Ivan

Thanks guys for correcting and adding the info.

Totally agree with everything said about high altitude flying. You have to know what you are doing thoroughly. This particular flight was done abroad with the full support of Air Traffic Control. We were given the permission to fly in "cylinder" approx.7 miles in diameter. We plan to do later on this year high altitude flight in Wales and will be discussing the options with the authorities shortly.

It took 1h 45 min until 12 litters of fuel has gone. It was not too bad in terms of the temperature, just around minus 7 approx. Today in Wales it is minus 20 degrees C at 17 000ft (info from Windguru). So it worth checking the temperature shift for the day you plan the flight – for example in two days it is going to be just minus 9 (instead of minus 20 today).

The main issue with this sort of temperatures is your hands. Therefore I bought Norvana HOT 5 gloves with electric heating and have no issue anymore flying at winter. They are fantastic, the only flaw is the price ) Another tip to keep your hands warm is to keep your hands down, under the front container (if you have one). And to use your weight to change the direction of the flight. With most of S-horns type paramotors it is not a problem.

Few comments to the hypoxia symptoms.

As Powerlord pointed for some people it can come with no forewarning. And you can not really understand and appreciate the difference between flying with oxygen and without till you try. Repeating myself, when I have done a sort of experiment and took off the mask at 14 700ft for a minute it was like being drunk. So, let us fly safe, enjoy our beautiful sport and do it in a right way.

Next day piece of video at 13000 ft. Important! Flight was done with ATC permission.

Important!

• All the flights outside F and G zones must be approved with air traffic control.
• Do not fly without oxygen at altitude over 14 000 feet.
• Do not endanger your own and others lives.

We were considering doing high altitude flights for quite a while. Eventually we were lucky enough to get both the permission from local air traffic control and some good weather to do the flights. The idea behind these flights was just to have fun (not to set any record) so we used the same Apco Lift wings we fly every day and no tuning was done an ordinary moster 185 on a SkyMax frame with S-horns and 125mm Helix prop. We were really surprised with the outcome so here is the review of the flights.

Highest RPM at the ground level were 8350 and the climb rate was just about 3 – 3.5 foot per second. We made the first 3000 feet in approximately 12min. RPM was going down slowly, at 12000 feet highest RPM was 7700 and about 1.5 feet per second climb rate. So the RPM drop was around 550. In comparison to Moster, under the same circumstances Simonini mini 2 engines lost around 1500RPM and the climb rate stopped at 12000 feet.

At the altitude of 12800 feet I suddenly got into wide, around 600 feet in diameter ascending airflow. The Climb rate jump to 3 feet per second.
Thermic? Really? At 6:30am?
At 14200 feet. Moster is still perfect.
At 14800 feet I Am still getting 7500RPM. Initially I expected to be able to get to only around 12000 – 13000 feet but now I was hoping to reach 16400 feet (5000meters).

14 800ft, the views are amazing.

5000 meters (16400 feet) notch is getting closer  and closer… Got it!
 As you can see at the video, emotions are overwhelming.

At this point I made a decision to go higher until I run out of fuel. Climb rate at this altitude is about  60 feet per minute. Moster surprises me to no end  – I still got 7300RPM, which is fantastic.

At the same time, the symptoms of altitude sickness were getting worse as time went by – breathing difficulty had gone and my mood was getting higher and higher. Having previous experience with these symptoms I knew that I had to stop shortly.

Meanwhile the fuel runs out. Silence… Incredible.

My Brauniger IQ Alto shows 16961feet and Garmin GPS shows 17552feet.

I did not want to spent too much time at this altitude and pressed out the speed bar. Descent rate was 20 feet per second to 30 feet when doing light maneuvers. At that altitude I did not want to take the risks of doing spirals – with low oxygen the risk of passing out under G-force is significantly higher. my leg muscles were shaking making it difficult to press the speed bar.

From 11500 Feet I starting doing spirals.

On this 1h 46 min flight I used 12litres of fuel, with average consumption of 6,8l per hour and average climb rate of 2,6 foot per second with Apco Lift M (28m). I was really impressed with how Moster 185 handled altitude performance.

