aquatix

Hanwags are pricey, fairly heavy, but IMO the best. I've worn them on day long hikes through deep snow & ice, plus the hot & rocky Atlas mountains in Morocco (where they saved me from a broken ankle after stumbling on launch). Always comfortable, never had a blister or suffered cold or sweaty feet, and I trust them with my fuelled up weight of 150kg on the motor.

They are good, but more bulky than the tiny tach.

I've been rather worried after hearing your problems (and other complaints) about poor support from that 'other brand'. I'm hoping they have started addressing the issue, as I emailed them yesterday and was quite surprised to get a decent reply back within 24 hours with a parts catalogue & price list. Not placed an order yet so can't comment on how fast their turnaround is, but prices for things like cylinders and piston sets are substantially less than some other brands. Whilst I would much prefer the more local support of a company like Parajet I feel happier now I know the contact and parts are readily available. Out of interest, other than service parts such as gasket sets, do any of you keep a stock of spare parts for your motors ? I know 2 people who have blown pistons recently so not sure if it is worth me ordering a spare now, or things like reed valves (don't know if they tend to break or wear out) ?? I don't want to waste money on a box of bits I might never need, but equally don't want to be out of action for several weeks if a problem does arise. Any thoughts .... ?

It virtually guarantees nobody can collect in person. It seems odd to scam paramotors though, as it is such a small, active & connected community. I would imagine high value electrical items to be easier ? Might be worth a few people making offers though - he may trip up and give away more identifying information other than his Croydon HSBC bank account. At least it shows motive & intent if the police can ever catch him. I hate scum like this ! If they keep doing it long enough someone will fall for it - and probably someone on a budget, desperate for a bargain, who can least afford to lose their cash.

Warning - he is still at it and using the same advert for the Walkerjet ...... http://london.craigslist.co.uk/spo/1701903024.html

Not quite the same, but how about this one on ebay right now ..... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/microlight-paramotor-powered-parachute-/140402987072?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_CPV_Aviation_SM&hash=item20b0ab9040 500cc twin cylinder engine plus directional thrust from the prop - who's going to be brave enough to test pilot it ????

That's the point - it doesn't get packed away until after sunset when the dew falls .... Anyway, each to his own. I treat my wing like my wife, and I find I get the best results from applying a little care & attention - a quick stuffing and ruffle in the damp would not do me any favours !!

Sorry, but I have to disagree. Concertina packing not only keeps the leading edge mylars in better shape (for easier launching) but has several other advatanges - depending on which bag you get. Mine has mesh vents around the leading edge and down each side, allowing it to breathe properly and easily expel air as you fold it up. Even better, when you have to pack a damp wing, you can lay it out at home and unzip the bag to let a few folds from one side dry out in turn, then the other side - you don't have a huge mess of nylon to deal with by dumping it out of a stuff sack. Once zipped back up the whole thing can be slipped under a bed, loosely folded in half with zero stress on the fabric. It is much neater when you come to use it again, as the lines don't get tangled - I can just unzip the bag, connect the risers and its ready to go. Its no quicker to pack away though, despite the claims, but doesn't take any longer either.

Looking for a large (or tandem) reserve with a certified weight of over 140kg if anyone is upgrading or renewing theirs ? Don't mind if its a few years old providing it is in good condition and preferably aired / repacked / inspected as per guidelines. Thanks

Hi Gareth, If you have good ground handling skills, can forward & reverse launch easily, and can control your glider when ridge soaring or mild turbulence in thermals, then you are pretty much there with the wing already. It feels different on the ground with a heavy motor and bulky cage but you will be surprised how quickly you get used to it. Like scuba diving the gear feels awkward until it is in its natural element. One habit you will need to break is leaning forward to launch, as that will just put you on your face with a powered up motor. Other than that, adding power is similar to increasing the slope of the hill. Once in the air it handles almost as normal providing you don't upset the wing with sudden changes in power. Landing is a bit steeper and faster but otherwise the same.

