donegalwing

Hi all I have gathered some of my most memorable shots from last year This one was taken in the Algarve on Paul Mahoneys miniplanes This one on an early morning flight in donegal This on was taken on the 28th of December on a cold flight (-4 on launch, pic was taken at almost 4000 ft) The others can be viewed by clicking this link ( best viewed inn slideshow with captions off) http://picasaweb.google.com/Donegalwing ... directlink Safe flying for 2010 Dean

Cheers guys I have flown with balloons twice and never noticed any thermal activity, mind you I didnt fly directly above them.... apologies for hijacking the thread.....any update on the pilot who had the accident? Dean

Hi Dan whats the story of the thermals the balloons give off, never heard of those before-can you elaborate? Hope the poor guy makes a full recovery Dean

My flight tonight was the 14th consecutive day flying, with 2 or more flights on 6 days, some mornings I was up around 4 am to get the weather and flew some late evenings, I encountered nil wind and 10-14 mph winds... Some of these pictures sum it up Sunrise at a Donegal beach Early morning mist Rathmullan beach and Inch island on the Swilly estuary Flying last night with balloons It really is worth the effort Dean

Dan Thats actually my partner on a tandem paraglider flight, before we went she would hardly look out the window at me flying, now shes hooked. Paul Mahony took her for a flight off the cliffs, they were in the air for almost 40 minutes, they went way down the coast out of sight and back up again without any problems, I never had any interest in paragliding until I saw the group there, they were very impressive indeed, looked like great fun. Jeff We were in Lagos and rented appartments from a UK owner, by chance, overlooked the airstrip, they are pictured in one of the pictures and indeed some of the pictures there were actually taken from the appartment balcony. We rented out miniplanes and Ozone wings from Paul Mahony ( wwwMahony Aviation.com ), the miniplanes were very impressive machines, extremely light yet powerful, no problems lifting me (95kgs) on a full fuel tank in nil wind with a good climb rate. The facilities at Lagos Airsports Centre were excellent, we also all went for a trip in a weightshift microlight from Gerry Breens school. We flew early in the morning and were back in the appartments when all the families were only getting organised to go on a trip sightseeing or to the beach, so everyone was happy, I would definately recommend it for a holiday to suit everyone, not just the paramotorists... Dean

Three of us from Ireland went on a trip to the Algarve, two weeks ago, where we hired paramotors and did quite a bit of flying... pictures here; http://picasaweb.google.com/Donegalwing ... directlink Regards Dean

Norman I was by no means knocking what Piers and Paul are doing or their ability to train - I am in no psition to do this, but we are regulated by the IAA in Southern Ireland and any such course would have to be approved by them before it could run, I knew the UK was'nt regulated but am amazed that any Joe Soap could set up a sylabus and start a training course/ structure without having to have it ok'ed by those in authority, the IAA had recognised the BMAA (before they threw the toys out of the pram) and the BHPA as a standard for all to adhere to so it would be impossble to do this in Ireland. I had assumed that there was someone in authority( CAA or likewise) to oversee this, please excuse my ignorance Dean

Norman Did the CAA or any other body approve the PMC course which ye are running? Apart from those who are teaching the course , who has looked at the sylabus to say it is fit to do the job, I understand that you are using some of the best in the business but when someone writes up a sylabus and training schedule there is always someone else to approve it ...those writting it will of course put their best effort into it but its only human to error. Does the like of these courses need to be aproved by a state body or can anyone from the street start his own courses and ratings. Dean

[quote name="Gordon Dunn Dave you are infact right here- Liability is an issue. Unless you are a qualified instructor you shouldn't be giving advice. If you are a BHPA Club Coach' date=' you can 'coach' a BHPA club member, providing they have a BHPA rating already. I've noticed a lot of people on this forum giving advice- desipite some very low hours, no rating or formal qualifications, and very little experience- you do need to be careful. The situation in the Repulic of Ireland, forces potential pilots to go to a recognised school to get a rating, before applying for their exemption certificate- this is by far a better system than the UK. More awkard, and certainly more work, but we don't get people asking if it's safe to land in 'wind shadow'.........[/quote] Will the PMC course be recognised by the IAA so Uk pilots can apply for an exemption and come over here and fly? Dean

Simon You say the CAA are 'likely' to say..... Does this mean that you think this is what they will say or this IS what they say, it would be interesting to hear what is legal with regard to filming or taking pictures from our paramotors. Dean

Guys I am puzzled as to why ye are doing this.....whats wrong with the BHPA route??...why try and write up a training Sylabus when there is an adequate one already in place?...who is going to examine the instructors??? what qualification do they have to rate an instructor???? Seems like this is more for financial gain than the good of the sport of paramotoring.... This is only my opinion, please dont be offended by it......only reading between the lines.... Dean

Did you get the black dust cleaned off it yet??

Simon IS the Skycar not going to be at Splash now either? Dean

Alan You can buy a helicoil kit cheap and do the repair yourself, its very easy to fit, you wont even need to remove the head, theres a company in the UK who manufacture helicoils and kits can be bought direct from them, pm me if you need one ... Regards Dean

Simon Unfortunately not yet , BUT Northern Ireland has the same rules as the UK and we have some great flying sites there, check out the pictures Gordon has on his website www.gordondunn.co.uk Some great pictures of the north coast Dean

Phil 2500 feet is a completely different story, I normally fly fairly low( but legal), which is why I am so cautious about where I fly over, as I dont want to be annoying the locals on the ground... Dean

I thought it would be common courtesy not to fly over prisons and other places like churchs, equestrian centres, and generally anywhere where one may piss off others, the last thing one would want is for people to be saying that these paramotors are a nuisance.... As Simon said- why would you want to fly over a prison anyway, and whats the big problem with going around it, its not as if we are ever in a hurry to get somewhere when we are up there.. Dean

Guys I drove from Melbourne to Cape Tribulation....thats a LONG way!!! I also had ultralight lessons while down under (south of Sydney), theres a lot of areas completely covered in bush where landing out could be a matter of life and death, I spent a while working on a 40000 acre farm on the Queensland/NSW border, theres some strange creatures out there, even the wild boar out in the bush are a danger, the size of some of them is unreal, the terrain is so different than this side of the world, the biggest problem would be ground crew following as the road network in the wilderness is limited....Sorry if I sound negative, but this is a HUGE mission... On the plus side, some of the sites on the east coast are the best in the world, to fly them in a paramotor would be unforgettable the people are great and the lifestyle excellent, would be an amazing trip. If I can be of any assistance to your planning, just ask Regards Dean

Anyone got a groundhandling around 26 metre for sale for a newbie over here, pm me please Thanks Dean

Well done Malcs, I had been watching your posts, great to see you stuck with it, it gets better with every flight, I too am a newcomer to the sport but have managed to get around 20 flights over the past couple of months, Phil, something Mike Dakin used to say when he was training me ' we're only going for a run down the park', if you get off the ground its a bonus, even the best of pilots DO fluff launches, best not to let it bother you, keep with it you'll get there, the flying is the easy part then!! Dean

Great to get updates guys, Are all the 6 pilots still flying? Interesting to read about the props, is the problem on launch or is there other factors involved in them breaking? Hopefully the spirits will be high again after their meeting at Lambourn, tell them they are being closely watched around the world with everyone willing them on..... Keep up the mighty good work guys....Bear and Gilo eat your hearts out Dean

Any updates on how the guys are getting on?

All the best on your adventure from the Irish gang

Norman/Simon Where do ye expect to be on the 5th /6th August if all goes according to plan, I do realise it will be impossible to pinpoint eaxctly as there are a lot of factors contributing to the journey, but I'm sure you can have a rough idea. ie which part of Scotland will you be in.. Dean

Guys How does one know what type of reserve to buy?, is it based purely on the weight of the machine and pilot, what about where to fit it on the machine?, lots of chat about one behind the head being a bad job.... Do the majority of pilots fly with a reserve? Regards Dean