fuzzybabybunny

I currently have a Gin Pegasus that works fine for both PG and PPG, but the problem is that it's heavy and chunky when compared to something like a Little Cloud or especially a Gin Yeti. My setup with the Pegasus, Kortel Kuik II harness, and Gin Yeti Cross reserve is 30lb. Add on hiking gear and it sucks to lug around.

Is there a lightweight and compact wing out there that is good for PG and hike and fly but can also be used in PPG?

Haha, ok, thanks for all the points. What I want from turning off the motor though is to remove the motor noise. Yeah, I know that the wind noise can still be high, but I think the sound of the motor would ruin the experience a bit for me.

The idea in my head that I have of paramotoring is that it allows me to be self-sufficient. I can use the motor as lift to get to a certain height / area, and then I can just shut the motor off and go into unpowered flight mode.

Ridge soar, hit thermals with other gliders, cross country on thermals, if I miss a thermal I can prevent an early landing by using the motor to get back up, etc.

I did free flight thermaling for the first time a few days ago and I was daunted by it all. I wasn't good at staying in thermals and I bombed out, which necessitated getting a car ride back up the mountain for another launch (there goes the self-sufficiency).

No one does a top landing back onto the launch site, which meant that in freeflight I would need to get a ride back up anyway to retrieve my car parked at the launch site.

All of this reliance on other people, cars, and the possibility of the environment not cooperating and forcing you to land somewhere kind of put me off a bit to free flight.

How is free flight with the motor strapped to your back different from having no motor? Top speed would be lower obviously due to the drag...

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... sp=sharing

I'm still on the mission to find the best power/weight ratio.

Weights are in lb. Prices are in USD. The Blackhawk prices are the quotes I got from them without a wing and with 8% sales tax added on for people in the US.

It looks like Air Conception absolutely *slaughters* the competition, even when you factor in price?

For example, 41lb for the Titanium Nitro 200cc versus the Parajet Zenith w/ 185cc motor at 57lb. That's a HUGE difference in weight.

Why not just power along on said speed wing flying low and level or even better a small dedicated reflex wing, which is even faster.

Seems like a bad idea to be speedriding around with the fully open cage still stuck on my back? *shrugs*

Yeah, I'm doing unpowered flight first and then powered. I'm at the stage where I need to think about purchasing equipment, and I want to be a bit more forward-thinking in my purchases if I intend to also pursue PPG. I didn't want to purchase a vario for PG and then get into PPG and realize that I need to get *another* computer with PPG-related features.

But it sounds like there's no risk? I should just get a PG computer because there aren't any PPG-specific features I should be worried about?

Do most people just fly around with their smartphones acting as the computer? A few of them have pretty sensitive barometers built into them that seem to work just as well as the ones in actual varios.

http://www.papteam.com/noticias_ing.php?seccion=5&vernoticia=146

Right. This worries me. So getting the ROS 125 engine would mean having an incredibly hard time servicing the engine should I need replacement parts?

Ah, interesting. Any kinda of electronics then that are more PPG specific that I should start looking it?

I'm on the North Island, but I don't think I'll be doing PPG for a while, at least until I get more experienced with PG by itself first. I'm still looking for that lightweight travel kit. I'm only in NZ on a tourist visa from the US. Looking at possibly Blackhawk motors back in the US, with the Kestral frame and the 175cc motor since I see myself also doing some higher altitude flying (some states in the US *start* at 5,000ft AMSL for ground level) and I don't think an 80cc Miniplane will do the job and a Backbone Stronger 125 with ROS 125 engine has reliability problems? I'm 75kg.

Is there any possible way to use a light / compact paramotor + speedflying wing for the purposes of speedriding?

It would be amazing to use a small wing like the Gin Bobcat + paramotor and fly up and land somewhere on a mountain. Then quickly stow away the motor/props/cage into some sort of protective backpack and speedride down.

Then repeat as many times as I want.

Motor up, speedride down (bringing along the motor).

I'm really close to getting my license in New Zealand and I need some recommendations on instruments to get. I'm very overwhelmed by the number of instruments out there and was hoping someone could point me to some good bang-for-the-buck ones.

