fuzzybabybunny

Unfortunately I don't have any prior experience with two-stroke motors and I'm a little bit confused on how they work, especially about the procedure where you clear air out of the fuel lines. It's a ROS 125 motor with membrane / Walbro carburetor (I'm not sure how the latter works, but it appears to pump fuel into its fuel chamber and then the engine's combustion chamber via the flex of two trampoline-like rubber-ish membranes and a network of one-way valves). Leanness / Richness can be adjusted through two screws that terminate into needle valves? So... if I see air in the line, I'm supposed to put my finger into this hole/depression on the side of the carburetor, squeeze the primer fuel bulb until... sometime..., tip the engine over on its side to drain excess fuel into the air filter, and then there is a hole at the bottom of the air filter box that drains the fuel out onto the ground? - Ok, ok, what does putting my finger into the hole/depression do? - correct me if I'm wrong. I'm supposed to: Prime the engine by squeezing the bulb... once? That sprays fuel directly into the combustion chamber of the engine. I make sure the compression release is engaged I yank the starter cable which spins the flywheel, compresses the fuel and air from the priming step, and sets off the spark plug. Is the point of this step to get the engine turning above a certain RPM? Hopefully the engine then starts running on its own. I warm up the engine and set it to full throttle at least one time while on the ground to make sure bubbles are out of the fuel line

Oh yeah, do PPG old-timers still go out and have days of only ground handling practice? Or is it a skill that doesn't really degrade with time?

Thanks. In a nice, predictable ocean breeze I can walk around with the wing up no problem. One time during PG I bombed out on the beach about 1km from the launch, and I was able to ground handle on the flat beach all the way back - but ocean breezes are so, so easy as well as ground handling in a straight line. If I go inland it can all go to hell instantly, lol. Same with nil wind conditions. Right now when I ground handle I try to do zig zags, up hills, forward, backward, use a combination of riser pull along with brake pull, etc. I figure that the more kinks I can throw into ground handling the better it'll make me?

Wow, this is a bit different from how I imagined it. The unit is a "lightweight" 20kg Backbone Stronger 125 (125cc ROS motor). This is going to take some getting used to, haha. - At first the noise, vibrations, and thrust from the motor is pretty disconcerting. Totally and completely different from PG. My first 6 or so successful launches were all pretty messed up because I was afraid to really lay into the throttle during the running phase and I sat down a bit too early as well. - The running part to me is extremely weird - I have to run as fast as I can, especially in nil wind, but at the same time my entire body needs to lean backwards a bit. I've never had to run like this before. This kind of body "geometry" for running simply doesn't happen naturally, ever. I guess you just get used to it? - I'm surprised how temperamental these motors are. The only real motors I'm familiar with are your standard 4-stroke ones in motorcycles and cars. They just start right up, don't need any kind of pull starting, priming, getting rid of air bubbles, dumping excess fuel down into the air filter compartment, etc. - Even with just 20-22kg on my back, I realised after a few small falls and slips that everything needs to be textbook - the launches need to be perfectly straight. The landings need to be perfectly straight. The ground handling needs to be spot on. The wind needs to be 200% manageable at all times. The bag of tricks that freefly paraglider pilots have for dealing with off-kilter stuff is almost non-existent with PPG, at least with a beginner like me. - And I'm happy that I started off with a double hooped clutched motor and not something like the Air Conception Nitro 200 with no clutch, single hoop, and the prop sticking out the back. I can't know for certain if I would have done some "parablending" of my equipment, but a few times I've had lines land on top of me just moments before I was able to kill the motor. - I like it, and I finally see how both PG and PPG can co-exist because they're both just so different. After my first day of PPG all I wanted was to do some regular PG. The light weight and silence makes me feel more "at one" with the air. The motor and heft of the unit makes it all feel so artificial, but at the same time, hey, I'm FLYING when other PG people can only sit and parawait. It allows me to be a loner and go f*ck off by myself somewhere, which is how I like to spend my time It's also great to be able to take off anywhere there's a decent amount of flat ground. I don't have to be so concerned about wind direction. I can go flying on my own instead of having a whole support crew with cars and permission of land owners with hills in their backyards.

I've been kind of wondering about this. Is there any kind of mechanical / technical difference between a two-stroke used with PPG, one used for motorcycles, one used as an outboard motor, etc? I reckon that it would be pretty cool to carry around a lightweight 200cc two-stroke and be able to throw it into multiple different machines - kind of like a do-everything motor. I figure that as long as it has the right housing and the right transmission (if applicable) a single motor could do any number of different jobs, right? It couldn't compare to a motor that's purpose-buil for a specific application, but it wouldn't be that horrible, right?

Would you mind giving me the name of the company? And how much was it? What chemicals do you use to clean fuel from the engine, if anything?

Well, I just had my first day of paramotor training here in Auckland, NZ. Five flights. Boy, is it different from free flying. Anyway, I'm a US citizen but more importantly, I frequently go to different countries as my tourist visa expires in each one. I got the Backbone Stronger 125: http://www.backbone.fr/search-detail-45-Equipements-2-3.php https://www.google.com/search?q=backbone+Stronger+125&client=ubuntu&espv=2&biw=639&bih=642&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiy0J7vw67NAhVGkJQKHRZJBw0Q_AUIBigB My version's frame is a light aluminum double hoop design that can be collapsed into four sections. Does anyone have any experience with traveling with a paramotor? What kind of case did you use? I can get a Pelican-like case but they're generally *hundreds* of dollars and the weight of the case itself adds considerable weight and airlines have a limit of 23kg per item. I have no problem breaking the motor down into separate luggage bags. I also have a long ski bag.

So I'm starting my PPG training and I think I need to start thinking about radio gear. I was thinking about getting a Baofeng UV-82 but I realised that it uses those weird two-prong headphone jacks that super old airlines use. I'm looking for something more modern, but also good value. This is what I want: - perhaps instead of big ear muffs, I could use a set of really good sealing in-ear monitor (IEM) headphones? If they seal well they can be just like foam ear plugs - is a throat mic a good thing to get? I want to use this microphone for recording clear narration for videos as well Any tips?

I was thinking that it would be a useful skill should the wind grow stronger while I'm in the middle of flying. There's a video on YouTube of a PPG guy going up for a fly and then the wind picks up. Not only does he have a hard time losing altitude and making headway against the wind, when he does touch down he gets blown off his feet and, because the wing keeps on inflating even though he's burying the brakes, gets dragged along the ground until he's able to wrap the brakes 7-or-so times. I was thinking that if you just yank on the A's to induce a full frontal collapse when you've just landed it would kill the wing outright and prevent you from getting dragged.

I know what you're talking about but that's not what I'm doing. I'm not letting the wing shoot past me and nosedive into the ground whilst still inflated. I yank on the A risers which causes a complete frontal collapse of the wing. By the time the wing falls to the ground it is already completely deflated.

So I've been doing some ground handling recently in higher wind conditions. I bring the wing down by turning into reverse, burying the brakes, and running towards the glider. The problem is that the wind is so strong that the leading edge cells continue to take on air, inflating, and then I'm stuck basically chasing after the wing as it goes downwind, cycling between me running and collapsing it and taking a brake wrap, re-inflating from the wind, me running and collapsing it again, etc. So what I experimented with was just initiating a full frontal collapse by yanking on the A's. Seems to work immediately and very effectively. The wing immediately loses all lift and collapses on itself. The leading edge gets buried under the glider making re-inflating almost impossible. Sure, it's definitely messier, but at least I don't have the risk of the wing re-inflating (possibly explosively) in high wind and dragging me off my feet. Is this actually a valid technique to kill the wing in high wind? I figure that, especially if I have a heavy/expensive paramotor on my back, the moment I touch ground in high winds I will want to *kill* the wing as quickly as possible in such a way that it won't re-inflate on its own.

