christian

Go to the SouthWest Airsports page. It has tutorials on just about every aspect of the Top80 http://www.southwestairsports.com/ppgtechinfo/top80/Top80.htm Good luck, Christian

Hi Robert, I am the same AUW and fly a S2 22 with a Miniplane Top80. No problem getting off the ground. I can just about maintain level on the speedbar. If I want to climb quickly I have to trim to the white line. Fly safe, Christian

Grassy, good for you for having the courage to tell us about your accident. The more people who have the same courage to be open, the better. Eventually the message will get through. On another note. Attendance at public events is usually conditional on pilots having insurance and complying with various conditions. Would it be worth making a condition that motors are only started on backs? Or is that more nanny state? I'm glad that you got away with it and hope that you are airbourne again soon. Christian

I don't think that harness will catch on

Flying with music is great, you just need some noise cancelling headphones/earbuds. From what I have witnessed electric paramotors are only marginally quieter than the less noisy two strokes, as you say, it's the prop that makes the noise. I can't remember smelling petrol while flying, the engine's behind you and you are flying at +/-40kph so all the fumes are not an issue. Of course paramotoring is not entirely safe, but a great deal will be down to the quality of your training and the style of flying you adopt. If you follow the rules then you can make it pretty safe, but never as safe as sitting in an armchair in your sitting room.

lol definitley

There is no way that I could run 30 yds with a sack of cement on my back without damaging myself. I fly most weeks and my take-offs are normally nil wind. My 60 year old sister has just taken up the sport. If you are doing it right, it is not that physical. Just walk a little further and faster and that will be sufficient imho Good luck, Christian

Reflex wings are less likely to collapse, but when they do, it will be more dynamic.

Weetabix for breakfast?

This site is useful for finding small airfields anywhere in France http://basulm.ffplum.info/index.php?option=com_fabrik&view=visualization&id=1&latitude=46.60&longitude=2.9&zoom=6&Itemid=25 Click on Bases at the top and then go to Carte Interactive You can drag the circle to where ever you want on the map. Click on a base and it will give you contact details etc. There is also an app for your phone that does the same thing, it's called Basulm . I know that it's good for Android, because I use it on Android, not sure about iphones. It can be a bit confusing, but it's worth perssevering as there is so much good info. And this is a good weather site http://www.meteociel.fr/ Just put in your nearest town on the left hand side. Bon chance!

Castrol TTS has been superseded by Castrol Power 1 Racing.

You will find no problems with support or spares for Top 80 engines. There are at least 2 dealers in the UK, one in Ireland and several in France. There is a very responsive Yahoo group and a fantastic US site with all sorts of tutorials. Miniplane and PAP fit them as standard and there maybe some others too. It's not the most powerful engine, but it's reliable, light, quiet and fuel efficient. Bear in mind, that in the hands of a beginner, a powerful engine is sometimes more of a menace than a help. But the main thing is to get your training done first, then you will have a much better idea of what will suit your flying style. Christian

Teaching my grandmother to suck eggs again! Good luck with the training, Christian

Ben, you are going down a well-travelled road. Almost everybody who starts in this sport asks a similar question, myself included. The advice is always the same, do your training and then buy your kit. You do not have sufficient knowledge to be buying 2nd equipment. There is plenty of good second hand stuff out there, but there is also some terrible stuff, even dangerous stuff and you are not yet in a position to distinguish the two. If you screw up buying a second hand car it is embarrassing and it will cost you some cash; screw up buying flying equipment and it could easily cost you rather more................ I can't over emphasise the importance of good training. It will keep you safe, save you a fortune in broken equipment and make the whole experience a pleasure. So, for the time being, your research should be about finding a good school. Fly safe, Christian

Hi Simon. This still doesn't work in either Firefox or Chrome in Windows 10 - all fully updated.

My flying buddy and I have been using 130 e-props for 2 or 3 years. It gives a nice extra boost, but I haven't measured it. You can get a spacer from Miniplane to keep the prop a bit further from the cage, but neither me, nor my mate have bothered and neither of us have had any problem. Go for it, Christian

Is it properly primed?

I keep my motor in my house and it has led to all sorts of problems. First of all the wife wouldn’t let it in the bedroom, then she banished it to the utility room. To complete the humiliation she hangs the family’s underwear on the cage to dry. My advice, keep the females in your life apart.

Does anybody know if the Paramania Flight Centre in Spain is still open for business? I tried emailing Paramania twice, but no response. And the published telephone number didn't work either. Happy Christmas, Christian

Do some research on Superdell...........all should become clear. Air Conception? I haven't anything but good,

I meant 90Kgs Naked, on top of that there was a reserve, fuel and clothing.

Is it that when the trimmers are let out that the wing becomes reflex?

Simon's right, I should have been more specific. I have a carbon e-prop and it is much lighter than my wooden prop.

If you are asking if a Miniplane is powerful enough for you (@88 kg) to fly an Ozone Spyder 26, then the answer is definitley yes. My FB has flown my Sirocco 24 with his Miniplane and he is 90 Kg.

I have a Miniplane Top80, one of the big plus points is the amount of support available. There's a very responsive Yahoo group and a dealer in Texas has set up a website with all sorts of tutorials. And it looks like the UK finally has a serious Miniplane dealer. I had no problems finding a mechanic to do the jobs that I am not comfortable undertaking. The Top80 is such an old engine and has been fitted by several manufacturers, so parts and expertise are never far away. Vince, the UK Air Conception dealer seems really customer focused, so I don't think that you can go wrong with either choice. I have read nothing seriously negative about the Nitro and am considering one myself, but I wonder about parts prices and availablility and who can fix them. It's not that I've heard that it's a problem, just that I'm not sure of the situation. Welcome to the dark side, Christian