Just a quick update. As Col suggested I removed the padding from the helmet, and there were lots of thin, unscreened wires running from the mini-DIN plug at the back to the twin PTT's, Mic & Earphones. As a 'quick fix' I placed a sheet of (cheapo thin) tin foil between the wires and outer shell of the helmet. Very crude but it actually worked to a certain extent ! I can now hear reception in flight with the motor running mid throttle. Not perfect as there is still a lot of interference, but just about intelligible & better than squalks & buzzing !! My transmission is still quite distorted, but I'll try doing a better job of it now by wrapping each wire in foil back to the internal DIN socket, plus a few extra layers inside the shell. No idea how to fit an RF filter but hopefully this will do for now, and I've also ordered a cheap throat mic to try out. Might splash out on a proper NAC helmet & Peltor headset once funds allow ....

Whoops - I meant thinner air at altitude ! I understand the plug colours and I used to use various gas testers, carb balancers and even a 'colourtune' glass spark plug to see the flame colour on my 4-stroke engines. Unfortunately non of these seem compatable with an oil mix and coming from a background of big V8 engines means a 200cc 2-stroke is never going to sound right to my ears !! I can't seem to find any reasonably priced small CHT/EGT gauges anywhere, but not sure if these would be much use as I rarely use full power for more than a minute or so at a time, and the article you link to says the prop loading is the biggest factor in temperatures anyway. Low speed mixture is OK to set on the ground, but it would be impossible for me to adjust high speed mixture in flight and its hard to feel the effect of small adjustments between flights. I guess its just a case of finding what gives maximum rpm on the ground with a crisp throttle response then maybe setting it a tiny bit richer to be on the safe side ?

The brake lines are also known as 'control lines' as they increase the angle of the wing in flight to provide a high degree of pitch control - which is very useful in turbulent air. Trimmers & speed-bar reduce the angle of attack in order to fly faster. Engine power also effects the pitch of the wing. There are some pics of us flying near to your area last week, between Formby & Crosby: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/106192355570358463008/FormbyParamotor?feat=directlink

Is there anywhere around the Northwest that can accurately service & tune paramotor carburettors ? Mine seems to be running fine, but in the last month 2 of the people I fly with have suffered holed pistons due to lean mixture. Can't afford that at the moment !! I used to tune my old classic cars with a gas analyzer but don't have one anymore. Does anyone use this method ? I assume you would set it slightly rich at ground level so it leans out to normal at altitude, so is there a recommended CO percentage to aim for ? Thanks

Hi Maz, Andy's field is ideally located for you, but Paul Kilburn is also worth speaking to before you decide: http://www.manchesterparagliders.com/ Your size and weight limits the choice of wing & motor slightly, as you will need quite a powerful machine. I am a few inches taller than you and have a brand new Simonini for sale on here which would suit you perfectly. I'm only 15 minutes away down the M57 if you want to stop by and have a look. I may also be persuaded to part with my XL size Apco Thrust (09) which was brand new in November 2009 and has very low hours. Its a perfect beginner / intermediate wing - very safe & stable, easy to launch & fly. Its also good for free flying as well, since you have Parlick, Pendle & Winter Hill close by. There are a few of us who fly from Ince, Formby & Southport, so I'm sure you would be welcome to come & watch / chat one evening to see what its all about .... Regards, Alan

Thats not good news ! Bit of a cheek selling a paramotor helmet that doesn't work in a paramotor !! I wonder if a bit of tinfoil lining would help (or just keep the government from reading my thoughts) ... ? Looking at other headsets for the VX-7R (below) it appears they all share the same type of conecting lead which doesn't have any additional shielding. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Noise-reduction-Headset-for-VX-7R-VX-6R-VX-170-E80bY7_W0QQitemZ330417570766QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_ConsumerElectronics_SpecialistRadioEquipment_SM?hash=item4cee6c03ce http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/E83yY7-Noise-reduction-Headse-VX-6R-VX-7R-VX-170-VX-177_W0QQitemZ150426491096QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_ConsumerElectronics_SpecialistRadioEquipment_SM?hash=item23061e18d8

The Walkerjet manual (such as it is) says the ignition is "Electronic / Processor CDI" with just a simple regulator to convert the AC charge current for in flight battery charging. I will try and test the output from this, and change the spark plug before the next flight. If someone else tries my motor I will know if it is the machine or my radio / headset causing the problem. The antenna simply screws onto the VX-7R without an adapter. The helmet and connector lead are basically the same as this one, but without the additional finger PTT connection: http://www.paramotor-store.com/paramotor-ulm-helmets/speedcom-ppg-ulm-helmet/speedcom-ulm-ppg-helmet-2.html Here's hoping we can get to the botom of this mystery !

