Paramotor Foggy Sunrise Flight 2-2-18

Paramotor Foggy Sunrise Flight 2-2-18

by | Feb 12, 2018 | Flight Journal Pictorial, ParaPics, Series, South Florida PPG

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…

Paramotor Juno Beach Flight 2-1-18

Paramotor Juno Beach Flight 2-1-18

by | Feb 11, 2018 | Flight Journal Pictorial, ParaPics

Beach Flight February 2nd, 2018

Juno Beach is one of the few beaches you can fly on the east coast of South Florida.

Beach access is a breeze and all the locals I’ve met are friendly and curious about our sport.

The winds were a steady 8mph on this day gusting to what felt like12mph and while the “beach breeze” usually provides for smooth sky sailing, on this day the air was a bit turbulent and more characteristic of inland flying with strong winds.

Come to find out my lens filter glass had a smudge on it that affected a lot of the pictures so I almost didn’t create a journal entry for this flight.

I botched the first launch because of my own impatience so my buddy Ivan helped to reset my wing :o)

My feet leave the earth as a friendly crowd watch on.

They knew I was going to takeoff and enjoyed the show.

Here’s Cappy just before he shoots some pretty epic splashing waves footage. See the video HERE.

Brian in the middle of a reverse launch as Ivan watches on. Notice the two wings off in the distance.

One of the cardinal rules at Juno Beach is don’t fly over the pier!

Here we are looking south, not a lot of mega high risers here like there are further south.

This is one of the tallest building on the beach here. This is looking north up toward the inlet which I’ve decided to fly up a ways.

A couple hundred meters from the mouth stands a grand old lighthouse that I immediately have the urge to fly around but decide not to almost just as fast since it’s probably frowned upon by the locals so back to the beach I go.

Cappy flies north as I decide to head back and try to get some footage of the other pilots.

Jorge and Brian entertaining the beach goers

Drag racing Brian down the beach.

Brian Cruises Juno Beach.

It looks like he’s coming straight for me!

Flying over the white-capped waves.

Brian and Jorge fly overhead.

Cappy heads straight out to sea.

Saying hi to some friendly locals

The might GT comes back to earth….

All in all this was a great flight. On the second try I had a great takeoff and in the end a nice, soft landing. This was the second time I’ve flown here and definitely the windiest which gave me some needed experience.

Paramotor Pictures – ParaPics

Paramotor Pictures – ParaPics

by | Dec 19, 2017 | ParaPics, Site Updates

ParaPics

 – Parapics = Awesome pictures of paramotors or pictures taken while flying one.

No other sport offers as much opportunity to capture unique pictures of the heavens and earth like powered paragliding.

Paragliding comes close but with a paramotor we are able to maintain altitude at extremely low altitudes to explore and see the world like few have ever done.

No other aircraft I can think of enables the photo opportunities a paramotor does, not even a helicopter.

I think this makes paramotor pictures very special so I’ve created this section in Backpack Aircraft to highlight them.

Initially I only have pictures I’ve taken and a few from the guys I fly with but hopefully over time other paramotor pilots (you?) will send me pictures to add here.

All the pictures are free and you can use them however you choose.

Into The Storm

Taken By: Mike Ingraham

During this sunset flight the rain storms literally surrounded us making for a surreal experience. This photo does a good job of expressing this as South Florida PPG pilot Ivan Romero flies toward the storm.

The Debriefing

Picture of Mike Ingraham and Scott Stonebreaker

Cool silhouette picture of me and fellow pilot Scott Stonebreaker chatting after a sunset flight in Homestead Florida.

Close To The Sugar

On this flight I had an action cam mounted on my cage facing backwards and while the video came out looking like something from the Twilight Zone, I was able to capture some cool pics. This one is of fellow pilot Cappy skimming the sugar can fields.

Cappy Over Belle Glade

Taken By: Mike Ingraham

After a great flight of buzzing the cane fields, Cappy and I gained some altitude to watch the sun go down.

Mike Over Belle Glade

Picture of Mike Ingraham taken by “Cappy”

Here’s a picture of me taken by Cappy on December 14th 2017 flying on the outskirts of Belle Glade.

Cruising Hollywood Beach

This is a picture of fellow pilots Ivan and Anaudi as we flew along Hollywood beach.

Downpour

Taken By: Mike Ingraham

During this sunset flight the rain storms literally surrounded us making for a surreal experience. This photo does a good job of expressing this.

Sugar Plant

Taken by: Mike Ingraham

Fellow South Florida PPG pilot Ivan Romero getting ready to buzz the sugar cane fields at Belle Glade. Sugar factory in the background.

Mike’s First Sunset Flight

My ParaPic Gallery wouldn’t be complete without a picture of my first sunset flight. This picture was taken sometime in November of 2017 at Homestead General Aviation Airport.

Cruising The Dike

Taken By: Mike Ingraham

Cappy and Carlos cruising the dike that borders the southeast edge of lake Okeechobee. You can see a video of this day here…
7 Paramotor Pilots Fly SE Lake Okeechobee

Prison Break

Taken by: Mike Ingraham

The thing that I thought made this picture unique is is the reflection of the guard towers in the water.

Train Tracks

Taken by: Mike Ingraham

This train never moves, it just sits there which is okay because it is fun to fly over and around. I got some great footage of this during a sunset I’ll be sharing in an upcoming video.

I have a bunch of pictures that I’ll add over time but I’d like to get pictures from other pilots to make this gallery more interesting.

So…

Do you have a cool paramotor picture to add?

If you have a picture you’d like to add, send it to michael (at) backpackaircraft.com and…

  1. send your identifying information so I can credit you for it – this can be a name, screen name or whatever you want.
  2. a link to your website or social media profile (optional)
  3. name the picture
  4. give a short description of the picture
  5. agree to contribute your picture to the public domain
  6. try to provide a decent resolution but keep the file size reasonable, say under 5mb