Explanations of the tools below and more
Introduction to weather for ultralight pilots
NWS hourly forecast – Poteau, OK
Wister, OK – current conditions
Stigler, OK – current conditions
Poteau, OK – current conditions at the Poteau airport
Kiamichi – current conditions near Panorama launch
Buffalo Mountain Flyers – current conditions & more at Buffalo Mountain
WeatherLink station at Buffalo Mtn – requires a free logon (more info)
MesoWest stations Ouachita Mountains – current conditions
Weather for Aircrews – Basic weather info for non-professionals
Pivotal Weather – an outstanding site for anything weather but it requires some work and know-how
SPC Balloon Soundings (every 12 hours)
UoW Balloon Soundings – usually available before the SPC soundings for 72364 (ELP)
Jet Stream and 4 day forecast – Pivotal Weather (above) gives much more accurate info on the Jet
NOAA Satellite image of moisture and clouds over the USA
Windy – animated map of winds and other data over the surface of the world
Wind History Map – actual vs. forecasts
Weather Spark – monthly, daily, and hourly graphical reports anywhere on earth
SkyVector Aeronautical Chart – road maps of the sky including TFR's
Introductory videos: The Dream of Human Flight is now a Reality - The Joy of Paragliding – a fine video production by Steve Crye showing the elements of why we love to fly. Let's go places (from Toyota), Featured video and introduction to paragliding (from the National Geographic), Fly like a bird (from USHPA)
Nearly every country in the world promotes and loves adventure sports, like hang gliding and paragliding. Switzerland even put an image of a guy paragliding on their 50 Franc note. Our sport is popular because it is the purest and rawest form of aviation there is and one that an average person can afford (about the price of a 10 year old used car).
On schedule! Please contact us for training locations and dates
The south face of Mt. Cavanal in Le Flore County Oklahoma was cold. Winds were south and the moist air was being pushed up and cooled, forming clouds just above where this photo was taken and in the lee of the peak. Yours truly (Had) tried to land on the abandoned antenna site (clear area in the photo) west of the highest parts of the mountain but the rotor near the landing zone was intense enough that it would not be a good idea. The flight was PPG (powered) in 45F air. The engine had an FSM installed but no preheat system which caused it to run quite lean so careful use of the throttle was required. Two days later , a preheat system was installed which took care of everything - engine ran as if it were the middle of summer.
A few miles west of our launch site
The road to the Panorama launch site. What a beautiful place!
It was a cold day for PPG. View is NNE. Mt. Cavanal is the peak to the left center and Sugar Loaf is the near peak to the right center.
Landed just south of Wister, OK near Hwy 271.
West end of Wister Lake. In the distance is the crest of the Ouachita Mountains where we fly.
A mighty oak on the slopes of Cavanal Mountain. This tree withstood the 90 mph straight-line winds that went through the area in mid-July. It is in my backyard.
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