superflysanta

web site

2011-05-25T20:59:00.000-07:00

Hi and thanks for checking in. I have a new web site www.superflychris.com ---> please check it out if you have a moment.

2008-11-24T06:31:00.002-08:00

2008-11-24T06:31:00.001-08:00

2008-11-24T06:30:00.000-08:00

Baby Girl Santacroce 6 pounds 15 ounces born on 6/16/08

2008-06-18T21:03:00.000-07:00

Check The Santa Family Blog Too!

2008-02-19T09:54:00.000-08:00

Susie and Zane started a new blog....

CLICK HERE

Tandem Flights at Jordanelle Reservoir

2007-09-02T20:09:00.000-07:00

2007-09-02T20:06:00.000-07:00

2007-09-02T20:04:00.000-07:00

2007-09-02T20:01:00.000-07:00

2007-09-02T19:58:00.001-07:00

2007-09-02T19:52:00.000-07:00

2007-09-02T19:49:00.000-07:00

random AK images

2007-06-25T13:46:00.000-07:00

Easter Pic

2007-04-27T13:55:00.000-07:00

Zanes first soft ball game

2007-04-27T13:52:00.000-07:00

Nova Rookie

2007-04-11T06:31:00.000-07:00

2007-03-26T09:37:00.000-07:00

2007-03-20T13:40:00.000-07:00

Zulu Explorer is DHV class I-II( all sizes XS-S-M-L) !

Zulu Explorer is a modified and light version of the Zulu with new light materials, made for the pilots who like to travel or those who simply prefer compact equipment.

2007-03-19T13:05:00.000-07:00

Zane March 8!

2007-03-08T13:16:00.001-08:00

Best Baby Ever!

My Kid.

2007-03-07T19:58:00.000-08:00

Zane says: SMILE!

2007-03-07T19:55:00.000-08:00

Chuck S. South Side Point of the Mtn. Early March 07

2007-03-07T19:52:00.000-08:00

LA Paragliding Stationary Winch Tow Vid

2007-02-11T22:01:00.000-08:00

Los Angeles Paragliding

2007-02-07T15:17:00.000-08:00

I spent last weekend with Bill Hall, a long time friend. He and I worked for UP in the early nineties; he was a test pilot and I was an instructor etc. He has become a really enthusiastic paraglider pilot and he has always been the "instructor type." So, we are finalising his instructor rating and he will be offering paragliding instruction in the LA area. He is armed with a scooter tow stationary winch and a partner(Teresa) who not only flies, but also has a keen business sense. We will continue to work with Bill over the next year to jump start his paragliding school.

Ground Launch Speed Flying Nano Harness Deluxe

2007-01-12T19:55:00.000-08:00

pretty cool....

Baby 2 Weeks

2007-01-05T17:15:00.000-08:00

Private Pilots License

2007-01-05T17:02:00.000-08:00

I took my first flying lesson in 1987. I have had more than ten instructors in several states and have 57 hours of loggable time. On Jan 3 of 2007 I took the checkride for my private pilots license. I am proud to say that I am a private pilot and that if I can do it, anybody can.

Flying is just so darn neat.

I did my checkride in a Cessna 152 like the one in the picture. My first flying lesson was also in a 152 like the one in the picture.

Neat, neat, neat.

Crystal Stained Glass Studio

2007-01-05T09:50:00.000-08:00

The web site for the place that my mom works is http://www.crystalglassstudio.com. It's called the Crystal Stained Glass Studio and they make some of the coolest custom stained glass and other glass that you can imagine. Their lighting fixtures are really popular. It's in Carbondale, CO near Mt. Sopris http://webcam.sopris.net/ . I grew up at the base of the beautiful mountain that the web cam is pointing toward. If you go to Carbondale and want to check out some cool art; go to their studio which is in the center of town. The owners are Mary and John Matchell. They are super cool people all the way around and there is some good food in Carbondale too. Check out the salsa from Viva Taqueria on the way out of town.

