aquatix

Hi Bernoulli - I think it would help your understanding if you studied some of the principles of flight, as the forces involved are all inter-related (lift, drag, weight etc) to give a forward and vertical component. Without power a paraglider will simply glide forward at around 25-30km/h and descend around 1.2 - 1.8m/s. Adding the extra force of thrust from the motor changes the resultant to allow level flight or an upward angle (climb rate). For most people using the correct size wing in neutral trim, around 30kg of thrust from the motor is required to maintain level flight (more needed in fast trim or for smaller wings with higher loading). At your 75kg body weight, a Bailey V5 producing 60kg thrust is more than adequate - and you have a very wide choice of machines offering similar or more power. I recently flew a V5 (at over 100kg naked) but found the climb rate too slow for my liking. I think it is always best to have extra power available even if you hardly ever use it (which can give better economy and a less stressed engine). Of the 2-strokes, you could comfortably fly a Polini (less power but nice & light) or something with a Moster, F200, Simonini or Corsair engine for all the power you could ever need (around 75kg thrust) and the latter 3 all have electric start options (for about a 3kg extra weight penalty. I would suggest that thrust is less important at your weight than actual paramotor weight, harness comfort, hangpoint choice etc.

Andy, It sounds like that school gave you a poor response and I agree that advertised prices should be honoured. A better reply would have been that properly registered BHPA schools have higher overheads than freelance instructors. If you get the chance, go to the open days at Airways next weekend where you can meet people and ask loads of questions. All flying sites (hill and paramotor fields) effectively have some form of club structure to manage access. Some are more open (or easily accessible) than others. Insurance is only enforced at some events (such as PPG Nationals) but the minimum of Public Liability is highly advisable for all, If you flew into my van or chopped up my wing with your prop at a fly-in I would expect some sort of payment to cover the damage. Not aware of any legal cases yet but it should cover you against claims for livestock, horses etc if you are flying legally (although the PG ban in Preseli is a worrying trend), and a civil complaint about noise would be very hard to pursue. Back to the thread title though, I think PG & PPG pilots are some of the friendliest bunch of people you could meet (with a good mix of pi$$-taking banter) and even more so once you actually become a pilot and share the adventure. Didn't realise Mark's fly-in was now an officiall PMC event .....

Andy Not sure what specific discussion you found on the internet but it is probably not representative of the UK scene. There are some (such as Murray Hay, BHPC) who make it their sole mission to moan about the BHPA, which does not contribute anything to the situation. The vast majority of club sites are open to visiting pilots. Some (such as Long Mynd) have a token fee at weekends when the site is particularly busy - this contributes to maintenance and is never a problem - if you fly there frequently a full membership is about 50p per week .... buttons compared to PPL fees. A few sites are restricted to full members only due to particular access agreements imposed by the landowner (not the club) - same as Simon does at Membury. You are off the mark about training as ALL training of a similar standard is relevant (I'm happy to fly abroad with non-BHPA trained pilots) and if you have gained experience or training elsewhere then it is simple to convert that to the equivalent BHPA rating, or 'alternative entry system'. You most certainly do not have to start again from scratch, so you could learn to fly PPG with the PMC, gain some experience and convert to BHPA later if you wanted to benefit from things like insurance. Similarly, from a BHPA rating you can convert to an international IPPI pilot rating, or another countries system if you move abroad - without starting from scratch. Training (done anywhere) is not the end result but a starting point so you can fly safely with others, gain experience and progress at your own rate - into comps or whatever your interest - there is a clear path to progress along once you have the basic 'qualification' or rating. The majority of BHPA schools offer fixed price training. http://www.airways-airsports.com/showkb.php?org_id=516&kb_header_id=242&kb_id=449 Some offer subsidised training if you also purchase equipment through them, or cheaper combined costs for training abroad. Some charge slightly different fees due to size, facilities costs or other reasons even though the syllabus is the same. I don't see a problem with that. Freedom of choice. Does your car insurance cover you against speeding or driving with a mobile phone ? The BHPA insurance is good, and tested, but won't cover you for breaches of air law or shutting down Heathrow by foot dragging along their main runway. If people complained about you to the CAA the worst you would likely get is a warning letter. If you are worried, just keep your GPS track logs to prove you are in the clear. As for contact with the BHPA, just call them on 0116 289 4316 They are currently running a survey from their front page to improve communication issues, so let them know if you have not had replies to your emails, and let them know their estimated price for PPG training & equipment is now out of date (with inflation & VAT increases). Seems to me like you are worrying about problems that really don't exist (no offence) or have simple solutions. As for the "best" training I could suggest some good names, but can't say that all BHPA instructors are better than PMC or some freelance trainers. It all depends on where you live and what you ultimately want to achieve. Alan

