pauldeakin

[quote="meds"................. glide angle a little steeper ............... Glide angle will be the same, but you will move down it faster. If you understand the Polar curve; you can just move it down and right slightly in the graph, to reflect the higher speed and sink rate, then you can see that you have a faster stall speed, but you will be less likely to stall it, because more brake pressure will be required to stall. You can also see you have a faster speed to fly to get best sink rate and best glide angle. Paul D

It is happening tomorrow, 22nd Feb

Don't use less oil than 50:1 On the Simonini web site they are recommending 3% (about 32:1) for the mini 2 and mini 4, that is something you need to check and make sure you get it exactly right. Someone told me the Simonini advise not to use Castrol TTS but rather use a semi-synthetic oil, maybe someone that has a manual can confirm this, or not? Most likely you need to tune the carb, it probably needs to be a bit leaner, but I would put a new plug in first, be very careful when adjusting the carb leaner. Too lean and it will overheat. Paul D On the Simonini web site they are recommending 3% (about 32:1) for the mini 2 and mini 4, that is something you need to check and make sure you get it exactly right.

Phil, I expect you have already done this, but as you have the stator removed, check the magnets, I once had a similar problem to yours, and found that one of the magnets had a hairline crack that was barely visible. The symptoms were similar in that it was difficult to start, ran very rough and the output to charge the battery was weak. Paul D

4 Stroke Wankel? Aren't 4 Stroke and Wankel completly different? Four stroke is a piston engine called 4 stroke because it has four strokes to every ignition. wankel is a rotary engine that ignites every rotation, A small rotary engine would probably need oil mixed into the fuel? or do they inject the oil? Paul D

Quote -I have not tried it yet but certainly intend to. Anybody else use this technique? I use this technique when the wind is strong, Sometimes with A's and C's sometimes with A's and D's (depends on the wing) I find it gives much more control over the speed at which the wing rises, the speed can be slowed at any point, and the wing can be more effectively killed than with brakes. With practise in lighter winds you will find you can raise the wing to any point, stop it, hold it there, then bring the wing down or continue rising, in other words you have complete control. It is however a little more tricky to correct sideways movement than using the brakes. Paul D

You should expect some torque steer with a Walkerjet but it sounds like you are experiencing much more than normal. On my Walkerjet I only experience it on full power, but I rarely use full power. I agree with Phil, that it is OK to manage torque by offsetting the trimmers a little, you can of course set them evenly when landing, because torque is not a problem when landing. It is however preferable to counter it with weight shift, and hangpoint adjustment. You will probably need a combination of all these. You can try various ways of adjusting the weight, someone mentioned different sized carabiners, you can also get different sized straps that go between the carabiner and the frame, I have experimented with this on my WalkerJet but did not like it, as I prefer it to be balanced correctly when I have the power off. I am now able to manage the torque without the need for these, simply by controlling the power and weigh shifting, although I do still have my reserve mounted on the left, which helps a bit. It is true what Dave said about how wings behave differently, I also used to fly around in circles when I flew a Dudek Nemo, but when I changed wings it was no longer a problem. RE: the motoi hanging to far back If the motor is hanging too far back, make sure you are on the hangpoint nearest to the motor, and try tightening the straps that pull the back of the harness forward (if you have these on the older model). If it still does not hang right, eat more pies, and get some heavier boots. You should really sort this out before you fly. It sounds like you are sitting down too soon and at risk of twisting the risers, I suggest you stay in the standing position for longer when launching, get more height before you raise your knees and sit down, you may even be able to come of the power a bit before you sit down, you will find that the torque has less turning effect when in the standing position. PaulD

I have never paid too much attention to G ratings before because of the reasons that Pete and Dan have mentioned already, but i suppose it would make sense to understand. If a paraglider has been load tested to EN standards by Air Turquois, the load testing report is can be seen at: http://www.para-test.com/index.php?opti ... &Itemid=37 For example look at the Apco Fun for Two You can see the loadings test for each glider that has been tested in a graph, from these graphs it seems that they just load 8 times the certified max weight of the glider for a few seconds and see if anything breaks, they also do a shock test, I don't know how they decide on the loading of the shock test as this seems to vary between 600 and 1200daN Not all the listed tested paragliders have load testing information, is this because they are not all load tested? Is this not part of the standard EN test? maybe it is optional I don't know? or maybe it there somewhere but I can't find it. So in answer to your question, If a glider has been tested to 8G but you are flying above the weight at which the glider is certified, then the glider has not been tested to 8G at the weight you are flying at. You can work out the lower G rating if you know how much over the certified weight you are. Paul D

It is difficult to find unbiased comparisons, but if you have a shortlist of wings that you are interested in you can find some information about them here: http://www.para2000.org/wings/index.html Does not give UK prices. PaulD

If you are thinking of buying an old wing just to ground handle, I expect you will just want the cheapest you can find, but I think its worth considering that some modern beginner wings will inflate very easily and stay overhead in spite of pilot error, much better if you can find a wing that is more responsive, and tends to overshoot and\or hang back so you have to constantly work to keep it flying, (something like a knackered DHV2) you will learn much faster that way. PaulD

You should not use a detergent such as washing up liquid, but plain soap (not perfumed) should be OK, I read on one of the cloth manufacturers sites that you should use Olive Oil based soap, but I don't know where you would get that and I have never tried it. for more information about the materials used and some tips on looking after them, see: http://www.ojovolador.com/eng/read/repo ... /index.htm Paul D