Baby

2006-12-20T19:12:00.000-08:00

6lbs. 13 ounces, 18 inches long December 18, 2006 As of today, un named.... We love him.

Ra 9.14

2006-11-03T21:35:00.000-08:00

2006-11-03T21:32:00.000-08:00

BOLERO III DHV and CEN, Nice Work Gents! This glider is quite nice with motor or without, with experience or without...

Vegas

2006-11-03T21:30:00.000-08:00

Carson Klein and I spent a week in Las Vegas this Oct. and are going back Nov. 6-12... Good times. Photo: Tom Hampton

Aero Battle 06 Vid Teaser

2006-09-21T13:36:00.000-07:00

Waited ten years to do this trick.

2006-09-13T11:28:00.000-07:00

That's 5.5 months.

2006-09-13T11:18:00.001-07:00

My Wife, The Nacho Eater

2006-09-13T11:15:00.000-07:00

Roughing It. Chef Brad: gentleman, trickster, Kiwi, Muppett.

2006-09-13T11:14:00.000-07:00

Coaching in Canada, hard day at the office...

some of my vid links

2006-08-21T13:56:00.000-07:00

Super Fly Chris
http://youtube.com/watch?v=jjsLvD0wfLw

AK Maneuvers Session
http://youtube.com/watch?v=pJiZDX_DCoM&mode=user&search=

Speed Flying

2006-08-17T21:24:00.000-07:00

Hey, I am going to teach some Speed Flying camps here in Utah this Winter. We will go into the UT back country with snow mobiles and fly up a storm. Speed Flying is neat and you can meet Snoopy.

Links

2006-08-17T21:19:00.000-07:00

The more that you link sites, the more Google knows about them and stuff. That is why I need to type www.superflyinc.com/catalog

Got to have one picture per post I figure...

a fuel efficient vehicle

2006-08-17T21:16:00.000-07:00

I could get a hybrid or a fuel efficient four banger, but I won't.

2006-08-17T21:14:00.000-07:00

I gave this guy my old shades. He is cool.

myspace

2006-06-12T13:33:00.000-07:00

http://myspace.com/superflysanta

So, I got a my space so that I could look at someone else's myspace and then I forgot about it... My myspace got hijacked and now it's someone else's blog. The someone else is something else, as you may notice...

Guess

2006-06-12T12:49:00.000-07:00

Guess what rock I am sitting on, who that dude is in the background and why I am smiling....

neat pic

2006-06-12T12:41:00.000-07:00

This is a picture taken by Jarek, a favorite from Chicago who comes around quite a bit. He got to 14,500 down south of Salt Lake. The mountain is Nebo and the lake usually isn't a lake. We just have a lot of water these days.

Eurocopter

2006-03-27T12:27:00.000-08:00

That's a Eurocopter BO-105

camera phone

2006-03-26T09:15:00.000-08:00

All these pictures are shot with the Samsung T809.

So Cal

2006-03-26T09:07:00.000-08:00

Eurocopter B0-105 LA

Seattle

2006-03-26T09:05:00.000-08:00

Lynn Bentley launching Tiger Mtn. Issaquah, WA on Saturday...

Phoenix

2006-03-20T08:43:00.000-08:00

In case you ever wondered what the flying is like in Phoenix. Photo: Cal Sixta, by Clint Sixta. South Mountian. I had no idea. It looks quite nice.

March Maneuvers in UT

2006-03-18T17:37:00.000-08:00

Still shooting with a $40 Nokia. Bottom-boat wake, top-glider on tow. From 9-12 this AM, four tows to about 3000 feet a hundred or so miles from SLC. Great session. Back at home for a Saturday nap by 2. We towed into late Nov. and now we are back towing again in March. Natalia's first fool stall.

