Why Always Fly Blue Side Up?

This morning, went through one of the most thrilling, exciting, and amazing moments in my life! I always knew that flying was fun, but never realized how much better it could get.

This morning, Scott was kind enough to give me a ride to Colombia for breakfast in his Cessna 210. It was a quick, pleasant flight which concluded with pigs in a blanket at the Colombia Airport. The Rancho Murieta pilots fly out to breakfast practically every Sunday (it's our church), so this wasn't an uncommon event. For the flight back Dave threw out the idea of flying me back in his red RV-7. Since I had never been in an RV-7, I thought it would be a nice experience, but I didn't realize that I was about to have the time of my life.

The first thing you realize once you lift off the ground is how fast the plane is going. Our climb speed was 120 mph which is just as fast as the cruising speed of a lot of the other planes I've flown in. Then, I realized that we were climbing at 1,500 feet per minute. Dave told me it can climb at a greater rate, but he tones it down because if he climbs to fast, his ears begin to hurt. Simply put, the RV-7 is a rocket with a cockpit attached to it.

After Dave gave me some stick time, he offered to show me some acro. I had never been upside down in an airplane before, so I didn't know what to expect. It turns out that aerobatics in an airplane is probably the funnest and most thrilling thing you can do on earth. If you've never gone upside down in an airplane, you don't know what your missing. Words cannot explain the feeling you get when flying upside down.

I was giddy for hours after I made it back on the ground. This was my greatest flight of all time! I'm going to have to build a Vans RV-7! It's pure magic!

Profiting From Ultralight Bias

Talk to almost any general aviation pilot about ultralights and they will most likely condemn them. They believe that ultralights are draggy, unsafe, and have poor performance. In some cases, they would be correct but it is clear that they don't know how unique some ultralights are. Ask these folks if they've flown in a modern ultralight and most likely they haven't. In fact, I would bet that most of them don't even know what a modern ultralight is because there aren't a lot of ultralights around.

The Skypup has a 12:1 glide radio (or L/D) which I guarantee will beat a Cessna 150, 152 170, 172, 182 and many other GA aircraft. Of course, the Skypup is a special bird. My Pterodactyl will be a special bird as well and that's all I'm going to say as I'm going to profit from ultralight bias!

Be forewarned, I'm coming!

EAA Chapter 1476

I have been part of an EAA chapter for several months now. It has been one of the greatest decisions I've ever made and don't know what took me so long. I've been able to connect with some of the brightest, most knowledgeable and generous aviators people that I've ever met. They have flown me all over the place, taken me to breakfast, paid for my breakfast (thank you Mike), given me advice, shared their war stories and much more. I am very lucky to be surrounded with such great people and I'm not sure if there's a place anywhere else where I can find people like the people at EAA chapter 1476.

Here are some photos and videos of some of the flying I'm lucky to be a part of:

My Training Situation Figured Out

As of last post, I had no idea where I was going to get training so I would have the skills and confidence to fly my Pterodactyl . I have spent many painstaking hours sorting this out in my brain and I've finally come to my conclusion. Since I would like to be a full, FAA approved Certified Flight Instructor (and possibly a CFII), why not start training towards my private pilot rating? My plan before this decision was to get this training once I was in college. I realize that I'll have more work and more distractions in college, so why make things any more difficult for myself.

Obviously, there is a HUGE difference between a four seat, 1,620 lb, enclosed cockpit, 160 hp, Cessna 172 and a single seat, 200 lb, open cockpit, 30 hp, Pterodactyl Ascender II. I will not be one of those general aviation folks who believes that ultralights are toy airplanes compared to their Cessnas so they automatically have the skills to fly them. That is a mindset which has killed and continues to kill many and I would like to stay alive longer so I'll have even more time to fly.

I was concerned a while back about the FAA's decision to essentially end all training in ultralight-like, experimental light sport aircraft. Since then, the Experimental Aircraft Association has worked with the FAA to establish a set of guidelines so that training in these types of aircraft can continue. I will definitely will need to get some sort of transition training so I'll have the skills to fly my low inertia, light wing loading, high performance ultralight. Because of the EAA/FAA arrangements, I'm not worried about finding a safe place to get instruction. For now, Rainbow Aviation (the same folks who have written "A Professional Approach to Ultralights") appears to be the place for me to get my transition training.

If in the unlikely event that I can't find a place to get instruction, I'll find or make a friend with the right equipment and go flying with them. If even that doesn't work out, I'll have to revert back to the way people learned how to fly ultralights in the 1980's and self teach myself. Jack McCornack, the man who designed the Pterodactyl line of aircraft wrote a self training guide and amazingly, those who actually followed the guide step by step had very little problems.

Some people have told me to simply follow the self training guide and not worry about getting training in a dual seat machine but I will learn to fly my Pterodactyl in the most comfortable way that I see fit. I'm all about flying safely so I can continue flying for years and years to come.

Training: Oh where, oh where?

It is 1:33 in the morning right now and I'm unable get myself to sleep. You would think that 17 years of experience (18 on the 18th of this month) would make me very good at it but obviously not. A lot is going through my head right now and my mind is unable to slow down to stop analyzing for the night.

Redrive washers, aviation instructors, and tomorrow's government test is what's keeping my mind from relaxing. I don't see any three of these topics to be a problem any more, yet my mind keeps on whirling.

The biggest thing that I've been thinking about is the flight instruction that I'll be getting so I can fly my Pterodactyl safely. The word safely is key. My plans to get proper ultralight training have been dramatically altered after learning the horrifying truth about certain things. I value my life and would like to live longer so I can spend more time flying. Therefore my plans have been altered to reflect just that.

Mark@PterodactylHangar.com

Negative Parts of the Journey

I started this blog to share my experiences as I reach towards my goal of flight. I need to make it clear that there is a lot of the story that's missing. There are a few negative experiences that I've had and I kept those experiences off of here. I do not want to hurt anyone's feelings and I certainly don't want anyone mad at me. That being said, I've started to change my thoughts on that.

