Presented by Riders In The Sky, Inc.

Summer Flying Season is Here!

Summer is definitely here. And what a start!

Bob Mahr is really doing well in sales in the Hiline and Great Falls areas. Our other new pilot, Larry Larsen, is flying high over Havre, and meeting other pilots over the internet. Seems that hangar flying has gone to a new level with the chat rooms now available.

The last weekend in June found the Billings group of PPC flyers at the Big Horn Lake / Yellowtail Dam area for a weekend campout and flyin. The weekend was a great success with lots of flying, cooking out, camping, and of course, hangar flying. Keith and Mara and Mama Broyles invited all of us to join them for a weekend of really terrific flying.

You haven’t really seen Yellowtail Dam and the Big Horn Canyon until you’ve seen it from 3,000’ overhead. Awesome!

John and Kathy Rainey, Ken Benner, Joe Huggins, and Sol and Art joined in the fun.

That same weekend, Bob Mahr and some of the Helena and Havre PPC flyers were up at Valier, MT to introduce yet more people to this great sport.

The next day, Sol and Art were off on their way to the 2000 Buckeye Flyin, with a side trip (just a bit out of the way) to Columbus, Kansas, to check out the new bunch at Powrachute. What a great group of people! Bill Amyx and his wife Kay, and Eddie Johnson and the rest of the management staff at Powrachute, really showed what Midwestern hospitality is all about. What a really great professional group of people, and their manufacturing facility, and the chute they produce, can only be described as awesome! Art could have spent days in the manufacturing and assembly department. Everything there was definitely top notch. Delwyn and the rest of the people in assembly were very professional, and all that quality shows in the finished product. What a beautiful addition to the powered parachute community. Look for more news on the Powrachute front for Montana shortly.

Then it was off to Argos and the Buckeye Flyin. The weather was just about perfect for flying with only one morning with a little rain and fog, but it burned off quickly and the chutes were flying high again. It was a pleasure to spend time with the Howards, Mike Hammond, and staff at Buckeye. Lots of info is always available at the factory flyin, and this was true again this year. There were elliptical wings being flown, and a BFI refresher course was presented by Randy Snead to over 30 participants. Ed Wilson from Leading Edge Air Fails was there to educate anyone who wanted to attend his seminars on the Rotax engine. Jim Stephenson, of ASC, was as always a font of information about current happenings in the powered parachute world. Fireworks entertained the crowd on Monday night, and there was even a young lady who got shot out of a cannon to the delight of the crowd.

Art and Sol also stopped off at the Harmening’s High Flyer flyin going on just down the road from Buckeye’s flyin. As always, Mike and Sue Harmening were having lots of fun showing off their very nice powered parachutes – including one with a four-stroke Geo Metro engine! Sounds really nice – like real motor.

After 3800 miles of travel, Art and Sol are finally back and enjoying the summer flying season around Billings. And looking forward to the Labor Day Flyin at Skyrider Flightpark, and their chance to see lots of their Montana PPC-flying friends.

Everyone is welcome so please come and join us for another great Labor Day weekend of flying!

Check Out The New Web Site!

Riders in the Sky, Inc. and Western Montana Powered Parachutes LLC announce the publication of their new web site:

Check it out for the latest information on Buckeye Powered Parachutes, used chutes for sale, what is happening where, and who is doing it.

Calendar of Events

August 17-20, Greenville, Illinois:  ASC/NAPPF Powered Parachute Nationals! Sponsored by the American Powered Parachute Association as a competition-only event, with international participation. Sanctioned PPC open competition to determine 2000 National Champion PPCer. Contanct Roy Beisswenger, 618-664-9706.

Labor Day Weekend, September 1-4, Skyrider Flightpark, Billings, MT: Fifth Annual Greater Yellowstone Powered Parachute and Ultralight Flyin. Co-sponsored by Yellowstone Ultralights and Powered Parachutes, Riders in the Sky, Inc., Western Montana Powered Parachutes, LLC, and Whispers Workshop, LLC.  Introductory Flights. ASC-certified BFI Refresher Course for those BFIs needing to renew their certification. Two AFIs will be availabe to sign off qualified BFI candidates.  Area competition under NAPPF rules. Art or Sol, 406-259-8039. 

October 5-8, Columbus, Kansas: Second Annual Powrachute Flyin. Join one of the new powered parachute manufacturers as they enjoy and promote our great sport. A new PC 2000 Powrachute will be given away to a lucky attendee. Eddie Johnson, 316-429-1397.

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Last modified: April 22, 2006