These guys really had a blast. Photo: Alex Souza.

The windy day didn’t scare pilots. Another great day on the beach (winds picked up to 14mph). Oh man, I hoped I could fly here. Maybe next year…

Besides the flights, we had a short (comparing to Salton Sea) kitting competition and a few stunts from the “super”, plus the guys from Nirvana (by the way, Dell was flying a 10 meter wing!).

Lastly, I made a good deal with Leon (from Sky Cruiser) and bought an original trike. I hope I can fly this as soon as possible. Missing that…

Anyways, going back home tomorrow very early (4AM!!!!) to celebrate mother’s day with my wife and kids.

Hope to see you all soon!

Alex

Beautiful Panama Beach in Florida. Photo: Alex Souza.

Another good day here at the event. Morning was taken in the take-off zone, afternoon I spent coding my first iPhone application (an app for PPG Places still in my list). Here goes a brief of the day:

• Like yesterday, some people “got wet” when taking-off (nobody hurt, fortunately)
• Yesterday early night was surprising with the folks from Nirvana flying their gliders with LED (they wrote the Nirvana logo). Simply amazing!
• Some fog during afternoon, above 500ft
• I met some folks I just knew via email (Michael Peter from Ireland, Andy McAvin, Pascal from Paramania, etc)
• I finally got wet in the refreshing sea

Tomorrow seems to be windy, with possibility of rain during the afternoon (not good). I will keep you posted!

Alex

Pilots enjoying the good weather in Florida. Photo: Alex Souza.

Today was a busy day. I had a shift working in the flying zone from 9:30 to 12:30. Lots of pilots enjoyed (and are still enjoying) the great weather we have here. Like yesterday, another pilot “took a bath” in the sea, while in the competition tasks. Another one, in the same competition got a close call when he crashed and his engine kept running. With the accidents, the police was called and the competition was cancelled. Fortunately nobody is hurt.

There a lots of vendor booths here but I didn’t see anything new yet (no new trikes or new glides, besides the MacJet, first reflex wing from Macpara).

Today I met some great guys I knew from email or from other events: Wil Jones, from Talking PPG Radio, Chris Saintcroice and Jeff Goin. I also talked to Paul Lindquist but no sign yet from Michael Peters, from Ireland, who I need to meet in person too.

Meanwhile, enjoy another picture from the show!

Alex

A pilot flying close to my room, in Panama Beach, during Beach Blast 2010. Photo: Alex Souza.

After a long flight from Seattle to Panama Beach, I finally arrived at the Edgewater Resort. I was lucky enough to find old good friends: Javier and Jose from Aerolight, my buddy Simon, Paul from Planet PPG and Elisabeth Dufour. Nice people!

The weather is gorgeous (around 75F) and was able to take some pictures (available in my Flickr Photostream) and shoot a small video of “Super” Dell flying his trike (see below):

Tomorrow I will share more!

Alex

Josh taking-off few days before the Paratoys fly-in (Salton Sea, CA). Photo: Alex Souza. 

Things are slow here at this moment. Saying that, I am counting days to Beach Blast! Even not being able to fly yet, it would be great to see some old (and new) friends in Panama Beach.

I spent a few minutes ago updating the search results page. Now, when you search a pilot name, you will be able to see also his/her picture (if he/she uploaded one). This is the first feature using the new pilot picture. I am planning much more for the next months. Keep posted!

Jim arriving the beautiful Shell Island, in Panama Beach, during Beach Blast 2009. Photo: Alex Souza. 

While I still cannot fly, due my accident in January, I decided to put some efforts on PPG Places again. In the past days I updated the log in system (now you keep logged for a few days, instead of having to log in every time you start your browser), and add the option to upload a picture (besides the use described below, I am planning to use this in a near future).

Also, working together with Paul and Capt. John, Beach Blast organizers, I created a web application that will allow Beach Blast 2010 attendees to keep other pilots posted when they plan to arrive, have a group flight, etc. To check this, point your browser to http://www.ppgplaces.com/bb.

