Hann__

What would you call excellent 2T efficiency, Mark?

I know exactly what you mean, if the mix is lean the engine exhaust note sounds `faint` and the pulses regular, the idle speed will be smooth but on the high side, if the mix is rich it`ll be a `fuller` exhaust note and the `pops` will be random (4 stroking). The engine may shake more,too. When i first got my Moster the factory settings were so rich and the engine shake so much it used to give me double vision with the motor on my back at idle. Another tuning trick is to snap the throttle open from idle - if it bogs it`ll be lean, and this can happen if both the low or high screw is set too weak. I like to adjust my low screw so that the `bogging` from a lean setting *just* disappears when the engine is warmed up - just about as lean as i can go safely. This gives a smooth idling engine and improved fuel consumption. It`s also important on the Moster to set idle speed to 2200+ - your exhaust will appreciate a smooth and high`ish idle..

What engine is this on Andy, and is one turn out on both the factory spec? One turn out on the low screw seems a lot, and one turn on the high screw (comparing to the settings on my Moster) would be on the lean side.

I got up early today to take advantage of the promising looking weather. Arrived at the field just before sun up; Once aloft i settled in for a long XC - i didn`t really know which direction i was heading for as the WX forecasts had the wind direction from all over the shop and changing hourly due to a pressure centre right over my flying area. Once flying i was able to get a handle on the conditions and decided for my `Circa Soton` route which takes me all around Southampton CTR. The wind was about 6mph and north easterly at this point. If the forecasts were correct i`d have a tailwind on my way back.. I`ve been flying for over seven years now and in that time i`ve never thought `Wow, i`m a bit warm, i wish it was a bit cooler up here`, but today was the closest i`ve ever got to actually agreeing with that thought - it was so warm and humid for September it was unbelievable. The air actually felt warm on my face.. Smooth too, hardly any bumps were felt at all. The low-lying misty stuff made for some interesting vistas below; I always feel especially smug on early flight when i see all the workers travelling to work, and it was a busy morning down there on the M3; I was making good progress so once around the top quarter of the route i espyed Portsmouth in the distance and made a detour over there. P`mouth harbour; You`re looking at 7 billion quids worth here; Once out of P`mouth harbour the Isle of Wight beckoned - well, i might as well, eh? It`s a 3-mile crossing at this point (yes - i have flotation); Over Cowes to Gurnard, then the second crossing back to the mainland - a shorter 2-mile jobbie for this one. Clarence House; Cowes; At Cashot there is a disused power station. It`s being demolished at the moment. I`ve flown over it many a time but i wanted to try and get a straight-down-the-chimney shot before it`s demolished (planned for next year i think). The chinmey is 600` tall and has been a VRP for many a pilot - it marks the edge of Soton CTR; I was up for just over 3 hours and did nearly 100 miles once i`d done a bit of local stuff when i got nearer home. It was one of those flights you remember.

Reckless in the extreme. Never start your motor wearing flip-flops!

How have you got the engine kill switch circuit wired? Be aware that the flying lead from the coil is earthed to kill the engine so the kill switch (positioned on our hand throttles usually, although most paramotors have an additional one on the frame somewhere) is normally open, if you`ve wired a switch where the circuit from the coil is made during your attempt to start you won`t get a spark.

Like most situations when things go awry it`s not just one thing that is the cause but a culmination of minor errors - the Swiss cheese model. Your flight was doomed from the failed launch and busted prop onwards. 10:30 though, that`s late! You learn something from every flight, though.

Bloody hell! Well played, that sounds absolutely perfect, and ideal for a trike launch surface i would think. How did you wrangle that one, know someone there? Any conditions or anything attached....?

Did you just use the TEA knot in the position that it was set when you got the wing? It`s meant to be adjusted to suit your individual requirements. I`d be surprised if a correctly-set knot didn`t eliminate the problem. Asymetrical trimmers are fine - you`re only talking 5/10mm difference, it`s not going to develop into a death spiral, certainly not a a Uni, anyway..

My original Synth used to do this - it drove me to distraction.. Most wings do it to a certain degree, it originates from the motor, though. When you`re flying level is the right hand side carabiner noticeably lower than the left? If the wing tends to go left when using the TEA then maybe the knot it set too high and pulling the tip steering line too much? Re-position the knot? Having to pull the tip steering toggle down to your ears sounds like you have a lot of torque steer.... Phone Clive and see if he has any tips for adjusting the Bulldog harness to correct the torque effect (adjust harness so that r/h carabiner is set higher so that it gets pulled down level when under power)? Using the upper hang point on the left hand side riser will work, whether it corrects exactly the amount of turn you are experiencing can only be found out when flying as it`s non-adjustable. If using the upper hook-in point does make it fly straight when under power you may then feel a slow turn to the left when gliding in for landings etc. Not a problem, just counter it with right brake. Of course the easiest way to correct torque steer is asymetrical trimmers - it`s effective and is infinitely adjustable..

