Towing with the homies

Went out for some final testing of one of the winches before we hand it off this weekend. Marshall, Wade, and this strange guy who I hardly ever see flying came out...Rob Whittall. Becky and Dennis also came out for some towing after working graveyard shifts...couple of junkies. Our friend Lisa also came out to see what this towing thing is all about. Despite the lack of sleep, Beck managed some nice wing overs and SATs while Denny took a couple turns running the winch under the watchful eye of Beck (Rob and Marshall volunteered to be the ginnie pigs). Of course, Rob, Marshall, and Wade were throwing down all kinds of heli's, and tumbles. I didn't get any video but Marshall got some good footage via the "slam cam"....don't ask.....maybe we can get some of the video up here soon.

Rob sent this pic along with the following comments about the winch:

"Thanks man, that was a killer morning. It has been a long time since i have towed but I have done one hell of a lot of towing in my time and I got to say your rig is very smooth. I am used to feeling the line pay out with a bit of constant jerking but your winch ran without even a tug. On the last tow there were some good thermals and even then the ride remained smooth. All in all I got to say you have done a real good job and thanks for dragging me into the air again."

Well, 3 more winches in fab and one of them is gonna be our personal winch. That way we can keep these morning tow sessions going all year.

Testing Before OD

Went out for some testing on Chris and Sarah Galli's new winch before they come and get it this weekend. Everything went smooth as butter AND we got to try out a new tow spot.

This one is out in Grantsville, UT by the West side of the Salt Lake and looks as if it may have some potential on a good thermic day as it is right next to a nice mountain range running north to south. Even nicer is that is is paved so no dust to chew on! Unfortunately this day, it was blowing over the wrong side of the ridge so the air was a little weird behind the ridge and low.Looking NorthLooking east toward the Salt Lake. Managed to do a SAT without getting motion sick...maybe I will start to like them.....lol

New Winch in Jackson Hole

Today the boys from Jackson came to pick up their winch. We went out for some winch training this morning and were accompanied by some of the local acro heads. Bri, Jake, Marshall and Beck came out to be test tow dummies. I ran both AJ and Pete through the process of towing with the cloud street from getting the winch set up, running the dial, rewind techniques as well as maintenance tips to ensure longevity of this thing.
The crazies were throwin down all morning and it turned out to be a great crew. Thx to all for chipping in to cover expenses and make it happen! I hope the guys in Jackson get some good use out of this unit. It sounds like a good group and they are on the right track and already thinking about putting together a kit that stays with the winch for daily maintenance items and handy towing tools (ie. winch tow checklists, waivers, line fids, weak links etc.). Even thinking about a cover for it since it will be traded around a group of people. Its gonna be a good bunch and I think we will be able to work together to develop tow checklist and what not and share information in order to improve the value of the whole package!

In the works is small manual that will show pictures and tips about running the winch and maintenance tips as well as fine points such as allowable weaklink strengths and such.

Three more winches are starting fab and I may be keeping one for me and beck. I just gotta make it happen before our wedding in Vegas this September....phew. Planning for that is in full swing (I've gotta get two shirts/ties for my friends and buy a suit). Thats why we are doing it in vegas. Easy decisions. I did buy my first suit the other day....now thats a milestone....forget turning 30 last year or 31 this year, or being able say "I remodeled our house" this year...its all about the suit.