Been a long time ago that I met him. He had been flying commercial for decades. With balloons airports and landing strips are a God send. For us it's fields and large yards.

Depending on how the winds have been shifting, picking up or dying off, if you are over forest, or what not, you are looking for any good sized hole in the area clear of power lines and structure to drop into. This is why I fly so cautious and infrequently. Doncha know I'd rather be on the ground looking skyward and wishing I was in the air, than in the air looking Earthward praying for a break in the obstacles?

 

Amen to that, its like me flying a 60 year old plane, always have to keep a forced landing in mind, so I do find myself looking at fields and highways just in case. I've made one forced landing and you can imagine that after everything came to a stop(zero damage to the aircraft, and one very surprised soy bean farmer), my heart started beating again. Know what I mean?

The fun part was getting a Cessna 172 with a blown jug out of the field and onto a truck, they just don't make them so they can be easily disassembled using the on-board toolkit.

 

Did they hit you with an incident?

 

No they didn't, after much investigation and paperwork(26 months worth), the final determination was "Engine failure due to manufacturing defects leading to forced off field landing".

The aircraft has changed hands and "N" numbers since then, but do you wonder if the current owners ever wonder about the log entry of "Forced landing, soy bean field, Roseville IL"?

 

Would you ever try this?



This will most likely be my next evolution in aeronautical lunacy.

No crew needed, and it'll fit easily the the back of the HHR.

 

I've flown a few Micro-Lights, but after seeing one of those suffer a collapsed canopy at an air show(with the pilots subsequent death two days later from the injuries suffered), I'll just skip trying one of those if that's OK with you?

 

Would this be any better?



I keep waffling between the Powered Paraglider and this type of Cloudhopper balloon. This will fit in the HHR... only need one other person to go with and help me inflate, launch and drive the car in chase.

I'd rather fly a balloon than the PPG but the cost differential is pretty persuading.

 

How about a personal jet ??

 

Do you think they'd allow me to fly that with an LTA rating on my ticket?

I'm looking for something that will fit in the HHR.... not lift it off the runway

Want to stay in my rating or go ultralight under part 103 of the FARs.

 

How can this guy look so relaxed ?