Flyke Australia News

Day 12 pix

2007-09-16T13:39:00.000+10:00

Here are some pix of our big road trip

Day 13 to Goal

2007-09-16T13:10:00.000+10:00

Day 13 Temora to Milburlong. By Eddie

We got up at sunrise and prepaired to fly. Mark dropped in on his way to his job to say farewell. Gill and her children came for a look. Andrew Launched and got up. I botched three attemps at launching then got a good effort together for clean, straight take off. I flew tail to ward Coolamon in a strengthening wind.
Andrew had not hung about and with limited fuel had struck out for his goal making good ground speed.
I started climbing to cross a wooded band and noticed a reluctance on the motors part to maintain full revs. A misfire developed but was ok on lower throttle load. I could maintain my altitude of 450mt slowing to make the most of the occasional thermal and speeding through the sink. I was ripping along over the ground at up to 97kmh. The motor got worse and I realised that I would have to land out and could not take off again in the wind. After my experience at Gunnedah I prepared and rehersed for the strong wind approach and landing. I got the wing off right on the touchdown, all was quiet all was well. I gathered up the wing and folded it up and stowed it. The Farmer and some of his friends arrived in some disbelief at what they were witnessing.
I was in a telephone black hole but on one of the car phones I was able to get a garbled call to Thomas that I was on the Coolamon Road. I got to Coolamon and played about with the motor looking for a fault.
Thomas arrived and we had a coffee. I then set about getting to goal on the road making it in to Milburong for a great welcome in the afternoon.

By Andrew

The Final flight to goal was the biggest single flying task we had set. To achieve it would mean a personal best for both of us and an Australian record for longests flight to a declared goal. The fact that the wind direction was almost tail wind meant it could be possible, however fuel and time in the air was always gong to be a limiting factor.
Launching together would need to happen if we were going to arrive together. I made sure Ed was happy to go with out instruction and I set up. The final flight seemed to be a culmination of all the skills and experiences we had gathered in the months that preceded with one added pressure. Fuel. I had pulled up in Temora with zero fuel,,, not even in the filter so when the 10 L come my way which is all we had accounted for I knew it would be cutting it fine. My tank holds another 1.5 which in hindsight would have been better. Hindsight...
Ed and I were lining up for a take off. All preflight checks done, well almost. I gave the radio call and launched, expecting Ed to be right behind me.
Climb out was great with a right hand circuit. I set the speed to slow as I knew Ed was in toe. We were on the VHF local CTAF so it was not possible to chit chat.
Ground speed seemed to be increasing as altitude increased. I was looking at getting a feel for the flight ahead and was assessing the best altitude to flight at. Comfort was important as I knew it would that me around one and a half hours to get there.
While I was one a few km doen the road my GPS alerted me that batteries were low. Oh no.. I took a course line and turned it off. I figured that I could get it going again later done the road to correct my course.
No sign of Eddie still. I switched to the chat channel and kept trying.
Tracking towards the WSW seemed to give me the right path to goal. Unfortunately it was about 60 deg off the goal direction, however it was still cross tail. I stayed flying slow in anticipation that Ed would spring up behind me any second. I knew if the wind was to become more west it would become more efficient to fly fast , but that was eliminate the chance of meeting with Ed. I became more and more aware of my fuel levels and the thought of turning back to meet Ed meant aborting the possibility of making it in. The wind as usual would have picked up on the ground and another take off was certainly impossible. I pushed on reluctantly.
Coolamon seemed to take ages to get to and even longer to leave. It was the half way point. By this time I was turning back around often to check the fuel and I continues to monitor my height and trimmer setting. Conditions were smooth and seemed to only get a little rough at an inversion around 2500ft. It was getting on to around 9am at Coolamon. I decided to reduce height and check for more of a tail component lower. Fort the life of me I could see one wind indicator on the ground and my GPS was still only good for a few seconds. It was rougher lower as I expected.
I motored up and set the trimmers to fast. I knew it was my the best choice since the wind was shifting. By this stage I had tried several times on the VHF, n both chat and CTAF for Ed and figured was not good to have zero coms.
The night before I had spoken to Jeff Hoffman about being in touch on the way through. I switch over to UHF and managed to raise Lorain on the house base radio.
We had a chat and I told her to look out for me. By then I was about 30km for goal. My fuel situation was becoming even more critical. No sign of Ed.
I managed to get one more direction from the GSP before it died. I have the land marks of the Rock and Galore hill which I knew quiet well. On approach to Milbrulong I spotted the camp grounds. The wind was rock and roll and I scanned for the take off paddock. I continued to try for Jeff on the radio to help me hone on the official take off pad. Just as I thought all was OK my belt started to scream... It had come loose. I was still able to maintain height but the ar was soo rough I wanted to land. Continuing to push the motor was only prompt a further problem. I had now ever fewer choices. I had to land.
Goal was in glide and even with an engine out I was in.

The air became rougher and rougher up to the scale of our flight into Gunnedah. Hands on. I went from paddock to paddock, looking for the best option. While I was attempting a transmission with my hands off the brakes the glider began a steep right hand turn. Annoying... I set up for a high wind landing. In a paddock near the railway lines.

Touchdown was relatively uneventful. The quick outs we had installed were put to the test however I had not released the safety latches. After landing I managed to release one side..... The wind caught the other and rolled me gently. I was OK. My flyke was also OK. I rang Ed on his mobile but no answer. Thomas was next. He was safe around Coolomon , he had had engine problems. I raised Jeff on the radio and gave him my location. He came in the ute with a few of the lads. I was left for a few minutes alone with mixed feelings. Happy to have down my personal best, an unofficial Oz record as my GPS had died. But no sign of Ed. Dissapointed that we were not to be together. Frazzled from the rough air on landing. I managed to pack up the wing and begin to process the last one and three quarter hours.

Jeff’s smile warmed me, He was present when Ed had suggested that we fly to the pico this year and we there to meet me.

Back to the camp ground I managed to catch Ed as he zoomed into goal. By Air and by road we had made it.

Day 13

2007-09-13T12:24:00.002+10:00

The Grand finale

The morning started early as we knew there could be some wind around. The chat with Jeff the night before prompted me to believe it could be done...

As I write this I'm stilling in Milbrilongs Legend's home Jeff and Loriane Hoffman.... Yes we made it!

Eddie did the last bit by road and I'm just about to go meet up with him....
I'll post a detailed story and more pix up ASAP.

Thanks to all the support we had via the web and the text messages. It helped Big time. The people we met on the trip really made it what it was. Unbelievable.

Please come back and vist the blog as yesterday's effort was really amazing. We covered twice the km we normally do and had some more great times.

Off to see Ed and Thomas.

