gordon_dunn

Myself and a few collegues are considering upgrading from 2m band to Airband- after getting the required licence. What type of equipment would generally be recomended? I feel that the ICOM A6 is a bit too large.... are there any alternatives? What type of Comms headset would be required? Would appreciate any advice offered. GD

'Txt spk' makes me sick... I personally won't reply to anyone using it! It may be easier to write (is it?), but it's more difficult to read. If someone is so lazy not to try and communicate properly, can they be bothered learning to fly safely? GD

You'll get it cheaper in Homebase- same stuff. It's pretty good. GD

Dougal, Dean is actually off in France for his training right now, he'll be back next week though. I'd recommend the new Irish PPG Forum if you want exposure to more of the local PPG comunity and events. Check out URL at- http://irelandppg.freeforums.org/index.php GD

http://www.gordondunn.co.uk/flightlog.htm Only really use full throttle for takeoff... On my R80/115 machine i cruise straight and level at 7200rpm (max 9500rpm). On my R120/99 i cruise at 5800rpm (9600max) I'd use maybe 80% throttle to climb to a height, then usually stay there, at cruise speed weight shifting. After reaching the flight objective/destination id usually do some lower level stuff around the landing field if enough fuel was available. GD

I really thought attempts at strobes on paramotors were a bit of a waste of time, but after seeing a few microlights out on an overcast sky on monday, i think it would be quite a good idea to get one. When flying in sunny conditions/blue sky, i don't think they are necessary, but when it is dull/overcast or visiblity begins to fall, then i think they could be worthwile. While LEDs are improving in power output, they are not omni directional- Several LEDS would be required in a number of directions to be effective. The 'pulsing' of the strobe is also important. At the moment anything commercially available and effective seems to be 12V and Xenon based.

Impressive.... but...Why?

Don't you mean 'their' English exam? (Touché)

When i hear stories like this, about pilots wanting to fly without any formal training, the seemingly 'harsh' stance by the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) seems quite reasonable. They insist that to fly in the Republic, you must hold a valid exemption- in order to get the exemption you must produce evidence that you attended a certified training school, aquired a rating, passed a medical, and hold valid 3rd party insurance. The only downside on the Irish system as it currently stands, is the medical- they insist on a Class 2 medical- which is equivalent for a full PPL. In Northern Ireland, the same rules apply as the rest of the UK. But pilots that are caught flying in the south run the risk of being prosecuted, having their gear confiscated and being fined 10,000 Euro. I'd say it's a matter of time before the UK follow suit- especially with the increased popularity of the sport. GD

Dougal, also there is more information/photos/videos etc.... on my own website- www.gordondunn.co.uk check out the videos section- some real good paramotoring stuff here.

here it is.... I'm going to get one...... http://www.hobby-lobby.com/video-camera.htm

Yes that was probably me... there is another guy in Bready that flys too, but he hasn't been at it too long. I have a number of sites that i fly from around Omagh, newtownsteward, bready, etc.... Hoping to do a cross country up to Letterkenny soon, from Omagh.

I saw some forum articles on a video camera- small device like an ATC 2K, but with a swivel head, and 2GB memory...... but can't find the posting. May have been another forum.... Can anyone remember seeing this? If so i'd appreciate the link. GD

Dougal- good to hear from you. Didn't realise there was another paramotorist in the neigbouring county. You've been hiding well. Which school did you go to in Spain? was it Jim Murhpy's? What type of gear have you? Just to let you know, while i do reqularly monitor/contribute to this forum- there is an 'all ireland' forum called 'Ireland PPG' There has been a lot of activity of late, Ireland still has a relatively small PPG community- partly due to the requirement for an IAA exemption for pilots...... The fourm URL is http://irelandppg.freeforums.org/ You would be most welcome to participate- + anyone else for that matter. GD

Average for me is almost 90 hours per year, with and average of 1 flight per week. Fuel economy is 3litres per hour typically for my H&E R80 GD

