May 18th Students

click on any photo to enlarge

Instructor Rich Cizauskas of Madison at the bottom of the training hill going over the basics. With the high winds we opted for the hill leaving the scooter tow in the hanger for the calmer days. In the yellow harness Steve Julik back for lessons after a 35-year hang gliding hiatus. And back for a second lesson Marty Vinson of La Crosse in the red jacket.


Students gradually worked their way to the top of the hill. Today was the inaugural flight of the Condor 225 pictured above.


Pictured above is Joe Julik (Steve's brother) coming in for a landing after his first Mosquito flight, the first one is always the hardest. Ask if he is going to go up again, he said "No thanks - I've had enough!" A good thing to quit while you are ahead with wind conditions not kind to personal aviation firsts. Joe has owned the Mosquito for a year and is very happy to finally know that it works as advertised.

Next Weekend! We will be out, even if the weather doesn't look perfect

Student #4 - 5/8/08

click any photo to enlarge

Marty Vinson of La Crosse recently purchased a used 1999 Mosquito that he found on the East Coast and needed us to take a look at it and also check out his foot-launching skills. At 9am on Thursday morning we all met at Twin Oaks, the wind was steady out of the east at 10-15mph. Since Marty was a Hang II we put him on the Falcon 195 and towed in our strongest winds to date. In short - all went well and he is ready for his first powered harness flight on his next visit.

First Students of 2008

Click on any photo for a larger image

We welcome into our training program

Dell Cross (Menasha,WI)

Herb Benton (Waukesha, WI)

Dan Kidd (Crystal Lake, IL)

Strong SW winds made the training hill a better option on Sunday afternoon rather than scooter towing. Rik (instructor) and the students had the added benefit of burning a few calories and lowering their carbon footprint for the day.

Left to right: Herb Benton, Dan Kidd, Dell Cross and Rik Bouwmeester

Above: Going over the basics in the hanger at Twin Oaks Airport.

Dell Cross holds the wing steady while instructor Rik Bouwmeester takes a well deserved 30 second break. A special thanks to Terry Kramer for the use of his Falcon 195.

The second to last flight of the afternoon, Herb Benton does well and is looking forward to flying his Mosquito once he gets qualified.

Everyone left the airport happy and will be back for more training.

Rich Cizauskas - First DoodleBug Flight

Click for larger image

Actually this is a photo of his second launch. Rich was impressed with the contraption and bought me a beer later to prove it. The stronger and gusty winds Sunday didn't die down and smooth out until 6pm giving Rich gentler "powered harness newbie" launching conditions.

Twin Oaks Sign Proposal

Click on sign for larger view

I hope as many people as possible can comment on this sign. I have a son (Eric) who has his own sign business in Racine (OneDesign Signs). About $150 will cover material expenses and the vinyl is the less expensive "good for 3-5 years" kind. This will look so much better than hand painted and it takes minutes for Eric to machine cut the type.

The photo an actual club member (please ID for me) that a friend took last summer while I was showing him the operation.

Paul

First Test Flights - April 19/20

Despite temporarily getting stuck in the muddy part of McDermott (FYI-Spectra line makes a good tow line!) Rik, Thor and I got yanked into the sky 15 times. Saturday the conditions were perfect for the huge Condor 330 (light winds) and by the end of the day we unanimously decided this the best beginner hang gliding training tool available and all for less gas than a cup of coffee.

Sunday we set up the intermediate glider and the pulley and were very pleased with the test results. Thanks to Pilots Dan Morris & Rik Bouwmeester, Mechanic Army Bob and Photographer Annette. With a few more tweaks to the scooter - we are ready for students.

By the way, the ticks are out in full force.

Open House - Grand Opening

Click on photo to enlarge.

Update: Mark Paffrath (www.markpaffrath.com) has agreed to join up with Richard Holly for the party. Together Mark and Richard have a rich musical history spanning decades.

The towing will be all day (weather permitting) and the music and hors d'oeuvres will run from 3 pm to 7pm.

Check out the website: www.scootertow.net

Important dates to pencil in

May 10, 2008 - Open House at McDermott Airport in Sullivan, Wis
We will be demonstrating the scooter tow system as well as the Swedish Mosquito and British DoodleBug powered harnesses. Live music will be provided by Richard Holly (www.richardholly.com) and later (much later) the Al Pike Blues Band which is celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2008! Also fine gourmet snacks compliments of the Traveling Chef Lizz Fabel will be provided.

Speaking of entertaining...a free raffle for "on the spot" lessons (weather permitting) should also be very entertaining.

More details to come.

June 14, 2008 - Sauk Prairie Air Show, Sauk City, Wis
This will be our second appearance at this air show and for the first time we will demonstrating the scooter tow for the audience. Come visit us in the ultra light section. June 15th will be the rain day.

Welcome to the Scooter Tow Blog

This blog is designed to be an open forum for our new scooter tow system. Please feel free to comment on any part of this new venture. I am hoping that the system will be ready in March, just in time for the 2008 hang gliding season!

June 15th - Sauk Prairie Air Show
We have been invited back and this time we will be demonstrating the scooter tow as well as the Mosquito and DoodleBug.
This will be our third year at this event. We also participate in the Wisconsin Dells air show.


2008 Preliminary Towing Locations

1. McDermott, Sullivan, WI
Positives: Friendly, good location between Madison and Milwaukee. Excellent N/S grass runway
Negatives: Rough area outside of runways, SW/NE runway asphalt.

2. Sauk Prairie, Sauk City, WI
Positives: Huge, lots of grass, well maintained and great scenery. Established relationships from past air shows
Negatives: Unknown accessibility

3. Twin Oaks, Whitewater, WI
Positives: Most active hang gliding airport, home of Whitewater Hang Gliding Club, lots of grass on 3 runways. Aerotowing and small training hill available
Negatives: Not receptive to non-aerotowing launching methods

4. Bong Recreational Site, Kansasville, WI
Positives: Close to Chicago and Milwaukee, rich history of static line towing, 4,500 acres and camping
Negatives: Unknown accessibility, State Park Sticker required

5. Winfield Airport, Bristol, WI
Positives: Huge nicely mowed square, under used and very near Chicago
Negatives: Private Airport and unknown accessibility