Music Videos from "A Beginner's Guide to Powered Parachutes"

Brian lays down some tracks

This time around Brian FitzGerald used some new toys to produce the music for the music videos. The biggest change was the addition of a new drum AND bass synthesizer by ZOOM called the RhythmTrak 234. The 234 has superior drum sounds to the archaic Sequential Tom FitzGerald had been using since the early 80's. Also, (and very important) the 234 features a massive amount of excellent bass samples.

He is still using his trusty Gibson SG exclusively on all the guitar tracks. On this go-around, FitzGerald pulled the old bottleneck slide out of the drawer and used it on "Texoma Fly-In" and "Samba Topeka".

While he is still using the MacroMedia Deck II software for recording tracks and mixing down, the big news is the addition of a new G4 Mac that has sped the entire production process up significantly. He now has 35 gigs of fast hard drive space - 27 of it are on a new FireWire drive that works great. This really helps when laying down tracks because he basically doesn't have to worry about space limitations when recording music now.

"PPC's - The Final Frontier"

For this tape, Brian tried something new. The opening music video is titled "PPC's - The Final Frontier" and is an imaginary flight of two Powered Parachutes over an astroid out in space. The software employed is called InfiniD and this project pretty well maxed out the system. It took DAYS to render (over and over). FitzGerald wishes he had the G4 when this project was completed but you can't always get what you want (he had what he needed, though).

"Randy Rides the Rockies"

About 15 minutes outside of Fort Collins, Colorado is the beautiful scene you see to the right. In the distance you can see Randy Jackson cruising in his PPC with the Great Rocky Mountains on the horizon. Even though the air is thinner up there the Powered Parachute performed admirably. The scenery is magnificent. One can immediately see why Colorado is a top tourist destination.

Patriotic colors take to the air at the Lake Texoma Fly-In!

Springtime means aviation at Lake Texoma near the border of Oklahoma and Texas. This annual gathering of sport flying enthusiasts is fast becoming one of the big draws of the season. Although primarily a venue for ultralights, there are always plenty of experimental kitplanes that show up, too.

Not only is the Fly-In a great place to see lots of aviating, it is also an excellent water sports destination with all the fish you can catch!

Ken Kelly & Bryan Kemble above the misty fields near Topeka, Kansas

One of the nicest places for sport flying I have ever been to is Ken Kelly's ranch near Topeka, Kansas. He has a beauiful spread and has all the facilities necessary for a safe and fun teaching experience. Ken also puts on a primo 4th of July celebration every year.

Ken Kelly makes a tight turn over the camera during the shooting of "Samba Topeka".

I love the shot seen to the left. I told Ken to try to knock the hat off my head (not the head off my shoulders...) and he did the job.

Ken and I worked for a couple of days to get the footage I used in Samba Topeka. I got a couple of flights during this time and have gained a real appreciation for this type of sport flying. I don't think there is any craft that has more visibility than a powered parachute. The view is unparalleled!