sam

Just read an article about the Swing Arcus being prone to parachutal stalls. Has anyone had any experience of this?

Sam

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Arcus-Swing-M-Par ... 335a8e90d9

Just seen this on Ebay.....opinions would be welcome.

Thanks for all the good advice. If any of you see a wing that you think would be suitable please let me know. In the mean time I will keep looking and keep saving.

many thanks

Forgive my ignorance as I am new to this but isn't a wing more stable (safe) with a higher loading on it?

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone had any top tips on where to look for a good second hand paramotor wing. I am 74Kg with a RAD Paramotor (25 Kg inc fuel). I am assuming that I require a small/medium wing. I only have a budget of about £500 at the moment which is quite limiting I know but I need to save the rest for training.

Many thanks

Sam

Thanks for all the advice guys.

Hi all,

I am a newbie saving like mad to get into what looks like a fantastic sport. I have been given an Edel Orion wing which I have been told has not flown for many years. The wing looks clean and undamaged and still feels crispy.

I was just wondering whether or not it was worth getting 'The Loft' or 'Aerofix' to give it the once over?

The reason for my doubt is due to the wing being manufactured in 1999. Do they only have a certain life? Am I going to be throwing my money away by getting it checked?

So far I have only used it for ground handling and would appreciate any advice from more experienced people.

Thanks all.

Sam

In the armed forces we have something called "Enhanced Learning Credits" which is meant to help pay for courses, (normally accedemic), to further your education.

I am in the process of enquiring if the system can be used to pay for a Paramotoring course, after all it is of aeronautical interest. I know people who have used it to pay for PPL courses but they seem to be getting a bit more stingent.

Does anyone out there know if it has been done before. I could do with adding a bit of weight to my argument as they seem to be less than enthusiastic.

Many Thanks.

Sam

Hi Mike,

Sorry it's been so long getting back to you but as I am not rich enough to retire and paramotor all day I had to go away for work.

I would be very interested, what sort of price were you thinking?

Sam

Great confidence booster for newbies!

I am approximately 73 Kg

As some of you may be aware I am trying to get some second hand paramotor gear together on a rather tight budget, 2 kids, wife, mortgage etc....

I have just managed to get myself a RAD Arrow for £1000 which I thought was reasonably priced (open to comments if you think this was good or not)

I am now looking to purchase a wing. Nothing too elaborate as long as it is safe, gets me up(and down again) and has no damage/repairs.

Would be interested if anyone has any good sugestions for wing manufactures/type suitable for a beginner.

If anyone has one knocking about that they want to sell cheaply to get some air back in it I would be most grateful. Got to leave some money aside for training so nothing too expensive.

looking forward to flying with some of you in the near future.

Sam

Yes the £1000 is just for a motor, I have been looking for long enough to realise that you don't get a lot for that amount of money in this sport. As you have suggested I think I will complete the Paramotor training first (already done a paragliding course) that way I can tap the instructor for tips on buying kit.

Cheers all for the advice and if anyone wants to offload a really good, preferably brand new, motor for next to nowt I would be very grateful! WELL YOU HAVE TO TRY DON'T YOU!!!

After some hard saving and a few extra jobs on the side I am looking to purchase my 1st paramotor. I am limited to £1000 or LESS to budget for a wing & training as well. Does anyone have any suggestions as to which model would be best suited to a beginer? I am 74Kg so lots of power is probably not required. Hopefully someone out there will have a bargain

Thanks for all the replies, I laid it all out on Sunday and managed to sort it all out. Wasn't as bad as it first looked, just got to learn how to use it now.

I have managed to get myself on a paragliding course whilst I am saving hard to get a paramotor. Also I have finally managed to get myself some old paragliding kit. I know it is probably too old and decrepid to actually fly but should be ok for a bit of ground handling practice I think. An Edel Orion 27 with harness and carry bag just dropped into my lap for free and it looks and feels in pretty good shape! If there is anyone in the Rutland area who could give me the basics on ground handling I would be really gratefull. I have laid it out and some of the lines seem to be a bit twisted, I don't really want to start disconnecting them without advice though incase I make it worse.

Looking forward to hearing from you all

Sam

SOLO,210 NEW PROP.CARB KIT.BELT.STARTS EASY.TOTAL BARGAIN..FLPHG MEANS ITS UP FOR GRABS. 07963718675.£800.COME AND FLY IT///

Any chance of emailing me a piccy pse? PM me for address.

Sam,

Tell us a little more about yourself and what it is you hope to do.

As I put in my original post I am a 38 year old man serving full time in the Armed Forces working out of RAF Waddington. We have many clubs set up throughout the Air Force to cater for most adventurous sports but as far as I can see the nearest we get to paramotoring is Paragliding.

My goal is to obtain some equipment on which people can get trained through a recognised paramotor school, set up a paramotor club within RAF Waddington, attract more people to the sport(after all I have a captive audience of young people with an interest in aviation). Once we have established a core of trained people my aim is to organise high profile charitable events hopefully integrating with local civilian clubs to draw on their wealth of experience and knowledge.

There are various sporting funds that I can approach within the military for financial aid but they do like to see some form of progress initially before investment. Once I am qualified I will approach the RAF for sponsorship ie. to provide a wing on which I can display the RAF emblem which will be used to promote a positive image and further recruitment.

If there is no one individual able to donate equipment maybe there is a local club willing to chip in and provide some equipment collectively. In return I will act on your behalf to try and obtain permission for your club members to use the airfield facillities. Who knows what the future will bring unless we try to help each other out. I am the sort of person whos cup is always 1/2 full rather than 1/2 empty. Anything is possible in this world if you just ask and put in the effort!

Many thanks for all who have taken the time to read this post, i am sure many of you will think I am a cheeky scrounger but really I am a nice person really !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

99.9% of you will probably read this and dismiss it as a load of old rubbish and I don't blame you either. Thanks for taking the time to read it anyway but this is directed at the 0.1% of the paramotor world who truly are saints.

I am looking for a person who has a paramotor that is stuck in their garage gathering dust. A paramotor that could be put to good use advertising, and introducing new people to this amazing sport. As I said this is the point where most of you will be off for a nice cuppa but if you are the 0.1% that is still interested please read on.

I am a member of the armed forces and as such get time to do adventurous training as part of my personal developement. I am hoping to obtain some equipment so that once trained I can take part in lots of charitable events up and down the country and to introduce other military personell to the sport by setting up a paramotor club on my station.

There must be some of you out there that have upgraded your equipment only to discard the original paramotor that introduced you to the sport in the first place. Remember the feeling when you first went solo? The grin that went from ear to ear. Imagine how big your grin will be when you realise that your generosity has introduced countless fledgling pilots to your sport not to mention all the money we would aim to raise for charity.

If you are still reading at this point and feel that you would be in a position to donate such a peice of equipment I would be delighted to hear from you. This is a genuine post and not some elaborate scam I promise you.

I am probably missing something obvious, but I would have thought that good first step towards PPG for a serving member of HM Forces would have been to sign up for (engineless) Paragliding through either the RAF HG/PG Assoc (membership @ rafhpa.com) or the Joint Services Association (ripstra @ msn.com) (both addresses without the spaces)

Chance of keeping the cost down with any luck through access to the adventurous training budget, and can use their kit too. Means that less of the subsequent PPG training is spent in ground handling training as at the very least the basics of wing waggling should have become familiar in the PG environment.

You are right, there are some fantastic courses available through the RAF. Unfortunately I have had my name on the list for 3 courses and had to cancel them due to operational reasons, postings etc. Will keep trying though!

Hi Sam,

I am very much a newbie, I have flown my paramotor three times now for a total of about an hour and a half. You are right, it needs to be done and is highly addictive as you will see from these pages. If you trawl around a bit you will see what you need to do to get yourself going. Probably your most important initial move would be to get yourself down to a club so that you can meeet people actually engaged in the sport and map out your route to the clouds.

Anywhere with a decent reputation would do, I would suggest Lambourn (near Swindon) of course because that is where I started and I know the people and.... you are already known and talking to those who fly there.

In flying terms, paramotoring is not an expensive sport, in fact it is the cheapest, and most fun way there is of getting into the sky. Simon has some school kit and you will find that people are generous of their time here. you need to try a taster day to see if this thing is for you, Simon will give you the rudiments of safety in ground handling, show you what's required, stuff you into a harness with helmet and gloves attacthed and you can make the very first step which is getting the wing airborne and over your head. That will probably frustrate the hell out of you and give you something that will place a grin on your face, then you will have one just like ours - it takes a few years for it to wear off ...

Once you have mastered the delicate arts of running into the sky you can fly from anywhere you can get permission to fly from. You might get together with a couple of your friends and after asking OC Flying, may even fly from the large green bits of Waddington's hallowed turf.

Get yourself down to the club Sam, as Francis often says, JFDI! See you soon then?

Hi Norman

If I am ever down your way I will deffinately pop into the club for a nosey about.

The site looks amazing in the picture. The motors are getting very small nowadays aren't they! Sorry that was a poor attempt at a joke!

Sam

Hi Sam, I'm just starting out on the paramotor life, having held my PPL for a few years, and hopefully doing my training over easter. If you manage to get yourself trained on rental equipment, then perhaps you could drop in my place before or after work. I've managed to sneak a motor and wing pretty much under the spousal financial radar, and once you're trained, perhaps you could scrounge a flight on my gear sometime. I'm sure you understand I wouldn't want you to train on it, but once you're airborne it might work out. I'm only about twenty minutes from Waddo, so maybe a cuppa and chat is in order.

ATB, Phil

Hi Phil,

Good luck with your training, hope it goes well and the weather is kind to you. Let me know how it goes. Where are you doing the training and roughly how much is it if you don't mind me asking? Completely understand that you don't want anyone training on your kit. I would be exactly the same when I get my gear! Really appreciate the offer for when I am qualified though. We should deffinately have a cuppa some time if only so I can drool over your Paramotor. I am only at Waddo during the week. I am on a really intensive course at the moment and try to get back to the wife and kids at the weekend. I would say for some peace and quiet but I would be lying.

Once again good luck. Hope it is all you expect and more.

Sam

Hi Sam, where are you stationed?

Hi Norman

Thanks for replying so quickly. I am currently stationed at RAF Waddington working on the Sentry's. I have been employed on Harriers for the majority of my career so I am currently commuting from Oakham in Rutland which is close to RAF Cottesmore.

As I said in my original post I am going crazy trying to get into the sport. I have gone past the point of reading all the books/magazines and watching the DVD's and want to take a run and jump (forgive the pun) to have a go for myself.

If I can find a club or an individual that can come to a mutual arrangement I would be over the moon.

What is your association with this amazing sport?

Sam

Hi Everyone, I have been desperate to get into Paramotoring for about 3 years now.

I know it is a very cheap sport in the overall scheme of things but with kids, mortgage, wife who likes shoes I can't seem to save enough to start out.

If there are any clubs or individuals that need a general helper, driver, tea maker just about anything, within reason in return for some training and loan of 2nd hand kit. I would be so grateful.

I am currently in the RAF and due out it less than 4 years with a big payout so hopefully can get some of my own kit.

I have done a solo glider flight, am trained to a small degree in flight planning, meteorology and principles of flight if that helps.

Hope someone can help make my dream come true, I would go mad if I had to wait 4 years!!!!!!!!

Sam