irm750

Just seen this on ebay. Got all excited at first and then a bit disappointed. Gordon will be happy though! http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Paramotor-Petrol-Checker_W0QQitemZ360118551386QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_SportingGoods_OtherSports?hash=item360118551386&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1298%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

It is possible with extreme care to hand start paramotors like yours with direct belt drive. I have never done it, but know that others on here have. Maybe they will be able to advise further?

Rotten, thieving, scumbag *rs*holes. If they are on this website then shame on them, and they had better know that they will be tracked down by this small, tight knit community and then dealt with in any way that Pete sees fit (i agree with 4 stroke but only due to the additional duration meaning extended time to poke various parts of their anatomy into the prop!). Can't see how they could hope to sell the motor as it is so distinctive, so also best to be on the lookout for the parts advertised individually. If they are not on here then I hope that they search online and discover what the kit can do, then give it a try!!!! Local pilots should keep a look out for a big red stain on the landscape. Keep your chin up mate and I hope your claim is successful. Anything I can do, just ask. Best regards, Ian.

Having trouble with the eat less bit of the plan after the paramotorclub xmas doo. That was a proper feed! Hate to think how much extra I would have to do to burn that lot off. Cracking evening and great company though. Best regards, Ian.

Do you mean this Paul Mahony?? http://www.mahonyaviation.com/contact.asp

They are serving me well, and are warm and dry. To be honest they are not quite as stiff as dedicated paragliding boots, but that is a good thing because they are supportive but not so cumbersome and restrictive that they will be left at home! My recommendation would be to get your hands on (and feet in!) some of the options before you decide. Best regards, Ian.

I don't know what anyone else is doing about accommodation, but I am coming from Kent and so am staying over Saturday night. I have found a hotel which is not too far away (3 1/2 miles along the A420) and has vacancies - Madison Hotel & Conference Centre. The usual rate is £49 for the room plus £10 for brekky per person. If we get a few rooms booked (they said 15 but probably 5/10 would do) they will do it for £49 including breakfast for single occupancy or £55 for 2 people sharing a room. Any use to anyone? If so please let me know so that I can get back to them in the next couple of days to secure the better rate. If you have found something better then please share the info!!! Best regards, Ian.

Hi Craggrat At the time when I was looking for some boots for flying, I also needed some for a survival course that I was booked on to. Came across a compromise in the form of these - http://www.copshopuk.com/acatalog/Elite_II_8__Leather_CT.html They have served me well and kept me safe whilst hill climbing on the EP course, and subsequent training and flying of paramotors. Best regards, Ian.

I know it's not very British but if John MacDougall Stuart was the winner, why don't you dedicate the trip to him!?!?

You could check the volts accross the battery before starting, and then during running at revs. If the charging system is working correctly, you should have just over 12 volts before starting and then 14+ volts when running at revs. If there is no difference then you have a charging system fault. You could then check that there is a decent earth from the charging system, and then trace connections one by one to eliminate components. Good luck! Ian.

Classic comedy! "Oooh Jeffrey, yesterday we played with our balls didn't we?" I did always wonder about Rod, Jane and Freddy.

Hi Tom I agree with Mikes advise as this is exactly what I did with my Paramania Revolution 28, but with one exception. I also bought a small training wing called a Dudek Marlin which is only 12 square metres (as compared to the Revolutions 28 ). It has the same risers and controls as a full size wing so that you can gain familiarity, but being smaller it widens the envelope of conditions when you can practice as you can use it in higher winds than your flying wing. It can be smashed and bashed as much as you like and then you can move to your main wing when you have more of an idea and the wind is low enough, so protecting your valuable and life critical main wing. If you go this route then care is still required. My Marlin felt like quite a handful at first and had me on my backside on more than one occasion! But I have been back to it once since graduating onto and flying the Revolution and I was surprised how tiny it seemed, a bit like going back to your primary school and finding that the tables, chairs, loos etc that seemed massive back in the day are now so small. A reflection of the steep learning curve which is all too easy to forget once you are on it! Which ever way you choose to do it, stay safe and I am sure that you will enjoy this fantastic sport! Best regards, Ian.

Gordon Your logging system sounds like a major improvement on my printed excel spreadsheets! PM sent. Best regards, Ian.

Alan - Sounds like an amazing place to fly. I know the feeling of butterflies when you are momentarily lost, and the buzz when you then recognise where you are! Nice report! Whitters - They might not believe your emergency landing excuse now! Best regards, Ian.

Thanks, it was a great day. Not as good as your day yesterday by the sounds of it - Congratulations on your first flight! If anyone would like to join me on a flight in this corner of the country, please don't be shy to get in touch. Best regards, Ian.

