Phil_P

I and some other paramotorists have the use of a small farm strip at a village called South Scarle, about half way between Newark on Trent and Lincoln, just across the A46 from the now disused RAF Swinderby, former RAF primary training camp. We're just outside the stub of Waddington MATZ, so I was watching the AWACS doing circuits just to the west of me too today.

Had a couple of ace flights today. One where I popped through some holes in cloud to play on top in this; And the second, up to 3500, knock off the engine and just revel in the quiet for ten minutes.

If you have a look here; http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/ ... ical.htm#d Under 'Aircraft Radio' you will find a reference to the fee for a radio license for a removable installation Also here; http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid ... =9&faqid=1 The CAA site also has links for checking what equipment meets type approval. It would seem redundant to have an 'installation certificate' as such for a hand portable radio, however the equipment must be on the CAA approved list.

Reinforced ankles to give you exceptional support when landing and no hooks where laces fit (all eyelets) so than lines don't snag, or a wrap around cover to perform the same function. Good quality soles like Vibram or similar. Yes they aren't cheap, but if you buy a quality pair of walking boots (and I'm not talking about the twenty quid pairs from the local Army & Navy) they will cost you a similar amount. You get what you pay for in most walks of life, and I'm pretty sure I'd have had at least one ankle injury (possible break) were it not for the support in my Crispi's. The rigid side support is removable if you need to walk any distance by the way.

The earlier comment about handheld radios not being licensable for use in aircraft is inaccurate, as previous models of ICOM handheld have the appropriate type approval (A4 & A22 perhaps). I have spoken at length to the ICOM UK MD who told me that the current CAA type approval requirements are so onerous, that ICOM do not feel it is worthwhile seeking this approval unless the requirements change, the market being so small, the potential return financially is not worth it. The A6 & A24 exceed the specification of the earlier models, but as the goalposts have moved, they don't meet the new regs. I believe that a handheld can be granted type approval as a removable installation, and does not need to be tied to any particular aircraft callsign. This is my understanding having read the application document for installation approval. All that said, I doubt that a non-type approved radio will illicit a prosecution providing that it is operated in the appropriate manner and preferably by someone with a Flight RT License. I personally will be continuing to use the IC A24.

I think you'll find that they are transmitting on FM regardless of what the display shows. The display switches to AM as you go onto airband, but the sets I've experienced only receive on AM and transmit on FM even when they have had the band modification. By tweeking the frequency off slightly, you are relying on slope detection (a crude way of listening to FM transmissions on an AM receiver).

I'd trust a Hong Kong/Chinese vendor over a European one most days. Had nothing but 110% customer service from all I've dealt with.

DO NOT TOUCH THIS COMPANY WITH A BARGE POLE!!!! They are a bunch of conning, robbing barstewards with bad reputation on every paragliding/motoring forum I've found (after I tried to buy a lid from them).

I'm tempted to buy one of these; http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/New-BlackJetPilot ... 240%3A1318 and kit it out with some comms gear myself. Whilst I know they won't have certification yaddayadda.... we only expect our lids to protect us from a few knocks when we get dragged or have a dodgy landing, not high energy stuff like a m'cycle lid. Lets face it, most push bike helmets are probably better than we need. In fact looking at the two helmets, you could almost think the source was the same.

If you manage to get 3 litres an hour in real life, I'll eat my .........., well I'll be very surprised.

12 V for sure.

Could be a duff battery from new, it does happen. Are you sure you are fully charging it to start with? You could do with fully charging it, and putting a multimeter across it and measuring the voltage as you crank your engine. If the voltage drops too far it would indicate a dead or dying cell.

Had a lovely fly today, up the Trent valley and playing in the steam from the power stations at about 2000'. For one magical moment there was a circular rainbow with the shadow of me right in the middle, a real photo opportunity missed. The Red Arrows were playing over Scampton in the east, and I felt honoured to be sharing the sky with those guys. My fuel usage seemed really light, and as I had been beating into wind on the outward leg, I felt safe turning for home with what I thought was four litres left in the tank. Suffice to say, there was nothing like that amount, and it must have been a trick of the light that made it look like there was more in the tank. Anyway, about ten minutes into the return leg, there was a cough and splutter and the engine died, with about four miles to run. I cranked it a couple of times, but I guessed maybe my fuel consumption was higher than I thought. I had pretty much been tracking the Newark to Gainsborough road, as it runs almost next to the river, so from two thousand feet I had plenty of time to chose a landing spot. I had one change of mind when I caught sight of the shadows of some fences, but my second choice looked fine. A faultless landing had me only about twenty yards from the road, so I bundled up the wing and parked it and the motor in the bottom of a hedge, barely visible unless you were looking. Then it was out with the Mark I thumb as I started trudging along the road. After a mile or so, I picked up a lift to within a mile of my field, and then another for the last 3/4 or so. Drove back out and loaded up the motor and wing, and was pretty content all things considered. So if anyone asks me how long I can fly, I can say with some measure of accuracy that it's about 90 minutes, give or take a splutter. Mind you, I was using quite a bit of speed bar and having to run at almost full power to maintain height. In still air, I could expect quite a bit more as I could fly much closer to minimum sink.

Paul Haxby of AXB Sports is possibly about the closest, and he seems to have a good reputation. Once your up and flying (or if you just want to come and chat/watch), there are a couple of us flying at South Scarle near Swinderby, please feel free to get in touch.