Important!
I was in the mountains at the same altitude and knew what to expect. Using oxygen for flying over 14 000 feet is a legal requirement when piloting a plane and we strongly recommend to do this with paramotoring.

The next flights were done using oxygen.
The idea was to explore how it all works and to get ready to fly in the mountains.For our paramotoring purposes oxygen systems designed for climbing mountains work perfect. They are light and are used in the same conditions we are flying in.

We used the set consisting of three elements:
1. The tank. For paramotoring a 2–3 liters tank is more than enough. It provides a pilot with oxygen for 4–8 hours depending on oxygen flow rate. The weight of such a tank is only 1–1.5 kilo. It is made of special polymer and holds the pressure up to 300ATM.

2. Air flow regulator with oxygen flow settings from 0,5 to 4 liters per minute.

3. Mask. We used the most simple type, the same you have seen in the hospitals.

Few tips on how to mount the tank to the motor.
The first thing you have to consider is that during the flight you have to be able to reach the air flow regulator and see the notches of the flow rate. Therefore we decided to mount the tank to the cockpit’s place in front, between the S horns.

The second thing is that Oxygen is quite a dangerous gas, and you have to avoid any contact of the tank and its regulator with oils. As we have the fuel tank just one foot away from the oxygen tank we decided to use a simple but effective solution a plastic pocket with sealable upper part was put over the tank. However if I would use it on a regular basis, I would find a proper holder for it.

Start with the tank is no different to ordinary one and there is nothing special about using the mask while flying. 

Oxygen does the job indeed. At 14700 feet I decided to do a test. I took off the oxygen mask for a few minutes. The difference is tremendous. In comparison with flying and breathing oxygen, it feels like you are drunk. High altitude flying is a stunning, marvelous experience. But in order to do it in a right and safe way, using oxygen is a must.

Hand made )

This part

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/351440614404?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&var=620533769021&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Plus  a piece of plastic and velcro (in my case).

The only thing, do not forget to apply locktite to the nuts or replace the nuts with onew with plastic inserts not to lose them during the flight. 

Few years ago I mailed Vitorrazi asking about Motul 800. They do NOT recommended to use it. Motul 710 which is recommended in manual has different burning temperature and burning time. Therefore I use only Motul 710. 2,5%

Gentlemen,
We just wanted to share with you our experience in using a speed bar with a SupAir harnesses. We fly with the speed bar fully pressed a lot of the time. The way the speed bar is attached has a direct influence on safety and comfort during flight. Our team flies SkyMax Paramotors. However the experience gained should be applicable to all Paramotor's with S horns and SupAir harnesses. 

To start with, 
SupAir harness has three points of speed bar attachment. The pulleys are mounted in points 1 and 2 and it seems that most pilots do not know about point 3. 

Point 1 – Pulley located at the bottom of the harness.
Point 2 – Pulley inside the harness
Point 3 – The strap for attaching the pulley is in the middle of the harness.

We have three possible ways of attaching the speed bar. Every different way has its advantages and disadvantages. All the conclusions are based on flying cross country with the speed bar attached in the three ways described below.

Scheme 1 
Speed bar attached using only the lower pulley (Point 1).

 Advantages: 
In comparison with other types of attachments, it is really easy to press down the speed bar.

Disadvantages:
When you press the speed bar the paramotor tends to lean backwards.
It is hard to hold the speed bar out for long periods of time due to strain it causes on your legs.

Scheme 2
The speed bar lines come through the lower pulley (point N1) and the pulley located inside the harness (pulley N2).

Advantages: 
you can press the speed bar for longer periods of time without your legs tiring.
The Paramotor tends not to lean backwards.

Disadvantages: 
Speed bar lines go between the harness and pilot’s fly suit and can be quite heavily compressed.
This results in:
- More effort needed when pressing the speed bar.
- When you release the speed bar, the compressed lines between the pilot and harness could get stuck in position causing a delay. At this point it becomes dangerous. 

Scheme 3
Speed bar lines goes through lower pulley (Point N1) and middle pulley (Point N3).