Hi Andy, Teresa makes some excellent points and I'll try to add a bit, since you mention an interest in both paragliding and paramotoring. The BHPA is the National body (governing, representing, regulating - call it what you will) for all forms of foot launched flying in the UK - including PG, PPG, HG, speed wings etc. This has the advantage of giving it a large body of members when negotiating with the CAA and other organisations, but as a consequence leaves a few people complaining that it doesn't represent "their" particular niche sport (such as PPG) enough. This is unavoidable but once you understand the full amount of work the BHPA does for our sport behind the scenes (apart from the obvious insurance & magazine) then it makes a lot of sense. Our sport is under constant threat from those who seek to restrict, regulate or even ban it - so there is a clear need for such a National organisation to represent members interests (even if it can't please 100% of them every time. Here is one such example: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-17363496 If that is the view taken against "environmentally friendly PG flyers, you can imagine the outcry over 'noisy, dangerous PPG' ..... The PMC is a great club for those in the South of England but offers little to those outside of their region (apart from this excellent forum ) although being specificially a PPG club it can be a lot more focused on that area. Its not really a "bun fight" but people naturally proclaim 'their' club to be the best (thankfully not to the extremes of football or other clubs).... The next thing to understand is the way the BHPA is structured between training schools and clubs, so there is a clear progression - you start at a school under the constant eye of an instructor, then move on to a club. Clubs can't "teach" beginners (although they have coaches who assist new members to progress and improve, at no cost), so they might seem slightly intimidating to a beginner who has not even started training. I can assure you that once you join one of the local clubs you won't meet a friendlier bunch of like minded individuals, who share a common (and differing) interests and watch out for each others safety. The PMC being smaller (and with vastly fewer flying sites) can more easily combine training within the club environment. On the subject of sites, the various BHPA clubs have fought hard for their access agreements so are bound to be protective (and territorial). Some of the landowners demand a great deal of money (for providing virtually nothing) and insist on a fully qualified and insured "members only" policy. Simon has a similar PMC scheme at Membury which may appear similarly restrictive but is simply protecting his interest and investment : http://www.paramotorclub.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=7415&hilit=membury So, you have various options for training if you only wish to fly PPG, but if you also want to paraglide in the UK then the BHPA provides the only viable option. Not every instructor is perfect but you can learn a lot from most of them. As a qualified coach in various other sports I know that different teaching styles suit different people, so it is worth doing your research before parting with any money. Outwardly all of this might seem very restrictive, but in reality works well. I've flown upwards of 60 sites in the UK and many other countries (PG and PPG) and been welcomed as a fellow pilot as far away as Thailand. Look beyond the local club scene and you will find a worldwide community where you will meet some of the most amazing people and make lasting friendships. Of course there will always be the odd idiot or 'bad apple in the barrel' - but the same can be said about PPL or any other sport. Flying rules, gravity sucks !

No - not unless you fully understand the relationship between prop length, pitch angle and blade width - and how that relates to the engines peak torque / rpm and power band under load. Also, Vitorazzi specify a unique blade design which aids engine cooling and have spent a lot of time matching the ideal prop to their motor for optimum power / economy, so I doubt you would do any better simply by buying a longer one off the shelf........

My local dry cleaner / repair shop did just that and it only cost £13 They simply cut the plastic zipper part out and stitched a new one onto the remaining bit of zip fabric. Just a 'standard' type of zip not the chunky plastic style but already got one extra season out of it and should hopefully last this year as well, so happy with that.

