norman

Terry, Simon gets the final word of course. That's just they way I see it.... V23b might have some interesting input too as he seems to be quite a techie with things mechanical.

Marko, You write with characteristic Canadian aplomb! Loved the joke. Where are you by the way, if you give us a Lat/Long I will put up a GE map to pinpoint you. Not your address, just your general area - it's interesting to see where our members fly. asquaddie, Thanks for the tale, sounds like you have had as much fun as anyone getting here. Interesting comment about paragliding and the 'other place'. Weird isn't it that there seems to be conflict - an abrasive, partisan clannishness between people that worship at the differing altars of flight? In a perfect world if you were trying to create the most rounded aviator you might start him off with a paraglider/paramotor, progress him through gliding to powered gliding, then onward towards a light aircraft. Hell, even ballooning might feature somewhere. If you did this your fledgling would have a far greater understanding of what a wing truly is, and how it works. The open air, visceral experience of sitting beneath a wing trying to work the sky and stay airborne would produce a level of sympathetic awareness that would serve him/her well throughout their flying career. So why the divergence and foolish attitude? Daniel Bernoulli's theory applies across the range of craft that take to the air, it is we who partition it and create ghettos inhabited with closed minds. Before we get too much older we are going to see recreational aviation take an evolutionary leap as new materials and inventions come our way. How about semi rigid paramotor wings that weigh half what they do now; hybrid pertrol/electric motors powered by biodeisel and hydrogen fuel cells? When you look at just these technologies and marry them to trike/wheeled vehicles something new again begins to emerge. Are we as paramoteurs going to remain devoted to two stroke motors and ripstop nylon wings and an undercarriage that reacts very badly (and sometimes permanently) to hard landings... or will we evolve. Shouldn't we at least all be pulling in the same direction?

Terry, Yes, re-reading the text it does imply a little looser than might be desired at 'finger tight'. What I meant to say was a firm pressure as created by fingers rather than a specific torque setting with a tool. I guess you could (some may argue even should) define that pressure as a torque setting, Gilo didn't think it necessary to give a number. Firm but not a 'graunch' he indicated would cover it. It's not seen as critical as long as they are all tightened to roughly the same pressure. There are spring washers beneath the bolt head also. The thing isn't going to come off. Martin Yes, I think the 92 figure may be one which applies to the assembly behind the prop attaching it to the reduction drive/motor. That would make the problem an editorial one not a cock up with a wrong number. Background I was putting my new prop on at the field and had looked up (and heard discussed) the figure of 92 ft lbs as being the torque setting. It sounded a lot at the time [92lbs of force applied on a lever a foot long) and I approached the tightening with some care with my torque wrench. I got to a very firm pressure and stopped to discuss the setting with Simon and we then came top the conclusion that the figure was incorrect. I didn't apply anything close to 92 ft lbs but the aluminum plate behind the bolts became indented slightly with the pressure just behind each bolt. Conclusion I wouldn't get too excited about this, it is pretty obvious if you start to over-tighten the bolts - it doesn't feel right if you have the slightest idea of what you are doing. I think the manual will come under some scrutiny and don't believe it is in its final form yet as it cannot be downloaded from the Parajet website. Yes, I they are a bit behind the curve but will catch up.

In the manual (I have the Volution Manual in hard copy) there is an inference that the prop should be attached and the bolts torqued up to 92 foot pounds. Simon believed that the figure was in error as it seemed very tight, he recommended the correct procedure below which Gilo has confirmed as being correct.. If you use this figure you will crush and over-tighten your prop. Just tighten each retaining bolt to a firm finger pressure alternating that pressure across the bolt pattern as you would tightening down a cylinder head (for example). The manual figure is an error that Parajet cannot explain. I suspect it came from the manual sample they used to construct their own.

