The flying has been good here on Florida's Paradise Coast. Last Sunday we took a really fun family of five for tandem flights above the Gulf of Mexico, and they all walked away with big smiles. Teri Bruno brought her flock of two sons and two nieces, meeting us on the beach at New Pass after arriving in their own boat from Ft. Myers Beach. After filling out paperwork and giving them a safety and instructional briefing, we were off the short ride into open water and high adventure.
First up was Willi, who, as we later learned, was pretty nervous about the whole affair. From the first moment of liftoff, his nervousness gave way to exuberance, and he thoroughly enjoyed the flight. Next was Kelly, who was the pretty girl in the following video:
Next up, and not about to be held back, was ten year old Garret. We had to do some fancy adjustments to the excellent High Energy harness, but we got him strapped in securely and blasted off. He really enjoyed being above some of the seagulls which flew underneath us at about 1200' while still on tow. We quickly coined the phrase "Are you braver than a 5th Grader?" He was extremely stoked and well endowed with some serious bragging rights toward all of his 5th grade friends. After him went Danielle, equally pretty as Kelly and Teri, and also very much enjoying the flight.
Next up was Teri, who was heretofore unsure of her intention to carry through with this act of courage. I have always believed that it isn't courage if you are not afraid. So, she stepped up to the platform, wetsuit and all, and we had the best flight of the day. Gentle thermals were rising from the water, and her 100 lb. Frame was barely noticeable to the big Falcon 3. We got a good high tow, and then I hurried back to the lift we had been towing through. At times we actually climbed a little, and the flight got extended by several minutes.
On each flight, I flew to the waiting boat and landed right next to it, and the whole fam damily was waving, shouting, and snapping photos. Splashing down on the pontoons in 65 degree water always gets a good squeal out of the girls, and looks of shock and awe from the guys. We had the video machine running during all of the flights, and the results were great. The raw footage from the little lipstick cam was nearly broadcast quality, and we are in the process of adding a second cam from a different angle. Unfortunately, YouTube really degrades the video quality.
As always, none of this would have been possible without my great crew. Capt. Travis Elms and Mate Q Wilson did a fantastic job of tweaking the tows and doing all of the hard work. The best part is my job; it looks just like somebody else's vacation!
So for all of you aspiring Hang 1-2's up there in the frozen north, let me tell you this: I have not worn long pants or shoes on any of our flying days, every day here is 80 degrees and sunny. Today was so warm that Q was complaining while we were preparing the boat for the day. We also offer an excellent scooter tow lesson package (look for it on the Training page) , taught on the vast expanse of smooth grass at the nearby Immokalee Airport, which dovetails into the boat towing quite nicely for a real learning opportunity.
