tomarnold

I put some petrol/oil mix into my fuel tank for a flight a couple of weeks ago. I put in 5 litres and I use around 2 litres per hour. I have flown for 2 hour since putting the fuel in, so I now have about a litre left in there. I know a lot of people say that you shouldn't keep petrol/oil mix for very long as it can separate and you risk engine damage. So what should I do with the last 1 litre of fuel in the tank? Throw it away? Seems a bit of a waste. But then again I probably shouldn't add new fuel to it should I? Or is that just being over-fussy? Do you run your tank dry on each flight? I would've thought that would be a bit of a pain unless you end each flight by climbing high above your landing field in order to run out of fuel.

Right, it looks like I'm going to need a torque wrench. I've just started out with my first motor (a fairly old Rad Arrow), and I was going through my pre-flight check before I went flying on Saturday (great first flight by the way ) and realised that it is pretty tricky to check prop bolts etc. with any accuracy without a torque wrench. However, my prop has four M6 bolts which torque up to 6Nm, and one M10 which torques up to 50Nm. Most torque wrenches within my price range don't cover this wide a range. Does anybody have any recommendations or ideas? I was wondering about getting a small 6Nm torque wrench (like the ones you use on bikes) just for the prop bolts (like this one http://www.bicyclehero.com/gb/superb-tb ... tAoddRsARA) and then a 'normal' torque wrench for the rest of them. What do you reckon?

Went for my first ever paramotor flight this morning (along with Russell Knight), and had a great time! I aborted the first couple of reverse launch attempts as I didn't commit enough to moving once I had turned around, but the third launch went perfectly and I had a lovely flight over my village. A bit rough and bumpy as the thermals were kicking off, but a nice first flight. Hooray!

That's a relief, as I'm going flying early tomorrow morning and the only local garage near me that sells super unleaded doesn't have any left, and the next nearest one that sells it is 10 miles away and it costs £1.80 a litre!

Cheers Simon, I'll go with the 33:1 mix then. I didn't really doubt the manual, but I wanted to get a second opinion. Also, did you run your rad on regular unleaded or super?

Hi all, I have just bought a Rad Arrow (one of the older ones without a clutch), and I was wondering about the mix ratio and also what kind of petrol to use. Generally, most motors take a 50:1 mix, but the Rad Arrow manual says a 33:1 mix (i.e. 150ml for 5l of petrol). I guess I should just follow the manual's recommendation, but I haven't seen any other motors that run on such an oil-rich mix. Also, there seems to be a bit of a mix of opinion about whether to use super or regular unleaded. Of course the manual says to use 98 octane (super) but then again so do pretty much all cars, and I certainly haven't ever bought super unleaded for any of my cars.

I take the point about landowner's permission. I'll have to see if I can find out who owns the land...

Sounds like good advice. From a purely legal standpoint though, is it ok to take off from public recreation grounds? I'm thinking about really early in the morning (4:30am) when there definitely won't be anybody about!

There is a huge open park (recreation ground with football pitches) very close to where I work, and it would make an ideal takeoff field. One end of it is rarely used by the public, so I was considering going there early in the morning / late in the evening for a fly. Is there any reason why I shouldn't?

Thanks for all the replies everyone. I went for a little flight along the coast this morning (free-flying) to satisfy my need to get in the air, and I pick up my motor on Saturday, woohoo!

Great, it would be really good to meet some other local pilots. Get in touch when you'd like to go flying together, and we could get something arranged.

Thanks for the advice, sounds like my dream may be possible! I have bought a Rad Arrow (picking it up on Saturday 4th May), and I am told it's pretty easy to pull-start. I'll let you know how I get on... In the meantime, if anybody has any stories about paramotor thermalling experiences I'd love to hear.

Hmm, something odd going on with the email setup. My email address is tomandsophie at gmail dot com (spelled out as I am told it can help avoid spam). Hope to hear from you soon...

I am off to pick up my first paramotor next weekend, and I am so excited about it I'm finding it very hard to sleep! I have been freeflying for around 7-8 years, and I have done a few xc thermal flights, and I was wondering how many of you do much thermal flying? I really like the idea of taking off in the morning in nice calm air and then turning the motor off once the thermals pick up enough, and then restarting it again if I get too low and can't connect the next thermal. Is this possible or just a wonderful dream? Is it practical to pull-start a motor in flight?

Hi Russell, I have sent an email. Let me know if it gets to you. It would be great to meet up.

Thanks for the welcome. No, not ex-forces, must be somebody else. Picking up my motor on Saturday 4th May, so will be itching to go flying. Anybody want to meet up nearby?

Hi all, I'm about to buy my first motor and I'm looking for some local flying buddies. Does anybody on here fly around the Yeovil/Crewkerne area? Tom.

I have found a motor that I'd like to buy (it'll be my first motor), but it's up in the North West and I live in Somerset, so it's far too far to drive to pick it up. I know some people send their paramotors by courier when they get them serviced/fixed, so does anybody have any direct experience of this? I need a bit of advice! Also, the guy who's selling it says that the cage has been welded at the base, so it can't be fully dismantled. Does anybody know of a courier who would be willing to deliver it 'whole'?

Thanks Gordon, that's a really useful reply. Cheers.

He he he, thanks for the reply, but was that 'yes they are pretty universal' or 'yes you need to get one from the manufacturer'?

Are cages pretty universal or do you have to get one that is designed specifically for the motor?

Do you know where I can get a cage for a Fresh Breeze paramotor, and roughly how much it will cost? Am wondering about buying one, but it doesn't have a cage. Thanks, Tom.