calcifer

gordon, powerlord, many thanks for your answers. I will try to reach the level of 3.000 ft. during my next cc flight, if the weather conditions will be fine.

Hello to everybody, I was thinking about what could be the safest height range during a cross country flight... assumed that a height of abt. 650 ft. is the minimum safe height in order to be able to deploy the emergency in case of need, which is the maximum height before you can start to feel unsafe wind speeds and turbulences ??

Well, Andy, with your health problems I agree that could be a problem to stand up too long with the engine on your back. It happened right last friday.... I was ready to takeoff, but the wind direction was quite unstable. I went on my knees leaving the engine @ idle, discharging the engine's weight on the ground, and I waited in that position abt. 10 minutes for a more stable wind condition. Then I stood up and I was ready for the takeoff. I know other guys with back related problems, and they all have converted themselves to the trike. I'm now 43 and soon the day will come when I will also start to have problems to my back, but on that day I will not convert myself to the trike. One of the things that I do really like of the PPG is the versatility... no need of trailer to be transported, possibility to takeoff on rough grounds.... that's AWESOME !

@AndyB : I was trained to start the engine on the ground too. This was before I personally witnessed not one, but TWO propeller impact accidents on my flight ground. The first costed the pilot two fingers, the second costed to a friend the correct mobility of the right arm and shoulder. I've already reported both accidents in this section of the forum. TWO prop related accidents in less than 1 year of PPG experience. Sorry of not being able to agree with you, but I think that the only position that 100% allows you to hold your PPG @ full throttle is on your back. I ALWAYS make the pre-flight checks on the engine but sorry, If you want me to turn on the engine on the ground with the prop installed is to force me at gunpoint. NO WAY.

GOSH !! This is clearly a pre-flight check failure. The guy was very lucky in having the reserve even if it was (I suppose) a low altitude training flight by winch. The real question is : what would you do if you suddenly notice a situation like this while flying ? Try to push the strap back in the carabiner (easy to say, hard to do) ? Immediately try to land ? Try to reach an area free by obstacles and deploy the reserve ?

1)Thanks grassy for sharing your (bad) experience 2) NOT, NOT, NOT start your engine on the ground. If for any reason the engine starts at full throttle you do NOT have the time to react and turn it off, even if you have your finger right on the kill switch. I know, the first turning on after some time of not using the engine, can be not so simple.... and this is the reason why , when I fly alone and nobody can help me with the turning on on my back, I do the first turning on only after having disassembled the propeller. I do carry a small battery operated power drill that fastens the assembling and disassembling operation of the propeller. Please be smart.

wow, simonmarshall.... what a scary experience ! happy you are still alive ! This video shows why a reserve should ALWAYS be equipped on a paramotor ! Sorry but as I already have written, I personally don't think that the "behind your head" position is the BEST.... just because in the unlucky event of high positive G configuration (like a spiral) could not be so easy to rise your arms to reach the reserve pull handle...

my engine's clutch is separated from the reduction gearbox (dry clutch), so this is the reason why my gear oils does not turn black. I don't know your one... but I think it's normal that when you have a wet clutch engine (running in oil bath) that the oil turns black in a short time by the clutch ferodo residuals. On the motorcycles that are equipped with a wet clutch it is normal that the oil darkens after a short use. It does not turn deep black like the engine one, but it darkens.

are you talking about a paramotor engine gear oil ?? My paramotor gear box oil (gear reduction) does NOT turn dark black after two hours. It just darkens a little bit after several hours.

the only way, as already told, is to completely drain the tank, the fuel lines and the carb. But it is an operation that requires some time (the carb needs to be disassembled for to be completely drained), so It would be an option if you are not going to use the PRM in the cold season....

sorry Steve, you're right. With ambi-dextrous deployment I just meant that you can pull the handle with both of your hands. The reserve pod, then, shall be thrown anyway by the side of the bridle routing (normally the opposite of the throttle hand).

Hello tricky, as an emergency item, just remember that it shall be mounted not in the most confortable position, but in the most safe position. It means that the possibility to deploy it with bot of your hands is a great advantage, so I would exclude the side mount. The best safe potision is the front one, wich is not so confortable (you have to hook up the container every time that you wear the frame), but has the advantage of ambi-dextrous deployment and that you can use the container as cockpit. If you don't have the possibility to mount it in the front, I would go with the behind your head that as you have correctly noted could be difficult (but not impossible) to be reached in the case of high levels of positive G force (spirals), but at least can be reached and deployed with both of your hands, and has an easier and shorter bridle routing.

@Bidochon , I'm still a novice and after having completed all my training and some short range cross contry flights without reserve, I've now bought a reserve and completed a couple of medium range flights with it. Well, it's true what they say..... with a reserve you fly with a different kind of "relaxed attention". You know that in any case you can have a last chance... and I think that this is well worth the trouble of having one more thing to check pre-flight and a couple of Kg. more with you. But don't hurry in buying one. In the first training phases (that can last even some months) you will fly to low altitudes, where a reserve will hardly be effective, and you will already have many new things to concentrate on. One more thing to concentrate on could be a disadvantage, instead of an advantage.

well, according to the above and if the paraglider lines are made of non-conductive material, I think that the only real risk of electric shock will be to hit directly more than one power line with the body or the frame, generating a short-circuit between the lines. But I hope to never test directly this theory !

thanks for the answer, Alan. so I have to suppose that the kevlar lines of the wing are electrical conductors... and what about the wing itself ? Is the material the wing is made an electrical conductor ? But in the most common impact, where the wing lines collide with the power lines and the pilot is not in contact with the ground, that should only cause a short-circuit between the power lines, without transmitting the electrical shock to the pilot.... or am I wrong ?