And now for something completely different...

Today, as expected, was completely different.

Major thunderstorms rolled this this morning, putting flying out of the question. It was drippy when we woke up, but torrential while we were in briefing. Lightning strikes every few minutes at one point.

We watched a video (starring William Shatner, who’s a paramotorist as well) about things to watch out for when flying. We saw a *bunch* of examples of how /not/ to fly, and ways to do things correctly.

We learned about preflight checklists, for ourselves, the site, the weather, and the equipment. We learned that if things feel even a little bit off...you pull the plug.

It’s always better to wish you were in the air than to wish that you were on the ground.

We spoke step by step about both takeoff and launch steps.

Finally, we ran through the safety procedures if the radios go out.

After class, I found an open patch of land, drew a beach on the ground, and practiced various scenarios. I feel we should do more of that. On the ground if we goof up we look silly. In the air...well...

All told, not so physically demanding, but a hell of a day. I’ve got a lot to think about and a lot of notes to transcribe tonight.


So far I’m having the time of my life. I should have done this years ago.