Image via Wikipedia

The city of Atlanta has a lot to offer for visitors and residents to enjoy.  From family fun for all ages to superior shopping, dining, and night life, Atlanta has it all.  But, if you’re looking for great getaways there are also many area attractions within only a few hours of the Atlanta Airport.  One great day trip perfect for the whole family to experience together is visiting historic Warm Spring, GA located approximately 65 miles southwest of the Atlanta Airport.

Warm Springs, GA is best known for Roosevelt’s Little White House Historic Site.  Part of the Georgia State Park system, the historic site features President Franklin D. Roosevelt‘s vacation home featuring the portrait he was posing for during his fatal stroke.  Only a short drive from the Little White House is Roosevelt Warm Springs.  This is a rehabilitation center and National Historic Landmark.  It is also the host site for the Smithsonian exhibit “Whatever Happened to Polio?”.

Next, no trip to the area is complete without visiting FDR’s Pools and Warm Springs Museum.  The pools at this site were built and used by FDR for polio treatments from 1927 until 1942.  Guests can learn about the springs and feel the warm water from the basin.

While in Warm Springs take a little time to enjoy the local shopping district.  This historic town’s main street features collectible and antique shops located in century-old buildings.   Also, a short drive away is the Town of Pine Mountain which is home to unique gift shops, an antique mall, art galleries, and an emporium.

Another interesting attraction to visit is the Warm Springs Regional Fisheries Center and Aquarium.  While there you can get an up close look at striped bass, paddlefish, and sturgeon in various stages of development.  Run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Fisheries Center was established in 1990 and strives to preserve the tradition of fishing.

A great way to end your day trip to Warm Springs is to experience the area on horseback.  Riders can navigate along trails that run through the F.D. Roosevelt State Park when visiting the Roosevelt Riding Stables.  While in the state park you can also visit Dowdell’s Knob, the four-term President’s favorite picnic spot.  It provides an incredible overlook to the valley below.

With lots to do and only a short drive from the Atlanta Airport, Warm Springs, GA is a must see getaway.  The land, known as being in the Presidential Pathways region of Georgia, is rich with heritage and history of FDR.  Plan your day trip to Warm Springs today.

Related articles

• My photo impression of Atlanta, Georgia – Atlanta, GA (travelpod.com)

Image via Wikipedia

Alvin Starkman, M.A., LL.B.

When Tom Penick emailed me and indicated that he would be flying to Oaxaca in his own airplane (actually co-owned with others), and that he wanted to see Hierve el Agua from the plane, I knew that if I could swing a ride with him it would be an experience I would not likely have during the balance of my lifetime.

Hierve el Agua is a site just beyond the central valleys of Oaxaca, at approximately 6,500 feet above sea level. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons it’s passed up by the lion’s share of tourists visiting Oaxaca.  It consists of bubbling, mineral rich springs which feed two man-made pools suitable for a refreshing swim, and a couple of  petrified “waterfalls,” all located in an absolutely breathtaking mountain setting.

Tom Penick owns a popular website (tomzap.com) designed to assist travelers interested in learning about and visiting one of three states in Mexico which border on the Pacific; Jalisco, Colima and Oaxaca. While he gathers a lot of information about these states from third party sources, he likes to periodically update his website by personally visiting the regions where he has gained some expertise.  For Tom’s February, 2011, sojourn to Oaxaca, he was accompanied by his wife, Nancy, and spry, delightful, 96 – year – old mother, Doris.

My wife Arlene and I had decided to invite Tom and family over to the house for drinks and botanas, simply as a nice gesture, since as is the case with so many of us in the age of email, facebook and twitter (I must confess I abhor the latter two), I had come to know Tom and Nancy quite well over the past few years,  but only online through advertising on tomzap.com, submitting articles to his website, and more generally as a consequence of passing on information about Oaxaca to Tom for publication.

Sometime in the course of that evening of chatting and indulging in food and drink with Tom and Doris (Nancy had been ill so could not join us), Arlene and me, and our friends Pilar Cabrera and Luis Espinosa (of La Olla restaurant and Casa de Los Sabores Cooking School), Arlene mentioned to Tom that I was hoping to accompany him to Hierve el Agua.  I had not planned on broaching the topic that evening, even though I had mentioned to Tom in the course of emailing, that I would love to see the site from his plane.

As I was dropping off Mr. Zap and his mother at their hotel at the conclusion of our evening together, Tom said that the only day he would be able to take me to Hierve el Agua was Monday.  “Tell me what time and I’ll be by to pick you up and we can head to the airport,” I replied excitedly.

