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I'm properly impressed that someone on that programme actually bought a house! ......and that it was someone who I knew! Sweet looking place - Nice one!

Rubber, foam or sponge blades???

Who are you now..... Moses??!! Lol!

The most succinct, accurate and politically correct summary of Andy that I have ever heard! I learned early on to that Andy likes to talk and is always enthusing about the wings, motors and other equipment that he currently flys or has dealerships for, but then how many instructors have never done this??? I have always found Andy to be safety conscious first and foremost. If anything during training he was sometimes frustratingly so but I feel that as a trainee I'm glad he kept me on the ground until everything was spot on. Regarding payment, I don't know what Andy does. You'd have to ask him!

Sorry Simon, I'm still more than sceptical about this one. I can see the theory but a lot of the differences come down to mass, speed and therefore inertia. I agree that if you walked into a bit of of 4x2 which was fixed into a vice at one end it would hurt more than if you walked into a bit of 4x2 which was loose at one end. But if you took either piece of 4x2 and span it so that it was rotating at 3000 rpm and the end was doing near to the speed of sound I imagine both would bloody hurt if you made contact with them! The hindged blades on little electric helis weigh next to nothing and I'm sure that is the main reason why they don't hurt (or break!) when you stick your hand in the rotor disc. Good luck trying though! Would be interested to hear about your other project. Regards, Ian.

I knew what you meant Simon. Hindged like a flail mower or topper blade!!! Lol!

I like the idea but the prop spins so quickly and would have so much inertia at part to full throttle that I'm not sure how effective it would be. If you got a body part in the prop disc it would still do massive damage. Also if the prop hit the cage or another object then the inertia coupled with the fragility of the prop would probably still lead to the prop being destroyed. Hope I'm wrong and if you've got time on your hands then it can't hurt to give it a go though!!?? Ian.

My instructor Andy Morant has been free flying tandem and solo paramotoring for years and has converted to tandem paramotoring. He has recently been providing pleasure flights successfully and expects that a large percentage of the pleasure flight customers will want to learn to fly for themselves. I'm sure he is right! Here's his website - http://www.aeroaviation.co.uk/dual-flying.html Regards, Ian.

Must be on his holidays. Especially if we're now talking about cultivating cabbages!

Now that's a cracking vid! I'm all for the buzz and adrenaline rush but at the right place and the right time! Lol! Thanks, Ian.

Rob, I hope for the sake of our sport that you are on a wind-up??? Yes, paramotoring is a minority sport which attracts free spirited individuals because of the exhilaration and freedom which it bestows upon us. But as with most freedoms there unfortunately come responsibilities. In addition to my love of flight I also enjoy shooting. Just like with flying, there are people who would love to clamp down or erradicate shooting in this country. When shooting I try to minimise the effects that my hobby has on others. If I walked or drove along the road with my shotgun randomly shooting at people or property I would expect to bring the wrath of the authorities, the public and fellow shooters alike down on my head. But perhaps you are one of the people who think that Derek Bird was just a free spirit who was expressing himself. Shame they never got a decent video of him blowing away all those people or all of those deaths would have been worth it, eh??? Just because I consider my actions and am not an irresponsible prick does not mean that I have no right to take to the skies and instead should start baking cakes or gardening! Ian

...but at least he has a good crumple zone to protect his back! Although that wouldn't have helped him much if an outer line had caught on one of those stacks in the yard, or a gust had blown him head on into the path of a truck on that bridge. But then it's not really the pilot who I'm concerned about. I'm more worried about the driver who he hits or causes to take avoiding action. Or the worker in the yard who steps out from between the stacks to unexpectedly finds someone flying into him. Don't get me wrong. I can appreciate that the pilot has a high level of flying skill and that this is an exciting video, but there is a time and a place for everything and this is so far from being the right time or place as to be obscene. Ian.

What a prick! Pretty distinctive wing so surely someone will know who they are?? Ian.

