Look!

Up in the sky!

It’s a bird! It’s a plane!

Actually, it’s a powered parachute operated by Scott Richardson. The 1981 Shelbyville High School graduate has mixed his love of aviation and photography to get incredible shots and video that commemorates life in and around Shelby County.

“It’s all kind of snowballed,” said Richardson. “The really odd part is people ask me if I am Scott Richardson, who flies the parachute? I get that a lot. It’s crazy.”

Getting a small telescope as a teenager led Richardson (photo) to wanting to learn how to capture photographs of outer space. That led to learning how to use a camera and developing film.

Richardson’s interest in photography was put aside as he went to Indiana University to study Astrophysics and Physics. Upon graduation, Richardson was hired by the Naval Avionics Center to do airborne radar situation and modeling. He also started progressing toward his pilot’s license.

Meeting a girl, marrying her and having three kids put flying on hold.

“I started my private pilot’s license back in the mid 80s at the (Shelbyville) airport with Darrell Shrader,” said Richardson. “I didn’t finish. I came close to soloing. I took the written test, met a girl and never finished. Kids and life kind of got in the way.”

As his kids grew older, Richardson returned to photography. That led to a stint as a freelance photographer for the Greenfield Daily Reporter.

In 2011, Richardson took his first powered parachute flight with a friend.

“I thought that was kind of cool,” he said.

After his father passed away, Richardson decided to try something new. That’s when he started taking flight lessons and obtained his sport pilot’s license.

“It just went from there,” he said with a smile.

Because his powered parachute is considered a single seater by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Richardson does not need a private pilot’s license.

“My machine is classified by the FAA as a light sport aircraft,” he explained. “It’s numbered and registered with the FAA. You have to have a sport pilot certificate, which means you can fly a light sport aircraft. The FAA has a certain definition for a light sport aircraft -- a maximum of two seats and no greater than 1,320 pounds. You can’t go over 130 knots.”

Richardson loves the “low-and-slow” approach to flying. And he found that his photography skills were a perfect match to the powered parachute’s operability.

“I love being out in the open … sitting out low and slow,” he said. “I can do touch-and-go’s in a field. Most times I fly at about 500 feet. Being able to go slow and have that view, no windows, unobstructed, and just being able to see and take it in. I really get a look at something.”

Richardson’s photography website has a varied collection of pictures from a space shuttle launch to IndyCar racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to wildlife photos from around his northwestern Shelby County homestead to farming harvest photos that he is currently producing.

“I love the harvest (season),” said Richardson with a big smile. “The challenge – it’s different every time. I love seeing the families in the combines. You see kids and dogs. It’s my favorite time of year.”

Not only does Richardson use a camera to capture moments, he also utilizes two GoPro cameras to produce videos of his flights.

“They are mounted,” said Richardson. “One has audio through my helmet intercom system. That’s what makes a good video. I see so many (videos) where they are playing music, which I hate, or you hear engine noise. I want to be able to talk.”

The audio allows Richardson to detail his location and even identify families he has become familiar with working in fields.

Because of the powered parachute’s designation, Richardson does not have to file a flight plan before departure. His aircraft is stored at the Shelbyville Municipal Airport, now named after Darrell Shrader.

“You just have to follow the FAA regulations and there is a whole bunch of stuff with that,” he said. “You have to know weather, air space is really critical, and airport traffic patterns.

“Out of Shelbyville, there is not a tower so you technically don’t have to have a radio but I won’t fly without one. You let other people know where you are at. I’m so different than anything else, low and slow, and all the helicopters are out there. You have to really watch yourself.”

The Shelbyville airport is adjacent to a National Guard installation that houses Blackhawk helicopters.

Richardson admits he doesn’t always know where he is going when he takes off.

“I will fly a 30- to 40-mile radius out of Shelbyville,” he said. “I will try to fly into the wind when I start so I have a tailwind on the way back home.”

Now that he is retired, Richardson has more time to fulfill some flight and photography goals.

“I’ve got some ideas and plans. I did the covered bridges in Rush County,” he said. “I want to go out to Parke County and do the covered bridges there. I need to get a little better trailer so I can haul (the powered parachute) over there and fly.

“I want to do more in southern Indiana out in the country with the rolling hills. Madison would be cool flying over the river down there.”

Richardson admitted he may revisit getting his private pilot’s license to make traveling easier but it is not an immediate goal.

For now, he is enjoying capturing moments and adding to his database that he estimates is between 200,000 to 300,000 photos.

“What’s my legacy?” said Richardson of why he shoots so many photos. He has an extensive array of photos of small towns and cemeteries around south central Indiana.

Richardson is currently discussing how his collection of photos can benefit the Grover Museum in Shelbyville and be stored for future displays of life in Shelby County. He currently has a large photo of Shelbyville’s industrial park on display at the museum.

To view some of Richardson’s extensive photos collection, as seen in this story, go to scottrichardsonphotography.com.

To see Richardson’s videos, go to youtube.com/scottrichardson_ppc