by Jeff Goin | Apr 2, 2020 | For Sale, Log: Enterprise, Recent
Update: Sold! A new chapter for at least a while. We’re selling “Enterprise C”, and have created a description (with some nostalgia) video. I know, I probably shouldn’t have included the kiting a paraglider on it (see video), but it’s a...
by Jeff Goin | Jul 2, 2019 | Log: Enterprise
Tim & I went to look at the boat today. For one thing, it’s way more classy than what’s “needed,” but its upper deck *is* perfect. I’m a bit premature but will still refer to it as the “flight deck.” At 16′ wide...
by Jeff Goin | Jul 1, 2019 | Log: Enterprise
This was Jeff Hamann’s idea. It’s a long shot, but a fun one. The idea is to buy and modify a houseboat for use as a paramotor launch and landing pad. Our own little aircraft carrier. We’d spend a couple summers, in week-long stints, exploring parts...
by Jeff Goin | Jun 22, 2019 | Log: Enterprise
This place is my proverbial back yard and I knew nothing about it. Five miles south of Plant City, FL, just south of George Farkas’ slice of heaven, are rough rolling hills carved by long-done mining that left a delectable playground for paramotor tree...
by Jeff Goin | Jun 16, 2019 | Log: Airline, Log: Enterprise
Before starting a 3-day work trip, I couldn’t resist the misty calm that called from outside. It would be a fine time to experience sunrise over Polk County and a welcome refresh. Not only because I hadn’t flown in a while, but because ground fog conspired...
by Jeff Goin | May 2, 2019 | Log: Enterprise
Enterprise A – Enterprise B – Enterprise C These are the various “Enterprise” paramotorhomes. Life’s short, live high, leave people better than you found ’em! Powered paragliding has provided a life-changing interest in flying with...
by Jeff Goin | May 1, 2019 | 19: Risk & Safety, Log: Enterprise
Click here for Stretching Glide to Shore, Road or Point While planning the Panama Canal flight an interesting subject came up regarding selection of altitude. We all know that the higher you go, the farther you can glide. This flight had one portion that followed a...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 8, 2019 | Events, Log: Enterprise
Sun & Fun is over, and it was an eventful, fun time. This may be the first year I got a briefing early on in the process but didn’t fly at all. In fact the only time I flew during Sun and Fun was to do a demo at our house when a bunch of people came over....
by Tim Kaiser | Apr 4, 2019 | Log: Enterprise
This year's installment continues. Day one started damp and dreary but finished at room temperature with sun. Tim and I helped with the NGPA.org booth and limited our wanderings to nearby vendors, checking out the various goodies. I'll be checking out the ultralight...
by Tim Kaiser | Jan 1, 2017 | Log: Enterprise
Year five for Enterprise “C.” I know how to drive it now on “Limp Home Mode” so we avoid any more tows, but it did need service last year. I’ll hand it to Tampa Mercedes for being great, though, so I can’t complain. This year is the...
by Jeff Goin | Oct 6, 2016 | 36: Instructors & Tandem, Log: Enterprise
Earning the USHPA Basic Instructor Certification In support of the new book project I decided to go through USHPA’s Instructor Certification Program. I’m writing a book on teaching paragliding, this would be a powerful addition to my experience and improve...
by Jeff Goin | Jul 6, 2016 | Log: Enterprise, Log: Hang Glider
We didn’t get to fly here last time. What a beautiful place! Wonderful folks, too. Tim and I launched late. Poor Tim got the short end of the wind stick: a tailwind after he setup. His launch was brilliant but, by then, it had gotten bumpy. Not by soaring...
by Tim Kaiser | Jan 1, 2016 | Log: Enterprise
Year four for Enterprise “C.” The warranty is up and we’ve been towed twice, once for a wheel sensor failure and another due to an improperly installed air filter. Even though that was regular maintenance done by the dealership, the warranty...
