From the LearnToFlyTrikes.com website:
A great little "I learned about flying from that" story about wet grass, brakes, and paying attention!
LINK
Friday, August 31, 2007
Website (story) of the Day - ShowTime at Sun 'N Fun!
Do it yourself Videography Gear (mounts, brackets, and cranes)
Found this very interesting site today that gave me some inspiration for creating new trike mounts to hold my camcorders, bullet cams, and digital cameras. 
Most of the equipment can be made from off-the-shelf aluminum and pvc, with minimal machining. Perhaps this might spark a bit of an idea in one of you as well?
LINK
Fear of Trike Flying? They can help!
Do you or your spouse have a "fear" of trike flying? Have you found cobwebs growing on your brand-new Quik912 because of lack of use? Well, maybe they have an answer for you HERE
From their website:
Many people develop fears as they mature and life seems more precious, while others may have experienced a bad flight. You may have a strong imagination, recently began a family, or feel a need to be in control. Young mothers often feel protective and nervous flying with their kids or babies. Regardless of how fears develop, those who suffer can experience sleepless nights, elevated anxiety, and fear of panic attacks. Friends and family often don't understand the problems caused by a fear of flying.
Concerns may include weather, turbulence, take offs, flying over water, claustrophobia, crowds, losing control (panic attacks), terrorists, hijackings, fear of falling, and fear of heights. Many times these worries are caused by a lack of understanding about what to expect during a flight. Most fearful flyers just need a little help in the form of education, reassurance, and guidance.
Wow! Trikepilot Social turns 100 (and then some...)
I must have put something into the water because you guys are amazing! We went from 70+ members to over 100 members in one day... Incredible! There's no doubt we are on to something here, as the number of visitors, contributions, photos and video postings is growing exponentially.
Look at our stats. We had been averaging between 100 to 150 visitors per day until yesterday and then the number shot up to 326!
Likewise, our monthly statistics below show that we are up to more than 3300 visitors a month with over 27,000 unique page views! Amazing.... considering that our Trikepilot.com "classic" site was averaging 1/10th those numbers. Clearly you guys are enjoying your daily visits back to the new site. I'm a proud pappa ;)
I want to thank everyone who has helped to make this social experiment a success and urge everyone to tell all their friends to climb on board. Put up a badge on your website or even use it as a signature in your emails. The more the merrier!
Cheers!
spence
Thursday, August 30, 2007
2007 Cushing Field Bivouac Fun Fly Results are In!
This just in from Mike Hudetz. Gene Dean is the flying machine!!
(Check out Dave Wallis' Photos of the event HERE)
Below are the event results – sorry for some missing last names.
Balloon Drop:
3rd Place Pete Loepert with a total of (sum of 3 drops) 47 feet from target
2nd Place Shane Duncan with a total of 41 feet
1st Place Gene Dean with a total of 34 feet
Spot Landing
3rd Place Mike Hudetz and Spencer Forman/Rob Caya (912 Quick) with a total of 200 points
2nd Place Jesse with Aqua/ Black 912 Clipper with a total of 250 points
1st Place Gene Dean and Shane Duncan with a total of 300 points
Take Off and Landing Race Against the Clock
3rd Place Jesse with Aqua/ Black 912 Clipper with 131.51 seconds
2nd Place Gene Dean with 128.35 seconds
1st Place Scott Johnson with 124.60 seconds
It should be mentioned that John Kieth, flying a 912 Quick would have won this event with 121.01 seconds, but he failed to keep all 3 wheels on the ground for at least ½ second on his first landing. “Ricochet” landings are not allowed in this event. It has to be a complete touch and go with all 3 wheels on the ground for at least ½ second.
Mike
Aerial Photography Tips and Tricks
A great tutorial summary on how to take great shots from the air
LINK
Website of the Day - Operation Migration
Operation Migration was founded in 1994 as a
non- profit charitable organization by Bill Lishman and Joe Duff. That was five years after Bill became the first human to fly with birds, and one year after the two artists, turned biologists, used ultralight aircraft to lead a small flock of Canada geese from Ontario, Canada to Virginia, USA. The unassisted return migration of these geese the following spring garnered world-wide attention that led to the making of the hit movie Fly Away Home with Columbia Pictures.