The Epic- Molong- Temora 250km

2007-09-13T12:24:00.001+10:00

Day-12
The Epic

Sometimes hope begins when some one says something that opens up apart of a closed idea. Eddies inspiration to make it to our goal drove us today.
Awoke early at molong and sent up a balloon it went up for a bit then shot off we had a leasurly start with coffee and hotel breakfast. We pedaled out got directions then traveled through a wooded area on the Manildra road.the going was easy and very picturesque. In Manildra we were checked out by some workers at the flour mill and photographed by others. We traveled on to Cudal across a high plain between two ridges. The wind dropped as the ridges deflected it. There was clear undulating pasture and the road really smooth. They were easy miles and a good, if a little unorthodox, way to see our country. We stopped for a coffee and a bite at Eugowra. Ben Hall, the infamous bush ranger, staged the biggest armed robbery of its time near there. I noticed I had tyre wear issues so I did a little rotation. We had attracted a little attention by then and were interviewed by a local press agent. We had the road to Goolagong under us and were soon being received by a couple of classes of the Goolagong school. From there we traveled carefully to ‘Henry Lawson’ country at Grenfell. We received exceptional service from Jason and the team at Beaurepairs at Grenfell who very kindly donated a new set of tyres for my flyke. We pushed on to Temora on their advice where we were welcomed by some of the flying community. As we were setting up camp, Gill and Mark, some friendly locals, invited us into there house to share a BBQ dinner with their family. We showed them some video on their big screen, then got back to the camp, to get ready for an early start an a crack at the Goal in Milburong.

Day 11

2007-09-13T12:23:00.000+10:00

More to come....

Day 10

2007-09-11T11:20:00.000+10:00

Day 10 –Monday

Coolah to Goolma

After finding the airstrip the evening before, we were on the right track. Johnny Gill the local Aero man was cued up for 7.30am. Johnny used local guys to sheer his sheep and the word in the pub was that he was a cool fellow. After a quick feed in the Black Stump we made our way to Johns place. John Flies a Robinson R44 however has a strip on his property. His land was well kept and we decided to set up on the paddock near the road.

John's wife Gill and farmer James Thompson came out to meet us. We spoke about Relay for life and had Chris Mc master the Coolah coordinator come out for a chat. The town of 900 raised a whopping $66,500 in the last relay. By far the best achievement of any small town we have been to. David Cam a new property owner at Coolah is mates with John and knew there were some interesting aircraft around. He is also an owner of an R44. Davis landed and joined in the gathering.

I set off a helium balloon to get a local report. It went vertical for 500ft and then went south relatively slowly. I knew we had a window. Eddie has experienced a little hesitation and anxiety on the last few launches so I decided to get him off first before I set up. Wise move. Nil wind and smooth ground we set Ed up between two trees with a relatively clear path. The first few attempts didn’t quiet make the cut. The video playback shows the story. In short Ed almost got off a few times however conservatively pulled the pin on each of them as the glider kept moving around. On the last attempt we noticed the wind from 90 degrees to the left so we moved launch. As we set up the wind came in and blew the trees around... Ed was ready to go... Every one was watching... but I was concerned about the strength. I pulled rank and called the exercise off. I’ve grown accustomed to disappointing people that want a show, as our aircrafts have a small window for flying.

On the road again to Gulgong this time the back way. I left town reminiscing about the people we had connected with. From first meeting Brendon at the service station to massive turn out at the pub where we put on a show displaying some footage of the day. The town is friendly and full of real people with big hearts. Another hard place to leave.

The trip to Gulgong was splendid. We rode through areas that inspired me to take up painting. Luscious green hills , sweeping plains and beautiful skies. Memories that will live with me forever....
Closer to Gulgong we passed though an open cut coal mine. A harsh reality of using electricity in our day and age. I wanted to fly over it especially as there was an airstrip nearby however the wind sock was on Viagra and I was not going to give it another thought.
25km to Gulgong we hit the road and made it in no time. Peddlng up the main drag my chain failed and I was forced to make a repair. Thomas and I ducked into the Grocery store and met Samantha whose smile made the harshness of the trip seem irrelevant... Ed met by chance Gulgong’s Cancer council coordinator for Daffodil day out the front of Coles. Ed was feeding the public with info and made a great job of it. One chap after hearing the story about the trip and Flykes stayed around while we had lunch giving the public info on demand. Brilliantly.

My phone had gone flat and I had lost my charger and back up charger... Disappointed I pulled the bus apart and had no result. 3 shops in town later and still no luck. Ed put the screws down and we agreed to do some km and aim at Wellington. The sky was full of dark clouds and there was some precipitation around. However the sky ahead looked ok.

On the road again and after a few wrong turns we were on track. Communication working well we made some km until Ed pulled over with a motor noise issue. After assessment it was decided to push on into the dark clouds that lay ahead. The area was in drought and has been for 6 years so we decided to be happy if our mission was to end early due to rain. I was a little disappointed at the prospect of not making Wellington however the weather takes precedence

We pulled over another few times to reassess and by now we were looking for a camp. Over the hill a little pub appeared......... Goolma

We pulled into a small and only pub in Goolma and put the Flykes under cover. The publican seemed concerned initially but soon eased up on his policy. Ed started drinking and I decided to hold back as my last night in Coolah was a little rough. Ed and Thomas worked on the blog and pictures and I drank soft drinks and spoke to the locals. Gopher Terry and Harold, Eddie Thomas, Martian AKA Marty the publican. The atmoshpere warmed up very quickly and soon my soft drinks turned into Amber drinks.

We spoke about the shearing situation, what it takes to be a local, relationships, our trip and generally most things under the sun. We worked out my Sydney high school football team had come to Coolah and played League against the local team back in 88.

I was moved to hear about Goolma’s involvment in Cancer fundraising projects in the past and saw some pictures on the wall of a charity horse ride that raised heaps of money.

Marty had been threatening to bring out his button accordion if I brought out my camera. At around 10pm it happened. Click goes the shears along with a few old and gold songs gave the crew some entertainment for the evening. The rest of the night is a little blurry.
I crawled into bed eventually....

Day 9 Pix

2007-09-11T11:13:00.001+10:00

Day 9

2007-09-11T11:11:00.000+10:00

Day 9- sunday

Gunnedah to Coolah

It was Sunday and we were finally going to leave Gunnedah. It seemed like we had become a part of the town and something else was going to fall off so we could stay. Alas not. We made our way to the strip at 7.30am only to find the wind had come up again. Disappointed as I wanted to fly the new Relay for Life printed glider over town to help the town prepare for the up coming Relay. Alas it was not to be.

Through town into Maccas for a drive through experience. We had to do it once in the Flykes. We camped in the shade and sorted out the route with consideration made to keep off the Oxley Hwy as much as possible. 40km later we turned off the main drag and headed down an alternate route.