I've learned a ton from the negative experiences that I've been through. There is a lot to take away from these experiences and those experiences will make me a better and safer pilot once I am one. For now, these experiences will keep me alive and pain free for much longer. When you think about it that way, why am I not sharing these experiences?

There is still the problem of having people upset but I've come up with a simple solution. I'll simply not mention any names. If the people associated with my negative experiences end up reading this blog, they'll know that I'm talking about them, but their name won't be mentioned. There is still a possibility that they get upset, but I hope they respond in a mature and reasonable way. I hope they will take my thoughts as constructive criticism and that they will consider changing their behavior and habits to better themselves and the people around them.

With all of this in mind, be prepared to hear a few more stories coming through the pipe.

pVideo Update #2

Nevermind

After listening to some encouraging words, I have decided to keep my Pterodactyl project and keep on building. I've done the math and I'm about $850 from it being complete. To be safe, we'll say it's $1,000 from being complete. I have about $250 of that $1,000 right now, so I have $750 to go. A lot has happened since my last update on the Dac so expect a video or something of the sort soon.

Training is a whole other issue that I'll have to address. It looks like the FAA, who always emphasizes safety when in public, isn't allowing folks full access to safe ultralight flying. We are back to the 80's when people were dying left and right due to the lack of proper training.

There's a Twist

Just when you think you can predict how things are going to end up, I make a change in plans.

As you might know, the FAA doesn't always make logical decisions. This lack of logic has impacted me this time. After January 31, 2010, the FAA is not allowing any Sport Pilot training to be done in Experimental Light Sport Aircraft (ELSA). Instead, you are only allowed to get training in Special Light Sport Aircraft (SLSA). Why is this a problem? Well, there is absolutely no SLSA aircraft in the entire state of California that flys like a Pterodactyl Ascender.

Unfortunately, my Pterodactyl project turned out to be a bigger project than I expected. I know that I won't be able to have it ready to fly with enough time to get training before the deadline. With that in mind, I've run into a dead end. I am aware of a place where I can get semi-proper training illegally, however the hours spent there won't be able to go towards any Sport Pilot or Private Pilot ratings and that's a waste of money.

I could certainly get training in a Sportstar, Remos, CTLS, etc, however they are all enclosed cockpit, slick, fast, heavy, and higher inertia aircraft. Flying ultralights requires a certain skill that's not obtainable in these planes. Some GA (General Aviation) guys think that their all superior private pilot ticket means that they can fly an ultralight without any specialized training. With that mindset, they decide to fly one and quickly realize that they are wrong when their body hits the ground dead. I'm not going to be that guy.

At the dead end I've arrived at, I have no choice but to sell my Pterodactyl project. Now the letter "P" in pFlying.com has become irrelevant...or has it?

The Pterodactyl Ascender is an absolutely great airplane. It is safe given that you fly it within its limitations, it's fun, it will climb like the space shuttle, and it is by far one of the most unique ultralights out there. It has a place in my heart which is here to stay. I will fly a Pterodactyl one day, but it won't be anytime soon.

With all of that in mind, what am I going to do now? I'll give you a hint: the silent "P" in pFlying.com won't be silent for much longer.

To be continued...

Breaking News

Today was an extreme and radical day. Over the course of five hours, so much has happened. At this time, I don't know where to start and I don't know where to end. That's why I will not be sharing this news with you today.

Is this good news or bad news? To be honest, I don't know the answer. It's going to be a hard night to get to sleep.

Expect to learn more soon...

New Progress, New Problems

It's long past due for an update, so here we go!

For the most part, my Pterodactyl hasn't changed very much. It has been sitting in the garage with the nose wheel off waiting for parts for months. Dave Froble, the man who supplies Pterodactyl parts is REALLY slow at getting orders sent out. He's waiting for his side of the country to warm up since his shop is in his barn. I've since told him to forget my order for now. I'll get as many of the parts I can find elsewhere purchased from places where the wait isn't 6+ months long.

In the mean time, I've been keeping myself busy with other projects. One of which is a recently rebuilt Cuyuna 430. I got it at an amazing price and along with it came two mufflers and a box full of Rotax, Cuyuna, redrive and other engine related parts. Most of these parts will be sold off, but there's some really good pulleys which might be useful for a redrive.

Speaking of redrives, I've been trying to remove these hex bolts off the redrive attached to my older Cuyuna engine and I've have had no luck. A ratchet and a hammer doesn't work. I've tried using penetrating lubricants such as WD40 and Liquid Wrench as well, but still; no luck. I guess my last option is to find someone with a torch. and heat it off. Hopefully that will actually work.


The last worthwhile thing to mention is that I now have a CHT gauge, Tiny Tach, Ratio Right (helps measure out the correct amount of two stroke oil to mix with the fuel) , RPM gauge, Cuyuna service manual, voltage regulator (now I have two), an Icom A3 headset adapter, a Pterodactyl rib tip tool (used to pull the trailing edge of the wing over rib tips), Fram G1 fuel filter, fuel line and two old Pterodactyl pins. I have no use for the extra RPM gauge and voltage regulator, so I'll be selling those. The Key West regulator (thanks to Gary Orpe) and the Tiny Tach will stay.

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Stay tuned for more updates. I have an instrument panel to build, a 3 blade Ultra Prop to buy, the Pterodactyl to finish restoring and training to get done. Things are getting unbelievably exciting as I get closer to flying.

Stay Tuned!

pVideo Update #1

Latest Update

Hello folks,

My Pterodactyl is coming along. By the end of this month it should no longer be a Pterodactyl Fledge, but a Pterodactyl Ascender. I have just about all the work that can be done with what I have right now before I get my latest order of parts. Once I get these parts I'll be able to put on the noseboom and replace the wheels, get new fiberglass gear, new sling seat, fuel tank and more.

Earlier today I opened up the wing and replaced some rusty rivets in the spar. At the same time I was pleasantly surprised that I won't have to replace the flying wires.

Just a quick update from me. The winter is around the corner and at least I'll have something to keep me occupied.

