Steve

Nice one Stu! 

Someone got a green screen for Christmas?  

Ask yourself why Parajet sell considerably more paramotors than Air Conception Andy. Your description bears no similiarity to my own ten years of dealing with the company. 

As Simon said, all motors have their problems but Parajet have the advantage of being able to choose the best motors to go with their superb choice of chassis plus they have awesome customer support so even if you have an engine problem they do their best to look after you. 

I find it strange that you constantly praise Air Conception but slag off everything else. I have had Parajets for ten years and am ever more happy with that decision. I considered an Air Conception a couple of years ago but chose Parajet again. There's no competition in many respects, as far as I'm concerned. 

Nice one Stu, you've always been the PPG Inspector Gadget.  

They've got a form and an email address on the website. Amazed that you didn't get a reply. They also have a Facebook page.

It's worth trying again, the jackets are superb. 

I'd advise against a hood, I've had a couple drag into the net no matter how well tucked in they were, and it's disconcerting to say the least. 

If your neck is a bit drafty there are plenty of ways to seal your neck drafts with a snood or similar. 

Something like the Flykandy jacket gives an awesome luxurious neck seal. 

Glad you've ditched the pig iron.   

20 minutes ago, powerlord said:

Dave: yeh I carry a stuff sack. forgot to video it. I've had some nice flights in the snow in december - sometimes you get lovely clean blue skies - just make sure you wrap up.

Steve: you not flying paramotors now then ? 

Ha, should have put a question mark after that sentence.  I was looking for a weighty Bailey in the videos and all I saw was a lightweight two stroke.  

Nice videos and excellent safety info Stu.

Not lugging a heavy paramotor around these day though  ...  

31 minutes ago, Emma Anderson said:

I actually strapped it to the cage on my beach buggy and tested it that way it was a fun ride  

That'd work.  

1 hour ago, Emma Anderson said:

It looks in great condition it starts first time and it runs on full revs where would i start trying to sell it?

Just a quick point in case you are unaware - running the motor on the ground, without even going to full power, is the largest cause of serious injury in paramotoring. Best avoid it unless you know what you are doing (it needs to be on your back). Also, running it on full power without the prop is high risk for damaging the engine.

The paramotor world was quite small until relatively recently so I wonder maybe one of us knew your granddad. 

The engine is 80cc (as in the name).

You''re in safe hands with Cas, he knows his stuff.  

That engine is a Top 80. 

Welcome to PMC. 1400 should be the frame size. Could be a Top 80 engine but I think there's a fair choice of engines to be had (I don't own one) so take a pic and post it here so we can identify it. 

Hard to be sure of things like how thermic it was. It did look like he might have pulled left brake just before the left half of the wing went. Hard to be sure though. I would say he was too low for the terrain he was flying over. 

1 hour ago, AndyB said:

Steve just out of interest, what is a newcomer told to do if they have a leg strap failure and are hanging out of the harness? 

Leg strap issues should be picked up on preflight. Failure to do the straps up properly, as you did, is pilot error. Totally avoidable. 

32 minutes ago, AndyB said:

I find always doing leg straps up first means they don't get forgotten. What I did do once was not have one latched properly, so it came undone when I took off. Not a great issue as you can still get into the seat by lifting yourself up on the risers. I now always give each clip a really good tug after doing them up. 

Bad advice, lifting your weight on the risers - especially for new PPG pilots to read.

Seem to recall we've been here before. 

HangTen, I advise you not get too hung up on stuff until you've spent some time around experienced pilots and/or an instructor. Things like leg straps are the first thing you'll probably get drummed into you, it shouldn't ever be an issue. Paramotor flying is a joy and it's a case of understanding the risks, the equipment and your skill level - and flying accordingly. Do it properly and you'll love it. If you can, get yourself to a fly-in and immerse yourself in it all. 

Would recommend you use a variety of sources for your weather info and not reply on any one app. Learn to read weather charts - and maybe use the RASP forecast and something like Windy which alows you to switch between the models. The Met Office balloon forecasts can also be useful. 

I check mine for any hairline marks every month or two and replace them every couple of years regardless. Ensure you use carabiners specific for flying. Check the gates function properly on every preflight. If you drop them on a hard surface, or there's any visible damage, replace them. 

They're very unlikely to fail but you can do stuff for peace of mind. If you are concerned about your carabiners then you should be equally aware of your shackles and webbing. 

After struggling to make sense of the first two of your three post rant, I've always found Parajet to have excellent customer service - and I've been using them since 2010 without issue. 

YouTube hides most of the stuff you feel while flying, you often just can't tell from helmet footage.

As for flying during the day, I've seen hardened pilots land looking very pale after regretting choosing to fly. Always asses the conditions on the day, learn to read the signs and, if in doubt, don't fly. Ignore any macho bollocks you may read. 

11 minutes ago, DavidG4 said:

WOT??

Wide Open Throttle.  

... or were you just hard of hearing. 

Hey George, Hope you're keeping well.  

You might want to tweak the title of this post, sounds a bit spicy!  

52 minutes ago, Lee Jackson said:

Really...seriously...? Just a tad puerile!

Totally agree. When was the last time we were all together and checked that the people we were having fun with were from the correct training tribe? Or religion? It's irrelevant. 

You will get a reply, just might take a couple of days - You can imagine how busy they are. Good luck getting it sorted.