The weather was pleasant and the road trip with out complications... Along the way we noticed the wind dropping more and more. We approached the Warrumbungles and I recall Graham Sutherland talking about them. After several km we found a paddock near the road that seemed to be launch able. Ed set up while I put up wind streamers and let off another balloon. I declared walked the area and found the best spot. Ed moved his gear over to me and we did out preflights.
Ed’s first 4 or so launches seemed to be put off by the rough ground, however the last one marked the end of the session as his lines came in contact with the prop. Luckily we were equipped with spares. Interested to see what the mountains looked like from the air, I launched. The footage of this launch shows it was not a standard run. I almost aborted once , however managed to steady the wind and motor off. I climbed slowly to 600ft and did some circuits when suddenly bang, the fire went out.... I was dead stick.... I was high enough to have several paddocks in sight however the best one required a 360 which I did before final. Nice landing. Spark was the issue and I fitted a better plug cap to start to the check. I eventually noticed a wire from the coil had broken at the spade connector. I fitted a spare which was made from silicon and offered more resistance to vibration. The motor started first pull. I helped Ed make 3 new lines under a tree and we had a bite to eat, care of Thomas.

Uneasy about launching Eddie dragged the chain a little so I decided to not fly or set up until he was off the ground. A new direction so we set up a new launch. After the first few efforts I noticed Ed’s brakes on during the launch. I lengthened the brakes lines as Ed’s short half Japanese arms were either not long or flexible enough for the job!

Next effort.... bang.... glider came up nice and Ed was away. The video shows a little more of the drama , but the concept of extending the brakes in this situation was proven to be a correct assessment. I methodically did my preflights and joined Ed after a few fly by’s to let Thomas take some shots of the new Relay For Life glider.

From Eddie:
We flew a few K’s with a tail wind over bright Green paddocks interspersed with fields of golden canola. It was a beautiful sight in the afternoon sun. We started to run in to some turbulence and a freshening cross headwind I encountered some strong sink and upped the power then my drive belt started slipping so I had to reduce and indicated to Andrew that it was time to land. He let down beside a farm road where there was no fence and I came in after him doing a vertical decent then released the wing to avoid being blown backwards. Thomas arrived in a few minutes and we hit the road to arrive at Coola. We fuelled up organized a launch contact and stayed at the Black Stump Hotel. It turned in to a great night with some interesting locals who were entertained by some of our video bloopers. I slept very well indeed.

day 8 pix

2007-09-11T11:10:00.000+10:00

Pix ot come

Day 8...saturday

2007-09-11T11:09:00.000+10:00

From Eddie...
My day starts in the tent I awake, I am alone, I’ve slept in. But no its still early Andrew and Thomas are up and coffee is ready. The weather looks promising for the flight to Armidale to pick up the spare donk. Its foggy in Armidale so we play the waiting game I get the frame stripped back for the new motor. 10.00 we get a call from Rodger The club Cessna has an oil leak it needs checking out. Another call at 11.00 oil is OK. Weather is still iffy. Next call is that it’s looking good so we go to the strip and meet Roger. He is making a flight plan. He hasn’t been in to Armidale before. I’m very impressed with his attention to detail. 12.01 Rodger and I are on the taxi way doing the final checks and radio call. No guarantees but we will have a look. We take off and head on track over Lake Keepit, Manilla and on to the high country battling a head wind and thermic conditions. Rodger is having a good time he love aviation in all forms and has just bought a vintage Cessna 152. an hour and a quarter later we are lining up the Armidale strip for a perfect touchdown wind straight on. Dave is there to greet us. (I would like to take this moment to thank you for the new motor,thanks mate) Its been a couple of years since we last met. The motor is almost new and after a little catchup with what we have both been up to, a pie and coffee we load up the Cessna and retrace the flight up. There is a bit of rain and nasty cloud on track so we do a slight detour but with the wind up the jaxy we make almost 95.and are back in short time for a beautiful cross wind landing. While we put the Cessna away, Andrew not far away, arrived in a flap as he had dropped a bag with camera and headset. Thomas radioed in with the news that he had dropped it in the drive and all was well. We checked out Rogers plane then went to Deb and Harveys’ where the flyke was. Rodger who runs a computer shop in Gunnedah, a whiz on computer setup, helped us with connection problems.
The change over of motors went well. There was quite a bit of fiddly wiring issues which took some time. I had brought on the flyke what I thought would be needed for the trip most of the things have been used but weight is an issue. The tools have been adequate and all have been used. Thomas and I filmed it which will be a good resource.
For the success in being able to continue We owe a debt to the people of Gunnedah. I would like to especially thank Deb and Harvey who have arranged for us to meet so many lovely people which for me has been heart warming.

In flight footage including landing casino to mumbilgum

2007-09-08T19:30:00.000+10:00

Here is a clip of a flight we did from Casino Airstrip on day one. It's quite raw in nature however captures a moment I have had in the air. I was not able to get the video rolling though the rough stuff as my hands were full however I get the landing and some words of wisdom. Minutes after I landed the wind came in a cropper. Wheels on the flyke saved me as I landed tail wind. Eddie was lucky enough to have me on the ground for a condition and paddock report.

Saint Harvey

2007-09-08T13:42:00.000+10:00

Throughout the journey we have been gifted with special people.

Harvey Stoneman from Gunnedah is one such person. I have Harvey saved in my mobile phone as St Harvey. Here is a picture of him.

Assorted pix of Day 7- Gunnedah

2007-09-08T09:35:00.001+10:00

Waiting for Ed and thomas to return with Welded muffler.

The 5mm weld ball distroys the motor and Eddies hope

The Relay Glider Sun going down,

Eddie holding his dead motor 5mm ball of weld the culprit

Steering fixed

Day 7 Gunnedah the friendliest town in the world

2007-09-08T09:22:00.000+10:00

Day 7- Gunnedah- The friendliest place in the world.

by Andrew Polidano

Getting my welding done seemed to be the only thing stopping the trip for me. When Ed mentioned that this could be the end of it for me my heart sank. After more thought and some imagination we all agreed it would be possible to make my steering work again.
I woke up at 6am for a look at the weather while watering the garden. I saw a trickle of wind in the trees and was pessimistic about getting airborne especially after my experience the day before which I will write about another time. ... The next one and a half hours in bed I slept like a baby. Breakfast was laid out care of the Deb and Harvey a great start to the day ahead. Fruit salad and Yogurt.
We had a picture with the new Relay for Life logoed wing we had picked up the day before. Harvey and Deb prepared to go away for the weekend however we had the keys to get farm ute to get around, a huge help. We worked our way around town until we found an Engineer that could weld chrome moly. 3 or 4 shops later we found Namoi Machining and Engineering that had the staff and equipment to do the job, The overall willingness to help out at this and every place in town was overwhelming. Having been in Gunnedah now for 2 days the friendly essence of the real community is shining through., I think this is what is meant by country hospitality. We went to town for some more DV tapes and had some pictures printed at the local photo shop.

