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?

Video of the Day - Air Creation Tanarg Highlights

Origin of the Species?

This is as close as you are going to get to your "Grandpa's Oldsmobile Trike"

What I will be doing on my next Vacation!

I'm from Chicago, but my FAVORITE place in the world to visit (outside of Vegas or Europe) is Northern California. The people are down to earth, the temperature is mild, and the scenery and outdoor activities are too numerous to mention.

What have I not-yet-done when visiting there? Well "doh!" I've not seen it from a Trike. This next trip will be different. For many years I've been lurking and watching the activities of Michael Globensky at Spirits UP! in Petaluma California, just north of San Francisco. He flies a beautiful Air Creation Tanarg and offers a most incredible journey over some of the California Coast and wine-country in Sonoma. Not only that, I must give him tremendous Kudos for his website, which is captivating and presents his sales information very well.


Phone for Reservations - Michael Globensky:  1-800-971-5233

Michael, if you are out there.... come and join us on TrikePilot Social and let me book my reservation for this Fall !!

Website of the Day - British Microlight Aircraft Association

While it may not help those of us outside of Britain for buying an aircraft used, this website is extremely inormative, well-written, and offers very topical data such as reviews of aircraft that many of us are flying today.

Lowrance and Garming GPS Training Software

I'm not really sure that I would "buy" this software new from the manufacturer, given the high price relative to the cost of the real GPS devices themselves... but I do admit that it is a ton of fun to play with the interactive online demos written in Shockwave Flash.

Realistically, these software simulators are for professional pilots who need to REALLY be proficient with thier GPS units since they may be using them under IFR conditions.

Four For One Day - The Good, The Bad, The Wet and the Wild!

To keep it interesting today, I'm doing one "big" video show post.

Something to Learn from each of these videos:



The Good - Dead Stick Landing
 


The Bad - Trike Flying under bridge 2 (Don't!)



The Wet - Rudder Dipping



The Wild - Too Close Formation Flying!

Video of the Day - Spitfire flying under a Bridge

Yes, I know... it's not a trike! But, I just LOVE THAT DAMN SPITFIRE. Did I ever tell you guys that I had a past-life regression and found out that I was a Heinkle HE111 bomber pilot in my last life during WWII? No, seriously! Maybe that's why I love the Spitfire... perhaps I spent a ton of time trying to avoid them and not get shot down??

Anyway, I digress (regress? ;) ....

This is a Spitfire MkIX MH434 in both shots. The main footage is Foyle's War, but the actual bridge shot is from Piece of Cake filmed in 1988. Wonderful footage and flying.

On those rainy days you need a little light reading material, yes? Well, how about reading about a man who has flown his Pegasus Quantum 912 over the

On those rainy days you need a little light reading material, yes? Well, how about reading about a man who has flown his Pegasus Quantum 912 over the Atlantic Ocean on multiple occasions?


Please introduce yourself to Brian Milton. Though I've not had the pleasure to meet the man, his name carries the type of controversy associated with legends. Whether you view him as a madman or an adventurer the likes of Shackleton, this gentleman is certainly carrying around a large pair.

Two of his books should do the trick. First is Chasing Ghosts




Second is Global Flyer: Around the World in 80 Days




You can also read more about Brian and his full adventures, conquests and controvery at his website.

Helmet and Headset Replacement Ideas continued...

I was browsing around today and came across this helmet today and thought it might be a great alternative to the Nolan N40 that I used for my custom Lynx modification package.

The thing that looks most interesting about this helmet is that it has a three-way face piece arrangement. There is a main shield, chin shield, and an eye shield. All of them flip upwards and out of the way. This could be good or bad, not sure, depending on whether one has a windshield on their trike. If so, then it would be ideal because I can see leaving the main shield upwards and using only the eye shield on sunny days, dropping the main shield during a cold spell, and leaving the chin shield "off" until the winter time, where it would make the chin and neck nice and cozy.


Has anyone every used this equipment before on their motorcycle or snowmobile?

