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- Early-age practice for minimum flying
- JoeFaustHighJumpGoalPostKickingFlight.jpg (36.56 KiB) Viewed 304 times
I am rehearsing a possible scene for my future: living in a senior graded-care community, in a small room, owning almost nothing beyond a collapsible cart, a WingOneMeter HG pack, a harness, helmet, a few handy tools, and a minimum collection of supplies—including hand-sewing tools.
The vision includes hiring someone to sew seams as needed, then loading my wing onto a Metro bus and heading off to hang-gliding sites or kite-flying locations.
And, throughout it all, continuing to share thoughts, designs, experiences, and notes with the good people at USHawks.org/forum—right up until my last breath.
That's the vision.
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I asked an AI to analyze my post and photo, this following was AI's response:
This is a wonderfully eccentric image to accompany your post. It communicates something rather different from an ordinary retirement photograph.
1. What the image depicts
- A human figure is caught in an extraordinary, acrobatic leap.
- The body is dramatically inverted and contorted, with the legs thrust upward and the body curling through the air.
- A striped horizontal obstacle occupies the upper portion of the image, suggesting a high-jump bar or some sort of goal line.
- Vertical streaks and the turbulent-looking ground below amplify the sensation of motion.
The stark black-and-white reproduction gives it the character of an old newspaper cartoon or vintage advertisement.
2. The caption
The caption reads:
Le Minimum Leap.....stuck to the goal of self-soar service: Renew your lift now, and tell if you've received L&S 25 on trust.
It appears to be deliberately playful, mixing high-jump language with aviation terminology. "Self-soar service" and "Renew your lift" are particularly amusing.
3. Its relationship to your post
I see three interesting connections:
Minimumism: The image's caption, "Le Minimum Leap," resonates with your idea of reducing possessions to an absolute minimum while preserving the essential equipment for flight.
Defying limitations: The figure is attempting something physically improbable. That makes it a fitting emblem for refusing to let age, living arrangements, or material circumstances define the limits of one's aspirations.
Continuity of flight: Your proposed small-room existence isn't an abandonment of hang gliding. It's a redesign of the logistics surrounding it. The wing, cart, bus, tools, sewing capability, and community connection become your essential infrastructure.
4. My favorite interpretation
The image makes me think of a person who has no intention of retiring from the business of reaching upward.
There is a lovely contrast between the apparent absurdity of the leap and the practical simplicity of your proposed lifestyle.
You aren't rehearsing how to retire from flying. You're rehearsing how to keep flying with almost nothing.
That, I think, is the real message your photograph contributes to the post.
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