Thanks Alan. It is good to savour the days when it all seems to go to plan...... And even better when some good things that weren't even on the plan happen! Best regards, Ian.

What can I say? After my scariest flight on Tuesday which saw me being kicked all over the sky for 10 minutes by vicious air until I could get back onto terra firma, todays flight could not have been more of a contrast. I arrived at the flying site near New Romney, a few miles from the Kent coast on the Romney Marsh. I have had permission for some time but due to the weather and closer sites this was my first flight from here. The site is a closely mown turf field which is manicured to perfection. The temperature was a crisp 2 deg C and there were a couple of big machines on the edge of the field ripping up and burning the hedgerows. Sad to see but it did make a perfect wind meter! Wind was 3mph from the NW, which meant that it had a few miles of blowing accross the billiard table sea level marsh producing a very laminar flow. NW is perfect because about half a mile south is Lydd airport airspace and the exclusion zone for Dungeness nuclear power station! With the digger operators watching I was glad of what felt like a perfect launch. I continued to climb straight into wind up until 1000ft then leveled off. I then headed for the new 26 turbine wind farm near Rye which is impressive to fly over. Then over to the Military Canal which I followed for a few miles, climbing to 2000ft in the hope of rising above the inversion to warm my by now numbing throttle hand! At this point I was a good few miles from the field but the smoke from the bonfire was still visible. Not just a perfect wind gauge but also a superb homing beacon to the unfamiliar field! By this time I had been in the air for 40 minutes of a planned hours flight so turned for home towards to smoke. Feathered the throttle and gradually bled off height until I was over the field at 500ft. A quick circuit to gauge the wind was then followed by a tip toe stationary landing next to the windsock! A perfect flight and not a single bump - Lovely The old boy in the digger made a beeline for me with such a grin I could hardly believe it. I love the reaction from people who have never seen a paramotor before. It seems him and his mate had assumed that I had run out of petrol as they hadn't expected me to be away for so long! Unfortunately the guys were ripping up the hedges to prepare for the field to be ploughed . Will be speaking with the turf company manager on Monday to hopefully arrange an alternative field, so fingers crossed.

The instructor would hopefully have radio contact and be able to talk the student through their problem. I had a spin whilst trying to land close to the windsock on a simulated forced landing earlier this year and although my instructor had been through what to do to in this instance and I was putting in the right corrective input (hands up!) it was comforting to have this instruction being barked into my ears over the radio! Just my 2 pence worth. Get a decent instructor = Stand a better chance of keeping alive and in 1 bit. Best regards and fly safe, Ian.

Absolutely awesome! Saw the red bull heli doing that live when they came to london last year. They also had a military heli doing the same sort of tricks. Would have found it difficult to believe if i hadn't seen it for myself. I thought the first video might have been a remote control model at first (until I saw the on board footage and the pilot!)

Welcome to the dark side David!!!!! (and welcome back Francis - Where have you been hiding?)

I also got a bit confused when I started looking for a replacement aerial! Luckily I spoke to a guy locally at a small independant electronics shop who helped a lot and supplied what I needed. The standard aerial which comes with the radio has a male connector on the bottom which screws into the radio. I couldn't easily find a suitable aerial with the right connector so went for the Watson aerial which has a female connector the same as the radio, requiring the connector. Over all this makes the connector on the new aerial a bit longer than the one on the original so I put a small rubber o ring inbetween the aerial base and radio casing to make it look tidy and to stop dust/damp getting in. This is the connector I am talking about. http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=26630 Hope this helps? Best regards, Ian.

By the way, the factory user manual for the Jingtong is hilarious but I found this to be a more useful guide which isn't in Chin-glish! http://www.users.on.net/~endsodds/jingtong.pdf Best regards, Ian.

Hi Gaz I use a cheap as chips Jingtong 208 and my mate is considering chopping in his posh Kenwood and replacing it with one! They work well with the recommended drilled modification (http://www.g4ilo.com/jingtong.html) and an aerial upgrade. I chose a Watson WSMA-7000 flexible aerial which needed a female-female SMA connector to fit and a rubber O-ring to tidy the gap between radio body and aerial base. They are so well priced that if it breaks or I lose it then I will not need to get upset. I use a modified autocom motorbike headset unit with monitors that screw into custom earmold earplugs with inline filters (which also double up for use while shooting and as straight earplugs without the radio). Can't talk about the goldstar headset as I've not used one, but personally I wouldn't be in a rush to replace the Jingtong. It has everything that SLiM suggests for a 2m radio apart from the variable power, but it's only 2.5 watts anyway. Just my opinion of course. Best regards, Ian.

Count me in please! Is there a local recommended B&B or other accommodation? Cheers, Ian.