Product Lines – March 2004

ST. PAUL, MINN. — As I write this up here in the southern tundra, the wind howls
and the snow flies and the joy of hang gliding or paragliding seems quite distant.
Soon enough, though, the thaw will occur and life takes on a friendlier look that
invites soaring flight.
While huddled inside, I heard from Gerry Charlebois who told me the temperatures
in his native state of Hawaii: high of 86° and low of 72°. His invitation
to come fly Kauai sounds mighty inviting this time of year.
The real reason Gerry wrote was to report how his DVD production, Extreme Kauai,
is doing. His commercial venture is a means of interesting non-flying folks in
what the rest of us enjoy. Gerry wrote, “It has been 11 months since [Extreme
Kauai’s] release and four months since the main distributor for Hawaii picked
it up. It is now in 280 stores statewide, including Walmart, Kmart, Costco,
and Borders.” His DVD may well be the first flying-based production to go mainstream.
Gerry continues, “When I walk into my local Walmart and see a five foot tall rack
filled with DVDs of Extreme Kauai and people gathered around the TV playing
it on a loop, it is good feeling.” I’m sure this warms his heart given the time,
energy, and plenty of money that went into producing it. He thinks, “This should
expose many non-pilots to the beauty of our sport.” It has also helped Gerry
gain some recognition. “During a Christmas shopping trip,” he writes, “I joined a
group watching the TV, to listen in on comments. A shopper looked at me and exclaimed
to the other shoppers, ‘Hey, this is the guy that made this film. He was in the start
of it!’ The fellow grabbed a copy and wanted an autograph! It led to a bunch of folks
asking to have their copy signed. The rack of DVDs got emptied. It was pretty funny.”
Gerry may be high from that experience but he remains realistic, saying, “Now that
I am famous I noticed I can get a free cup of coffee if I have a dollar!” Again,
I congratulate Gerry on his production and hope that much more than a free cup of
coffee is offered to him. Along with others doing good work to popularize the sport
we love, Charlebois is making an impact. FMI: birds@birdsinparadise.com
Attending the Copperstate airshow in Arizona, I met a fellow named Mo Sheldon
who is involved with powered paragliding (PPG). Mo was exhibiting at the airshow
and had one of the nicest PPG trike carriages I’ve seen.
I’ve taken a few lessons on paragliders and find them enjoyable. I’ve never tried
PPGs because a take-off run with the equivalent of a passion-crazed gorilla clamped
to my back never thrilled me. I found flying and landing paragliders seems among
the easiest of any aircraft type. But the launch procedures need to be done right
and doing so with a power unit seems seems inadvisable given my aging legs that have
been known to stumble. I wouldn’t want such a misstep to come right before the moment
of lift off. However, a trike carriage with wheels to allow a rolling launch caught
my interest. Under the clever business name AirParaMo,
Sheldon sells Fly Products from Italy. That company specializes in PPGs, though
they also make a light trike for hang gliders, called the Trike Delta. As evidence
of their attention to light weights, the hang glider carriage reportedly tips the
scales at an impressive 53 pounds. AirParaMo didn’t have one of these but did have
a Flash trike. The wheeled chassis by itself weighs a modest 26 pounds. The power
unit used for foot-launched flight can be quickly pinned to the Flash trike and,
presto!, wheels for those not so sure of running launches. Since Flash can also be
set up for two occupants, it can be a training tool as well.
You can run or roll if you have a power unit sufficient to lift you and trike chassis
(plus a second person if you plan to conduct training). Mo demonstrated a quick attachment
of unmodified power unit to the carriage. Then, even in the heat of the Arizona desert,
the rolling Flash took under 150 feet to leave the ground with Mo flying solo. Landing
is skill-dependent, but should take half of a take-off roll.
Run by Enrico Vignini, a former instructor of 3,000 students, Fly Products started
in the early 1990s when paragliders began adding engines. In addition to the power
packages, the trikes for both HGs and PGs, plus all sorts of accessories, Fly Products
sells their own line of Voyager wings. You may want to check with AirParaMo and see
if they have something you’d like. FMI: info@Airparamo.com or 602-692-7995.
Finally
from AOPA’s ePilot of 12/21/03, here’s an interesting bit of 100th Anniversary
of Flight news from an organization you wouldn’t normally find talking about
gliders. AOPA, the Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association, is a 400,000+ member
group (largest in the world) that serves folks who fly around in Cessnas, Pipers,
and so on. Their news nearly always includes regulatory issues affecting their membership
(yeah, I know, a real yawner). But with the headline, “Glider Club Declares Day
of Mourning,” the AOPA eNews editors got my attention. Here’s what they say —
and unlike much of their news, this should warm the hearts of hang glider and paraglider
pilots: “The Adrian Soaring Club in Michigan observed a day of mourning on the anniversary
of powered flight. To them it was the day that Orville and Wilbur gave up gliding.
The club planned to make as many glider flights as possible and even invited club
members who also own those noisy newfangled contraptions to the event. ‘We invited
glider pilots everywhere to join us in reminding the public the Wright brothers did
a masterful job right up until that tiny little faux pas on December 17, 1903,’ according
to the club.”
So, got news or opinions? Send ’em to: 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Messages or fax
to 651-450-0930. E-mail to News@ByDanJohnson.com or CumulusMan@aol.com. THANKS!