Montoid

2006-03-15T10:06:00.000-08:00

Paul Franco and Monte Bell(my paragliding instructor), Maui, HI

End of Tour and Big Island

2006-03-09T12:03:00.000-08:00

Hawaii ITS

This is the road rig. We just did five over the water sessions in four states in one month with the HI trip in between. All successfull...

I grabbed a motor flight on the big island. Motored up a few thousand and flew with the motor off for another half hour.

chores

2006-02-16T18:37:00.000-08:00

Boat repairs Bosque Farms, NM

Boomerang Sport and Nano Links

2006-02-15T12:32:00.000-08:00

The Boomerange Sport passed certification, sweet... http://www.gingliders.com/news/00000154.php

Check out the Speed Flying: http://www.gingliders.com/news/00000153.php

Pump It Up & Send It

2006-02-15T12:04:00.000-08:00

Smiles all around....

Maneuvers in the W/ SW

2006-02-13T17:36:00.000-08:00

If you have a look at my calender, you can see that we are "throwing down" at a different lake in a different state every week this month. California was incredible. We towed until we couldn't tow any more. Paul Sommerset "ghost rode" his paraglider about five times(BASE jumping parachute). The session was great despite the 13 hour drive to get there. The Arizona session was pretty good with a few challenges(weather, bird habitat, angry sea-plane taddle tail). BUT, the good news is that the lake we are using for AZ sessions has a program for boat towing and now we know how to adhere to it. Having said that, we had five participants and did about 22 tows. SO, you do the math. I drove to NM where I left Snoopy and the boat and am back in Salt Lick City for a few days. This weekend, NM session, next weekend, TX. No problem buring tons of gas, credit cards are getting hit pretty hard. Cheapest diesel: 2.59. Cheapest unleaded: 2.39. Most days involve about 8 hours on the boat minimum. Most tows involve putting out 6k + feet of line which works out to about 3k feet...

The Latest....

2006-02-13T17:32:00.000-08:00

We are just back from a very successful trip to Mexico and a very quick trip to Europe. The flying in Valle de Bravo was just as consistent and sweet as ever. Please join us next year if you haven't been there before. While in Europe, we attended the annual Gin Gliders Distributor Meeting and we visited Advance in Switzerland. Here are some notes that you might enjoy.

MEXICO

We logged some quality time on the Advance Epsilon 5 and the Sigma 6. Most interesting for our dealers was the Epsilon 5. We observed that the E5 the most well rounded DHV 1-2 we have ever flown. When flying the Zulu in the same (strong thermal) air, we found that it provided more feedback and a different, more "lively" feeling. Naturally, we really enjoy the type of pilot that develops from flying a Zulu but at the very same time we can imagine that a huge number of your clients will want a 1-2 that performs with the best of them and still inspires the pilot to relax and maybe let go of the outside brake to take a picture. Both types of gliders certainly have their place and we are overjoyed to be able to provide them to you. The Sigma 6 is a great DHV 2 alternative to the Zoom. A bit like trying on shoes, some of your customers may find that the Sigma 6 fits perfectly. Let's make this opportunity available to them.

EUROPE

We didn't walk more than a half a mile the whole time we were there. We drank more coffee than you can imagine, slept very little, didn't drink any water to speak of and learned more about the products that we handle than you can imagine. We also learned that 150 km/h is about 100 mph and is a very comfortable speed under the proper circumstances. The Autobahn rules! Gin Gliders devotes an entire week to educating their distributor and to receiving feedback about the brand. This means more than 8 hours a day and a tremendous amount of preparation. Very impressive.

Advance hosted us at their facility in Thun, Switzerland just down the road from Interlaken. Advance was everything that you can imagine; their attention to detail shines through in every aspect of their brand/ organization/personalities. We learned a lot about their line, their service program and their plans for the future. Advance is a very conservative brand without any sort of "pie in the sky" aspirations. As we departed, they cautioned us: "we don't need to sell more gliders in the US, we just want to have good professional representation over the entire country."