The transportation of internal combustion engines, be they lawn mowers, paramotors or car engines comes under the heading of 'The Carriage of Dangerous Goods'. As such there are UN/HSE/CAA/DfT regulations and airline specific regulations to meet with regard to the type, packaging and labeling of the cargo. The rules broadly state that if the engine has been run or contains any petrol, oil or lubricants it becomes 'Dangerous Goods' and the rules for handling them become complex and fairly expensive. The latest copy of Paramotor magazine had a good (if risky) article on getting your motor around the world. Briefly it recommends that you should pull the engine to pieces and clean it and all components completely of oil and fuel residues then pack it up in bits. This is possible and (for the moment) it works most times. The trouble is if it doesn't and your kit gets offloaded, then you are in for a relaxing and expensive holiday. 'You pays your money and you takes your chances'. I would recommend one further move as an addition to the steps taken by Pascal - vacuum pack all the engine components as well. Your challenge then will include getting the process reversed when you fly home, but at worst you will need to find alternative ways of getting your motor back - unless of course you sell it before you fly home.....

Hey Ian, Replacement blades. I am a SMIFTT member, when I smash a prop I do both blades good and proper. No nancy notches out of a single blade. ...But I do take your point - it is a good one and would save a few shillings.

Is this over egging the pudding?

These are very good stats Simon aren't they. 11 documents visited means people like the content - and as we know, content is king! Do you get a breakdown of where they are looking? The training blogs must be very popular.

Had a chat with Gilo before I came out on this trip. Both talking to him and reading his article convinces me of two things. The altitude record will be theirs shortly and it will take a gargantuan effort to take it from them any time soon. Gilo has been to 20K already and the rest will soon be history. I have seen a photo that shows the horizon line behind Everest. What does that tell you? All this talk of fudge and deceit is tosh, Cardoza and Grlls are both men of very high integrity and would not claim to have done something they didn't. NOBODY is allowed to fly directly over Everest because the Chinese expressly forbid it. To do so would be folly anyway as the winds encounters near and above the peak could make for a quick return to earth and an eternity wrapped in rip-stop nylon. Watch Parajet with interest, you might just see a little history being made on your doorstep. imho

Dan, One the recurrent theme in these stories seems to be the man dangling beneath his wing seen buzzing idly across the sky. I too saw one and the same and it set me thinking back in 2002. I was fascinated but it passed me by, probably just as well really because it is only now that we have wings and motors up to the job. Just imagine how this sport is going to propagate as it start to grow in the UK. There will be an increasing number of fascinated bystanders who like us will start with a Google search and end up at... Lambourn or somewhere like it. Keep taking the pictures matey....

Something becomes increasingly clear as these posts keep coming. It is not just the straightforward exhilaration, the adrenaline rush or even the feeling of conquest that makes flying so important to us all. It is the context that it takes in our lives and the space that it fills in our desires expectations of ourselves. It is about what flying brings to life's great party. Thanks for the insight Malcs, a remarkably frank and open story. The only place I missed when I went from longhaul to shorthaul for a spell, was India. I would love to paramotor around the country in the winter, particularly in the North... Just think of the fun you could have lobbing into the odd hill station for tea and tiffin! Magic! One for 2008 perhaps?

Rotorheads can give the surgical teams a winnable solution during the Golden Hour. I hope none of us ever need it, but for those that do - ditto! I will keep an eye out for the tin.

Hey Lawrence! To flap and fly a wing needs feathers! It sounds like you have been trying to fly on borrowed Turkey wings with Penguin trimmings. Good luck with the Synthesis, you won't need it - the boys here seem to love it!

Safety bulletins. In a perfect world there would be a mailing list for all motor owners to receive this kind of information, either snail, or email so that the info is timely. Additionally the manufacturers website would have a complete list of notices and bulletins so that owners could check the validity of their own information. Parajet are currently revamping their website and I am not sure what its new structure would take. We need to be very careful that we don't create multiple sources of information that can sometimes be either conflicting or not 'in-date'. As an aside, you can test flying machines until you are blue in the face but in service experience amoung operators will still reveal things that you didn't find. Let's try and maintain an 'even strain' here when we look at our treasured motors and remember that the manufacturers do their best to deliver a top notch product. Gilo and his team certainly do! Just another opinion folks...

Col and Pete, There is certainly a feeling of warmth amoung kindred spirits at Lambourn isn't there? To often flying clubs of one sort or another are torn apart by politics, cliques and petty jealousies. That is one of the reasons I avoid them like the plague. There does seem to be a solitary element to paramotoring that appeals to many. According to a recent US survey around 51% of American pilots fly alone (as in outside a club). Taking a cross section that doesn't seem to be too far removed from the UK experience. Any comments anyone?