I think its just a bit of fun (like PPG for morons) rather than an instructional video for beginners. It certainly hasn't inspired me to strap in backwards .... He doesn't make any claims to be a role model or offer advice on "supersafe" equipment - unlike our friend from across the pond ..... who incidentally was petty enough to 'negative' all my youtube videos after a recent online 'debate' last week .....

Are these genuine questions or some sort of dig at a pilot who was simply enjoying the freedom of flying ? Can you elaborate on what recognised PPG acro pilot rating or acro-certified equipment is available in this country ? For sure there are some pilots who enjoy nothing more than floating around with the odd gentle turn, whilst others want more of a dynamic experience and speed rush (in the full understanding and acceptance of the higher risks involved). There is clearly a market for wings like the GTR and Hadron for pilots who are willing to push the limits, and the necessary skill level needs to be practiced and improved somewhere. How else would there be competitors for events like the Flygames and Parabatix ? Risk and Reward perhaps ? Unexpected equipment malfunction is a risk we all have to accept, despite the most thorough pre flight check. Metal fatigue is virtually impossible to detect pre-flight, but the secondary back-up system (webbing straps) proved adequate enough for the pilot to make a controlled landing without needing to resort to the final back-up system of chucking his reserve (front mounted so accessible with either hand). No harm done, no injuries, nobody hurt. I've never liked the look of the welded joint on those pivot arms compared to a one piece design, but every harness I've seen has support webbing to cope with any failure of the pivot arm. Nice to see it all works as designed. Not sure what answers you expect from the AAIB ? Possibly the pilot pushed his equipment a little too far or maybe it would have happened anyway at some stage - how will they know ? SIV (or acro) carries additional risk - we all know that - but I certainly don't want it to be banned ..... Perhaps this logo should be banned too ?

At 0 (neutral) trim, you can use either brakes, balls or both together. Faster trim and balls start to work better but you can still use both. With full speed (and bar) it is safest to only use balls and not touch the brakes. You can be as aggressive as you want with the balls as they only act near the tip so no risk of stalling the wing (but try it at safe height initially). In +3 or higher trim I wouldn't bother holding brakes at all - just a good twang on the balls as needed ! I followed a similar route of free flying and kiting first, so it felt a bit odd initially and I still prefer to fly actively at slower trim in very turbulent air, but any other time its mostly balls .....

Interesting read - BUT I'm a bit concerned about your brake shortening (and resellers advice) .... True with fully closed trimmers the Nucleon has long and quite soft brake travel - you could easily confuse this with lack of performance and want to shorten brakes for more acrobatic moves. Problem is that extra length is there for a reason and is needed when the trims are fully released and you are on speed bar (the effective length from risers to trailing edge is longer) so any brake shortening could distort the reflex profile and make it unstable at fully fast speeds. Before making any adjustments, get used to grabbing your balls ! They work brilliantly and open up a whole new range of performance and sharp turns. In fully slow closed trim you can always take a wrap for sharper handling (to remove the excess brake travel). In this instance I think it is best to trust the designer and not mess with the certified set-up unless you truly know what you are doing.

Not sure I would define a spiral descent as "acro" - more of an emergency descent technique which needs to be practiced in order to be useable in an emergency situation. Not sure that anyone currently offers paramotor acro training, or the gear that is certified to 12g. Most wings will generate 3-5g in a steep spiral and I would expect a pivot arm (and other components) to withstand such stress. Pilot rated, very experienced with several years and many hundreds of flying hours, on a well serviced Airfer paramotor and Dudek Nucleon wing. It only happened yesterday afternoon so no report with AAIB yet. It didn't adversely affect flight too much but pinned his right arm so could not steer right or flare with that side, but landed safely on arse, no injury or other damage. Strangely enough he has been looking to replace the Airfer swingarms with billet alloy ones for the last 6 months .......

I know one guy who switched to left handed with the Cameleon and said it became instinctive within a few minutes. I considered it (as better for camera work) but since you aren't actually holding anything the rest of your hand is free for other stuff anyway. Reckon it is probably the easiest way if you want to change throttle hands.