Good idea, but it should be made clear that all incidents must be reported to AAIB via the BHPA. So the choice should be: If you want it published, report to BHPA and enter on additional system. if you don't want it published, report to BHPA

Standard Thrust - Good choice, one of the best wings for a beginner. In case anyone is still interested the EN flight test fro the Thrust HP Small can be read here: http://www.para-test.com/images/Test_Re ... report.pdf Paul D

Paul, I thought that greater risk comes from flying a wing that is lightly loaded than from one that is heavily loaded? Correct - normally more chance of a collapse if the wing is lightly loaded, normally I would recommend being in the top half, but in some cases especially if the manufacturer has specified a weight range that heavily loads the wing, to get more speed, then flying in the lower half will make any collapse less dramatic, and make landings and take off slower. That is why many of the faster wings get a lower (safer) scores when tested at min weight than they do when tested at max weight. Paul D

I was thinking of getting an Apco Thrust for a first wing... Just about to order it actually. Would I outgrow the Thrust quickly? I think the Thrust and the HP are the same price, so would I be better off going straight to the HP, and fly with the trimmers in for a while? Thanks! It is quite possible that you would outgrow the Thrust, You may find it too slow when you start flying XC with friends that are flying reflex wings, this is a problem you would have to face with any entry level wing such as the Dudek Nemo Moto, Paramania GoFly, Apco Thrust. You have to decide whether to start with an entry level wing that is going to be easiest to launch, then expect to upgrade fairly soon, or to get something a little faster. Ideally you would learn on your instructors equipment first, then you will be better equipped to decide. The question of which faster wings are suitable as a first wings is debatable, take advise form your instructor, but bear in mind that he may well be a dealer and selling wings from only one manufacturer. in my opinion the best advise is the advise from experienced pilots that are not selling wings. This is also a dilema for Free flying pilots, normally they will learn on a DHV1 (LTF1). After completing the Club Pilot they will have to decide on buying a DHV1 or a DHV1-2, good instructors will know if a particular student is ready for a 1-2 or if he needs more time on a 1. Is the HP suitable as a first wing? The small HP has a EN C certification (same as the Dudek Synthesis) Is the Synth good OK as a first wing? Is any reflex wing OK as a first wing? How useful is the certification as a guide? The HP is roughly the same performance as the Revolution. Is the Revolution OK as a first wing? many instructors even recommend the Dudek Reaction as a first wing. Can a 'Sports' wing be OK as a first wing? Too many questions and no facts to answer these questions only opinions. My opinion is that if you have enough skill and confidence to fly a Synth or a Revolution or Reaction you will also be OK with the HP, but you should be in the middle or bottom of the weight range not the top half. Paul D

Sorry Dave, I didn't realise, sounds like you need to do a bit more homework. The Apco Thrust HP uses what Apco call a 'reflex hybrid technology' some manufacturers call it 'semi reflex' which means pull the trimmers in and you have no reflex or very little reflex, let them out and you have reflex. If you want to understand a bit more about reflex technology you could read what Mike Cambell-Jones has to say about it, at: http://www.flyparamania.com/index.php?o ... 31〈=en and a slightly different view from Ozone at: http://www.flyozone.com/paramotor/de/ne ... x-profile/ Interestingly Ozone say, " Reflex profile has absolutely no place in the design of a beginner wing – for all of the above reasons, it would be inappropriate for a beginner pilot to fly with a reflex profile" Yet Paramania market the Revolution reflex wing as a beginner wing. Even the manufacturers can't agree over what is best for a beginner! Paul D

Leoibb, I would expect the Revolution to feel more stable because it is a true reflex wing, the Thrust HP is only pretending to be.

The Apco Thrust HP is an Apco Thrust when the trimmers are fully in, when trimmers are in it has no reflex, but the HP is more heavily loadedthan the Thrust if you are within the weight range. If you have the trimmers in the only reason it is fast is because it is heavily loaded. So if you are near the bottom of the weight range on a HP, and you only fly it with the trimmers in until you are more experienced, then it is a good beginner wing, in fact the Apco Thrust is considered by many to be the best beginner wing available. When you become more experienced, it is still easiest to launch and land the Thrust HP with trimmers fully in, this makes launching and landing very easy, once flying you can open the trimmers and you will keep up with the fastest reflex wings. However it turns like a bus, best if you only fly in straight lines. Paul D

I know that hook knive will easily go through lines, but will it go through risers? Has anyone tried it? Just though it would be useful to know, because if you ever find yourself in water, being dragged by wing in the current, face down, hook knive in hand, can't release buckles, just a few seconds of breath left. Are you wasting your time trying to hack through the riser? Paul D

Is a PMR a good idea? I find PMR radios a good choice for general chat with buddies whilst flying, range is normally only a few K but find this is enough. Power consumption is low so batteries last a long time. You should have no problem communicating with other makes\ brands of PMR radio because they use common frequencies. Sometimes you will be effected by others transmitting on the same frequency. License free so you don't have to worry about that. Cheap - have a look in Maplins Paul

It is recognised that reflex wings are must less likely to collapse and if flown in ideal conditions may never collapse. It seems to me that many instructors are recommending reflex wings to beginners for these reasons, they may be right, but I have doubts, my thinking is that all wings can collapse, so a pilot should not think that if he fly’s a reflex wing he will never experience a collapse, in fact beginners on their first solo flights are more likely to get themselves into situations were they will experience a collapse, whichever wing they are flying, so the most important factors are how the wing responds and how well a wing recovers (without any pilot input). Paul