Meet Heather –
I am the daughter of an Air Force Pilot and an Airline Stewardess. I went to a Santana Concert in Charlotte and saw a Groupon for an introductory flight in a hanglider in Ashville, so I went for it! The ride was amazing! An ultra lite took us up 2000 feet. We unhooked and slowly spiraled down, an eagle flying with us! The ride lasted less than 15 minutes. I was hooked. I started shopping for hang gliders.
I knew I wanted a longer hang time without being in a closed cockpit. So I kept searching for a mode of flying that would fit the bill. When I took my grandlove on her 10 year old trip to Washington DC, my brother was flying a backpack style powered parachute. Wow. This was close…..but….I weighed more back then and this girl was not running to get in the air unless someone was chasing me with a knife.
I continued searching and happened to come across a video on youtube of a buckeye dream machine powered parachute. Then the serious shopping began.
I found one nearby. Still at this point, I had never even flown in one. But, I brought money with me, he took me up in it, and I bought it right away.
It was a two seater and had a 10 gallon fuel tank so he said it would only be legal if I got a Sport Pilot license and pointed me in the direction of Bill Wallace and Melinda Bliss.
Three months later I was training with them. At this point it had been two and a half years from the hang gliding experience.
Because I still work full time, and live 4 hours from the training, and winds were horrible the last year and a half. It took me a year and three months to complete my Sport Pilots Licensing . I have just purchased a second powered parachute, a phoenix that has been frankensteined with another machine. I love the chute in this one, a hybrid APCO. I love the seating, and I love the amount of structure so I can have more places to hang bags and my radio/com system.
I look forward to semi retiring and hitting the road with my husband, a toy hauler, our kayaks, motorcycles and my powered parachute. Hoping to fly in every state!