irm750

Simon - Cheese burgers are the cure! Regarding the wing comparison - I fly a revolution 28 and it gives me confidence, which in my opinion is 80% of the battle for a newbie. Yes, it is not the easiest to forward launch (only recently had one successful forward so far in 14 flights) but hopefully this indicates that my technique is improving. Yarich - Instead of synthesis which I feel is pitched at the same level as our revolutions, why not consider a Reaction as per PeteB's suggestion? My instructor has access to Paramania and Dudek and flys a reaction which I will hopefully get to fly in the next couple of flights when the conditions are right. He feels that this would be the next step up, seems easier to forward and is more responsive and efficient. (or maybe this is just his experience showing through?) Best regards, Ian.

Looks like they are making the final push for John o'Groats! Good luck chaps. Best regards, Ian.

Remind me again................................. Why don't they recommend tow launching a paraglider with a car? The guy being pulled up obviously didn't have the first clue what to do. Didn't even have the brakes in his hands! Classic.

It might be because the tree huggers, er, I mean paraglider pilots don't trust no motorised gizmo of satan and don't want anything to do with a wing which has been used to pollute the environment. They probably fear that the wing will stink of petrol which will make the bunnies cry and offend the buzzards who will no longer want to fly with them! I would have thought that most wings used for paramotoring would have less stressed brakes. We don't constantly fly back and forth, back and forth along the same bit of hillside all day! Just kidding - I thoroughly enjoyed my EP course on the hill! Best regards, Ian.

They seem to be making some fantastic progress today! Nice work fellas - Good luck and fly safe! Best regards, Ian.

I agree with all of the legality and safety limitations/concerns but here are some people who are doing it! (and some with added lasers, pyrotechnics, streamers, ground fired fireworks and incredibly - attached mounted horses to contend with!) Now for a Youtube-athon - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEvWUb6Z5tM Pretty amazing! Looks like the Chinese have a different view of night flying. It seems that beaches would be the preferred takeoff/landing sites. Nice and flat with no power cables or other obstacles and probably reasonably visible even in low light. Take care! Best regards, Ian.

I agree. Why can't para wings have inflatable spar and/or ribs to fix the wing in shape like on power kites? This would surely also reduce collapses without adding too much weight. There are several drawbacks that I can imagine - The wing would be harder to subdue on the ground in a strong wind Some manouveres like big ears would be harder/impossible Desirable adjustments to the airfoil shape with trimmers and the speed bar would probably be more difficult to achieve It would take longer to set-up and pack away. Or am I missing something obvious that would inhibit this being incorporated in future designs? Best regards, Ian.

Hi Mike I have been away for a few days but flew one evening last week before we left. There was quite a large low cloud in the west which made it get darker earlier than expected but was quite a buzz landing in the gloom! Good to hear that you are doing really well with the lessons. Andy says that you will definately fly when you get back from Spain! Quite gutting to have his flying field ploughed but don't worry too much as I have been on a serious mission and have found us some others which we can use (getting much easier now that they have started harvesting!) and I have also confirmed the turf fields which are perfect. I use combat boots (Mangum Elite II) as they were cheaper than the paragliding ones and setting up from scratch was a tad expensive. They are gore-tex, really supportive and doubled up as decent walking boots for a recent survival course that I went on. Hope you have a great time in Spain! Best regards, Ian.

Hi Paul Just back from a few days away. Great to hear from you. Definately up for a fly with you when you are back in the country! Best regards, Ian.

Bio-diesel is brilliant stuff IF your vehicle can run on it. Whenever I am working down near Rye in my flatbed transit I always fill up on 100% biodiesel from Rye Biofuels. I have also used some in my series 3 landrover that one of my shooting mates made for himself. http://edibleoildirect.co.uk/ryebiofuels/ Works with no modification on my vehicle (just have to watch the fuel filter), is cheaper than diesel and gives of that lovely aroma of chip shop which gives you that smug bunny hugger glow of saving the planet self satisfaction when you smell it and which makes everyone behind hungry and envious that you paid less! Worth a go if you can get hold of some. Best regards, Ian.

Cracking! Just need some more takers for the Kent banner!! Anyone???

Hi Mike Good to hear that you are meeting with Andy for a couple of days lesson. Shame you couldn't join us yesterday evening - What a buzz flying over the remnants of the Kent county show and all of the traffic after taking off from our usual field just next door! The low sunlight was casting shadows on the east facing sides of the valleys and was just stunning. Your banner doesn't work because true to form I didn't do as I was told! Copy and paste this - http://img.skitch.com/20080712-1r3kfy91pcb4weknay85de3ure.jpg into to section on the profile page which says link to of site avatar. Should then work for you. Best regards, Ian.

Don't trust no smoke and mirrors or your 'puter trickery. Careful or you'll find your way onto the ducking stool - Norman's a witch! Norman's a witch!