- I have a Gin Pegasus 26 wing (beginner)

- I have a Kortel Kuik II harness

- XC is something that would be cool to do in the future

- I have no interest in competitions

- I will be doing paramotoring at some point (any paramotor-specific features I need to look for in instruments?)

- Speedflying and speedriding (ski + paraglide) are definitely a possibility

- I will be bringing my Samsung S5 smartphone + external battery + spare batteries on all flights... would this be able to replace the need for a vario entirely?

I'm debating getting a Backbone Stronger 125. It uses the ROS 125 or the ROS Lighter 125 engine.

People on here have said that these engines aren't very reliable - what tends to break and how easy is it to fix? Locals where I'm at use a couple of Backbone Strongers. They haven't had any real issues other than replacing a spark plug, which seems pretty routine to me...

Parajet Zenith easily the best option various engine possibilities lightweight and easily transportable

Guh, sorry, forgot to mention - something that's *cheaper* than Parajet. I think Parajet is like the Apple or Ducati of PPG, right? Expensive!

I'm 170lb and would actually like to take my setup traveling internationally with me, so light weight is a big factor as well as the ability to pack down and pack back up easily (I won't be able to install a hitch system on a rental car - I'll need to pack down and throw the setup into the back of a wagon with folded rear seats). I also won't know if I'll be doing low or high altitude flying (probably a bit of both). I'll be shipping the motor to my destination and taking the rest via check-in luggage.

I checked out this series of very helpful videos:

I really want a setup with a cage without any holes in the netting that you could accidentally jam an arm through, a skid bar with rounded edges, and a harness with a quick release system that unbuckles everything in one swipe for possible water landings.

The Air Conception Nitro 200 looks amazing at 43lb dry (cage, frame, engine, harness) and 200cc, but the harness doesn't have a quick-release system, there are gaps in the netting of the cage for an arm to go through, and the skid bar is very sharp and angular and would dig into the ground like a knife.

The BackBone Stronger 125 is 48lb with 123lb thrust (independently tested) but has big holes in the cage netting, no quick release, and the ROS Light 125 engine is unreliable. Plus everything is in French...

The Flat Top Ninja that the aforementioned video author has makes a ton of sense everywhere but it's a bit heavy (57lb) and bulky for traveling, no?

Could you recommend something that has all the common-sense features of the Flat Top Ninja but is light and packable for travel?

Yeah, my instructors told me it would be at least two years before I'm good enough to do tandem, BUT I'd still like to plan for the future, especially since it seems like the Backbone is the same weight as the Miniplane and provides greater thrust. Best of both worlds?

Are there any downsides to getting a harness like the Yeti? The leg straps can't be adjusted and it's a split leg design.

So I just started paragliding training. I have maybe 5 flights and I'm 75kg.

So far, I have on order:

GIN Pegasus - the instructors told me that this would be a good beginner wing for BOTH paragliding and paramotoring. I want the option to always be able to do both.

GIN Yeti Convertible Harness - I travel a lot with other gear (skiing, diving, etc) so weight and compactness is very very important. Comfort-wise, it could be better, but luckily I'm pretty small (5'5") and the lack of adjustability doesn't affect me too much. I prefer having a bucket seat versus a split leg, but there doesn't seem to be any bucket seat type of harness that's anywhere close to the weight of the Yeti. I also like that the Yeti is pretty modular.

This is the motor (I don't have it on order yet):

Backbone Light 125 - very light at 21kg but with more thrust than anything else in its weight class. The MiniPlane is also light but has less thrust. I want the option to eventually use the same motor for tandom flights.

Thoughts?

As expected, I completely suck at ground handing at the moment, so that's what I'm focusing on, as well as everything else. Haha, so much information!

Personally i would stick to the "main" PPG brands.... Ozone, Dudek and Paramania..

you will find all those wings you posted about Very slow after a few hours, and will want to upgrade...

I see. Well, being a complete newbie, how long do you reckon it'll be before I yearn to upgrade? I've read other articles that say sometimes a person stays with their first beginner wing forever?

Are you on a budget?

I only ask because if your not, you can make your life 'nicer by finding a supplier with a better range of wings. Or a school with kit that you can use and learn on before buying anything.

SW

Oh, yeah, I guess I'm on a budget. But I'm in Auckland and there are only two schools here, so I guess selection is limited?

