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POWERED PARAGLIDING STORIES.Spring flight - Apr 15/04 As I am slowly getting bored of the Sodom Rd field and as I do, I look around for other places to fly from. This time I have hooked up with Ben who has a grass strip right behind his house. I shake hands with Ben, meet his wife and carry my stuff to the runway. The private strip is within 5 NM from St.Catharines airport therefore it is necessary to call in prior any take off or landing takes place. I was bit nervous as I have never talked to the "tower" before. "Hi, this is powered paraglider Charlie, India, Golf, Victor, Victor (CIGVV - my registration marks) I am planning to take off from private strip south by south east, 2.5 NM from the airport at about 16:50 UTC. (Universal time conversion otherwise called Greenwich mean time). I intent to climb to 2000 ft AGL (above ground level) south bound then follow the escarpment west to Short Hills provincional park. ETA (estimated time or arrival) back at the strip will be at 18:30 UTC. The landing approach will be same as take off." I say......... "Hallo there." replies the tower "Can you repeat the registration marks?" "CIGVV" I go. "What time are you going to be back?" "about 18:30 UTC. "Will you be flying with radio?" asks tower. "No I will be flying NORDO" (no radio). "OK. You have clearance to take off. Please call us when you arrive back." the voice is quite friendly and I do not feel nervous any more "I certainly will". Thank you. UUUfff that was easy. Good little exercise and as you see flying from near airport is not such big deal. OK, back to the runway. It is quite long but only about 40 ft wide and which way do you think the wind is blowing? Well of course it is cross way. I usually need only 20 - 30 ft to take off but since there is some weeds and bushes on the edge of the strip I wonder if I lift off before the weeds chip my shiny 3 bladed carbon fiber prop.....I end up waiting for 5 min then a nice thermal gust comes, inflate, few steps and off I go. I circle the field to show Ben how easy it is to control the aircraft and then head south. It is noon and the air is alive....
I hook up my Icom A4 radio and hear that there is inbound Cherokee on final approach from Buffalo International airport 5 NM from St. Catharines airport. His altitude is 2500 ft AGL so he must be right in front and above me. I look up and there he is. Awesome. At the same time I hear the tower advising to the Cherokee that there is traffic, a powered paraglider, outbound at approximately 1500 ft...Wow that is me! This is first time I have taken off from an airport with lots of traffic and it is quite exciting to know that there is people watching over you as you fly....
I am now at 2000 ft AGL directly over the escarpment at the south edge of St. Catharines. Lots of thermal lift I barely use any power at all. Note the St. Catharines airport in the background.
The only time I have seen St. Catharines like this was when I have taken what is called FAM flight. A familiarization flight.
I go by water works that feed a power station on the escarpment by Brock university.
Even though I knew this will be a thermal flight I have decided for Lift 26 instead of Brontes since I was flying from unfamiliar place. There is so much "action" in the air that it is not going to matter what kind of a glider one has. This is the type of day when old ladies with umbrellas must be careful not to get airborne....
My GPS shows 39 km/h with brakes off. Nice, I only have 4 km/h wind to my back. This is going to be an awesome flight.
Looking to my left. Lake Erie about 30 km away.
Highway 406. This is the Gibson lake where the bodies of Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy were found...;-( |