Cheers,
Mark

Pterodactyl Update

I wanted to inform you with a quick update of the status of my Pterodactyl Fledge.

The two fuel tanks attached to my aircraft were split down the sides so they had to go. I've decided that the landing gear wires, wheels, sling/seat, and a lot of rusty hardware needs to be replaced as well. I could probably get away with keeping the old tires, but I would like my aircraft to look sharp and crisp. At the moment, the tires are faded and ugly.

I've decided to get steerable nosegear which will make taxing much easier. I understand the risk that it holds, but I'm willing to take reasonable actions to manage that particular risk. I've thought about creating a mechanism which locks the nosewheel for takeoff and landing, but am not really sure about how that would work.

Despite the temptation to keep one of the two engines that came with my place, I will soon put them up for sale. That's as soon as I figure out how to remove the massive bolts (suggestions appreciated) which cling on to the engine mount. I will be replacing those Cayuna engines with a Rotax 277.

I've built, covered, and painted the canard. One of my friends asked me if he could touch it because the paint still looked wet. I took that as a compliment as that's exactly what I wanted it to look like. After painting I had difficulty finding the control post hole, but thanks to the Pterodactyl
Yahoo group, I was able to locate it. At this moment, the canard is one-hundred percent complete.

Currently, I've been working on adding the noseboom, changing the control stick and attaching the canard to the airframe. Much more news to come. Perhaps even a video. At the moment, my Pterodactyl is still a Fledge, but soon it will be transformed into an Ascender!

Cody Nelson's First Time Into The Air

I would like to share a story with you that I'm sure you'll enjoy. It's a story about how a little bit of effort and motivation can change someones life. This is the story of Cody Nelson who contacted me after watching my Youtube videos. He was interested in flight, but didn't know where to go. After I pointed out that his local airport had a flight school that would be happy to take him up for an introductory flight, he quickly signed the dotted line. Cody didn't realize that his signature in this instance would change him forever.

The following is directly from Cody. I hope you enjoy it:

"This year so far has been a year of firsts. But they are all good in one way or another.
I’ve never been so nervous in my life when I climbed into a Cessna 172 for the time of my flying career. With airplanes it seems like seeing is believing. My instructor and I fought our selves into the cockpit with our big winter coats on because after all it was January after all. The cold winter air made it hard for the old girl to start up. After pre-flight we started the plane up and radioed in our clearance for our taxi to our runway, “Cessna three eight one ready for taxi for straight out departure on runway two four” after a while we got the reply “Cessna three eight one, you are clear for taxi on general aviation taxi way, taxi to and hold short of runway two four”. After all the radio work was done for a while we got in line for our departure. After doing another pre-flight we radioed into the tower, “Ann Arbor Tower this is Cessna three eight one ready for take off at runway two four”, then after a few seconds we passed “Cessna three one eight you are cleared for take off on runway two four”, then the fun began.
We ram the throttle into the dash for full throttle on the old girl. Then right when we hit sixty eight miles an hour and we both pulled back on the yoke and we were off. I didn’t notice or realize how much of my fear of heights was until we got up into our altitude of one thousand eight hundred feet and began to look around some. I couldn’t see my house but I did find my high school and when I say that it wasn’t bad for its view. But since I was afraid of heights I actually focused on the plane a lot more than view. But after flying for an hour we were ready to take back down. Before I knew it we were radioing our transmissions “Cessna three eight one cleared for full stop lading on runway two four, Ann Arbor Tower”. After a nice and soft lading we taxied back to the lady’s (the plane’s) hangar while I was saying thanks to the tower for a great afternoon flight in the sky.
You know I find it like it’s magic that an invisible force that we all breathe everyday and every minuet of the day and make a one thousand three hundred ninety six pound aircraft fly into the wind like it’s weightless."

Cody has plans to become a hang glider pilot next year. After that I have no doubt that he will move into powered ultralights, Light Sport Aircraft, and then General Aviation aircraft. His career might even involve aviation.

My work was simple. I only answered his questions and pointed him in the right direction. By doing those two simple things I converted a landlubber into a future pilot. We need more pilots and If you do those two simple things I am confident that the pilot population will expand. Creating a pilot is not only good for the aviation industry, but is great for the individual person. That person will be changed forever.

Go out to the airport, find those people who have their fingers in the airport fence and change their lives! We need more pilots.

It's Here

The full story to come.

The Clock Is Ticking

The Pterodactyl is almost here!

Get Your Countdown

Domain Name Purchased

In the past, you would have to type in "flightdream.blogspot.com" in order to get to my blog. Now all you have to do is go to pFlying.com. I'm amazed that pFlying.com was still available.

Before, you had to type in twenty characters before the .com. Now you only have to type in seven!


The Pterodactyl will arrive this weekend(8/9-10/08) if all goes well. I'm amazingly excited.

Pterodactyl Pre-Purchase Inspection and More

Greetings aviators and enthusiasts,

Not too long ago I traveled up to Red Bluff to do a pre-purchase inspection on a Pterodactyl. The ride there was very quick and crop dusters kept my head on a swivel. I think I counted four of them on the way up there.

As planned, Bob and his wife Cynthia were waiting outside of the gate. They swept their card and the gate opened up. Bob pointed us (my mom and I) towards his hangar and sure enough it looked like there was a Pterodactyl in there. Out on the hangar driveway was Bob's 80 hp Sonex. It had bullet holes and rip marks stickered on. I thought it added a lot to the plane.

Bob asked me how I "got bit" and I explained how I fell in love. He shared his love story as well and before we had much time to chat, he looked at my mom and said something like "Before it gets too hot, would you mind If I took mark up in my plane." This completely knocked me off my feet. I hadn't expected this at all. Bob said something like "You had to have known." I guess I came blindfolded.

In all the other planes I'd flown in, I had memorized all the v-speeds. I do this so that if my pilot were to become unable to fly I would have a better idea how to land. This time I'd be leaving the ground without that information.