Soon enough my steering was done and we were on our way back to Harvey and Deb’s to fit it and make a flight plan. I had been watching the trees and noticed the wind only half that of the day before. We visited the Local Airstrip on the way back to base camp. A well maintained strip, a true asset to the community. It was still on the edge for launching but with the expectation for easing winds we decided to get ready.
A session in the Bus where GPS co ordinates were punched in with VHF frequencies for our radios. I made a call to the Brisbane briefing office and checked for NOTAMs and Danger zones on route to Wellington to the North east of Dubbo. The usually shuffle before launch occurred and Thomas started the bus to follow us on the flykes.

Ed’s motor generally starts on the 1st or 2nd pull. He was up to his 4th or 5th when I heard him alert me of foul play. Spark, fuel and compression. The first 2 were quickly covered off however the compression was harder to test without a compression gauge. I called Harvey and he directed us to the aerostart as he didn’t have a compression guage but as usual he knew some one in town that would be happy to help. Ed seemed confident to work on it himself so we shifted back into the shed and started pulling it down.
I decided to get some footage of the break down as I knew this could be a turning point of the trip....
As the head bolts were being removed the look on Ed’s face was priceless. The lump of weld 5mm in diameter had made it’s way into the head and the situation was ugly. Piston and Head were a mess. It seemed this was the end. Ed spoke about a trailer and doing the rest of the trip in the bus.... I would not take this.
Without further ado I rang David Carrigan a mate in Armidale that I knew had a similar motor in a fresh breeze machine that was out of action. I had been trying to call David for several weeks however on this occasion I got through! David’s motor was available and after telling Harvey who also happens to be the President of the local Aero club we have a pilot and Cessna 152 at our disposal. Roger Miller the local gun pilot has been selected for the trip and is on stand by. I have rung Stuart from Armidale flight school and he’s on standby for the local weather reports as this morning the fog was too low to get in safely.
As I write this we await the weather to clear in Armidale for the flight to begin to retrieve another motor for Eddie's flyke.

The Flyke trip at this stage looks like it’s still on the road.

Meanwhile I’m interested in doing a local flight with the new Powerplay Naja with the ‘Relay For Life’ Logo over town. I’m looking forward to getting some shots from Peter Lorimer, Gunnedah’s award winning photographer.

Day 6 Manilla to Gunnedah

2007-09-07T00:43:00.000+10:00

Firstly I would like to thank the always cheerful, Vicky and Tom proprietors of The Royal Hotel, Manilla. We were treated to food, accommodation and cheerful banter making for a very comfortable evening.
After our little chat with the Manilla Police I thought that if we got up extra early we might get a flight at least to Lake Keepit. I let off a balloon it was S.E. it went pretty high before drifting from view. After a quick breakfast we cycled to Geoff Alston’s Farm strip after Andrew put in a call. We had both launched here during the world Paragliding championships in Feburary. I muffed my first launch attempt (the wind was just starting to get up) Andrew pulls off a textbook (show off) so I go again. Very dodgy I’m thinking abort! but no I’m climbing, I’ll get away with it.
I climb easily, the wind is head cross we chat about VHF channels and GPS coordinates. I trim up and get on course heading up wind and start making good speed. Andrew strays down wind whilst fiddling with instruments. As we pass Lake Keepit gliding ranch I suggest a landing, We decide to press on to Gunnedah. Andrew is back and lower than me and starting to get trashed in the increasing wind I go higher to avoid the Mechanical turbulence from a small range. I’m impressed with how well this glider handles. Andrew lands in a big paddock about 7 k’s short of Gunnedah I press on to the airport. I spy the windsock straight out bugger winds up on the ground. I’m making 80 ks down wind then park into wind. Not going to make the strip I decend to a paddock behind the airport and touch down ok and hit the quick outs. Only one side gets off cleanly the wind pulls the flyke over and I bend the cage.
I packed up and had a chat with the amused land owners, and get directions to town. I received a call from Harvey Stoneman our Relay for Life contact. He gives me the SP on the local situation and helped to get the cage welded. I get a good repair. Andrew gets into town and we do some media stuff then go for a break. We eventually get on the road to Gillgandra but just out of town my exhaust developed a crack. I call Phill Woodlands of Woodlands Engineering , who kindly welded up the cage, if he could help again. No problems bring it in. The help and service shown to us is very humbling. By the time I get back to Andrew and the Flyke its getting late so we decide to stay in Gunnedah so we turn around Andrew reports that his steering is Kaput. When it rains it pours. So in Desperation We give Harvey a call. A knight in shining amour if ever there was one. We have been taken in washed, fed, a workshop for use, a bed and the internet for this blog. Thank you Gunnedah!
I wonder what tomorrow will bring. I’ll need to find a tig welder for Andrews steering first thing.

Eddie

Manilla to Gunedah

2007-09-07T00:30:00.000+10:00

Manilla to Gunnedah
Firstly I would like to thank the always cheerful, Vicky and Tom, proprietors of The Royal Hotel, Manilla. We were treated to food, accommodation and cheerful banter making for a very comfortable evening.
After our little chat with the Manilla Police I thought that if we got up extra early we might get a flight at least to Lake Keepit. I let off a balloon it was S.E. it went pretty high before drifting from view. After a quick breakfast we cycled to Geoff Alston’s Farm strip after Andrew put in a call. We had both launched here during the world Paragliding championships in Feburary. I muffed my first launch attempt (the wind was just starting to get up) Andrew pulls off a textbook (show off) so I go again. Very dodgy I’m thinking abort! but no I’m climbing, I’ll get away with it.
I climb easily, the wind is head cross we chat about VHF channels and GPS coordinates. I trim up and get on course heading up wind and start making good speed. Andrew strays down wind whilst fiddling with instruments. As we pass Lake Keepit gliding ranch I suggest a landing, We decide to press on to Gunnedah. Andrew is back and lower than me and starting to get trashed in the increasing wind I go higher to avoid the Mechanical turbulence from a small range. I’m impressed with how well this glider handles. Andrew lands in a big paddock about 7 k’s short of Gunnedah I press on to the airport. I spy the windsock straight out bugger winds up on the ground. I’m making 80 ks down wind then park into wind. Not going to make the strip I decend to a paddock behind the airport and touch down ok and hit the quick outs. Only one side gets off cleanly the wind pulls the flyke over and I bend the cage.
I packed up and had a chat with the amused land owners, and get directions to town. I received a call from Harvey Stoneman our Relay for Life contact. He gives me the SP on the local situation and helped to get the cage welded. I get a good repair. Andrew gets into town and we do some media stuff then go for a break. We eventually get on the road to Gillgandra but just out of town my exhaust developed a crack. I call Phill Woodlands of Woodlands Engineering , who kindly welded up the cage, if he could help again. No problems bring it in. The help and service shown to us is very humbling. By the time I get back to Andrew and the Flyke its getting late so we decide to stay in Gunnedah so we turn around Andrew reports that his steering is Kaput. When it rains it pours. So in Desperation We give Harvey a call. A knight in shining amour if ever there was one. We have been taken in washed, fed, a workshop for use, a bed and the internet for this blog. Thank you Gunnedah!
I wonder what tomorrow will bring. I’ll need to find a tig welder for Andrews steering first thing.

Day 5 pictures

2007-09-05T21:49:00.000+10:00

Delungra to Manilla Day 5

2007-09-05T21:44:00.000+10:00

The Day started with a shuffle from the room next to me. I figured Ed was on task. I was reluctant to get up too early as I knew the forecast was for further strong winds so I was pessimistic about a morning flight... I felt my $50 was safe.

Ed like a champ was out looking for take offs while I got into breakfast in the hotel. I was in touch on the radio as I wanted to keep Eddie from pushing the point for the $50 bet!

I was soon joined by the boys as the wind increased with a vengeance. We had an appointment with the Warialda Relay for Life crew and I wanted to get on the road. The traffic was not too intense and the tail wind run went like a dream. The only disappointment was the intermittent communication.

We made Warialda in little time and camped at the local servo talking to people about the machines and our cause. A journo from the Warrialder rag came for a shot and we mixed up some fuel. As communications are important we did a workshop on my head set. A few calls to John Reynoldson from Raptor designs in Melbourne and we had some ideas of how to fix the problem, it’s nice to have good over the phone support while on the road.

Bingara was our next mission on route to Barrabra and our next meeting with another Relay for Life Crew. We made Bingara in good time and Eddie cooked up the first batch of fish, Traglin. It was the best fish I’ve eaten in memory, yum. Great flyke food. I plucked out some GPS co ordinates from our VNC and caught up with some personal phone calls... The rest of life still goes on. The trip is wonderful however the rest of our lives are sort of on hold. Off to Barrabra.
On route to Barrabra we froze. The southerly although dry was icy. We stopped along the way and I put on my lucky pants under my flight suit. Ed had a polar fleece face mask he had made for the trip in green and yellow. It’s looked funny however it was a must to have something on. My feet were frozen and I was contemplating putting on my Crispi flying boots, riding shoes are great but lack insulation for cold times.
The Barrabra Relay crew have the best per capita money raised in NSW, we found out. We met Sue the coordinator and a few of the committee members with a journalist for a picture at a sports oval for a snap. It was great to network with the guys and bring back some ideas to Mullumbimby.
The trip from Barrabra to Manila was eventful to say the least. We were freezing by now and light was dropping. We had our lights on and were not mucking around. Just over the crest of a hill Thomas came out on the radio and alerted us of the local boys..We were pulled over by 3 of Manilla’s finest Boys in blue who were very interested in what we were up to. They were very inquisitive of the Flykes and supportive of our mission. We had no idea of their response, we had rehearsed the scenario many times however we remained rather natural and things were fine. They were supportive of our endeavor and offered helpful advice. For which we gratefully thank them.

The remainder of the day is still unwinding. We have open arms at the Royal Hotel from Vic and Tom as normal. They are putting us up for the night which is terrific. The meal they just made us eat was the highlight of my day!,, the other boys concur

Our next Relay meeting will be in Gunnadah. The Relay committee are excited to meet us and we are too. The Relay for life wing I ordered that failed to get to Mullumbimby in time for us leaving has been sent to the post office and we plan to get it from there

Ashford to Delungra

2007-09-05T21:40:00.000+10:00

Day 4

Starting the day knowing where we were going to take off from, was nice. We made it out after we did the blog upload and settled our accounts with the locals. As I rode out my chain required a little maintenance and Mal the publican transformed into a pro bike mechanic. He showed us many faces including a comedian.... Before I could say anything he’s done it.
The airstrip was big enough for a F18. Grass long and wide. I set up the wing and transformed the Flyke to flying mode. The wind was picking up and I decided to consult Eddie. Within minutes the wind increased again and it was looking like another road mission. Ed helped me pack up. I was disappointed big time! Ed being very positive we started looking for a road on route. While preparations to go on a road mission started I had some words with Tamworth Cancer Council co-ordinator,Leonie about meeting some of the Relay For Life teams. Ed seemed happy to make meeting times and places so we set our track to Warialda. There was one dirt track on the map which was going to cut 50km off the trip it seemed like a great idea....I did a u turn after 50 meters as the corrugation would have shaken our machines too much..... It seemed that we were going to have to take the main drag.

The road to Inverell was our first mission. We made good head way and continued to find we mix very well with the traffic. We stop for breaks every 40 minutes or so to stretch out, talk to a local farmer who had his jaw on the ground as we approached and grab a drink so the trip is never that long. We travel relatively slowly so the scenery is always a treat. The smells are wonderful. Road kill needs to be tackled differently. I hold my breath now if I see anything dead. The worst is the Kangaroos. Only 5 minutes from Inverell it started to rain quite heavily. We were confused as it looked clear further ahead, yet the cars coming our way had wipers on. I gave the call to push ahead and soon enough it had stopped and the road was dry. We were both wet.

We shopped at Inverell and made a lush lunch in the car park. Some of the locals come over and one even organized the local rag. Ailsa from the Inverell Times came and grabbed a story and a photo.

The road out to Warialda seemed straight fwd apart from the Trucks. The traffic thinned out eventually. And apart from the initial hill it seemed pleasant. The rain up ahead made Delungra our next stop. We didn’t look for a take off paddock which may have been a mistake because as I write this I figure it could be a good time for an early flight!

While we were in the car park late last night I made a bet with Eddie about being airborne before 8am, as I have been a little concerned with our morning ritual, I wanted to spark a bit of morning focus on the task. Looking fwd to see Ed’s response.

Off now to have another go.

Any one looking for clean, friendly and economical accommodation and food in this area shouldn’t go past this establishment.
While at the pub in Dulungra we met up with Margaret + Russell the Best Fisho’s in the west. We caught them on their forghtnightly fish run from the coast. Three of Russell’s family members had been diagnosed with Breast Cancer, it seems that every one we meet has a story. Russell kindly gave us fish for lunch and dinner for a few days.

Tenterfield to Ashford

2007-09-04T08:15:00.000+10:00

While Andrew was doing the internet upload I met a Harley Sportster mounted biker. He is learning to fly and interested in all flying machines. The Flyke seems to attract them. He kindly teed up the local instructor, Dave to open the gate at the airstrip before we rode out. Escorted by two Harley’s. The bikers came and watched us launch at about 5pm into a light North easterly.
The launches went well. I am slowly getting the hang of my new Naja glider. It is demanding but extremely satisfying when you get it right. While on the road we bought fuel at a small outlet but it was a bit dud and climb out in the thinner air of Tenterfield required full bickies and a hunt for any rising air, so we thermaled in the slightest puff for quite a time with the throttle on the stop, ever so slowly making height in the required direction. Andrew radioed that he had an occasional miss and as it was getting late we made the decision to return to the strip headwind. We took some good video of the Flykes. The granite tablelands are a joy to fly, and abundant safe landings near roads a bonus.
We made a plan to ride back into town after landing but as Thomas was still in town he returned and we camped there the night. Andrew decided to sleep under the stars in the freezing cold and I took the cozy option and slept in the bus.

Day 3

We were on the strip early, fresh fuel and ready to rock. I was warming up then Andrew started up then it stopped and wouldn’t restart. The miss Andrew experienced in his last flight, had become a stop. Better now than in the air. I checked the spark, none. Checked wires for breaks and joins for integrity. All seemed good. I compared ohm readings with my unit then pulled the magneto for a clean. That seemed to do it and it finally fired up. New plug new cap. The sky had turned a bit nasty with a large cunimb down the track. I laid out thinking about a look. A dust devil then picked up the wing and spun it in to a mess. I thought I had enough omens and packed it for another day on the pedals.We had a lovely uneventful ride down the range to Ashford via Bonshaw. Around 130km by road with great scenery and some more lovely people to meet along to way. We rode into town, Andrew checked out the local strip for an early start, while I got fuel and Accomodation. Who knows what tomorrow will bring.

Some Pic's from Day 1

2007-09-03T10:19:00.000+10:00

Andrew sent me these pics on Saturday while he was in the air, from his phone!

Nice one guys, go far and fly high.

Cedar

Day 2 so far

2007-09-02T14:07:00.000+10:00

We are now in Tenterfield. We rode in about 2pm today sunday 2nd (fathers day!)...

I'm sitting outside the Jumbuck motor inn...Lap top on my lap under the veranda. They were kind enough to give us free internet to up load the latest news.
This morning was a slow start as we were taken around the Aboringinal community and discussed some projects that we could develop to encourage youth on the community to get into life. The family we stayed with are active on the land council. They are well respected as doers for the community. Unfortunately not all is rosey on the community, but there is hope amongst many.

We met some great folks in Drake. Ate a roll and spoke to a few dozen locals about the trip and past adventures...

We spent time late last night looking at the footage and I'm impressed! A few of the Aboriginal kids took the camera for a test flight and on play back I cannot believe the natural ability that flows...

We plan to take a group back with us again next year and the community is happy to organise us a show.

Eddie's waiting for me down the road near a cafe so I'll head off and have a drink then find a place to take off from. Tenterfield is on top of the range so we can expect thinner air and faster trim.... Cross fingures we don't bend anything.

Hope to grab a shower tonight and get more pix up of flying and scenery.

Andrew

AWAY!!

2007-09-02T13:58:00.000+10:00

The Day started when I heard a rustle in my shed.... my window is close to where the Flykes are parked so I knew Eddie was keen on an early start. I made breakfast, showered and went down to the shed to get the latest weather info.
Eddie was tinkering with something in the shed, something I have seen him do for the last few months.
The news about the weather was a little downer. 15 knots at two thousand up to 14 where it picked up and became more west. A bit ugly as north westely winds have a tendency to be associated with turbulence. It seemed that a cross wind for our first day was a little too trying so we decided to load up with all the gear and catch an early flight before the wind picked up. After all the date of departure was not until Sunday. I was focused on a test flight and demanded Eddie resume ‘tinkering’ when the forecasted 15 knots kicked in and we weren’t able to fly. We went off to the launch area with a few family members. Eddie's first attempt was worth capturing on film. It reminded me of East wind where one of the guys stacked it into a hanger. Eddies ego was not bruised and a little cage straightening and he was ready to line up again. I launched and after a slow climb out I was enjoying the smooth air. Eddie soon followed. We both read the wind to be less than the forecast and as I climbed through to around 2000ft I realized the forecast may have been wrong. We set a task to Lismore as we were fully loaded for the trip, we were away..
The flight to lismore with Eddie close by provided spectacular views of cape Byron and the ocean. The sky was blue and my GPS showed we were doing about 60km/h. The New Naja wings are fast and stable and today we were going to need it. We tuned into the local CTAF and were shooting calls out to let other airspace users know where we were. It seemed to provide some entertainment to a few other aviators that I gave a 5 nautical mile call into lismore the a 3 and a 1 in the space of 15 minutes....We fly slow....
Lismore came up quick so I set a 'goto' casino on the GPS, and gave a call out on the VHF. The air continued to be smooth and my GPS showed that the forecast was wrong. Just before Casino we had our first taste of thermals. As we both descended below an apparent inversion the wings started to move around. I could see my half full fuel tank and I was tempted to direct Eddie to push on a little more however I could see a car at the Casino aero club and I noted it was Harry’s the president. I landed first and Harry warmly greeted me. Ed followed and we were ecstatic that the trip had began. Harry took me to town in his car for more fuel and back home where I met Heather his wife. He called Deb and Russell two other members and they met us out at the strip. Deb took some pics and Russell gave us the low down on crossing the range. We plugged a route into our GPS’s and heard the way we were thinking about going was potentially treacherous and had taken the life of an aviator in 2006.. Thanks Russell for the local knowledge.!