Along the way, I also saw these audio inserts.



Now, I am a huge advocate of protecting one's hearing by using custom-molded earpieces like these, but for a passenger helmet, perhaps one might use this system instead of the traditional Lynx or Comtronics? With a passenger only going for an hour or so, and not continuously, perhaps the slightly lower decible reduction would not be terribly damaging?

Any thoughts?

Portable Tool Kit - Good to have onboard

We don't always think about what is needed once we leave our home airport. As part of an ongoing series of "must have" items to pack, I'd like to start with the basics. Nothing could be more fundamental than a tool kit.

What do you need to have with you? Well, though many of you would like to carry the entire workshop, at a minimum, I suggest a multi-tip screwdriver, crescent wrench, pliers, Needle Nose Pliers, Allen Wrench, Tape, Flashlight, and Hammer (for banging in stakes if you have to tie down or getting a tough nut loose).

I've tried many kits over the years, but have personally settled on a basic soft-pack that is easy to fit into my side pouch, lightweight, and inexpensive. Just enough to get me back into the air until I can make more permanent repairs.

Absolute MUST SEE Slideshow!

One of our newest members, Harrison, has surprised even me with a wickedly well-done slide show and some seriously catchy music. I would love for him to give us an article and insight into how he did those Fish-Eye images and who is the musical artist?

TrikePilot Social Turns 48!

Yes, it's true. You read about it in the NY Times... I'm sure. Trikepilot Social has now hit 48 members and we are earning $1,000,000 per day in Google Adsense revenue! See you guys later... I'm moving to my own private island in the South Pacific ;)

Seriously though, it is clear that our little "experiment" is taking off in a big way. We have over 489 photos and 67 videos posted in just 10 days, and now we have our 48th member Paul Noy. The importance of 48 is only obvious when you look at the member grid on the front page. We've filled eight rows!

All of you have helped to make this site a real fun place to visit, and some of you in particular like Abid and Miklos have been very prolific writers. I thank you all and hope that you will continue to enjoy the site and also tell more friends.

Did you know that you can now tell who is online by a green dot next to their name in the member's section? Or that you can now view any or all videos from within any video player just by using the scrolling feature? Did you know that Storks deliver babies? Well, did ya? (yes... I'm goofy and tired and it's time to turn in for the night!)

Ok, seriously (again), let's try to get a few more slowbies online by sending them a link or a cool badge (just post it into your email program if you send html mail) like this:



Visit Trikepilot - Social Edition

Oh, one more thing. We're merging the original Trikepilot.com site with Trikepilot Social and so you can now access Trikepilot Social simply by typing the URL: http://www.Trikepilot.com/social or the alternative http://social.Trikepilot.com whatever floats your boat!

Thanks gang and keep up the fun!

Video of the Day - Doug's Trike Adventure

Check out AirplaneGear.com for all your Trike Needs

AirplaneGear has a fantastic selection of trike equipment, including Bar Mitts, Strobes, Intercoms, and GPS units. Rob Rollison runs a great business, offers incredible support and warranties, and is always available to answer questions. Give them a look!

It's coming soon... don't think you can avoid it!

What is coming? Old Man Winter!! OMG you say.... it can't possibly be you are speaking of the cold and blustery Winter when it is 100 degrees in the Midwest and it is only August. But alas, it is true. Your fingers and lips will be turning blue shortly, as life moves very quickly these days.

So, it's time to start thinking of your cold-weather gear. As your faithful Trikepilot Social equipment guidance system, I am here to tell you about another one of my favorite "secrets"... Cabelas.

This is the ONE source for all outdoor gear. Better than all others (especially if you want to load up a batch of Turkey Jerky on to the back of your machine!). You can get everything from helmets to heated socks, from lanterns to lanyards. My suggestion is to go right to the outdoor clothing section and check out their ultra-cool snowmobile gear, which just happens to be "puuuurfect" for Trike Flying.