We taxied to the hold short line of runway 15 and did the pre-takeoff checklist. Both mags were good, carburetor heat was working and everything else told us that it was time to fly. I was dying from the heat that the bubble canopy was giving us so I was very eager to get airborne. We then checked for traffic, made our radio call and crept out onto the runway. Bob brought up the flaps and applied full power ahead.

Soon enough we were moving into the third dimension and my flying withdrawals were overcome. I was amazed at how it handled in the air. No Cessna will ever be like it. If I was blindfolded and put into this plane, I would have guessed that I was flying in an Extra 300. We were doing 40 degree turns, descending turns, sharp climbs, etc. I'd never felt as much G in my entire life.

When Bob handed me the controls at first, I was amazed at how responsive the plane was. No wonder why it felt like an Extra 300. After a second or two, I was able to hold altitude while turning but it certainly wasn't as easy as it was in the two Quicksilvers I'd flown in. Since I didn't have all the v-speeds memorized, I asked if I could stall it and Bob had no problems with that. At least I knew the stall speed.

If everyone had the chance to fly in a Sonex, we'd all have one and airport congestion would actually be a problem for the General Aviation and Sport Pilot guys. Flying faster than a Cessna 150 and burning only 4 gallons per hour is impressive. At 8,000 feet it gets 37.5 miles to the gallon. At sea level it gets 32.5 miles to the gallon. People, this thing probably gets better fuel economy than your car!!! Why aren't you flying!!!

Sonex is probably really happy with me right now and since I'm not getting payed, I'll stop giving them a free advertisement. The flight was amazing to say the least.

After getting out Bob and I checked out the Piper Cub that had just landed from a flight. It was beautifully maintained. I'd probably say that it was in better condition than the day it rolled out of Piper's factory. I'll have to get myself a ride in one of those one day. The pilot had flown ultralights back in the 80s, so we had something to relate to. The Cub was another thing that I hadn't expected to see that day.

We finally moved over towards the Pterodactyl. I was amazed at how light the hang cage was. I could easily lift it. Granted, the wing wasn't attached but it was still impressive. Bob immediately pointed out that it would need new gas tanks and new wheels. Overall, it was in better condition than I expected it to be. I noticed a few rusty nuts here and there, but there were no major surprises. What a contrast from the last Pterodactyl I looked at.

Bob and I got out the wing and unzipped and unrolled it from it's bag. The bag had seen it's time, but the wing was beautifully colorful. I attempted to push a hole through the fabric and did a good job of hurting my finger. The sails were in fantastic condition. There were some mud dauber nests in the bag, but they had done no damage to the sail. Bob explained that they appeared during his possession. The previous owner, a Pterodactyl dealer, had kept it in it's bag, inside a heated room.

Oh...and did I forget to tell you? Bob's throwing in a pair of floats! They do need some repair work though. The flight with Dennis and his Quicksilver was nothing but pure fun! Eventually I'll probably get some extra training and do some float flying! I'm not really sure where I will fly it though. The only two places I can think of is the delta where I flew with Dennis and Folsom Lake.

After putting the wing back away, Bob and I spent about an hour sitting down going through the manuals, receipts, float information, etc. He wanted to make sure I knew what I'll be getting myself into if I decide to take on this project. We also went through a box full of extra stuff which contained a strange altimeter, tie downs, the float hardware, a control stick, bicycle brakes, a throttle, and some other miscellaneous hardware.

Bob gave me a leather briefcase full of Pterodactyl information, a box full of aviation magazines, and the large box of extra stuff to go through. He told me to go through it and get a good understanding of what I need to do to it before it's flyable. He doesn't want me to end up with a project that I'll get lost in the middle of, resulting in discouragement in aviation.

It's been a week since my visit and I've spent all my time going through every word of every document relating to the Pterodactyl. What's my final decision? You'll have to find out next time on the hyperbole channel.


Safe, fun flying folks,
Mark Zinkel

Pterodactyls

I've recently fallen in love with the Pterodactyl line of ultralights. I've always loved canard aircraft, so it's only natural that I'd find a Pterodactyl. About a month ago I traveled out to purchase a Pterodactyl. I cannot believe the amount of money I have saved up over five years. Now is the time to find a plane!

I had written a whole post about my experience spending 11 hours on the road with an ultralight in "excelent condition" on my mind. I deleted it because it offended the seller (sorry seller). To put things short, I went back home with a $150 dent in my back pocket.

Here's a picture of the Pterodactyl Ascender in "excelent condition."

There is hope though. When I was digging up information trying to find design flaws, weak parts, and flying characteristics, I came across a man who was wanting to get rid of his Pterodactyl. It's not an Ascender, but he has the canard kit which will make it one. My plans with it is to install the canard, add brakes and a steerable nosegear. There are steerable nosegear kits available these days, so I'll definitely purchase one of those. Someone else has engineered a really lightweight brake setup, so I think I'll copy them with that. The canard kit should be a breeze since all you have to do is follow the directions and use common sense.

Lightweight Brake Setup

The seller has sent me some pictures earlier today and it looks like it's in very nice condition. Right now, I'm getting zero red flags from this guy. He sounds like he's a really honest guy. We probably spent a half hour to an hour on the phone hangar flying. Most of that chat wasn't even about his sale. The only thing that I'm a bit worried about is the wing. If I remember correctly, the guy hasn't opened it up himself. We will zip it out of it's bag and open it up together next Saturday and see how it looks.

The Pterodactyl Without Wing

If all goes well, I might have myself my first airplane!

"Find out next time on the hyperbole channel!" -Scott P. Fletcher


Happy Flying,
Mark Zinkel

Money Makes the World Go Around

"Money makes the world go around." It's true. The more and more I become involved in light aviation, the more I get excited. I'm constantly surrounded by people who want an airplane that does everything. I agree that a Quicksilver with a Rotax 912, brakes, fairings, wheel pants and a windshield is amazing. At the end of the day though, all those accessories are unneeded.