I'd third the comments of others. If your finances will permit, buy the wing you are going to fly. One of the potential problems with buying a 'ground handling' wing, is that it is likely to be completely sha**ed. One of the main problems with a worn out, porous old wing is that launch characteristics are likely to deteriorate. Possibly to the extent that you find your wing almost impossible to get over your head and comfortably kite. This can be dreadfully frustrating and soul destroying, potentially to the point that you give up all together. Take care of your new wing, only ground handle on grass, and make sure you don't fly it into the ground leading edge first (this can rupture cells, and can be avoided by using your brakes). Stay clear of hawthorn bushes and barbed wire fences. Never drag your wing across surfaces and avoid extremes of wet or heat. If you do get your wing wet (from dew or an unexpected shower), make sure you dry it thoroughly. Even though the surface feels dry, there may still be moisture absorbed. This is a potential wing destroyer, so give it extra time to get that hidden moisture out. If you have a spare room or heated garage, get the wing spread out as much as you can to let the air to it. A fan heater is good to keep air moving and improve drying, but NEVER direct it straight at the wing or lines, if you're not sure, just use it on a cold setting. These are the ramblings of a new flyer, but someone who has read LOADS (and learned by trial and error) If you do decide you want to just ground handle an old wing, get in touch and you can have a beat-up old 'Samba' on loan, just pay postage to and from and return it when done so I can let someone else use it.

I thought it was now 1000 feet above the highest fixed obstacle or glide clear (reduced from a previous 1500 feet) whichever is the greater.

I've already got them Simon, and they are a first rate bit of kit. They wrap round a long way, so you maintain good peripheral vision, and the eye seals work really well keeping just about all drafts away from the eye. Without the seals fitted, they are completely wearable as your everyday specs, and it only takes half a second to put the seals in place. The seals have a soft foam edge, and are completely comfortable and wont injure you in the event of a spill. The lenses are high impact so will protect you from most hazards like stones thrown up by prop blast (or bird strikes ). The varifocal lenses let me read my instruments even though they are tucked up quite high on my front mounted reserve The photochromic lenses get reasonably dark in bright sun, and I chose the brown tint as it tends to improve sky/cloud contrast and haze penetration. With the additional tinted inserts, they are fully up to the high glare of skiing. The one bit of required information that may not routinely be included in your opticians prescription is your inter pupil distance, but if you ask your optician to make a note of it, they will do. This is essential to make sure the optical centre of the lens is in the right place.

Was just browsing the shop and spotted the glasses section which reminded me; I need corrected vision these days, and prescription protective glasses from my opticians were a) pathetic & b) over priced. So I went browsing t'internet for US sites (knowing that even with the crappy exchange rate, prices over the pond tend to be MUCH more reasonable). I ended up at ; http://www.heavyglare.com and had a good hunt through the site. I eventually chose for myself a pair of 'Seven Eye (previously 'Panoptix')' Churada specs. I got them with Photochromic scratch resist lenses, to my prescription and with vari-focal reading/mid regions too (no line). They come with a pair of cushion seals that you can clip in and out to make them ideal for our flying malarkey. As I also like ski-ing, I got an additional clip in seal that incorporates a second set of tinted lenses, to make the lenses dark enough for high glare snow activities. Heavyglare also had a special on Churada non prescription photochromics, so I bought a pair of those too, for when I'm flying with my contact lenses in. I also picked up a pair of stick in bifocal lenses to add to the non prescription pair so I can read GPS etc when I'm wearing the contacts. They weren't bargain basement, but they are quality gear at a good price and ideal for our sport. There is a page on the HeavyGlare web site with all sorts of interesting info, and if you read it all, you find a paragraph at the bottom that tells you that you can have a 10% (I think) discount just for reading it all the way through. The customer service was faultless, and when I had a small problem with a bit of decoration falling off one of the legs of the specs, they sent me a new set of legs in double quick time. I think they also made a small typo on the customs declaration too

Google 'PPG Flight Log' for a free computer based one that works fine.

Carbon won't be an issue at all. If you have a two blade wood prop, always park it horizontal so that moisture doesn't migrate down into the lower blade and mess up balance.

Whadayamean she won't let you keep the motor in the living room?

I find it hard to believe that an organisation like the BHPA could be so bl**dy minded as to only allow access to incident reports by members. What an absolutely disgraceful way to behave. If this is their attitude, then it will absolutely guarantee that I shall not ever become a member!

Unfortunately this is completely at odds with the freedoms that we currently enjoy. You would effectively be bringing in compulsory licensing, a factor that loads (if not most) paramotorists find somewhat abhorrent. And I for one wouldn't be allowed to fly, because I don't have a signature on a piece of paper. As for the guy in the video, he looked to be doing ok until he hit the trees, or is there something about his flying that I'm not spotting?

Simon, I would be cautious of depending on SPOT in the Sahara, as you are moving into a marginal coverage area. With the present depleted satellite constellation on the Globalstar system, I would be tempted to use an alternative satellite network, Iridium perhaps?

I bought mine from the US and had it within a week. Luckily parcelfarce failed to collect the duty (they sent me a letter saying the item was at the depot after they had delivered it to a neighbour). Unfortunately the dollar rate is making it less attractive to buy from over the pond.