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!