I've realized that you will never get everything you want because what you want never ends. It's like a highway to death. At the same time, you should be allowed to follow your passions and discover where they take you. There's a significant difference between getting what you want and following your dreams. The vector which takes you towards your passion points to happiness, while getting what you want leads people to a state of ignorance.

Right now, I'm looking for a safe, used, and cheep ultralight. Progress of the Skypup has stopped for now. Again, another deadline is coming up and this time I'm not going to put myself at risk of making poor decisions (thanks to everyone who let me know last time). This deadline is the ELSA training deadline which doesn't allow training in ELSA aircraft after January 31, 2010 unless you own the aircraft. I understand that there are ways around the rule (by design), but why allow more problems to fall through the holes.

The Skypup will continue, but for now I'm looking for something that won't take 500 hours to put together. I'm completely willing to buy an airplane without an engine or something that's a little bit damaged. Ultralights are simple and easy to fix. For now, I'll be happy with what I get. It will be a significant step towards my passion and with that, I'm happy.


Money doesn't have to make the world go around,
Mark Zinkel

Foam, Foam, Everywhere

Most people freak when they hear me talking about building a Styrofoam airplane. I typically get responses like "Are you talking about a real airplane?" When I reply, I'll typically get responses like "I wouldn't get in an airplane made of Styrofoam." I even had one guy who told me that I'm sixteen years old, with no flying experience, no building experience, and certainly no airplane building experience and because of those ridiculous reasons I'm building a flying coffin. It's hard not to laugh at these poorly informed people. It's really discouraging the way mainstream media like FOX and CNN spins everything in a way that keeps them making money and the people entertained. Where's the responsibility?

I've noticed that If I use the term "high density foam," people don't ask questions. That's why I don't use the term. Keeping people excited and a tad bit shocked of the pure magic of the Skypup is what I like doing.

Anyways, all of the above is just a rant. What I really came here to talk about is that I finally got myself blue dow Styrofoam! The Skypup mainly consists of that stuff, so therefore, having access to this stuff is major progress. I've been searching around for several months thinking that it was safest to purchase the foam in the thicknesses called out in the plans. Boy was I wrong. I've found that it's actually perfectly safe to get thick sheets, then splice it down into smaller sheets when needed. In most aspects, it's more convenient since there's less surface area to get damaged in storage.

I called a 50 mile radius from my house, looking for foam in the 3/4 inch thickness. In the end, the place where I purchased my foam wasn't even two miles away! I ended up purchasing the thickest stuff that Dow makes for my desired sheet size (2x8). Oh the joys of being properly informed!

I just saved a lot of money from switching my foam thickness to four inches! I'm a happy man!


(Pictures to come!)

Another Trike Flight!

Well, my birthday has passed and I got another hour flight in Doug's trike! It has been an entire year since I've flown and it was great to finally be flying again. Unfortunately flying is like a drug; the more you fly (NOT on the airlines), the more you want it. Flying on the airlines does the exact opposite and makes you want to kill yourself.

I'd lost the antenna on my Icom A-3 transceiver while biking to the local airport one day. I was hoping that my mom could listen to my radio during the flight to listen to us depart and arrive back at the airport. Another birthday gift given to me was the antenna, but it was still in the mail. Literally five minutes before we left to go to the airport, a package arrived and it just happened to be the antenna! It was like magic! As if it was supposed to happen.

About fifty minutes later, the car was parked just outside the Southwest most hangar. The energy inside me was at the boiling temperature. I shook Doug's hand and he had a genuine smile on his face.

After attaching my camera to a neckband, so it wouldn't accidentally fall out (and through the prop) I got strapped in with Doug's assistance. He pushed the trike out of the hangar, warmed up the engine, and off we taxied towards the runway.

After doing a 360 on the ground looking for traffic flying the wrong side of the pattern (idiot traffic), I heard a click through my helmet. "Lodi traffic, Weight Shift something, something, something, I don't remember is taking off runway three-zero for Southwest departure." We taxied onto the runway and the Rotax 552 (blue) melodically hummed (the fat, ignorant people on the ground that sit on their couch watching the Sopranos all day will complain that it screams). While the trike was rolling (not very long), Doug was explaining how the trike will take off by itself. He didn't give the bar a push or do anything to get flying earlier, he just let the trike do it all by itself while placing his hand just an inch or two away from the control bar. Soon enough, I was no longer shackled on the ground.

About twenty feet above the ground, reality set in. I realized that I was flying! Actually flying! The left side of my brain (the mathematical and systematic side) knew that we were going to fly and was not shocked when we did, but my right side of my brain (creative side) was surprised. There was a definite feeling relief at that moment. It's the feeling of all your worries and stress being left behind.

We climbed even further then made our left turnout. It was a little hazy, so we decided to climb above it and get a clear view of mount Diablo. Along the way we discovered an inversion layer. At 1,400 feet we were above the haze and saw Diablo quite clearly as we headed towards it. To our left was the city of Lodi.

When passing Kindon Airpark a multi engine aircraft took off and it made me realize how slow we were actually going. He rocketed away as we putted along at 42 mph. He can enjoy his speed because we were having so much more fun than he was. Those general aviation guys just don't understand what ultralights are all about. I know that a general aviation guy (or gal) is probably reading this right now, and therefore I challenge you to find an ultralight instructor and get a flight in a Challenger, Quicksilver, trike of any sort, Kolb, etc. Just be warned, you'll soon be purchasing one shortly after.

Soon enough, we were flying over the delta (at a safe altitude of course). This is the place where I've been to many times...on boat and even by air with Dennis. Ahead of us was Lost Isle. After Doug pointed it out, I informed him that that's where all the crazy parties happen.

The rest of the trip was a bit of a blur. I remember seeing all sorts of boats and birds. At one point of the trip, Doug took back control of the trike and I took out my camera and started taking pictures. This was also the time when my body started shivering. Here (below) are those pictures that I took. You can click on any of the pictures, then click on the "all sizes button" to get a high res version. I give you personal permission to use any or all of them for any purpose including commercial uses as long as you let me know what you're doing beforehand to answer my curiosity.












