AndyB

Would love to arrange a paramotor hol down here lol!

My favourite take off site is here...

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Chiringuito+Aldea+Beach/@36.3343117,-5.2396925,788m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0xd0cd5adf14f49ef:0x403d278a576e580!2sEstepona,+Málaga,+Spain!3b1!8m2!3d36.4781254!4d-5.1223608!3m4!1s0x0:0x1d7683294cbfa7fd!8m2!3d36.334911!4d-5.238204

ps. Simon, it would not embed?

4 hours ago, alan_k said:

You'll get a little less power with the warmer (summer) temperatures as well.

Ah yes, thank you, not thought about that. That could explain why my run is longer in Spain than in UK. It was 14 deg when I left UK and 26 here today. It is always virtually no wind here as well. I haven't done a single reverse launch in 12 months........although I do tend to still do forward even when a reverse might be possible.

On the point of forward or reverse - due to back issues I am a bit wobbly when I turn round (especially if I have to be going backwards as well to keep the wing up), so reverse no good for me unless there is plenty of wind, then I can kite on the spot and then turn carefully. Is there any reason why not to do forward if I can? Today I could kite the wing when stationary most of the time (I put harness on for a play first), but I still did a forward launch!

ps. I have no flying mates to watch and learn from! Anyone want to fly near MIddlesbrough from a huge grassed field, or off the beach in Spain?

Here is a vid of forward launch into about 6 to 10 mph wind.

By "negative rake" are you meaning the vertical axis of the hub leaning forward? 

Raked front wheel is primarily for stability. In a straight up position the wheel will try and vibrate around its axis. With the castor angle, the touch point of the wheel is vertically below the centre, but behind the imaginary touch point of a line drawn through the hinge point ie it trails. Because the force is applied trailing (behind) the pivot point, it is stable and self-centring.

I think trike steering by pilot is better at take-off because it allows the pilot to drive the trike under the wing centre, thus allowing better recovery and cross-wind take-off.

I could try some on for you! I am going looking for boots when back in the UK end of June. 

1 hour ago, rsquared said:

I've always been keen on the Hanwag brand since I first saw them many years ago in my free-flying days.

My concern about ordering boots online......is hoping you get the right size, what with the different types of measurements etc.

Is there some fool-proof method of getting the right size? Because all the shoes I've ever bought, I've tried them on first, and sometimes I am one size and then another depending on what brand. I really want to order a pair through Amazon (I live out in the sticks in Thailand)|, but am unsure as to be confident of getting the right size,

Any help greatly appreciated.....Cheers

Fool proof method.....go to shop, try them on. Order online at much cheaper price.

The return with great view over the Costa Del Sol.....

Gain height and out to Casares....

Oops, forgot to add it.

Take off....  

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.

Yes, the ground rush happens. It just takes a little getting used to. I was taught that in no wind I need to use the whole brake travel from hands fully up to right down. The trick is to adjust the speed at which you pull the brakes, so that you never gain any more height. Start braking just before feet touch the ground (in dangling landing position!) and aim to keep feet just off the ground until brake travel fully used, at which point I pretty much just take 2 steps.

I think my bigger wing helps make it easier. I am 92kg and have Roadster 28m. No need for any wraps of brake lines.

It is a shame I get such perfect nearly every day......as only me flies down here. I haven't seen a single other ppg here in the last year!

Forecast looking good...... https://www.windfinder.com/forecast/estepona    that wind direction is sea breeze until a week on Sunday

Took off in my usual place as today, wind off the sea, away from the car park. An hour later, wind turned......and needed a 360 over the car park to  land......

The learning curve

Brilliant. I think that pop off pressure may explain why my new paramotor would not work properly last year.

From new it would run but not go to full power....all the symptoms of being too rich. After breaking the plastic safety cap off the high end needle, I started to wind it in. The problem was that I only got full power with the needle just 1 turn from fully in. Guideline is usually about 1 3/4 turns out!

I was sent another carb. Nearly the same result, but slightly worse...3/4 of a turn out.

I was sent yet another carb. Same result....3/4 of a turn out.

Engine went back to Polini. Came back with another carb on. And works. 

All carbs are identical spec.

I have lots of spares now!

33 minutes ago, ddreg said:

l'm new at this and was trying to figure the no hands kiting thing also.  

