It has been quite a long time since we last updated the American Spirit PPC website. A lot has been happening in my life since the flight across America in the 2 seat “Trainer” PPC.

During the summer following the last big flight I had my third major back surgery, and it was a mixed blessing. I had a terrible recovery and gave up PPC flying for about a year, even sold all of my PPC stuff.

Once I had recovered from having titanium steel rods and screws installed to hold my spine together, I bought a single seat PPC and flew it for a while to be sure that I could still fly safely before taking any passengers. Later I sold that one and bought a 2 seat “Trainer” again and got back into the sport with a renewed drive.

Since that time I have learned with the help of Don Stutts, a prominent PPC designer, and others, how to build powered parachutes from scratch. I have built 3 planes so far and even designed this latest one, which I call the “Mini Me”. It is basically a scaled down version of my favorite 2-seat design with a few personal touches.

Why the name “Mini Me”? One reason is because it is a scaled down version as mentioned above. Another reason is because I had gained weight terribly to the point of weighing 265 pounds and wearing 54” waist pants! I have since reduced myself to a “Mini Me” and now weigh 195 pounds and wear a 36” waist pants.

The Mini Me was designed and built with the thoughts of flying it across America. It was a challenge flying the “Trainer” across America the last time, but this will be many times the challenge. While the “Trainer” had a 10-gallon fuel tank and a second seat to carry gear in, and there was always a person chasing in the truck, this time will not be so luxurious.

The Mini Me is a 100% legal Ultralight vehicle and meets the requirements of FAR 103. The empty weight is less than 225 pounds including all of the accessories. With a full fuel tank (5-gallons) the gross weight of the plane is still less than 255 pounds.

Steve and the Mini Me, November 2004:                   The planned route for March 2005:



 

The flight across America in the Mini Me is set to begin around the first of March 2005 from Camarillo, California. It will follow much of the previously flown route, but is a bit different. The path is straightened out as much as possible and still avoids congested areas and restricted airspaces. It starts a little further north and also ends further north than the previous flight. The final destination will be Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Both the beginning and final airports have a control tower so this is a new twist for my flights as well.

This flight will have another twist besides being done in a FAR 103 Ultralight PPC. It will also be done without a dedicated chase crew. I plan to ship the Mini Me to Camarillo, and catch a commercial flight out to LAX. I will have some help along the way from volunteers as many have already volunteered ground support in various parts of the country. Where there are no volunteers I will have to be resourceful and determined in order to obtain fuel, oil, food and lodging. That should be enough to keep things interesting!

Chris East is volunteering her time and resources to maintain this website, like she did on the prior flight. Chris and many other people have come together already to help make this flight a success. I have received many offers of help in various forms, from advice, to goods, services and cash. An undertaking of this magnitude is expensive and I very much appreciate all of the help that I can get. Soon we will have a section on this site devoted to acknowledging those that have made contributions to help the cause. If you would like to help in any way, please e-mail me at americanspirit@bellsouth.net or send your contribution to;
Steve Thomas
1828 Hopkins Road
Murray. KY 42071
We will add your name to the list of contributors unless you request that we do not.

Check back to the website often to see the updates. Once the flight gets underway we will be updating every few days as I have the opportunity to send in my reports and photos, like we did on the last flight.

Have a good one!
Steve Thomas

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