ptwizz

Thanks for the encouragement guys. Fortunately, my backside based arrivals have not resulted in any damage to the trusty Bailey. I think I just need to gain the confidence to support it's weight, rather than trying to get out of it's way! Pete.

My local Sainsburys filling station are quite helpful in this respect, possibly because they are the nearest to Snetterton racing circuit. The staff won't let you fill a 25ltr jerry can, but will point out that there's nothing to stop you filling a 5 ltr plastic can and then transferring the contents into your 25ltr jerry (or paramotor tank etc.) That aside, I would prefer not to fill my paramotor tank directly from the pump, which might be delivering water, rust etc. along with your fuel. I don't know much about modern 2 stroke oil, but the old stuff would sometimes leave waxy deposits when mixed, so this was best done in a seperate container before decanting the mixed fuel into the tank. Pete.

Thanks Alan. I intend to keep up the blog to the full pilot qualification. Pete.

Finally the planets align, the right kind of goat was slaughtered on the right hilltop and I managed to get back to Airways for a weekend. Over 2 months of virtually no chance of flying I had been booked in three times, only to cancel each time as the weather turned against me. With this in mind, my expectations were low. Things weren't looking any better as I had to detour round a flooded road a few miles from the airfield. On arrival, the weather was looking reasonable so I started where I had left off, ground handling with the motor on my back. It doesn't take long for a 75kg skinny bloke to get overheated and knackered under a 35kg Bailey, so I was very glad that Rick (my instructor) was happy with my ground handling. After a break to cool off, I got strapped in, started the motor and reverse launched the wing. I have to say I was very nervous about this. Everything I know tells me that spinning props and multiple lines are a poor mix. With the wing nicely placed above me, I spun round to face Rick. The thumbs up and waving told me it's time to hit the throttle and run. A few paces and Rick gave the signal to throttle down and cut the motor. Turning back towards the wing, I brought it down and was very happy to have brought the elements of wing and power together without incident. Running with the motor on is a whole lot easier with the wing taking it's weight and the thrust pushing me. The idea of this exercise is to simulate an aborted take off. A few repeats and I was becoming more comfortable with the idea of keeping the lines away from the prop. On the fourth or fifth run, after just a couple of paces a small gust of wind was all it took to pick me up off the ground. In anticipation of the wind dropping as quickly as it had risen, I held the throttle full on until I felt I was no longer swinging forward under the wing. Easing off gently, I flared, landed, cut the engine and brought the wing down. This was to be my best landing of the day! Technically, that was my first PPG flight - about 20 yards! I was relieved that I had not paniced or over-reacted when I unexpectedly took to the air. After lunch and another couple of aborted take off runs, I was ready to go flying. I was briefed to make two circuits of the airfield, cutting the engine half way round the second circuit to glide in and land. The staff at Airways had mowed a short strip for PPG take off runs, most of the field being covered by grass between a foot and eighteen inches high. The wind had dropped enough that this was to be a forward launch. With the wing laid out I started the engine and gave her a good warm up, leaning forward so as not to blow my own wing away. All the confidence I had gained with the reverse launches evaporated and I was worrying about prop and lines again. I paused for what seemed like an age while I checked the location of all the lines by looking back under my arms, concious of the fact that if I turned, I would be moving the prop close to the lines on the other side. When I had finally satisfied myself that all was as it should be, I stepped forward and brough the wing up. Fortunately, the Bailey on tickover is quiet enough that I could hear the wing. I find the direction of the sound from the wing just as useful as feeling the pull on the lines as it comes up. A step to one side and a small brake input had the wing nice and straight overhead, so I squeezed the throttle and ran. I was expecting to get airborne well within the lenght of the mown strip, but I was leaning forward as I ran, directing thrust into the ground. I was several yards into the long grass before I became properly airborne. As my feet left the ground, I swung forward and immediately realised why it had taken me so long to get into the air. Climbing rapidly, I was soon at the end of the airfield with a good 500ft altitude. I couldn't get myself into the seat, so I had to resign myself to dangling by my leg straps. Not comfortable and not conjucive to proper concentration on the task in hand. Turning across and then downwind I was concious of the rough air (more so when experienced through the leg straps!) and increased windspeed. As I turned upwind again I was at around 1000ft. The airfield was beginning to look much smaller and the concept of keeping within it was becoming somewhat arbitary. Backing off the throttle to avoid gaining any more height, progress was slow into wind. Finally I turned across and then downwind again and cut the engine. There was no way I would be landing this time round, so I completed another full gliding circuit. Even then, I was overcautious and began my approach from around 400 or 500ft. Gliding gently towards a landing 3/4 of the way down the field, I overcorrected a lateral oscillation and landed sideways. Not ideal, I thought as I sat in the long wet grass and my wing came down beside me. The landing was gentle enough not to have caused any damage to me or my kit, but my pride had suffered a dent. A quick break, another bottle of orange squash and a brief from Rick and I was ready for a second go. I had fiddled with my leg straps in an effort to improve my chances of getting into the seat, so I had high hopes for a less tooth-gritting flight. Another forward launch, this time with more confidence and I rememberd to lean back more as I ran. The wing swung to one side and I had to put in a lot of brake to be able to keep up with it. Just as I thought it was all going to pot it all straightened up again and I was off - and straight back down on my arse. I had made the classic mistake of picking my feet up too quickly. No harm done, I was soon launching again. This time, everything went smoothly, I rememberd to lean back and I was off and climbing rapidly. I still couldn't get into the seat and the second flight was almost a repeat of the first. Landing looked more promising, everything remaining straight as I approached the ground and flared. Just as I was expecting to feel my feet touch down, I saw a ripple in the long grass appraoching. I considered letting off the brakes, but by the time I had thought about it I was travelling backwards. I just lost balance on touching down and sat gently down. Unable to turn toward the wing, I pulled as much brake as possible and as the wing came down behind me, it slowly toppled me and my motor backwards, legs flailing in the air like a stranded tortoise. The long grass saved my prop from damage and I unclipped and climbed out of the harness with some difficulty. Fortunately I had landed at the windward end of the field again and nobody was treated to the full spectacle. Another long walk back to the launch strip and Rick suggested it might be nice to land a bit closer. I understand there are good reasons for learning to land in the right place, but I suspect there was an element of Rick's dissapointment at having missed the stranded tortoise act. We took the Bailey back to the hangar and hooked up to the ropes to see what could be done about getting into the seat. A few expert tweaks by Rick and I could get in and out of the seat comfortably. Back to the field and set up for launch. The wind was up and down, so I could choose either forward or reverse launch. I went for another forward launch, so as soon as the wind dropped I was off. Rmembering to lean back into the thrust, I was quickly in the air again and at a couple of hundred feet pulled my knees up and slipped into the seat. What a difference - this was now an enjoyable flying experience In the comfort of my seat, I could start to think about flying as more than a series of course corrections. I don't know if it was the conditions, or the awesome power of the Bailey combined with the large Indy wing and skinny pilot, but on each flight I climbed at a rate comparable to what I had experienced on the winch. I had a go at weight shift steering. If it works at all with high hang points, it was obscured by turbulance. I'll try that again on a calmer day. After the first turn into the crosswind leg, I reduced to about 1/2 throttle and held that setting for a whole circuit. I was still gaining height, but that probably had more to do with the building cloud a little way downwind of the airfield. I cut the engine at the start of my second downwind leg, but still arrrived at the windward end of the field with a lot of altitude to dispose of. After several 'S' turns, I was low enough for a reasonable attempt at landing somewhere near the take off strip. The approach was smooth, I flared at just the right point to settle on my feet virtually at a standstill and as the wing unloaded the motor onto my back, I sat on my arse again! The technique for landing with a motor is, of course, a little different to that for a free flying harness. This is clearly something I need to practise more. The building cloud were starting to look more threatening and wind was picking up. Another student had been in the air for several minutes from a tow launch and as we waited for him to come down, we decided to leave my last exercise (flight out of circuit) for another day. I've passed the CP written exams, so some decent landings and the flight out of circuit will see me qualified as a club pilot. The Airways boys and girls will be in Norfolk again in a couple of weeks, so all being well, I should be able to achieve the CP milestone in my home county. Thanks to Rick, Andy, Laurie, Ollie, Shelly and all the Airways staff for putting up with me. On every visit, I have been the last one hanging around asking questions when they all want to go home. Time to start swotting up for the Pilot's exam...... 'till next time, Pete.

Needed one of those Acme indestructable steel balls.

Cheers for that. Embedded video has now started working I share your sentiment on the weather and no flying Pete

Could you post a link to the video please. I can't see any of these embedded videos and right clicking on the space doesn't provide a link, filename or anything other than 'about Adobe FlashPlayer.....' Cheers, Pete.

Deffo take advantage of your free time. I started in January and made rapid progress until April, when the weather lost the plot. I haven't flown in over 2 months, due to work, weather and other commitments and I'm really itching to get in the air again before I forget everything. Keep us informed of your progress. When I finally qualify, I'll be looking for some local-ish flying buddies. Pete Bailey 175 Ozone Indy

I wouldn't be happy with any element of 'somehow' in such a safety critical repair. Pete Bailey 175 Ozone Indy

The misaligned crank is the second most often seen failure from my days of fixing RD250s (after burnt pistons). A spot of weld will help maintain alignment, but once that is done, the next failure is the end of that cranks life. The big end pin is hardened and welding to it produces a very brittle joint. When this fails, it takes a chunk out of the crank web and deposits a lump of hard steel inside your engine. These are bad things. Pete Bailey 175 Ozone Indy

You absolutely need to get the flywheel running true. Machining magnets is not good. If they're not made from the hardest substance in your workshop (I can attest that Lucas Magneto magnets are!) then the interrupted cut will impart a series of shocks which will reduce their magnetism. The magnetic field surrounding a permanent magnet dereases as the cube of the distance from that magnet. If you double the gap, you will have 1/8 of the field strength through the coil. A wobbly flywheel will cause vibration. Even if you correct the static balance, their will be a dynamic imbalance. Vibration will cause further damage to your engine and increase fatigue in the frame and prop. Pete. Bailey 175 Ozone Indy

If you're thinking of powder coating, take a look at stove enamelling. It's thinner, lighter, tougher and can be touched up if you scuff it. The bake temperature is safe for heat treated aluminium alloys (although I would check with your supplier). I've used both powder coat and stove enamel on wheel rims. Stove enamel will stand up to tyre levers while powder coat didn't. Pete.

I get the same error message using MS Internet Explorer 8, Windows XP professional x64 on HP z400 workstation. Pete.

Bump again - still not working

I would not agree that 4 strokes are less reliable. In my 35 years experience of motorcycles, I've wasted a lot more time repairing 2 strokes than 4 strokes. Pete Bailey 175 Ozone Indy

I would go for Nyloc nuts in preference to locking washers. If a Nyloc nut is loosened, it won't run off the end of the stud and become a projectile when the prop hits it. A locking washer only has any chance of working when it's tight, and even then most of them don't work. http://www.boltscience.com/pages/junkertestvideo.htm There is a type of spring washer that works - they are very hard and have a distinct barb at each of the cut ends. The barb digs into the nut face and the bolting face. These make a mess of the parts and break upon dismantling. Pete Bailey 175 Ozone Indy

2000 ft/min = 10 m/s, approximately the equivalent of a free fall from 5m or 15ft. Not to be taken lightly. Pete.

Thanks for the appreciation. The exhausts have absorbtion baffles from an aircooled VW hidden inside, so the sound is a quite inoffensive, deep thud mixed with the mechanical noise from straight cut timing gears. The engine is structural, as it was in the original bike. The front section of the frame (i.e. the headstock and a couple of tubes above and behind the engine) is also from the original bike. The rear section is fabricated. With only 23 HP, it's not a racer. I've had it up to 65, at which it is f**king terrifying! Plods around happily at 50 to 55 and returns over 100mpg. The question remains - do I build a sidecar or a trailer for my paramotor kit? Pete

Pics attached of a project I've been working on for many years. The bike had it's first outing to the 'Look-Up' rally & bike show in Norfolk at the weekend. Came away with trophies, including best in show.

Congrats Enzo - I look forward to sampling said pies sometime in the future. Pete.

Is the individual pilot's insurance enough to address the perceived issue here? The landowners are telling you that their insurance won't permit. I came across a similar situation some years ago with off-road trials driving. Some landowners insurance would be invalidated if they allowed any part of their land to be used for any form of motorsport. Pete Bailey 175 Ozone Indy

I brought up this subject with my instructor and was told it was not a good idea. I was told that hydrophobic coatings cause water to remain in beads on the surface of the wing, which can cause flow to detatch. This would severely reduce lift. Pete Bailey 175 Ozone Indy

No

The pitch of the prop is the distance it would move through the air in one revolution assuming no 'slip'. This would be the same for a two or three bladed prop. Pitch is a direct function of the angle of the blades relative to the prop axis. This angle is steeper at the root than the tip, to allow for the tip moving faster than the root. It is possible to measure, but to do so you'd need to define the plane of the blade section reasonably accurately, measure it's angle at a given radius, then calculate the distance given by that angle projected over the circumference of the circle described at the given radius. It might be difficult to define the section plane well enough to tell the fifference between 8" and 11" pitches. Since you've recently purchased both props, I would expect some reference to their pitches in the spec or other paperwork. Good luck Pete Bailey 175 Ozone Indy

There appears to be growing excitement about the prospect of electric paramotors, as there has been with electric cars, bikes etc. Electric machines that need to move their own weight will always be fundamentally limited by the fact that they have to carry all their fuel. An IC engine carries half it's fuel (i.e. petrol) while the other half is air. A battery contains all the chemicals required to store electrical energy, and doesn't get any lighter as you drain it. Electric paramotors, cars and bikes will improve as hardware becomes lighter and more effecient, but the same improvements can mostly be applied to IC engines or any other prime movers. Perhaps in 10 years paramotors will be sufficiently light and effecient for electric power to be practical. However, the same machine may be able to fly with a 100cc four stroke engine, with the advantages of lower mass and fuel payload. Pete Bailey 175 Ozone Indy