Hann__

Pat, absolutely no chance of that with a Synth!! Also, the way he leapt off the ground after only a few steps leads me to think it wasn`t as `nil wind` as he`d have us believe..... Also see this one - this dude trots backwards while pulling the wing up, risky! [youtubevideo]http://youtube/vSeUFOJYI5Y[/youtubevideo] [youtubevideo] [/youtubevideo]http://youtu.be/vSeUFOJYI5Y

I do too. If Honda made a paramotor it would be `kin fantastic..

***edit*** my mistake - wrong thread!

Is the pitch of the prop user-adjustable?

Is a Bailey V5 really 27.5kg - only 1.5kg heavier than my Bulldog Moster? That figure is `dry`, but i don`t think half a litre of oil would add much. There`s bugger-all to the Moster engine, i`m surprised the V5 engine doesn`t add more weight than that, unless they`ve shaved a lot off elsewhere.....

I have a small wrist-mounted Garmin 401 Foretrex which i use to navigate (small basic screen, no maps) by loading waypoints and planning routes (co-ords gathered from Google maps etc) and from which i load the saved track into Google maps after the flight to analyse my route and flight data etc;

What`s the minimum distance you`d consider a flight to be worthy of being an XC? Nearly all my flights are ~2 hours and ~55 miles consisting of out`n`backs or triangular routes. Are they XC?

`Ello, here`s a vid of a recent flight with my chase cam. I don`t do aerobatics so the most exciting it gets is a slow 360 or two! I was a bit close to the hedge on takeoff but i knew my Moster would hoik me up with space to spare... [youtubevideo] [/youtubevideo]

Hi Patrick, this is just what i felt with my Synth - hitting the deck too hard/fast to make a decent landing, but just recently something has `clicked` and i`ve made a handful of good, consecutive landings that has finally given me the confidence for future landings and that i`ve `got the hang of it`. As a newbie myself with similar flight time to you (and on the same wing) these are my personal observations. Since `going solo`my landings started out 50/50 whether i`d be on my feet or knees, then got a bit worse - 30/70, probably! I always used to fall forwards opposed to your landing on yer arse, but i think that may be due to your Parajet? I trained on a Volution and the swinging forward/pivoting effect when brake/flaring was very apparent, the fact that we were on docile, slow Gin Bolero wings probably enabled me to `save` a landing or two even though i was aware i was leaning back what seemed like an awful lot on occasion. I remember `heaving myself up` on the brake toggles to stand up from an almost prone landing position.. Add the extra speed of the Synth onto this scenario and i suspect it would have been a different matter.. This leaning back with legs outstretched (+ speed) would tend to make for the landings you experience? Do you feel the leaning back thing? I do not notice this with my Bulldogs` high hangpoints. Like this?; The other thing i`ve learnt with the Synth is flaring technique - one big f-off flare or flaring too late is no good for me. At about 3-4 metres i start to dial in some brake (have you adjusted your brake toggles to remove any excessive freeplay, mine could be moved up about 4" and still have a nice `bow` in the lines) - enough to feel the `weight` of the wing and scrub off some speed, be aware that you don`t use up too much energy too soon, though. Hopefully, you`ll then feel your speed to decrease and at that point - ideally 1M off the deck - you`ll start to drop as the wing starts to stall, it`s then that i give it the rest of my braking effort, no wrap needed if i get the timing right. It`s not a two-part brake/flare, they sort of merge into one longer action, but with different stages if you know what i mean. It`s a good feeling when you get it right and you just pop onto your feet gently.. This is probably stuff you already know/been taught anyway, so apologies for that, but i went through several poor landings myself and couldn`t understand why i wasn`t getting any better until i was given one good bit of advice - when coming in, `try not to land`! To be fair though, my School did say that additional instruction on reflex wings would be a good idea, my Synth does feel a lot different to the wings i trained on where easy landings were the norm. So, now i`ve got my landings sorted, my take-offs seem to have gone to pot, yesterdays efforts being bloody awful. I did finally get into the air for a very nice two-hour flight.. It`s all a learning process, this PPG, isn`t it? Keep the excellent blog going, i hope to see tales of tippy-toe landings in the very near future!

I am also field-less... The one i was using since last August has been planted. Found another site and made one flight from it, but owner had a whinger on the phone about the noise so that ones a no-no. Got a few options to try, but it ain`t easy round here it seems - all planted or livestock. Might have to cross palms with silver to tempt local landowners....

[quote name=" myusername] when I opened the trimmers' date=' there was no tension on the strap to pull them out past about 10. [/quote'] If we`re still talking about the Synth then mine does this, too. I have to `push` the buckle up the strap to get the max reflex setting. Not sure it actually does much above 10 anyway as the riser webbing has reached it`s limit (max reflex) at that point anyway.. When i take a wrap i find it`s difficult to get my fingers on the throttle lever - it`s pushed out of reach slightly - it maybe OK without gloves on..

Bingreed, don`t knock it - all that extra time spent running is developing the correct wing control skills and responses that are required when launching a PPG. If you can launch with a motor with a modest output a pokier set-up will be easy for you! I`ve got a Moster and it hoiks me into the air rather easily, but i get the feeling sometimes that it`s masking possible launch control subtleties that i would be more likely to learn if the run-out was longer - i suppose i could always use part-throttle! A powerful engine can also get you into trouble a lot quicker, too..........