That one sold to a well known (but apparently diminishing) forum member on here .... Best ordering direct from AEF gliders - if you email Gerard he's a top bloke and will sort a reasonable postage cost. The current version is made from new thermoplastic material - apparently unbreakable. He sent me some test pieces to take to the next fly-in for people to jump on !

Hopefully the more optimistic forecasts from XC and Met Office will come true, but all information helps. Weather forecasting is like poker - always trying to second guess your opponent and not giving up unless the odds are truly stacked against you.

the still images 2 minutes in say it all ...... whichever joker tied the black balloon could have given it a few more inches of string .............

We've had the same thing from sand at the beach. Not as dramatic but after a few launches there was visible pitting and stripped lacquer from the leading edge of the prop.

An old news report with totally OTT sensationalist reporting - I had visions of Apocalypse Now (with ducks) when I first read it - but hardly something to provoke another clamour for wing registration ..... Why should a majority of other pilots have to suffer undue costs and hassle whilst this muppet carries on regardless ? If he has broken any laws (criminal, civil or air) then let the authorities deal with him. None of us locals know who this 'pilot' is, but the only thing these incidents call for is a more standardised, mandatory training with authorised, accountable instructors. Pilots who have undertaken recognised training (BHPA, BMAA, PMC etc) tend to gain a wider understanding of 'pilotage' and fly more responsibly. They have an instructor watching them through the early stages and then tend to fly with others in a club or social environment. They are known, so any errant behaviour can be addressed. These lone maverick's are a different problem - probably untrained, little knowledge of air law and no insurance. Nobody knows them (there is another in our area), they are hard to identify and difficult to police - and its not really our job to do so. Gravity usually has ways of dealing with stupid pilots ..... On a lighter note he probably did the twitchers a favour after they spent all day trying to photograph them in the reeds or sitting motionless on the water. Having them all in the air at once would be much more fun .... Oh, and not far away is the Ribble estuary - one of the UK's most important conservation habitats for migratory wildfowl and waders. The birds are not bothered by aircraft at nearby BAE Warton and large numbers have to be killed or culled (which is a much more pleasant way of killing them) to reduce incidents of birdstrike. Certainly puts things in persective !

Hi Michael, I use a reasonable NAC headset (with sidetone) and a mid range Motorola PMR with no issues apart from the volume on the headset speakers could be louder. Not an active noise cancelling mic but the foam shields out most of the wind noise. The main problem is the exhaust and prop just a foot or so from my ears ...... As you say, the radio works best with the aerial away from your body. I tend to leave it in my flying suit pocket but for longer flights it goes in the harness pocket or as far away as I can get it. A vastly more expensive Yaesu 2m radio in the same set-up didn't work as well, and seemed to pick up more noise from the ignition, charging system and strobe. Maybe due to the frequencies and DCSS on the PMR ? It works OK enough for important stuff, even if you have to repeat it sometimes for clarity, and we've had well over 15 miles air to air. Might try upgrading the ear cups to Peltor Optime III, but otherwise its fine. Alan

PMR seems to cope best with the engine interference and gives clearer speech - but you still have to ease off the throttle to have intelligible conversation. 0.5w more than adequate for air to air or air to ground up to 10km, and best of all they are cheap !

Some sensible posts and good advice above. For a beginner or even an occasional leisure pilot I think the ONLY safe advice is to follow the manufacturer recommendations (for pilot ability / intended market) and stay within the certified weight range. Dudek are honest enough to post a warning on their website which differentiates between the certified weight range and the much higher, maximum allowable PPG weight for their wings: "()* Maximum allowable take-off weight for slaloms, acrobation etc. CAUTION: the paraglider considerably alters its behaviour depending on the wing load. Maximum loads require employing highest pilot skills." This is something I would like to see Paramania (and others) introduce to clarify their potentially misleading weight range (particularly on Revo 2). Of course with experience some pilots choose to fly smaller wings which can be more fun and just as safe - the recent Fly Games in Las Candelas shows everyone competing on small wings. [youtubevideo] [/youtubevideo]and this shows the extreme of small wings, with a glide ration of 3:1 and speeds not far off Jeb Corliss in his flying wingsuit : [youtubevideo] [/youtubevideo]

The Ozone XX-Lite does not have an inflatable leading edge, but does have "special" handling characteristics according to the brave test pilots ... A fully inflatable wing has been flown at the Coupe Icaire: and there are others in production such as the Woopy Fly : http://fly.woopyjump.com/index.php/fr/media.html For paragliding / motoring the biggest problem is that a semi of fully rigid (inflatable) wing becomes lethal if it enters a negative angle of attack .... instead of simply collapsing and re-opening. Second problem is adjusting the internal pressure with altitude, so some sort of compressor would need to be carried.

Perhaps the consequences of a small puncture, that you don't notice until an hour into an XC at a few thousand feet ..... Having a wing that can collapse is actually a good safety feature. There will continue to be small improvements to performance (mainly by reducing drag) and Ozone have produced a single skin wing, but each advance always comes with some drawbacks - unsheathed lines, 3 (or 2) liners and plastic inserts in the leading edge all tend to make collapses more dynamic and recovery more 'interesting' .... Maybe something new will come out, but if not I'm quite happy with whats currently available - as I've not yet reached the limit of what the Nucleon can do .....

29 is about the size I'd recommend in Revo or Synthesis - better sink rate / efficiency with plenty enough speed - and you can use the speed bar for extra speed once experienced.

Really ? By that reasoning would you not recommend the 23m size for a beginner since the (DGAC) weight range is quoted at 70-160kg ???? If you speak to the Paramania team they will tell you the higher limits quoted for PPG are for experienced pilots or trike use, as the DGAC weight range is just a safe load testing. The actual certification (EN-B) range for the 29 is 90-140kg and for the 26 is 80-120kg. Outside of these weight ranges is uncertified. Since wing load has been mentioned, the optimum wing loading for the 29m Revo 2 is 4.0 kg/m2 (116kg all up weight) and for the 26m is 3.8 kg/m2 (99kg AUW). These are the flying weights where the wing is most efficient. Anything more and descent rates will be significantly higher than the specified figures, plus the motor will have to work harder, use more fuel and may not achieve level flight at full speed. All things to consider when recommending "the better choice" of wing size, although there are other factors and personal preference to consider - I know some prefer to fly over the weight range for extra speed and more dynamic handling. The physics behind aerofoil design cannot be ignored however (particularly wing loading) and it is important to understand how differently the (29m) wing will behave at 90kg all up weight compared to 220kg (both DGAC "approved"). If possible you should try both the 26 and 29 sizes (and other wings) before purchasing. Oh, and I speak from personal experience of owning a Revo 2 ......

Yes there are risks. Statistics and personal opinions rate paramotoring as a lower risk than riding a motorbike. Every active pilot has decided the reward far outweighs the risks - if it didn't, we wouldn't fly .... Most accidents involve starting the motor on the ground - this risk is almost totally avoidable. Take off is at such a low speed that the biggest risk is a damaged prop and dirty knees. Landings should be softer than stepping off a kerb - not jumping off a chair - but since it takes practice to make perfect, most people will experience the odd fall, arse, faceplant or otherwise embarrassing landing. Seriously bad landings are very rare but even then the cage will absorb a lot of the impact. The BHPA collates reports and investigates any accidents or incidents involving paragliders or paramotors. These are available for all to view on their website but of course depend on people actually reporting it when things go wrong. On this forum some experienced pilots have posted about their injuries (some quite nasty). I have suffered a twisted ankle with damaged ligaments that took a good few months to heal after a poor emergency landing (engine failure shortly after take off) and accept there is always an element of risk. This can be minimised by pilot attitude, training and equipment. I've had worse accidents cycling (as a teenager), in a car crash, and falling off ladders. Trikes have significantly different and stricter rules. They can reduce the risk of some minor injury, but also add other risks (such as narrowing the choice of landing area in an emergency) and offer no real safety benefit in a serious or catastrophic incident. So like the majority of sports or hobbies there is a constant risk element of minor injury, plus a (relatively small) risk of serious or fatal injury. Most of us don't get to choose how or when we die, but we can choose how to live our life.