Flying at the Byrd’s International Hayfield

story by Connie Las-Schneider

Judging by the huge crowds at the Fort Chaffee Air Show, plane spotting is a major spectator sport, but for high flying fun on a smaller scale you can’t beat a local fly-in.

Beginning today (Oct. 20) and running through Sunday, a group of daring men and women in experimental flying machines will glide and dip hundreds to thousands of feet above the Mulberry River at Byrd’s International Hayfield, a 2,500-foot grass landing strip on the facility’s 800-acre property north of Ozark. The event, hosted by Byrd’s Adventure Center, is free to the public.

The pilots who fly these open air vehicles may look like high flying daredevils, but most are down-to-earth sport pilots who enjoy talking with spectators. Depending on flight conditions, some pilots even give rides.

Known in aviation as para-planes, power parachutes, or trikes depending on vehicle’s design, these flying machines are fun to watch. A trike looks like open-caged go cart with a big fan mounted behind the seat, which helps inflate a colorful crescent shaped parachute dragging behind it.  Once the vehicle reaches a ground speed of 30 miles per hour, the parachute lifts the cage on wheels into the air, where wind, thermals and fan power can keep the craft aloft for an hour or more.

“This is the closest you’ll ever get to flying with the birds,” said veteran Kansas Powrachute and para-glider pilot, Jim Sheets at a previous fly-in at Byrd’s.

Others at the event described the experience of flying in a power parachute or para-glider as “exhilarating.” “total freedom” and a “religious experience.”

Fayetteville pilot Ben Fleming has built and flown these machines for more than a decade. This is the simplest aircraft to learn how to fly and a power parachute is the most maneuverable aircraft there is, he said.

What he didn’t say was that a person must be strong of stomach and not be afraid of heights. The pilot is strapped in a special seatbelt with little other protection than roll bars and can see directly below him; hundreds to thousands of feet below.

Still, according to people who have tried the sport, once you’ve been up in a para glider or trike, you’ll be hooked for life.

“You can see so much more from a power parachute or trike than from a fixed wing aircraft because your view is unobstructed and you can get closer to the ground,” said long time pilot and powered parachute enthusiast Robert Walker.

Powered parachutes are “low and slow” and one of the safest forms of aviation because if your engine fails you can still land safely,” Walker said.

Flying one of these machines may be a natural high, but safety is always the #1 issue, said Byrds’ co-owner, Zen Boulden, who is a licensed sport pilot who “drives” a trike.

“A few years ago the FAA implemented the new Sport Pilot category. This was an effort to regulate the safety of a fast-growing group of aviators operating outside the realm of General Aviation,” Boulden said.

The new Sport Pilot category requires operators of two-seater machines to obtain FAA flight certifications and to register and maintain their aircraft to certain standards.

“Since Sport Pilot was implemented, the cost of aircraft, pilot certification, and general upkeep has increased significantly. This, in addition to rising fuel costs and economic downturn has driven away many former two-person ultralight pilots. However, for some it has increased resolve and dedication to the love of flying,” Boulden said.

Aviation is in a state of reformation, according to Boulden. General aviation has long been in decline, yet new more obtainable frontiers are being explored to meet the recreational needs of the public, he said.

“Risk taking and innovation are up, as evidenced by activities such as wing suits and powered paragliders. Safety is up too: The new smaller aircraft allow unique safety devices such as rocket powered emergency parachutes, designed to bring pilots and aircraft down together safely under canopy. These are challenging yet exciting times in the world of flight,” Boulden said.

For those who want to fly closer to the ground, Byrd’s has a zip-line.

“The zip-line over the Mulberry River at Byrd’s is a lot of fun. It was originally designed as an element the Ozark Challenge, our 100-mile adventure race. Everybody thought it was a keeper, so we made it a permanent fixture at the Adventure Center.