To use this type of speed bar attachment you need an additional pulley.
Mounting this pulley needs no sewing.
You put the strap through the pulley’s mounting point.
Put the pulley through the strap again and tighten it up.

You can see the result in the photo below.

Advantages:
It is easier to press the speed bar.
The paramotor is not leaning backwards too much.
You can keep the speed bar pressed for a long period of time.

This type of attachment of the speed bar works best for us.

Any questions or comments are wellcome.

Original article could be found at http://www.wmonkeys.co.uk

Sorry for not being clear with my post - I just meant that the throttle handle and particularly the engine kill button can cause the spark absence. I am not saying anything at this point what was the reason for this blocking (seizure) you are describing. Eventually the button in my throttle handle was replaced by Vitorazzi distributor and I was told that I was not the only one with this problem.. Hope the guys will found what was the issue with you engine. 

It depends upon the model. Usually the motobike helmets have an issue strait away - low upper edge and you can not really see the wing.

I was not saying that the spark absence was the reason for hydro lock. But the absence of the spark can cause it no doubt... 

The reason for missing spark is the shortcircuit inside the throttle handle. I had it with three handes. Lucky enough.. 

Totaly agree on hydro lock with Simon.

As for the sparking disapearing from time to time - it can be the problem with the switch off button on throttle.

I had this issue for a several times in the past till I replaced the throttle handle with a new one. I had this issue with the original Vittorazi throtle handle. This seems to be a perfect explanation for Parajet guys finding no wrong with the motor. This defect can occure from time to time, then disappear. I would try replacing the throttle handle mate.. 

18 hours ago, craigo198 said:

I like this guy's design from Russia.  What do you think about construction? https://vk.com/photo248692758_413900681

I have not seen this frame but knowing where it comes from I definitely would not go for this option. Sorry, I do not want to post any negative personal comments here. 

8 hours ago, morgy said:

Buying from a dealer/manufacturer from another country is only good if you can get spares quickly and there responsive to your emails when you have problems. Having a local UK dealer may not be the cheapest route but generally the service back up pays for it self when you do get issues... There is nothing worse than having to wait 2-3 months for cage quarters etc.. 

These guys (Skymax) are really good in customer service. Hopefully they are going to be at Parafest. They are very responsive, however there will be a 1 - 2 weeks waiting time for delivery of spares from Russia to the UK and Europe (unless they will have a stock here). I would have a spare section of Expedition frame if I go for Expedition option. All the other spares (props for Moster, etc) can be bought in the UK.

In the US there are several pilots flying Expedition frame with Moster. Skymax just arranged the distribution deal for the US. I am sure they can provide you with contacts of US pilots to get the direct feedback. And probably having distributors they arre going to stock the spares in US..

I had this system of pressurised tank by air for years..

There are a lot of issues with it. 

First of all, fuel spills from the air intake tube. Secondly, when you start the motor with pressurised fuel tank it is easy to get too much fuel to your carb and then it is hard to understand is is too much fuel already so the motor is not starting or it is not enough fuel. After changing the fuel sysyem to standard one with primer it is much easier to start the motor.

And thirdly, when the motor is working with fuel coming under pressure from the tanks air you do knot know what is going to happen with idle rpm during the flight when the tank is not under pressure anymore. 

One more minus. If you got poor mixture carb setting (too much air, not enough fuel) you would not be able to understand it strait away. Because the fuel will come under pressure. But later on when the pressure goes down the quality of the mixture goes down as well (less fuel, poorer mixture) and the engine temperature will go up. And you will not be able to start the motor in the air, as the mixture is too poor (in the worst scenario)....

The only one plus I can see is there is no primer as potential failure point. But how often primer fails? Most of us would use Polini primer, I have not heard a lot of negative feedback. To my opinion, the pump of the carburator copes absolutely fine with primers resistance..

Just discussed in this topic

https://www.paramotorclub.org/topic/10741-skymax-compact-cross-country-modification/

Hi, the consumption depends ditectly on throttle. My experience is from 4.5 L per hour up to 8 L with full throttle pressed 100% time. 

I would agree - sunrise flying is fabulous. 

