[Chris McKeon]

For those of You Who have never gone on a Flying Trip with John. My advice is to You is: if the opportunity to do a Flying Trip With John, by all means do it. for i always have enjoyed when John and I have been able to Fly Together. Those times have always been great times.

[Chris McKeon]

For those of You Who have never gone on a Flying Trip with John. My advice is to You is: if the opportunity to do a Flying Trip With John, by all means do it. for i always have enjoyed when John and I have been able to Fly Together. Those times have always been great times.

[Craig Muhonen]

Chris and John,

A Tribute

Craig Pirazzi posted the following message on a hang gliding website in response to the accidental death of a hang gliding pilot (whom he did not know):

“…if it is any comfort to the friends and family of this pilot I can only say if I were to die flying please don’t despair for me. For certain we will all die, leaving a hole in someone’s life that part is beyond our control but our business is to live to the fullest and flying is a damn fine way to do just that! Living bravely always comes at a cost. I can think of no better way to honor this pilot’s life than to go out and dare to get a little more out of life in whatever way you can. Respect.”

John Heiney wrote,
"Security is a myth. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing."
Craig's life was a daring adventure.

Hang Glider Pilot, Sky Mountaineer, Bandito Site Pioneer,
Skier and Utility Man for many commercials, Movie Set Builder and
a Man with a Heart as Big as the Sky

"Craig dedicated his life to hang gliding. He bought a property at the base of one of the most beautiful 2000 ft red rock cliffs in the World in a remote area of Colorado. This would be a great place to base Craig's and his friends' hang gliding activities. And he had plenty of friends and visiting pilots. There was a landing area on the property and it was a very short drive to the road up to launch. The welcome mat was always out for traveling pilots.
It happened to be in a wonderful, very small community of LDS people. It was a marvelous thing to behold that Craig, a bold atheist would be accepted and in fact become a well respected and valued man in this community. But that's exactly what happened. And it wasn't shear charisma or personality that made this happen, although he had those. I found out at Craig's fireman's memorial why he was so appreciated by the people who lived around him. Craig was generous with what he had.

Craig was a builder. I believe that the most valuable people in Life are those who build things. One thing that Craig valued highly was his freedom to do what he wanted to with his time. He would give it freely in helping people in need with their projects. He had a rare ability to see the value in things that others saw as waste. As he did construction work for various people in Telluride, Craig saw surplus and lightly used building materials of all kinds on their way to the land-fill. He became a Robin Hood of sorts, rescuing this increasing bounty and storing and distributing it to those who needed it. The people in his community were extremely saddened by the lost of this man who had been so giving of himself.

Craig was a respected member of another community, the greater hang gliding community. Craig saw it as his duty to show the World the beauty of hang gliding over the stunning red rock cliffs of the area where he lived. Hang glider pilots respected him for his sky mountaineering (or sky camping) and for his pioneering of the cliff sites of Canyonlands.

In sky mountaineering, Craig would launch off a mountain, fly cross country to another mountain or down range on the same mountain, pick a spot and land on top, camp over-night, and re-launch the next day. If you are successful, you can continue the adventure to the next landing spot, or fly home. This is a bold thing to do and very few pilots have done it because of the dangers of uncertain landing and launch conditions on unfamiliar mountains. This kind of pure adventure was irresistible to Craig, and he pursued it with conviction. Craig was a self-motivated, unapologetic, iconoclastic adventurer. The best I've known."

Craig dedicated his life to hang gliding. He bought a property at the base of one of the most beautiful 2000 ft red rock cliffs in the World in a remote area of Colorado. This would be a great place to base Craig's and his friends' hang gliding activities. And he had plenty of friends and visiting pilots. There was a landing area on the property and it was a very short drive to the road up to launch. The welcome mat was always out for traveling pilots.
It happened to be in a wonderful, very small community of LDS people. It was a marvelous thing to behold that Craig, a bold atheist would be accepted and in fact become a well respected and valued man in this community. But that's exactly what happened. And it wasn't shear charisma or personality that made this happen, although he had those. I found out at Craig's fireman's memorial why he was so appreciated by the people who lived around him. Craig was generous with what he had.

