gordon_dunn

SLim-- well said!.... some people mightn't want to hear it, but everything you've said is 100%. GD

The situation in Ireland with PPGs is notably different from the Uk. At first i thought this was a bit over the top, but it definetley makes sense. Too many people are getting hurt trying to fly, and putting themselves, and other people in potentially hazardous situations. In Ireland now you need an IAA exemption to fly- in order to get one, you must have attended a flying school, completed a minimum of 15 hours with an instructor, passed a flying test and a theory test, achieve the rating, submit your logbook and submit evidence of 3rd party insurance. You also need a class 2 medical to get teh exemption- not a declaration of health from your GP, but a full class 2 from an aeromedical doctor. If everyone goes for the exemption- then you can guarantee they are aware of the basics- airmanship, navigation, etccc... and you know that they know what they're doing- ultimately a safer situation for everyone. GD

We're going 4 day week from Jan.... An extra flying day in the week would be nice..... but 20% salary cut

That's right Francis.... but the guy with the cracked prop won't get hurt.... he's probably in the safest position.... it will be someone else that will get clipped with the prop fragments... We all have a responsibilty for safety, for ourselves and others.... and should encourage others to do things right. I've always been following the guidance- anything other than minor dressing, repair to the blade tips or trailing edge should be avoided. I wouldn't be flying in the same field as someone if that had a potentially unsafe item such as this. Another useful quote my instructor taught me- "If there's doubt, then there's no doubt"-- if you are doubtful at all that there is a crack in that hub, then discard it immediately- the risk is not worth taking. You must have 100% confidence in your kit before you decide to fly.

Crack anywhere near the prop hub is bad news- don't even consider running the prop on the ground never mind flying it. Theres no point monitoring the crack, it will potentially snap at any time- and the consequences could be serious. Discard it immediately, and replace with a genuine spare part. (Not advice- instruction!)

Sad thing about it..... i'm still not getting enough... you'd think anyone would be happy with averaging 100 hours per year... Anyone got a number for 'Paramotors anonymous'?

This year i've managed 96 hours flying so far, hope fully i'll get over the 100 this year for the first time. Last year got 95 hours in total. Not bad for 54degrees north, and Irish weather, and working full time Mon-Fri-9to 5..... GD

Yes great idea.... we should encourage everyone to do it from the forum... the Irish guys will probably wear an 'IrelandPPG' badge too. (http://irelandppg.freeforums.org/) GD

Quite a large group from Ireland heading out to Splash... Perhaps Paramotor club should have namebadges or something that we can use to identify each other on the day... just print them out before hand... It's a shame that so many of us will be out there, and jsut won't recognise eachother.

You got it in one! Do you know if anyone has these already? I've drawn up one to suit my R120 and R80........ GD

I'm looking for a contact that can cut some small bits of stainless for me, from 5mm stainless steel. I have autocad/dxf file formats, scaled 1:1 Please get in touch if you know anyone who can do this cheaply. GD

I bought one of these recenlty- http://tinyurl.com/5vqkde Pretty good job, deeded essential after almost poking my eye out with the antennae several times while i had it in my pocket. GD

I think it was this episode that sparked the fear of flying over prisons..... and subsequent counter measures. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_Mountjoy_Prison_helicopter_escape

If you really need 2 hour duration, then perhaps you should consider buying a 4 stroke machine. I even know guys with 4 strokers that haven't done flights over 2.5 hours.... they could fly for much longer if necessary, but even after 2 hours in the air, it begins getting cold and uncomfortable.

