norman

Thanks Carvingair, my friend Gurgle helped find 'em.

'Caint flush 'em out David, they hide inside pipes and resist all liquids. Little buggers!

Forecasts are surely an opinion based on data, that opinion will vary between forecasters of course. Take any ten forcasters and you might get eleven opinions. LOL Just take the mean from most of the good ones and you won't be far off.

On the day local effects can make a good area forecast seem flawed.

Gremlins David, they trip you up, turn off your fuel and pull off plug caps. Filling wings with rocks now are they the little sods.

Exclusive pix here.

Tony,

Try here. UL-100 or UL-200

UPDATE:

Updates, a few words from the Wings & Flights CFI and an update from Karan.

Mountain Hawk ASC.

Hi Tony,

An interesting angle and a valuable suggestion but no. I can only take three at a time and initially we want you guys to have first dibs. I want to emphasise how grateful Karan and the team are for the generous support and goodwill you guys have shown.

Karan has a massive hill to climb if he is to put himself in the position where he can accept guests to fly around Nepal with him in around two years time. I cannot predict how things will turn out but we have some really exciting ideas for PPG trekking around Nepal. He is a PMC Branch and after your support to him that means something special as you can see from his posts on the MHASC Blog.

This is a project that may well include more members as time moves on, we have a lot to do and will need expertise and energy. In time it could well become one of the most exciting things we could do with a paramotor.

Tony, that doesn't mean that we will never do what you suggest, just not in the short term.

OK guys, thanks for the input. I will continue with the preparations and then fix the method.

The date will probably get fixed because of my roster and the Sim timetable so we will need to work around that which might affect some peoples ability to get to the event.

Please bear with me while I sort it all out, I will keep you informed.

... And thanks for the interest.

UPDATE:

Funds arrived, back to training.

Mountain Hawk ASC.

It could well be Jon, what do others think?

I will make this a great day out and those who do go will enjoy at least 40 minutes in the seat flying the jet. We will hop off to New York, then Kangerlussaq (Sondestrom in Greenland) and anywhere else that you fancy that is in the sim database. The old Hong Kong approach at Kai-Tak may still be there, RW 13 IGS for those that know it from elsewhere.

Looking for suggestions here, how do you think we aught to allocate and set a price? Auction? I know if you are a turkey it's tough to vote for Christmas but trying to remember what we are trying to achieve here - raise money for Karan's training. I don't want to set a price that is usurious but one that is a fair exchange.

No, it won't be silly money.

I am sticking a finger up to test the air to see if there might be any interest in doing this. I am at the planning stage, this would happen during August/September.

It is an initiative to raise money for Karan's training but at the same time give something back in return.

Does a visit to the British Airways Flight Simulator facility (Cranebank) with an opportunity to fly the Boeing 777 simulator (2 hours)appeal? As an addition I may well be able to arrange an 'Engineering Visit' which takes you a around the hanger to have a good look at the full size version of the jet. At some stage in the proceedings we would take a little lunch in the works canteen (food is good) to refresh the parts.

This sadly wouldn't be for free, the name of the game is to help the MHASC fund along but give a darned good day out in return. There would be a total of three places only but I may be able to repeat the day later. How much? - still thinking about that - a Red letter day where you do something similar costs a lot of money, with this initiative you may well get a good deal more.

Please comment here or email me. yossarian22@mac.com

Try joining the Met Ofice, its free and you can see aviation forecasts, balloning forecasts and a raft of others.

For winds and a whole lot more try XC Weather.

Look to synoptic charts from any source to give you an idea what is coming.

You might even try here.

and three carbon works of art shattered across a 100ft area taking the petrol cap off in the process and damaging the cage..DOH!!..

How interesting..... Pete B might have an interesting comment to make there.

Woody,

Ian White - V23b came up with these a little while ago.

For a pilot legally to operate a radio from a hang glider or paraglider, he must comply with the law in three areas:

• The radio transmitter must be of a type approved by the CM.

• The glider operator or owner must have a station licence for that radio. These can be obtained by writing to: WT Radio licensing, Directorate of Airspace Policy, K6 Gate 6, CAA House, 45 - Kingsway, London WC2B 6TE, by telephoning: 0207453 6555, by e-mailing: radio.licensing@dap.caa.co.uk, or from their web site at www.caa.co.uk (search for ‘hang glider’).