Craig was a builder. I believe that the most valuable people in Life are those who build things. One thing that Craig valued highly was his freedom to do what he wanted to with his time. He would give it freely in helping people in need with their projects. He had a rare ability to see the value in things that others saw as waste. As he did construction work for various people in Telluride, Craig saw surplus and lightly used building materials of all kinds on their way to the land-fill. He became a Robin Hood of sorts, rescuing this increasing bounty and storing and distributing it to those who needed it. The people in his community were extremely saddened by the lost of this man who had been so giving of himself.

Craig was a respected member of another community, the greater hang gliding community. Craig saw it as his duty to show the World the beauty of hang gliding over the stunning red rock cliffs of the area where he lived. Hang glider pilots respected him for his sky mountaineering (or sky camping) and for his pioneering of the cliff sites of Canyonlands.

In sky mountaineering, Craig would launch off a mountain, fly cross country to another mountain or down range on the same mountain, pick a spot and land on top, camp over-night, and re-launch the next day. If you are successful, you can continue the adventure to the next landing spot, or fly home. This is a bold thing to do and very few pilots have done it because of the dangers of uncertain landing and launch conditions on unfamiliar mountains. This kind of pure adventure was irresistible to Craig, and he pursued it with conviction. Craig was a self-motivated, unapologetic, iconoclastic adventurer.

The best I've known

John wrote, "The best I've known."

Sky adventure, over one of the most challenging "high" mountain flying sites in the world,
and the LZ.....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa5JNOlwLcQ


Anticline to Moab
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpalp4YRKN4


Moab
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3iH5T6bYrc


Rest In Peace
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzYf4pTwpxo

from Rick Masters.png (280.85 KiB) Viewed 432 times

[JoeF]

Markus Schaedler's fatality at Sylmar, CA in 2015
elicited Craig Pirazzi's prose.

Craig Pirazzi's videos:
https://www.youtube.com/@circularperspective/videos
=============================

[Craig Muhonen]

Thanks Joe for your post.
Craig's death put a big hole in our community and John's heart.


So sad that HG (and all foot launched flying) was effectively banned from our once world class HG site,
when a bunch of PG'ers co-opted HG (see, "I'm A Hang Glider"),
and wouldn't pay a higher insurance rate, Mountain Village has so many billionaires.
so they said, "if we can't fly here then nobody can !".

https://tellurideairforce.org/

Defunct Telluride Airforce (run into the ground by USHPA Colorado Springs) said,
"DUE TO THE EXPIRATION OF THE INSURANCE POLICY INITIATING FOOT-LAUNCHED FLIGHTS ORIGINATING FROM WITHIN THE TELLURIDE SKI RESORT BOUNDARY IS FORBIDDEN AND ILLEGAL. The Telluride Air Force, (comprised of 15 PG'ers and only one HG since 2010) a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization does not condone, encourage, or permit, any flight initiating from the Telluride Ski area boundary and is further devoid of any responsibility involving such activity. We wish you high flights with happy landings from elsewhere. : ("

but Craig's legacy will live forever in our hearts.

===========================================================================






.

[Chris McKeon]

So here I sit on Saturday the 17th. of December. I contemplate My reality. I am here in Brentwood California. There are Two Brentwoods in California. I live here in Brentwood which is located in the SF East Bay. I think, heck I constantly think about Flying. I just want to say that the way I see My situation I just want to Fly like I used to Fly. John said sme thing to Me one Day not too long ago. When I said to John; " wonder if I will be able to Fly as well as I used to Fly before when I Pounded? John said to Me; I don't know. You are 60 Years old now. I am not some petty, Malcontent. I do not long to have Skills that I did not posses before I Pounded. But there are some things, some Flights and some Aero that I want to improve. But don't we all want to become More accomplished, Yes have our Flight Skills improve. Heck I hope to after I have completed an energy Dive. As I am Rounding out at the bottom of the Dive. Yes as I zoom straight up in the Vertical. I hope to mange the Bar position as I climb, I hope to due to My managing the Bar. I hope to go over the Top in a pure 180 Degree Wing-Over. Over the Top, where I willl be inverted, without a hint of slack in My Hang strap. I must ovoid Ham Fisting it so as to experience a dreaded; Hanger".

HOPES AND DREAMS:

I dream of executing good landings. I want to be able to have a sense of Pure Confidence when the time comes to land.I will enjoy when I; "STICK MY FIRST LANDING IN !# YEARS". like none of You can truly understand. I will not know how I feel until I do it.

