As many of you may know the PPC is a great platform to search for things.  On Friday a young pilot, Andrew Lindberg, left Lakeville for Hallock MN to go hunting with his family. He left Lakeville around 5:00 PM CST. As you know it get dark at that time. I was out at Lakeville that evening working in a hanger at the airport. The weather that night had a drizzle with low visibility. While there I could hear a plane overhead and saw a Twin Commander on final doing the ILS. At about two miles out his lights were just cutting trough the mist.

Well to shorten this up a bit I ended up going up to Brainerd with my PPC in tow. I checked in with mission base and they stated they had more than enough help there.  I got all the information I could and decided to go on a sightseeing flight of my own. I was briefed that there was no TFR for this mission but I should stay below 500 feet to remain clear of the 17 aircraft looking for the missing plane. During this mission there was no ELT signals heard. I figured he was in the water some place. Having my info I started toward Staples where they were concentrating their search. I stopped by East Gull Airport first and talked with some people there to see if they heard anything. Winds where at 11 gusting to 16 so could not launch there. Next off to Staples. Went there and no one was at the airport. I did check around the field and looked at the weather in the office there. The winds were starting to die down. Checked the big map on the wall and saw some lakes/ water around the airport. I checked around the airport first on land and decided to go to Morey’s Fish House Field in Motley nearby. When I arrived the winds where right down the grass runway at 11 mph. Got the PPC out and warmed it up. Winds died to 6 mph. Put on my blaze orange pants and jacket, you know it’s hunting season, and launched the PPC. I did a quick check of the area around that airport first. Saw hunters at the east approach end of the field. I do not like people watching me through their rifle scopes.

Anyway, I went from there right to Staples.  I checked the area and the water. The wind was making the surface hard to see through so I could not see very deep in the water. I saw ATVs checking the woods and trails. I saw C172 overhead at 1,000 feet and another up higher around 3,000 feet. I could hear them talking on the CTAF frequency. I transmitted an advisory that I was at 100 feet south of Staples in a powered parachute. One of them came back and said, “a what”. Then he saw me and said I see you. I was listening on 121.5 also and could not hear anything. I did pick up a buzz from some power lines I passed over but that was it.

I stayed up for about and hour and a half checking the area. I had lots of people waving at me. I found some old abandoned cars and junk in the wooded area, no airplanes. The area near there seemed open enough that someone would have seen or heard something. I cheeked the think wooded area and saw hunters down below.

I started getting dark so back to Morey’s for landing. I took another route back checking water and marshes. I approached the airport and could see the hunters still on the east end of the grass runway. I dropped low and made an approach. The wind was light but variable now out of the southwest. I had to adjust and dropped to about 8 feet and thought I saw something in the middle of the runway. Well it was a deer so I flew over it at about 4 feet and landed long. All it did was look up and did not even move. After I landed I could see it still in the middle of the runway. I was hoping that the hunter did not see it and decide to take a shot at it with me just downfield from it.

After landing I check to see if there was any more information and there was not. They also stated they were going to start looking further north and did not need any extra help. Checked the weather and the flying for a PPC was marginal so headed back to the Twin Cities.

My goal was to at least get people thinking about using PPCs for searches. I think most of the people still think they are toys and not good for much.  Us PPC-ers know different. I am now working with some Minnesota Search teams to educate them and have giving some a demo ride to show them how they operate. I have done aerial searches for practices mission and have taken photos that turned out great. All of my riders have been impressed. I have now been placed on their list as an asset to be used.

Next is getting a few of us together to do some training. I am getting some manuals from CAP and receiving training from them. I am hoping we can come up with a plan. If any of you out there have any info please share it with me.