Bobbyf

Bought one!

Hi, I know it's a long shot but I'm looking for a used Dudek Hadron XX, size 20. Please feel free to contact me through here or on 07967155601 Thanks, Rob

I fly a 22 Speedster2 and as above, always take off on neutral trim. It handles better and seems to have more ‘feel’ which I think is important on take off. I rarely fly on slow trim.

I arranged my insurance online with axa and was able to fully itemise my paramotor, wing and gear as individual items insured for theft at home or away. When I called them to check that it was all definitely insured I was asked ‘what exactly is a paramotor?’. When I explained they decided that they would not insure it and had I made a claim it would not have been honoured, despite the fact that I was able to add it to my policy online. It’s in the small print apparently!

I’m guessing there are a lot of parts on a Bailey that can be purchased elsewhere. I buy the oil filters from eBay and bought a Briggs and Stratton fuel pump from my local garden centre when the original needed replacing. Does anyone know of any other items that can be bought elsewhere? Contacting Bailey can be a hit or miss affair at the best of times so it would be great to have somewhere to share the information!

It was released less than 2 years ago and I don’t know how popular it’s been but I’ve only ever seen one other at the fly ins I’ve been to. It is very concerning that a fairly uncommon wing is a very common factor in unexpected stalls/spins for experienced pilots. I spoke to an Apco test pilot who viewed the video and his theory was that when I pulled right brake I was also unknowingly pulling left brake and therefore stalled the wing. I have two answers to this. Firstly, I am human, so it is not impossible that I may have had the left brake weighted slightly. I do not think I did though, I have never had a problem with this before. Secondly, if the left brake WAS weighted (and I don’t think it was) surely that should not be enough to stall a wing completely? The Apco pilot suggested that the weight of my arm alone would be enough to stall a wing but bearing in my mind that I could barely slow the wing at all on full flare on landing I do not know how this could be the case. Paul Haxby flew my wing and said it was no different to any other Force2 he had flown. He bought the wing back off me and I now fly an Ozone Speedster2 from CM Paramotors which I love and have full confidence in.

That’s not my crash Casper, I have not publicised my video. I was aware of that one though. Like I said, I’m not holding the wing fully to blame. However in my opinion ( i won’t comment for the other two guys ) it has certain characteristics that make it very sensitive to brake input and the wing can spin/stall without any warning and without the pilot believing that they are anywhere near the wings limit.

Sorry, I don’t mean to sound negative, especially after you’ve already bought the wing but I would hate to think of someone getting hurt unnecessarily. Get yourself a solid beginner wing and you’ll be able to build your skills and technique with confidence. And don’t ever be afraid to ask questions !

Personally speaking I would be wary about a beginner flying this wing full stop. Apco market the wing as an intermediate wing and from first hand experience it handles like one. I had about 150hours when I bought a small Force 2 and was within its recommended weight range. Take off was what you could expect from an intermediate wing, it required the correct handling and technique to get airborne. It was stable in flight and handled rough air well. I found that it was extremely difficult to brush off speed when landing, meaning a very fast run off in low wind conditions. After 25 hours on the wing I took off one evening in nil wind conditions and began to carry out a normal 180 degree right hand turn (with torque) about 15 seconds after leaving the ground. The wing span and I hit the ground from about 80feet, breaking 3 vertebrae in my lower back. Anyone who has flown with me knows that stunts are not my thing. I have the crash on video and some very experienced and respected instructors within our community have viewed the video and are perplexed as to why the wing behaved like it did. I will take it on the chin that I probably pulled too much brake but it certainly did not feel like it, I did not feel like I was turning hard and was taken by complete surprise when it span. There was no warning at all that I was getting near to the wings limit. I spoke with the Apco UK distributor, Paul Haxby, who said that the Force2 is an ‘agile’ wing and very sensitive to brake inputs from the pilot. He admitted that he too had span the wing whilst pushing its limits and would not be selling the wing to novices. I was subsequently contacted by two other very experienced pilots who I shall not name. One had unexpectedly span the wing but had altitude on his side and was able to recover. The other had unexpectedly stalled/span shortly after take off and crashed. Both these guys have hundreds, if not thousands of hours in various aircraft and they were concerned with some of the wings characteristics for an ‘intermediate ‘ wing. I am not unduly criticising the wing, or holding it fully to blame for these accidents but I would warn any beginner away from buying one. As for flying it under weight, I believe this could only add to the problem and I would strongly advise NOT to do it. This happened to me in August and quite frankly I am lucky not to have been paralysed or worse. As I said I broke 3 vertebrae in my back and had to take 3 months of work. I had some very expensive repairs to my paramotor and I am just starting to fly again on another brand of wing. Get yourself a more appropriate wing. There are loads of good wings out there and lots of good instructors to advise you. Believe me, it’s not worth taking a gamble on this.

Exactly what I thought!

As others have said, you would need to carefully check forecasts for wind directions and speeds using that field. In reliable conditions it should be fine, but this is the UK and you can always rely on the fact that it is unreliable! I’d be concerned of rotor from those trees in anything other than nil wind. If you’re new to the sport you need to give yourself a chance and find yourself a good field. Keep knocking on doors and save this one for when the weather is perfect or you’re more experienced. Good luck with your quest, perhaps the owners of this field could suggest some friendly neighbouring farmers for you to make contact with?

Not something I'd thought of until now. I landed on hard standing for the first time last week. It was nil wind with a bit of a swoop to avoid the farmhouse and I came in fast! I managed to rip the sole off my boot and could've done some serious damage if I'd tripped. Knee pads seem to make sense now. I'm looking forward to see the flykandy trousers too.

Thanks Whitters, I emailed Bailey who have said they should be 18 ft lbs. I'm sending the engine down to them so they can take a look. Rob

Hi guys, my 18hr V5 has developed a small oil leak at the base of the cylinder head and I thought I'd check to see how tight the cylinder head nuts were before the engine gets sent back to Bailey. They were around 18nm each. Does anyone know what the factory torque settings are? cheers, Rob

Hi Al, I've PM'd you a couple of questions Rob