Author - sbaircraft

Starlink

I finished installing dishy on the camper van! The stock dish isn't well-suited for for vehicle installations and it is annoying to set up and tear down with each use. The best solution for van dwellers is a flat mount conversion. In fact, Starlink recently launched a high performance flat mount dish, but it has...

SSA Convention 2023

The SSA Convention was snow much fun! The convention was held in Reno and snow storms made it difficult for many to get to/from the convention. I was fortunate to slip through the mountains while I80 was open.Overall, this was exactly the experience I needed! Despite flying sailplanes for most of my life, I've taken...

Elephant Seals

Lil and I drove down to Ano Nuevo to see the elephant seal rookery amid the backdrop of an abandoned lighthouse. Tip: Don't go without a reservation! We were lucky to squeeze into one of the last tours of the day.Elephant seals were once thought to be extinct, but they have been making a comeback...

PRK Eye Surgery

I wore glasses for most of my life, and I didn't mind them most of the time. However, the anti-glare coating started to flake off of the lenses during a winter climb, resulting in a potentially dangerous situation; I had to build anchors and downclimb with blurry vision! That's when I decided to finally...

Chevy Paint

My 2012 Chevy Express is losing paint! It turns out that these vehicles have poor adhesion between the paint and primer, which eventually starts to peel. For now, I'm going to play whack-a-mole, but I might need to eventually repaint the whole vehicle.My local body shop wanted $1,500 to fix it, but I managed to...

NASA Sensor Pod

I haven't had time to build any pods lately, but how could I say no to NASA? This custom sensor pod features 5 sensor ports to carry scientific missions. Foam core router fixture Painted! In the oven Post Cure Oven Side cover mold Side cover vacuum bagged Drill fixtures for sensor ports

PPG On Skis

Paramotoring from Red Lake, near the Kirkwood ski resort. Flying on snow is great fun! Downwind landings and touch-and-goes are a blast because there's no need to run. Plus, it's beautiful and there are more places to launch/land when everything is covered by snow.My little Atom 80 engine did struggle with the density altitude, but...

Tapalpa 2021

inter months, the best soaring conditions are found in the southern hemisphere. This winter, I checked out out Tapalpa, Mexico, along with 16 members of the Lift Crew. The trip was fantastic and every single day was soarable, despite being very early in their soaring season. Getting to Tapalpa was easy. We booked a direct flight...