Helmet Camcorder System

Trikepilot Social will be offering regular reviews and previews of new and exciting equipment for your flying, photography and videography hobbies. As part of this series, we wish to suggest that you visit SportZshot and have a look at their helmet camcorder systems.

In the past we've had great success with fixed-mount camcorders. This has proven to be the most stable and effective way to capture various angles and shots from the air. However, there is a need and a place for "point of view" shots as well, especially mixed in with the fixed camera clips. A properly mounted helmet-cam system is an invaluable tool for getting that "special" footage... during landing, steep turns, or during an instructional video.

There are many systems on the market, but this one caught my eye today and might get your juices flowing for making a new "masterpiece" video for Trikepilot Social!

Trike Site of the Day - For the Love of Flying

Well, it seems we have a bit of a hidden celebrity in our midsts! Our own Larry Wallace has become a published "auteur" and a fine one at that. Please do yourself a favor and check out his recently featured article in the Tuscaloosa News entitled "For the Love of Flying".

Guaranteed to give you a smile

Flyday

This one just put a smile on my face. Don't ask me why. The video editing and camera work are actually outstanding... I think it's just the music. Silly... goofy.. and his voice-over as well. Love it! I was giddy with laughter and literally cracking-up as I watched. Does anyone know this man Barry Foer from Warrenton, Virginia? If so... get him signed-up to TrikePilot Social ASAP!

BRS meets the Dukes of Hazzard!

Ballistic Recovery

This is what the Dukes of Hazzard do on their days off? I thought it was a good way to see what your BRS might look like in the event you ever have to use it!

One of my all time favorite flying videos - an oldie but a goodie!

MXing It Up

Find out what it is like to pilot an ultralight aircraft low and slow over the Kansas prairie. Pilot and Director: Brian
FitzGerald of Witcheta, Kansas. Music also by him. This is one of my favorites because Brian does such a great job in combining the music and video. He has a website that is equally fascinating. Even if you have no interest in Quicksilver aircraft, his video editing and flying skills are a sight to behold!

Trike Site of the Day - SeaGull Escape Pod

What a wonderful piece of engineering! I witnessed the development of this incredible single-seat machine called the SeaGull Escape Pod between Oshkosh 2005 to 2006, but didn't see it this year.

Michael Riggs has an equally well-done website that has full details about the design, background, engineering, testing, and construction of this machine.

Mike has joined us recently here at Trikepilot Social, so I hope he will jump on board and share some of his insights into this fun and very slick looking trike, especially with the demise of the two seat "fat" ultralight. This might be a great alternative to the bigger machines?

Something to do when the flying weather isn't so great

Many thanks to Tal Newhart for turning me on to Gotham Dream Cars. It seems that a thousand bucks lets you drive a million dollars worth of fantasy cars! Wonder if that includes the hot girl in the right seat or not?

How to sign up for websites without getting spammed!

A little secret for those of you who would like to join various websites (flying or otherwise) without having to divulge your "real" email address to spammers!

There are many sites that will let you create a "one-time" instant email so that you can use it to receive the confirmation email from a website that you would like to join. Now, this would not be a good idea for a site like Trikepilot Social, because we need to continually send you email to notify you of messages or other posts that concern you. For a "one time" site, such as downloading software or obtaining a music player widget, etc., this idea is the best idea.

My favorite site is called Mailinator . You can create ANY name you want @mailinator.com and it will work. For example, trikepilot@mailinator.com is just perfect. When you need to submit an email, use whatever@mailinator.com as the address. Then, when the site tells you to retrieve your confirmation link, go to Mailinator and enter the "whatever" name you submitted in the upper right corner of the screen. This will take you to an open mailbox that should have your confirmation message waiting for you!

Now, a couple of caveats. First, this does not work with every site. Many savvy tech sites don't allow Mailinator email addresses because they know what the site does and they black list the domain. Second, this is an OPEN email address, so don't use it for private information or sensitive information because it is possible (though unlikely) that someone could randomly type your prefix name and see the email. The service typically deletes all messages within 24 hours, but you would never know for sure. You could use it to get a sensitive login name and then go to that site and change the login username and password after you have confirmed your membership however.

