edwardc

You know how to hurt someone Dave, I am a a PPG1 now so I should able to land in that great big field (I feel like I might regret saying that!). Whitters is coming down so are you going to come down and get in the air? Eddie

Can you make the signs quite big because I don't want to fly too low to read them LOL! Eddie

Dave I am sure my windsock will turn up soon but I will always let you buy me a beer! I think you are right about the 'flash burns' and wearing a tee shirt to fly in is not much different from riding a motorcycle in one! Hindsight is definitely a wondeful gift!. There are things to be learnt from this episode and, apart from the safety aspect that I have already mentioned' filling the fuel tank on my PAP was considered a pain. After seeing Petes tank with the fuel cap sliced off I will never complailn again. See you next week Eddie

Pete Was watching the Lambourn video that SW posted and had a tear in my eye watching you dancing thinking 'he won,t be doing that for a while!' LOL Hope you are okay. See you next week. Eddie

Tony I have to agree with you on the safety matters but it will be difficult to put into practise as most paramotorists do not fly from PMC sites. After seeing Pete I am also not happy flying on my own as it is difficult to imagine what the result would have been if he had been alone at the flagpole. The new system that SW has now with the PMC includes full safety brief and relevant information being given. Next of kin/who to contact/any medical conditions (dental plates etc which can choke in an accident if not known about) etc. We also had a first aid brief off Whitters on removing helmets and what to do in an emergency (the demo in the French restuarant with Togsie was a bit OTT though!) I think the whole situation with Pete was well handled by everybody there. On a personal note: Helmet/Reserve/good pair of ankle supporting boots (Pete was very glad of his) and a easily accessible hook knife are permanent parts of my kit.

Cheers Malc Never see that again, he would have sold it by now to finance his serious paramotoring habit and keep his 'pink thruster' going! LOL

I think you 'hit the nail on the head' when you describe Petes attempted take off. After each off the 2 aborted attempts the correct thing to do would be to move back up the hill but, as they say, hindsight is a wonderful gift'. At the lower half of the hill at Lambourn there is a steep section that is not usually an issue as it is so far down (and can be handy if you are ground handling and want a glide!). Pete went over this section and, as the wing had'nt inflated, landed hard doing the damage to his foot. It is my opinion (I am not an air crash investigator) that the angle of the incline pushed the blades onto the petrol tank and cut off the cap igniting the fumes. There was still 5/6 litres of fuel in the tank which we tipped away safely after Pete was moved so I dread to think how bad it could have been if it had all ignited!. It was a freak accident and the circumstances would be difficult to replicate. On the way to Hospital Pete was concerned that this accident might put off the students that were at the flagpole which shows what sort of person Pete is. I am glad he is okay and look forward to buying him a beer at the fly-in. On a more important note: what happened to my wind sock? LOL Eddie

That would be me in a Chelsea shirt! Only pleased to help after seeing that you were down okay, it looked a lot worse from where we were. Hope you get back in the air soon Cheers Eddie

I thought it was funny anyway Ken. Eddie

Pete Good to hear you are on the mend, unfortunately I have had to take the day off work with a bad back. I am sure it was having to carry you about all day on Sunday LOL!!! Look forward to seeing you at the fly-in. Eddie

Had a look on Google earth and it looks great, are we allowed to fly from 'common land ' though?

SW Looks like there are going to be a lot of 'other halves' there at the fly-in, have you arranged something to keep them busy whilst we fly? Eddie

If it was south of Aylesbury it would probably be Tony. He flies from a field just off the A41 West of Aylesbury but it is'nt a good field for newbies! I will probably be using it later in the Summer. At the moment I am happy going down to Lambourn because it is a good way to meet people and socialise. Make sure you can get to the fly-in for that very reason. I will keep you informed if I find anywhere nearer to fly. Cheers Eddie

Hi Ian I live in Thame and work in Aylesbury so I am in the general area. Put your post on the Oxfordshire & Bucks branch section. You will see that I have already asked the question and I am sure something will be sorted out. Are you going to Lambourn this weekend as Sunday is looking okay? Eddie

Do you have somewhere in Tetsworth to fly from or are we just going to annoy the locals? I will probably see you before then (I will be at the flagpole Sunday hopefully) and we can sort something out. I am hoping some others from the Thame area will be joining us.l See you soon Eddie

It would appear that Simon lives about 30 miles West of me which means I would be as well to fly from Lambourn! Not that I mind flying with Simon but he can take a very very long time getting ready and still forget to put petrol in his motor LOL!!! Eddie

It all seems a bit in quiet Oxfordshire so far this year! My next project is to fly down to the flagpole and back again (when the weather improves) and also to fly to the June fly-in , even though it is only 7 miles away from Thame where I live. I would like to fly from a site as near as possible to Thame to save having to get a lift to and from Aylesbury and fly from there. Can anybody help with this please? Maybe even join me (and Fast Eddie possibly). Cheers Eddie

SimonW +1 Bathboy (Sunday only) Outkast Frazer (possibly) Pete b Mike (plus 1) Dragonphotographic (subject to boss!) Irm750 Fast Eddie (Plus 1) Togsie (all on his own Crying or Very sad ) Slim + 2-3 Paul + kay Laughing Peirs Dent. Eddie1 +1

Cheers Dave, hope I get a chance to reciprocate when you get flying. Not too long away I hope! Eddie

Dave Sounds good to me. Are you both going to the Fly-in? Eddie

Pete B QFI, Paramotor mechanic, IT expert, Top Welder, is there anything that you can't do? Eddie

Thanks Tony If I recall correctly you and Jon Norton where the first people I met when I turned up for training with SW last year. It was great news to hear that you got in the air after I left Sunday and I am looking forward to reading about it in your training blog. Jon How are you getting on? Eddie

Had a great day at the flagpole yesterday, good to see so many people there (Summer must be coming!). Had a couple of good flights, although the second one was a bit bumpy and found myself gaining altitude on tickover on a couple of occasions. A bit scary in thermals when you don't come from a Paragliding background and will take a bit of getting used to. Was tempted to go for a cross country with Colin & Simon but was glad I did'nt as they decided not to bother taking enough fuel and using the 'Flagpole groundcrew' system of getting back! Managed to do another couple of 'spot landings', so qualified as PPG1 which means that I am the only PPG1 at the moment so I need the rest of the 'Fodder Five' to catch up as soon as possible so I hope to see Ken,Dave ,Tim and Neil soon. THanks to Pete and SW for all their help and looking forward to getting PPG2! Eddie

I think that is because Ben is a member of the 'dark side' and is not a full PMC member!!!

Me too!!