It`s an interesting question and one i`ve wondered about - whether manufacturers are `influenced` or just buy an example of, and then blatantly copy other makers designs. There is some text in the manuals of two wing makers that i have owned that have very similar phrases and wording, i thought that suspicious...

I use trims all the way out for landing every time whatever wind there is on the ground - it gives far, far better flare control and brake feel - firmer, but i prefer it. With trims in the brakes feel mushy and soft, the flare is vague and timing is critical, you only get one chance and if you flare too early or mis-judge the wind you have nothing left for another go... You`ll need to adapt your landing technique slightly, though - one big final flare is no good - you`ll gain unwanted height, you have to give just enough brake to level off and swoop over the ground then a final full flare just before the stall when the speed decays. The ground speed difference is not so much, really - or i`m just used to it! It also makes you able to `drop in` to a tight landing site as the sink is higher and it increases your accuracy. With a wing that has a high glide ratio judging your landing spot requires more care and space. I often glide in from 1500` + with motor off. ^^All this was borne from my first year or two after training when my landings were consistently, err, inconsistent, the further i trimmed out, the more success i had and i`ve been doing it ever since. So yeah, don`t be afraid to experiment. I have just bought a new wing though, so might have to adjust my landing technique again to suit the rather quick nature of the new wing - i think this wing will be plenty fast enough with trims in....

Since being furloughed for the last 7 or so weeks i`ve been getting up at 5 or 6 in the morning whether i`ve got something to do or not. I`m in my fifties and haven`t got much time left - i don`t want to waste it!

Got a second post-lockdown flight tonight. First one was yesterday, a 2.75 hour XC covering 75 miles. Contacted the farmer today for another, he said yes but wanted to close the gates and for me to be off the field at 9.... It was a bit gusty here all day and what with the high temps, baking sun and taking off an hour or so earlier (to be back by 8:40) i thought i was going to be in for a jolty first couple of hours but it was actually very smooth for almost the whole flight once above about 1500` - even over the large forested areas i have to fly over. Wind wasn`t low enough for a classic XC - about 8/9 mph aloft - but still managed just over 20mph into wind and covered 70 miles. Slow out, fast back..

Yeah, in theory a knackered little end would perhaps give 1 or 2 `thou play before it made itself heard, but to affect the port timing to any significant degree it`d have to have 2 or 3mm or more, and with that amount of play the engine would be making a hell of a racket.... Also, would retarded port timing necessarily make it overheat to this extent..? The little-end on my Moster can be heard, it`s probably been like that for 200+ hours - a lot of two strokes are prone to it. When i was younger and a fledgling motor bicyclist i was obsessed with the bloody little end bearing noise on my `bikes - i`d change them regularly and they`d sound great for fifty miles then go back to rattling. It`s a 2T `characteristic`.

Yeah OK........never heard of port timing being affected by a worn little-end bearing!!!!

The primary cause of that failure was a lean mixture, the piston has severely overheated. The little-end bearing was a secondary victim to that condition. "I had only increased the low and high speed mixture settings on previous flight yesterday as we are coming into our cooler months" Sure you didn`t lean it out by mistake?

There are videos out there of PPG`s doing 70, 80, 90mph + with a significant tailwind so it`s perfectly feasable to fly in strong wind. I probably wouldn`t fly if the wind was 60mph at surface level, though... Personally i think twice if the wind aloft is greater than 10mph - not because it`s any more risky or turbulent but due to the type of flying i do - XC`s of 2 - 3 hours, i find crawling along at anything less than 20mph a little tedious, unless of course i haven`t flown for a few weeks and then i will just accept that i won`t be going very far and i`ll probably opt for some high altitude stuff instead. "If you can`t get by, go high"..

They`d make an excellent water landing recovery system - you`d end up floating on the water in what looks like a giant inflatable chair. Could only be bettered if an automatic tray popped out from a folded position and served you with a G`n`T whilst reclining in a nonchalant splendour bobbing up and down on the water awaiting recovery.

Didn`t you make a trike for your motor a couple of years back, or is this one for another one?

They say that this lockdown is affecting peoples mental health, here`s an example. Odd.

Well done, your wa**er character is spot-on.

Hmmm, i`ve been thinking the same. Something just doesn`t add up here......

......at least we`re avoiding those lively springtime thermals. Last April was a very good flying month for me, this year would have been, too........

Patrick, I can't tell by your posts if you're being obtuse, sarcastic or attempting humour. Are you flying during this period or not?