All in all, this is a fantastic way to complete the ridiculous and tedious confirmation messages that are almost always required these days, even for sites that have no chance of interacting with you in the future. Try it and see!

FlightAware is the coolest website I've seen in a long time!

If the flight animation does not play above, please ensure that you have Quicktime, a free media player.

Probably the coolest website I've seen in a long time involving aviation. FlightAware allows you to visually track the exact location and details of every aircraft flying an IFR flight plan within the Continental United States.

Even though it has nothing whatsoever to do with Trike Flying, you have to check this out. Extremely addictive and interesting. Useful too, if you are needing to discover the location of your connecting flight's aircraft during a weather delay or similar.

Bill Fortney is BACK and BETTER than Ever!

My friend, and professional photographer, Bill Fortney is back in action with another exciting adventure this year and a personal website that is gorgeous.

He is presently involved with America From 500 feet "Part II", this time utilizing the Predator powered parachute. Link

His personal website is typical Bill, only the best! Outlines his career, family, and some of his best work, including the original America From 500 Feet project done with an AC Fun Racer. Link

Definitely worth your while to check out both sites!

Profile Pictures... I've got your free icon pictures here!

Hi Gang.

Most of you have been pretty good with figuring out all the interesting features on the new Trikepilot Social, and that's what I was hoping for when we launched.

One item is still stuck under my fingernail, however, and that is the large number of "blank" Member Profile Pictures.

I know many of you are shy, or don't have a good idea how to get your images up there, so I'm going to help. The bottom line is that I would love to have "zero" blank profiles.

So how can I help? I'm donating some images for you guys to use.

Simply go to my public Flickr Account here: which shows a bunch of great shots from my recent adventure to Trikefest 2007.

When you see an image you like, simply right click on the "icon" image from the front page and choose "Save As" or "Save to Disk", then store it on a memorable location on your hard drive. Don't bother with the full-size image, you only need a minimum of 118px x 118px, which is fine with the Flickr thumbnail shown.

Then, go into the upper right corner of your "My Page" tab and choose "Edit My Profile".

From there, you will be able to click on the left upper side where it says "Change Your Profile Photo".



After a quick password check, you will be on the page that lets you upload that image you just saved on your hard disk.

Hit the "Browse" button, locate the file, then you can select the image you download, hit "upload" or "open" (depending on browser), and you are all set. The program will ask you to verify that you like what you have done and you are ready to go from Nameless and Faceless to super cool.

IF ALL ELSE FAILS... just do like my good friend Damien

How to Bulk-Upload Images to Trikepilot Social from Flickr

At present, the photo upload function in Trikepilot Social is manual upload only. There "is", however, a great alternative... using Flickr.com

Here's a step by step:

First, go into the Photos Tab at Trikepilot Social. Then click on "My Photos". You can add photos manually (as you've been doing), by your email or cell phone one at a time (fun, but not what you want now), or by using a free Flickr account. On the lower right you see the link.



Next you will need to set up a Free Flickr.com account like the one I have at this location:
You need to decide whether to make the images public or private, but EITHER would be fine for us on our site because you are going to use Flickr simply as a place to upload your images in bulk, and then trikepilot will 'slurp' the images from that site automatically...saving you tons of time.

Flickr has built in manual file management, but on windows and mac there are free 'BULK' upload tools that you can use. See this link: Pick the bulk uploader tool for your operating system and then set it up with your Flickr account name (it's all automatic) and then you are ready to go.

Once you've set up your Flickr account and bulk uploaded, then you have a "repository" for slurping the photos over to Trikepilot Social. You can also create a cool RSS Feed from your Flickr page that will let you very easily share your images from Flickr to Trikepilot Social in your member page or in a blog post without reposting them on our site. The only downside of this is that you don't then have them archived with your member site and they don't get action on our search engine or favorite's ordering, etc. So it's best to take the next step below.