GIN NEWS

-Boom Sport, the new 2-3 has already passed preliminary tests and will be certified in the next few weeks. NEWS FLASH, BOOM SPORT M CERTIFIED. This is an upper end 2-3 with performance in the neighborhood of the Boomerang 4 at trim speed.

-The Genie XO and Genie II harnesses are no longer available. The Gingo and Genie III have undergone some slight changes. The new Gingo reserve container is even better and the Genie III has a re-positioned speed system grommet to allow full travel, leg straps that are adjustable at the top, more internal pockets and new shoulder strap construction to prevent them from slipping to the side. Also, the Genie III will accept a 17 cm back protector although it doesn't fit quite as well as the 14.

-Gin have a new "yeti tandem" it is a Beetle 38 that weighs 6.5kg with two harnesses and fits into a small(new) Gin backpack.

-An interesting item of note: The Yeti Glider (light weight Bolero Plus) are wearing very well over time. Erhard Loretan flew his Yeti off all fourteen 8000M peaks and has logged more than 300 hours on his Yeti. The Yeti backpack has been improved with more padding and sweat management along with a new, more comfortable waist strap.

-Over the longer term, we can expect a competition harness and a tandem reserve from Gin Gliders.

-FLY GIN – Gin Gliders has an extensive clothing and accessory line that has grown exceedingly popular worldwide. We will stock more and more FLY GIN products and we encourage our dealers to do likewise.

-The lineup for Gin Gliders in 2006 is; Yeti, Bolero Plus, Zoom, Zoom Race, Boom Sport, Boomerang, Beetle. A new DHV 1 will come in the Fall and a new DHV 2 can be expected next year.

GIN KITES

-Robert Graham spent a huge amount of time and effort on the new Eskimo foil kite. It is meant to be an absolute "state of the art" power kite for Snow Kiting, dirt boarding and buggy kiting. We would like to see each dealer own an Eskimo kite. This is a great way for you to expand you business if you haven't already. Ever dreamt of being able to get a piece of the Kite Boarding market? This is your chance. Gin aims to grow their kite business slowly and thoughtfully through people like YOU! The Maori is competitive with any inflatable kite on the market. Let us know how we can help you to make your kite business prosper.

ADVANCE NEWS

-The Impress harness is a beautiful combination of traditional functionality with the option of incorporating a super competitive pod feature. If you haven't seen this harness, it is a work of art. They are in very high demand, but we have reserved a few.

-Advance promises a new line of harnesses. Like a fine wine; in time.

-The Advance lineup includes Alpha 3 (DHV 1), Epsilon 5 (DHV 1-2), Sigma 6 (DHV 2), Omega 6 (DHV 2-3) and Bi-Beta (Tandem).

-Advance expects to debut an Omega 7 (DHV 2-3) with thin lines by mid-summer.

-Advance is naturally very proud of their 2005 achievements; Paragliding World Champion (Steve Cox), PWC Champion Christian Maurer, PWC Woman’s Champion (Eva Wisnierska) and OLC Winner (Chrigel Maurer).

-We have demos of each model circulating already and our first orders are all pre-sold. If you have customers interested in demoing, please find out what color they like to demo so that we can send demos that they might like to own.

IN CLOSING

We are looking forward to a great year and we want to everything we can to build on our mission statement of making it "fun and easy to fly and buy the best possible products." Each market is different and nobody knows your market better than you. Please let us know what it is going to take to make this the best year ever. Please know that we welcome your calls and emails. Our manufacturers have urged us to not hesitate to contact them about the smallest details. We would like to ask the very same of you.

We remain at your service,

Jeff, Chris and Beci

Sweet Susie

2006-02-12T20:58:00.000-08:00

This is sweet Susie....

2006-01-02T10:36:00.000-08:00

Ski Launch Ruthies, Aspen, CO

Post Landing in Wagner Park, Aspen, CO I have been flying with Sean Groover(Aspen Fly Fishin Guide) since 1992 or so....

