North Slope news: 20 Dec. 2008

Talked to Cameron at around 5:45 pm AST. He said that he brought out the wing (paraglider) today, and the wind allowed him to inflate the wing and maintain it above his head for about 10-15 minutes while he stood on the ground. He said it felt like the wing was lifting about 70 percent of his body weight, but that he needs the wind to blow about 1-2 mph faster in order to lift him up. He's trying to gain elevation like a sea bird on the shore might do by aiming into the wind without running. He described this as levitating. He hopes to try again tomorrow with the hope of getting off of the ground.

Some photos below. Click photos to enlarge. Photos courtesy of Mark Hoffman.

Cameron's flying helmet:


Cameron's snow shoes: