WATCH: Badass Paraglider Over Buffalo, Wyoming Warbirds
Here's a crazy idea!
Let's put you in a parachute, strap a big fan on your back, then send you running into the wind until you take off.
OH COME ON!
What could go wrong?
Now let's do this with one of the prettiest backdrops in North America.
How about up at the airport by Buffalo Wyoming?
That would make a kickass video, wouldn't it?
In the video below these adventures do just that.
The Aviator Show... A Place for Adventure, Paramotors, Airplanes, Skydiving, Explosives, and Awesomeness on YouTube.
Scroll 8:45 into this video to get to where they start the Buffalo airport adventure.
They are joined by a fan of their YouTube page who just happened to be visiting the airport from Wheatland Wyoming. He's also a paramotor pilot.
You'll see them flying over two old airplanes that I wrote a story on a few years ago. More on that in a moment.
This is the crew's first time flying Wyoming.
The pilot flew over the old airplanes on the north end of the airport, out of the way of the runways and taxiways.
This place is perfect to catch some air and enjoy the view of both the mountains and the town of Buffalo, below.
While I'm sure they appreciated the planes they were flying over, they might not have known the historical significance of them or how they ended up at the airport in Johnson County Wyoming.
Keep scrolling, because that, too, is a great story.
The drone shots, along with the music they selected and some great editing, shows why these guys have such a popular YouTube channel.
This is so much fun to watch you might end up watching it more than once.
Low passes over the airplanes give us a pilot's perspective on what it's like to fly like a bird over these old airplanes, and anything else that might pass below.
Flying off to the sides of the airport the pilot scared some antelope away.
There is a great shot of them running underneath.
He noticed them, zoomed over for a quick shot of them below, and moved on.
That's the right way to do it.
Buzzing them is considered harassing and he obviously was not trying to do that.
Then it's on to what's down below the airport.
You'll love the part where he dips down low and rides over a river.
Now, about those old war birds, he was flying over.
Just outside of Buffalo Wyoming, at the tiny Johnson County Airport, two vintage WWII war birds sit, almost forgotten.
You will see these planes close up in the video below.
The PV2 Harpoon was a WWII patrol bomber that was used for anti-shipping operations, primarily in the Aleutian Islands. Currently, there are only three airworthy Harpoons in the world.
These two planes never made it to see combat. They were built just as the war was ending. Not much is known about where they were sent after that. All that is known is that they made their way around the United States doing various jobs until they eventually arrived in Wyoming.
#39, which you see above, on the right, was fitted to dump water for fire suppression. The other served some role in agriculture. That is about all that is known about these old sisters.
Somehow the Vintage Aviation Museum found out about these abandoned planes and made an offer to buy them. Some folks might wonder why anyone would want any airplane that had been sitting out in the elements of Wyoming for 20 years. But machines that were built to take a beating in war, have what it takes to survive the worst that Wyoming has to throw at it.
I called the museum and learned that one might stay in Wyoming, continuing as a fire suppressor, and the other will be restored to its old glory, nose art and all.
To do this, the museum needs a little help. Funds need to be raised. Sponsorships are available. Visit the museum website to find out more.
NOTE FROM Sean O'Brien - Vintage Aviation Museum: The Harpoon known as tanker 39 was a former fire bomber. Once returned to flight she along with the other Harpoon will be leaving Wyoming. The Harpoon known as tanker 39 will likely remain in her fire bomber markings as a tribute to all of those who have and still do fight forest and wildland fires. She has not flown as a fire bomber in many years and her days of flying as a fire bomber are over. She will not return to fire bombing duty.
The new owners of these planes and the Johnson County Airport were good enough to allow me and a couple of friends to get close to shoot pictures and take video. I sent many pictures, not seen here, to the Vintage Aviation Museum to give them a closer look at what sort of repairs they are looking at.
A VIDEO OF OUR CLOSE-UP LOOK IS BELOW.