7/20/2004: Power chute at dusk
 

http://cellar.org/2004/powerchute.jpg

Sometimes an image is just too beautiful not to have as an IotD. This one from MSNBC. The craft is basically a parachute with an engine on it, one of the safest kinds of aircraft I would imagine. If the engine fails you become a skydiver.

Apparently this one took off just after a thunderstorm and near dusk, which provided the backdrop of clouds and colors. I would expect the photographer bumped up the color saturation a little...

If you want to take off just after a thunderstorm at dusk you'd want to be in a fairly safe aircraft.

Great image, UT. :thumpsup:

Indeed, that's a real nice picture. Beautiful thunderheads there too.

:thumb: great silhouette shot! man i want to do that

It's definitely pretty, but I fail to understand the joy of jumping out of a perfectly good airplane.

He didn't jump from a plane at least. He took off from the ground like an ultralight.

I would be concerned about flying anywhere near those clouds in that rinky-dink contraption though.

Paragliding is great!!
 

To be technically correct, the 'chute' is called a paraglider, and is closer to a wing than to a parachute. Yes, adding the prop to it make it very safe, and also very noisy.

Riding the updrafts around a thunderstorm is one of the most exhilirating experiences there is - don't leave this world without trying it ! ;)

Safe flying

The trick is not to leave this world BY trying it. :lol:

Paragliding is extremely fun, only when I did it, I got into the air by literally running off a 2500 ft cliff in Austria (long story behind that...). It was right after a rain storm had passed so the air was moist and cool and it was sunny and breezy and was 15 of the most exhilirating minutes of my life. I have GOT to do it again.

That's nothing, check this out:
http://www.clusterballoon.org/index/index_04.jpg

http://www.clusterballoon.org/

That is some amazing stuff, the ballooning. The dude claims you should know how to fly before attemping the balloon cluster flying, but I... I have to doubt it...

I remember that balloons have the right-of-way in any piloting situation, so in theory the planes have to fly around you, but still. You're not on the radar I would imagine... consider a big-ass jet coming out of the clouds. They would never find your body.

No doubt. Did you see the photos of him launching off a hot air balloon?
http://www.clusterballoon.org/ride/ride_01.htm
http://www.clusterballoon.org/ride/C13ONTOP01.jpg
http://www.clusterballoon.org/ride/C13FLYIN06.jpg
This guy either has lots of balls or very little brains.

It doesn't look like he wears a 'chute, just in case. Also, he looks normal, but I have my doubts. :biggrin:

xob,

For this post, your tagline should be:
"If at first you don't succeed, don't try parachuting."