Take to the skies...

[Bill in Houston]

Wow, that actually looks like a real piece of something that will fly. Nice work.

[omgwtfbyobbq]

QDM, that is the most awesomest thing I've seen all year!
Must. Resist. Urge. To. Dr0000l...

[rh77]

Nice work Dax! It's taking shape

...and QDM -- I wan't one! BTW, did you build the PPC yourself?

It probably wouldn't be practical here on the plains with the wind, but I recall having the opportunity to rent one in more scenic locales.

So do what kind of regulations do you have to follow? It looks like a breeze to fly -- would you recommend renting one to try?

-Rick

[MetroMPG]

I spent a chunk of July at a cottage that my family rented on a good sized lake. Saw a few float planes come in and out, and thought that was the height of ... something. Convenience? Luxury?

With no roads going in anywhere near a straight line between the city & this lake (only a 45 minute drive at "normal" speeds, though), I could instantly see the attraction of getting there as the crow flies.

I even helped a guy dock his plane when I was out touring in the electric canoe. He got mired in some weeds after switching off his engine to paddle to the dock.

Nice work, DAX!

And those are some awesome pics, QDM

[Hockey4mnhs]

thoes picks are so amazing nice job

[QDM]

Rick,

I assembled it from a kit. Took about 40 hours. A little easier than Dax's project! There are a lot of them in the Midwest but I've heard they have long stretches between good flying weather. We have a lot of calm air here where I live.

Not many rules to follow if you fly a single seat but lots of rules for a two seater. I'd recommend contacting Roy Beisswenger roy@easyflight.com and getting an intro flight. Roy is an instructor and is somewhere near your area.


Q

Originally Posted by rh77

Nice work Dax! It's taking shape

...and QDM -- I wan't one! BTW, did you build the PPC yourself?

It probably wouldn't be practical here on the plains with the wind, but I recall having the opportunity to rent one in more scenic locales.

So do what kind of regulations do you have to follow? It looks like a breeze to fly -- would you recommend renting one to try?

-Rick

[jcp123]

Wow, fun times. Always wanted to be a pilot, but never had the time to dedicate to it. I should just go and do it, I know.

There's not much better than cruising along in a Piper Cub with the door open, taking in all the sights...

[GasSavers_DaX]

There's a beautiful ultralight field about 2 hours from my house up in North Georgia - Lookout Mountain Flight Park - they have a hang gliding launch pad off the side of a cliff that's very impressive (and must take a lot of balls to jump off of!).

Update on my project - vertical stabilizer is now also complete!



A flying work table:

[GasSavers_BMac]

Here's another project that gets good mpg. It's called a hovercraft. Known for it's efficiency where it has an air cushion under the craft so it doesn't touch the ground. A friend has one that is powered by an 1800cc 85hp Subaru engine and has gotten 17 - 18mpg on the water. Doesn't sound like much but compared to a boat, that's huge. Not only is the craft able to float but it's an all weather vehicle. Pulse and glide that thing on ice and see how far you can go!
The AirLift 1060 is 34' long, can carry 19 passengers, is fully enclosed and has a/c and when going 60+mph down the ice will take a full kilometer to stop!

My Hovercraft

Hovercraft - for those who love flying but are afraid of heights!

[VetteOwner]

Originally Posted by QDM

First the bad news... It only gets about 10 mpg. But since it only flies at about 30 mph you can still fly for 4 hours on 10 gallons.

It's called a Powered Parachute or PPC for short. There is much info on the internet although the main site is temporarily down. More PPCs are sold than any other type of small aircraft. PPCs are safe, easy to learn, easy to store and transport. You can fly a foot off the ground or over 10,000' high. Take off requires about 300' and can be done from airports, pastures, parking lots, anyplace there is room. Landing takes under 100'.

To get going you simply lay the wing out on the ground behind the cart, buckle in, start the engine, then as you roll forward the wing comes up overhead. Give it throttle to ascend, less throttle to descend. Push right peddle to turn right, left peddle to turn left. Your hands are free for taking pictures. The whole thing is very simple.

PPCs aren't really meant for going anywhere but people have flown them across the US. They're generally not flown mid day when thermals are happening, but instead during early morning and late evening. Wind should be under 10 mph on the ground during takeoff in order to keep the wing on the ground while you get set up.

I've been flying mine for 10 years now, over 1200 hours in the air. I also use it for aerial photograpy. The picture is one I took of my friend as we were flying near the Sisters Mountains in Oregon near my home. My machine is similar to the one in the pic. Flying a PPC is really fun, I enjoy every minute of it.

Here are links to a couple more pics. This is my 17 year old daughter flying another PPC along side me. You can get a better idea of the machine itself.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4.../mollyfly2.jpg

Flying over a lake in eastern Oregon at sunrise.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v499/QDM/water.jpg

Reflection in North Twin Lake.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v499/QDM/157.jpg

Q

ahha! thats what those things are called! nice pics btw. yea the midwest is all screwed up weather wise. (i felt it and it acually dropped 10* in an hour )
just a question out of curiosety: if the engine stalls can you just kinda glide to the ground? or does it fall hard and fast?