits, phone calls,emails and support. We have been so lucky to have all of you guys to help us through this new journey and we both know that we have only just begun. I will keep posting any new info. and photos as I get them.