Posts Tagged ‘flyingmax’
Last November, I visited David Sigier at AirProGyro.com to take a serious look at adding a gyroplane to my fleet.
When I arrived, the weather was far from ideal, with gusty winds reaching $65\text{ km/h}$. Despite the conditions, David took me up for a couple of flights. I was absolutely amazed by how the aircraft handled the turbulence and captivated by its unique flight characteristics—especially the “slow-flight” and “vertical descent” capabilities. After five days of lessons, I was sold. I purchased a used AutoGyro Cavalon equipped with a Rotax 914 Turbo and an additional Big Bore kit, which boosts the engine’s output to $135\text{ hp}$.
The original plan was for David and me to ferry the “Whirly-Bird” together from Quebec to Invermere in mid-April. However, due to some of my other time commitments, David ended up making the solo trek across the country.
Once the Cavalon arrived, David stayed to complete my transition training right here in Invermere. I’m officially signed off and ready for new adventures!




FlyingMax.com ✈️🏔️
They say the air isn’t what hurts… it’s the ground. I’ve spent 40 years trying to stay away from it, and on April 8th, I’m finally sharing how I do it.
Whether you know me as “The Flying Realtor,” the “Paddling Guy” from Columbia River Paddle, or just that guy hanging from a parachute over Mt. Swansea, come join me and Randy Hood for an evening of aerial art and some very honest advice on staying at “Peak Altitude.”
What’s on the flight plan?
- 40 Years in the Air: A visual gallery of the Columbia Valley and the Alps from 10,000 feet (and the stories behind the lens).
- The X-Alps Factor: What it’s really like to race across Europe with a young family in tow. No excuses, just perspective.
- Internal Avionics: Randy Hood and I will dive into the BEMER technology I use for recovery and microcirculation. It’s the secret to keeping my engine running—and it’s now a game-changer for local horses and dogs, too.
Check the flyer attached below for all the details. I’m looking forward to seeing you there and helping your own dreams take flight!
#FlyingMax #TheFlyingRealtor #ColumbiaValley #Invermere #PeakPerformance #BEMER #ExperienceTheAlps

The Weather Network was checking out the weather station and snow reporting at Panorama Mountain Resort and found a exciting way to get down the mountain.
Very excited about the video below as I think this is exposing our sport very well nation wide.
Here is how it started:
Day 1:
I picked up Frank, Tracye, Mike, Dave, Chris and Karie at the airport in Munich. First we headed to Kempten to have coffee and Oma’s homemade Zwetschgen Datscahi with my Mom and Dad.
The weather was sunny and hot and we still had enough time to head to Tegelberg to fly over the Schloss Neuschwanstein. Everyone had a great flight and I did a tandem with Erik.
Tracye, Karie and Katia had a nice walk and found a hidden hut where we ended up for a beer after the flight.
Day 2:
Winds were light and forecast was sunny & hot again. This time we headed to Breitenberg. Conditions were light but a couple of us managed to get up below cloud base over Ruine Eisenberg and flew down the ridge towards Fuessen and back crossing the valley across Pfronten and back to the landing site.
On the way to the Schloss Neuschwanstein to drop off Chris, Karie, Tracey and Dave for their castle tour, we stopped at a BBQ chicken and haxen trailer. We had spare rips and “Schweins Haxen”. Man that was good and a lot of food. After we dropped them off at the castle, Frank, Mike and I headed to Tegelberg for another flight. Mike and I hiked up via the “Gelbe Wand” which was not a good idea with a very full stomach. The flight was great and rewarding and we all met down at the hut for beer again.
Penny was flying with us at Breitenberg, but had to head home to get the kids from school. Thanks for the train network here in Europe, Penny could walk from the landing site to the train station to get back to Kempten.
Day 3:
The forecast was sunny and hot with a low
cloud base in Germany, so we drove 25 minutes to Hahnenkamm by Reutte. The thermals started week, but we got some great flights right (up to 2.5 hours) right to cloud base and into the Tanheimmer tal and back. After some good bratwurst, beer and schnaps we headed to the Neunerkoepfle im Tanheimer tal. The gondala was already clsoed and we headed via the Oberjoch pass to Sonthofen for Coffee and beer. After this we picked up Penny from Kempten and drove to the Sudhaus for dinner. The Sudhaus is a micro brewery with a rustic restaurant for local food. The evening went from a dinner to a singing party with another group. Too bad I did not video the songs everyone was singing.
Day 4:
All of us, as well as the kids, started the day with a visit the Viehscheid in Heubach.
After the Viehscheid we drove to Neunerkoepfle for another great flight. There were a lot of pilots and almost too busy, but the conditions were great and I did a 1.5 hour tandem with Katia.
After the flying, I dropped off the group in Fuessen where they had a great italian Dinner an we headed back to Kempten.
Day 5:
There was a concert with 100 Alphorn’s on top of Breitenberg. After the concert I did a 1 hour tandem with Erik over Ruine Eisenberg and another tandem with Katia. The conditions were way better then we anticipated.
See the video Mike did of the Alphorns.
Later this afternoon we drove 3.5 hours to Sillian to get ready for the Dolomite tour.
Part 2 of the blog will be about the Dolomite’s

