Airplanes & Hang Gliding

I'm currently a member of a small flying club that operates this Cessna 182H Skylane, N1869X. Photo courtesy Carl Ricard.

A shot of the instrument panel. Full IFR including a Garmin 430, King KX155, ADF, DME and a bunch of other stuff :-).

Long before I got hooked on sailplanes and airplanes, I was flying hang gliders. Sailplanes are great (and they certainly perform better), but there's nothing like foot launching a hang glider from a mountain top and feeling and smelling the wind in your face. These pictures of me flying were taken by my wife, Susan.

Working a thermal over Mt Cranmore, North Conway NH.

Approach to landing at Mt. Cranmore. The glider is a Flight Designs "Demon".

Launching from the top of Mt Kearsarge NH. In windy conditions, a second person holds the nose of the glider at a precise angle to the wind (very important) at the direction of the pilot. When the pilot is satisfied, he yells "clear" and the nose man gets out of the way. When the wind is really blowing, 2 more helpers are needed at mid wing to steady the glider. The glider is a Sky Sports "Kestrel".

Pilots and their gliders being driven to the top of Mt Mansfield, VT.