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Folks, I'm attending a meeting of the Wicklow Uplands Council in Ireland in 2 days. At present no aircraft are allowed to take off within the National park (Powered or Unpowered). Im looking for arguments supporting foot launched aviation (Powered/Unpowered) in National Parks & Recreation Areas. I understand that in many other countries some of the best & most used flying sites are inside National Parks? So far I have: 1. No impact on the environment as the pilot is only on the ground for approx 20ft. A child running in the grass for an hour has much more impact on flora. Hikers have more impact etc. 2. Silent (Unpowered) 3. Novelty value supports tourism re. viewers & bystanders. 4. Suffers from lack of awareness by the general public & is actually very safe. 5. Free & foot launched flyers are generally very aware of the environment & appreciate nature, minimising their impact on it. Thanks for any other suggestions.

Nice!

I'd love to see a paramotor engine based on the wankle rotary design.

Love the app! Nice one

I have a GoPro, a Panasonic & a Kodak HD Zi8. The Kodak is the best, great vibrant colours, only problem is the lack of optical zoom & the shape isn't streamlined for attaching to things.

Hmmm...Ill report back when I've tried it...

Is there any actual evidence linking regulation to a reduction in incidents/accidents? I think maybe this is just perception. Most of the accidents I read about involve a good spread of people from regulated/deregulated countries and Nat Associations/Newer Associations/Non-Affiliated Pilots. Although, in deregulated countries more accidents seem to happen outside the Nat Associations. Maybe they just go unreported in countries that have regulation but insufficient resources/motivation for enforcement. Our sport is by its nature more difficult to track than fixed wing aircraft requiring runways, regulated licensing can also be seen as an over-onerous process for what most new flyers see as more akin to paragliding than fixed wing aviation. In a small niche sport under such circumstances regulation may discourage people from pursuing proper training or reporting accidents. In which case we could say that regulation leads to a reduction in safety!

I order them from the UK PAP Dealer.

Did you decide yet? I have a Synth 29 and I'm 78kg naked. Its great if I'm not looking to carry too much, although it needs some coaxing to get off the ground. I've been planning to add some more weight (Lightweight tent, sleeping bag, spares etc) for fly-camping and am a bit worried about how she'll cope. I've read comments that with Dudek wings you should order one size larger than you think you'll need. I'd agree and I'll be doing this next time. M2c.

Good points Gordon. I'm just throwing it out there, not for Ireland specifically, but just wondering how the two systems have worked in whatever countries they're being used in. Is the USA deregulated? I ask because the WPPGA (Which i know very little about) seems to be slightly controversial. Would regulation avoid these types of situations? Maybe it causes much more headaches than it's worth.

Hi all, I believe the Irish Aviation Authority may be looking at FLPA licensing at the moment. At the moment there's an Exemption system in place. Ironically gaining the exemption requires doing basically what you'd need to for a license. I would have always been for deregulation. But when I consider individuals doing solo runs & abandoning their national associations to set up their own (Illegitimate?) org's with 'Global'/'International'/'World' etc in the title I think maybe regulation can be a good thing. Anyhow, I'm curious. What are people's opinions of Regulation Vs Deregulation re. advantages & disadvantages?

After a week and a half of high winds and my consequent bad mood, the weather broke this morning for a while!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOZT_ox6 ... ture=share What was supposed to be a high level flight, turned into a low level flight which was really great fun, enjoyed it a huge amount! Not my best video ever though, sorry about the squeaky voice at the end, the mic must have been at an iffy angle/distance or something. Diarmaid.

Famous last words!

Hi folks, I'm new to this paramotoring lark, started a few weeks ago. I was hanggliding for a few years but decided to try something I could do a little more locally. Trained in France with Backbone last month and bought a used PAP ROS 125 and Dudek Synthesis off Skyads, which I'm flying in Ireland at the moment. Having a ball with it . Here's two videos I've made so far: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idzib7g13nU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDrGu9LLSO8 Anyhow, just wanted to say hi! Diarmaid