fuzzybabybunny

6 hours ago, Hodders said:

Engine outs at 2, 4 and 8 ! Wow, what were the failures?

I had an engine out on my 3rd ever flight and I don't ever think I'll be complacent about always having a landing zone in mind.

There were a number of possible failure points. It was an oldish motor that had been sitting around (but with only 9 hours of air time). The fuel lines were all stiff and probably not sealing well, so they would pull in air bubbles at full throttle, which is when it would die.

I also replaced the fuel filter with a cheapo $5 one from an auto parts store. I noticed a ball of fiber in the old fuel filter.

Despite these two adjustments the engine still lost power (but didn't engine-out) at times close to full throttle, so I opened up the carb.

The carb has a small filter as well and there was a small wad of fiber covering maybe 30% of the filter. I've removed it but haven't had the opportunity to test it yet (car window got smashed in and someone stole my sleeping bag and wing thinking it was a tent). I have a gut feeling that the problems should be fixed now.

Hey! I broke a prop and six lines at 6 hours and had engine outs at like 2, 4, and 8 hours. And my wing got stolen out of my car at 40 hours. So I guess I'm set for forever!

Ok, so this is what I've gathered after talking to a lot of other people:

The gist of what's possible with current technology is that there is no wing that's fast on a paramotor but also good enough for freeflying other than ridge soaring, correct? Making a wing faster on a paramotor necessitates making the wing's glide and sink worse, which necessitates making the wing unsuitable for freeflying other than ridge soaring. 

So in the end. if you can only have one wing, you just have to be honest with yourself and pick the activity you'll be doing the most of.

So I guess to be perfectly honest:

- I say I want to thermal and do XC free flights, but honestly I'll probably only thermal during thermal clinics and never thermal otherwise due to the logistical challenges that I can't be bothered to coordinate.

- I'm perfectly happy ridge soaring. 

- I want to get more airtime. That's my main goal - to fly as much as I can. With that in mind, due to the motor giving me so many more options to fly while I'm traveling, I should just focus on getting a good PPG reflex wing and forget about the PG wings with trimmers with better glide and freefly ability.

Everyone agree?

I'm debating between the Ozone Roadster 2 and the Ozone Spyder, which is the lightweight version of the Roadster. I'm a beginner so I'll be spending more time groundhandling the wing as well as taking off in different locations from sand to grit to asphalt to grass. And to be perfectly honest, possible "creative" landings into brush are probably not out of the question for a beginner.

Does anyone here have an ultralight wing and how has it held up and what conditions have you flown in?

Ok, what about wings of the same size? I'm 75kg so a ~26m2 wing.

Specifically, I'm looking at the 

Gin Pegasus - non-reflex, has trimmers, EN-A

Ozone Buzz PWR - non-reflex, has trimmers, EN-B

Spyder - lightweight version of the Roadster, reflex

1. For a beginner looking to practice more freeflying, thermaling, and PPG (I've already got my license for both but need to get more hours on both) which one would be good? Certainly not the Spyder, right?

2. Just curious - what would the speed difference be between the Spyder in full reflex versus the Buzz PWR / Pegasus with trimmers on? Like 5kph faster? Or 15kph+ faster?

Ok, so to summarize:

- For a beginner, a non-reflex EN-A / EN-B paragliding wing with trimmers and PPG mounting points on the risers will be fine for *both* PPG and for learning how to do freeflying XC thermaling and such. It'll just be slow.

But for an intermediate to advanced pilot who wants a faster wing, you need to start choosing between PPG-only or freefly-only wings.

- A reflex PPG wing will be amazing at PPG but really suck at any kind of freeflying except maybe ridge soaring. You definitely wouldn't want to use a reflex wing for thermaling or freeflying XC, *even with the reflex disabled*, right? They simply don't glide as much and dive more in turns.

- A good EN-B+ freeflying wing will not have trimmers, will not have PPG mounting points, and will still be slow on PPG.

Does this sound about right?

34 minutes ago, andrei_nath said:

Depends on what you consider free flight. If only soaring... then you can make the compromise. If you want real free flying... Thermaling, xc fly... don't bother trying, buy a real free fly wing. IMHO free flying has nothing to do with ppg, both for equipment, feeling and techique

What specific things or characteristics make PPG wings bad for freeflying versus, say, an entry level EN-A freefly-only wing?

Will the Speedster be great as a free flight wing? There's a seller in New Zealand that says if "you’re looking for the ultimate motoring, free flying and high wind soaring wing all in one, don’t miss the Speedster! "

Is there any physical reason that a non-reflex PPG wing with trimmers would be bad for freeflying? Someone mentioned to me before that a lot of PPG wings handle "clunkier" than PG-specific wings of the same certification level, but didn't elaborate.

