Flight of The "Air Hog"

To update you: I neglected in earlier posts to mention the find of the season! The "Air Hog!" On the last day of a five day trip, which are so often characterized by these drifting sails, we were "sailing" off the Victoria waterfront, when the trainee's on bow watch, who were doing an unusually fantastic job sighted off in the distance a small floating red object, which on closer inspection turned out to be a poor child's lost airplane. This turned out to be the find of the season when we discovered that it was the infamous Air Hog! What is the Air Hog do you ask? Well essentially it is a toy airplane which runs on air. The fuselage is pumped full and then you toss it into the wind and it will continue to fly. I imagine it is meant to be used in fields where once thrown the thrower can then run after their prize and throught it again... oops. In any case, victory was ours as we steered the boat on a collision course with the tiny plane and the first mate hung off the side of the boat dipping down to retrieve it out of the fridgid ocean!
We contined to have much amusement with our flying machine, jerrying up a pump to fill it and finding out what the best angle and speed was to through it in the wind at. The decisioin was made that the Air Hog needed a gloriour flight off the top of Mt. Norman to brng itself out into the aviation world. So last week we hiked up to the top of this mountain located on Saturna Island and Antony, the first mate, readied the plane, pumping it full, assembling it's wings, taking position and throwing it... Failure! On first attempt the Air Hog took off and immediately nose dived into the cliff face. After retrieving it two more times the third flight was finally a success! That is until the Hog veered into the only tree in its path and lodged itself 80ft up, to be perpetually framed mid-flight in its branches.
Good Bye and Bon Voyage, Air Hog.