by Tim Kaiser | Jan 1, 2015 | Log: Enterprise
Year three for Enterprise “C.” One more year on the Chassis Warranty and the cruise control is starting to act up—not engaging all the time. We got everything else fixed so hopefully, this will be easy. Plans for this year include Sebring, the Endless...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 20, 2014 | 20: Competition, About, Log: Enterprise
Brief flight history: I started flying gliders at age 13, soloed at 14, got my private license at 17, commercial license at 20, airline transport rating at 26 when I became captain on a commuter airline and got hired by Southwest Airlines in 1993, becoming a captain 4...
by Jeff Goin | Jan 1, 2014 | Log: Enterprise
Year two for Enterprise “C”. The Warranty expires tomorrow as I write. There are two minor problems — the door is hard to close and a panel inside falls out. Hopefully, we can schedule those in time. We’re absolutely loving this...
by Jeff Goin | Nov 2, 2013 | Entertainment, Log: Enterprise
This series is what I wish were available after I learned the basics of flying PPG. There are many specific techniques that can be learned far quicker if only they were clearly explained. It is intended for pilots who have already learned the basics, and are PPG2...
by Jeff Goin | Sep 14, 2013 | Log: Enterprise
A text message came in from Dr. Dave: “PPG at Frans on 17, dinner to follow”. And as it happened this was a Saturday that both Tim & I were off on. Orders were caught up (envelopes readied for Monday shipment) and the weather looked perfect. Why not....
by Jeff Goin | Sep 13, 2013 | Log: Enterprise, Log: Life
Wow, I can’t believe its done. Although still in the midst of order fury (thanks!), I’ve had time to contemplate, having some surprising thoughts–namely how I’ll miss it. I’ll miss the directed flying, working with the pilots who have...
by Jeff Goin | Sep 6, 2013 | Entertainment, Log: Enterprise
2012 Nov 8 Let the process begin. Most of the shooting is actually along with some of the animation but I’ve got several animations yet to build so that’s where it starts. These will be invaluable for showing what goes into a spot landing. Visible flight...
by Jeff Goin | Sep 5, 2013 | Log: Enterprise
This was Pyro’s Paradise with a side of PPG. More on that later. When I arrived Brandon gave me the brief “our rules are simple, buzz the horses, especially skittish looking ones, fly low over the houses at full power, do footdrags down the runway while...
by Jeff Goin | May 3, 2013 | Log: Enterprise
Enterprise A – Enterprise B – Enterprise C The 21′ Rialta (Enterprise A) was a bit too small, the 28′ BT Cruiser (Enterprise B) was too big, and the 24′ Winnebago View was just right. These are really working vehicles but there’s...
by Jeff Goin | May 2, 2013 | Entertainment, Log: Enterprise
Jan 24, 2011 Work Begins Master PPG 1 is now selling. Finally, money is going the other way, and thankfully way more than we expected. For the last few years I’ve just spent, spent, spent–pouring time and money into these projects without any return. Of...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 13, 2013 | Log: Enterprise, Log: Paramotor-Ultralight
This is the first year with a new layout at the Ultralight area. Everybody agrees: it’s nicer and there was a better turnout. Paul Czarnecki of PlanetPPG has the only paramotor tent and does a pretty thriving business, at least in terms of highly qualified...
by Tim Kaiser | Jan 1, 2013 | Log: Enterprise
Enterprise “C” has launched! After starting out with a 21′ Rialta in 2002, we moved up to the 27′ Gulfstream BT Cruiser in 2006 which served beautifully until January this year (2013). Enter the 2013 Winnebago View 24J based on a...
by Jeff Goin | Nov 7, 2012 | Entertainment, Log: Enterprise
The arduous route to a distant goal It’s off for production! After updating a bunch of stuff from the review process, including some new voice-overs and animations, the Master DVD was sent off from the Zebulon Road Post Office Branch (pictured below) in Macon,...
by Jeff Goin | May 3, 2012 | Log: Enterprise
Enterprise A – Enterprise B – Enterprise C I wrote the first PPG Bible largely in the Back of Enterprise A. But when I wanted to crash on the bed I had to transform my work area INTO the bed. My tendency is to work until I drop and then I really want to...