2005-12-29T12:04:00.000-08:00

Christmas Day in Aspen with Sean Groover and David Frank, best flight yet!

Stuck Truck, Snowmass

2005-12-22T15:07:00.000-08:00

This trucker got a bit stuck and I had to pull him out. I went to Snowmass did some skiing, I sure like the skiing even though I haven't done it much in recent time. 43 degrees half way up Snowmass this aft. Total Spring time skiing. My mom made me some sausages this AM.

2005-12-19T09:58:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my whirled...

Rock Canyon

2005-12-18T19:55:00.000-08:00

I took this picture with my camera phone a while back. It's of OJ landing by Rock Canyon just above the BYU University in Provo.

Learning to Fly in Winter/Smart Money

2005-12-17T22:17:00.000-08:00

I am happy to report that the POM has been great for students lately. On got six flights this AM; some with soaring. Also, yesterday afternoon was a beautiful N. Side(soarable at the top). I have been doing some skate skiing lately but am going to wait to get some windstopper briefs before I go again. Oh, I went to see the smart money people in Colorado on Thur. If you ever thought you might benefit from good financial advice, I think your are right. I am left with the feeling that we ALL need a good team. Holler if you are interested in advice. My situation is really simple but I was given a longish list of things that I NEED to do if I want to be smart. I do want to be smart.

Oh, the Utah HG and PG club had a great Christmas Party and the Himalayan Kitchen; Indian and Nepalese food for pilots by pilots. State St. and 4th, So SLC. Scott Gressitt was there, a very cool guy in my view.

PS spell check says I don't know how to spell Himalayan or Nepalese: it offers no suggestions.

James Bradley checked in that they are having a ball at Horse Canyon/ San Diego fly-in. Nic is in Vegas doing some towing. He reported a malfunction that prevented him from finishing the day. Such is the refinement of new technology...

2005-12-11T15:30:00.000-08:00

I think that the Grinch and Dog The Bounty Hunter might be the same person. They have the same hair style. Anyone ever seen them in the same room together?

I dropped my Nikon Coolpix in a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats and Light Vanilla Soy Milk while videoing(on my camera) my bros ground launching sky diving rigs off the top of the N. Side. I should have gone with them instead of doing my chores. Oh ya, it doesn't work: the Coolpix that is. Morals of the story: buy camera insurance, go ground launching with your bros, don't video and eat Honey Bunches of Oats at same time, make silly mistakes not big ones.

Oh and on a similar front; I went to a party where a guy was talking about bad diesel, spending $750.00 on getting it out of his truck, how he has four buddies with the same issue. I asked where they bought the gas: Flying J at 123rd. so. Exactly where I get my diesel(cheapest in town). On the way home, my truck choked on bad gas. Had it towed to the doctor. Jury is still out. I will let you know. BTW, I reccomend AAA. I paid $60 for the tow, it could have been much more. I should have paid that money to AAA in the first place.

This morning, my students went from first training hill flights to as many as four flights off the top of the s. side. One soared, did rear riser turns, big ears, pitch oscillations, and stabilo pulls. Incidentally, this particular student had been teaching himself to kite over a few months and also went tandem with me yestereday. Oh and he was a graduate of the internet school of paragliding( I am not sure if that helps or not). Good talent in any case. Congrats Steve! It was his 35 th. B-day. Yeah, woo, ha ha ha....

2005-12-09T09:48:00.000-08:00

I had a dream that I was doing a check out flight with a new tandem pilot. The pilot was: Dog the Bounty Hunter. Don't tell anybody.

wonderwinch.com/ neat

2005-12-06T16:54:00.000-08:00

So, wonderwinch.com is up, check it.

Neat, I have to say that I have been running a mac now for a few months and my life is a whole lot better as a result. Here's why/ how.