My theory: If you are flying paramotor straight and level hands off then that air speed is the windspeed you would need to kite hands off.   thats the balance point.  At that windspeed i would be afraid to kite as you would be on the edge of being lifted off and dragged.   (The guy did say the other guys wing was half the size of his.  I suspect the big guy had trimmers out to not get dragged.  they are at the beach with smooth constant wind. ) 

Now if you kite in less wind with hands off why does the glider go forward and tuck?  Well if you were flying with some brake pressure and released what is the glider going to do?  its going to dive forward trying to get to its balanced airspeed.   on the ground, you can't dive with the wing, the gound is in the way.  you can run but you would get light as you got close to that balance point unless you had a smaller wing. 

Letting trimmers out would require more airspeed. 

So i accept i have to use brakes with my wing when kiting or kite at the beach with higher windspeed with a smaller wing. 

Nope. When kiting the wing only has to support it's own weight, less than 10kg (the weight of the wing plus a bit more, to maintain tension in the risers). Try pulling on a riser while kiting, it is dead easy to pull down. Then try with you and a paramotor hanging from it!

When kiting, the front of the wing will 'stall' (fold, tuck etc) if the wind speed over the wing is not maintained...as wind drops you have to move forward!

Danny,

VFR rules:

Below FL100: 5km visibility, 1500m horizontally from cloud, 1000ft vertically from cloud.

Above FL100: 8km visibility, 1500m horizontally from cloud, 1000ft vertically from cloud.

So, you can be above cloud, if over 1000ft higher, but would have to travel over 5km horizontally away from the edge of the cloud, in order to descend!!!!!!

Also, having been through a rather large cloud (accidentally while learning!). I don't want to do it again. It was very wet and very cold (no rain, just the cloud). Had to land and dry out!

Thanks for that (not the face bit!), appreciate it. I will read some more! 

I like pottering around taking photos as well, but have found flying low over sand is really fun!

The point I was trying to make with the Jojo wing was that although the original had been modified and weight increased, then NOT retested, that made NO difference to it's ACTUAL rating. The wing was tested after the death and classed En B with trimmers in. So, if they had had it retested it would have been certified fine for a newbie.

Whilst doing the testing, they also tested it with trimmers out.....suitable for advanced only.

So the criticism of the wing may be wrong.

Also.....erm...I have no experience of having to (or how to) correct a wing when something happens.....other than "do nothing".

How many pilots do have experience of a collapse that required something other "do nothing"?

2 hours ago, admin (Simon W) said:

As far as I am aware, This has been like this since the birth of the reflex wing and is nothing new. 

I am fairly sure nothing has changed. The gliders are ALL certified with trimmers in (NOT OUT) 

SW

Si,

In that case then does that mean the JoJo wing WAS ok for Paramotor use. If they had had the cert re-done it would have come back as OK (with trimmers in)

Andy

Upwind is fine.....well upto a couple of metres from the blades........how close dare you go!

It's not hard, just a little difficult to convey, because of the wind effect.

Once you have the wing up overhead, it will only stay there if there is sufficient tension maintained in the risers to counteract the lift being provided by the wing. This lift has to be enough to keep the wing flying! After a while you learn what this tension should be (ie how hard you need to push forwards). In nill wind you will have to push forward and run as per the video of my son doing it. In 10 to 15 mph I can stand still and do virtually nothing except push forward against the risers while standing still. Not quite nothing because the wind is never steady, so you either have to be prepared to walk a step or 2 forwards as wind dips....or pull both brakes a little!

As for not using brakes...yes, you don't need them if careful once the wing is up, you can maintain  your flying wing by moving your feet!

Hope that helps.

Cheers Simon. Having got APPI approved, I would have to jump through some unnecessary (no added value to me) hoops to get BHPA approved. 

The EU regulation has limitations specified. One is that is does NOT apply to " aircraft, including gliders, with an MTOM of less than 500 kg, and microlights, which are used for non-commercial purposes ". So this reg does NOT apply to trike launched PPG.

Not sure what you refer to Simon, but I think AXA do ensure trikes (for both PPG and microlight).

Their insurance is here http://www.flugschulen.at/axa/english/. The European AXA policy accepts many different approved training qualifications. In the UK it has been narrowed to just BHPA. So if we insure through the UK the training has to be BHPA approved, whereas through AXA Austria (or other European countries), APPI and many other programmes are accepted.

AXA accept APPI certification and APPI has a trike training programme. I will double check with AXA before I go trike training!

Thanks.

Tony, it was zero wind...that's why we left it to the youngest in our group to have a go