In front of a few Aero club members Eddie pulled off a top launch and not long after I got off the ground and attempted to catch Eddie who was a few km ahead. It was around mid day now and the air was turbulent. What did we expect? I remember the phone call the night before with the Glider manufacturer telling me that the full speed tuck on my sized glider could be aggressive. I decided to be safe and flew slowly never to catch Eddie. I remember feeling a little sick from the turbulence, many times.. I was so preoccupied with keeping the wing over my head I failed to get any good footage. Thermalling is one thing but doing a A to B task means we get the turbulence from each side of the thermals, and as soon as we’ve finished with one it’s only a matter of time before we hunt another and another. I recall seeing eddies wing in front of me up high rocking around. I knew I was going to experience the same air, I couldn’t wait. I was impressed with eddies ability to stomach the air as thermal flying ion the flyke took me a good few sessions. I decided to stop and thermal up when I saw my vario go nuts. I was lower than ed and powering up seemed a little useless. In sink I would sink regardless and in thermals I don’t like to raise the Angel of attack even more with power so round I went.... and up I went. A few circles and a threat of a collapsewas all I needed to start looking for a landing. Eddie sounded relieved when I mentioned landing.
The smoke in one of the valleys close by gave me an idea of wind direction however it was wrong advice and my landing was quick. Wheels made up for my error and I was safe and relieved. I advised eddie on the situation and he came in nice and slow.Mumelgum was our destination and Thomas our friend happened to have pulled up at the shop on the hill. We had a 2 hour break before we put the flykes on the road for the first time to do a leg. I interviewed a few of the locals including Billy Williams ex south Sydney league player, I later found out. An indiginous fellow from the Bungalong people. I was overwhelmed and interested to meet more local aboriginal folk. We peddled off and apart from a few small technical problems we managed to get to Tabulam some 30km. Eddie had come to an Aboriginal community some 15 yers ago with his wife and kid to make candles and mix with the locals. As the light was fading and we were not going to make Tenterfield, we took a real punt and decided to show up to the community to see if any one had remembered him. Guess what? We were swarmed with around 40 kids on entry into the community. We finally tracked down some relatives of people Ed knew. They were (are) all completely friendly and we instantly had many places to stay. We are currently camped at one of the houses. The kids here run free and seem very happy to want to know how every thing on the flyke works. It’s been a massive adventure for both the community and us. We played footage of the flight as they couldn't believe the bikes we peddled in on flew us to mumilgum.

Preperations

2007-08-31T10:47:00.000+10:00

It's blowing a little strong right now so I've decided to post an update. Most of our gear is packed for Sunday departure however we are basically ready to go as of this avo!
Well yesterday the 30th of August Eddie and I test flew our new Swing Naya Paragliders. I managed to capture most of the tests on video, even the one's that did not get us off the ground.
The morning showed light and calm wind, however the northerly up high was threatening to filter down into the ground inversion. We were focussed on practicing out preflight checks and capturing them on video so it was 9 am until the first launch was attempted.
I test flew eddie's wing to start. The Naya 23. The launch was faster than normal and I suspected I may have had tail wind. The flykes having wheels give a little flexibility here however all effort is made to pick the wind and fly into it. The wheels left the ground so I climbed out in the direction of the fields near the golf course at the southern end of Mullumbimby. Success. It was bumpy already thermal activity had started and I was getting tossed around... In the back of my mind I was thinking about Ed's first crack, wondering if these were the right conditions.
I came in for a landing and managed a touch and go with both rear wheels on the ground for an instant. Powering up I did one more circuit before I touched down for good.
I set Eddie up for a take off. I think I was as nervous as him. As he was preparing to launch I proceeded to hook up my wing.... the Naya 21. A smaller wing hence faster in the air than the 23, however there is the need to take off faster as well so I knew I was up for a longer run way.
Eddie hesitated for a second during the power up stage for the launch and the wing didn't quite make it up. A timely decision to abort, and no harm done... phew. The Flyke has an automatic steering adjustment system that makes up for the lack of foot steering. Each wing reaction to this steering compensation is a new skill that we both need to get the hang of.
My launch was quite fast. The air had become ever more turbulant and on take off my wheels came close to the ground during climb out. In hindsight .... well hindsight is a wonder thing. I powered up and began to climb in a punchy thermal. I had my VHF radio on and I made contact with a Cessna 182 on departure from a local strip to Ballina. I know the future of our sport involves better communications with other airspace users. Since buying a VHF radio 4 years ago the sky has opened up. I thermalled up with a little power in a 2 meter per second climb. The Naya thermals well, a sigh of relief.

Eddie's here to do more packing.. so I'll continue this later .. Before I go I've got footage of all this and will do my best to slip a bit up on the blog.... Cedar popped round this morning to set up my mobile for blogging...
Till then...

Flyke trip infomation

2007-08-28T12:38:00.000+10:00

In September this year, Two Paramotoring Pilots, Andrew Polidano and Eddie Gray, will attempt to fly two Flykes (flying tricycles), 1000km to raise money for the Cancer Council. The fundraising trip is called 'flight for life' and aims at raising awareness and funds for the research and treatment of Cancer sufferers. This trip would also like to raise the awarness of community based projects like 'Relay for life' that supports survivors and carers of cancer patients.
Please feel free to add a comment to this blog page or any of the other posts to encourage the two adventurers. You may want to send some money to the fund that the Cancer Council has set up via a direct link on this web site. The link is active and has had a great responce so far. Feel free to indicate via this blog if you want to be listed as a sponsor, they will be happy to list your name and company in their documentary.

Please make your pledge / donation via this cancer council link

In the Community Fundraising (Name and Code of the event) type in or cut and paste:-
Flight for life Fu/07/020.

Feel free to add a comment to the blog site whether you donate or not. They endeavor to keep you updated as they drop into internet café’s to post up their news.

The Journey begins From Mullumbimby Australia. This has never been done before and it is yet to be proven a possible feat.!!

Please click on the 'News' link on the right to find out the latest.......

2007-08-27T07:34:00.000+10:00

A remarkable machine
Review and photos: E.D.Gray

In1999 I completed a change over HG to PG course with Godfrey’s team in Manilla. Last year, very sceptically, I strapped a fan on my aged back and went powered. To my surprise, I enjoyed the experience thoroughly. (A good social group as well)
With the impetus of the world championships at Manilla last Feb. My good mate, flying buddy and neighbour Andrew Polidano, CFI planned that we should get it together and be a part of the air display, with the paramotors.
For us to participate in the air display some preparation was required. Endorsements, a flight plan, practise days etc., then disaster struck me in the form of a ruptured ACL. Anterior Cruciate Ligament, to the uninitiated. Usually associated with football, tennis and skiing. Foot launching and landing while do-able is not with out risk of pain. A Knee reconstruction and healing process takes up to 12 months!
Enter the FLYKE. German engineered and manufactured. An enormous amount of R&D has gone into this machine. The Flyke has a very clean 7-speed hub gear set up, hydraulic brakes, weight shift steering, comfy laid back seating, room for a wing and a small amount of gear eg. lightweight camping and you can fly it as well. A XC bivouac adventure is a definite reality. They have literally taken off in Europe and the USA. Andrew has been flying them for a few years and I’ve watched with some amusement and fear- a cross between the flying bicycle scene in ET and those magnificent men…
The main attraction for me (stuffed Knee) was the wheels but its best feature is the pedals. They give the Flyke some legitimacy on the road and enable it to be used in and around towns. Part of my physio routine is light pedal exercise. (It has a motor as well)
Andrew went to Germany for instruction and he convinced me that after learning some technique it was easy to fly. He had taught a 60+year old gentleman to fly the Flyke. He had at best flown a paper plane, and was by no means an athletic type.
Operating the Flyke in the air like all our flying is weather dependant. Still, stable mornings and evenings are magic. Thermaling in rowdy Manilla afternoons can be challenging and rewarding. Taxiing about is straightforward, launching the wing has a few tricks that need some mastery, and flying and landing are a piece of piss. As a bicycle the flyke is very stable and comfortable. There is over 100mm of dampened suspension travel. Taxiing with the motor is very different to having driven wheels it’s a bit like rolling down an endless slope more gas steeper slope. The launch is exacting in the early stages. I practiced it over and over. The wing is laid out down wind then connected to the carrabinas. A thorough pre-flight is carried out. A launch assist line is clipped to the ‘A’ risers this pulls the ‘A’s as in a normal forward inflation once the glider is overhead all tension on this line is off. A wall is built with a short blast of motor. When ready power is applied with controlled forcefulness one doesn’t want to be timid at this point. Control of the wing is all-important at this time it must come up straight. You brake the surge with brake and throttle if it goes wrong kill the motor and start again or it will eat wing ☹ . Once the wing is overhead give it the fat. Roll out is short take off a joy. Flying is a dream. With the Silex wing the flyke has good penetration and speed. It thermals well which is good for fuel consumption. It is equipped with trimmers and a throttle cruise control so hands off for filming and snacking and navigation are a breeze. Landings are easy with the motor to position the flyke low over the LZ or with no motor a few S’s sinks it easily flair as the wheels touch no running. I love it.
The Flyke is the only fully DULV approved flying, recumbent, tricycle and loads of fun – A Remarkable Machine,