Quoted from their website:
Our Canada Geese Story
Our
entire story begins with the Canada geese. Without these majestic creatures that proved birds can learn a migration route, we wouldn't have a story.
Since childhood, co-founder Bill Lishman dreamed of flying with birds. He got closer to his dream as a grown-up, when he became an avid ultralight aviator. Then, one fateful night he and his family traveled to Toronto to see the IMAX film, "Skyward." As Lishman watched the geese in the film follow a boat, he wondered if they would also follow an airplane?
The film's animal trainer, William Carrick, had the answer Lishman wanted. With Carrick's help, Lishman began working with the geese since, as non-endangered species, they posed fewer technical and environmental risks.
And the rest, literally, was history. In 1988, Lishman lead 12 geese on local flights. Then, in 1994, he and partner Joseph
Duff helped 18 geese migrate from Ontario to Virginia.
Reaching his childhood dream gave Lishman a new focus. He and Duff formed Operation Migration for another dream: to save endangered species by introducing safe migratory routes.
LINKTrike Pilot Social made the Ning Blog today!
A very nice blog post about our site was placed today by Mackenzie at the Ning network. Check it out!
Link
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Looking for a Used Trike? Check out Barnstormers
The one and only site for used ultralights, trikes, and General Aviation aircraft.
LINK
That's Not Safe! ...
Again, not a single thing to do with Trike Flying, but I just couldn't resist. Some of the same lessons probably apply to the "use common sense" part of operating and maintaining your machine. Enjoy!
Link
My "one stop" Weather Source - Intellicast
Although everyone has their favorite free sites for weather information, I prefer Intellicast. Why? Mainly because of their high speed, high resolution moving radar images. I find that these give me the most useful info for what to expect on my trike journeys. Of course their forecasts, temperature info, and other data are there as well. You can create a favorite list for your home region or alternative, and can even view the data from a mobile browser such as your cell phone. If you're not using them already, Intellicast is worth a look.
Link
Website of the Day - All About Weight Shift Trikes
Paul and Loretta Hamilton are practically a household name in the Trike and Ultralight communities under their Adventure Productions moniker. Although they have built a mini-empire of websites and multimedia products and educational tools, I would like to suggest you pay a visit to their Trike site first... and then work your way back into the depth of their library. There is something for everyone, no matter your interest or experience level.
Link
Sunday, August 26, 2007
My New Favorite Video - Ultralight Porn!
Ok, I know there's no bare skin... but this "flashback to the 70's" style video is AWESOME! Part of me feels like a teenager again looking at the old grainy early film/video footage from my youth, and part of me is in awe at how big the balls are on these guys for their formation flying and incredible terrain mapping! I can almost hear the "Barry White" soundtrack in my head!! Put on your bell-bottom pants, dim the lights, check that the wife won't be home for a while, and take a peek at this one ;)
Video of the Day - River Flying
Not a trike, but pretty much looks like one! ;)
Nevertheless, great camera work and gorgeous scenery.
Website of the Day - Fly Northern Ireland
An extremely well-done layout, broad range of topics, and tons of images and links. Covers many of the famous trike adventurers and journeys, including the conquest of Everest and the Atlantic crossing. Spend some time, you won't be disappointed.
Link
Great Flight Planning Tools at GoFlying
A wonderful resource for anyone preparing a cross country flight. Tons of tools and planning resources allow you to finish your planning in no-time flat!
Link
Friday, August 24, 2007
Trike Videos of the Day - Twofer Friday ;)
From Florida to China!
First from Beijing we have confirmation of Trikes folks!!
