Christmas season is upon us and we should not forget about Soldiers, men and women deployed around the world away from their home and families. We should be proud to be Canadians in a great country that we live in.  Here is a poem that was written from a Canadian Peace Keeping Soldier stationed overseas:

     T'was the night before Christmas, he lived all alone, 

     in a one bedroom house made of plaster and stone.

     I had come down the Chimney with presents to give,

     and to see just who in this home did live.

     I looked all about, a strange sight I did see, 

     no tinsel, no presents, no even a tree.

     No stocking by mantle, just boots filled with sand, 

     on the wall hung pictures of far distant lands.

     With medals and badges, awards of all kinds, 

     a sober thought came through my mind.

     For this house was different, it was dark and dreary, 

     I found the home of a soldier, once I could see clearly.

     The Soldier lay sleeping, silent, alone, 

     curled up on the floor in this one bedroom home.

     The face was so gentle, the room is such disorder, 

     not how I pictured a Soldier.

     Was this the hero of whom I'd just read? 

     Curled up on a poncho, the floor for a bed?

     I realized the families that I saw this night, 

     owed their lives to these Soldiers who were willing to fight.

     Soon round the world, the children would play, 

     and grownups would celebrate a bright Christmas Day.

     They all enjoyed freedom each month of the year,

     because of the Soldiers, like the one lying here.

     I couldn't help wonder how many lay alone, 

     on a cold Christmas Eve in the land far from home.

     The very thought brought a tear to my eye, 

     I dropped to my knees and started to cry.

     The Soldier awakened and I heard a rough voice, 

     "Santa don't cry, this life is my choice. 

     I fight for freedom, I don't ask for more, 

     my life is my god, my country, my corps".

     The Soldier rolled over and drifted to sleep, 

     I couldn't control it, I continued to weep.

     I kept watch for hours, so silent and still 

     and we both shivered from the cold night's chill. 

     I didn't want to leave on that cold, dark, night, 

     this guardian of honor so willing to fight.

     Then the Soldier rolled over, with a voice soft and pure, whispered, 

     "Carry on Santa, its Christmas Day, "all is secure".

     One look at my watch, and I knew he was right.  

     "Merry Christmas my friend, and to all a Good Night".

18 Dec 05 - Free flight visit

 Mark Dean had gave me a call this morning and asked me if I wanted to go up to a Free Flight site near St Johns N.B to see Tim Reicker fly. Since nothing much was going on today, I thought it would be great idea. My wife Johanne had joined us and off we went.  There was a small hike up the ridge but the site looked great. Tim had organized the site to where it had it's own outhouse and a  picnic table. Tim had completed his Free Flight training this Summer with Pegasus Paragliding School in Parrsboro N.S. The weather was great for sightseeing however the wind was not quite strong enough for a long Free Flight ride. Tim had set up and practiced a few inflations and it seemed that the wind was picking up, possibly for a decent flight. Tim launched and had gained altitude right away, he quickly gained about 150' above the ridge. It was looking that luck was on Tims side but, after a few minutes of ridge soaring he started to loose altitude. Once Tim was below the ridge it turned into a small sled run. Tim flew for about 10 Mins and landed into a small clearing at the base of the hill. Here are a few pics:

 Great View of launch site        Johanne, enjoying the sun       Tim starting his launch

 Things looking up!                          The winds of change!           Mark Dean, Kiting his glider

8 Dec 05 -       Christmas Sale  8 Dec 05 to 31 Jan 06

PPGNB will be having a Christmas sale on PPG equipment. The sale will include 10% off Paraliders and 5% off Paramotors. This will add up to hundreds of dollars in savings. If you're interested in starting PPG or wish to upgrade your existing gear, nows the time to buy and save. 