• The pilot must either possess a Flight Radiotelephony Operator’s (BiT) licence or must only use the following

frequencies:

— 118.675 MHz. This is a dedicated paragliding and hang-gliding frequency which can be used anywhere in the UK

FIR, up to and including 5000 ft AMSL.

— 129.9 MHz, 129.95 MHz, 130.1 MHz, 130.125 MHz and 130.4 MHz. These are sport aviation frequencies, and their users include parachutists, balloon pilots and sailplane pilots.

— The International Distress Frequency, 121.5 MHz. This frequency can be used to alert the emergency services.

Among the station licence conditions is the requirement that operator must exercise strict radio discipline and that the procedures must I based on those set out in the CM publication CAP 413

120.900, 130.100, 130.125 and 130.400 Gliders

129.975 Gliders (to mobile field units)

122.475 Hot Air Balloons

130.525 and 129.900 Parachutes

129.825 Microlights

118.675 Hang/Paragliders

Hope that helps.

UPDATE:

Karan has had his weekend off and is back ground handling today. We are still waiting for funds to arrive in India but that should occur today. Paramotor training comes next.

Karan's Blog.

Thanks Al,

There is nothing like personal experience related after a baptism of fire is there. I am getting quite a database of recommendations in the background here, one like you has been to Pockhara and related his experiences and tied them in to recommendations. Ozone does seem to come out well. The broader advice does seem to rotate around a PG wing that can be used for PPG. The conditions over there can be a tad wild at times I gather, but the payback is fantastic thermals and long flights.

A prop is just the same as a wing in most ways. A winglet at the tip reduces induced drag and increases efficiency. If you can keep prop tips subsonic and smooth the flow of air past the tip there will be a reduction in noise.

Less thrust required to drive a 'cleaner' prop = improved aerodynamic efficiency = reduced fuel consumption

One minor drawback is that these devices are 'tuned' to a particular speed for their efficiency and do less good as you move away from that prop rpm (or in the case of a wing - TAS - True Air Speed).

It even works with water.

Research, research. Measure four times cut once.

We are fund raising to help the guy train and equip. He would need to work for a year to afford a free flight harness. That's if he put everything into the effort - every penny. The guy isn't a pauper, he is a proud soldier in the Indian Army - its just the gulf that exists between eastern incomes and western equipment prices. A gulf that with some ingenuity and a little generosity we can close and get this guy into the sky over his homeland. Because he is one of us and it would take him a very long time to do it alone.

But something tells me he would do it...

Thanks for the info gents, all top stuff.

Paul W, Piers and myself are planning Karan's next step. Potentially sourcing a wing that suits free flight and PPG that has benign characteristics for a beginner flying in Nepal is where we are at the moment. Nepal is a heavily convective zone at high density altitude.

Paul who has plenty of free flight experience is casting around at his end, I thought I would muse over it here. It is also an interesting subject to ponder.

When Karan has completed his training he will need to accumulate flying experience as safely as he can. Until we can source kit and get it out there it may be desirable for him to free fly to get to know his aeronautical environment and learn to soar. There are plenty of hills, bags of sound advice and loads of opportunities a short drive from where he lives - silly not to at least look at it?

We are not at the decision stage, we are just looking at options at the moment but will share the information here when we move forward.

Simon Payne is the one man we need to talk to at length I think. He knows the arena having been there and is a free flight Guru.

Gents,

Trying to collate data here. What do you reckon is the best wing to free fly and paramotor with. Sure it means compromise - but does anyone have a view about the wing that might provide a good compromise?

Basic to intermediate. DHV1 for a recently qualified PG/PPG pilot?

Tining caps on

Thanks Simon, three would be good for them all, Krish, Dinish, Joy and Eric. Who knows.....

UPDATE:

Karan has now flown solo and you can read about it here. One day ground handling to four winch launches the next day! And all in 39ºc. The last graphic in the series says it all for me.

UPDATE:

Blog updated for the 16th.

Karan has been solo from the winch....

Is there an external power point on the cam Simon?