Below, a screenshot of the application (as you can see, a good use of the pilot picture feature ):

When you plan to attend an event created by another pilot, all you have to do is to click the [+] button. To create an event, just click the big orange Schedule an Event button. You must be a PPG Places member and be logged when you decide to create or join an event.

Take a look, tell others when you are arriving (if you plan to attend Beach Blast this year), and let me know your thoughts on the app (of course you can run it in your Internet enabled phone).

Cheers,

Alex

My good friend Jim Childs captured me flying over Salton Sea, few minutes before my accident.

After a successful surgery, I am recovering very well. It seems I still have a couple of weeks more with crutches, which means no flights or updates here (my development computer is upstairs and it is hard to go up and down, or stay sit for such long time).

Meanwhile, I am still thinking and studying about my best trike options. I like several designs (like the TrikeBuggy Bullet) but I am probably going to buy the GrassHopper from Airparamo, as I like the portability and overall features. Any comments or suggestions here are welcome.

Regarding the site, I am pretty happy with the current numbers and with so many pilots joining from outside the US. Also, thanks for the feedback and good words about it. Please keep sending your wish list to me!

Safe flights to everybody!

Alex

After almost a day and a half driving with my friends Josh and Jim, we arrived at Salton Sea on Sunday, 17. Although tired, we had time for a good 1h flight.

Following days were horrible with high winds and raining never seen before in California. I was able only to fly twice in 4 days.

Last Saturday, a week before the Paratoys fly-in starts, I flew about a hour. Unfortunately, it seems I got cross winds in my landing, hitting hard the ground, which turned in a broken leg. Sadly, my vacations stopped before the beginning of the fly-in. I thought I had a bad knee in the past. Now I know I DO have a bad knee.

With my friends support, I flew back home the following day. Now, I am waiting for a surgery next Monday.

Meanwhile, thanks a lot for your support. PPG Places has already more than 50 places shared and almost 100 pilots have joined!

Safe flights,

Alex

Photo: Alex Souza. The PPG Places logo decorating my new trailer. 

Weather still wet and cold here in the Pacific Northwest. As you already know, not able to fly since last October, I am very excited for my 2 weeks trip to Salton Sea (Paratoys fly in) with some friends from here. I am hoping to start my 20 hours driving time Saturday, 16th or Tuesday, 19th, according Josh’s agenda (he is a friend who is going to share the trip with me).

To make the trip more “exciting”, I bought a trailer and a vinyl cut machine to decorate it. You can see my first result in the above picture.

Regarding PPG Places, I am very excited with the last days. Few weeks ago, I was interviewed by Wil Jones, from Talking PPG Radio, a great Internet show at www.talkingppgradio.com. The interview will be posted in a few days, I believe. Also, the number of registered pilot increased substantially in the past days. We are almost 90 pilots at this moment. Nice!

With the increase of pilots joining, I think I will spend more time with new updates and features. In fact, I just enable a basic one few minutes ago. Now, all new members will receive a welcome email when they enroll. More to come!

Thanks you all and happy new year!

Alex

A beautiful beach in La Push, WA. Photo: Alex Souza. 

Hello all,

Today I just started my experiences with Facebook development. Although I am still figuring out what is happening wrong sometimes, you can now share the places you like with your Facebook friends.

At a place page, on top of the map, click the Share button and let the world knows a good spot to fly.

I hope I can fix the bug (sometimes, instead of the picture and info about the place, no picture appears and the message is wrong) and implement new Facebook features.

Meanwhile, no flights from here due the weather condition (cold and rain). At least I could meet another friend in person last week. I traveled to Forks (no vampires there) and visit Tom Scott, from Olympic PPG. He helped me with some cables for my heated glove (which I hope I can use soon).

No more news at this time besides the countdown to the Paratoys fly in in January. California baby!