This last picture is my favorite out of them all and I have it hanging on my wall to remind me of the flight.

After leaving the delta, we did some low flight (about 20 feet AGL) over a road in the middle of a massive field. As we gained some altitude when the road made a 90 degree turn, there was a bunch of fake rubber birds to our right in the field. We had a feeling the ducks were used for hunting of some sort. Flying low in a hunting field doesn't give you the best of feelings.

The aiport was near and the flight was almost over. As usual we entered on the 45 into downwind. On the fourty five there was a multi engine airplane (a Baron I believe) departed the airport and flew about 200 feet away and above from us. He took some military guys from Iraq to visit their families in Lodi. As we turned onto downwind there was some idiot (he wasn't flying the idiot pattern though) in a single seat Quicksilver who took off runway 26 and flew in front of us and all over the pattern. Doug felt uneasy and took back control. Once we were on short final we both had control and made our landing pushout on the control bar.

Despite that it got a little cold, it was still a fantastic flight. I can't wait to go again. If you're a pilot and in the Northern Califonia area leave me a comment! Hehe.

2007 Golden West Fly-in

Since I've gone to this fly-in before and have posted all about it, I'll make this one short.

The people at fly-ins are amazing. Unlike the air show, I was allowed and encouraged to sit inside almost any aircraft I chose (as long as the owner was near). Everyone was happy to tell me about their airplane and give advice. No questions are left unanswered.

The ultralight side of things were ugly. I saw one trike trainer and an uncompleted Quicksilver II. The powered parachutes were happy, and I saw a powered paraglider in flight.

The sport pilot side of things was very happy. I got to meet someone from an ultralight Yahoo group, and saw his Rotax 912 powered Eurofox. I also had the opportunity to sit in a Sportstar, which almost put me to sleep (the seats were amazingly comfortable). Everywhere I turned there was another LSA.

The best part of the fly-in was the dinner with Mike Melvill, pilot of SpaceShipOne! The stories he told were amazing. There were two stories he told that I really enjoyed. One was when he was coming back into earth and started playing around with the space ship doing barrel rolls. Knowing that the FAA might be upset about that, he finished having fun and announced on the radio "Roll test complete." My other favorite part of his speech was the story of when he strapped himself on the top of a UAV with limited controls. The autopilot on the UAV failed and he could not keep the aircraft level (he was able to hold 45 degrees from level). Being the brilliant man he is, he shoved the stick in the direction of the lowered wing while close to the ground, and used adverse yaw to get him safely to the ground. This proves that knowledge is power!

Another very exciting at the Golden West fly-in!

Cheers everyone,
Mark Zinkel

The Radio

I will eventually need a radio. I'm not the only one flying, so a radio adds extra safety to the equation. I figured that since it would be a while until I actually have a complete Skypup, I could purchase a transceiver and have some more to do while I'm waiting to finally be in the air.

It comes down to reputation. I would like a radio that's built tough, digital, and going to last a long time. The leader of handheld radios is Icom, due to their great reputation of hi quality products (I feel like I'm giving them a free add), and this was what I'm looking for. Since I'd like to keep as much money as possible in my wallet, I was going to give Ebay a try.

There were many Icom airband radios on Ebay, each ending about a day apart from each other. The first three auctions I lost due to people putting bids at the last couple seconds. I never knew that an Ebay auction could be so stressful, but during those three auctions I learned many strategies which benefited me.

During the fourth auction I felt like I would either win the auction, or break my mouse from pounding on it during the last two seconds of the auction. Sure enough, the stress payed off and I won the auction. Yay!

The radio arrived last week, and as soon as I got back from my school band's spring trip, I took a bike ride to the nearby class delta airport, and turned on the radio. Transmissions were crystal clear, and it made my visit to the airport much more enjoyable than my old ones.


That's what new and exciting in my life. My two new goals are:
A - Learn to read blueprints so I can understand my Skypup plans.
B - Start building my Skypup.

Over,
Mike Alpha Romeo Kilo

The Big Decision

Well, I have been thinking about this for a long time, and now, I've finally made my decision.

At first, I was thinking that I would probably get a Quicksilver MX, but after a while, I started to see other aircraft that met my interest. The CGS Hawk, the Challenger, Phantom, Flightstar, and much more. Perhaps I should invest in something else other than a Quicksilver.

Many, many months ago, I looked for ultralight yahoo groups to join. There weren't many, and at the time, there was only one that was active. The Skypup group. My first impression of the Skypup was not a good one. It looked bulky, big, and too much of a haste. Then after a while, it became the inverse. People were talking about the simple construction, low costs, easy fun flying characteristics, and great portability. To top that off, the group was nice, helpful, and had each others back.

As good as the Skypup sounded, I wanted to make sure I wasn't getting myself into trouble. I had many other options. The Quicksliver MX, the Kolb Firefly or Firestar, Mitchell Wing, a trike, Phantom, etc. I was hoping that the trike flight would help me narrow down these options to just fixed wing, or trike, but in the end, it did nothing (just an amazing ride).

As I mentioned last post, I enjoy flying in general. Trike flying is great, but fixed wing is also awesome. With that in mind, I decided that why not build a Skypup. Haven't heard a complaint about the Pup (except for vibration) yet. I've finally found my bird, my love, and my new girlfriend.

Now I can soar like a bird (the glide ratio is an impressive 12:1), dance with the wind, and fly like a pilot. Cacn you tell that I'm in love?

The Trike Flight

The flight was scheduled for 4:00 pm on a wonderful clear blue Sunday. The drive there showed me what a great evening it was for flying. Before I saw the airport, a Quicksilver flew over the car.

The Lodi airport (1O3) was full of all sorts of ultralights in the traffic pattern. It was a friendly greeting and a sign of how great my flight was going to be. I found Doug and Doug's hanger without a problem. Doug seamed to be a nice guy excited to share the sport with me. After my mom signed my life away, Doug and I were ready to fly.
My mom had never seen a trike before. She later told me that it looked like "a little toy." The smooth fiberglass parts of the trike, gave it shiny toy-like look to it. It truly was a beauty. It's my version of a girlfriend.