Gentlemen,

Just accomplished modifying my paramotor for cross-country flights. In my case, it is SkyMax Compact paramotor with Moster 185 engine, but hopefully my experience can be useful with other paramotors as well.

I have SkyMax Compact paramotor since 2014. Generally happy with it, however I always wanted to have more flight time available and few minor things to be done.

So, what was done:

- 18 liters tank made by TechnoFly was installed.

This tank was chosen as it has the same dimensions (except the front one) as original 12L and no changes to the frame had to be made.

 It is fixed to the frame with metal plate at the back (using tank’s threaded connectorsd) and strap.

There is a valve in the cap letting the air in during the flight so you need no taps to be opened before the flight.

Actual capacity of tank is 19,5 liters so there will be no issues anymore doing 60 – 70 – 80 miles flights. The only issue to complain of may be missing fuel notch marking. Hence, I had to mark the tank myself. 

And it will need renewing in a while.

Because of the bigger front size of the tank in order to indemnify the tank from contact with propeller the second Vitorazzi spacer was installed.

During the flight it does not make any difference and no torque effect occurred.

What is important is to have the fuel tank fixed properly as the distance from the tank to propeller (in my case) is just about 6cm.

Therefore it is not enough to use only the strap for mounting the tank.

- RPM and temperature gauges installation.

My PPG meter just died and instead of getting the new one, I bought Trail Tech meters, initially designed for the bikes. The reason for buying these ones is quite simple – they are cheap and reliable. Temperature gauge is the most important for me. I fly a lot with speedbar fully pressed and having the engine working at almost the full throttle for a long time definitely needs keeping an eye on temperature. And tachometer is used just to control the carburetor setting.

Both gauges are mounted on the bracket, attached to the horn. 

- Fuel tap mounted prior to carburetor.

Fuel tap mounted just in a few inches away from the carburetor is solving quite a specific issue. The thing is – when you have a motor resting in the boot of your car for quite a while in horizontal position, air in the fuel tank expands and starts pressing fuel to the carburetor. This results in having a strong smell of petrol in a car but what is even more important is that I often used to come to the airfield with an excessive amount of fuel in the carburetor, which was making the start the motor more difficult. With fuel tap it is sorted.

- Front reserve container with cockpit.

I just started to use Runway HD navigation on my phone and needed to have it strait in front of me. I did not want to buy separate cockpit due to certain reasons, and it was not an option to have SupAir or other cockpit+reserve front parachute container because of having S-horns it was not possible for me to reach the reserve handle located in the center of the cockpit. This is the pattern for most of containers with cockpits. They all have handles in the center, hardly accessible with S horns. Recently I spotted GIN container with the handle, located at both sides of the container. 

As far as I understand it is only one container (with cockpit) at the market which has the handle located at the sides.

At this point, modification of my paramotor is over and hopefully weather this year will give us a chance to have a lot of nice flights.

Special thanks to John (Manchester Paragliding) for helping out with instaling the upgrades and SkyMax technical support for choosing the right ones.

Just went for front container option.

For a few years I was sort of compelled to use a side container with SupAir harness. The reason for it was quite simple - I am not able to reach central reserve handle because of the horns ( short hands syndrome: ) 

Recently I spotted GIN front container with the handles, located at the sides and installed it. Quite happy with it.

Yes, I fly it (in Britain).

It is a very nice paramotor, the only thing, mine is modifyed for cross country flights (19 litres fuel tank).

I am not sure what you are after.

I do not know the company, which owns speedboat.ml but If you ask about paramotors, they are selling SkyMax, Skymaxavia.ru

I do not know, who is the manufacturer of trikes if you are after trikes.

Our paramotor team (Russian team, wmonkeys.ru) has been working with Skymax for several years. The quality and customer service is considered to be the best in Russia. Couple years ago when Skymax started the project with "Expedition" they started international sales. Trey regularly participate in Paragliding events, they were at Coupe Icaro last year and the next one is Parafest 2017 in Britain, if I am not mistaken. 

I moved to Britain 3 years ago and still fly Skymax Compact. 

Feel free to contact me further if I can be of any help.

Have some doubts about low fuel consumption looking at this table (not XL version), taken from the link below. Almost 9 litres per hour with 7900 rmp?!

http://www.custom-air.co.uk/Custom_Air_Paramotors/Air_Conception_Nitro_200_Paramotor_Engine.html

4000 rpm = 2,25 l/h

5000 rpm = 2,66 l/h

5500 rpm = 3,27 l/h

6000 rpm = 4,80 l/h

7000 rpm = 6,74 l/h

7900 rpm = 8,57 l/h

Quote:

""Chairman of the North Wales Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club, Jeremy Hazzard:  “The only site we have outside Wales is at the Thurstaston Country Park when wind conditions allow, but all flying here happens within the narrow band of lift formed by the wind rising over the cliff edge and for a few hundred metres north and south from take-off ""

Looking at the map - Thurstaston is in Liverpool airport zone of responsibility as well. Wellcome to our boat Jeremy...

The problem with Wirral is that .... no matter, where you go from Leasowe Lighthouse, there will be birds everywhere and even having 500ft the birds are disturbed. 

I truly believe that nobody here flys over restricted area (Hilbre Island + 1 nautical mile, SFC - 500ft). However there are a lot of birds at river Dee area (no rectrictions) where the photos were maid and in front of West Kirby, Hoylake and Meols areas.

There are a lot of birdwatchers at all these areas and they are not happy with any flights. I think this conflict of interests will end up badly and I stopped flying at Wirral area...

On 19.11.2016 at 03:13, notch said:

 The primer bulb I last used three years ago still smells like petrol(!), is a no-go.

 

Not a trouble at all I believe. Just wrap it in a cling film and it will be alright. I did not even removed the carburator - cling film does it job. 

But to reiterate - unfortunately it is still gambling. I have written about dozen letters to Lufthanza, KLM, Iceland Air, airports and so on. The very same response every time - combustion engines are not allowed in the lagguage.....

I flew in Iceland couple of years ago, have been there for three times..

I would say you should not fly alone without local pilots, it does not matter how experienced you are.

it can be calm weather, than 60 miles per hour wind so you can hardly walk, than good weather so you can fly. And it's all in one day. That is my personal experience. You may be lucky so the weather is stable but - again - it would be gambling to do it alone. Another issue that the weather differs greately within the short distances.

Here is a club to start with.

http://www.paragliding.is

PS Flyng there is phenomenal... sorry, still have not managed to make a decent clip from the videos I made there...

Not as the recommendation but just as an experience.

I recently had my stuff in the luggage (2 pieces of standard - not a special paramotor - bags). Disassembled, motor apart from frame, cleaned, no fuel no sparking plug. Key thing was – everything was heavily wrapped up with cling film – no smell at all. For the question “what is this” the answer was “towing device for paragliding sport”. No further questions.

My friends were waiting outside ready to take the motor in case it goes wrong.

PS It seems that it comes to the point when it is virtually impossible nowadays to legally take paramotor in the luggage… Whatever the company you are flying with is telling you the airport security has its own view…

My friends were doing it legally abroad for TV company, (long way to go through to including air traffic control).

Just couple of rules

- well lighted landing area.

- lights for the wing (uplight) and stroposcope type.

- Navigation (2 devices just to indemnify yourself for the failure of one of them).

But we are in the UK..

On Thursday, September 15, 2016 at 11:02, custom-vince said:

I wouldn't believe what you read. Need to get some scales

Skymax expedition is one-ring frame made of laser cut aluminum, carbon rods and titanium ring of specific oval profile. Weight of the frame is 4 kilo. I have seen it on a scales ))

 It is robust and works well with an active full throttle start. However, one ring frames (especially with carbon) are not so robust of course  as “full metal”.

The weight of 20 kg. is the real weight of the paramotor with harness and fuel tank, but without the reserve.

On Thursday, September 15, 2016 at 22:35, Dariuszk24 said:

its a shame to have power full motor, but you cannot use it.

With Moster it worth to use deflector. No matter how much you fly with full throttle, temperature will not exceed 200 degrees with right carb settings. And I reckon that temperature gauge is a must with any engine in our hobby. You will not find any plane without it ))