alanhinsaudi

Does it need to be Paris as there is a Mauritanian embassy in Riyadh. However, the earliest I would be able to get one is Saturday as it is the weekend here now. Happy to try to get one and DHL it too you or alternatively could scan and e-mail it. Alan

I must admit I had my doubts about the SPOT coverage in Saudi but the device worked as advertised, sending the OK message within 10 minutes of pressing the button. Next flight I'll activate the tracking mode and see how responsive it is. One of the reasons I don't itend to use my Breitling is its' weight. It weighs about 8oz and when you are holding your brakes i.e. arms up, it dosn't take long for your arm to get tired. I should have bought the titanium version! Alan

Phil, You’re absolutely right and the reason I bought the SPOT. The fact is the original reason I bought the Breitling had nothing to do with aviation but was for personal safety. I had just had a friend shot and killed and a number of other westerners were taken hostage and later executed, the absolute low point of my time here. The idea was that if I was taken I may get a chance to activate it and bring rescue. It sounds a bit silly now but at the time it made perfect sense and the personnel who had responsibility for my safety knew to check the frequency. That threat has now long gone as the majority of the idiots have been executed or are in a deep dark cell as guests of either the Saudi or American Governments. I therefore had the watch before I took up paramotoring and it seemed perfect sense to use it accordingly. However, now that the satellite monitoring has been or is going to be turned off for 121.5Mhz my faith in it as my sole rescue aid from the desert has diminished and, although I love the watch as a watch, I have decided to sell it and it is advertised on the site. The SPOT provides a far more flexible (and far less expensive) rescue aid and I plan to carry two (SLIM I’m waiting ), one as a back up, when we go cross country. Does anyone know if there is a lightweight 406 MHz PLB available suitable for Paramotor use? Alan P.S. Not doing a very good sales pitch for the Breitling but it is a work of art!

Tried the SPOT for the first time yesterday and it worked a treat. Sent an OK message and sure enough it was e-mailed and texted to the addresses and mobile numbers I specified. What an excellent piece of kit and I now have some reassurance that if I do go down in the desert help is only the press of a button away. I’d previously relied on my Breitling Emergency but was never confident that any one was listening all the time on 121.5Mhz. I've enabled the tracking mode so if anyone is interested PM me and I’ll send you the tracking web page. Alan

I've, reluctantly, decided to part with my Breitling Emergency Mission watch. The Breitling Emergency watch contains a transmitter that will transmit a signal on the 121.5 Aircraft emergency frequency when activated. The watch has just been returned from its first service and is in immaculate condition. The photos below show an identical watch to mine. I wanted to give members here first dibs on the watch before I place it on ebay later in the year. The retail value of this watch new is in the region of £3,500. I would expect to sell for about £2,500 but I’m open to offers. If you are interested please PM me. http://paramotorclub.org/forum/album_pic.php?pic_id=649 http://paramotorclub.org/forum/album_pic.php?pic_id=650 Alan

Do we need to order these through the online shop now?

Thanks Simon I appreciate that. I'll e-mail you the wording. Many thanks Alan

I had a problem with my wing tip steering but slightly different from above. I check the position of the tip steering knot on pre-flight religiously but after a couple of failed launches the right hand side one it must have caught on something and the knot moved up the line. After getting airborne I always check my lines and noticed that the right tip steer was applied. I considered cutting the tip steer line with my hook knife but after checking my flight characteristics I found no ill effects. I immediately landed and corrected the problem. I now religiously re-check the position of the tip steer lines after recovering from failed launches. Alan

Gents, Unfortunately due to other commitments Simon is not able to support this event at the moment. I would therefore be grateful if anyone who has expressed an interest in coming to Saudi to fly would be prepared to support the UK organisational element of trip. If so please let me know. To kick start the ball rolling I need a letter, on club headed paper, requesting the visit. Many Thanks Alan

I have saved up to buy a new wing and I had decided to buy a Fusion but just had to spend the money getting my car fixed Bu**er!

This is the camera I'm using http://www.dogcamsport.co.uk/dogcampro520.htm and I use a Sony handycam as the recorder. You can get different lenes for the dogcam but I use the standard 3.2mm. The quality is excellent but is lost on youtube. As stated above, if you want to see the actual quality I will send you a dvd with a couple of flights on it. (any comments/recommendations on my flying would also be appreciated) Best Regards Alan

If anyone is interested PM me your address and I'll send a dvd with the complete flight (Free of charge), including the sh***ty landing. The quality and detail is far better. Best Regards Alan

I'm going to the east coast this week and hope to get some flying in and I'll take some video if I do. It will take your breath away! Thanks for the flying tip Pete I'll give it a try next time up. Best regards Alan

Some video I took today. I need to adjust the camera up slightly though.

Slim, I received one from eXpansys a couple of weeks ago. However, I still want one from yourselves as the money goes to the charity and I can use the second one for something else I have in mind so happy to wait for SPOT to get themselves sorted out and get the CE clearance. Best regards Alan

I want to get my RT License. I've bought the books and CDs but does anyone know how you organise a test?

If there is anything I can do to support your sky car expedition let me know.

I would love to be involved in this but I can't make the meeting, a little problem of 3000 miles! on the up side I'm already a quarter of the way to Australia and I'm used to dealing with rugged terrain and dangerous creatures including snakes, scorpions & large ugly flesh eating spiders! I'm told by my boss (ex RAAF pilot) who has extensive knowledge of flying in that part of the country that it is like flying in the empty quarter (a name given to a large part of Saudi with nothing it).

It's a dog cam and sticks on with three suction pads. I was worried the vibration might have released them but they are stuck fast!

I'm embarrassed to present my first fledgling attempt at using a helmet cam. I'll put the landing on later as I managed to land my wing in the only pile of sharp jagged breeze blocks in the F***ing desert! Here is the landing. It took me ages to extract my wing from the rubble without damaging it.

I would be very interested in taking part in this once in a life time adventure. Alan

I also have a PAP 1400 and a Micro Avionics strobe but have yet to successfully fit it, the radius of the half circle clamp was too big for the frame and snapped when I tightened the tie ( I should have known better as I am an engineer!) To test the strobe I used a small 12v sealed lead acid battery but these are quite heavy and the last thing I need is extra weight! Also, I have yet to decide where to place a battery when I install it. My first thought was just to place it in the pocket of the harness but decided after a nano second that was not the smartest place to but a battery as it was more likely to impact the ground in a heavy landing and could generate a spark/fire. If you come up with any good ideas please let me know. Alan

I think he deserves a Dawin award just for the attempt!

Has the video been removed as it won't run?

I'll ask around and try to get an estimate for you. Do you know how much they will retail for? Alan