Uploads from Fly For Fun, with geodata

Paraglide Rio!

nobody@flickr.com (Fly For Fun) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 08:44:22 -0700

Fly For Fun posted a photo:

Hanging out above Rio in a paraglider on a layover there. It's the ONLY WAY TO FLY!

The cheapest way to fly.

nobody@flickr.com (Fly For Fun) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 08:45:51 -0700

Fly For Fun posted a photo:

What to do on your 36 hour Rio layover? Seeing the sights is a bit easier in a paraglider.

Expansive view of Rio de Janeiro

nobody@flickr.com (Fly For Fun) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 00:18:28 -0700

Fly For Fun posted a photo:

The view from the top of the Christ Redeemer statue in Rio. The captain and his fiancée who was a flight attendant on our flight. Wrote about flying to Rio here: www.gadling.com/2011/10/21/cockpit-chronicles-fly-rio/

Pargliding Rio

nobody@flickr.com (Fly For Fun) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 00:07:41 -0700

Fly For Fun posted a photo:

This is the plan. Throw my glider in it's backpack and take it with me all over the world to paraglide. The worlds least expensive aircraft just happens to be the most fun!

Oh, and no hangar fees.

Night Light

nobody@flickr.com (Fly For Fun) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 20:30:35 -0700

Fly For Fun posted a photo:

Just a little something to keep us awake during the 10 hour flight from JFK to Rio de Janeiro. The lights below are from burning the natural gas from the oil fields in Venezuela.

JFK to Rio Thunderstorms over Venezuela

nobody@flickr.com (Fly For Fun) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 20:30:20 -0700

Fly For Fun posted a photo:

The lightning lasted long enough to just snap a picture.

This is why we get those storms: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intertropical_Convergence_Zone

Stratocumulus

nobody@flickr.com (Fly For Fun) — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 19:16:22 -0700

Fly For Fun posted a photo:

"Wow, check that out!" I said to the FO as we were flying from Milan to New York today while pointing across the cockpit and out his window. We hadn't noticed one of the most spectacular (and rare) cloud formations. Neither of us had ever seen these clouds, a type of stratocumulus.

More from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morning_Glory_cloud

Although the Morning Glory clouds over the southern part of Carpentaria Gulf are the most frequent and only here they can be predicted at a certain time of year, similar phenomena occasionally have been observed in other areas of the world, e.g. over the Central United States, the English Channel, over Berlin, Germany, Eastern Russia, as well as other maritime regions of Australia.

Morning Glory type roll clouds have been reported to occasionally happen off the Mexican coast in the Sea of Cortez.

The phenomenon has also been observed from Sable Island, a small Canadian island located 180 km southeast of Nova Scotia; a Morning Glory cloud also passed through Yarmouth, Nova Scotia in April 2009[3]. In contrast to Australia’s Gulf of Carpentaria where the Morning Glory cloud is visible in the morning, the clouds experienced in Nova Scotia have all occurred during the evening.

In our case, we saw them near Sable Island, but it wasn't even close to evening. These were taken at 11:10 Eastern time, which would be about 12:10 p.m. in Nova Scotia.

I feel lucky to have seen and captured two of the most rare clouds. First the Noctilucent clouds, which I've now seen on at least 5 different occasions and now this.

See the Noctilucent clouds (that live at 300,000 feet) here:

www.flickr.com/photos/flyforfun/2831537330/

See also: Top ten rare cloud formations:

listverse.com/2007/10/10/10-rare-cloud-formations/

Stratocumulus (Morning Glory) clouds.

nobody@flickr.com (Fly For Fun) — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 19:16:46 -0700

Fly For Fun posted a photo:

Stratocumulus (Morning Glory) clouds

nobody@flickr.com (Fly For Fun) — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 19:16:35 -0700

Fly For Fun posted a photo:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morning_Glory_cloud:

The Morning Glory cloud is a rare meteorological phenomenon occasionally observed in different locations around the world. The southern part of Northern Australia's Gulf of Carpentaria is the only known location where it can be predicted and observed on a more or less regular basis. The settlement of Burketown attracts glider pilots intent on riding this phenomenon.