by Jeff Goin | May 2, 2012 | Entertainment, Log: Enterprise
The arduous route to a distant goal | Master PPG Page This is a log of Master Powered Paragliding 1’s production progress, an undertaking of larger proportions than the book, involving dozens of pilots, dozens of sites, hundreds of hours spent on animations and...
by Jeff Goin | Jan 1, 2012 | Log: Enterprise
And again, the Enterprise started 2012 in Pine Island, FL and served as home while I began the new year with a flight. Paul Czarnecki beat me airborne, possibly making us the first two pilots aloft in the new year’s gorgeous air. This year I hope to finish...
by Jeff Goin | Jan 1, 2011 | Log: Enterprise
The Enterprise started 2011 in Pine Island, FL and served as home while I began the new year with a flight. Paul Czarnecki and I went up for a short, bumpy introduction to the new air. It was feisty air, too. This year I hope to finish taping for all three of the...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 14, 2010 | 20: Competition, Log: Enterprise
I’ve proposed a slight change to the scoring method employed by the FAI. Their scoring is based on running lots of tasks many times. The winner of each task is awarded a huge benefit which can double his score. But in this event, where the task is one of only 4,...
by Jeff Goin | Jan 1, 2010 | Log: Enterprise
The Enterprise again started 2010 in Phoenix, AZ, came back to Chicago and goes to Florida in the fall. We Illinois boys hope to do our first big cross country this year, something we’ve talked about for some time but, now that I’m gonna have the motorhome...
by Jeff Goin | Sep 17, 2009 | 19: Risk & Safety, Log: Enterprise, Log: Helicopter
Unwelcome invader on Paramotor retrieval of Helicopter I had paramotored up to retrieve the helicopter and was now thwapping home. On final approach to our ramp, about 300 feet high, something caught my attention. Just above me and to the left was an enormous venomous...
by Jeff Goin | Jun 8, 2009 | 20: Competition, Log: Enterprise
My First International Paramotor Competition | Final Scores (PDF) | Competition Chapter | Comp: Why Crashing Is Bad Chad Bastian’s BLOG at TrikeBuggy.com. Note: Scores revised June 19, 2009 (7th & 8th places changed) Newspaper Article Done while I was in...
by Jeff Goin | May 2, 2009 | 20: Competition, Log: Enterprise
Eric Dufour offers competition tools Is there no end to what can be learned in this sport? After nearly ten years I continue to enjoy learning new things. Both Michel Carnet, 7-times English national champion, and Eric Dufour, three-time U.S. champion are putting on...
by Jeff Goin | Jan 4, 2009 | Log: Enterprise
Two Portland Flyers help with Master PPG 2 and 3. One thing that makes a project like Master PPG doable is the people I get to work with. Such a great selection of humans—capable flyers and just plain fun to be around. A recent trip to Portland, Oregon is a good...
by Jeff Goin | Jan 1, 2009 | Log: Enterprise
The Enterprise started 2009 in Phoenix, AZ. A planned trip there for flying and filming was stymied by high loads on the airline making it impossible to ride standby. So the plan is now to attend The Salton Sea Paratoys event followed by Dune flying in Southern...
by Jeff Goin | Dec 6, 2008 | Log: Enterprise
Making the Master PPG series is a roller coaster but we’re enjoying the ride If you’re only gonna make $5/hr at the job you better enjoy it. And enjoy we did. This production is a labor of love, to be sure, and strangely, I’m finding that I enjoy the...
by Jeff Goin | Jul 25, 2008 | Log: Enterprise
WAG Qualifier and USPPA Competition Held in Greenville, IL It’s a first. The U.S.A. has finally put some competitors on the world stage. Nine skilled flyers showed up in Greenville and put on an impressive performance. Probably most impressive were the launches:...
by Jeff Goin | Jun 1, 2008 | Log: Enterprise
The leaves weren’t moving. Oooh yeah—there be calm! I’ve got lots to test, too, with the Miniplane having arrived home and other things. I’m soon to venture to my first ever trip to Europe. Hopefully they won’t send me back early. One...