The small Mexican domestic airlines which fly to and from Oaxaca and both Puerto Escondido and Huatulco (the two major Pacific coastal resorts in the state), Aerovega and Aerotucan, take off in the mornings, as early as 7 a.m., although at times weekend flights leave around noon.  Wind currents over and between the mountains tend to pick up in the afternoon, and accordingly morning flights reduce the likelihood of significant turbulence and make for more comfortable and enjoyable flying. Tom suggested I come by for him at 8 a.m.

The Oaxaca airport is comprised of two terminals, the large one for international and domestic commercial jet air travel, generally used by planes which can accommodate at least 50 passengers; and the small one for the military, sometimes cargo, short haul runs by small airlines such as Aerovega and Aerotucan, and for small private planes. A perk of using the small terminal is that parking to pick up and drop off passengers and when you’re off for a short flight in a private plane, is free.  The air of informality is also pleasing, of course not extending to matters of safety and security.

With 20 years of flying experience under his belt, including several flights between home state Texas and Mexico, Tom knows the ropes, although his Spanish could use more work than mine.  But when flying in Mexico you can get by with little Spanish, since air traffic controllers can communicate in English.

Doris and I waited for close to half an hour while Tom attended to the required paperwork and fee payment.  We knew that he would have to walk from office to office, but at least the offices were in the same small terminal complex, not always the case.

A glitch arose, at which point I initially thought that we would not be permitted to take off.  Tom returned from his final office visit, requesting my assistance as a Spanish speaker.  “Alvin, I think I need your help; the guy upstairs says that foreigners are not allowed to just take off in a plane for a little sightseeing trip; you have to be going somewhere and land there.”

I accompanied Tom to the upper deck, where we met with Juan, in apparent charge of such matters, and the one who had moments ago turned him away.  I initially thought that flashing my permanent Mexican residency card would work since in many cases being a resident trumps the FM – 2 and FM – 3 visas which are held by most foreigners living in Mexico; but in this case it just wasn’t good enough.  I then asked if this was a rule specific to the state of Oaxaca, or just to this airport, but received no reply.  I indicated that Capitán Tom had gone on similar short flights, up the coast leaving from both Puerto Escondido and Huatulco airports, always receiving the required stamped permission.

We were not prepared to take “no” for an answer, at least not so easily, so we held our ground until Juan said “then you’ll have to speak to the comandante.”  While we walked across the hall I began fidgeting in my pocket, looked for a couple of bills, of denominations not too large.  “This pilot wants to fly to Hierve el Agua and then come back, but I already told him our rules,” Juan explained. I piped in, “yes, we just want to go out there for a little while, take some photographs of the beautiful scenery, and come right back.”

My interchange with the comandante went something like this:

“No, no, no, you’re not allowed to take photographs from up there without a permit.”

“Okay, can we fill in a form and get a permit?”

“You have to go to Mexico City for such a permit.”

“Well, what if we put our cameras in the car, can we then go?”

“I didn’t say you have to put your cameras in the car, just that you’re not allowed to take pictures from up there; do you know what I’m telling you?  It’s for reasons of national security.”

“Okay, so you’re saying that we can go to Hierve el Agua, but we simply cannot take any photographs.”

“That’s right; so Juan, please take these two gentlemen back to your office and complete the paperwork.”

I didn’t even have to take my hand out of my pocket, and the rule against foreigners going up for a short flight and returning, was never discussed with the comandante.

But Juan did not like the way the flight plan had been filled in by the official in the SENEAM office.  He had printed the 25 nautical miles we would be flying, and the direction, and then in parentheses indicated Hierve el Agua. “The form must be completed again, omitting the words Hierve el Agua,” Juan demanded. Tom began to ask me if I would suggest to Juan that we simply cross out those three words and initial the change.  I explained that here in Oaxaca, in almost all instances you cannot make changes to the face of any official or quasi – official document; initialling does not remedy a defect. Documents are king; they are sacred, have a life of their own, and must not be torn, altered, smudged.

Tom went to two of the offices he had previously attended, then returned to Juan and had a fresh flight plan stamped.  We were ready. We went through security and the x – ray machine, just as one does in any commercial airport terminal.

I had been in a private single engine plane only once before, close to 40 years ago, with a friend who took me for a ride over Lake Ontario. This time I knew to take a Dramamine, early morning flight or not.

For Tom, checking over the exterior of his Piper Arrow II before take – off is second to nature.  For me, seeing him carefully examine every screw, wire, hinge, moving part, and fuel – related mechanism was comforting, especially in light of the fact that I had only met Tom once before, and knew little of his personality including any propensity for dangerous or carefree living. But with his dear old mother on board, I knew all would be fine, if not out of concern for me or our pilot himself, then certainly for Dorita.