When Doug and I got in the girlfriend, I heard something over the radio:

"Lodi Traffic, Piper Cherokee is on right downwind for runway two six. Lodi"

At first, I thought It was Doug talking to me over the intercom system, but it was actually over the radio. It was sort of surprising because I never remember transmissions being so clear when flying with Bill and Ray. This was either due to the icom radio, or the Lynx headset.

We taxied to runway 30 applied full power, and was off! The 4:00 air was very smooth and silky, which made for a very enjoyable flight. I remember when flying with Ray, the air was very disturbed and choppy with tons of little cotton ball thermals. Also with Bill and our 12:00 flight, we had to fly higher than normal where the air was less disturbed. This time, the air was so much nicer, which allowed us to fly lower.

When I was allowed to take over the wing, I quickly got a hold of the technique. This was nice because I was able to fly it (except throttle) to Lake Comanche without concentrating on flying the trike, giving me maximum pleasure. Once we arrived, Doug showed me some low flight. After that, he gave me the wing and we climbed back up and followed the creek back to the airport.

When flying back, I pointed out two ducks to Doug, which was flying faster than us! Doug replied in a disappointed tone of voice "Yeah...they are." Ducks are basically rocks with tiny wings. If a duck needs to fly, it must overcome these problems with pure thrust. I wouldn't feel so bad, Doug.

When the airport was in sight, I was disappointed, yet still very excited for the landing. I still had the wing when we were entering the traffic pattern at a 45 degree angle (standard procedure). A little time passed, and we were on the downwind leg. I still had control of the wing. Time passed and I found myself on base. It was an amazing feeling of importance that I felt when I was flying my first traffic pattern. When I was turning on to final, I started to hear Doug talking to himself. About 2-ish feet above the ground, Doug and I pushed forward on the control bar at the same time. We were on the same brainwave, thinking the same thing, at the same time. It was absolutely amazing and Doug is insanely lucky to have such a great job.



This was an incredibly great flight, and I learned several things:

1. Flying is fun. In a 3-axis, trike, etc. Aircraft type doesn't matter.
2. I prefer open cockpit designs.
3. I'm desperate to fly. I can't wait until I finally get my own ultralight.


Get me in the sky,
Mark Zinkel

The Birthday Gift

I'm writing this latest post in Boulder Colorado. We drove all the way here from California to visit my brother. He moved here a little less than a year ago. We also decided to celebrate my birthday and thanksgiving up here (at 5,300 ft) too.

The drive was long, yet it wasn't so bad. It would have helped if the scenery wasn't as redundant during the trip. Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming looks almost identical....only slight changes. This makes me glad that I live in California. Green California!

The day we arrived, we went to a restraunt to have a low key birthday celebration. The food was quite delicious. I had a ciabatta mushroom sandwich and as nasty as it sounds, it was actually quite tasty. With a low appetite from driving all that day, my stomach filled up quickly.

Me being me, I wanted to open my birthday gifts at the last possible moment, but my mother wanted me to do it sooner.....so I did. All of the gifts were great, but stood out. It was a one hour trike flight with Douglas Donaldson from Golden State Trikes (goldenstatetrikes.com)!

I allways thought I'd be a fixed wing ultralight guy, but I never even thought about trying out some weight shift. Papapaul posted a comment on my previous post saying that I should wait a little longer and get a trike. This made me curious. Perhaps I would enjoy trike flying better? With that in mind, I started thinking about getting an introductory flight in a trike. I never told my mom this, but ironicly, thats what I got.

Whenever I find a good weathered weekend and Douglas D. is available, I'll be off flying once again. Afterwards, you can expect another post.


See you in a couple of weeks!

Tailwinds,
Mark Zinkel

Did I get my very own ultralight?

In between the two flights I had with Dennis, somthing else was going on that's important to the whole picture. It's somthing that I will remember for the rest of my life. Somthing I'll share with my grandkids when I'm older. Every once and a while the story will gnaw at my brain and start teasing me. My gosh!, writing up this one will be hard.

Ebay

Ebay is theplace where you can buy anything and everything. From used socks, to boats, to airplanes, ebay has it. There are normally a couple of ultralights on ebay, but they normally sell for $1,800 and up (non dammages ones). I try to watch for patterns and stratagies that could be usefull for me in the future.

Normally watching these ultralights sell is painful. They sell at very low prices for the quality aircraft that they are. Yeah, prices are low, yet not low enough for me. Comparing the amount of money I have to the amount that's being sold, I realise that I have a long way to go, yet I try to ignore the truth and tell myslelf that a miricle could happen.

Miricles

Miricles do happen. And they happen at very suprising times. I love composite airplanes (fiberglass), and I also love the canard configuration (where the tail is in the front) in airplanes. During the milddle of the week, an ultralight with these same charachteristics popped up. It was a Eurowing Goldwing.

Doing more research on the Goldwing, I found that it was a beautiful airplane that doesn't have the popularity that it should. The composite construction made the aircraft much more durable than fabric covered aircraft, yet the weight stays within the legal FAR 103 limit. No need to purchase expensive sails every six, or seven years. It cruises at 55 mph, and stalls at a slow 25 mph.

It was a kit, which means that I'd have to assemble the aircraft. The average construction time to put one of these together is 400 hours. I figured that it would take a little longer with me because I'd have to learn proper building methods such as fiberglassing, dealing with epoxy, etc. I'm also a perfectionest, which is a good thing when it comes to building an airplane. Every edge would be sanded smooth, every bolt would be properly tightened, wireing would be cleenly organised, etc. It would probably take me at least 800 hours to build, but that's fine with me, as my life would rely on the airplane when I finally got to fly it.

What was really nice was that it was located very close to my house. Even closer to my families vacation cabin. Soo close to the cabin, I could walk to the airport from the cabin, and still have hours of daylight left. Just about 10 miles away. No need to trailer the aircraft across states. Just right to the cabin. Geting it home wouldn't be a problem either, as it's only about 100 miles. That's 100 miles that we drive regularly. It was soo close, it was killing me.

