9 Oct Whatis

Jerry Meibos launching at home Inspiration UT

September

2009

Vol

1

Issue

8

Pilot Profile p.3

So What Is PAPALOATES 2153?

Blog Entry p.1

The

last few months have gone by fast. There is so much that has happened worth writing about. Everyday an adventure still. I’ve driven cross country and back, done some mountain flying and beach flying with great people and having all sorts of fun. Weather is getting colder and have to wear a wet suit in the ocean, it’s also been blowing northeast often. As slow as work has been on some days I still keep pretty busy. I’m going to have to write more about some of the events in my life in another entry. Actually there are enough pictures that they may speak for me if I ever get them organized and posted.

Pilot Profile: Name: goes by Laser Age:

23

From: Richmond, VA Glider: Airwave Pulse 11m

Laser

Rating: H3 and Private Pilots Motto: Epic Everyday



A very skillled and daring Hang Glider and Tug Pilot, who loves to be in the sky. He can often be found soaring the beaches in light cross winds and stay up when others can’t. This year I’ve watched Laser introduce and help many people get into the world of hang gliding doing his part to make sure they get in the air on dunes as well as at the airport. He has also made videos that truelly showcase the joy of flying. Who gave you your fisrt lesson? Gus DuPuis Employment? Kitty Hawk Kites but soon the US government Any Pets? Two rats one hang glides Favorite place to fly? Favorite type of Convergence? Oriental Easterlys Do you have a name for your Glider? Alice

What does it mean? Where does it come from? Is it a street address? Is it a

secrete code? The word “Papalote” comes from the Nahuatl dialect in Mexico and is the same as “Cometa” which is Spanish for “Kite” in English. Papa is also Spanish for potato or father, and “Elote”/“lote” is Spanish for corn. So could Papalote possibly mean Father Corn? And what’s 2153 mean?

Maybe….It’s

the newest hottest trend in fashion internationally. Based on the unknown and unorganized world of professional Hang Gliding. Your favorite stores like Abercrombie, Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, Target and maybe even WalMart are joining together to market lines of clothing

using aviation based materials and 100% recycled sailcloth. That’s right I’m talking about Dacron board shorts and bathing suits. Carbon fiber inlays for coats and jeans. There’s an industry rumor that Victoria’s secret is already using recycled Mylar and weak-links in lingerie. I’ve already seen some outfits that are designed with a carabineer and parachute pouch, but it may be a while before they become popular enough to be seen at the malls and clubs. Marie Claire is working on signing a contract with Hang gliding schools to send them their broken down tubes and batons to make jewelry. Scrap aluminum will also be used to build displays to show case the new Papalotes 2153 style. One day it will be very common for people to wear a hybrid harness/business suit and fly to and from work. Yeah right



Is it a new flight enhancing pharmaceutical? It’s still in development but there is a bootleg version spreading to different popular flying spots around the globe. It heightens senses and reaction time but does not elevate a heart rate. Originally designed to help pilots relax and look ahead, an unforeseen side effect allows you to see thermals, or similar hallucinations. There is no physical evidence but it is said to be the secrete ingredient at paint-can parties. The few who have admitted to experimenting with the substance have said; P2153 has helped them sky out in blue thermals and set personal distance and duration records. Supposedly orig-

inating in Austria and surrounding European countries this is what has separated American pilots from being as good the rest of the world pilots in competition.

S o o n however, because there have been no negative side effects found in rat tests, the drug will be legal and available over the counter.

You wish

IS NOT....

It is not an organization, association, or corporation. There’s no club meetings, no membership renewals or fees. No officials, chiefs, directors, editors or annual elections. There are no ratings, sanctioned or unsanctioned competitions or awards. There’s no points system or regulations. It’s not a Fly-in or skills clinic. It is not a report, network, .org, or Facebook group. It’s not opinionated, bi-

ased, governmentally funded or a charity. It’s not about potty pilots. It’s not a religion, or a “state of mind“. There are no admissions or initiations. There is no product or service, and can’t be purchased or sold.

It’s Free

Maybe it’s a rising rebellion. A regular modern day glider gang. An underground…. Better yet, aboveground ninja mafia. Full of young up and coming pilots but the major perpetrators have been in it over 20 or 30 years. They fly with a “Locals Only” mentality at your site and turn it into theirs. They don’t fly bags, in fact often don’t even pack reserves. They turn the opposite direction in gaggles and flare with the tail wires. They land in restricted Lz’s, parking lots, school fields, on launch or back in the cart at tow parks. Sometimes they’ll even land downwind because landing in the spot every time is boring. They fly with the numbers 2153 on their sails and have hang glider racks on their ride (even if they don’t own a glider). They aren’t wealthy by any means, they usually own used gear or borrow from each other. They soar everything from mountain ridges to freeway overpasses and can find and core thermals 50 feet off the ground. In competitions they might be the first in goal but they’re always the last to land. Often times they don’t follow the course at all. People need GPSs to find them at the end of the day. Like the early pioneers of hang gliding they “Do it in the Sky”. There’s no order or code, it’s anarchy, it’s a revolution, it may appear dangerous, but that’s only because it’s reckless and on the rise. Are you in?

If anything it’s fun, free, love, joy. It’s about hang gliding. It’s getting as high as you can, not landing until sunset, and then breaking your glider down in the dark or sleeping under it. It’s checking the wind direction every morning before breakfast. It’s knowing and checking all of the flags in your town. It’s becoming an instructor so you can give free lessons. It’s flying on the training hill on your day off ‘cause it’s better than nothing. Launching even though you know it’s just going to be a sled ride. It’s letting everyone know it’s soarable after you soared an hour or two

yourself first. It’s taking your driver out to eat. It’s keeping a few hundred feet of tow rope in the back of your car. It’s letting someone else fly your glider. It’s thermaling without a Vario. It’s building a harness for your pets. It’s breaking your glider down fast and setting it up faster. It’s having “custom made” down tubes. It’s launching in a 90 degree crosswind, safely. It’s landing in a new field. It’s doing wingovers with the student glider. It’s flying with friends and family. It’s being the wind dummy and staying

up longer than everyone else. It’s laughing when the guy with the brand new topless glider beaks his landing, and then running over to make sure he’s ok. It’s soaring everything from old standards to dragonflies.

Papalotes 2153 is friends made, and the experiences had and shared. It’s happening, a movement, a spirit. It’s the mountain sides with a clearing in the trees. The empty fields. It’s that long stretch of beach with no board walks or lifeguard towers. It’s people, not just pilots and instructors, but everyone in-

volved; the drivers, the forecasters, patient wives and husbands, fathers and mothers. The manufacturers, spectators, and friendly farmers and ranchers. It’s the dreamers. It’s the air and sky. It’s freedom, adrenalin, peace or whatever you think you can label it. It’s life.

Remember Rogallo

Laser launching a seagul by Chris Adler

Next Issue:

Rogallo Memorial and Woodstock Fly-in