Second, from my friend Alex Gore whose videos and website at WindsAndWings.com are phenomenal. I invited Alex to our new social site, but for some reason he said he was not interested in the "social thingy".... wtf? ;)
Anyway, Alex's videos are too good to pass up. Rather than lift them from his site, I'm providing the video embed to his YouTube site which I believe he created himself. Fair is fair. Maybe if you guys hassle him enough he will come on over and join us??
Trike Website of the Day - Trike Expeditions
Although I've mentioned Mike and Olivier's adventures before in my reviews of their outstanding movies, they also have a website filled with further details of their travels. Lots of maps, stories, information and photos. Top Notch all the way...
Link
Aviation Humor and Cliche's
A ton of wisdom in a very small space. Here's one from the site:
The propeller is just a
big fan in the front of the plane to keep the pilot cool. Want proof? Make it
stop; then watch the pilot break out into a sweat.
Link
How to build the best paper airplanes in the world
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Website of the day - Canadian Style!
I just discovered "Triker's Corner" written by Jeff Stewart over at the Ultralight Pilot's Association of Canada. Really well done and a terrific resource. Check it out!
Trike Flying in Cambodia..Is this Eddie Smith?
Not entirely sure, but found this on MegaUpload and it looks a lot like footage sent to me about three years ago by Eddie Smith from his wonderful Cambodia trip. I think he's now living over there full time. Anyone know?
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Simply Stunning - One Six Right
If you missed the premier at Oshkosh 2006, you still can get the One Six Right DVD online or just watch the trailers. An incredible piece of moviemaking by Brian Terwilliger. The DC3 Landing sequence (shot from a helicopter) is hypnotic. A must-see for any aviation enthusiast.
Link:
LiveATC.Net Bringing you Live Air Traffic Control. Cool!
From their FAQ section:
LiveATC.net is a web site and community designed to unite pilots,student pilots, flight instructors, airband communication enthusiasts, and real and virtual air traffic controllers. Its target audience is anyone who can learn from or who just enjoys listening to live aviation communications. The community is fueled by volunteers who live within radio range of airports and who use spare radio and computer equipmentto relay airband transmissions into the LiveATC.net audio network.
LiveATC.net was founded by Dave Pascoe, a pilot and ham radio operator who has been an avid ATC listener for many years.
Link:
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
AirNav - Your one stop source for airport information
This is an incredible source of information for all airports in the United States. Just plug in the identifier, name, or city.
Link:
Monday, August 20, 2007
Great Aviation Library and other goodies
Aviation Books Company is your source for pilot supplies, software, aviation books, art, aviation supplies, leather flight jackets, gifts, flight bags, apparel, headsets, sunglasses, GPS, transceivers, products and accessories for your plane.
Awesome FREE model airplane simulator software
The FMS (Flying Model Simulator) is Freeware. Lots of options, airplanes and ideas to play with. No cost, no license, no warranty. Any trike models in there? Maybe you could design one?
Life of an Aircraft Salesman
Guys who sell airplanes don't always make the deal, but they always have the funniest stories to tell. Link
Sunday, August 19, 2007
World's Smallest One Man Helicopter?
Continuing on with our "no trike blog post Sunday" I happily turn you on to the Gen H-4 which is billed as the worlds smallest one man helicopter. One question.. where do you mount the BRS? ;)
Spectacular Approaches!
Think you had it tough getting your 400lb trike in for a crosswind landing over the trees? Check out these big boys! Where's Jim Bair when you need him for some of his own amazing shots!?!
Check your video upload and download speed with Speedtest
If you are experiencing any difficulties with bandwidth, I recommend that you try Speedtest.net for a check of your upload and download speeds. Very cool graphical interface and easy to use.
Aviation "oops" classics .. audio and video
I remember seeing about five years ago, and just stumbled upon it again today. Check it out for some incredible aviation thrills and spills. Link
How to make a $29.00 camcorder for your trike
There is a new breed of "one-time use" camcorders being sold by CVS Pharmacies for around $29.00, though I've seen them as low as $19. The catch is that they are supposed to be used once, then returned to the store and then you never see the camcorder again...just like disposable cameras. Some clever folks have discovered that this is simply not necessary. With a little ingenuity and a few bucks of spare parts, you can make a simple USB adapter that will let you download the video files from this inexpensive camcorder right into your mac or pc, and then use the camera again and again. Perfect for mounting on your trike or your helmet! Link
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Have you checked out Aerotrekking yet?