I use the cruise quite a bit on my H&E's Especially this time of year when it's so cold. With the low hangpoint system, turning is so easy that weightshift is all that's necessary when on XC flights. Generally i take the machine to a very safe height (800 to 1000ft) then lock my throttle so that my tacho reads 7200rpm, after locking it you can force it to adjust it slighlty of necessary- usually check your variometer to see you are indeed straight and level. For the duration of the flight, i keep the throttle 'at hand' in case of emergency. It can be realeased from lock very quickly if necessary. GD

I heard the broadcast on Itunes before the whole fuss was raised, i know 'Brand' can be blunt at the best of times, but when i heard Ross and the 'F' word i thought - hang on now... you can't say that! It just progressively got worse from that point. The thing that amazes me further is the BBC have published transcripts of the whole thing on their website, so even if you avoided the show, you're definetly going to be subjected to it eventually. Everyone and their dog has jumped on the bandwagon since and added their sixpence worth- mainly because of their hatred towards Ross and Brand, not out of genuine dislike but probably jealousy or begrudgery. Inevitibly, all the negative publicity will probably work in their favour in the longtern- if Brand is anything to go by then he's no stranger to conrovercy.

If all the things i mentioned are OK it shouldn't take a lot of pulling to get going.... If you are pulling excessively there is a problem, and you'll only risk breaking your starter rope. GD

Not sure about the situation in the mainland UK but prisons in Northern Ireland are covered by exclusion zones. I'd have thought that for ovbvious reasons flying above prisons would not be permitted. GD

Outkast- Have you primed the engine sufficiently? Is the plug dry? If it's wet, take it out and dry it, carefully use a lighter to make sure its really dry- (away from engine, outside- reduce risk of explosion) While the plug is out give the unit a couple of pullls, to make sure the carb is working Check the plug spark by earthing the ground to the frame, and pulling the cord. If all is working put the plug back in, prime it again, and try pulling. If it dosent work, then carefully hold the throttle at full and pull the starter... get ready to reduce the throttle immediately. I've seen this happen before- usually the engine will begin to turn slowly, then rapidly increase..... giving you some tiem to reduce the throttle. Better if you've got a helper to assist you though. GD

A very large Irish contingent expected to visit this year too- from North and South.

Still too much wind and rain here today, sleet expected tomorrow...

Although this site is very useful in direct comparisons, do not overlook support and service. There is nothing worse than having a small window of perfect flying weather, and having to wait a couple of weeks for a part. This has been the experience of some of my collegues here- i won't mention the brand. A certain manufacturer on this comparison site is a 'one man band', and dosen't even answer the telelphone..., doesn't provide manuals, etc.... Shame really as he has a good product. Also i've found that individuals that chop and change dealerships every couple of years are also fustrating... some of them would rather sell you a new product 'B' than get parts for product 'A'. Longstanding relationships between dealer and manufacturer is a good characteristic. Also a good idea to consider what those guys around you are flying- you can form a 'spares collective' where someone in your group will have the parts you need, without waiting. (sorry for sounding like a 'Simon Cowell', i have not flown for 9 days.... due to weather )

Why don't we ask the CAA? Then can then log on here using our licence numbers... it would be great! wouldn't it!

Careful now! Petrol vapour in an enclosed space is entirely different matter.. easier to ignite, but in theory still needs a spark or naked flame. Don't experiment- take our word for it.

The centre of gravity is one point- but i suspect that this will make little difference to the overall feel of the paramotor. The 210 is a heavy engine, there is a lot of it on the piston side of the crankshaft, therefore it probably needs a lot of weight on the opposing side to counteract this. If you PAP frame is low hangpoint, then you should bear this in mind. Ulimately when you are clipped into the frame, the centre of gravity should be acting on an axis near your belly button. To maintain this you may need to invert the engine also. The point you bring up about fire is an old point aired on numberous occasions on many different forums. If your engine catches fire you're probably in big trouble... but how likely is this to happen.. If it overheats, leans out, etc.... the piston will melt or have a hole burnt though it, then it will immediatley stop or seize. I've never heard of a 2 stroke catching fire ever. On board electrical starter unit may be the only risk, these are generally fused, that should protect you from fire. If you have a pull start then you're ok. Also a lot of people think that a fuel leek over a hot engine will cause a fire... 2 stroke mix requires a spark to ignite it, the hot engine surfaces will not produce the ingnition- lots of smoke maybe, but no fire. If you're really concerned about the high level fuel tank, and CofG the best option may be to sell your machine and buy a newer style PAP or H&E. I have a list of paramotor accidents and their attributed causes somewhere- of the 250 or so listed, fire was not mentioned once.