2007-08-25T00:25:00.000+10:00

Eddie Gray, Profile

Born in Tokyo 1954 to a Japanese mother and Australian father. Moved to Melbourne in 1956.

I first became aware of hang gliding at high school after some friends bought one, then totaled it on the first week end, but not until the three of them received bloodied knees arms and faces. I was into dirt bikes at the time but wanted a go at flying. My chance came in 1977 in England. I answered a learn to Hang glide advert. Over the next few months when ever time, money and weather were favorable, I was there running down the hill and trudging back up. Carrying a hang glider. I had no idea that Australia was at the cutting edge of development both in equipment and technique. It was exciting but with the effort and perceived danger outweighing the flying I put my time into other things.

I met Andrew Polidano in 1994. At the local aero modeling club. My son was given a remote controlled and I was to get him started with lessons etc. I was interested in areo modeling having done a bit of control line flying at school but Radio control was a little out of reach then. Modern electronics had changed that and father and son took to it with gusto. Andrew and I became firm friends. It was with this renewed 'aero' interest that I began noticing the local hang gliding scene. The gliders were staying up and soaring rather than 'billy-carting' from top to bottom. On closer inspection the gliders were high tech wings. Andrew and I decided to sign up for a course share a glider and some of the expense. Little knowing that once hooked it would become all consuming for time and funds.

I did my first tandem on new years day 1996 at Lennox Head. I had been itching to be in a hang glider again but my previous experience didn't involve a very experienced pilot harnessed beside, this time I was able to stay up and carve turns, swoop low and get high. I was hooked. Paragliding followed on a few years later. Andrew had started flying the ‘floppies’, I was still skeptical but eventually gave it a go. I enjoyed the simplicity and convenience but I stuck to hang gliding until an incident at Mt Buffalo left me without a hang glider to fly. So with PG kit handy I concentrated on flying my paraglider. Andrew encouraged me to take up backpack motoring. It was more fun than it has a right to be.

Last year Andrew taught me to fly his Flyke. A new and fun addition to my flying experience. I flew it in an air display as part of the opening ceremony of the world paragliding competition. I bought one and started planning to fly 1000km to the 10th annual powered paragliding and hang gliding convention. Andrew thought he had better come along to keep me safe and give me company. So the adventure had begun. Planning and preparing has been alot tougher than I expected. Sourcing and making special bits of the kit has been rewarding. It's the toughest flight I’ve undertaken. There are so many unknowns with route, weather and equipment. Going unsupported by ground crew adds a tingly edge of danger and freedom and the need for resourcefulness. I'm looking forward to it.

2007-08-24T23:45:00.000+10:00

Andrew's Profile

Born in 1971 Australia. Both Parents had immigrated from Malta in 1965.
My first Aeronautical experience was at age 5 when my family went on an overseas holiday. At the age of 12 I launched a hand made parachute from the roof of the family home and caught a thermal current....i became intrigued with air flow and simple parachute designs.
I was inspired by my cousins interest in radio control and on my 15th birthday my father bought me a four channel radio control set,which I installed into a powered RC plane. It was un flown till I moved up to the far north coast age twenty one.
I first flew powered RC in 1992. I experimented with Scale, Canard wings and 3 D and later slope soaring gliders that I flew at lennox head land. During the modeling years I met Eddie Gray and formed a strong mate ship. We agreed to take up Hang gliding and before I knew it he’d done a tandem while I was on holiday in Melbourne. On return we commenced a course and like 2 children our passion for the sport took over our lives.
In 97 I took up paragliding and for some months flew both hang gliders and paragliders. After an Overseas trip to Europe in 1999 I began my apprenticeship teaching with Sydney Paragliding. In 2001 I learnt how to fly paramotors and I started my own paragliding school, based in Mullumbimby with the intension to specialize in paramotors. I became passionate about paramotoring after being inspired by Graham Sutherland a close friend on the sunshine coast and possibly the most experienced inland pilot to date in Australia. We have continued to inspire each other and we make the trip anualy to the Pico Festival in Milbrilong near Wagga Wagga taking turns driving and flying.
I started flying the Flyke in 2002 being self taught the learning curve was steep. I flew to Germany in 2003 and got some lessons from the Factory however after that flew the flyke seldom.
The opening ceremony of the 2007 Paragliding World Championships was the motivation that I needed to teach Eddie how to flyke. After only a few hours of experience Eddie spoke about Flying to the next paramotor fly-in at Milbrilong 1042 km from Mullumbimby. A typical student, small experience is often coupled with large dreams......it didn’t take him long to convince me to come along. This Flyke Journey rivals all my flying adventures to date as well as being an amazing personal growth experience.

2007-07-21T20:20:00.000+10:00

Presenting Andrew Polidano and Eddie Gray , near the Mullumbimby sign at the Heritage Park in Mullumbimby, Northern NSW, Australia. The starting place for the Adventure.

2007-07-20T19:17:00.000+10:00

Is this Possible?

In September this year, Two Paramotoring Pilots, Andrew Polidano and Eddie Gray, will attempt to fly two Flyke's (flying bicycle's), over 1000km.
The Journey begins From Byron bay Australia. This Has never been done before and it is yet to be proven a possible feat.