A Good Day To Die - Flying an ultralight with no training.

The full video version of what happened on the first day Hugh flew his inflatable flying boat. The location of the flight was the Grand River in Caledonia, Ontario. This video was produced by Hugh's childhood friend and brother-in-law, Jim Unsworth. MAY I SUGGEST YOU READ THE FOLLOWING BEFORE YOU MAKE ANY COMMENTS. Just a quick word from the pilot, Hugh Harrison. First of all, I was 65 when this video was made back in 2016. I'm 72 now and still going strong. In fact, I've just finished fabrication of a powered paraglider trike from scratch using a metal bed frame and some steel tubing. I expect to get airborne with it in a week or two. Have I flown one before? No. Although, I have done a fair bit of foot launched powered paragliding and will take certain precautions to lessen the likelihood of a high altitude failure, I'm not going to sit around and fret about every possible danger. Nothing would ever get done if we insist on total elimination of every potential hazard. Sometimes too much knowledge is a hindrance to adventure. In 1970, I bought a dugout canoe in Mali, west Africa and paddled down the Niger River to Niamey, Niger. I was aware of the diseases like bilharzia and the presence of crocs and hippos but nothing had made me aware of just how dangerous hippos were. So, when one angry hippo attacked my canoe one night, I didn't think twice. As far as I was concerned, he was just an irascible old river horse and using the wooden pole I had to push the canoe through shallow water, I smacked him on the head every time he came up by the boat like a giant version of whack-a-mole until he finally retreated. I don't know what I would have done if I knew at the time just how dangerous hippos are. Chances areI would have foregone the adventure altogether. In any event, about this video and how much knowledge I did or didn't have. When I said It's a good day to die, I was being facetious. Just joking around with my lifelong buddy Jim who was videotaping. It didn't occur to me that he was going to post it on YouTube. I don't encourage anyone to try flying anything without some form of training. In my case, I started flying single engine fixed wing airplanes like Cessna 150s and 172s and Piper Apaches in 1967 and got my private pilot's license in 1968. In 1997, living in Phuket, Thailand, I ordered a paramotor from Italy and had to learn on my own to fly it simply because there was no one around to teach me. Fortunately, after flying my powered paraglider for a few months without incident, a book on paragliding I had ordered from England arrived and I could see all the mistakes I had been making which could have had serious consequences. Anyway, my point is, I'm not a complete neophyte and have enough related experience to pull off some experimental flying of unfamiliar aircraft. I'm aware of most of the potential risks and how to deal with them. Something a totally inexperienced pilot would most likely not be. So, if you are completely green as far as flying is concerned, please don't just hop in your newly purchased microlight, ultralight, flex wing, weight shift, experimental or whatever else you want to call it aircraft and attempt to take off. It's not likely to end well. I'll be the first to admit that I don't follow my own advice and having broken just about every bone in my body over a lifetime of reckless self-endangerment, I've paid a hefty price for my indifference to the risks involved and failure to take a reasonable number of precautions on a number of occasions. On the other hand, don't be afraid to take on a few risky challenges from time to time. There's a good chance you'll discover you're a lot more capable than you think you are.