It only bl**dy worked! Brilliant. Thanks Norman.

Hi Mike - PM sent Hopefully get to fly with you this weekend! Glad to hear that most of the grass was persuaded to leave. The power of suggestion is a powerful thing. Can't get the idea of circum-navigating the M25 out of my head!! Norman - Thanks for the offer of a Kent banner. That would be very swish - Been envying the banners of the other regions for some time now! Would be great to have our first Kent area flying report and pics to post after the weekend! Best regards, Ian.

Hi Mike Great to see you on here! Did you get the grass out of your wing? Your suggestion got me reaching for the airmap. Apart from a bit of detour out west to give Heathrow airport a wide berth and a couple of other more minor airspace detours, a lap of the M25 could be a lot of fun. Might cause a bit of excitement pulling into Clacket Lane services for a re-fuel though! Are you available for a fly this weekend? Best regards, Ian.

Great to see that lively sarcastic banter is alive and kicking in Saudi Arabia! Welcome to the forum. Best regards, Ian.

Don't know anything about this fly-in! How do you get an invite and where is the information about location, timing etc? Best regards, Ian.

The more the merrier! Thanks. I will point Andy my instructor here. Might make it easier for others to find out about him than it was for me. I saw him flying while I was driving and chased him to his landing site! Best regards, Ian.

Is that how it works??? That sounds like a great idea! Wish I'd thought of that! What Simon said should work a treat! I think we should call it a forum. Best regards, Ian. p.s Thanks for setting this up for us Simon. From small acorns...........

Hello All The Garden of England is finally represented in our very own corner of the forum! Simon assures me that he's had hundreds of enquiries from potential paramotorists in the Kent area, so I'm looking forward to being inundated with posts, phone calls etc from seasoned flyers through to those that just want to see one of these fantastic machines in the air! I am based between Sittingbourne and Maidstone and am relatively new to the sport. I started in February this year with my BHPA Elementary Pilot paragliding course and have since clocked up 3 1/2 hours over 8 powered flights with my instructor Andy, from his fields in Detling and Leysdown. I have permission to fly from some massive, fantastically well manicured and flat turf fields down on the Romney Marsh but have yet to try them out. Fancy joining me down there? Please PM me for my mobile number if you would like to call. Look forward to hearing from you! Best regards, Ian. Parajet Volution Paramania Revolution 28

Hi Dave The map takes a while to download 1st time and you will have to scroll accross, but Southend is there along with the relevant airspace data. If this is your local area, I would highly recommend driving to Southend airport and having a chat with one of the flight schools there. They share our passion for flying and so once they hear of your intentions will probably be happy to talk you through the local airspace on one of their air maps. They will probably even have a spare one that you can buy! http://www.southendairport.com/pages/learning_fly.htm (trial flights £99? Pah, that's 7 tanks of fuel/10 hours in my Parajet!) Would probably only take an hour out of your day and would definately be educational. Best regards, Ian.

Probably not the technical or hands on comparison that you are looking for as I fly a Parajet Volution and have no experience of the av8er products, but possibly the most important reason why I am glad to have bought a Parajet is the aftersales service. By their nature, you are likely to have technical issues with any paramotor. I found that Giles and Markus at Parajet pulled out all of the stops when I had problems with my motor. Giles even gave and arranged support while he was in China on business, resulting in the motor being quickly fixed under warranty and becoming reliable again. If you are having problems contacting av8er as a prospective customer, how responsive will they be when you've got a problem. Would be very frustrating if the weather is perfect for flying and you're grounded because you can't contact them for help! Parajet has a reputation for quality, so you will easily sell the Macro if you still want a rotary when it becomes available. Good luck with your decision! Best regards, Ian. p.s. Realise that I sound like a Parajet sales rep, but am just a user telling it like I find it!

Hi Peter I fly in Kent and am keen to fly with new people. If you are continuing with the sport once you've sold the motor, perhaps you would like to meet up for a flight? Either way good luck with selling your kit - this is a great place to advertise it! Best regards, Ian.

Yes that's right, thanks Pete. I have a 3 blade 39" ground adjustable prop coming from Canada as we speak for my Parajet Volution (compact). As soon as it's here I will fit and test it. Once I'm happy that it works as well as I expect, then I will be importing a large number of them. I have negotiated a reasonable price for a block order and would expect to be able to sell these in the UK for less than you would be able to buy them individually, and for considerably less than a new carbon fibre scimitar prop. The other benefits would be that they are in the UK for next day delivery, along with replacement individual blades should you break one or two. I could even make up the props before dispatch and set the angles for either optimum static thrust or optimum dynamic thrust so you could just bolt it straight on if you are uncomfortable with setting it up yourself. You would also not have to worry about paying in US dollars! You say that the cage is rather small. What motor have you got? Best regards, Ian.