Second Best Flight Ever

March 11/06. An epic hang gliding day.

I had one of my best flights ever today. After two broken weak links I
finally got off at about 3:30 and flew till after 5:00. Lots of lift and
lots of drift. (Gotta lose that Falcon.) Broke 4000 many times and hit 5000
once. 1 hour and 37 minutes. Visibility clear. Cloud base about 5500 with
some lower wisps. I was concerned about cloud suck. (Had a brief encounter
in California years ago.) Grinning all the way home.

The citrus groves in southern Florida stretch on out to the horizon, even
from 5000 feet. The Caloosahatchie River, so distinct from the air, provides
a major landmark to navigate by. The white striped landing zone (LZ), 50
acres they tell me, is easy to spot from the air. The cars on highway 80,
the race track, the golf course, the ripples on the lakes, the white wisps
of cloud base; all these and so much more are taken in by the conscious
mind. But the real pleasure of hang gliding is more subtle. When you are
riding the wind at 4000 feet, your spirit soars and you are convinced that
all is well in the world.

"From a distance, the world looks blue and green, and the snow-capped
mountains white.
From a distance the ocean meets the stream, and the eagle takes to flight.
From a distance there is harmony, and it echoes through the land.
It's the voice of hope, it's the voice of peace, it's the voice of every
man."

What a day! What a flight!

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March 12/06. Went back to The Florida Ridge again today. Got a chance to
demo-fly the new Wills Wing Sport II. Wow, what a sweet machine. If I had
been flying that thing yesterday I'd have gotten another hour. James
Tindle, who runs the Ridge, has been a really big help to me working out
some of my flying kinks. Met a whole bunch of new people from all over
southern Florida; Dave, Guy, John, Derrick, etc.

Cheers!
Terry From Toronto

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