Two federales approached, weapons in hand, to check over the paperwork as custom dictates.  I asked if I could take photos of the plane and they said it was okay, somewhat of a surprise to both me and Tom.  I told Tom I would not take photos from the air, since I did not want a problem in case my camera was checked upon our return.  I value the privilege of being able to live in Mexico. Tom had an extra memory card, so he put the new one in his camera, the plan being to put the old one back upon our return so that in the event that anyone asked to check his camera, no photos of the flight would appear.

Tom examined the control panel and the multitude of screens and switches in the cockpit, then checked it all again. He explained what a couple of the screens were, but it went in one ear and out the other, except I took note of the LED screen which seemed would be functioning like a GPS. The engine started like a charm, but then Tom realized he didn’t have enough space to turn out of the parking area because of the plane in front of us; he turned off the motor:  “I guess I’d better get out and push the plane so we can get out of here; and what a pity, since it started so easily, just like that.”

After several exchanges in English with the air traffic controller, we were Hierve el Agua bound.  I must admit that for me the somewhat wobbly ascent was a bit uncomfortable.  I sat beside Tom, feeling a bit like a co-pilot, with my own steering wheel and foot pedals.

Soon enough we were at cruising altitude, Tom and I communicating with our headsets and attached microphones in place, while Doris sat in back, quietly. As we ascended Tom began taking photos, or perhaps he was using the video mode.  I didn’t ask. Tom would frequently use his camera throughout our flight.

The GPS unit told us how many minutes until we reached Hierve el Agua.  Tom had us on a course, but I knew from having driven to the site hundreds of times over the past 20 years, that we were a few degrees off.  Tom was relying on his sophisticated navigational equipment, while I was simply looking down at the highway and dirt roads leading to Hierve el Agua; with familiar landmarks including ruins, towns, particular restaurants and mezcal – producing facilities; and mountain peaks I had frequently criss-crossed in my pick – up or the van.

There it was, Hierve el Agua in clear view as we flew over the final mountain top; the poolings of water, the falls, and the newly constructed yet abandoned modern brick buildings and large, concrete swimming pool (one of the white elephant’s of the last governor’s administration).  Of course we could not see the water bubbling up from the ground, nor any tourists milling about, but all the rest was easily visible, even more so as we descended and circled twice.

“Those are all agave espadín fields under cultivation on the surrounding slopes, with pretty well no corn,” I explained.  There are a couple of towns close to Hierve el Agua, such as San Juan del Rio and San Lorenzo Albarradas, many of the residents of which are dedicated to producing mezcal the old – fashioned way, using firewood to bake the agave, a horse pulling a limestone wheel to crush it after it’s been cooked, pine vats to ferment, and a brick, mud and copper still for the final stage of the process.

As we descended into the valley as close as possible to the actual site, the wind took hold of us, making the ride rather bumpy, and my stomach more than a little queasy. As much as I was in awe of the experience, I secretly hoped that two circling downward swoops would be all, and that soon we’d be on our way back.  I looked around near my feet, but could not find a bag in case my stomach decided to completely revolt, of course too embarrassed to ask if one existed.

I suggested a little more direct return route than we had used in arriving at Hierve el Agua. Tom complied.  In due course we joined up with the main highway, #190, which we had been following for our arrival route. I pointed out Mitla, Dainzu, and the Armando Prieto massive, modern mezcal factory which produces the Zignum brand.  We flew over a few housing developments I did not know existed because they were well set back and not visible from the main highway.  There were also a couple of expansive green areas which were similarly unfamiliar to me.  It was indeed rare to encounter them in the midst of the dry season.  They appeared to be sod farms, but confirmation would have to await an exploratory drive through the countryside.  Finally, we passed by the pre-Hispanic pictographs on a couple of rock facings, near Yagul and at Xaagá just beyond Mitla, which had contributed to the 2011 UNESCO designation of the area as a World Heritage Site.

Our landing was uneventful, except that on our approach Tom did a maneuver known as a “slip,” a means of losing altitude more quickly without speeding up.  We initially saw four white lights directing us in. The appearance of two white and two red, is a guideline for a happy landing, indicating that the airplane is on a 3 degree glideslope to the touchdown zone of the runway. While I don’t thing Capitán Tom was aware of my earlier nausea, it was nevertheless kind of him to do whatever was appropriate to reasonably assure a smooth and uneventful return to mother earth.

