Where to begin…

Two months ago Frances and I moved to Southern California.  Yes, we move across the country which was quite the experience.  Why you ask…??  Good question.  Well it all started July, 4 2009 at Lookout Mountain Flight Park during the Wills Wing Demo Days.  Frances and I headed out that weekend to hang with friends and for me to demo a new glider.  I met Steve and Mike from WW and had a great time talking with them about hang gliding, design, the history of the company, etc.  Somewhere in one of my conversations I mentioned how much I would love to work for Wills Wing one day.  This past March, 2010 I stopped working full time at Ground Industries and moved into a consultant position.  Long story short…this past June I get an email from Steve asking if I would be interested in coming out to Cali for a week to “try on” a position at WW.

Hmmm…um Hell YES!  (I think I was actually a bit more professional in my response, but that was the first thought through my head)

So, I went, loved it, and then flew home to try and convince my wonderful other half to follow me across the country.  Well…she is amazing and said yes.  (I am blessed to have this woman in my life!)  We got all the details worked out on a Thursday night in mid August and by Monday morning we were on the road.  Whirlwind???…try Cat 5 Hurricane.  We drove to Austin, TX to rest for a day and see her family and friends then got back on the road.  Got to Cali on Friday evening, slept at a truck stop and Sat morning found a place to live.  Nothing like flying by the seat of your pants!  Exhausted…yes, but by some amazing stroke of divine intervention we ‘crash’ landed in a wonderful location in a city called Diamond Bar.

So, Frances is working in the hospitals out here and I am working in the sail loft at WW.  I initially started cutting sails on the computerized cutting table and am now also learing the ins and outs of assembling the sails, managing inventory, and whatever else I can.  I’m looking forward to being able to help out in any area (test flying!!!) but there is a lot to learn so one step at a time.  So much goes into building these gliders and I have a new found appreciation of my sport.

Let me just tell you how much I love living/working out here!  Well I work for a hang gliding company…that kicks ass.  Living here…even better.  Since we moved out here the only weekends I haven’t flown were the weekend we moved in and this past weekend which was my birthday.  Why not fly on your birthday Matt?!?!?  Well because Stone Brewery released their 10.10.10 Vertical Epic and since we only live 1.5 hrs North of the Brewery…we went there!

Beer Tasting

Smoked Porter & Vanilla Float…soooo tasty!

The tanks.  If you drank 1 six pack a day from just one tank it would take you 65 years to finish it!

Back to the flying.  Crestline is the local site and it is awesome.  Not the most beautiful place but it is almost always flyable.  Seriously, the first 6 weeks I was here I NEVER checked the weather…I just went, and flew…for hours!  Yes it rocks and I am now spoiled.  I will get more hours here in 1 year than I have in the 10 years I have been flying…seriously, it’s EPIC out here.  On Sept 26 (Happy B-day Dad) I got to 10,750′ above sea level!  A personal best for me.  By this time next year I expect I will be telling you about a flight up to the legal limit for us…18,000′.  Yeah, bad ass huh!?!  Fingers crossed for that one.

Here is a video I put together from the first 2 weekends in September.  The glider I am following in most of the scenes is Kevin Koonce, a friend of mine who I use to instruct will at Kitty Hawk Kites.  Had a great time flying with him that day. Check it out below

The video is from my first flight.  Scratched around ridge height for 30 mins before I finally caught the thermal that took me to cloud base.  By the time I was up I couldn’t feel my fingers so I had to go land.  Once I was down my fingers felt like they were on Fire!   I need some warmer gloves next winter.

Flight time: 1 hr

Got to fly again on the the 20th and had some friends come out to watch.  My buddy Dave and his family came as did my friend Brian Walton.  Brian is a talented photographer and you can view his website and work HERE.  I’m glad he got to come out.  Here are some of the shots he took.  Click on the pics for the bigger version.  If you have Google Earth you can click on the HERE to download and see my flight in 3D.  This was recorded by the GPS I fly with.  You can download Google Earth here for free.

Ready to go!

Off the Ramp and right into a Thermal!

Just off launch and climbing.

Nick launched after me but didn’t find anything till he was low over the LZ.  He fought with it and gained 3-400′ back but it slipped away and he had to deck it.

Meanwhile, I was on my way up to 4050′ over launch.

Monty launched next and had some fun in front of launch for the cameras before thermaling up.

Frances was taking pics and filming launches.  I can’t wait till she is up there flying with us!

Monty wanted to say hello to the plane also!  Seriously, this was close.  I was 1km away but Monty was pretty much right there with the plane.  One of those “Holy Shit did you see that?!?!” moments!

Apparently I haven’t paid dues to the Aluminum gods lately.  The LZ was really tricky and I got knocked all over the place.  I think I was still knocking some of the winters rust off.

Flight Time: 1:30 hrs

I’ll be heading down to Wallaby Ranch in Florida next week.  Wills Wing is doing their 13th annual fly-in and party that I have been wanting to go to for years.  It will be good to go down and get some practice in before the Rob Kells comp in the middle of April.  I will have a lot going on for the next 2 months so I (hopefully) be posting more often.  Spring Time!!!  WOOOOHOOOO!

Shooter

JJ Grey & Mofro

The next day (birthday day) Frances and I went downtown to walk around and eat.  It was actually my first trolley ride into downtown G-ville.  The free Trolley into and around downtown is a really nice perk when you live close to the city center.  So, I was feeling a bit hazy from the night before but a few tasty beverages fixed that right up.  We met up with Richard who had his Aunt and some friends in town and showed them around a bit.

Here’s a pic of me a Richard being ourselves and pulling the statue’s finger.  I’m trying to make the “Oh my god what is that smell face”  but the little girl passing me was making me laugh at myself.

Setting good examples...

]]> http://flyinbarker.com/wp_cms/they-say-its-your-birthday/feed/ 1