"BLUE SKIES"

HYPNOSER'S HOME

IF IT FLIES...OR HAS TWO WHEELS AND SAYS HARLEY-DAVIDSON

"I LIKE IT!"

You are aviator number to shoot a touch and go here, since August 4, 1997

Hello! My name is Tom Fitzgerald. My handle in the chat rooms is Hypnoser because that is what I do for a living.

At some point I will publish a professional page on hypnosis, and my involvement in that field over the past 30 years. In the mean time, I will let this page introduce me.

I love flying, airsports, motor sports, and Harleys ( read high fun, high thrill, adrenaline rush ) activities; much to the dismay of my loved ones. I've never seen anything that didn't look better from altitude or over the handle bars of my Harley.

I am a pilot, skydiver, avid biker, bungy jumper, balloonist, and chataholic.

While it is my plan to refine this page at some point, I hope that you will find the following links helpful for now.

HELP FIND ET LIFE

SETI@HOME

FAVORITE LINKS

AVIATION LINKS

I am Private Pilot (ASEL) with about 300 hours and a high perfomance endorsement. The last plane I owned was a share of a Piper Arrow (PA-28-200R).

Unfortunately a change in my cardiac medication has cost me my medical certificate. The cost of pursuing special issuance every year has become prohibitive.

I am "airsick" from having my feet on the ground. Thus I have become an ultralight enthusiast. In preparation for purchase I have been getting time in a number of makes and models of ultralights. It is my hope that I will be in the air again this spring.

The links below are the ones I find myself using most often.

AOPA

EAA

USUA

AERO SPORTS CONNECTION

NATIONAL AERONAUTIC ASSOCIATION

FEDERATION AERONAUTIQUE INTERNATIONAL

THE LANDINGS

STALAG 13 AVIATION LINKS

OFFICIAL: PATTY WAGSTAFF AIRSHOWS HOME PAGE

AIRSHOW.COM

ULTRALIGHT HOME PAGES

ULTRALIGHT HOME

CYBERHANGER-EAA CHAPTER 1248 HOME PAGE

ULTRALIGHT INFORMATION CENTER

ROBERT COMPERINI - ULTRALIGHT INFORMATION AND LINKS

AIR COMBAT USA

FREE AVIATION TOOLS AND DATABASE

EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT GUIDE

AVIATION NEWSGROUPS AND MAILING LISTS

FLY-UL MAILING LIST

USENET - rec.aviation.ultralight

USENET - rec.aviation.homebuilt

USENET - rec.aviation.marketplace

SKYDIVING LINKS

Well it is a long ugly story. In 1967, when I was a student at The University of Notre Dame, I became involved in testing (read grunt,sweat,gofer)what was to become the Parafoil. This design was to be the forerunner of today's modern square rigged parachute.

I was hooked and have been ever since. Finally, in 1995, I was in a position to due something about it and started a static line progression. Now I was really hooked. I was only able to get in about 17 jumps before the snow flew. That is the end of the year for our small DZ here in frozen Ohio.

In early spring I started my progression with great enthusiasm. On the third jump of the year, I did a fanny plant which fractured and separated my sacrum. End of season number two.

It is April 1997 and I am going to get an early start on it this year. I am vacationing in a warm location with a drop zone, and I am going. I get to the DZ and they tell me that they will do an AFF1 with me after I watch the refresher films. I am pumped, but after the movie they announce that it is too windy for me to go. Day one down one to go.

Day two is still pretty breezy. I wait all day and late in the afternoon they tell me it is still too windy for me since I am not current. I am bummed big time. Then the DZO says that he will take me an a tandem jump. ME? All 225# of me? He says they have big boy equipment. No problem. He will be the tandem master.

We are airborne doing the briefing as we go. I am stoked and ready. We are out at 14,500. A little potato chip then stable, 3 DRCPs, two figure 8s, pull at 5,500 soft and on heading. it was a great jump. The DZO was ecstatic with praise. He didn't think a fat 50 year old long hair could pull off a working tandem.

Sounds great so far doesn't it? Well, remember the last landing I made. It was all in my logbook. Long story short. High speed little flare landing. Damn tough to PLF with a 170# guy on your back. Who was supposed to be in charge? Me? The Tandem Master?

What went wrong? Borrowed equipment, strange surroundings, high density altitude, my ineptitude, or a lapse on the DZOs part. Who Knows.

Bottom line. I vaporized the distal 9" of my left femur. Thousands of pieces none big enough to set. I went to surgery being told that I would probably lose the leg. Well here we are 7 years later. Two years in a wheel chair, six surgeries( at least 3 more to go). I do have my leg (1" short). I can walk(a little funny). But the leg is at high risk if I even slip on the ice or trip on the stairs, let alone skydive.

I still love the sport and follow it closely. I check the news group daily. I paid my money and took my chances. Unfortunately, my results weren't good. Fat old guys don't bounce very well.

Blue Skies All!