surrey-dad

NB: These are not my own video clips. They are just some of my favourites found whilst doing my newbie research into PPG.

Hope you all had a great Christmas, and here's to a happy New Year filled with plenty of good flying weather, especially at weekends !

On that note, here is a great quality video of a French fly-in from last summer. I love the start of this video (despite it breaking air law) - tracking along the highway like a clip out of the Terminator...

(As always right click on video to view YouTube in larger wide format & HQ)

[youtubevideo]

Andy

As I say... not done any vid stuff yet.

SW

It is the main reason I ever looked at the Mac in the first place. Having seen thousands £'s wasted on high end PC's and expensive graphics cards by our Neuro department, I discovered that we could turnaround video clips of operations in a fraction of the time using a five year old Mac G3. Never looked back since.

Anyway iMovie HD gets you of a great start (free with your Mac), and if you then want to go to the next level then check out Final Cut Express, or even Final Cut Studio.

Simon/Cambodia - check out the iMovie Guided Tour here, and various tutorials here.

Have fun - cos you will be stunned at the ease and quality of what you can produce

Andy

If you want a diversion from anything to do with Xmas, look at the incredible paper art on this site:

http://www.petercallesen.com/index.html

Cheers,

Alan

I was trying to help my son follow an origami book earlier today - which was hard enough after a few too many sherbets

But can't even start to think how he did the level of detail in some of those exhibits... especially 'White Diary'.

Thanks for sharing the link, and Merry Christmas !

Andy

...Merry Christmas all

Dave

Merry Christmas to you to - and a very happy new (flat top) year

Cheers,

Andy

No motor but incredible flying.

Yes you can loop the loop on a paraglider, and fly backwards 0:58 ...

Here's proof you can also loop with a paramotor (~15sec) - although this must be pretty risky with fuel and added weight to worry about...

[youtubevideo]

Andy

...The thing is that technically the PC architecture needs a sledge hammer to crack a nut.

You wouldn't design it anything like the current state if you started from scratch, no forward thinking from the outset...

[ Fanman - note I am now defending windows ]

Apple by contrast made the bold decision to ditch its Classic O/S architecture when it moved to OS-X. But there again the userbase was much smaller compared to Windows...

Andy

...(it's just the sanctimonious users harking on about them the rest of us have to endure!)

Personally I don't care what label comes on the box, it is simply about which provides the best set of tools for various computing needs (office and home).

IMHO both have strengths and weaknesses - which is why I use both...

On the positive side: the rivalry between both camps ensures that the bar continues to be raised (recent Win 7 release), pressure kept on lower prices, and greater interoperability between both flavours.

So 2010 looks set to be a very good year for the consumer.

Until then Happy Xmas !

Andy

16 minutes! Ha ha, I had a bet with my missus it wouldn't be long before someone suggests I run windoze on a Mac! I would call that a VERY expensive PC then.

But you said

...Macs are brilliant at mainstream uses but fall down if you are a user who likes to go off piste.

You never mentioned anything about cost being a factor. So your point was ?

My point was that, if like Simon someone is migrating to a Mac anyway - then they can simply use their existing Windows licence to run any legacy apps. If you think that means that Simon has bought an expensive PC, maybe you should ask him again in a few months.

Andy

Some of you probably seen this already . Parajets 295cc monster..

Looks very heavy !!! Have a look.

[youtubevideo]

[/youtubevideo]

Also love the deeper tone of the motor

Andy

If only a Quest XC equipped paramotor was mac compatible...

Macs are brilliant at mainstream uses but fall down if you are a user who likes to go off piste.

Alternatively there are the well tried and tested Parallels or VirtualPC emulation apps if older software applications need earlier Windows versions.

Andy

I am back online with my new sexy Mac Book Pro.

I am already loving it, and the software it came with.

PC's are like sooooo yesterday

SW

Congrats Simon ! Hours of fun ahead of you

Early days I know - but would recommend that once you have got your system configured to your liking, you get your paws on a copy of SuperDuper (free or Pro version) and an external USB drive. Best computer investment you will ever make...

Cheers,

Andy

Not as many as last year but the Xmas doo was brilliant, good food, good company. Alas some could not make it due to the weather or other committments. About 25 made it to the party.

After the meal Simon made several presentations to well deserving pilots in the way of a transparent plaque on a black base with the pilots name on them.

Resipients were: Norman, RAF Colin, Pete B, Eddie and Karan from Nepal.

These were given mainly for pilots who either have excelled in the sport or have given much help to others.

Pete B also got the broken prop on a wooden dias award accompanied by a candle (lit) in recognition of his much talked about flame landing (Glad your ankle is better also Pete).

Also was the mention that the PMC Club members have grown to the point where if we have another 200 members (tinks thats correct) we will be the biggest PPG Club.

Best wishes to all for the New Year and hope for good flyable weather

Mike

Just wanted to second what Mike said, and thank Simon for organising a great evening.

Would also add that this newbie was made to feel very welcome, and spent most of the evening listening to various tales of thrills and (a surprising number of) s*removed by admin* !

It was great to meet so many of the core members and finally be able to put faces to forum handles.

Anyway here's looking at some decent weather early in the new year so that I can finally get airborne and enjoy a few thrills/s*removed by admin* of my own

Thanks again folks !

Andy

Bah humbug !!! - don't talk to me about snow.

It has just taken me 6 hours to cover the 12 mile journey home from Windsor ! Yes that is my Grans average walking pace...

Unbelievable scenes of chaos - including seeing an abandoned £100k+ Bentley Continental GT

But then ended up having to abandon my car about a mile from home due to so many closed roads.

Whilst stuck in Great Windsor Park did recollect DanThe Man's groundhandling days there. So started daydreaming of parking my car, getting paramotor and wing out of boot - then taking off and flying home over all the gridlocked traffic.... *sigh* was just a dream.

Anyway folks drive carefully wherever you are. No s*removed by admin* before Christmas !

Cheers,

Andy

Crazy stuff Norman - looks like a skunk works (or Photoshop) special !

But far more mundane - here is a double 'Y' for the:

Yakovlev Yak

Believe it or not if you flew in the centre under the highest span of the Millau bridge at 300 feet AGL you would not be contravening the 500 foot rule ...

Andy

Not PPG but looks like fun ...

Also love the way he retracted the undercarriage

Andy

NB: These are not my own video clips. They are just some of my favourites found whilst doing my newbie research into PPG.

After my snowy encounter with a hedge yesterday , I thought the next video should be more seasonal.

This is a fun short clip, well edited, of low level flight over the snow.

The real purpose of the video appears to be for a flying school to show off their new truck from various flyovers.

(As always right click on video to view YouTube in larger wide format & HQ)

[youtubevideo]

Andy

All,

The weather on the day of the doo, (19th) although a little early to get excited... is looking like a good flying day.

So those that can, please do bring flying kit during the day.

SW

How many of you are planning on flying ?

If so will you be at the Flagpole or Red Barn site, as I can head over a bit earlier to get some pictures...

Cheers,

Andy

Great video Alan !

I remember watching the TopGear episode where Clarkson et al drove to the bridge. He went on about how when the bridge was opened, the French President had waxed lyrical about it being a great day for French design and engineering. Before concluding the program by mentioning it was a British architect

Anyway it must have been amazing to fly over , but really tempting to have flown along the river underneath it

Andy

Cheers Simon - but you wouldn't have a black ice predictor as well ?

Just asking as I only managed to make it 50yds down our hill this morning, before embedding my car in someones hedge

Andy

Ear defenders on...

Vulcan

Tornado

Raptor (F-22)

Ask and you shall receive, 'tis the season of goodwill after all...

Andy

Nice one Pete

Can't help feeling some folk have too much spare time on their hands - as there is a ton of editing work in that clip.

Am just jealous really....