There is a new type of trike flying going on in the American Southwest. It involves low-level terrain "mapping", or to put it another way, flying "under the radar."
The decision to fly so low is probably best summed up by this quote from their website:
What is the point of flying so low?
It has to be experienced to be appreciated, but when flying at low level there is an exquisite sense of belonging to the landscape that you are flying through. At higher altitudes that sense of being part of countryside is removed and replaced by a sense of being an observer of the ground. In addition,the scenery at ground level is more varied.
Being from the Midwest, I can appreciate the thrill of flying down on the deck... since we can do it all the time over the endless fields of corn. I only wish we had the type of scenery and landscape that they have down in New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada!
There is a lot of interesting information at the American Aerotrekking Society Website, as well as the related site of the SkyGypsies
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
In case your GPS Breaks - How to Use Your Wristwatch as a Compass
Hold a watch with 12 o’clock at left. Move your arm so the hour hand points at the sun. The spot halfway between the hour hand and the 12 is south. This is for the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere you point the 12 at the sun, and halfway between that and the hour hand is North.
From Wired Magazine
The Joy of Wikipedia
Have you guys met Wikipedia? If not, do so...because there is no better online source for factual information about EVERYTHING. Best of all, it's a social network which ensures that all the information is democratically monitored and edited. No political agenda involved. If the facts and data aren't correct, someone will call it out and change it or delete it. Elegant and simple.
Check out the Ultralight Trike section here. Hey... I forgot to tell you that you can also make your images available for public use through a creative commons license. That's my friend Bob Munsie in the image who I captured about five years ago on a particularly beautiful and cloud-filled day!
Alternative Music Player to Embed into your Trikepilot Social Page?
This one is pretty cool. You can build up your own playlist from songs they have at the site, or upload your own. Then you can display the songs on your own webpage, or even in one of the comment posts on Trikepilot Social. Looks and works just like an iPod! Just copy the embed code from your playlist page on Ivoon and paste it into your member page using the HTML code.
More Simulator Ideas?
I think when I have the time this winter I'm going to be working on a trike simulator similar to this. Made by a Sam and Bill Rotomoto from Montana for Maker's Faire 2007. They live in Montana, and it obviously has had an effect on their heads.
Check out their website:
Andes Engineering makes Hang Glide which I actually flew at the Kermit Weeks' Air Museum in Florida during Sun-n-Fun 2006.
Here is another idea that is similar, but hard to tell from the poor video quality.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
The Paula and Bill Lishman Story:
I have to admit it, I had NO idea about the full story of Bill Lishman and his wife Paula. Of course I was familiar with the story and movie entitled "Fly Away Home", and have had the pleasure to meet his partner Joe Duff from Operation Migration, but until today I didn't have a clue about the incredibly interesting story of their life, creative and financial endeavors.
Do yourself a favor and check out this summary and then go on to visit the websites of Paula and Bill. You won't be sorry.
Incredible Adventures!
Is trike and microlight flying simply "boring" you these days? Are you looking to spice things up a bit? Do you think that there is more to life than logging into your web browser and letting your fingers do the work? Well, then here is the answer to your prayers!
The company is called "Incredible Adventures" and their tagline is "Life is either an incredible adventure...or nothing at all!" Amen to that.
They offer an unbelievable array of crazy and wild adventures, including:
It seems that you can go on a "Sardine Run with Shark Diving" off the Coast of South Africa, that somehow (don't ask me how...please) involves flying a Trike out on the open ocean as well!! WTF??
Check out the details of this particular fandango. You WILL NOT believe what they are up to on this trip. Not really sure how the trike is involved, but please let me know if you figure it out?
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