Those are the three wings that they said would work for my weight.

Are those wings not great?

Hi Fuzzy,

Kiting is wing handling on the ground. You have to master this before going anywhere near a motor, hence the 'kite your butt off'.

Good post Al

Oh, gotcha. Yeah, ground handling ground handling ground handling. Do I need to do kiting with an assortment of different, smaller wings? Or will I be able to do it with whatever primary wing I end up buying with my paramotor?

Am I correct in assuming that I need to get ground handling down first with no motor because the additional weight of the motor just makes everything way more difficult than normal? And even more can be said of taking a passenger for tandem?

Ideally I want to join a course that has a VERY strong emphasis on ground handling. It appears that flying isn't the tough part - the bits that are close to the ground are what get ya.

Ground handling is also something that can be practiced in less than ideal conditions, yeah? In fact, if the conditions aren't right to fly, they might be good for kiting instead?

Fuzzy

If your strong, young and weigh less than 160 lbs. Your going to have a better time of doing the kind of flying your talking about. Light pilots get to fly small motors on their paramotor. Which in turn allows lighter frames and so on.

But. Flying to and out of areas your not familiar with can be dangerous for a new pilot. Your going to spend your first year learning so much which will open your eyes to all the problems you can encounter. As a new pilot you don't know how to evaluate each situation well enough to reduce your risks. Flying in and out of the same ideal home base will hone your flying skills and allow you to venture out to experience different flying conditions yet still have the consistency you need to stay out of trouble.

Camping? Carrying extra weight can be difficult for takeoff and landings. How fast can you run with 65 lbs. on your back in zero wind?

Finding and buying the right gear can be a dizzying experience. My first experiences were that each instructor claims theirs to be the best and better than all the rest. Some talked down the competition so much I felt at the end of my search I was the only one I could trust. This is just my experience and can't say you will have the same but it's best to do a great deal of homework on your own. Go to flyins and watch the flyers. Learn from both the good and the bad.

Don't be afraid to buy a beginner wing. It pays off in spades launching and landing. Your going to buy more than one wing anyway. Intermediate wing is good too.

Lastly, kite your butt off. Learn wing handling like a Ninja. Get started in the most steady wind conditions. You will learn faster if your not getting knocked down with rotors every other minute. Learn to handle all wind conditions. When the wind dies practice the forward launch. Because when you put the kit on your back all bets are off and you will need every still you've got to fly the wing.

Al

Amazing. Solid. Thank you.

What exactly is kiting? Flying without a motor? Or just general wing handling?

I'm a newbie and the course that I want to take is offering a few secondhand wings that I can buy and train with. I'm 74kg and would like a wing that's good at both gliding and motoring. The ability to take tandem would be great but I'm not sure if a "do everything" wing is possible. I'm not looking for a sport wing just yet.

Gin Bolero Sprint S

Sungliders Smart

Ozone Rush 2 S

I'm not even sure how I should go about selecting a wing.

I don't think the airlines allow an engine to be transported once it's been used due to the petrol issue.

Oh, really good point. I could disassemble the motor and any other parts that touch fuel and ship them separately via FedEx or something with the proper declarations.

Does anyone else with experience shipping have any tips?

I'd like to learn how to paramotor and I'm a beginner at all things flight.

The schools around me all seem to offer free instruction with the purchase of gear for both paragliding and paramotoring. Therefore, it seems that my choice is mainly going to focus on what gear to get.

My end goal is to be able to actually travel around the world with a paramotor kit as check-in luggage and also in the trunk of a car. So it needs to be compact and lightweight (as well as safe).

I'd really like to be able to take some light camping gear with me and fly-camp-fly from place to place as well.

I'm not really looking for extreme flying. In fact, the more stable the better for aerial photography. And the ability to also do free-flight with the wing is a big bonus.

It would also be neat to do tandem flights with this gear, but I'm assuming that this would require a *completely* different set of gear (bigger motor, bigger wing) due to the added weight?

Would something like the MiniPlane and Spark PPG be a good investment?

http://www.miniplane-usa.com/pages/models.htm

My situation is unique - I'm an American but I'm currently overseas and looking to get my training and gear purchase done here, so I *have* to get gear that's logistically easy to get back to my country of origin.