What I meant was that lift is generated through forward speed which comes *from* propulsion aka the motor. I'm not looking to fly faster. I'm looking to fly in a wider range of wind conditions. With a smaller wing, on light wind days I just use the motor more to keep myself up. On high wind days I can still go flying and it'll be easier and safer to ground handle on those days as well.

I know that people here don't like the ROS 125 motor and I'm concerned as well, especially because some websites say that replacement parts are hard to come by. Unfortunately, I'm in New Zealand and I want to do a paramotor course and purchase a lightweight motor. The only option available to me is a Backbone Stronger 125 that uses the ROS 125 engine selling at $5,500 NZD / $3,730 USD, which I think is a good price. Because of this, I feel like I'm kinda funneled into getting the ROS 125 and will just have to deal with any shortcomings it has. The instructors selling it say they've never had problems with the motor. How easy will it be to service and get parts and repairs on this kit?

I've got the Gin Pegasus in 26m2 and I'm 73kg. http://para2000.org/wings/gin/pegasus.html I don't have a motor yet, but I want to run some ideas by you guys. - I'm not a fan of my current wing's top speed. It's very slow and during ground handling I often find myself walking backwards with no input on the brakes. - The wing is not very light and it doesn't pack down very small. - Because of its size, the chance of getting manhandled by it increases in higher winds. On higher wind days during PG class we used to practice groundhandling with Gin Nanos around 12m2. SO much easier and stable in higher winds than my Pegasus. In normal PG I would need a wing around this size or else I would have a hard time staying up. But with a PPG, lift can be generated via the motor. I guess what I'm asking is since lift is generated by the motor, I should be able to get away with, and enjoy the benefits of, a smaller wing, right? With a smaller wing I should be able to groundhandle easier, safer, fly in faster wind conditions both with and without the motor, and it would be easier to pack and hike with for any kind of hike and flies I do, provided I get a wing that can do both PG and PPG? It should be less prone to collapses as well. The downsides would be more dynamic collapses and faster launches and landings.

So.... correct me if I'm wrong - I feel like launching on a paramotor is kind of like being a walking sandwich. You're upright and being squeezed from the thrust of the motor side but you're also being squeezed from the drag of the wing side. And you just need to stay on your feet and do the sandwich hobble until you get into the air.

So is BH making up the story about having this one pilot who has had to repair his machine literally seven times (BTW where is the Facebook discussion you refer to? Sorry, I'm new to the community.)? A simple butt landing shouldn't come anywhere close to damaging the AC, right? I noticed that the metal stands on the AC have a sharp acute angle that would dig into the ground on a butt landing, which to me seems like an extremely poor design oversight.

Ah, I see. Ok, that makes a lot more sense. I've seen (and done at times) exactly what you described. Take-offs with the wing tilted to the side, putting the wing up and rushing the turn, etc. So I guess the number one thing that I need to always be working on is keeping things nice and slow and controlled - bring it up, make it stable above me, do a nice slow turn, etc. Once I have the wing up, is it ok to move my feet / body to keep myself underneath the wing? Or should I be at a level where my feet can remain planted in the same spot because all I'm using are the brakes to control the glider? Yeah, I've seen videos of PPG launches and the not leaning forward thing confuses me. I don't get how it works. For instance, when I launch in PG, I feel like I *need* to lean forward because that's how I'm able to put enough pressure on the chest strap to tow the wing behind me up to proper flying speed. Standing straight up to launch simply wouldn't give me the leverage I need to tow the wing up to speed - in fact, it feels impossible to practice because when I try to run while straight up I simply can't go anywhere. But I guess in PG the push at launch is given by the motor and... all the body needs to do is to remain balanced and upright?