-sync laptop, web and desktop email automatically
-sync contacts and schedule between laptop, ipod nano and web automatically
-VOIP via ichat at no charge
-send and RECEIVE text messages via ichat
-sling photos to web in like two clicks(from camera to web) no joke
-open web pages using tabs(all my weather pages open at once, all my bitch board photos, all my sites, all my news sites) they all open with one click so I can look at them and be done with it in super short order
-I could go on and on
-drag and drop backup to the web
-my laptop plays to my home stereo wirelessly

It is really, truly ridiculous. I know, you can do all that with a PC but it is FAR from being easy.

Now, I make progress with my MAC while my PC's are constantly doing some maintenance on themselves.

One of the most fortunate people on the planet,

Santa out!

Snow Kiting

2005-12-03T18:27:00.000-08:00

We snow kited this afternoon in a zero visibility snow storm. James got his first blasts with a foil kite. He did great. It was so cold that camera batteries and the radios that I was using to coach James just froze up in the first fifteen minutes. There were probably 30-40 people kiting. Brain and Heather had beer and chili and there was plenty of Red Bull. Rob Whittall was there and it was pretty fun. Tonight we stay in Mt. Pleasant, UT. This is my first time to this area. It's nice.

Snow, SUV's and Cravattes

2005-12-02T17:38:00.000-08:00

Check it out, two days later, all of the snow is GONE.

Since this is THE place for me to rant:

"SIV's" and "Cravattes" are French things. You don't call a toilet a "cuvette." You don't call a car crash "un accident de voiture" or a UDV. This is America. It's a Maneuvers Session, it's a day at the lake, it's a throw down... The tip get's stuck in the lines, it's a "stuck tip" or a "tip stuck." While we are at it, it ain't "parachutage" no more than Jacques Chirac is the president of the US. It's called "deep stall." German's call it "sack flug." There are beginners runnning around with all three of those words in their heads and they are thinking that they are all different.
As for "clinics":

clin·ic P Pronunciation Key (klnk)
n.

A facility, often associated with a hospital or medical school, that is devoted to the diagnosis and care of outpatients.

Go to the clinic when it hurts to pee. Get some anti-biotics. When you want to learn to fly, take a course or get some coaching.

Repeat after me: "I was throwing down at the lake, and let my glider get into deep stall, it surged forward and the tip stuck. I fixed it and am thankfull that I got some coaching at that session."

Bill Kaelin from Bend calls them SUV courses, I can support that. Law and Order SVU, very American....

I skied for the first time in two years today with Othar, Niki Sue and Pete Mueller and James Bradley. All four are ripping skiers. Alta was great. Super fun.

Tomorrow, snow kiting.

I am spoiled.

Carrots and Cross Winds

2005-11-30T10:22:00.000-08:00

North, Cross and Light this morning on the N. Side

my back yard.... view from my kitchen

I need someone to come and fix my web cam. D-Link = not user friendly
IMHO

Looking ahead, snow kiting this weekend.... Join us...

Snoopy Loves Carrots....

Wonder Winch/ POM Conditions

2005-11-28T19:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, the N. Side was soarble for hours... My student Tim logged at least an hour and at least five top landings, He probably has thirty flights now. Tonight, the S. Side was ON. Both Tim(2nd grade teacher) and Steve(Speedy Auto Glass kid) logged a handfull of side hill landings. I don't usually coach side hill landings but the winds were perfectly cross from the west and just the right speed. Good gloves seem to make the difference between people having a great time and a good time.

I just wanted to mention that Nic Peterson is making some sweet winches in my garage. We are up to our ears in nice, new tools and high grade parts. Nic is taking his time to make his dream winch. I will keep yall posted on this exciting new project.

I are blogger.

2005-11-28T18:44:00.000-08:00

I found a weather baloon behind my house. I ALWAYS wanted to find one. Boy am I psyched. See what I mean about being lucky? It came with a self addressed, stamped envelope. So cool.