by Jeff Goin | May 14, 2008 | 20: Competition, Log: Enterprise
Wow, what a day. The first ever qualifier for 2009’s World Air Games is in the bag. And what an incredibly well-run event it was. This will also determine the current USPPA National Standing. We don’t know exactly yet because it will have to be sent to...
by Jeff Goin | May 14, 2008 | 20: Competition, Log: Enterprise
Final rules for the 2008 Qualifier to the 2009 World Air Games 2007-July 12 Here are the WAG rules that are being used. They have been used already by the Germans and Italians so changes are impossible. One thing we were unable to get changed was the need to run two...
by Jeff Goin | May 14, 2008 | 20: Competition, Log: Enterprise
The Snake, it turns out, will NOT be flown but it’s kind of cool to do. Here are the tasks that will be flown for the July 25, 2008 World Air Games Qualifier. I felt like a kid getting away with something—pulling off the road, making sure no one was paying...
by Jeff Goin | Jan 1, 2008 | Log: Enterprise
Fall of 2008 will bring my first trip to Texas. Then it’s on to Phoenix and San Diego by January 2009. Summer in Chicago has been awesome and next summer I’ll miss it. She’ll be staying out west to let me explore the Pacific Northwest for the first...
by Jeff Goin | Jul 5, 2007 | Advanced Launching, Entertainment, Log: Enterprise
Sometimes you just gotta go for it. My other favorite sport is in-line skating which I do a lot in the summertime, more often in fact, than paramotoring. I’ve PPG launched on skates once before but wanted to do it with light winds and a hard packed surface...
by Jeff Goin | Jun 30, 2007 | 19: Risk & Safety, Log: Enterprise
How do you know if your paramotor is about to quit? It’s running. Elburn, IL Saturday was one busy day with paramotor flyin g early and late and a hang glider trike adventure in the middle. That became my very first engine out landing in corn. Well, touchdown...
by Jeff Goin | May 5, 2007 | Entertainment, Log: Enterprise
Life is entertaining for those who don’t mind glancing at it askew. little challenges, once accepted, provide some of our most entertaining moments. As long as nobody gets hurt. Oshkosh Radio Station Interview May 28, 2009 WOSH Radio Interview conducted at OSH...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 7, 2007 | Log: Enterprise
My phone beeped. The message “meeting at the polo field this afternoon” was from local pilot Gary Brown who was planning an outing at the polo field. I thought the weather was supposed to suck but obviously somebody else thought otherwise. Sure enough, a...
by Jeff Goin | Mar 16, 2007 | Log: Enterprise
Let the testing begin. This Enterprise trip has several missions besides fun. One is getting pictures that illustrate a certain type of light wind reverse launch. Another mission is to quantify various aspects of handling. Naturally there are some wings that I really...
by Jeff Goin | Mar 12, 2007 | Advanced Launching, Entertainment, Log: Enterprise
Can you ever have too many wheels? 8 is enough. Photos by Kevin Kanarski I also got to try something I’ve wanted to do for years but was never willing: the roller blade launch. There’s plenty of video and Kevin’s still shots are featured below. The...
by Jeff Goin | Mar 3, 2007 | Log: Enterprise
The Enterprise started out in Phoenix this year and toured both big western fly-ins before heading back towards Chicago and with a romp at Bubba Peters 9000 foot high launch site. “Bubba” the Bonanza wintered in Phoenix and saw some action flying around...
by Jeff Goin | Jan 15, 2007 | Log: Enterprise, Log: Paramotor-Ultralight
The valley of the sun is only a 6 hours drive south and down the big hill. You drop 4000 feet into what should be warmth and sunshine. So here we were on day 2 and it was raining. Cold, too. At least we had yesterday’s flying on the Rio Verde, brief though it...