What exactly did they mean by clunkier?

And what are the reasons for a PPG wing to be worse for freeflying? Do they handle like a boat if you try to take them freeflying or something?

On 7/26/2016 at 5:29 AM, nicosangeli said:

I fly PG/PPG and have a zero 17 and BGD base M/L for PG and spider 26/sirocco 24 for PPG.

I can fly in most conditions .

the problem with flying in strong winds seems to be the gust.

very rare do I find laminar strong winds which make flying small wings tricky.

having said that,I would suggest a light version PPG wing like a spider/sirocco with trims which have a good glide with trims closed and safe penetration with trims open.

hope this helps. 

I've been having a LOT of 15kt wind days recently, and spending so much time on the ground hurts, which is why I want to look at non-reflex wings that can do both PPG and PG anywhere from, say, 0-20kt? But what I'm gathering is that this isn't really possible - I would *have* to get two separate wings for this. Does this sound right?

When you say strong winds, how strong exactly are we talking?

Currently my Gin Pegasus is only capable of PPG in 0-11 kt winds and maybe 0-14 kt winds for freeflying. But it does both fairly well.

Is that normal for a non-reflexed PPG wing? To do both freeflying and PPG well? Or is there something about non-reflexed PPG wings that make them "clunkier" for freeflying?

On 7/29/2016 at 0:38 AM, custom-vince said:

There has been a working clutch model for sometime. Lots and lots of testing. When you offer a 2 year warranty, things have to be right. I can't remember the weight, it was light as still a belt drive, advanced design to reduce slip. No point in quoting weight or talking to much about specifics till the final production version.

Would you happen to know if AC will ever offer the Nitro motor just on its own, so that people can use it on other chassis'? Because that suit-case packable Synergy 5 you mentioned looks amazing.

Actually, the riser mounting points probably don't matter at all right? The carabiners for mounting on a PPG is on the engine chassis itself (swingarms, J bars, etc). The PG mounting spots will be on the PG harness.

So yeah, adding extra loops to fit the Yeti onto a PPG chassis would be the best bet. 

I personally think my PG split leg harness (Kortel Kuik II) is way more comfortable than my PPG harness. And you can add a cocoon onto it as well since it's modular. 

I think a good, lightweight, modular PG harness mounted onto a PPG will be better, even if you mostly do PPG.

I feel like a PG harness used for PPG would be rubbish because they don't have mount points (at least mine doesn't) and they don't have an airbag.

On 8/1/2016 at 2:20 AM, custom-vince said:

I have a Synergy 5 chassis in stock. Can fit in a medium suitcase, ideal for travelling.

Wow, that looks amazing. I'll keep this in mind on my next upgrade. I just sawed my Backbone apart in various places for travel but once I want to upgrade this and the Air Conception will for sure be on the top of my list.

Any plans on making it fit other engines larger than a 130cc? And any world on Air Conception making their Nitro 200 engine available for sale separately from the chassis?

I just got a reply from Laurent Fourgeaud at AC and they said "Not yet. But should be ready to sell for september/october." 

No idea what the price or total weight will be though.

Sorry for the dumb question - my Backbone Stronger 125 always hits the back of my thighs when I'm walking and running, so it limits range of motion and makes running and walking pretty damn awkward. Is this normal for a paramotor, or are there units that allow for a full stride when running and walking?

I travel a lot and only have space for one wing, so I want to get as close to a "do everything" wing as I can get. In skiing we call it a one-ski-quiver, that one pair of skis that allows you to have a blast doing practically everything, but of course doesn't truly excel at any one thing. I'm wondering if such a wing exists.

My current wing is a beginner Gin Pegasus 26 and while I'll most likely fly this for quite some time since I'm a beginner, I'd like to start doing research on wings I can eventually upgrade to.

The Pegasus is really only flyable at 10kt or below. 14kt is the absolute max for launching (any kind of gust makes it really sketchy really quick) and then you don't really go anywhere when you get off the ground. 

Is there a wing out there than can do both freeflight and paramotoring and can operate in a very wide range of wind speeds while still being foot-launchable? We've been having *weeks* of 15kt winds and I'm kind of jealous hearing of other people on the forums flying in winds up to ~20kt.

For instance I've heard that the Ozone Zero is very popular and can do both freefly and PPG while being able to tackle a very wide range of wind speeds. It can even be used for speedriding on the snow...

