donegalwing

Just for the record guys , thats not me Regards Dean

LLoyd I am also a newbie, but rather than buy new kit straight away( which I was SO close to doing) I went off and bought an old wing or groundhandling, thing is if you get a lesson on groundhandling, take an old wing and everytime the weather suits give it a go, you are saving the £100 training charge for groundhandling, this in my eyes has a number of advantages; 1 You can train when the weather suits even if only for an hour 2 If you can learn to control an old wing, when you finally purchase a fresh wing it can only be easier with a good wing 3 This method should let you get really good at the groundhandling, as you can practice lots, whereas if you are paying for groundhandling lessons you may not have the budget to put in as many hours as is required to make you really good, therefore if you keep at the groundhandling and get really used to the wing and how it behaves with every different wind condition you will have a better understanding of what is going on above you when you eventually are flying,( try it out in all different types of wind its not a new wing which you dont want to get dirty or damaged if it gets dragged along the ground) 4 The most important one in my eyes....lots of groundhandling can only lead to SAFER flying when you do get in the air Have a look at the video I posted, the wind was strong and I should have been reverse launching ( which I was advised to do) but I wanted to see if I could forward and find out how the wing would behave.....I certainly found out...but in saying that there was a lesson for me here too as I couldnt collapse the wing when the pressure came on me something I am a lot more aware of now. One final point, if you can get a paramotor pilot to look over you an odd time so you are sure you are doing things correct and not picking up bad habits, I am very lucky in that respect to have a guy living fairly close to me and willing to share his experience. Above all else have fun!! Regards Dean

Guys I will be at the airfield in Letterkenny today Saturday and tomorrow all day, sheeting the new hangars and doors, if ye are in town call out and say hello, meet a few of the guys Dean

Hi John Welcome to the forum! I am living outside Ballybofey (killygordon), and am in the process of doing my training at the moment, there are a good few pilots from Northern ireland who fly just over the border where paramotoring is not regulated, I'm sure some of them will be posting here when they see your thread. Do you fly paramotors? If you want to pm me your mobile number I can give you a call and maybe we can meet up sometime soon with a few others, perhaps in Letterkenny!! Best regards Dean

I couldnt resist the temptation to get out to do some groundhandling yesterday, there was only one wet patch in the whole field... Funny but embarassing, the wing is a secondhand one I use for groundhandling only... Dean

Simon I have one of these cameras, I havent used it in the air, but have used it on a skiing trip a while ago, Gave the camera to a mate, but when he returns it I will post a short clip to give you an idea of the quality... Dean

Dougal Youre more than welcome to join me groundhandling, I am hoping to link up with Gordon for an hour as soon as the weather permits, he has been helping me out with the wing work already, which is a great help Dean

Hi Dougal I'm from Killygordon, not flying yet but have a target set for May to be in the air, I am looking at going to France or Spain to do my training, purely for the weather aspect, there is a microlight site in letterkenny which I will be using from time to time, I have an old wing which I bought from Paddys Paramotoring in Jan., groundhandling only, but I have fields next to my workshop which are ideal for groundhandling....even in the very wet weather the ground is dry, so if it clears up enough for the grass to dry its 100%... As Gordon has said there are a lot of suitable sites locally here, once we have an exemption of course I will send you my mobile number by pm, give me a call and wee can meet up for a yarn sometime....I'm in Letterkenny almost every day with work anyway Regards Dean

57 kg! Mental stuff !!!

SAW......seen, watched, viewed!!!

