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Radical

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Posts posted by Radical

    Thermal?

    in General paramotor discussion

    Posted

    Hi there

    I've occasionally flown through another gliders wake and although it wasn't pleasant it didn't seem to have enough oomph to cause the large assymetric collapse this poor chap had.

    Or have I just been lucky? :?

    Cheers

    Steve

    So was it was a thermal that caused the collapse?.

    I don't know Matt. I tend to think it was wake turbulance as there did not seem to be any lift component in whatever caused the collapse, :

    Wing Life Spans and Service Intervals????

    in General paramotor discussion

    Posted

    Hi there

    I bought a new Swing Arcus 4 in January 2006.

    My rule of thumb was to have it tested for the first time after 2.5 years, then again after 1.5 years. Both times they found something, minor things but I was glad to have had it done.

    I now plan to have it done annually until it fails on porosity or needs enough new lines to make it uneconomic.

    So my basic philosophy was to have a sliding scale of inspections which increases with age.

    Not sure if this is the right thing to do but I thought it made sense.

    Looking forward to other answers to see what I can learn.

    Cheers

    Steve

    Sunday's XC

    in Devon and Cornwall Branch

    Posted

    Flat Top Dave wrote:-

    Gonna pay Radical a visit soon. I want to check out his diet and try it. He can have mine . He'll be needing a few extra pounds to keep up with me now !

    Hi Dave

    You're not kidding mate

    I had a lovely flight round York Sunday evening with some friends and buzzed a Virgin (balloon that is). :)

    But....

    Ric was on a 26 Fusion, all up weight around 140kgs, trim setting two fingers from full slow.

    Mike on a 26 Revo, same wing as me, AUW around 120kgs, on neutral trim.

    Yours truly, 90kgs AUW, full trim and speedbar!! And still falling behind!!

    I knew I'd be slower but the scale of it was surprising and quite a potent lesson on how wing loading affects speed.

    I felt like I did that on trip to Dartmoor with the Arcus trying to keep up with Actions and Revos. :o

    Oh well, I'll just have to have more curry and beer. :P

    Hope to see you soon

    Cheers

    Steve

    Is There a thng as too much Power

    in Paramotors.

    Posted

    Hi there

    Just going back to the subject of the thread title, you've correctly identified torque as a possible issue with powerful motors and light pilots, but there is also the possibility of power stall to consider.

    Basically as we throttle up the thrust pushes the pilot forward causing the wing to increase it's angle of attack. If the motor is powerful enough, the pilot light enough and/or the wing slow enough the angle of attack can exceed the stall point.

    The result would not be pretty especially as the most likely point of this occuring is just after take-off with the throttle wide open.

    Definitely something to be aware of and careful use of the throttle could be the answer.

    Hope this of help.

    Enjoy the flight

    Steve

    Anybody ever try a Paratoys Blackhawk paramotor

    in Paramotors.

    Posted

    Hi there

    I'm afraid I haven't got the experience to advise on the motor choices mentioned but I do feel compelled to put a word in for adequate netting on a motor.

    This serves two purposes, firstly stopping hands contacting the prop if something goes wrong whilst ground running.

    Secondly, stopping the brake handles being sucked into the prop.

    This is particularly a potential problem on low hang point machines, e.g. Parajet and Pap, where the brake handles are much closer to the cage.

    It happened to me twice (on a Pap) with the handle thankfully bouncing back off or I might not have been here today.

    I added additional netting to mine immediately with smaller holes.

    Cheers

    Steve

    Paraglider suitability

    in General paramotor discussion

    Posted

    Hi there

    No disrespect meant, but I question the wisdom of teaching students when you state you have yet to start paramotoring yourself.

    I would suggest asking the respective manufacturers re the suitability of their wings for paramotoring.

    Sorry if this seems unhelpful but the possible consequences of getting it wrong in this game can be very serious.

    Regards

    Steve

    Broken ankle

    in General paramotor discussion

    Posted

    Hi Pete

    Just on that score, back in the ealry nineties I did the tib and fib paragliding, with a plate and screws put in.

    I was getting a fair amount of pain with it so the doc arranged for them to be taken out, which helped tremendously. It still gets stiff in winter (ooer missus) but nowhere near as bad without the metalwork in.

    BTW, they gave me the bits afterwards, jeez the screws look viscous, no wonder it hurt. :roll:

    Oh and Welshy, if they offer you the option of a plate, I'd recommend viewing it as a last resort only.

    With hindsight I wish I'd perservered with the cast.

    Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

    Cheers

    Steve

    broke both plate and 6 screws in one and a 2 inch screw up through the other (Hanwags saved the leg), took 12 months to get back in the air , but it still plays up now .

    Pete B

    Helicopter display in Hull.

    in General paramotor discussion

    Posted

    So there I am walking along Hull Marina around 1500hrs Saturday afternoon.

    Hmm thinks I, that guy who just walked past looks just like Simon Westmore.

    No, cant be, what would he be doing in Hull. :roll:

    Doh!

    Cheers

    Steve

    Scruffy skinny bugger, green raincoat, two days of stubble, lost in the crowd.

    Nucleon 31 first flights today

    in Devon and Cornwall Branch

    Posted

    Ps... brake lines seemed 6 inches long to me, but apparently they are right.

    Dave

    Hi Dave

    Read your flight report with interest as the Nuke is one wing I'm interested in. However the comment on brake line lengths struck a chord. My Synth had the same issue but to a greater degree, I felt about a foot.

    Again, it was set up correctly but just felt wrong having to pull the brakes almost to my bum for a decent turn!

    I'm sure you'll have many happy hours on it and hope to see you soon.

    Cheers

    Steve

    Paramotor stolen from Hull on 6th

    in General paramotor discussion

    Posted

    Hi there

    Just got a text message from Paul Haxby advising that a Radne engined paramotor

    was stolen from Hull yesterday. This was taken from the owners garage but the

    outer frame was left behind.

    I'm not sure what make/model it was but it should be easy to identify if it

    turns up.

    Please spread the word.

    Cheers

    Steve

    Spirals, clockwise or counterclockwise?

    in General paramotor discussion

    Posted

    [quote=To perform the low level spirals should I turn clockwise or counterclockwise?

    Cheers

    Idiot (Alex)

    the only time that you do a low level spiral is just before you die.

    Paul D

    Or indeed a high level one....

    http://www.aaib.gov.uk/cms_resources.cf ... amotor.pdf

    Please also bear in mind when reading this that Kevin was a highly experienced pilot, indeed he was actually an instructor.

    You are of course pilot in charge and free to decide your own level of risk and reward.

    However to do that you need to be aware of the risks.

    And If it can happen to the best....

    Steve

    Let's measure the real weight of our paramotors

    in Paramotors.

    Posted

    Hi there

    Just to clarify the 23.4kgs was the weight of my Pap Top 80 with a 1250mm cage.

    It may be that the claim of 25kgs weight relates to the 1400mm cage?

    That would certainly seem plausible.

    I do have an older Pap Top 80 1400 but have not been able to weigh it yet to confirm.

    Cheers

    Steve

    The PAP Top 80 looks like the lightest (reported) of the paramotors listed - claimed 25kg and 23.4kg reported (lighter than claimed - why would that be - modifications??). Of course others have electric start, which adds a few kg.

    Any other Top 80 owners out there happy to add their weight to the discussion?

    Would be a great help.

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