SKANEATELES - The wind was barely blowing Wednesday morning as Bruce Silvers and John McCarthy prepared for takeoff at the Skaneateles Aero Drome on Benson Road.
After untangling the multicolored parachute, the duo of professional photographers situated themselves in the aircraft, a 65-horsepower, Buckeye powered parachute.
McCarthy had his Pentax 645 camera around his neck, prepared to shoot photos for an aerial photography project focused on the Finger Lakes region. A reporter and photographer from Lee Enterprises, The Citizen's parent company, were there to observe for a future feature story on that project.
Shortly after takeoff, however, at around 8:45 a.m., the pair became the subject of photos for a different reason when the aircraft hit a tree in the middle of a swamp, stranding the men more than 50 feet in the air.
Though Silvers, the pilot, was able to climb down much of the tree before rescue personnel arrived with ladders, McCarthy was told to remain in the aircraft and did so for roughly two-and-a-half hours before a member of the Cayuga County High Angle Rescue Team guided him down at around 11:15 a.m.
“He was pretty calm, shaking a little of course,” said Greg Genson, assistant chief with the Moravia Fire Department and a member of the High Angle group.
Genson assisted McCarthy with the 20-minute descent. McCarthy was harnessed to a ladder and slowly walked down himself.
He was later taken away in an ambulance, but Genson said that McCarthy was not seriously injured and had a few cuts and bruises. Silvers, who said that it was a nerve-wracking experience watching McCarthy's rescue, said that his friend was doing OK and that both had called their wives with cell phones while they were still in the tree.
Walking around shortly after McCarthy was rescued, Silvers was well except for a cut on his leg and some sweat and dirt. He explained that he had deliberately flown into the tree after a gust of wind caught them by surprise.
“We were climbing up normally,” explained Silvers, Skaneateles town constable. “When the gust hit us, it couldn't have hit at worse time.”
Soon after take-off, the parachute came across a gust of wind, tilting it to the left. Had Silvers steered further left, the aircraft would have gone into a steep dive, he said.
If he had gone right, it would have hit the side of the tree, causing McCarthy and Silvers to fall out. That move could very well have been fatal, Silvers said.
And so he had to make a split-second decision: to lodge the powered parachute in a tree.
“We aimed right where we wanted to put it,” Silvers said.
Silvers, 60, of Skaneateles, has been flying powered parachutes since the 1980s, when that type of light aircraft was invented. His two-person aircraft, which he purchased a year ago, looks somewhat like a go-cart with a large propeller in the back; a 500 square-foot parachute floats above.
For the last few weeks, Silvers, of Chickadee Lane Photography, and Auburn resident McCarthy, of McCarthy's Finger Lakes Photography, also in Skaneateles, have been photographing the Skaneateles area from the powered parachute as part of an aerial photography project.
Because there is no vibration or wing in the way, and because the aircraft can get down low and goes slow (averaging 26 miles per hour), the powered parachute offers a lot of benefits over typical planes or helicopters, McCarthy said in an interview last week.
“It's like being on a tall step ladder,” McCarthy had said. “I would think it's one of the best apparatuses for getting quality, close-up aerial photography. We could get pictures that no one could imagine seeing.”
McCarthy had been hesitant to go up at first, Silvers said, but after the first time had felt much better about it. Silvers calls himself a cautious pilot, only going up when he feels it's safe.
In fact, on Wednesday, he aborted the first takeoff.
“I wasn't happy where I was going, so I just stopped ... on the ground,” Silvers had said afterward as he prepared for another go. “I don't have so far to fall from here.”
Later, moments after the crash, Silvers shimmied down the tree, but weak branches were breaking off below. When he reached a secure point, he called dispatch to advise them of the situation.
Silvers told McCarthy to remain in the aircraft.
“He had a seat belt and a cross-chest harness, so he wasn't going anywhere,” Silvers said.
But rescue personnel, including fire departments from Skaneateles, Auburn and Moravia, faced a particular challenge because of the height of the craft; the tree was also weak and there was a swamp below, Genson said.
Several Benson Road residents gathered to watch the rescue efforts, including Mike Card, who has lived near the Aero Drome for 23 years. In that time, there have been roughly six accidents with pilots heading to the Aero Drome or taking off from there, some of them fatal, Card said.
But the accidents were due to weather or aircraft problems and not the fault of the airport, Card said, adding that the “airport has been a good neighbor.”
After McCarthy was safely on the ground, Silvers turned his attention to what to do with his 800-pound aircraft, still lodged in the tree more than 50 feet above.
Skaneateles Fire Department Chief Eric Sell later confirmed that the tree had been cut down.
Though somewhat shaken, Silvers was still smiling, determined to fly again. He remained in good spirits even before he was rescued.
“Not my best take-off!” he shouted from the trees shortly after the crash.
“This is what I've trained for if I have to have a bad landing,” he said later on the ground, noting that he's never had an accident before. “If you can walk away with a dirty T-shirt, you've done good.”
Staff writer Linda Ober can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 237 or linda.ober@lee.net
McCarthy had his Pentax 645 camera around his neck, prepared to shoot photos for an aerial photography project focused on the Finger Lakes region. A reporter and photographer from Lee Enterprises, The Citizen's parent company, were there to observe for a future feature story on that project.
Shortly after takeoff, however, at around 8:45 a.m., the pair became the subject of photos for a different reason when the aircraft hit a tree in the middle of a swamp, stranding the men more than 50 feet in the air.
Though Silvers, the pilot, was able to climb down much of the tree before rescue personnel arrived with ladders, McCarthy was told to remain in the aircraft and did so for roughly two-and-a-half hours before a member of the Cayuga County High Angle Rescue Team guided him down at around 11:15 a.m.
“He was pretty calm, shaking a little of course,” said Greg Genson, assistant chief with the Moravia Fire Department and a member of the High Angle group.
Genson assisted McCarthy with the 20-minute descent. McCarthy was harnessed to a ladder and slowly walked down himself.
He was later taken away in an ambulance, but Genson said that McCarthy was not seriously injured and had a few cuts and bruises. Silvers, who said that it was a nerve-wracking experience watching McCarthy's rescue, said that his friend was doing OK and that both had called their wives with cell phones while they were still in the tree.
Walking around shortly after McCarthy was rescued, Silvers was well except for a cut on his leg and some sweat and dirt. He explained that he had deliberately flown into the tree after a gust of wind caught them by surprise.
“We were climbing up normally,” explained Silvers, Skaneateles town constable. “When the gust hit us, it couldn't have hit at worse time.”
Soon after take-off, the parachute came across a gust of wind, tilting it to the left. Had Silvers steered further left, the aircraft would have gone into a steep dive, he said.
If he had gone right, it would have hit the side of the tree, causing McCarthy and Silvers to fall out. That move could very well have been fatal, Silvers said.
And so he had to make a split-second decision: to lodge the powered parachute in a tree.
“We aimed right where we wanted to put it,” Silvers said.
Silvers, 60, of Skaneateles, has been flying powered parachutes since the 1980s, when that type of light aircraft was invented. His two-person aircraft, which he purchased a year ago, looks somewhat like a go-cart with a large propeller in the back; a 500 square-foot parachute floats above.
For the last few weeks, Silvers, of Chickadee Lane Photography, and Auburn resident McCarthy, of McCarthy's Finger Lakes Photography, also in Skaneateles, have been photographing the Skaneateles area from the powered parachute as part of an aerial photography project.
Because there is no vibration or wing in the way, and because the aircraft can get down low and goes slow (averaging 26 miles per hour), the powered parachute offers a lot of benefits over typical planes or helicopters, McCarthy said in an interview last week.
“It's like being on a tall step ladder,” McCarthy had said. “I would think it's one of the best apparatuses for getting quality, close-up aerial photography. We could get pictures that no one could imagine seeing.”
McCarthy had been hesitant to go up at first, Silvers said, but after the first time had felt much better about it. Silvers calls himself a cautious pilot, only going up when he feels it's safe.
In fact, on Wednesday, he aborted the first takeoff.
“I wasn't happy where I was going, so I just stopped ... on the ground,” Silvers had said afterward as he prepared for another go. “I don't have so far to fall from here.”
Later, moments after the crash, Silvers shimmied down the tree, but weak branches were breaking off below. When he reached a secure point, he called dispatch to advise them of the situation.
Silvers told McCarthy to remain in the aircraft.
“He had a seat belt and a cross-chest harness, so he wasn't going anywhere,” Silvers said.
But rescue personnel, including fire departments from Skaneateles, Auburn and Moravia, faced a particular challenge because of the height of the craft; the tree was also weak and there was a swamp below, Genson said.
Several Benson Road residents gathered to watch the rescue efforts, including Mike Card, who has lived near the Aero Drome for 23 years. In that time, there have been roughly six accidents with pilots heading to the Aero Drome or taking off from there, some of them fatal, Card said.
But the accidents were due to weather or aircraft problems and not the fault of the airport, Card said, adding that the “airport has been a good neighbor.”
After McCarthy was safely on the ground, Silvers turned his attention to what to do with his 800-pound aircraft, still lodged in the tree more than 50 feet above.
Skaneateles Fire Department Chief Eric Sell later confirmed that the tree had been cut down.
Though somewhat shaken, Silvers was still smiling, determined to fly again. He remained in good spirits even before he was rescued.
“Not my best take-off!” he shouted from the trees shortly after the crash.
“This is what I've trained for if I have to have a bad landing,” he said later on the ground, noting that he's never had an accident before. “If you can walk away with a dirty T-shirt, you've done good.”
Staff writer Linda Ober can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 237 or linda.ober@lee.net