A Morning Glory cloud is a roll cloud that can be up to 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) long, 1 to 2 kilometres (0.62 to 1.2 mi) high, often only 100 to 200 metres (330 to 660 ft) above the ground and can move at speeds up to 60 kilometres (37 mi) per hour. Sometimes there is only one cloud, sometimes there are up to eight consecutive roll clouds.

The Morning Glory is often accompanied by sudden wind squalls, intense low-level wind shear, a rapid increase in the vertical displacement of air parcels, and a sharp pressure jump at the surface. In the front of the cloud, there is strong vertical motion that transports air up through the cloud and creates the rolling appearance, while the air in the middle and rear of the cloud becomes turbulent and sinks.

The cloud can also be described as a solitary wave or a soliton, which is a wave that has a single crest and moves without changing speed or shape.

Despite being studied extensively, the Morning Glory cloud is not clearly understood.
Regardless of the complexity behind the nature of this atmospheric phenomenon, some conclusions have been made about its causes.

Through research, one of the main causes of most Morning Glory occurrences is due to the mesoscale circulations associated with sea breezes that develop over the peninsula and the gulf. On the large scale, Morning Glories are usually associated with frontal systems crossing central Australia and high pressure in northern Australia.

Locals have noted that the Morning Glory is likely to occur when the humidity in the area is high, which provides moisture for the cloud to form, and when strong sea breezes have blown the preceding day.

Getting the right cockpit angle...

nobody@flickr.com (Fly For Fun) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 01:34:54 -0700

Fly For Fun posted a photo:

At some point I'm going to run out of angles to shoot from.

Rio Arrival

nobody@flickr.com (Fly For Fun) — Sat, 28 May 2011 21:37:03 -0700

Fly For Fun posted a photo:

In the turn during an arrival into Rio while skimming above the night clouds. Best viewed full size.

Northern Lights on fire...

nobody@flickr.com (Fly For Fun) — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 01:02:33 -0700

Fly For Fun posted a photo:

It was tough to get these shots in the light turbulence. Actual location 53N 50W. It was also tough to get Captain Bill to stop moving around, while looking at the lights. He was blown away. And we owe United 952 credit for pointing them out on the Gander ATC frequency. Since we had the lights turned up, we may have never seen the Auroras had they not mentioned it.

Best Northern Lights I've ever seen!

nobody@flickr.com (Fly For Fun) — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 01:03:08 -0700

Fly For Fun posted a photo:

And I grew up in Alaska. This was the first time the captain had seen them. Everything else will be a let down for him now.

Based on the survey at the end of this blog post, aol.it/fiRzCp I suggested a PA to the passengers was in order.

Picture window

nobody@flickr.com (Fly For Fun) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:54:51 -0800

Fly For Fun posted a photo:

CTSW. Great airplane! Friend Russ (pictured) is getting his Sport Pilot Rating in it.

Rio de Janeiro

nobody@flickr.com (Fly For Fun) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 13:34:52 -0700

Fly For Fun posted a photo:

The view from the Christ Redeemer overlooking Sugarloaf mountain. In full size, you can see the tram going to Sugarloaf.

Rio at Night

nobody@flickr.com (Fly For Fun) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:52:54 -0700

Fly For Fun posted a photo:

Same as below but at night.

Crashing waves in Rio

nobody@flickr.com (Fly For Fun) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:39:33 -0700

Fly For Fun posted a photo:

The last time we were walking along that road you could feel the spray from the crashing waves reach you on the sidewalk.

Not a bad crash pad view

nobody@flickr.com (Fly For Fun) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 16:46:01 -0700

Fly For Fun posted a photo:

Taken just minutes ago in New York.

Aurora Borealis

nobody@flickr.com (Fly For Fun) — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 01:02:50 -0700

Fly For Fun posted a photo:

Here's what causes them: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_(astronomy)

Northern Lights as seen from the cockpit

nobody@flickr.com (Fly For Fun) — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 01:02:59 -0700

Fly For Fun posted a photo:

Maybe the Royal Family ordered this up to celebrate the wedding earlier today? We were heading to London, after all.