jcphoto

I flew and owned a Bailey Snap 100 for nearly 400hrs and weigh 80kg too. The answer to your question is Yes it can easily fly an 80kg pilot. I now fly a Bailey V5 but in my experience the Snap actually got me off the ground faster! In reality the V5 has more thrust (60kg) but it still takes longer to take off. I can only speculate as to why but as with everything the specifications on paper don't tell the whole story. The Snap had about 47kg thrust with a 130 prop and I also flew it with a 125 wooden but couldn't really tell the difference in real use. John Coutts

Hi Morgy, I think you have just answered my question. I suspect the size 28 Speedster might be a bit big for your bodyweight when free-flying but ideal for paramotoring. It will be good in scratchy conditions but not so clever in stronger thermic conditions. The Ozone site gives a range of 95-125kg for the size 28 which I suppose applies to range in which it was certified. This probably corresponds with a paragliding range too but don't take my word for it! Paramotors are often flown above the certified range and Paul Mahony was extolling the virtues of a 26 for someone of my weight (80kg) which I flew at the Nats last June. I was very impressed with it and it was well loaded and fast on landing but it is aimed at experienced pilots so that should not be a problem. I fly a Rush 1 right at the top end of the range when paragliding and it of course very solid most of the time but light conditions can be a challenge. This is a paramotoring forum but it doesn't hurt to mention free-flying (paragliding) sometimes. I have flown with Toby Colombe of Passion Paragliding in Morocco several times and he will always recommend a pilot flys towards the upper end of the weight range rather than the light end. This could be a consideration if a Speedster pilot intends to paraglide as well as paramotor. John

Hi Morgy, I see from an earlier post your weight is 76kg and I think you are flying a Speedster 28. How did it feel for free flying being so light in the range? I fly an Ozone Rush 26 and am at the heavy end of the scale all up 100kg inc wing. There is certainly no 'floaty' sensation and of course the wings are different but I am still interested in your findings. regards, John Coutts

Thanks for the offer of some trial flights. If I am ever in the area I will look you up for sure. No plans at the moment but I may be in Southampton next year sometime for a 2 day photography course. I am flying my second Reaction wing at the moment and it is still in excellent condition at nearly 200hrs. I just felt I'd like to try something else for my next wing but have less opportunity to try other wings living in Shetland. John

Thanks for the reply. I suspect I may be on a quest for something that doesn't actually exist-lighter on launch, slightly quicker for keeping up with the rest and yet as stable as the Reaction. The main reason I am looking for stability is that I often take photographs while flying. In roughish conditions the Reaction will allow me to fly without worrying about the wing and continue to take photos. All other wings I have tried seem to be more busy above me and consequently throw me about more and I have to give up taking photos. I would agree the Nucleon is not too bad but it does 'move' about more than Reaction in less stable air. The Plasma was slightly more mobile and my only flight on the Speedster was in in the evening. The solution would probably be to keep the Reaction for photos and get a second wing after some test flights which feels the best for other flights. I should add I have flown about 500hrs PPG and 100 on PG. cheers John

Thanks for the Fusion video. There is no substitute for actually flying the wing. I am looking for a replacement for the Reaction but need some more test flights on what's available. I am very happy with my Reaction and have no issues with its flight characteristics. But it is slower alongside others unless speed bar is used and is not the lightest to launch. On the plus side it is vitually bullet proof and does not roll or yaw like some of the rest and is hardly bothered by turbulence although the pilot may be! Which of the new wings has the stability of Reaction combined with a light launch? John

Is there any video showing a launch without using the prop-wash to help it lift? My Reaction is not particularly 'light' to launch in nil wind but it will fly up just as easily as the Revo 2 in the video if a power launch is used. I've never tried any of the Paramania range but found both the Dudek Nucleon and the Ozone Speedster fairly easy to launch in very little wind. John

Just to add to the previous posts - Buy a reflex definately! I learned a while ago in 1997 and flew for 3 years with a traditional paraglider. I gave up the sport for a few years because I had become borned of flying round the same area, close to my take off field. The wing was unable to make progress into wind, limiting its usefulness in a big way. I bought a Reaction in 2005 and launched it first time after a 5 year lay off. I am now on my 2nd Reaction and after about 450 hrs on reflex I have never had anything more than a twitch on the wing tips. And that was in extremely rough air while I was going weightless through bouncing up and down. You can't always be sure that the conditions you choose to fly in will remain calm and stable. Non reflex wings will not give you the same amount of security. An SIV course on recovery techniques will be essential is you want to fly a traditional paraglider. I am just guessing here but I suspect about 80% of paramotor pilots fly reflex. That must mean something. Perhaps the rest are already expert paraglider pilots with the associated skills required. John Coutts

I have also had a few days test flying a Dudek Nucleon 31 and found it quite easy to launch in nil wind. I used my 'normal' technique for nil wind. Set the trims at '0' without knowing the manual's recommendation which is what the Reaction uses. Assume the crucifix position and bend forwards slightly and give a quick blast on power (to blow some wind over the wing to help it launch) followed quickly by knocking off the power and moving forwards to launch the wing. As soon as the wing is nearly overhead get the power back on to full blast and off you go. Leaning backwards while running certainally helps to lift off earlier. As long as there is no hesitation and movements are all continuous, not allowing the wing to slow down it works virtually every time. Good luck. John Coutts

Hi Norris, I have an Ozone Addict which is a DHV2 wing and fly it as designed as a paraglider but one day took it up for a flight with my paramotor. Although it flew OK and was quite easily controllable it kept managing to set up a dutch roll even at very modest power settings. The motor kept causing it to roll regardless of what I tried. I have never had any difficulty with any other wings I have flown under power. I am not saying the Mantra will be the same but it may exhibit similar characteristics or it could be just fine. Good luck. John Coutts

I went up to 6600 ft here in Shetland in the first week of July one evening. I was surprised at just how cold it was. Probably only about 2 C. Make sure you have heated gloves and a face mask if going for the 2 mile mark and good luck - it may take a while! John

Thanks Pete/Simon I see where you are coming from. John

I have been loosely following the thread and it would seem that a BHPA Power rated pilot such as myself would need to be assessed to see if I can conform to PMC standards. Does that mean that the PMC rated pilots are trained to a more advanced level than that of the BHPA if the BHPA rating is regarded as insufficient for insurance purposes? John Coutts

Not wishing to disagree too much with Simon's sentiment but your skills won't completely vanish through lack of air time. I had not flown since 29th Dec then was out a couple of days ago for a nil wind forward launch. The launch went well and I was off first time. While aloft, the wind picked up to a nice easy reverse launch speed of about 8 mph. After my landing it still seemed too nice a day to pack up the kit so a powered up again and did a bit of practice with about 10 touch and goes. Although not full launches from scratch they are still useful practice. John Coutts

I have flown over 300hrs on Reaction now and find no need to use the TST to dampen movement in rough air with speed bar. I am sure everbody has a different interpretation as to what rough air is but if it really was rough I do not think your average pilot would be flying with speed bar on. The Reaction wing is one of the most stable around and has never given me any serious concerns in my experience. It has remained flying without anything more than a slight tip collapse when I was going weightless due to rough air. I recently went on an SIV course with Jocky Sanderson to Olu Deniz but used a 'normal' paragliding wing (Gradient Golden). It makes you realise just how stable the Reaction is. However, a tradional paragliding wing can recover very easily with the correct inputs and sometimes without. I am not sure how Reaction/Revolution/Synthesis etc would behave when things got seriously out of hand. Just a thought. John Coutts, Shetland.