Blackburn Mark

That makes it a tad more tricky despite that its an assembly error. I am now split on the issue... If they gave me a new outer tube and packing mat I would feel they had done me a favor AND if they refused I would feel they shirked a "minor" trespass. It might be worth learning to enjoy your custom "Sun-Burst" exhaust just in case

EDIT: I'm assuming its a relatively new machine...?

I'm no expert so take this for what it is: No, you need to get a "matching" propeller.... Not "exact". If the pitch and diameter are the same, you are likely to be within +- 200rpm of the originals top end. I say this because I lost 200rpm with my KD propeller but I am still getting aprox 2.2 liter per hour burn. In principle, the loss in rpm would be a loss in static thrust but a gain in cruse efficiency but its nothing I can detect on my machine. The manufacturer ought to be able to provide you with a "matching" propeller given the Re-Drive ratio and motor output, that way any error would be on them but if anyone else has a formula / rule of thumb / expertise on the issue, please throw some light on it

Technically, that ought to be on the manufacturers dime and is what I assumed they would offer you at the minimum. If the aesthetics didn't matter, then why would they put dye in the anodizing? I sympathies with the manufacturer to a point.... They ought to sympathies with your willingness to piss around rebuilding their error out of the exhaust. If £130 "isn't bad" then Vittorazi ought to be cool covering it AND be thankful you are willing to skin your knuckles rebuilding it. However, if £130 is nothing to have a heart attack over in Safron land, then I apologies for rattling your cage on the issue

EDIT: I lied, the one I'm using now is a "KD Propeller". Think ill try DT Propellers next time though, they look okay Doubt they will be as nice as an E-Prop though.

Think I got my last one from DT Propellers. I think about £250 instead of £350 from the two big names. It annoys me enough that every now and again, I consider building a copy machine and carving my own but making propellers does not float my boat at all

Easy there my good man, you "may" be stretching a touch of honest ignorance on that pilots part into something a little more malevolent. I'm not condoning the ignorance... if I knew the pilot, I would attempt a "gentle" arm twist (after confirming the ethical trespass) Its a shame the birders or whomever it may concern didn't manage to "gently" twist his arm into being a touch more shy of flying that aria. We all wish to get a little of what we love and that includes pilots and birders alike.

Looks like it only has a glass mat and it hat snagged during assembly (its the correct spot) Its an interesting design... I like it

Its difficult not to wince! Its difficult not to admire the "get it done" attitude. If he lived down the street from me, id buy him a nice length of aluminum tubing and a roll of 0.5mm dinema on the proviso that he followed a couple of rules

My guess would be its down to a small gap in the glass packing material allowing raw gas to cook that spot. The Atom is unexpectedly quiet so I guess there are various well thought out layers of glass fiber and stainless wool....? Not sure it would be any issue other than aesthetic... would be nice if you were sent a replacement though If it where more serious, I would expect the down-pipe to cook.... But that's a guess.

Winner! I always say "sub 10mph" but you are obviously experienced enough to push your luck a tad more than a beginner 6mph ought to allow you to get the glider over your head with a single step %100 margin of error... Most of us learn the hard way that messing up is expensive and taking off in the wrong conditions is at best, not the least bit fun. Most seem to have differing methods to mine (reverse vs forward launches) Either way, when ground handling without the motor, it is obvious when all the ducks are lined up and a launch pretty much guaranteed had you had the motor on. Very light winds are tricky because you have to go hell for leather AND remain focused on all those things you mention. I do a final check of the wing once I am clear of the ground and climbing but I am likely to have checked a wingtip before leaving the ground... I'm not sure its required but its habit. Lets say you manage to get airborne with a small cravat in a tip without noticing (anything more serious and you are unlikely to get airborne and/or its likely to pull you off your chosen line).... I personally would continue to climb and pull it out once I established I had control but I would advise anyone with doubts to land it and start over. The main job is ascertaining that thing are going exactly as you expect them to be going... any anomaly, stop and start again... don't let desperation have you ignoring that things are starting to go a bit tits. Its a tough discipline because eventually you will be too tired to launch.... BUT, all your gear will still be in one piece and ready to fly just as soon as you have had a brew n smoke to get your ducks back in a row It might be worth attempting to take the attitude that you are off to get some exercise and IF you are lucky, you MIGHT get a flight as well.

Not so easy for our friend who is bending frames at the moment... It takes a good bit of practice to get "the feel". Kiting a wing is fun (with or without a motor).... Unless you insist on strict forward orientation... Then its an unclip and reset every 30 seconds... That quickly becomes a slog If its a +6mph surface wind, I can walk into a field with my glider bunched, throw it down wind, step backwards, build a wall, pull it over my head and launch. If its a nil wind, I'm foooked!

