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HOME  BLOG Wilderness Aerotrekking
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Written by Scott Silver
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Tuesday, 04 September 2007 |
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Want to explore wilderness, discover ancient ruins, sluice down hidden canyons, run with the coyotes, soar with the eagles and do it all upon a radically modified motorcycle? Then perhaps you're ready for wilderness aerotrekking — the new way for well-heeled thrill-seekers to get close to nature and to develop a true appreciation for the wild.
What follows is a condensed version of a recently published article titled "Trek into Arizona wilderness - 15 feet off the ground."
A lower-case "w" was used throughout the article when reference was made to wilderness, but that need not have been the case. While you may not legally ride a motorcycle upon federally designated Wilderness, if you've the money there is little, if anything, that can prevent you from riding a winged-motorcycle inches above it.
Scott
--- CONDENSED ARTICLE FOLLOWS ---
Aug. 28, 2007
Trek into Arizona wilderness - 15 feet off the ground
Dennis Wagner - The Arizona Republic
While on a jetliner to Nepal, McAfee noticed a magazine article about
light sport aircraft in Arizona. Intrigued, he tore out the pages and,
upon returning to the states, called Kemmeries and started taking
lessons.
McAfee recalls the first time he flew just a few feet above ground,
following desert landscape: "I thought, 'This is awesome.' I just
instantly knew that this was what this plane is meant for. You're
smelling plants, you're feeling the air, you're 15 feet above a cow."
The low-altitude high of aerotrekking is possible thanks to machinery
that resembles a motorcycle with ultralight wings. It is powered by a
rear propeller and guided by a steering bar at the pilot's fingertips.
The planes have a range of 300 miles or about five hours in the air.
Expensive models can hit 115 mph or, just as important for this sport,
a minimum speed of 25 mph.
"It became a job," McAfee says - to explore the possibilities of
low-level aviation. He and Kemmeries discovered hidden caves and
ancient ruins in the wilderness. They soared with eagles, floated above
coyotes and landed in dry lakes. They learned to sluice down canyons
like airborne skiers.
Aerotrek routes are rated like whitewater-rafting for danger and
difficulty. McAfee says low-altitude flight requires maximum attention,
and planes are unsafe for windy weather or night flying.
Those with the finances and fortitude will find that the Sky Gypsies'
compound reflects McAfee's unusual sense of style. Club members stay in
15 vintage Airstream trailers from the 1940s and '50s, each refurbished
to mint condition. Each comes with an antique automobile of the same
year. Also a movie theater, karaoke stage and greenhouse are available.
McAfee beams while showing off the accommodations. He seems most alive
at dawn, revving up his kite-wing flier when the air is calm and the
sky is pink. "Nothing has brought me closer to nature than this," he
says. "These devices transform you into a bird."
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 04 September 2007 )
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