So, this is the page you come to on Trikepilot Social where you can now 'slurp' your Flickr photos. You can select any number of ways to get the photos, by last number of images, by photo set, by tag name, by all photos, by description, etc. Whatever works, it only takes time and space, but it is all automatic.



Once you have done that, you will see a page like this below, showing your recently uploaded photos. Now you can organize, edit, rename, do whatever you want at Trikepilot Social.



Last Trick:

If you want to put images from an RSS Feed from your Flickr account into Trikepilot Social:

Go into the lower left corner of your Flickr home page and you will see an orange RSS Feed icon with the words "FEED". If you click on that, you can generate the URL link to your image feed and either copy and paste that code into Trikepilot Social as I will show, or email it to someone or use it to view your images on any browser without logging in to Flickr.



My feed looks like this:

Now, the last thing would be to go to Trikepilot Social and in the lower left corner of your member page, you will see "RSS". Click on Edit, then "paste" the feed URL like the one I show above, into the URL line. You can use my to test, but obviously you want your own photos! ;)



When you are done, you should see something like this:



NOW, you will have an automatic feed of your Flickr images on your personal page at Trikepilot Social!

Keep in mind, however, that the feed photos will NOT get ranked in the Trikepilot Social Photos section for popularity or times viewed or search by terms. Sometimes that's fine... so your choice!

Let me know if you have any questions

Ultimate Ears - Budget Alternative for Headset Free Flying?

I will be shortly doing an update on my original "how to" article about the Nolan N40/Lynx Headset modification project (Original Article Link). Part of the reason is that one of the components required to make the project possible was the studio transducers (ear pieces).

In my case, I have severe tinnitus (ringing in my ears and mid-range hearing loss), so I went to an audio specialist and obtained the professional-level earpieces and transducers.

About a year ago, which was five years after my original pair, the wiring came undone and I was without protectors during the repair time. My doctor, Michael Santucci at Sensaphonics suggested that I have a "backup" pair made with some Koss earbuds. The cost of this was much less than the original, because the transducers from Koss were much less expensive. All together, with the custom ear molds, I think I spent about $250.00 vs. the original $899.00 or so of my "professional" level set.

After using the new set, I actually prefer it to the original, mainly because the earpieces do not fill my entire ear canal and thus are a little less uncomfortable on long flights. I cannot confirm the db reduction is the same, but I'm told that it is comparable. Please NOTE that you really SHOULD replace the standard silicone ear bud on the transducer with a CUSTOM moulded unit in order to obtain the full 25 noise-reduction required to protect your hearing. The standard earbud is claimed to provide a 16db reduction.

A custom moulded unit can be done by an audiologist for a relatively small fee or you can order it done via the internet from various companies. I've also seen booths at Oshkosh and Sun-N-Fun where they will do it on the spot for $25.00. Search Google for "industrial hearing protection ear molds"

You can find out more about these lower-cost options at Ultimateears.com or Sensaphonics.com

Low Flying Record Smashed!

Since we're on the theme of what "not" to do... another classic. Please don't bother the crocodiles.....! Pretty sure that is Australia.

Jump right to the good stuff at 1:33 into the video

Flight of the Trike - Flight Simulator Video

An interesting look at a Virtual Reality flight video of a trike. I believe it was done in Microsoft's new "X" Flight Simulator. Ahhhh.... can you really perform these maneuvers in real life? Mmmm... see my previous post.

Please Do NOT Try This At Home!

A rather well-known video of an attempted loop of a trike at an airshow in Europe many years ago. I was told by a source that the pilot actually might have survived the impact, but for the fact that he was not wearing a helmet at the time and his head was split open by the front strut.

Moral of the story? Trikes do not have tails. Do not exceed 45 degrees of pitch, especially without a helmet or BRS....

2007 RocketBelt Convention - All Trikers Need Apply!

Well, it's that time again folks. Get your jet packs dusted-off and head to the 2007 Rocket Belt Convention!

Link: