Casper

Apparently some Finnish pilots made a daring flight today from Tallinn to Helsinki over the ocean.

http://www.is.fi/kotimaa/art-2000005248457.html

https://paramotors.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/detail:tim/10.6.2017/12:03

Hi, and yes, this is definitely something you should do!

As for wings, most brands are very good, there are at least 30+ wing manufacturers who gives the impression that they know what they are doing, bet half of them have paramotor specific wings. A few of them stands out in the community as favorites. And lots of pilots are brand loyal, guess there is a good reason for that.
Most important, buy a safe wing intended for beginners when you start, upgrade later only if you feel the need. Even if the instructor want to sell something to you, I'm sure he won't sell a bad wing.
As for motors, there are some good and some bad stuff out there. It's hard to say what will last and what will break. Even if everything works fine, after a while you can have material fatigue, cracks in exhaust pipes etc.
Some paramotor brands are definitely premium with better quality overall. There are a few, easy to spot on the craftsmanship and price tag.

As for carrying extra equipment there are a couple solutions; harness pockets, backpack on your stomach, "cockpit bag" and even expedition bag like on the Bear Grylls paramotor (Parajet) that you have under your fuel tank. If you fly a trike you can attach even more luggage.

Keep reading on the Internet and ask local pilots, the more you know, the better progress and decision you will make.

I've seen lots of pilots who use knee protection. And also some who fly in lighter working pants with knee pads. Most hiking pants have extra condura or similar and I guess the perfect pants would be something in between. Not as bulky as working pants, but with reinforcement like the hiking pants.

High hopes for the upcoming ppg pants from Flycandy next year. Maybe they could add a padding pocket to the knees?

On 2017-05-25 at 22:08, AndyB said:

I just flew a 20 mile cross country from a Costa Del Sol beach to the Crystalina Mountains and the town of Casares. I will post the video later. The mountains go to 4500 feet and Casares is at 2000. I took off at 7.45 (6.45 your time) and after getting to 1000 feet I set a straight course for Casares and headed inland. It was still very thermal and bumpy. As I head towards Casares, the terrain gets very rough, with few good landing sites.......so I go higher to 2000 feet. Better air, but still bumpy. I think even the cam looks like it got roller coastered. However, the wing never even so much as dipped at edge - I sat looking up filming the wing as I got thrown around! I went to 3000 over Casares to maintain safe height and keep glide options open near the mountains. I flew round the back of the town, then headed back for the coast. There are amazing views this evening. Puerto Banus and Marbella to the left and to the right, Gibraltar with the north coast of Africa behind it.

Looking forward to see that video.

I use Hanwag Sky GTX, quality boots highly recommended, you can still walk in them!
Some brands that have extra support plates looks really nice too. I guess they offer even more protection than the Hanwag. What made my final decision for Hanwag was good price (cheapest) and short shipping distance.

If you buy boots with lace hooks, do yourself a favor and either change them to loops, or cover them in a way you are 100% sure that you never can catch a line with them.

Then there is this http://www.activeankle.com/ I've read that some skydivers use it. Not sure how common it is, but looks like a solution if you fly with cushioned running shoes or something.

What I  really want for my next PPG boot is one with https://www.theboasystem.com/. I have it on my working boots and on my cycling shoes, easy to adjust, failsafe. Will consider regular hiking boots next time just to get Boa, so much better imo.

A shattered foot is complex to fix, not worth to be unprotected for even one bad landing.

More stuff from Air Conception, anti-torque blades, same principle as SCOUT and Nirvana, but a different design.

Seen in this video by Fly High Paramotors, Also some other nice machines in the video, but the anti-torque blades caught my attention.

Looks like you can fit them to almost any cage.

Will this guide help? http://www.southwestairsports.com/ppgtechinfo/top80/hrservicenotes/timing/timing.htm

Can't help more than that, newer had a top 80. (assume that you work on the top 80 from your previous thread)

Just wow, from my understanding the nitro 200 have been a reliable engine so far, right?

But a bigger engine with the same weight must have less material somewhere else. The obvious question is, will it be as reliable as the nitro? Or are there other factors like lower rpm for a certain power output that might help to make it last even longer?

Anyway, this is really interesting, and I hope to see some videos of it soon.

That was some dedication to make an expedition like this. I definitely see this as a big milestone in paragliding/paramotor history. And I still enjoy watching the documentary now and then, thinking what's possible in this sport.

There's a new issue of Free Aero out in english now. Happy reading!

https://issuu.com/saschaburkhardt/docs/securite-e-150

Ok, not sure what to discuss yet, but this is too interesting not to share. Guess he showed it at Beach Blast 2017.
http://www.paravol.info/t3353-Air-Conception-TORNADO-280.htm

280cc engine from AirConception, 11.7 kg!!!

Edit 23/5-2017: since it official now, here it a link do discuss the engine on the forum

Maybe we can keep this as a thread for cool stuff and development that happens in the paramotor industry. No long discussions, just to make the good stuff viral in the community.

Rumors, new products, must watch videos, small tips n trix. You can't really start a new thread when you want to show the new jacket Flykandy designed for paramotor pilots.
But you wish that you didn't miss the kickstarter campaign where you could make a good bargain, just because you didn't find it in a thread like this.

So, keep posting, at least I want a thread like this, since I love to know what's going on around the world with all paramotor related things.

It's a big misconception that you need to touch the diaphragm to prime a working carburetor. By drilling or using a bigger hole you just risk to lose internal pressure due to wind
from the outside. In worst case this makes it impossible to restart the engine without a new prime procedure, since the pressure will be gone as soon as the engine stops to suck fuel. A running engine helps to support a bad carburetor. But it won't help you when you try to restart in the air.

Remember why it have a diaphragm, to keep level with the atmospheric pressure. Even the smallest change in pressure will affect a diaphragm carburetor. And with correct pop off pressure it should be highly sensitive, and not something you want to poke every time you start your engine.

Walbro didn't design the cover plate just so users should make their own prime solutions. With a correct WB32 it should be just as easy to prime the carb as it is to push a key on the keyboard. And it should not piss fuel at all, since the inlet needle should be closed until the cylinder draws the fuel it needs.

Having a Solo 210 and a WB32, I had this problem when I acquired the engine some years ago. I always had to reprime my engine after I killed it, so fuel went back somewhere. And I also had to poke the diaphragm to get the fuel into the carburetor, often resulting in fuel pissing from the airfilter and flooding the cylinder, something was not right.
(but self proclaimed experts around me thought that this was the way to go).

I soon did a carb overhaul with new replacement parts, everything was well used inside the carb. Three things that I changed might have solved this for me.
First one was a new inlet needle with a fresh rubber tip. there was a visible difference with the new and the old one, not good.

Black tip is rubber and important the keep it tight. (just a sample pic)

Second thing was to change the diaphragm cover to a new one without an oversized drilled hole, since I believe that you shouldn't need to touch the diaphragm with your finger on a working unit.
Now I just have the small standard hole, and nothing that disturbs the diaphragm so the carb loses its pressure.
Try this, blow gently on the diaphragm when you have internal pressure and you will see why this is a big deal. Then think about it, is that something you want on your back when you fly?
I just pump the fuel with my finger-sized primer bulb. And with the right pop off pressure (adjusted with the walbro tool and a wet needle (might be the third step) you don't need much force to prime a wb32, just one or two fingers if you have the right sized fuel hose.

Also from Alex Varvs guide Pop-off pressure adjustment

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1) Too high pop-off pressure leads to fuel starvation, hot engine, overheating   and even seizing, if the engine is run at full power for long periods of time.A good indicator of this will be of course a high temperature reading on the CHT, EGT or a very "clean" white-gray spark plug insulator. This is NOT an indicator that the oil used in the mixture is good and burns clean! It shows that there is TOO much AIR in the mixture and not enough FUEL. The combustion is done in excess of oxygen. Such a combustion generates excessive heat.

2) A too low pop-off pressure will cause a too rich mixture which is not really dangerous for the engine on the short run but will decrease its performance and cause too much carbon buildup. On the long run, the excessive carbon deposits may fragment, get caught in between the piston and the cylinder wall and cause scoring. If not detected in time, this deposits will sooner or later "load the spark plug" cause a short and an engine out.

Symptoms: engine flooding, difficult warm engine starts, rough mid range RPM,Lowered maximum RPM of the engine.

Hope this helps
//Casper

DHV did tests on this, watch this video 

It's not as bad as you might think, I was surprised when I saw this.

https://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6fe_1491850747

Same, but from the ground.

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http://www.footflyer.com/fix/motor/carburetor/walbro.htm

" Carb leaks fuel when not running" -  Float needle is bad or has crap stuck in it, or the float lever setting may be too high, or the float diaphragm is bad.