Gordon, why do you suggest forward launches only with the cam attached? I`ve already built one, but need to do a few more flights before i have the additional stress of having something hanging off the edge of the wing..

Yes i agree, the brake travel on the Synth is long - i noticed it on my first few flights. I was talking about it to Clive Bunce last weekend and he says it`s been designed-in for us beginners so we don`t grab a big handful of brake and have the wing diving all over the place.. During one flight i pulled the brakes while watching the trailing edge - there was about 6" of freeplay before the trailing edge was affected so this meant i could move the brake handle up the line about 4" and still have the necessary freeplay required to avoid trailing edge deformation while flying - you may have noticed the massive `bow` in the brake lines while flying, lots of freeplay in them. Check with trims in and out if you do this, although i think it shouldn`t effect anything as when the trims are opened the trailing edge is raised, but so are the risers to which the brake lines are attached to so keeping the freeplay consistant? Still didn`t improve my landings much though! Neither did taking a wrap - correct technique on a reflex seems to be the way to go for successful landings...

Can you have a look at the rating label on the wing. Does it say where it was made?

This is his pic that didn`t show in his post; Weak mixture? Check for inlet air leaks? Maybe your turtling dislodged the airbox/carb rubbers?

`Ello Bowerz, I`m about 7 miles NE from Soton, i trained last year with Skyshool but in Spain - i wanted to do it in `one hit`, as there was no training available around here locally enough for me and i didn`t want it protracted over several months with much to-ing and fro-ing twixt home and training field. It was sunny, too.... As well as the two sites already mentioned there is also Steve Haze who i believe will be teaching again sometime this year near West Sussex/this side of Chichester? You`ll have to get out of Southampton Airspace to fly which is from the surface up and extends quite far around the actual airport - the chart makes it look a bit scary but there are plenty of options to fly from; Depending what side of Soton you live you may have to go out to the Meon Valley for instance, North of Winchester or the New Forest which has a ceiling height of 2000`- although you must not take off or land in the NF... You can get a chart from here and start learning about your local area. If you`re serious about PPG, start looking for suitable take-off sites asap - start knocking on farmers doors. This is all way off at the moment though - your training will cover all this.

Bad luck, Pat. When it starts to go wrong, it goes wrong very quickly, doesn`t it? I`ve been reading your blog over the last year or so and some of your experiences - and the timing of them - is very close to my own, we probably started training at a similar time and have similar air-time, and the coincidences continue to this day when i also suffered my first prop break. Setting up in zero to occasional light wind - and variable. I knew on this launch i had to be comitted and make a good first-time effort, but had a feeling that it might go a bit Pete Tong.. Not flown since 19th Jan. Pulled the wing up in a forward and it went off to one side, i also did a bit of the `Benny Hills` thinking a bit of ground speed would snap the wing overhead, i saw the wing to one side and should have aborted at that point. The wing stopped flying and the motor thrust caused me to fall forwards to the ground to hear that unmistakable, sickening sound of splintering wood i`ve heard so many times on Youtube but hoped i would never hear first-hand myself. Fat chance.. Lessons learnt for me today - take off directly into wind EVERY time, and if it looks like it ain`t going to plan, abort before comitting to power... I also contacted Clive today, and am going up to see him tomorrow - the sooner i can replace the damaged prop and get the Bulldog looking complete again the sooner i can pretend it never happened.. Unfortunately, he doesn`t do props as `all part of the service`! It`s all experience though, isn`t it?

What stretch of the coast is that - south west, say from Freshwater to Blachgang Chine? Do the locals mind you landing on the Isle, say at The Needles Headland Park?

I also have a Synth (31) ,am right at the top of the weight range and come in quite fast. Your video looks similar to what i imagine some of my landings are like - it`s 50/50 whether i keep on my feet. On my first flight on the Synth after my training (using the school equipment) i did a perfect landing and thought, `i had a feeling this wing would be easy to land`. Wrong! I seem to hit the ground hard, my legs fold and i fall forward! There`s no issue with the wing, it`s just a question of me getting the right techniques. Trouble is, when flights are sometimes weeks apart it can be difficult to remember what you did wrong last time/the feel of the last landing and what you wanted to try next time... I really need to spend a whole day just taking off and landing until i suss it.....

Yes, it`s looking good! Just phoned my local friendly farmer to see if the field is still available. It is, but they`re having a shoot! (they should be finished by 12) Better make sure i have my helmet done up just in case... Looks like a trip down to the coast is in order.

Assuming zero wind and a nominal glide ratio of 7:1 i reckon an altitude of about 10500`would do it? 14 miles x 5280 (ft/mile) / 7 = 10560` - exactly 2 miles. Factor in your own safety margin.... Let us know when you`re about to do it Ganers, and make sure you do a video!

Whenever i view a Vimeo video i get drop-outs, pixellated gargabe and patches of blackness.... Makes them unviewable. Is it just me?

Right - thanks for that Stevie. That`s the neoprene glove issue solved for me.. On a related note, are flying / air conditions in winter generally smoother - less thermals for example.

Funny you should mention these gloves - i suffer from cold hands and have been thinking on what to wear during winter flights and thought of neoprene gloves as they might be warm,snug but give adequate feeling with which to fiddle about with paramotor stuff.. Went to a dive shop and tried some on - yep, 3mm is about as thick as you`d want to go but the ones i was going to buy were not in stock at my size... Sounds like they might not be suitable anyway, going by the replies here..