Hann__

It doesn`t seem to bother the paraglider dudes - they have to fly in thermic conditions to stay aloft (assuming not ridge soaring), and their wings are much more floaty and lightly loaded than a PPG`ers. Three hours before sunset is perfectly OK, the first hour might be a bit jiggly. I was up last night and getting nerly 700`/min lift at 5000`. Free lift is good! Unwanted lift not so good (if there`s airspace above you...) Bumpy air is like driving a car on a potholed road, most folk would prefer to drive on perfectly smooth tarmac..

Yes, i definitely do not want a heli flying over me...............

I had a rotary fly directly underneath me this evening....... Probably something out of Wallop such as a Lynx. I was at 1600` when i suddenly noticed an odd shadow beneath me then the `copter followed a second later, from where i was it looked like he was flying just above the treetops...Still an odd thing to see... We often get Chinooks fly by our town on a regular basis, a few times a week - in the airspace i fly in. Better underneath than above, i suppose.

I did see those battery operated pumps but thought they looked a bit gimmicky/cheap and potentially unreliable so gave them a miss. Not keen on replacing batteries often, either. Pleased to hear that they`re doing a good job, though. In the end i went for the simple approach - a tap on the side of the jerry can and let gravity do the work. Simple, effective, quick and controllable; I`m now of to the field for an unexpected flight, weather`s lookin` good. Hann.

My point was more that was it considered OK flying close to the edge of airspace on the *outside* , i know flying *inside* would be a no-no however small the infringement. On the point of `buffer zones`, if i fly 10 metres from the boundary and a GA aircraft does the same *inside* that would make for a pretty close pass. You can`t just keep adding buffer zones to buffer zones, though, it`d get ridiculous. As long as i`m outside, all is good, then? To be honest, i`ve had more `close calls` with GA stuff right out in the middle of class G than anywhere near any boundaries, they sometimes don`t mind passing by and giving a little `wave`... As long as the GA fraternity don`t start tut-tutting at the paramotor pilot skirting the edges of airspace i`ll settle for that......and phone ahead where necessary.

Both good points, especially phoning ahead, noted.

In an effort to expand my flying options there is a route i would like to try but it would mean flying over an air traffic zone which is surface to 2000` Class G. Would it be considered bad form to fly over the ATZ (probably at 2500` - 3000`) in a PPG or should it be best avoided? On the subject of airspace what do folk consider a sensible distance to fly from the edge of airspace? I`ve seen reference that 2NM horizontally and 200` vertically to be the recommended distance for GA. The vertical figure is no problem of course but if a PPG were to keep 2NM away from airspace you`re planning on flying around then that would be a huge diversion due to our limited speed and flying duration. I`ve hugged airspace boundaries on occasion on long XC`s which i can do without fear of infringement due to the GPS moving map on my device. Do folk consider the boundaries as black or white. you`re either within or outside, with no further distance from them required while flying? ?

No bore chasing for me but that's a very kind offer Geoff.

Geoff, i can`t find anything on`t web about an Autoglym syphon, only car polish.. Got a pic or link? I did get one from MM and it`s bloody massive! For 200 litre drums.. Since buying it though i`ve also ordered a brass ball valve with lever which i`m going to install in the side of my metal jerry can and just let gravity do the work via an attached hose. Shoulda` thought of that first before all this petrol-related palarver and decanting dilemmas...

Nah, it`ll have to be a syphon, i`ve tried decanting straight into the tanks with a spout on the jerry can and fuel went everywhere! It`s difficult to hold a 20L, 10kg+ jerry can steady enough to pour accurately and slowly enough to fill the tanks on the Bulldog. A funnel would also obscure my view of the fuel level so i wouldn`t know how much more to pour in. I must admit, the tanks on the Bulldog aren`t the easiest to fill up having the harness in front of the filler caps, and i like to fill them to the brim on all flights (unless i know i`m going for a cheeky sub-1-hour second flight of the day for instance). I`m off for a ride on my motorbicycle to visit MachineMart, they look like they do an OK syphon.

Can anyone recommend a good quality fuel syphon for dispensing from jerry can to motor? Ebay is just full of Chinese crap. I`m fed up with buying stuff that develops air leaks and makes dispensing frustrating, and no jiggle syphons, please! The classic type with the rigid diptube, flexible outlet and a squeeze bulb at the top are ideal, but i`d like a good one. Cheers.

Sorry, it has been sold, i`ll edit it now..

32mph seems a bit optimistic for a Universal does it not? That`s Nuc or Hadron territory, surely?

That`ll be just the job for taking your paramotor to explore exotic and exiting new flying locations. Like Scarborough. Or Skegness.

Just be careful - `Power1` is semi, `Power 1 Racing` is fully synthetic.....

My moster is at 250 hours+ and i use Castrol Power1 Racing fully synthetic. I`ve found the best price is from Opie Oils. Buy 5+ litres and use an Opie coupon when available and it`ll come in under ten quid a bottle.

Did you try a Hadron/xx? Know anything about them?

Get the wife to research the `micromort` - it`s a unit of measurement to define the chances of death. 1 micromort = one in a million chance of death per activity. For example skydiving = 8 micromorts per jump. Do you have children? Giving birth = 120 micromorts!

5k is easily enough to get you some good quality used kit with low use. If you believe all the ads on places like ebay you`d be forgiven for thinking that there has never been any paramotor or wing that has ever been flown for more than 12 hours.... Just don`t rush into buying anything yet, get training and whilst that happens you`ll get a better idea of what to buy and be able to keep an eye on the used markets to get a good idea of what`s available and likely prices.

.....it`ll be a shame if it has - i used to refer to it quite often. http://para2000.org/

So at full speed you`re now using 8.5L/hr on the Zorro?

Ah ok, i assumed you`d been flying a lot longer than that - 100 flights in 18 months is good going then!

This was you`re 100th flight, Andy? With all your time in Spain seemingly flying every day i had you down as passing the 100th flight mark a long time ago. ....and well done on getting back in the air after that major op.

If i were you `id build a motorcycle monowheel trailer to transport your paramotor the short distance to your take-off area. You could leave the motor fully assembled and it`d be a much neater method than balancing gear on top of a pillion seat.. Monowheels are great - you hardly know you are pulling one when fitted.

I spent two hours above the clouds this afternoon and it was awesome - bright and sunny, warm, and mega-smooth air at 3000`+. Below the fluffy stuff though was a different matter - lumpy, cold, grey and moody. I`ve noticed that phenomenon twice on recent flights - warmer at higher altitudes than lower down - noticeably so.