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PatPux

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    Test Vimeo Embeds

    in Technical Support

    Posted

    I am having some difficulties with Vimeo video embeds in posts.

    I am inputting on an ipad 3rd generation via safari

    [vimeo]

    [/vimeo]

    This video is embedded as "vimeo]

    [/vimeo" brackets omitted so it shows as text, it shows on my ipad as a large blank space in safari and as "Flash video" inBlue text in the app

    http://www.vimeo.com/69140873

    This video is embedded as "www.vimeo.com/69140873" it shows on my ipad as a blue highlighted clickable link in safari and the app

    How do you get the thumbnail to show?

    Anybody want to tell me what they see and what they are using to see it.

    And more importantly,what I am doing wrong an how to put it right

    Patrick's Progression

    in Paramotor Training Blogs

    Posted

    Day 12 29/6/13

    A windy but sunny Saturday morning at Membury, ground handling the 12m Dudek training wing , both kiting and in the harness.

    Weather was wrong for flying and in any case the Macro was still recovering from a "getting into the seat too early" coming together between prop, frame and ground. Not me!

    Mid morning the wind settled a little and I was able to have a go in the harness with Col's 23m Paramania (not sure which one).

    It was an interesting morning of experimentation.

    On the plus side, especially with the training wing, you could try all sorts of inputs and timings and see the results, on the negative you re-calibrated to the different wings, which worries me slightly, for when I get the bus, that is the 34m Dudek back out again!

    Another interesting point I noted is how much the zone of influence of the windward trees increased in the windier conditions. In a position I would normally have expected relatively clean air on previous days, it was choppy enough to make keeping the wing stable overhead very difficult, but move to the middle of the field and no problem.

    As an aside and as often seems the case , there was somethingelse interesting going on. A man with very large Cahoonas was flying a home built replica of a WW1 Fokker monoplane

    http://www.vimeo.com/69376206

    Also met Laurence, Simon's latest recruit, down for for his first lesson, who got a handle on kiting the training wing pretty quickly. With business in video media, I might actually get some video of me doing something!

    Today's learning points

    Kiting the wing is one of your pointers as to whether to fly

    Do not under estimate how far into a field local obstructions can have an influence.

    Cheap ground handling harness

    in Other

    Posted

    Get a Black Diamond Bod harness , on clearance at urban rock

    http://www.urbanrock.com/alpine-bod £25 on clearance

    Take it to your village cobbler and get two webbing loops sewn on.£5

    2 cheap carabiners £10

    I tried the harness on under the school harness to see how long the loops needed to be to put the carabiners the same place.

    I don't really know how much that matters , since the ground handling harness is unlikely to be exactly the same positioning as the motor harness.

    Anyway this saved me going on bidding on eBay and failing time after time to secure something much more expensive.

    image.jpg.7192686f4e69874c28373085739549

    image.jpg.a5c5a10ee9f60c633c12168c32d7a9

    Pete's Progress

    in Paramotor Training Blogs

    Posted

    Yes, I made that same note to self for my second flight. So I really consciously kept running and running , but I still have to say that even though I had definitely left the ground and had my legs treading nothing, I still felt like i sank back as I tried to get in the seat.

    So I think next note to self is , run and run and run and even when your off keep the legs down and ready to run again in case you sink back. All probably related to being on the heavy side :wink: I suppose.

    On your preparation for XC, I haven't been able to help myself from planning mine , even though it is some way off. So I have been mapping various triangles and routes from the Membury back to the house and flying them on GE to familiarise myself.

    I am sure the real thing will look completely different, but can't do any harm. There are a few good references around, eg Didcot Power Station , RAF Welford, The White Horse, Ashdown House and the M4, of course.

    The obvious one of the Membury mast 500ft AGL , is actually pretty invisible until it is silhouetted.

    Anyway, Good Luck, it's good reading a blog of where I will be going, with any luck!

    Patrick's Progression

    in Paramotor Training Blogs

    Posted

    Thanks

    Interesting on the launching. All three that launched that day (and the other 2 were maiden flights as well) did reverse launches. I certainly found that easier than the forward with my bigger wing. Conditions must have been just right for reverses, 5 or 6 knots and steady.

    Patrick's Progression

    in Paramotor Training Blogs

    Posted · Edited by Guest

    Day 11 25/6/13 FLIGHT 2

    Weather promised 7mph winds, cleared the work diary for Tuesday and there I was at Membury at 8:30 ready for a 9 o'clock start. Soon after Sam turned up , him looking hopeful for his maiden and me for my second.

    It was completely clear to start and even when those little white clouds did start popping off to the west things didn't seem to liven up too much.

    This was my first chance to try out the Synth 34 I had picked up last Friday from Neil Cullingford. The wind very light and just hand kiting to lay I out ,it was immediately apparent how much more wing I was dealing with, than the 29 I had been used to.

    I tried a practice forward in the light conditions and found it really difficult to get the wing up, tried a couple of times before getting one that was just about passable. This was going to be hard work, I would need to pace myself.

    I did wonder whether changing to learn with the 35 today was the right decision when it might have jeopardised my chance at my second flight.

    Luckily the wind picked up a little and I was soon consistently reverse launching the new wing, actually the initial launch was the same as the 29 in both technique and effort, the final part actually seemed steadier and easier wit less tendency to overshoot.

    Simon was now readying Sam for his first flight, so I stood by behind his wing, ready to help reset it . Not that I was needed, a very steady raise was followed by a controlled turn and go. Building throttle with only a slight hesitation mid run soon saw him airborne.

    http://www.vimeo.com/69140873 :D

    Things were just starting to get a bit variable, so lunch was called. Luckily the cloud cover started to build and things smoothed out with a steady light Westerly.

    I was good to go for number 2 :)

    Col B was going to officiate. I did my own check of the motor unit and harness, even though I knew it had been done, it s a good habit to get into for the time when you don't have an instructor holding your hand.

    With the benefit of my de-brief, I can describe the launch, I got the wing up fine , but I hesitated immediately after the turn-so the wing dropped back a little , but I kept forward momentum and basically by just keeping going and applying power got the wing back up to where it should have been, by which time by applying full power I got into the launch proper. Kept running, kept full power, consciously kept running and away we went. So achieved OK , but not with great finesse!

    I then kept full power on climb out, which my 105kg needed in noticeable difference to The lighter Sam who was able to back off a little and still climb.

    I was not in the seat properly, so after getting some altitude, I didn't feel confident enough to park the brakes, but by wriggling and using my elbows to lever off the back of the risers was able to get in, but I felt a bit squashed up with my knees too high. It turned out the the seat front lap was folded under-I found out later.

    Anyway the flight was BRILLIANT. I was left to my own devices with minimal radio contact, initially, making my own decisions on when to level out and when to make my turn to come downwind at the west end of the field. I was warned about an aircraft on finals to the South and advised to keep along the Northern boundary.

    Spotting other aircraft is incredibly difficult, even after being told roughly where it was, I suppose its partly getting used to working with that 3rd dimension you get once airborne

    I had backed off most of the power now, but was still climbing in some strong lift, comparing myself to Membury's student altimeter- the radio mast at 500ft I must have been up around 1000ft. So I spent sometime just tooling around over the grain silos at the East end , putting in tight 180s and various left and right turns to lose height, while the incoming aircraft cocked his landing up and had to go round again. I felt really comfortable doing this-I think my distant paragliding experience just kicked in subconsciously.

    The go round meant I had to now look at landing on the grass strip rather than my original target of the practice field, but I had plenty of height, in fact I still had to put an Ess in.

    Out of the seat now , getting a bit bumped around by something off the trees behind the services, corrected left, felt I had pendulumed right and might be in for a bit of side swipe landing, but applying the brakes for flair seemed to straighten it all up.

    :acro:

    I was sure this time I was going land gracefully on my feet, but no, it ended in a sort sliding arse skid for a couple of metres, but no damage done.

    Lessons Learnt

    I felt I started to make better judgements about my height and how and when to lose it, but the last bit still happens quicker than expected.

    Turn and go immediately on launch.

    Keeping a look out and the difficulty of spotting other aircraft.

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