Hi Alan - thanks for your detailed reply. I gave it a quck test last night on the ground, with my machine revving at a fast idle - both received and transmitted speech was heavily distorted, over a short distance across the field to other people. It worked fine with the paramotor off, at a reasonably loud level without distortion, which should be more than enough for communication even if I have to ease off the throttle to send and receive clearly. The VX-7R is only running on its internal battery, vertical, but close to my body as that is the only location I have for it. I have tried an aftermarket aerial as well as the standard one, with no difference. The one test I should have done (will do next time) is to have someone else rev my motor and see if their system is similarly affected. My headset is a budget model, built into the paramotor helmet with ear cups and helmet PTT buttons. It provides similar isolation from motor noise as a decent pair of ear defenders from a DIY store, so should be adequate. The connecting lead has a secondary lapel clip with another PTT and volume control. The motor is a standard Walkerjet RR200 apart from a modification to upgrade the battery pack to NiMh cells, which was done by 'pete b' on this forum prior to my purchase. I'm assuming the ignition / HT circuit is to blame rather than the charging circuit ? Any further advice would be greatly appreciated as it is limiting my ability to do longer XC's until I have some form of communication .... Regards, Alan

Just tried searching in the Radio Comms section but couldn't find anything specific. I have a similar problem with a VX-7R which I have to turn up almost full volume in my headset to hear over the engine noise. It works fine on the ground, but in flight it just gives a deafening squallk of clicks and high pitched whining noises when receiving. It is impossible to hear what anyone is saying so I just have to switch it off, which isn't much use. I'm flying a Walkerjet with NGK BR9HS spark plug, which is a standard resistor type so should be OK. Would adding a resistor cap to the HT lead improve things at all or would it degrade the spark ? Any ideas welcome .......

I'll sort a disk out in the next few days if you want to PM me your address.

I have the full UK topo maps (plus semi-transparent airspace) for my 76 CSx which are excellent and show full street level detail down to contour lines. Might be able to sort a disc or put them on a memory card for you ?

Tim, I've sent you the scammers details and bank account by PM, so hopefully the police can trace through that. The phone number he gave isn't connecting today, but I also have the emails to trace IP address if necessary. Good luck, Alan

I guess thats one way to get your bum into the seat ....

Oh No ! I really hope it isn't the same scammer who listed a Walkerjet Simonini in Gumtree recently (also for £1300). He gave an address in Shetland Islands but a HSBC bank account in Croydon for a money transfer. Foreign sounding name and a g-mail account ? I may have some details that will help trace him if this sounds familiar ? Sorry to hear you lost out to such scum.

Not sure how relevant this would really be - for a couple of reasons: 1. Most people will have their choices restricted by distance. If they are lucky enough to have a couple of schools close by they would be better off popping down for an hour or two to spectate and have a chat with the instructors and students there, to get a feel for the facilities and how it is run. 2. Any decent instructor will tailor their teaching style to the individual student, and I'm not sure the average person could evaluate that objectively. I was a full time outdoor coach for 12 years, in well regulated pursuits with a lot of coach training modules. This is a less regulated sport and many of the instructors have gotten into it as a hobby, or have other 'regular' jobs. Enthusiasm & patience goes a long way, but a rating out of 10 may be off-putting for them. 3. Perhaps the most important aspect should be the safety record of a school or instructor ? For them to keep an unblemished record they might have to hold back 'over eager' students, and push the 'slow learners' a bit - which again may affect their rating out of 10. As the active flying community is fairly small, it is probably easier just to ask advice on here or other forums. I'm still a relative newbie but already know (or have heard of) most of the main people in free flying - although I wish I'd found these sort of forums before I started ....