By the time we had touched down, Tom had already switched his memory cards. No one asked to see our cameras, and we were not approached by federales after landing, a surprise to Tom.  He asked airport personnel if there were any further steps to follow before leaving the terminal, and was told we could simply leave.  Even for me it seemed unusual that Mexico would permit an airplane to land and park, and its occupants depart the premises, without any checking of anything, by anyone, regardless of the fact that less than an hour ago we had departed.   Perhaps our every move had been monitored.

Virtually no tourist to Oaxaca, or resident for that matter, ever has a chance to view Hierve el Agua from an airplane.  But those with any opportunity to get to the site the traditional means should not pass it up.  Hierve el Agua is one of the premier wonders in all Oaxaca.

Image via Wikipedia

To be able to fly like a bird has always been one of mankind’s archetypal dreams. In 1903, the Wright brothers achieved human flight by inventing the airplane. But human flight without the aid of some form of flying vehicle has never been achieved, up until recently. Today, because of the wingsuit, human flight can be achieved without the aid of an aircraft.  While this is not for the faint of heart, it is probably the closest to flying like a bird that exists today. Here we provide the steps you need to take in order to fly like a bird, or at least a flying squirrel. Following theses steps, you will find a discussion about this unusual form of flight.

The first step is to understand what a wingsuit is and how it produces flight. A wingsuit is a jump suit, which creates the airfoil shape because of fabric sewn between the legs and under the arms. It is also called a birdman suit or squirrel suit. When wearing this suit during freefall, with arms and legs spread out, you become a human wing and therefore you are able to glide. Your sink rate is relatively low, and you are able to glide at high speed horizontally. Most wingsuit flights last from 1 to 2 minutes, sometimes longer, depending on how high your jump off point is.

A prerequisite to wingsuit flying is skydiving. You need to be proficient in skydiving prior to wingsuit flying. As a matter of fact, the United States Parachute Association (USPA) recommends that you have at least 200 freefall skydives before even thinking about using a wingsuit. Of course, the more the better. But 200 is the bare minimum. Also, the USPA recommends that the 200 freefalls be within the last 18 months prior to a jump using a wingsuit.

The USPA also recommends after at least 200 freefall jumps, you then receive wingsuit flight instruction from a certified instructor. Finding a certified instructor for wingsuit flying is not an easy task, considering there aren’t too many people who have done wingsuit flying. Your instructor should absolutely be certified. The USPA states that you can also perform wingsuit flying without instruction from a certified instructor, as long as you have at least 500 previous freefall skydives. I would highly recommend instruction. Wingsuit manufacturers offer training courses and certify instructors.

Next, you need to develop an understanding of aerodynamics. Since your own body becomes an airfoil or wing when wingsuit flying, it is imperative that you completely understand aerodynamics and the concept of lift. Being a certified pilot for a fix wing aircraft is not required, but most certainly it does not hurt. The point is, you need to understand how you are able to fly wearing a wingsuit. You should have an understanding of what is taking place aerodynamically when you change the shape and orientation of your body, in order to create the desired amount of lift and drag.

If you desire to have jump off points other than an airplane, this means you most likely will be exiting from some high cliff or man made object. Most wingsuit fliers prefer to exit from a very high cliff. But in order to do this, you will need some mountaineering skills in order to reach the top of the mountain or cliff. Unless of course you are able to afford a helicopter ride, and helicopter rides are offered to your jump off point.

In any case, many wingsuit fliers who jump off a cliff, prefer to climb to their jump off point. So in this case, mountaineering skills are also required. It is not unusual to spend a large part of the day climbing, in order to achieve 1 to 2 minutes of wingsuit flying.

At some point you will also need to purchase a wingsuit. Companies such as Phoenix-Fly and Birdman Inc. offer wingsuits for purchase. Phoenix-Fly is headquartered in Zephyrhills, FL, with authorized dealers throughout the United States and around the world.  Birdman Inc. is located in Helsinki, Finland, and they to have authorized dealers around the world.

You need to have good physical and mental health. Of course there are different variations of what one might consider mental healthiness, and some may feel that you need to be a little crazy to do this type of flying. The point here is that you most certainly do not want to black-out, even for a short time, while in flight. In a nutshell, if you black-out, you will not survive. This is the same reason the FAA requires pilots do be in good physical condition. It is important to remember that when you are wingsuit flying, you are more a pilot then a skydiver. So keeping your senses during your short flight is critically important.