I hope that when i Fly My first Xc Flight in 13 years. No I know that I will drive Myself to extend My Horizon regarding where I will land, like never before in My Flying. Let's be Honest her. We all feel that just say Thirty Minutes of being up in the Air, is far better than spending a whole Day on Terra Firma!

MESSAGE TO JOHN:

John I know that You will perform an IRIAN on My Predator. I also eagerly look forward to doing some Flying with You. And John I want to thank You ahead of Time that I am so grateful for Your being willing to Help Me Break out of this Gravity Secured Penitentiary. Ok, OK I will just come out and say it. yES I AM PINING FOR MY BELOVED PREDATOR. For if i am able to fly My Predator as well as I used to be able to Fly My Predator. that will be enough.

[Chris McKeon]

As I Type this. I am listening to those People sing "I Believe that I can Fly." WEll I Believe that I I will Fly. As to the Flight being a great Flight, or an Spectacular Flight. I have no Doubt that the Flight will be an stupendous event in My oh Twenty Years or More Flying HG's. If the Flight only covers a Distance. or if I Fly no higher than Six Feet. The Flight will be awesome1

[Chris McKeon]

Well. being that I am on a Trek, amisson, A Quest to reclaim My Place at Cloud Base or above Cloud Base. Also now that I have lost Plus or Minus One Hundred Pounds. It Might come down regarding My Flying a Predator. I might very Well Need to step down to Flying a little 142 Predator. But My initial Flight Might be when I Fly John's Northwing T-Two tandem. Or I might head on down South to San Diego where I will Fly Franks enormous Condor 330. EWither Glider. It is going to really be something when My Feet leave the Ground for the First Time in Thirteen Years.. THis Song By Toby Keith, Really strikes a Nerve with Me. I want to say that it is like He wrote this Song while thinking about Me. In My case; It will be just a couple More Months, I will learn for Myself what A Pilot told Me; "IT's like riding a Bike, You never forget. Well I sure do Hope that I will be a Pilot as good as I once Was. Yes this song is "My Song" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldQrapQ4d0Y

[Chris McKeon]

You Know I can not sit here and saying anything such as; When I Fly again. Or When I Fly. Or the Such. For People around Me Pilots, Friends, and Family Voice their opinion as to Whether I will be able to Fly A Predator again. I have had this situation before. Years ago I had a Doctor say that I would never walk again nor would My Mental State be much better than a Potato. So at Present. The Chance that I might Fly seems like it is very unlikely that I will Fly again. But I am addicted to Free-Flight I guess that I could be called a Free-Flight Junky. So there it is. My Chips are down. As in Massive Sink Down!

My Sister Kathleen said to Me this Morning. That even though I am unable to Fly Currently. i could write about some of My Past Flights. So I have a Question for You Guys; Would You Guys like Me to Search My Memory Bank and resurrect some of My old Flights and Post them. What say You Guys? Do You think that I should of write about some of My Old Flights?

[Chris McKeon]

I sit here where I now live here in the Dark Dreary Redwood Forest here in Cazadero California. I do not want to be here. But where I once Lived down in Brentwood. My Best Friend told me that i could stay for the long haul. But Bud Died last Year. Now things have changed for Me I was told by His sister Diane that i must leave. Oh well, i will, and I have moved on. A friend of mine told Me that there are Many People who would be quite happy living here in the Redwoods. But actually being here is another reality. This place is Dark, and as of late it has been Rainy and Wet. Speaking of Wet and Cold. The powers that Be; Our Masters; The Politicians came up with the idea of "gLOBAL wARMING" But when the Weather turned to Winter, and we have Cold and Wet. Do the Politicians refused to say that They were wrong. No they just changed the Narrative. The Narrative to Climate Change.

Ok Back on Subject: At this point I hope that when John sees Me He will see that I have made some serious improvements in how I Move. That I will indeed Be able to Fly From a training hill. But at this point and time My Flying this Year is a Very Dicey Deal. Wish Me Luck.

QUESTION REGARD THE GRADE OF A ROAD/

My Mother Lives at Sylvia Drive here in Cazadero California. I would like to know if there is a way that One could determine what the average Grade of the Road is on Sylvia Drrive from Where the Road begins at where Sylvia Intersects Austin Creek Road anfd My Where I am rite now here at 55 Silvia Drive?