Foggy Sunrise Flight

This has become one of my all time favorite flights.

Mornings can be a pain with the dead calm air, wet grass, and fog not to mention having to get up at 4:30 AM to make the LZ before sunrise.

But once your wing comes up and you lift into the air, it becomes all worth it.

An amazing experience I believe can only be had while flying a paramotor. Sun rays shining through a low layer of fog that floated along the tops of the sugar cane about 10 feet in the air made for a spectacular visual experience that I’ll attempt to convey through the pictures below.

We arrive just before sunrise to find the sugar factory going full steam and a thin layer of fog blanketing much of the ground.
Immediately at sunrise, the crop sprayers take off and start their day.
The direction of the smoke coming from the stacks indicate winds coming from the north as Anuadi prepares to be the first into the air.

Steve’s flawless launch

Here I am taking off, Brian and Cappy up next.

This is what I saw right after taking off, Steve flies in the distance.

I decide to drop down low and explore the foggy landscape.

Flying through the fog I come upon a herd of tractors…
I think of freeing them but how can I free those so agreeable with a life of servitude?

So I fly on through the fog…

In the distance I see menacing towers rising from the ground!
I breach the perimeter but quickly flee after rousing the ghosts in cell block C…

…and return my attention to the sun…

So I break free and climb into the air…
…and then swoop down to surf the tops of the sugar cane fields…
…cruise out over the flat lands…
…and out to the coast of Lake Okeechobee.

I discover I’m low on fuel and at least 5 miles from the airport so I climb up, let the trimmers out and make a bee line for the LZ..

On the way back I could feel the warmth of the sun on my face and I noticed the fog was almost completely gone.
I look for potential landing zones in case I run out of gas.
The smoke was going almost straight up so I prepared for a fast landing.
I make it back to the LZ just in time!
The mighty GT comes to rest and awaits another day….
Of all those that fly, none run into the sky and fly like a paramotor pilot does…