Finally, you need a lot of fortitude to confront the danger associated with this type of flying. But is this not true of most extreme sports? So how does wingsuit flying compare to other sports which have a certain element of danger. Here are some statistics from a recent edition of Men’s Journal.
Total deaths over the past five years, per 1,000 participants:

Skydiving: 3.3
Base Jumping: 44
Hang Gliding/Paragliding: 3.8
Summiting K2: 104
ATV Riding: 0.5
Scuba Diving: .06
Snowboarding: .05

In terms of wingsuit flying, we could not find an actual fatality rate, most likely because there is not enough data to work with. Lets face it, not that many people have done wingsuit flying. Fatality rates were very high during the developmental period for this extreme sport. Between 1930 and 1961 71 out of 75 people died trying to perfect a wingsuit. I suspect that the fatality rate today is somewhere between that which you see for skydiving and base jumping.

Now that we have tweaked your interest by examining the steps needed to perform wingsuit flying, lets look at wingsuit flying a little more closely. As we have eluded to, wingsuit flying is simply forming your body into the shape of an airfoil, achieving lift, and flying like a bird, or more like a flying squirrel. Because of the jump suit you are wearing, you become a wing.

You achieve a glide ratio of about 2 to 1. This means for every 2 feet of horizontal movement, you drop about 1 foot. But it also should be noted that with body manipulation, and selection of wingsuit design, you can alter your forward speed and sink rate. To a fix wing pilot like myself, a 2 to 1 glide ratio means you are essentially dropping like a brick. But to a skydiver, you truly are flying. It all depends on your perspective. You are by definition, a pilot, when wingsuit flying. But in this case, your body in combination with your wingsuit, becomes your aircraft.

Lets examine how wingsuit flying works. After you depart from your jump off point, either a cliff, airplane, or man-made object, you will sink but you will also start to fly horizontally. Actually, the technique for departure from an airplane is completely different from that which is used when departing from a fixed object. One requires entry into a slip stream and relative wind, one does not. You will learn this type of information if you receive formal instruction.

After you depart and sink, you will develop a horizontal velocity component. Your average horizontal velocity, relative to the ground, will be around 100mph. But if you have a tailwind, your horizontal speed can reach up to 140mph to 160mph. Your sink rate is much less compared to typical skydiving. Your vertical terminal velocity when skydiving is anywhere between 110 to 140 mph, depending on body orientation. With wingsuit flying, on average you obtain a vertical velocity of around 40mph.

After you have flown horizontally anywhere from 1 to 2 minutes, depending on your starting altitude, you release your parachute, and then land a short time later. Stamina is also important, as it takes quite a bit of muscle strength to fly a wingsuit to its full capacity. The most important part of this type of flying is to know when to release your parachute.

There are groups around the world that are working on wingsuit flying where you do not land with a parachute. In my mind this is a little too dicey. But if flying suit technology and piloting skill improves to the point where you can slow down your flying so that you can land without a chute, then they may have something there. But currently, to perform wingsuit flying, you need to be a proficient skydiver and you need a parachute.

I believe to do this type of flying, you need to be an adrenaline rush junky. In my mind, it is more risky then typical skydiving, and not as risky as base jumping. But most would agree it is an extreme sport, and of course imparts certain obvious risks.

To conclude, if you want to achieve a flying experience which is as close as possible to what a bird feels, or at least a flying squirrel, then wingsuit flying is an extreme sport to consider. It is not for the faint of heart, and the risks are obvious, but for some these risks are worth taking. It is one of the most dangerous sports in the world. But the reward of achieving human flight without the aid of an aircraft can be tremendous. Human flight has always been one of mankind’s archetypal dreams. With wingsuit flying, you can experience what only Leonardo da Vinci could only dream of, the dream of flight.

Related articles

• Video: Wingsuit Flying Below the Treetops (wired.com)
• New extreme sports push the limit for thrill seekers (thepaolite.wordpress.com)
• Swiss daredevil to attempt Grand Canyon stunt (thestar.com)

• The Colleges
• Boat Trips
• Ashmolean Museum
• Pitt Rivers Museum
• Christchurch Cathedral
• Blenheim Palace

Bembridge, Isle of Wight

 ’Jumping off point’ for the Channel Islands,

Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney as well as all points South!

   Places to See

•  Sandown park
• Shanklin
• Cowes
• Osborne House

Duxford

•  Cambridge Town
• The Colleges
• Newmarket
• Events: Science Festival
• Ely Cathedral

The Foxfield Railway

The Rudyard Lake Steam Railway

The Churnet Valley Railway

Where To Stay

Who Should I Take With Me?

Rudyard Lake Railway: www.rudyardlakerailway.co.uk/

Churnet Valley Railway: www.churnet-valley-railway.co.uk