stevec

Mainly because it's under warranty and I don't want to void that. If the manufacturer advised me to do it then I'd be happy to. Although the wg8 carb only has adjustment for low end. High end is fixed jet, so I just have lever height and spring tension to play with.

Overall I'm quite happy with the Booster motor. It's probably done about 35 hours now. I have a few niggles with it, and to be honest, the factory haven't been very responsive, although I haven't pushed them too far. The main issues are: 1. Fuel consumption - I was expecting as good as my top 80 but I'm getting about 4 l/hour on a Nucleon 27 with AUW 105kg, mixed trim settings. 2. Spooge - It oozes graphite-like spooge from the seams in the carbon silencer. This goes all over the prop. My mates doesn't do this and it could be linked to rich running and the high consumption. The only response I got from the factory was "turn the low end mixture screw in 1/4 turn". I know the WG-8 carbs inside out and that isn't going to make any difference. I wanted to check pop off pressures, lever height, spring, etc, but the factory won't give me any settings. Not like my top 80, where there is an abundance of information. 3. Belt slipping - The belt needs to be really tight to prevent slipping at high rpm. Factory response is that it isn't a problem! 4. RPM - If you use the 130cm prop then you won't get the max published rpm, it will be a few hundred less. I tried both props and only got peak rpm on the 125. I think that the only difference between the two eprops is the length. They haven't put a finer pitch on the longer prop to bring the rpm to spec. This isn't a huge issue for me but it's good to know in case you think your motor is down on power. On the plus side, it is light, relatively easy to start if you get the priming spot on, and has a little more poke than the top 80. Throttle response is great and it makes a lovely 2 stroke crackle noise like my old KTM! Steve

I've not heard of any problems but would be interested if there is an issue as I own one!

Just wondering if there is anyone out there that has eaten too many pies lately and is looking for a larger wing? I’m currently flying a 29 Nucleon, and having lost a few kilos (at 68kg), I’m finding it a little slow for me. I can’t afford to buy a wing at the moment so If anyone has a 27 or maybe 25 Nucleon, or possibly a 24 Speedster that they would want to swap, please let me know. My Nucleon is just over 2 years old with about 90 hours on it. Thanks. Steve

Hi Bob. Take a look at the state of your fuel lines – especially the one inside the fuel tank. They are consumable items! I’ve seen jelly substance coming from cheap fuel line inside the tank. Replace all of them with Tygon, or even better Bing Blue Alcohol resistant line. The alcohol in petrol wreaks havoc with old lines, diaphragms, seats etc. Clean carb with carb cleaner and blow through all jets, and holes. Steve

Hi Paul. It's more to do with the classic PAP sag than the motor mounts. Every time you ding the frame on the ground (or even over time with the weight of the motor) the lever action of the motor on the mounts bends the main upright bars. They bend very easily but can also be straightened very easily. With mine, I just need to secure the bottom rear of the frame and pull on the uprights until straight. If you have your motor with you at work I'll show you what happens - I know from experience and chipped props! BTW, I only started landing on my a##e after I sold you my wing and bought that damned Nucleon! Steve

Cheers Pete. Although I've done footdrags whilst deep in the brakes, sometimes to the point where the increased drag requires lots of power to maintain lift. And seen accuracy competitions with people holding brakes down at their waist for prolonged periods, albeit basic 5 and 7 cell canopies. I guess what I'm really curious about is how much brake you can use on a power off landing approach to adjust glide angle without falling out of the sky. Very slowly increasing brake pressure so a steady state is achieved. I suppose I could try it at altitude but I haven't got the kahunas for it! Steve

That's an interesting question. During my skydiving days, one of the first things you would do with a new ram-air canopy is find out where the stall point was by slowly burying the brakes until it waffled around a bit and fell backwards. This was completely safe and the canopies always recovered. In fact, many used to hold the brakes down whilst plummeting towards the ground for a few hundred feet. Also, stalling your average Cessna is a non event as long as you put the nose forward and stop a wing tipping. This isn't something I would like to do on my Nucleon, but it would be really nice to find out where the stall occurs so that it can be avoided. I know it will change with trim settings, turns, etc, but a baseline would be nice. I know it needs a wrap on the brakes to get it fully braked for landing, so I'm assuming that I could bury the brakes quite deeply before it bites??

The manual states 2100 - 2200 rpm, but this is quite close to the point at which the starter pawls engage and make a noise. In practice about 2600 rpm is better and safer from a stalling point, especially if your tick-over is as erratic as mine. Anything over 3000rpm and the clutch starts to engage.