Saw a trailer for it last night......girlfriend cant wait to see it....NOT....All she hears about is paramotors now she is going to have to watch it on tv Should be good....wasnt all plain sailing by the looks of it A mighty achievement by all means

Simon At least they cant say you are all thumbs anymore Dean

Francis You need to be extremely carefull with that piston, Im not well up on that particular type of bus, but the normal type would have two diaphrams one outer, which can be changed, and an inner one, which cannot be changed... As far as I am aware if the air is hissing out when the handbrake is applied this is the outer diaphram which should be changeable but if it is when you put your foot on the brake its the inner, which means you need a new piston Depending on the size of the piston, there may be a large spring inside which may take the head off you if you try to open it DONT try and open this as it may be very dangerous, throw it in a skip and buy a new one or get one from a breakers yard which may be ok, but if it has been lying up for a while the diaphram may have hardened up and not last very long Dean

Guys I am curious to hear which hand ye use for throttle, most, if not all, of the Irish pilots use their left hand for throttle, then they have their right hand for cameras etc.... Dean

Thanks guys Helimed, I'm curious as to what material your frame is made from, is it aluminium? I know that the new H&E have stainless frames which I thought would be fairly strong in taking a knock.....I can weld alloy or stainless also ,so I thought this may be a benifit over titanium in that I can carry out small repairs myself, allthough I know the titanium is much stronger than the stainless... Regards Dean

Hi All I would like to hear your views/comments on the H&E range of paramotors, good or bad They are very popular here in Ireland, can anyone help me here Many Thanks Dean

Norman I feel that we are fine here, you have UK and Ireland regions which should keep everyone happy.... I would hate to bring politics into this as it is only a sport and should be kept that way..... Unless you are trying to get rid of us Dean

Gordon Those pictures are excellent, what type of camera did you use , the quality is great!! Dean

Francis Thanks for the offer, being only minutes from the border that wouldnt be a problem, I have been in contact with another pilot Gordon Dunn who flies just over the border and we should be able to come up with a few sites either side of the border if required for you guys, possibly some beach flying , we will keep you posted I am thinking of going abroad and doing an intensive course there and get it done and dusted, due to the poor weather we have in the UK....only starting out... Regards Dean

Norman, Paramotoring is in its very early stages in Donegal at the moment, I entend to change that!! Check out this video taken just over the border with Gordon Dunn, hes the Daddy of the paramotoring in the north west(95 hours flying last year, not bad for an ocassional flier), A top class pilot I might add and the man who is keeping me pointed in the right direction as a newcomer into the sport!! The video starts with some wind and goes on to having nill wind launches in the afternoon, the river you see is the border between Tyrone and Donegal, Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland...... if he crosses the river he needs a licence to fly, but dosent in Northern Ireland as hes classed as UK http://www.gordondunn.co.uk/Videos.htm Gordon has a few good videos on his site, we have some great beaches within 30 minutes drive from here too, Rosnowlagh, I think he has those on his site also, I'm sure you will be posting a few of your pictures of this fantastic beach here for all to view... Dean As I hae already posted when the weather mends I will post a video of the countryside around us, will be from a microlight for the time being though.....Watch this space ...thats all about to change Dean

I bought some off Ebay, a small one and a large one for £14.99, they seem quite good, cant be bad at that price I can get the details of the seller if anyone needs some Dean

Hi all Is there a list of BHPA or BMAA qualified instructors available, or other suitably qualified instructors who can get me my proper paramotor licence as required by the Irish IAA, either in this country or abroad?? Does anyone know if this information is available Thanks Dean

Welcome to the Donegal paramotor club branch, watch this section for news of the first Donegal paramotor fly-in, which we hope to hold towards the end of August, anyone who is interested in a great weekend of flying in some of the most beautiful countryside you will ever see, followed on with a mighty evenings craic, BBQ, beer and music please express an interest here We will have a video clip posted soon to give you all a little taster! Thanks Dean

Thanks for the reply Francis, Keep me updated with any progress on your exemptions, I am very keen to hear how this goes Dean

Francis Can you let me know how it goes with the CAA There are a few pilots in the south of Ireland who would probably come up for a weekend, if we can decide on a date I can let them know. I will get a short video clip posted here soon of the area we are talking about to give ye a little taste of the countryside you could be flying over, I am out of the country for 2 weeks but when I return ( and the weather of course ) I will get it organised.. As Johnny has said we can sort out some accomodation if we can finalise a date and numbers Dean