Interesting.... In the free-flight clan, forward launches are universally disliked... everyone can do them, they just prefer not to and rarely need to. I find with a reverse, you can see everything, reset without unclipping including bringing it into wind in a switch and feel the air before you commit. A forward removes the pause for turning and lets me get on the power sooner (and can accommodate nil winds) I cant get off in a nil wind... not quick enough on my feet. From the standpoint of "learning", a student could do 50 reverses to 5 forwards... Much less stressful/critical

Splendid You can get away with horrible landings in free-flight so use the opportunity to tune your skills A minor error is hard to "run off" with all the extra weight

Lol.... I recognize that shit The D-ring has a strap as a failsafe... not sure how comfy it would be riding on the strap but it would remain flyable if the D-ring failed. (Cant see it failing in shear though) Twice I have managed to launch with the riser wrapped around the dog-leg (Bailey V2, similar to yours)... Not fun but the few inch imbalance was easily flyable/controllable/landable (the thrust line was off center so beware of being heavy handed) The two Pip-Pins are under much less shear because of how the weight hangs... I would expect the welds to fail before the pins did. Again, I would expect a shift in balance if it did but would also expect it to remain controllable. You could do a hang-check with any of those mounting points off if you wanted an idea of what you would be into if one failed. I once flew on old Fly paramotor without the dog-legs (I had forgotten them).... It flew but it squeezed me against the frame. Its good to be paranoid about your gear... keep you nice and safe

I guess throwing money at it is out then.... You need to tune your skills in arm twisting and tube bending... Any paramotor can be fixed! Find your closest pilot that can TIG, tell him he is a very hansom boy (even if he is as ugly as a hobnail boot) and apply lots of tea and hobnobs.... You "might" get lucky Blowing some weld into a joint or two is not a big deal for someone who has the gear, just make sure its all clean and ready to go and no bitching about snotty welds!

Owch! Get out there in sub 10mph winds and get some ground handing done with no motor (its good exercise if nothing else)... if you crack the reverse launch, you are pretty much 100% margin of error for launches but your weather window will be 6mph+ surface winds but your run will be short and you ought to be squared away before you commit to launch. Not ideal but its an option to get you in the air before you lose the faith

Okay, If you are feeling brave and have "some" diagnostic skills....(or willing to learn some new things)... it seems most people with old Baileys have opted for the Lipo option. They take a little more caring for than lead acids. The following are "Slow Boat from China" prices (ebay) £16 I use one of these £26 (I couldn't find the exact model I use) This one is marked as a C60... not sure I believe that but as long as its at least a C20, that would give you 150 cranking Amps £3.... XT60 solder one of these to your battery leads You will need to cut the charging wire (one snipped wire doesn't sound so bad ) According to this drawing, its the yellow wire (I thought mine was white) I don't THINK either are being used on our machines. I could walk you through that if you chose to commit to the option.... you would basically need to confirm (with your meter) that there is no charge voltage getting to the battery when its running (you want 12.6v or whatever the battery is charged to and not the 14v or whatever the magneto is pumping out) It may seem a little complex but in practice, you are snipping one wire and soldering a new battery connector. Charging off the motor is not quite as nice as having it charge onboard but its no big deal and they are very lightweight compared to the lead acid batterie's.

I am going to assume not. Its a sealed lead acid with rather small terminals so might be a tad weak on the cranking amps or might not last long under such high discharge. If it cheap, it might be worth a punt for the science but be prepared for it to fail early in its life. How are you with electronics? Do you have a multimeter?

I'm going to have to try those one day

They are not referenced in the Bailey schematic:

Those sockets look to be non standard but I don't have the V4 (I have the V2) Ill guess one is for charging/boosting (heavy gauge wires/blue socket) and one is for auxiliary 12v (heated gloves or whatever)... Basically, both wired to the +12v and -12v of the battery terminals but you might want to double check with a meter

This isn't advice or instruction.... I have used superglue and chopped carbon fiber strands (I would have used glass strands if I had some or raw glue if it didn't run so easily... I would even try cotton if I had to, its just to add bulk) This is for small "chips"... smaller than a little finger nail. Wire brush (Dremel style), acetone clean, glue-fiber, sand... mine are not pretty but they are serviceable

I keep meaning to design a new throttle with a non-line-snagging friction clutch.... Long flights hurt my fingers after a couple of hours. Ill get to it one day

Assuming its an "inline" job...... I think most treat a priming bulb as nothing more than more fuel line... as long as it cant get into contact with any moving parts or be knocked off, it ought to be good. Batteries.... I would not obsess about part numbers at all, as long as you get a similar Ah rating, voltage and size (cranking amps), you ought to be good. Lots of us with old Bailey's use lipo batteries of various voltages, I personally use a 11.1v 5.5Ah Lipo and at least one other on here uses a 14.8v 5.5Ah Lipo with no reported problems (all types are likely to be pulled down bellow 10v during cranking) I have cut my charging wire and charge separately.... I "ASSUME" if you have a 14.8v Lipo, you may get away without cutting the charging wire but it would need some carful thought because Lipo's are not friendly if you over charge them but they are light, reasonably cheep even if bought with a charger and work well. I think you may have failed to attach your files Keep trying, you will work it out