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Daylight gives one last gasp of color after reflecting through clouds and
the Great Salt Lake.
Someday, maybe
I'll tire of the new sites. Or maybe I'll run out of them. But given the
Earth's landmass, I'm thinking that's a long way off. Right now I'm
enjoying the low hanging fruit -- the known cool launch sites sifted out
by locals and within easy reach of the Enterprise's travels. Thanks to
Bill Heaner for sharing wisdom on this colorful and unique slice of
intrigue.
Surprise Airshow
 The
morning's flight was brief and
followed a troubled launch. Driving eastward after that, we
stumbled upon an airshow in progress. Tim wondered why that jet was all
banked up so close to the ground so we investigated.
The Wendover airport, it turns out, was celebrating its historic past
with combat aircraft of all ages. It's a shame, of course, when it takes
war to bring out the most capable aerial machines but capable they are.
This place dripped with historical significance--its now-decaying barracks
reminding us of the incredible sacrifice made in World War II.
This small airshow, at $6 a pop, was a cool chance to get close and
personal with some fellow airman who take a different path to the sky.
Several of my cohorts at work still fly these aircraft and it's always
interesting to get little tidbits of what they're like to fly. One of
those tidbits is how airshow routines are done with very little fuel to
maximize aircraft performance. Stripped of endurance and armament, many
modern fighters can accelerate straight up. And the F-16 above did just
that. Of course it's a tiny little spec in pretty short order, too, but is
still cool to see.
 One
of the coolest displays was a P-51 snuggling up next to the F-16. The
latter all slowed down to match speeds. They both represent the period's
top line air superiority fighter. Although the F-16 is actually a pretty
old airframe, it's electronics is another story.
Nearing Salt Lake City, we took a break. The Bonneville Salt Flats were
eminently launchable and we figured if an emergency flight was needed, we
could do it from here. The RV about blew over. It must have been a 35 mph
gust or more. Hmmm. Might be a while before any wings unbag!
I continued working on my latest project--something COMPLETELY
different and not even related to PPG--improvement of the taxi diagrams
used by airline pilots. Not being one to just complain about them, I'm
making a sample with the suggested improvements. Thankfully, the folks at
my airline are quite interested in such safety improvements and are
willing to work on them. Thankfully, on this Enterprise trip, with Tim
doing most of the driving, I finished version one. Here
it is for the curious. I love working on this stuff, it's so much more
entertaining than TV and happens to be potentially useful.
The Fabulous Flats
After all that wind, we figured it could easily be a blowout but headed
east again in search of a site suggested by Bill Heaner. I've seen it from
the 737 a bunch of times and wanted to fly there ever since I got into
paramotoring.
As Bill suggested, it was perfect for some high-wind kiting. When we
finally pulled a wing out at the right place, it was blowing at least 15,
a bit more than I originally thought but quite manageable as a steady
off-water blow.
Pictures tell the story best. Evening was quickly killing the winds and
made kiting progressively less interesting. If the wing can't easily lift
you off the ground with a bit of brake, there's not so much that can be
done. For example, it's fun to use the wings lift to climb up things like
poles, walls and in this case, a train. Yes, there's an abandoned train
rusting on tracks set there as a tourist destination in the 40's. The
well-decayed building nearby is euphemistically called "The
Palace." Mellowing conditions made it impossible by the time I tried
to climb it but I did get in some pipe hopping.
While kiting on a rock, I got an idea for a humorous picture: Karate
Kiter. I couldn't hold it for long but it was long enough.
Finally into the air. With only a half hour before sunset, Tim and I
headed aloft. Foot dragging is just like on a beach and the scenery is
spectacular. I've got no idea what's actually in that shallow salty water
but it sure is pretty. Tim could fly a little longer since he had the strobe.
File that away on the list: buy another strobe!
Hopefully next time we'll be able to meet up with some locals, soar the
point and take in Moab. The plan is to go SLC to ABQ starting on Oct 2.
Another awesome opportunity to experience new areas in ways we barely
dreamed of during our youth. And now we're getting to live it! |
 
(left) Kiting around.
(Right) Tim at Sunset.
 
(left) If you angle the
wing back, you can climb with less wind. But the edges of this train relic would have been sliceful on the lines. I needed a bit more wind to
climb up the side--should've done this first!
(right) Karate Kid Kiting.
Looking back on Salt Lake
City and I-80.
If I got running backwards
I could get short little backwards flights.
Tim getting ready to go.
You could probably drive out that road but I wouldn't count on coming back
out. There was very slippery mud in places.
This is a taxi diagram,
redesigned to be easier for pilots to interpret controller directions. I
spent probably 13 hours working on it , much of it while Tim Kaiser
captained the Enterprise.
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