You must have had a cracking day. It is beautiful down 'ere in 'Zummerzet. I am emptying compost heaps and getting rid of clutter prior to our move. Let me know how you got on today please folks.

Cracking job Steve, well done. Tomorrow the stars!

'Sokay matey! I think we wuz both hacking away at it at one stage. What did I miss?

Martin, Very good, I'll use it soon on my friends. Do you have a cat? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMXCuW9LDps

I am with you there Dave, you get a great feeling of proximity don't you? A kind of connection that just isn't available with any other form of aviation. Up in a couple of steps and down again in the field next door to the house. Unique! I don't think there is a better platform for arial photography is there............ Dan?

Stuart, bloody brilliant! What a story and no finer way to spend his legacy. Do you think he left the money for that purpose, perhaps even anticipating your interest?

Wow, very revealing. Fear is an amazing emotion, it reveals us to ourselves taking us places that nothing else does. 'Strange thing is, having been there you understand yourself better and get a clearer picture of exactly who you are. Quite a few people decide to learn to fly to overcome a fear, even a phobia. I was teaching a very senior director of an insurance company to fly, he was a charismatic but aggressive individual who took no prisoners in his day job. When we started the stalling and spinning exercises another person entirely emerged. He was completely paralyzed by fear; the exercise stripped him to his essence, his terror robbing him completely of his courage. That discovery was devastating for him. Thankfully confronting fear is normally exhilarating and life changing in a positive way. It sounds like your experience was a bit like that Pegasus1! What brings you back again and again when you have proved to yourself that you can 'hack' it? Having 'beaten' your fear, do you find it replaced by exhilaration and ultimately love of the sensations and rewards of flight? Does a little productive apprehension still lurk beneath the surface keeping you safe? If you get short, I can lend you some. Lawrence, flying's a drug - face it, you are an addict or even perhaps a junkie! I am incredibly impressed that people who have never flow before will ground handle, get briefed up then fly for the first time ever. What an act of faith and no small act of courage! No surprise then that they land with a grin on their face a mile wide!

Thanks guys, keep it coming. I am particularly interested in what made YOU decide to take up the sport. What is it that gets you out of bed early with a spring in your step and sets your heart going when you spin around into wind and started moving forward. At the point that you hit full power, why are you there? This might take a little thought but it is my belief that this isn't a sport that people drift into - you select it and need to be collected and determined to do it. My colleagues have a wry smile and are intrigued when I describe it to them, most say that it appeals, but few make the move to give it a try. This means to me that there is something about paramotoring that tweaks the imagination but at the same time stops a wider uptake. Is it the feeling of exposure and the long drop? Looking at the flying angle, why do you do it in the first place? V23b, Simon and Clive and I are hopeless addicts and have been hooked for years, but what makes YOU fork out for the equipment, go through the physical effort and mental anguish to get in the air?

I am really interested to know why people come paramotoring. As a fixed wing flying instructor I was interested to know why people wanted to learn to fly. When the question was posed, the answers were often quite revealing. One of my guys was a maggot farmer who always turned up with a huge grin on his face and a massive roll of tenners wrapped in an elastic band. He was short in stature, hair and in sight, and was nearly always surrounded by the faint aroma of dead horses - just the merest whiff mind. He always enjoyed his lesson and was one of the most consistent guys we had in that if he booked - he flew. What made me dig a little deeper was that he seldom if ever did did any preparation for his trip. I quizzed him gently on this and he came out with the revelation, "I don't really want to learn how to fly," he said. "I just love being up there and being amongst so many positive and motivated people." We stopped instruction from that day and he and I just flew all over the place visiting airfields and doing interesting stuff in the air. He was never happier and came to fly more often after the question, than he had done before. We got him off solo and that was enough for that side of things - he just wanted to be there. So what rings your bell? Why do you paramotor? What is it about the whole scene that makes it special for you? Are you prepared to say? I am not just trying to stimulate forum traffic here, I am really interested in the question and look forward very much to reading any answers that may or may not appear here. Feel like spilling the beans - got the gumption to tap those keys? How about Simon, Clive?

The day job gets in the way.... Looking at November at the moment. Up to Chris' today to drop off motor/cage for fettling. Prop in transit, should be here directly. The weather is here, wish you were wonderful. Dixlexia rules KO!