Yeah, definitely getting instruction. Actually that's the reason I ask. I don't want to spend money on instruction and also risk damaging equipment if my ground handling isn't good enough. I'm just a paragliding beginner with 70 flights and 20 hours. All the crash videos on YouTube have kind of put me off... they all look awfully expensive...

So everyone says that ground handling is the number 1 thing I need to focus on before I do paramotoring. I don't want to fall over on my side or get dragged or trip due to the extra weight on my back and instantly do thousands of dollars worth of damage. But just how good at ground handling do I need to be? Are there specific GH skills I need to focus on? Reverse kiting the wing left and right? Cobra launch? Asymmetrical launches? Being able to keep the wing up for 20 minutes straight? I guess I'm looking for a list of stuff I need to go out and practice. The last thing I want to do is trip while thousands of dollars of equipment is on my back.

What do you guys think of this video made by the Blackhawk guys that seem geared towards rebutting the Air Conception? I'm thinking about getting my first paramotor. They make some good points. I personally don't see the need for the titanium frame and I'm not that big on carbon fiber. Yes, titanium and carbon fiber are light and strong but they still break and they're next to impossible to repair. *However*, I was under the assumption that aluminum is hard to work with as well. It can be bent back - to a small degree. After that it will simply shear apart. It's not like steel alloy which you can just hammer back into place. When I look at *any* single-hoop frame, I reckon that it'll catastrophically bend if you fall over on your side, regardless of material. What do you think about their arguments against the lightweight motor not being able to last as long as a heavier motor? And the comfort of a lighter harness? I personally think that a lightweight harness can be just as comfortable as a heavier one - it's more about how it's designed versus the materials. But the light weight motor not being able to last as long as a heavier one seems more realistic to me because, yes, heavier materials should be able to withstand more wear and tear than lighter materials / parts.

Would you say that the AC Nitro is a bad choice for a beginner? Would something with a double loop design, a stiffer loop, and a clutch be better for a beginner? As well as the sharper throttle response?

Any word on a clutch for the Nitro 200? I spoke with someone over at Blackhawk Paramotors who said they tried fitting clutches on their Talon 175cc motors, but they all failed because (I guess) the added torque and power is simply too much for a lightweight clutch to handle. I would imagine that a centrifugal clutch would indeed not be enough for a 175cc+ motor, and plate clutches would be too heavy?

I have my PG2 license in New Zealand. I would like to take a PPG conversion course in New Zealand and get my PPG license, BUT I want to purchase my motor in Australia. I don't believe that the Australian seller will sell a motor without me first having an Australian PPG license (I could be wrong). So the question is - will an NZ PPG license transfer successfully into an Australian PPG license so I can just go and purchase the motor in Adelaide? As far as I know, the only Australian license I can get with zero paperwork and additional courses is the Visiting Pilot's License. All other Australian licenses require actually contacting an instructor, doing flights, passing written exams, etc. Basically spending more time and money.

So I just got my license for unpowered flight and I haven't gotten a motor yet. I'm currently on a road trip. Everywhere I see is: - The wind's not right - the direction isn't right for lift or it's not strong enough. - All the hills and places that could theoretically be launched from is on private property. I've got plenty of flat open public spaces, but of course I can't use them for unpowered flight. - The places that ARE available like coastline ridges are hours away by car. Or they are on private property and I need to arrange logistics with the clubs, the landowner, car rides, meeting times, make sure I close gates behind me so livestock doesn't escape, etc. - If I bomb out I need to hitchhike back to my car. So really. I want to fly. But this is getting ridiculous. There are plenty of beautiful places here - rolling hills, fields, bays, islands, peninsulas. I want to fly them all. But I can't. I have all my glider gear and I can't do anything with any of it. Has anyone experienced this frustration before? Is this what pushed you to go with the motor?

Thanks. Would these two wings be ok for unpowered flight? While I'm on it, what exactly are the flight differences between paramotor wings and regular paragliding wings?