" The fuel leaks back into the gas tank when it isn't running" -  Bad fuel pump membrane, or an air leak in the fuel line at the carb

 

Take a look at that.

Float needles have a rubber tip to keep it tight, on old and used needles this might be gone, it's just a very tiny rubber layer. Buy a new one and the problems might go away.

Edit: Nice Mirror dinghy btw, long time since I saw one sailing in Sweden. Fun stuff!

Much easier to get a stronger engine  

I've seen the pictures and videos of major trauma from propeller strikes, yes there is videos on people walking into aircraft propellers, pay attention to what you do.

http://www.footflyer.com/Safety/Incidents/2007-06-prop-strikes/prop-strikes.htm

But when you have done your pre-flight check, checked the throttle wire and the throttle springs and all the other things,then I don't see a problem with starting the engine with one arm across the top cage and a firm grip (above the thrust line) and one knee in the harness back and one down to the ground. Unless you have a very powerful engine that is too much to handle for your body weight and strength.

Sure avoid it if you can. Personally I have a very strict ritual on how I handle my little engine on the ground. It's all about safety for me, but I guess some would argue that it's not safe because I also start it without having it on my back. I would never start my engine if I was distracted by something else . Some people do, and I think things like that is the biggest source to prop accidents, not starting it on the ground.

But I would not argue with you about first kickin your ass, then having a glass 

Great video Andy! Really nice result, and looks easier to use than the Sena 10r thanks to the bigger buttons.

Very nice, I did something very similar with my Bell segment Darth Vader limited edition helmet (über cool ) and Peltor optime 2 from the hardware store, same wire installation, same place for the Sena battery, I used melting glue on the inside to hide the wires between the cellfoam. Camera is the Garmin Virb Ultra 30, love it! Cheap ski googles from China with lots of different shades depending on weather. Mostly I fly without the googles, but if it's cold up there then it's nice to have.

Next up would be to add an air band transceiver to the Sena with the SR10. Not sure if it would work, don't have the equipment yet. But see no reason why it wouldn't.

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The other issue which can be fixed is the wire through the high jet described by casper above.

On wb 32/37 you have a two low/mid jets, the second is the one you can plug, not the high jet! Be careful so you don't mix it or you will lean out and destroy your engine quick.

If butterfly mod is enough, (recommended to all engines that need to have a tight screwed in idle), then stick with it. This gives a bigger throttle range, good for smoother acceleration and more precise throttle control.

If mid range is way to rich and feels like a problem, consider doing the jet-plug mod, but careful and check your temp on mid and high range so you are sure not to lean out. In other words, don't do it if you don't know how to do it in a controlled way, recommend to look at CHT, EGT and RPM. This should only be done if everything else is correct, right fuel mix, new spark plug, clean carb and correct settings. You still have to re-adjust the needles after plugging the jet.

Read the guides to get a good understanding how the WB works

http://home.altibox.no/flayhay/My-stuff/walbro-forgasser/walbro-carburator-adjust-eng.html
http://home.altibox.no/flayhay/My-stuff/walbro-forgasser/advanced-carb-tuning.jpg

In the last link he says, "advanced pilots can try blocking the #3 jet, then screw the HI needle ¼ anti clockwise, you also need a clean butterfly disc......(no notch grinded in)"
It works perfect with both mods, but since you get more air on idle you have to be careful, easy to avoid any problems if you just re-adjust from a rich setting.

The Hirth F-36 is not 100% identical, some parts may fit, but probably not all.

About the coil, I just googled "2300487" and found some places who have it.
Good price on this one https://www.amazon.com/HIPA-Ignition-2300487-Prfessional-Backpack/dp/B00XPJWTAC

I have a different coil on my Adventure A3, but maybe that have something to do with the CDI Adventure used.

I use this one, http://www.mvh-shop.de/GEL-Batterie-Poweroad-YTR4A-BS-25AH
So good that I almost can fly with the starter engine

The small tube? maybe for the pulse hole to the carb?

Only problem with premium oils is the price, not the quality of the products. It's almost more interesting to know where the limit is, and what oil you shouldn't use.
Premium oil and you don't have to worry, my engine is so clean I sometimes wonder if I have any oil in it at all. Almost no carbon deposit.
A much cheaper oil would surly work, but guess I have to clean the engine more often to be on the safe side.

Choosing Fuel and Oil - Jeff Goin

"Avgas or Mogas? Castrol or Pennzoil? 2% or 3%? What's best for my engine? Ask this question in a room full of paramotor pilots then take cover. "