1 Dec 05 - Another fully qualified PPG Pilot

Roger had passed his Transport Canada Ultralight exam yesterday. He's now a fully qualified PPG pilot.   Congrats Roger!! (See older news page 3 for Roger's training)

26 Nov 05 - Adrian Flies!!

 The local weather had given Adrian a great gift today, the weather was excellent for training/flying. Adrian had showed up early this morning to carry on with more PPG training, he was very close to the flying stage. Adrian had lots of practice with the training glider, but very little training with the real flight glider due to poor past weather. Adrian had to show that he had good glider control while moving forward during simulated launches. Adrian although was discouraged at times, did quickly learn and was completing good forward launches. We quickly went over some confirmatory training  from last week, such as in-flight training/Motor thrust control and emergency procedures.  I flew a check flight to confirm the air and when I landed Adrian was very excited to get his first flight in. 

 His first launch went excellent, good inflation followed by good glider control and in no time Adrian was in the air, he followed up with an excellent landing. Great first flight Adrian!!   Soon after, he was up again to complete his second flight, here are a few pics.

 Adrian off on his first flight!        I wonder how many teens              A very happy young man!

                                                 are flying an aircraft today?               Great work Adrian!

13 Nov 05 - Local PPG pilots complete XC in Nackawick area.

 Mark Dean and Tracy Dempsey take advantage of good weather. They flew in the Nackawick area close to Tracy's home. Mark commented that it was a good flight, with pretty good air. I was training with Adrian and could not attend the XC.  Few pics of the flight.

   Mark taking off           Mark's new Paramania wing

 Adrians training

 Adrian arrived around 0930 and we were at the flying field by 1000 hrs. The wind was forcasted to be good for most of the day, but I quickly noticed that it was beginning to pick up. The ground was a little wet so I decided to practice with the smaller trainer. Adrian picked up controlling the glider very well during forward and reverse inflations and progressed as the day went on. The grass had dried some ,so we pulled out the LIft 24 glider. We hooked up Adrian and practiced reverse launches in which he did very well. The wind had continued to pick up so we went back to the Firebird trainer for more kiting. We were hoping for the winds to come down so that Adrian can get a chance to get his first flight in. Unfortunately, the winds did not improve and we called it a day. 

Adrian is ready to take to the air, all we need now is some co-operation in the weather. Good work Adrian!

12 Nov 05 - Adrian's Training continues:

 Adrian was successful in writing his pre-solo exam this morning, he is now a qualified student pilot for a PPG. We had completed in- flight training on the flight simulator and was hoping to get some kiting in. However the weather in which was forecasted to be good had other ideas and the wind was gusting over 30 kms. We waited, but the weather had not improved, so we called it a day.  Maybe tomorrow Adrian, the weather report looks good, again.

  11 Nov 05 - Adrian's Training

 Adrian had originally met myself and the local PPG Pilots at the Balloon Fest in Sussex. He immediately showed interest and said that he would like to one day become a PPG Pilot. We started theory classes yesterday, and immediately after the Remembrance Day Parade he drove down from Sussex and was ready for more training. We went down to a local field to start glider training, but the winds were too high for a conventional glider. Luckily, I had purchased a Firebird trainer for this type of situation. This trainer is used when the winds are over 20 kms. The winds were still quite high even for the trainer, so I had shown Adrian how to kite the wing unhooked from the harness. This training gives the student a good visual reference to what kind of brake input that's required to keep the glider overhead. It also gives the pilot an idea on how strong the wind is prior to hooking in. Adrian had quickly picked up on how to keep the glider over his head and was ready to hook in. Unfortunately, the winds became stronger and it wasn't safe to carry on. 

We then started motor training. Adrain had learned on how to do a pre-flight check/starting the motor/getting in/out of the harness/ and to practice the forward launch technique under motor thrust. Adrian's has been doing very well, and if the weather is good tomorrow we'll carry on with more training.

Adrian will be writing his pre-solo exam tomorrow and if successful, he'll be issued his student pilot permit (SPP). Here are a few pics.

By the way, Adrian is an "A" student and when he is finished High School, he wants to take pilot training to eventually become a commercial pilot. Great start, Adrian!!

We Salute

Those who have served

and

Those who continue to serve!  

Support those who supported us, wear the poppy on Remembrance Day.

 9 Nov/05 - Great week-end flight.

 The weather Saturday was great for flying. The local PPG pilots in the area is growing. Mark Dean had the opportunity to try out his new Revolution wing. 

New XC on Display, awaiting a new owner!!

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