Simon--- can you pass on the contact for producing the graphics? Gd

You're right- the charachteristics of the wing change fiercly when it's wet. While flying last year, ii noticed a rain shower approaching so i turned for base and outran the shower and landed successfully. I didn't have time to pack up the wing and it got saturated with the rain. I't took two of us to lift the wing it was so heavy when it got wet! GD

Pure hydrogen peroxide is relativley stable, but handling of the catalyst in it's presence needs to be careful. The jet pack is a very clever bit of engineering really, but it took a very skilled operator, and a lot of 'adrenalin' to actually fly it--- considering that if you haven't safely landed after 45 seconds, then you didn't have any option but to fall to the ground. As far as I'm aware there are only 3 trained operators in the world for this machine- although apparently Michaeal Jackson was a pilot at one point, and allegedly made a few public flights. GD

One 'blue sky' idea that would be an option would be a hydrogen peroxide powered device. This is similar to the 'Jet pack' technology, where thrust is generated by the catalytic reaction of hydrogen peroxide and silver. The silver decomposes the hydrogen peroxide into a mixture of superheated steam and oxygen in less than 1/10 of a millisecond, increasing it's volume up to 5000 times. This hot gas is used exclusively as the reaction mass and is directly led to one or more jet nozzles. Of course the jet pack requires a lot of thrust to lift a man vertically- the limitations of fuel supply mean that typical flights are only between 30 and 45 seconds- but if the reaction was slowed down, by reducing the amount of catalyist then you should get a more prolonged thrust duration- requireing only around 60kgs instead of 125kgs thrust. The reactor is very simple, there would be a requirement for very few moving parts, and thrust would be instantaneous- compared to a turbine or conventional two stroke unit. Such a concept would mean that there would be no prop, no cage, instant response to throttle, no pollutants, etc.... On the downside though- high expense of peroxide propellant, difficult to source propellant, danger of scalding- exhaust gases are 740 degrees C! Just an idea...... GD

You'll find that a lot of the current manufacturers have collated all the 'best ideas' and combined them on their best machine, 'best ideas' is a very subjective matter. You really need to break it down and ask what you're trying to get out of it- a performance machine, or simply auxillary power for a paraglider. The general consensus is that you can do one of these well, but not both. The next revolution in paramotoring will be when someone puts aside every influence from what is currently out there, and looks at the core fundamentals- footlaunch, harness, wing attachment, thrust- along with consideration for weight, alternative to a dangerous prop, and costs. The PPG market is already very competitive, prices are very good- definitely a buyers market at the moment. It would be difficult to build a machine with the quality, features and performance of an H&E for example, for any less than the market price. Unless there was a quantum leap innovative idea, i wouldn't even consider a self build. GD

Got a short flight in Donegal today- not perfect weather, but broke my chain of 57days without flying. See pictures at- http://picasaweb.google.com/Pelgis/2008_0324Rossnowlagh GD

Simon, Very good point to note there, people often overlook this- even fixed wing pilots. One other point to note that PPG's themselves also generate significant wake turbulence- due to the slow moving nature. Be particuarly careful if flying in formation, especially behind other PPGs. Most turbulence will be felt at the 7-8 o'clock position, or 4-5 o'clock position (relative to the lead pilot), and several meters below (depending on distance). I'd suggest if flying in formation, the rearward pilot should stay above the lead, maintain lots of separation and ensure that both pilots can have visual contact at all times. For added safety pilots should have air/air radio contact so that the rear pilot can be pre-warned of any directional/height changes. GD

Sorry i forgot to post it earlier guys- but if anyone is interested I've posted a video of one of our best fly-ins last year, at Co.Mayo Ireland. See the video section at www.gordondunn.co.uk , or use this direct link- http://www.gordondunn.co.uk/videogaller ... ayo-07.wmv Regards GD

I have a deep cycle leisure battery and inverter installed into my Kangoo, but for hot water i find the best solution is a Trangia Spirit Burner. These are fantastic items, capable of boiling a kettle in only 8mins- using minimal fuel. You can also use it to heat up soup, fry, etc.... Very handy. I've mastered the art of landing, lighting the trangia with a full kettle of water, folding the wing up- then making a nice coffee. GD

Any pictures Simon?