by Jeff Goin | Jan 13, 2007 | Log: Enterprise, Log: Paramotor-Ultralight
Is it me or is mother nature really annoyed? Maybe it’s just a bad spell of luck. Tim Kaiser and I arrived in Phoenix for their coldest weather in years. There’s a freeze warning for tonight. A freeze warning! That’s not as bad as the snowstorm in...
by Jeff Goin | Jan 1, 2007 | Log: Enterprise
Snowstorm! Getting the plane from ABQ to Phoenix No paramotoring on this trip but at least I got some gorgeous airplane flying in. After my ordeal in ABQ, it was a relief to be sitting there, motor idling, heater running, wings clean, with a clearance and ready to...
by Jeff Goin | Dec 29, 2006 | Log: Enterprise, Log: Life
Freak snowstorm and getting stuck in ABQ | Escape From Albuquerque Log History has now shown that the day I chose to visit Albuquerque was the beginning of its worst snowstorm on record. The worst. My abortive trip still provided life experiences whose memory will, no...
by Jeff Goin | Jun 6, 2006 | Log: Enterprise
My first motor was (I still have it as of 2019) a direct drive Fly 70, modified by my instructor Mark Sorenson, no a SWA 737 Captain. Being a direct drive the propeller spun at ear-splitting speed, pushing the air away with sheer volume. That’s all I knew,...
by Jeff Goin | Jan 3, 2006 | Log: Enterprise
The Enterprise started the year staying in San Diego with occasional trips up and down the coast, including a couple to Mexico. This was the first year I didn’t drive her back home. Rather she stayed in San Diego for the winter with a tour up California, over...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 7, 2005 | Log: Enterprise
What started it all—Tim Kaiser and Jeff Goin pictured | Her the new home In December 2001–the beginning of Chicagoland’s deep freeze–I got an idea. It was winter, and I hate the cold, so why not buy a small RV that goes to a warm destination every...
by Jeff Goin | Jan 1, 2005 | Log: Enterprise
This was the year of the upgrade: I sold Enterprise A, a 1995 Rialta and bought a 2004 Gulfstream BT Cruiser to become Enterprise B. There was no doubting I liked the lifestyle and figured it was time for more room and more reliability. The BT Cruiser, at 27 feet, is...
by Jeff Goin | Sep 1, 2002 | Log: Enterprise
At 72 years old, it seemed a bit of a stretch that this accomplished actor would want to make a cross country flight into a strange place with people he didn’t know. But in September of 2002 that’s precisely what he did. Naturally, I was a bit surprised...
by Jeff Goin | Jan 2, 2002 | Log: Enterprise
Enterprise A – Enterprise B – Enterprise C This is what started it all. In December of 2001, while talking to Nick Scholtes, I got an idea. It was winter and I hate the cold. So Chicagoland’s windy chill spawned the appeal for a small RV. My plan:...
by Jeff Goin | Mar 7, 2001 | 25: Roots & Demographics, Log: Enterprise
Invitation, post 17387 of Pilots PPG Club, Mar 7, 2001 Thanks to the tireless efforts of Terry Alford, we have definitely secured a location for the First Annual Paramotor Convention. It will be April 5-9(Thurs.-Mon.) at the River Wilderness Golf and Country Club...
by Jeff Goin | Jun 6, 1999 | Log: Enterprise
When I first got into paramotoring got USHPA paraglider training because there was nothing standard in paramotoring. That wouldn’t do. I went to Jeff Williams who guided me through my P2 rating.During those two freeflight periods I discovered how cool soaring...
by Jeff Goin | May 3, 1999 | Log: Enterprise
I went to get paraglider training because there was no standardized paramotor training and I wanted better than that. Jeff Williams became my first instructor and helped me discover that soaring a paraglider was really cool, which for a guy who started in sailplanes,...
by Jeff Goin | Mar 25, 1999 | Log: Enterprise
In the beginning was the prop. Made of wood, and fashioned after its own kind, it was was good. Loud, but good. It was attached to my Fly 75 (a modified Fly 70) which noisily pushed me around the country with about 80 pounds of screaming thrust. The Enterprise...