6 to 7.00pm puts you within last 3 hours of the day, and so it should be getting nice and calm as long as all other weather factors are ok and there is no frontal activity. You may get some odd sea breeze convergence if you live near the coast, though it doesn't usually kick you around too much. Check the Leeds rasp table, I find it very accurate for thermals and surface winds. http://rasp.inn.leedsmet.ac.uk/RASPtabl ... bleGM.html

The "Powered Paragliding Bible" covers just about everything. Steve

Hi all. My wing is up for sale as I've recently bought a Nucleon. See classifieds. Steve

Nope, no element. I've run my Top 80 on the ground without the box. It doesn't half make a racket. I'd stick with the standard box if I were you. Also, if you mean the rubber between the carb and airbox, I think that is a seperate part (at least it is on the Top 80) which should be available on it's own. Steve

I doubt it. The original isn't much of a filter anyway, more of an airbox to reduce induction noise with a gauze over the inlet to keep large particles out. You may even find that the k&n is more restrictive. It'll probably be noisier.

I've got a cheap one made of ripstop, and a pucker one that came with the Nucleon. I prefer the cheap one as it is porous. By keeping the top open it allows air to circulate and take out the dampness that you inevitably get when flying in evening air.

Are the brakes set at the recommended length? Make sure that there is still no brake engagement when the fast trim is set.

Hi Dave. It was me and 2 mates (Dave and Steve). I met you at Rayne on Saturday. We flew from nr Gt Bentley to Mersea then Abberton reservoir. Later on we flew to the Naze at Walton, down the coast to Holland on Sea. As well as a local flight. I think I spent more time in the air than on the ground! Steve

The locating pin in the ring slot on the Top 80 is tiny and you need to be really careful that the pin is between the ring gap, and keep twiddling it as the barrel rides over the ring and closes the gap up. The pin is also in an awkward position near the back of the frame. If you get that bit right the barrel will slide on easy without any tools. As mentioned, lots of oil on the barrel chamfer.

Mark, at 110kg all up, I am even lighter than you on the same wing. As Aquatix stated, it makes the wing feel softer, and will also give you a better climb rate and fuel efficiency (in terms of litres/hr), and should get you off the ground quicker. I can maintain level flight with a trickle of throttle even on a Top 80, and have no problems climbing with full trim and speed bar. No doubt, if had chosen the small Thrust HP and flown it at the top of the weight range, then it would be more dynamic and responsive, and perhaps not suited for a beginner. Personally, I think the HP will be fine for you, but listen to your instructor. If you have any doubts, that will affect your flying more than the choice of wing! Steve

I did all my ground handling and first flights on the Thrust HP with no problem at all. I've now got about 50hrs on it. It is very easy to launch and is actually slower in the air that a Synthesis (which is marketed at beginners). Control inputs are quite heavy and it turns slowly and predictably. On paper I think it is very similar to the Synthesis and Revo 2 in terms of performance. With trimmers in, it is floaty and slow, and is normally compared with the standard Thrust (in fact the manual is the same). Agreed that Apco may not aim it at beginners, but it seems that different manufacturer's have a different take on what is ok for beginners. If you want to play safe, stick with beginners wings (but they may be faster and twitchier)! BTW, I am the same weight as you and fly a Top 80. Steve

Have you made any changes to the way you prime it? If you pump too much fuel into it you will get vapour lock and it will seem almost impossible to pull start.

It gets to be a crisis when you realise that you haven't got much time left to do the interesting things, and the bits you need to do them start falling off!

Nice videos - thanks. One question from a relative newbie: Why was the reserve tossed in the 2nd video? The cravat looked quite benign and controllable. Steve

Hi Matt. This was recommended to me when my TinyTach failed: Trail Tech TTO Tach-Hour Meter Computer Haven't fitted it yet, but it looks the business and is very compact compared to the TinyTach (lot cheaper too). Steve

Contour recently brought out a "profile mount". It is simply a flexible piece of plastic which sticks directly to the side of your helmet and the camera clips to it. About £16.00 for a pair. Very simple, just need to make sure you align it carefully before sticking it down. I bought mine from a cycle shop in Northen Ireland (arrived in a day or two). If you can't find one, let me know and I'll dig out the details. To stick it to my Fly UL I warmed it up on a radiator to make it flexible first. When it cooled it did come away a bit at the sides so I just squirted a bit of silicone sealant at the gap. The mount is very sticky anyway and won't come off. http://pointofviewcameras.co.uk/contour ... oduct+feed Steve