tatumdale

i used to use Runway HD and paid for the UK maps... I then trials Skydemon - they have a monthly plan that's quite compelling. But i now use Garmin Pilot. Once you program your paramotor in there (as a light aircraft but with details for paramotor and wing) it works really well. I planned a flight up the servern yesterday and it was pretty accurate on weather and fuel consumption. Worth a go on the trial before biting any bullet - same with Skydemon.

Any news on this? Has anyone given it a go? I hear they have a Moster-friendly version in the works...

Thanks for your help... all sorted now. Prop bought direct so understandable.

Wondering if the Flymaster M1 is a good investment (cost aside). i have a Flymaster, Maverick Moster 185. Does anyone use this device on here? Does the fuel sensor work well? Does it replace a ‘mirror’?

I've got a Moster 185 plus that came factory fitted with the Helix prop from Parajet. I've just bought an E-prop and found that the Prop Bolts are too short for the new E-prop. Current bolts (x6) are 50mm - think i need 60 or 65mm. Can anyone advise and then point me to somewhere i can buy some from? Ideally - so i get them before Friday (as it's forecast to be flyable by then). Thanks and hope you can help?

Any update @custom-vince on the machine? Seen you post on FB so eager to learn more: approx price (I think you mentioned £6.6k) options eg clutch etc

I use the Sena 30K. The mesh connection works great... it works by bouncing signal from one person to the next... it’s got a person to person range of 1.2km - so if there are 3 of you that’s 2.4km and if there are 5 of you, that’s 4.8k. You can also use Bluetooth as well... its a fiddly thing to install nice but I think it’s worth it... I’ve got a remote for it that sits on my reserve on my lap so I have all controls nice and convenient.

Is there a perfect camera for sharing our flights? If the camera more important than the software? What makes an interesting video to other people? Well i certainly don't aim to answer the questions - but i did want to share a camera and software workflow that i believe is a game changer for us pilots... The Go Pro Fusion - This is a 5.2k camera that captures complete 360 view It's waterproof (to a point) Has excellent stabilization But more importantly - allows you to turn it on, forget about it and then choose what to focus the video on after the flight. So what does 5.2k matter? well if you're capturing 360 degree views, when you want to focus on one view you have to imagine your in a box and each side of the box is a TV screen that needs to be HD. I won't bore with the technical calculations, but 5.2k allows you to do that. It also means the combination of high resolution at capture, 360 view and the accelerometer data it holds will give you some pretty good software driven stabilization. Do i needs a high end PC/Laptop? No - you can use your phone - the Go Pro app is pretty good for beginners. When will i need a high end PC/Laptop? If you want to do an edit like mine (linked at the bottom) - you'll want a good laptop to speed things up. Take a look at my video and know that i literally pressed record, left it and then worried about it when i edited it. Click here to see the video

Nice video. Well edited. How are you finding the Scout frame?

Interesting comparison. My assumption was a moors law type thing where power increased and weight decreased year on year.

Rather than bore you with text... i thought i'd make a little video of my flight Got some cool data visualisation stuff on it so you might wanna watch it to take a look at that for your own videos. **Full disclosure** - i did sh*t myself a little and turn back when the thermals kicked in! Felt like I was on an Aer Lingus flight to Dublin!!! Membury_Fly_with_some_cool_Data_:).mp4 Did this inspire you? www.paramotortraining.com would be a good place to start your journey.

Welcome, Dave. You've made the right decision! I won't be around on Saturday - but have recently bought kit so happy to give you a newbie's view on it all

I'm one of Simons students I had my first flight on my 3rd lesson. I totally recommend him and his team. You feel less like a student (although if you need to be reminded, he'll let you know) and more a part of the gang/team. All the others that aren't students that fly at his Membury site, are also great and impart their knowledge and experiences. As a newbie - all knowledge is learning. The only frustration that I've found is fitting in the 'flyable' weather, work and personal life... so if like me, you're a busy person anyway, then expect to be in it for the long haul and not for 10 lessons over 10 days - or even 10 weeks. (which was what I originally went into it thinking). That's the same with anything weather dependant. And when i'm training and more experienced, i wouldn't have to wait for the weather to be 'perfect', as 'good enough' will do. Hope that helps... My final thoughts - just do it! How else are you gonna get up in the sky flying with power without having to re-mortgage your house? Especially as it's only down the A34 and up one junction on the M4 for you.

Congratulations Simon. Well deserved!! 10,000 will come and go in no time!

Great video Simon.

It’s been 5 weeks since i had my first lesson in Paramotoring. Since then there have been a few variables that have led to such a long absence from the airfield: Weather Family life Work Other hobbies The main cause out has been the weather. I have a bit of a better understanding of the weather requirements now so now i look for a good wind - Average of <10mph and gusts under 15mph. That’s about my limit. The night of my 1st session, i ordered what has now become a bible and regular bedtime read - ‘Paramotoring from the ground up’ 2013 edition. This is a great book that covers so much in a really easy-going way: FLPA exemption (Which means i can’t take a cup of coffee up with me because if the cup falls, that contravenes Schedule 3 of the Foot-Launched Powered Aircraft Exemption - which includes dropping people (??)). Introduction to the aircraft (i’ll stop calling it a parachute with a motor - i think aircraft sounds betters!) How it actually fly’s - Lift, drag, the controls etc Mastering the Wing - of which some of my learning was validated when i finally got my 2nd lesson in) The Power Unit (I didn’t even know how a 2-stroke engine worked!) As well as the rest: Instruments, hardware, rules, laws, airspace, weather and (excited bit) competitions Overall, the book has really helped me on a number of levels - learning, keeping the ‘drive to fly’ present, and giving my confidence. O and i also order my own wing… the not so expensive part of the kit… (exciting!!!!!) So on the night of the 17th (June), i text Simon after looking at the not-so-perfect weather “are we good to go?”. "Yes mate ? Se you tomorrow" was the response got… BOOM! We’re on!!! So Saturday morning, i arrived promptly at 9am ready for the day. There were a few other there that i hadn’t met - all at similar levels. I met the guy that went to a trade-type show to buy a t-shirt and walked away with a paramotor! Awesome bit of kit btw…. (didn’t see the t-shirt thought lol) and i has my first task of ‘F*ck he’s gunna crash… ooo no he didn’t, ooo he’s about to have a wind direction pole anally inserted…. ooo no he didn’t!) that incidentally didn’t scare me off - just made me wanna get up there! So as for the training…. After re-familiarisign myself with the kit, building the wall, ‘making love with the wing’ and general practice, i moved on to a full sized wing! This was great…. more force but slower reaction time to the wind… which actually gave more thinking time…. I also did the reverse launch…. Reverse launch? Yes - you face the wing, get it in the air, twist 180 degrees and run! simple…. got the hang of that pretty quick (thanks to imprinting the instructions from the book followed by confirmation and more tips to improve from the instructor… felt more autonomous today ? TIP: I wore some gym gloves today…. so the cables arrmchign the wing to the harness didn’t rub my hand raw… (Less from the last lesson). So - not much more to say apart from: “you’ll be taking your first flight next lesson… “ Yes! I’ll be in the air actually flying solo!!! Hopefully i won’t be almost flying into trees and i’ll try to prevent the wind direction pole from inserting itself anally!!!! haha So here's a little arial drone video edit i've knocked up showing the airfield, and someone training their 'ground handling'... Hope you like it... (and i mean 'knocked up' btw... )

I would hold out. Autumn will bring the Nikon Keymission 360 - a smaller, more usably shaped and probably better quality camera thats designed for sports. The thing to remember with 360 video is that you need 6 x HD resolution - just to look 'ok'. Think of being inside a box... each side of the box is a TV screen... so 1 x 4K sensor wouldn't be enough... But for home videos etc and there are other options that world really well in addition to the 360 fly Also - to edit 360 video has literally just come really easy thanks to Adobe Premiere's 360 support (release 2 days ago)... it's awesome. I have the Theta 360s - it's pretty good... but i find myself taking time-lapse 360 video because the photos are great quality but video not so much (which i suspect is the same for the 360 fly). Anyway - i hope that helps a little... (wait to see what Nikon bring to the table this Autumn).

How much for the Flytec 6005 vary and the flying suit? (also, medium - how tall are you?) Also the Icaro Scarab Carbon with Peltor ear defence size 69 and reserve shoot? Thanks

@admin (Simon W) How are you fixed for a lesson on Saturday?

Got the book you recommended.... thanks for that... it's really really good. Can't put it down!!!! ha

Nice blog... where are you based? I'm new and due a 2nd lesson with Simon at Membury.... Saturday is looking like 15kmph (about 9mph) winds so i reckon if Simon isgood for it - it could be a good day to to get to the next stage

Today was the day that I began to realise my childhood dream. When i was 11 years old, i bet my brother that i would be a pilot by the time i’m 50! Well today was the day that my vision of actually achieving that felt real. Today was my 1st Paramotoring lesson. Before i start - I had a few flying lessons in the past, but the ‘cost' of getting a pilots licence was just too high (in both time and money). AND once you get it, there’s the small issue of BUYING A PLANE! So realistically, i needed to work out another way to fly. Cue Paramotoring. So what is Paramotoring? So for those reading this outside of the Paramotorclub.org, Paramotoring is basically a person, with a parachute (called a wing) and a big propeller strapped to his/her back flying - Here's a picture for you ? Learning this sport can be frustrating - it’s weather dependant - in particular, the wind and so you can’t really guarantee a training day more than 1 day away. If it’s too windy then you can’t do it. Simple. To help, here’s an app that i highly recommend (as recommended to me by my instructor Simon) - it gives wind and gust speeds. I’m sure it does more as i learn more. But it give you an idea if flying is going to happen. Even with these potential delays due to weather, it still beats flying a fixed wing simply down to the fact that it takes less ‘hours’ and more demonstrable competence. So if you’re keen you can be in the air flying solo within 3-4 days! (weather dependance of course). Day 1 Getting there: The airfield was just behind the Membury services on the M4. Easy enough to get to. Lower profile wheels/cars should be warned, the driveway is a little rough. Food & Drink: Their is a Starbucks literally 10 meters away! and another 10 meters are WHSmiths, Macdonalds etc… so food and drink is easy to get. However, i think i’ll bring a gas cooker and kettle next time - much cheaper than motorway service prices! Getting started: So after arriving, there was a meet and greet, coffee (very important), a short briefing and the issuing of the Trainee Pilot’s Guide workbook (TPG). The TPG contains info, further reading and more importantly, explanations and instructor sign-off for each stage/learning outcome. It looks pretty good… gives me an idea on what stages i’ll be going through in my training. Today was about Ground Handling. The most difficult part of Paramotoring is getting off the ground (as told by the instructors). So a good understanding and ‘feel’ of the wing is essential. So today was about getting used to handling the wing, getting it in the air and keeping it stable. Things i learnt: Laying out the wing on the ground in the optimal position for a good launch Controls - brakes and Risers with left and right controls How to ‘balance’ the wing - Simons analogy was to think of it as an up-side-down pyramid that you are balancing on your finger - if it starts to lean to the right, you need move yourself to the right beneath it. This is done with the left and right controls of the brakes and your feet. Using the wind - the wing flipped a few times, but rather than physically unflipping it, i could use the lightest of winds to get it to right itself. Wing control in 3 stages - today was just stage 1: getting used to the wing and getting up in the air while wearing a harness. Make love to the wing - don’t just f*ck it - Haha. this had to be the quote of the day - and it worked!!! If you pull hard, tug left and right aggressively then the wing responds aggressively (usually to the floor), but if you use the wind, and lightly touch the direction you want to go, it’ll work better (and stays up - no pun intended). This took most of the day to get the hang of due to it being a ‘feeling’ rather than a step-by-step technique. Managing the cables - so they don’t tangle etc Picking up the wing safely so the wind doesn’t catch it and pull you away Packing the wing away So overall, a really fun day - a great experience. Next Steps I’ll blog each of my training days, so others can share in the experience, but also, if you are also interested in learning this sport - do it! It’s a lot cheaper than you think… and way more fun!!! Now, I just gotta wait for a combination of free time and good weather for the next lesson! I'll leave you with my quote of the day: