Hodders

Like the look of that Garmin - problem with using smartphones is daylight readability in direct sunlight.

And this is why Cumulonimbus clouds are scary - great picture !

http://bokeh.digitalrev.com/article/pilot-takes-phenomenal-photo-of-a-thunderstorm-from-cockpit

Great photo !

PPGps is pretty good. But It does seem sensible to prepare for all electronics to fail (paper map/landmarks etc)

I use a google docs spreadsheet so I can update it on my phone after landing whilst it's all still fresh in my head.

I like the idea of having an online version especially if we could share the info. Having photos of the sky/clouds and a description of the weather and flying conditions would possibly help new pilots improve their predictions of conditions.

Where is the best place to find them online ?

Can't imagine anything scarier than 9 hawks screaming around "sharing" airspace with a paramotor !

My understanding was that 2 strokes run on the 'rich side' of a perfect stoichiometric ratio (where the fuel/oxygen mix is perfectly balanced). If you run an engine either side of this ratio it runs cooler as the fuel is not all used up and acts to cool the combustion chamber.

I'm very happy to be wrong as that always seemed far too simple an explanation.

The big hope is the big push by companies like Tesla for automotive applications.

The motors are already there, we just need the battery tech to improve. I am convinced it will happen.

The benefits are huge - prop noise will be the same (and is not insignificant) but reliability and cost of use will tumble compared to 2 strokes.

Just need the batteries !

Anybody seen the following website: http://www.exomo.com/

28kg includes motor and battery and gives 60 mins (don't know at what throttle) with 50 to 70kg thrust depending on prop.

Sooo close to getting there. Even with that setup you can always upgrade the battery tech as it changes.

But I imagine that the state of tune is very different. Not many scooter owners would put up with the 10/50/100 hour checks and service parts.

I seriously think that for the majority of pilots electric is the future. Once we get a 20kg unit with a 60 minute cruise time on a single charge I'm sold. You could even add more battery cells for longer duration, just like we add more fuel now.

From the pictures it looks like no electric start as it appears to have the clutch.

Glad to see your hard work is appreciated. I've certainly been more active since the new site went live. Thanks !

Still remember the "Am I really going to do this moment" when Colin said "When you feel lucky" just before I stepped forward and went for a forward launch on my 1st flight.

An amazing expereince - Well done. I'm still waiting to land on my feet after 6 flights

Still *very* much a novice with only 6 flights and <2hrs airtime.

1) I like the idea of my take offs being decided by me. Get the ground speed, really feel the lift and then choose to take off by using a touch of brake. KEEP running, there is no rush to get into the seat.
2) Ask questions about everything. Why is the wind doing what it is? What should I do if... ? Etc.
3) Watch other people and refer to point 2. By realising what went well and what could have been done better for others, you can learn a lot yourself.
4) If anything, anything at all doesn't feel right or look right, STOP.
5) Checks - if it's on a pre-flight list it means it has happened.
6) Don't rush - I had a flight today, my first take off, the engine stopped as it was idling just after I had brought the wing up. I put the wing back on the ground and it was ready to go again. My decision to put the brakes back on the risers. Meant I could go through my routine of brakes, reach round the risers, take the As from the start. I then knew all the bits I was holding onto were properly arranged meant my next take off run was bang on.

Comments on any of the above gratefully received !
 

Good shout Simon.

One of the first conclusions I reached when I started my training with Simon was the extend and depth of his knowledge. My wing and motor choices were all discussed with him and I'm really glad I did as I got equipment that is suited to my skill level.

If we want the sport to remain unlicensed and so accessible we need to make sure that we are perceived as responsible pilots.

As Simon said to me earlier today, paramotors are *NOT* flying motorbikes.

I really look forward to seeing what comes out of this.

For me (very much a novice after only 5 flights) it is all very similar to learning to drive.

When you start you stall all the time, so you practise. Eventually you can pull away without stalling but you have to really think about it.

It's about then that you get taught about the indicators and having to think about two things at once means you stall again.

You can certainly do "enough" ground handling to make wing corrections something that you can do pretty fluently as you practise forwards and reverse launches. But stick a motor on your back, a throttle in your hand, the push from the engine, the torque on your back as you feed in the power and it becomes very easy to "stall".

In summary my thoughts - it is possible to do enough ground handling to get to a point where your instructor is happy you can take off safely. But it is pretty well impossible to do too much ! Watch some ground handling videos and the finesse some people have is amazing.

You could try posting on some of the facebook paramotoring groups. I'm sure you'll find someone.

My wife was born and bred in Brecon and my parents-in-law moved from Brecon to Llandew about 8 years ago when they retired from farming. I was raised in Dorstone (near Hay-on-Wye) so it's an area I know pretty well.

One of my flying aims is to go flying over the Beacons. I've only had five flights now so I still need a whole load more experience before I can contemplate it as I'm still very much a total novice.

So I hopped onto the member map and found a chap called Stevie who lives in Brecon and flys there regularly. Dropped him a message and opened the door for a beer next time we are down there.

I get the feeling that the member-map could be great for this kind of thing.... Thanks @admin (Simon W)

@admin (Simon W), I've noticed that all the members on the map are in the "Members" group. I'm guessing the "Full PMC Member" group has not been given permission to add their locations in the settings page of the map plugin.

All I see is (same in Firefox and Chrome)... Am I being dull ?

Looking really swish @simonW. Good Job.

How do I add a marker on the Member Map ?

Whilst I have no experience paragliding I can talk about paramotoring.

I have had 4 flights now so I'm still very much a novice under tuition.

My tuition has been through SimonW and his instructors and I would totally recommend them.

If you are serious then give Simon a call, he's a top bloke and genuinely introducing people to this amazing sport.

Leaving aside all the other member benefits....

The more people post, the more useful the forums are. As other people have mentioned I have never paid to join a forum and I doubt most people would bother.

My suggestion would be that people can join the forums for free especially as they may well be based in Spain/USA/Canada where the PMC presence is limited.

Having said all that, I live 10 minutes from the Membury flying field so get very spoilt and great value for my membership.

It seems that the lift at a given airspeed is directly linear with density. https://spaceflightsystems.grc.nasa.gov ... nsity.html

So lets say you take of a sea level and then at 3000m.

Air density at sea level is 1.225 kg/m^3 at 3000m it's only 0.905kg/m^3 so a you'll only get 75% of the lift at 3000m compared to sea level.

But temperature also has an effect. Air density is about 10% different between 0c and 25c so assuming it is colder at altitude that will help.

But I'm guessing that a take off weight of 100kg will feel like 133kg at 3000m.

All this is back of an envelope and I am not an aeronautical engineer and only a very beginner pilot so don't take my word for it all !