Big Red had its debut today. I did not announce the performance because of its status of a trial run. After unpacking the suit, I inserted the two modified 12v blower motors into their respective holes and connected the wire leads to the battery terminals in my backpack. After finishing some other preparations I flipped the two switches and the fans roared to life and the suit began to expand. This soon attracted the attention of quite a number of passing students. As the suit grew larger and larger the smile on my face grew in proportion. The wind whipped by and against my better judgment I donned the suit and took my first tentative steps in Big Red.

The two shoulder straps on the inside fit perfectly and balanced the weight of the awkward structure on my back. I could see from the three view ports and my legs moved freely in the space I carved out for them. The wind posed the only problem. I heard laughing and clapping and then began to put the suit through its paces. If something were to break I wanted it to happen now and not during a real performance.

I struggled against the wind and made a large circuit of the school grounds and even climbed a small flight of stair to test the limits of mobility of the suit. Remember the wind. The wind constantly tried to knock me over and this is not surprising considering the surface area of the suit. Twice it succeeded. The first time I recovered quickly but the second time the suit became airborne. Upon landing the wind continued to drag the suit with me held captive inside for another ten to fifteen meters. My legs waved frantically and eventually I came to a stop and ended to the testing program until nicer weather.

I deflated the suit and packed it into its custom made bag. Everything went fine. Now I have a very large portable performance object that can be transported by hand, bicycle or train. This will prove to be fun and I plan to take it into the city next week.