A Eurowing Goldwing on the Ground

This was an aircraft for me. I felt like it allready belonged to me, as it had (and still does) a special place in my heart. Although I figured that bids would quickly go over my budget, I dreamed that a miricle. There was nothing else in the world that I wanted more. Just a miricle, just a miricle...my fingers were crossed.

As days, went by my fingers remained crossed. Strangely enough, and to my suprise, there had been very little bidding action going on. The last day of ebay auctions are allways the most intense and the bid price also has the greatest spike during that time. I was leaving to go to the delta that same day (when I just happened to fly with Dennis), so my mom decided to take the responcibility of bidding for me. She asked me what was the highest price that I was willing to bid and I told her $450 (told you it was a miricle). It was a rough guess. I knew I had a little more, but I didn't want to give her a number that was higher than what I actually had, so to be safe, $450 was the magic number.

A couple hours after flying with Dennis for the first time, I called my mom to see what was happening. We were the highest bidder at that time, although there had been some rough competitors. The bid was at $417. Later, my mom called me and said that one of the sellers put in a bid for $431. He must have had an automatic bid thing going on because the next bid my mom made was $450.......the magic number. It was dark when my mom called me again. She informed me that my agressive competitor had made a bid $5 over the magic number. I knew I had $5 more, so told my mom to put in a bid for $460. She refused and did not bid. My friends around me all said that they would pitch in some money so I could get this aircraft, but my mom was still stiff.

To this day, I don't understand why my mom did not put in that extra $10. I would have that debt payed off within a week, probably before she even collected my money. If I ask her if she's afraid of me flying, she says no, but maybe deep down inside she doen't want me flying and is afraid. The real answer remains out there.

The final bid was $455. I had lost the plane by five dollars. That's less that what it probably costs you to drive to the grocery store. Less than a good burger. Less than a cheep, flimsy, plastic cup. Less than a large pack of paper plates.

What is the moral of the story? Do what you have to do. If you can recover quickly, make small risks. Give yourself a little bit of slack, but not too much. If I were allready following the moral of this story before it happened, I wouldn't be talking about what a loss this was, I would be talking about what a good deal it was and how great it is to be flying.

"If you got to do it, do it!"
-Ben- high school band leader

Goodbye my lover,
Goodbye my friend,
You have been the one,
You have been the one for me.

My eyes turned skywards,
Mark Zinkel

Youtube Video

Greetings!

I recenly made a video just for this blog, so I hope you enjoy it.

Ultralight Flight Dream


Stay tuned, great stuff is just around the corner!


Tailwinds,
Mark Z.

I Need an Ultralight

Flying with Dennis

My friend James invited me to his vacation trailer next to the Sacramento delta. It's in a trailer park/campground called Tower Park. I was availabe that weekend, so I accepted. Tower park is allways a fun place because there's a pool, a bunch of cool people, and golf carts. I was ready for a fun weekend.

When we arrived I got settled in, them told everyone that I'd be back. I knew there was a Quicksilver MX II on floats near the dock, so I went there to check it out. It looked like a well maintained aircraft that had been put into good hands, except that the sailcloth was exposed to the harmful UV rays of the sun. I was wondering how many sails the guy had gone through.

Later that day I brought my friends to the Quicksilver to show off the aircraft. When we arrived there was a guy standing near the aircraft, so I asked if it was his. It was. We had a really great conversation, and when I started to leave, Dennis asked me if I wanted to fly with him in about an hour. Obviously I accepted, and was as excited as ever.

An hour later I was back at the dock, this time with a blue angels shirt. If I was going to be flying, I figured that I should be flying with an aviation shirt. Why not? Dennis and I pushed the aircraft off the dock and into the water, then climed abord. I got into the seat on the right.

Dennis just got his fiberglass floats repaired, so he was eager to fly too. Apparently, he was taxing to his take off position when a small log hit his floats. The log was mostly underwater so Dennis didn't see it. It was about 6 or 7 inches long and about 4 inches wide. It's amazing what dammage a small chunk of wood can do. The dammage kept Dennis handcuffed to the ground for about a week, until someone came out to fix the crack.

As we were in position and pointing West (that's the direction where the wind comes from in this neck of the woods), we waited for boat traffic to disappear. Once clear, Dennis asked me if I saw any more boats. I said no, and Dennis applied full power to the Rotax 503. The MX glided along the watter, then gracefully flew into the air. I could feel the air blowing against my face as I was watching the ground below me become smaller.

At about 200 feet, Dennis reduced the throttle to it's crusing position, and we soared over the delta below us. I could see the crisp green crops boardering the water. The air was perfect, feeling like we were gliding on frictionless rails. I'd never been as close to heaven as I was durning those moments.Quicksilver MX II on floats (not Dennis' plane)

After a while, Dennis let me take over the controls. I had spent countless hours reading about flight, and practicing the things I've learned on a flight simulator. To top that off I had done introductory flights with Ray Mellow, and Bill Bardin. I allready had a general idea how to fly, but apparently, Dennis didn't expect me to know soo much. He started off holding the stick while having his feet on the rudder petals, but soon realised that I didn't need his assistance. From that point on, he let me fly it for the rest of the flight, except for the landing.

Once landed, Dennis asked me if I wanted to go flying again the next day at 8:00 in the morning. Without hessitation, I accepted. That flight was just as good, if not better than the last. This time, Dennis let me do the take off and the entire flight. Again, we crused around the delta in perfect air.

During the second flight, Dennis informed me that he was legally blind. This made total sence because he asked me several times what way a boat was going, or if I saw some power lines that was supposed to be nearby and other questions relating to vision. This didn't worry me at all since I have a perfectly good pair of eyes, but it did enable me to tell my friends that I flew with someone that was blind.


This story has soo much more detail that I haven't even gone over, but I think I'm going to wrap it up. The general idea is established.


Tailwinds,
Mark Z. - Money is the only thing holding me back from flying.