I'm interested in the Nitro 200. Any word yet on when they'll have a version with clutch and how much it will weigh? I contacted Air Conception a while ago and they said the clutch will start being manufactured mid-2016. It's a bit past that time so I was wondering if you've gotten any word on it.

5 hours ago, Flypapuk said:

The PAP Plak was designed for this, it comes with its own transport bag 

Let me know if you would like more details

Thanks 

Danny

Does the PAP PLAK support larger engines around 180-200cc?

16 hours ago, admin (Simon W) said:

It just has to be the Parajet Zenith. (given that what you describe is exactly what the design was for)  

They even have a snazzy travel case for it! 

Call me if you want to chat in more detail. 

SW  

The Parajet's on the heavy side. And really expensive 10.5kg for the chassis and another ~15kg for the engine (190-200cc) means 25.5kg, plus the weight of the box. Airlines usually top out at 23kg for the max weight of a single item. Sure, I can break it down into two separate boxes, but I'd ideally like a 20kg engine+chassis unit and chuck in 3kg for the box.

The Parajet also doesn't seem to be easily repairable since everything is custom machined. Aluminum tubes are fairly easy. A Parajet CNC-machined aluminum part is... good luck.

6 hours ago, aljken said:

Zenith. I have checked mine onto a plane in a box and picked it up in USA.

What was the all-up weight and how much extra did it cost you?

I want to travel via airline with my paramotor kit.

I recently bought and learned on a used Backbone Stronger 125 (with ROS 125 motor) because that was the cheapest thing available. I've only got 15 hours on it. 

I just tried to disassemble it and it breaks down only into very chunky parts which are too big for my ski bag:

https://drive.google.com/a/victorlinphoto.com/file/d/0B7frWuNellxaV2FqZnlkUzRrWUU/view

https://drive.google.com/a/victorlinphoto.com/file/d/0B7frWuNellxaYUVqMHBUWW41UUE/view

https://drive.google.com/a/victorlinphoto.com/file/d/0B7frWuNellxaQnBrSFdmbWRJYTA/view

So the hoop can only break down into four chunky curved parts. The main frame itself that the motor and fuel tank hang from also can't be broken down further. 

I'm thinking that it would be worth it to invest in a PPG kit that's light (around 20-23kg), ~125cc, and can break down into some compact, straight segments.

My friend's Miniplane with Top 80's hoop breaks down into straight tubes - it flexes into the curved hoop.  His main frame part doesn't look like it breaks down further though.

Any recommendations?

Cool, thanks for all the tips. 

Never thought about the lack of lubrication due to abruptly backing off the throttle. 

Why is it bad to idle a two stroke? The motor unit has a fan for cooling I believe, so heat shouldn't be an issue at idle.

Just now, admin (Simon W) said:

I hate to say it and I have no financial interest in the company (although I have since become good friends with them.

RumwayHD automatically creates a flight log as soon as you take off and stores the data on there thunder cloud.

SW

Haha, ok, I'm installing the app now. I downloaded both it and PPGps and couldn't be bothered to make a user account with RunwayHD but now in hindsight... like... DUH. You need a user account if you want to store flight logs online.

I see. But there's no online website or logbook that allows you to upload your KML files and it analyses that to create a log entry for you? 

Ok, so I got PPGps and I like it a lot. It's really useful how it can figure out wind direction and strength and displays a shaded area for your possible glide areas.

So... I've now got some .KML files. What do I do with these? I'd like to upload them to an online log somewhere and add some additional data like launch notes, landing notes, observations, etc.

Any good online flight log websites that can import your KML data, display your flight on Googlemaps, etc? I've also got about 70-some previous PG flights that I need to manually copy and paste into it as well.

Hey Goldy, I actually grew up in Ohio - northeastern area. I remember being 8 years old and seeing ultralights fly around our Midwestern skies - I didn't realize it at the time but those might have been some of the pioneers of our sport. I'm 30 now and just started PPG. I was lucky in that I had the opportunity to travel for my training, so I initially thought about Thailand to save money, but decided I'd feel more comfortable with the quality of instruction in a Western country, so I went to New Zealand instead. 

Instruction was great and while the selection of motors here is a bit limited - Parajet, Backbone with ROS 125, and Miniplane - the quality is good and it gets me flying and doing the work of practicing without being burdened by ill-suited gear which is the most important part. As a backpacker that knows the value of lightness (aka lazy), I immediately insisted on a lightweight unit (not Parajet) and ended up with the ROS 125 because the weight wasn't that much heavier than the Miniplane and it has almost a third more displacement.

Someday I'll go do some flying in the US. Haven't done any research so I hope the restrictions aren't too tight.