How about the Razeebuss Razmott? Yes it's electric and currently has crap duration but I think it's going down the line that Tom was coming from? Regards, Ian. http://www.paramotormag.com/news/2009/09/1372/ http://www.razeebuss.com/Newsletters/Newsletters/News2/Bienvenue.html

I have been using the standard Paramania tip steering kit for a couple of years. It is installed as per the instructions and has never slipped! I know that there is a possibility that one day it might slip and for this reason the tip steering is included in my pre-flight check. Personally I would persevere as per PeteB's suggestion, but much of flying is about confidence and so if you have tried on many occasions but been unsuccessful at securing the knot, then it might be wise to try an alternative solution as recommended by others. Ian.

Go on Dave!!! I'm suspect that if Maz has trawled the forum then he might already be aware of your opinion on this subject, but he has asked for some advice so wouldn't it be rude not to give it again!!?? I never tire of hearing about the virtues of the FT!!! Just wish I had the cash to buy one....... Ian.

Having had a quick google search (so far from gospel!), it seems the max rpm for that engine is 8,000 rpm. It would definately be worth trying to get a copy of the owners manual for your particular paramotor to make sure though. Measuring the idle rpm without a prop is pretty pointless as far as setting the motor up. As soon as the prop is fitted the load will slow the motor down and any settings will have to be re-made. I worked on 7,600 rpm max for my parajet when I was setting up the pitch on my 3 blade ground adjustable prop. I would think that there will almost certainly be a difference between the performance of your original 3 blade carbon and new 2 blade wooden prop, but if it is designed for your machine then the best way to find out is to fit it and give it a run up/fly with a tacho to ensure that it doesn't over or under rev. Over revving will possibly cause early engine wear, under revving will possibly not allow you to achieve max engine power and so max thrust. Ian.

I'm no expert but yes, there will be a dramatic difference between the rpm of the motor under load between having a prop on and not having a prop. This applies both at tickover and higher revs. Be very careful when applying higher revs as there is a real danger that you could over rev and damage the engine. Do you know what rpm the motor ran at full throttle before removing the prop? If you have a tacho you can then at least ensure that you don't exceed that, but the revs will rise very quickly without a prop! I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will be along in a bit. Ian.

Nice vid dude!! You managed to cram a lot into it and still kept it watchable and understandable. Especially chuffed as you got my good side while I was warming the motor up, and my launch which wasn't too shabby! Cheers, Ian.

All great suggestions! I have got a Parajet compact and have recently discovered that I can lean forward enough to the left to actually see how much fuel there is left in the tank - Result! You could carefully give it a go next time you fly. You might surprise yourself like I did. Ian.

Superb weekend! Big thanks to all who made it happen, especially the fantastic food. Had a wonderful 50 minute flight on Saturday evening. Just the right amount of wind for a nice, crisp reverse. Thanks also to dantheman for taking the photo of me just after launch. Very arty getting the Red Revo wingtip into the frame. Hope you don't mind but I've nicked it and put it on Facebook to show the non-flyers what they're missing?! Best regards, Ian.

Great minds think alike!! http://www.paramotorclub.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=4469&p=29472&hilit=terrafugia#p29472 I like the dog photo but obviously wouldn't want to be seen in public with mine looking like that! Ian.

Just the 125 miles from Maidstone in Kent. There must be others coming further??? See you there, Ian.

Is dynamic the same as brown???

Well done Dan. You Just F***ing Did It! Congratulations on your first truly solo flight. OK it wasn't how you imagined or hoped that it would go, but if you can deal with all of that on your first unaided flight and still make a safe, considered and well thought out landing then it shows that you have some good piloting skills and that the training is well embedded. Bearing in mind all of the differences between this flight and the tightly controlled training environment (i.e. different motor, wing, site size/quality, support) I think that you can be truly proud of your efforts. I'm sure your next flight will be amazing! Regards, Ian.