[Craig Muhonen]

Hello Everyone:

Well I do tend to think about Flying Quite a lot These Days. Heck what Else should I think about? I think about Flying what I call Flying One's Glider XW as in Cross Water Flying. I then have gone as far as to call a couple if Tug Boat Companies regarding Having a Tug Boat that would be either pushing a relatively small Barge. So that way if I were to sink out, my sinking out is very doubtful. For I will be the Phoenix Guy in the Sky! I told the fellow on the Phone who answered My questions. I told this Guy Matt that this could Work. But I am fully aware that I could indeed sink-Out. I told Matt that to end up needing to Ditch one's Glider into the Ocean, while you are wearing a Nylon Harness. Can You say Death, Death by Drowning?

This is Flight that could be be made. But I am a Guy who does His Homework. Doing One's Homework would be Critical in order to make the very First Albatros XW Flight.

XW means Cross Water".

I mean check this little Prime Moment in My Past out. One Day was Flying Mount Diablo. I was taking Off From the Juniper Ridge LZ. I would soar for a short while, then I would Land at The Juniper Ridge LZ. WEll after one of My landings a Couple walked over to Me in the LZ. THe Man said to Me; "My Wife and I have been watching You Fly. I said to My Wife; He flies Just Like a Bird. I replied; "No You are incorrect, I fly better than a Bird, For I I launch, I Soar, I climb without Flapping. I Fly better than a
Bird"

What a Monent in My Life. What a Moment in My Flying Life.

Hi Chris, Craig Muhonen here.
Thought I'd send this poem that I found in an old (1915) newspaper, that I "rescued" from a house I was doing a plumbing remodel on. I have a "crawl space" perspective of the world.

Been reading your posts, and it looks like your brain has been making many new pathways,
and the best one (other than family) is playing your guitar.
I was not a Hang Glider Pilot, but I did a lot of recreational flying in Southern California as a private pilot, in my dad's Cessna 150. I like to see it as "RE-CREATION" , every time you leave the ground.

https://ushawks.org/forum/download/file.php?mode=view&id=11539&sid=ccecdfb58ec70d8b7ac973c0515a9cec

even a bird (2).jpeg (324.74 KiB) Viewed 1248 times

[Craig Muhonen]

HONOR .jpg (75.83 KiB) Viewed 1236 times

GOD IS MENTALLY TUFF

[Chris McKeon]

U [U] I want to be a Old Bold Pilot.

[Craig Muhonen]

YOU are amazing Chris, Reading your posts, long winded as sometimes they are, ( I am that way after my near death accident ), well as my friend Jeff Campbell once said to me,
well, at least we have the wind.
You talk about "mentally flying", and that really means something, because part of being a pilot, is your mental check lists before every flight. Just remember that these check lists apply to life too. IF is the middle word of life,
IF you do THIS,
then you do THIS and then go to.
My dad always taught me that check lists are most important, flying is easy. Keep up the good work.

[Chris McKeon]

"TWENTY ONE AND HOLDING"

Eleven Years ago after I ; Failed to successfully complete an XC Flight". Yes I did do the Almost Die Deal. But I just plain refused to go through with My Doctors Prognosis. Yes I just refused to Die. Here I am here Eleven years later. I am living, yes I live! On paper by the records I am 60. But as a Person I am quite immature. In My Mind I am in what I call a Holding pattern, in My mind I am still twenty one Years old.

[Chris McKeon]

You know I think about Flying, Heck I think about Flying almost Constantly. So when this Busted up, broken down Predator Phoenix Pilot Fly's once again. I will re-title this Post to read as Phoenix Predator Pilots, Flight report logg.

I know that all of you can still remember hat Day when you had your very first flight. I bet that all you Guys can can still recall how it felt on your first ever experience of having your harness become taught, how it felt to go weighless for the first time. I just know that I will feel that way Times Fifty!

[Craig Muhonen]

Here is some pictures of my, "first flights"
I remember my "first flights" as a child flying with my American Airlines dad , in 1948, then my first flight in a Cessna 172 when I soloed for my private license in 1965, then my first flight in a hang glider in 1972.
The Hang Glider was the most pure aircraft, and the simplest, one connection to the CG.
Ground skimming was so much fun, I took off at 10,000 feet and reached an altitude of 10,020 feet and skimmed some 150 feet, before wapping the glider into a controlled crash landing. The most energized I've ever been. No helmet, and all they told me was to make sure I "dove through the control bar with my head down". I had lots of fun on those days that the wind was gentle, but I never went any further with flying, I was already living at altitude, so my feet were firmly planted on the ground. (except for a few 'airs' on my skis). I did get a chance to drive and hike and launch Hang Gliders of various makes and models from the high peaks around Telluride, and then Gold Hill launch site on the ski area. what fun was that.
I became one of the town plumbers in 74', so that sorta ended my play time, but I stayed in touch , and watched an incredible evolution of the wing. They went from gliding with Chandell turns, to soaring to 20,000 feet, to 6 times looping, (John) in just 6 years! Pilots from all over the world (including John) brought their air ships and tested out this most incredible 'rarified' mountain air.
I grew up at Torrance beach and David Cronk was a couple of years behind me. Our middle school was across the street, so Surfing was king, but when (engineer) David saw the first bamboo and drop cloth gliders running down the hill, he went home and started building his own, and the rest is history. He came to Telluride in 1974 and won our first hang glider meet with his Quicksilver, then in 75' he became World Champion in Austria.
They closed Torrance Beach launch site long ago because of real estate, and in fact David had a run in with the cops and was banned from flying there. He flew there anyway but just turned right and headed down the esplanade toward Dockweiler.
If it wasn't for people like Bob , and Frank , and John , Dockweiler would not be flyable today.
I can only imagine you Chris , with so many hours in your hang glider, just itchen to get the wind on your face again.
My favorite glider, was the Mosquito, although strange looking on the ground with all those wires, it was a perfect flier.
KP gliders rule, from my roadie point of view.

[Chris McKeon]

Hey Craig, I do not go back that far regarding My Flying. For My start, My beginning attempts at becoming an Aviator Began down a a Beach Site down in New Zealand called Remuera. Yes I was an aspiring Pilot Pilot who aimed to be "Dune Gooner". THat was in January of 1991.

Well the urge to Fly I had. THe Hook was set very deep. When I got back to the United States I called Dan Fleming who then Called Robb Kells who brought Me up an Brand New Wills Wing 225 Falcon. I Flew the Falcon a lot. I Flew the Falcon For oh about three Years. I then Called John so that I could get one of His awesome Predators. My Predator was and is a Predator 158. What a Glider!

I feel so blessed that I am able to Fly. I really do Mean that. What a ride this dive into personal Flight this has been.

[Craig Muhonen]

Hi Chris, Reading you guys on US HAWKS, (I forgot to add Joe Faust , and Rick Masters, to my previous post) has been awesome for me, and it takes my, "crawlspace perspective" to new highs. You guys write so well, it would be a best selling novel.
I got my first sight of a tow kite glider in Sidney Australia on Christmas of 1968, when I was on a Rest and Relaxation (R&R), or intercourse and intoxication (I & I) trip from Vietnam. It was 7 days of bliss, and when I got off the 707, I was greeted by a group of people, who's only task was to show me a great time, full knowing I had to go back. They outfitted me with all the clothes and shoes I needed, fed me, introduced me to some 'round eyed' girls, and then showed me this board with 3x5 cards on it, and said, "all these people have different excursions that they would like to take you on". I pulled a card off the wall, and it said "we'd like to take you water skiing with us on a river up north of Sidney", and a phone number. I had learned to water ski on a lake in Barnard Vt. where my grandfather owned the general store, so I called the number. A guy named Bill Bennett and his family came and picked me up, and took me to their cabin on this beautiful river. Turns out Bill was a barefoot champion, and had these bitchen boats, and we skied our brains out. He also showed me his glider that he was going to try and break the world altitude record for a tow kite glider, using his two boats to pull him up. Sitting around with them on this river, drinking Fosters, and eating steak, was....well I did not want to go back. When I got out of the Marine Corps, in late 1969, I went back to Torrance, and low and behold these "kites" were flying on the sand hill and cliffs, and everybody was talking about the new Hang Glider craze and David Cronk, Bill Bennett and a host of others. Then I moved to Telluride on a whim in 1971, and actually ended up meeting Bill at a Hang Glider meet. How ironic.
Thank you US HAWKS for inviting me in and giving me a chance to write, for my accident abruptly ended my 40 year plumbing carrier, but I still have my God, my family, and new friends.
Thanks Chris, and you will fly again.
Long winded.

[Bob Kuczewski]

Thanks to Craig and Chris. You are both writing a beautiful chapter in hang gliding history.