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

One of my favorite images - The Earth at Night

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

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

Another example of a BRS Chute in Action

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!

Jetpack Dreams

Follow up to my earlier post about the second annual Rocketbelt Convention, which was held this past weekend as
part of the Thunder of Niagara air show on the Air Force’s reserves
base in Niagara Falls. Check out the video of GoFast! pilot Eric Scott, who blasted off for
a 15-second, 110-decibel rocketbelt demonstration.

Check out TokBox for Instant Video Chat with no plug-in required

This is TokBox and it is a new video chat channel that sets up very quickly with no plug-in required. It allowed me to get it working on my mac laptop in about two minutes after registering. Once it is set up, you can invite someone to chat via email or you can send them to your custom user page on the TokBox site. The person who you invite can participate in the video chat with you even without registration.

It is very easy to use and has simple controls. You can freeze or close the camera or sound and can also use it to leave a video message for someone who is not online. There is a pop-up feature that lets you put the chat window on top of your other programs so you can work while you are conversing, and it can also be embedded into other applications (Like I am doing now in this blog!)

TokBox can also be a part of your social network. You can add and save friends and include interests or common tags if you like (i.e. Quik Owners), and sort your contacts in such a way.

I'm going to be testing this for the TrikePilot Social site and would encourage you all to give it a try. I will post instructions on how to embed the widget into your member page shortly, but for now, feel free to try and reach me for a chat. Could be fun (or scary!) to see your faces and voices from around the world finally! ;)

Alternative Music Player to Embed into your Trikepilot Social Page?

Get Your Own Free Player at Ivoon.com

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.

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?

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!