Blackburn Mark

I'm not as optimistic as you... No escape if I push out to the coast (stronger out there) no escape above cloud-base (stronger up there) and I can only deal with getting my arse kicked for short periods of time.... short flights are not really my thing

Looks like it might be quite bouncy out there at the mo. Option 1) Freezing cold but nice and smooooth Option 2) Nice and warm but rough as old boots Always wishing for the "other" option!

It is unlikely that Sub70 flight is included in their "sport" determination as we do not fall within their sphere of control. Anyone uncomfortable with making their own determination on the issue have the option to play golf at their disposal despite how much more likely they are of spreading / catching the lurgy

That's a pretty "subjective" position they have chosen to hide behind their semantics.... the thing about "subjective" positions is.... Errr, well... they are "subjective" so I guess we are free to trump their "subjective" position with our own "subjective" position. We can all follow our own subjective lead until a more "OBJECTIVE" position trumps it! In the meantime, their "authority" over my "sport", lacks any meaningful legitimacy. The logic for our little corner of existence seems to favor a return to personal responsibility for the things we chose to do especially as they "objectively" conform to the means by which we have chosen (as a country) to minimize the spread of the lurgy. I'm okay with my subjective position, dunno about anyone else's... none of my business

You lucky sod... that looks grand

I have only asked two... one said no, the other said yes and iv used that one on and off for twenty years. I was looking at a new site not long ago and I printed a couple of images of a paramotor launching/flying to make it easier to express what was being asked. I'm guessing a picture of a paramotor launch looks a LOT less demented than an attempt at describing... "Engine... Propeller.... back-pack... running... floppy wing.... and stuff". I never got around to asking though. It would make sense to make it clear that you would be either sitting around nice and quiet or launching and taking your noise elsewhere or keeping it away from the farm etc. I would be surprised if many have gone too much further than one successful request so a "trend" in success might be a bit tricky to find

I have had a quick skim (50 page doc) and all seems well for getting "some" flying done. Pennine soaring club are sticking with the BHPA (I expect most clubs to do the same) The BHPA are being a bit wooly so by default are sat with the status quo.... so club site based free-flight is still in limbo for now. (I would expect this to change reasonably quickly) So its between land owners and individual pilots for those of us who fly outside club sites.

Two months doesn't sound like a particularly long time.... I personally wouldn't let it bother me but I'm loathed to say you aught not to I would think that if it was "separating" (I don't know why it would) I would think it would be reasonably visible... globules or stratification.

Haven't read it yet... I was worried it might contain a nuance that would cause some ambiguity. Its game on as far as I'm concerned. I still want to keep as low a profile as is practical to give Mrs Busybody and Chicken Little some time to unbunch their knickers a bit. You know, no barrel rolls over Asda and shit like that

Holy shit, that is impressive! I would love to have seen you trying not to set yourself on fire if you had missed a cap in the middle there

No wonder your back is goosed! I hope you were on top dollar for those

Hahaha! Nearly fell off my chair!

I have contemplated it, the material is a little out of my comfort zone But now I think about it, testing for torque tolerance is not difficult whatever I use and its rigidity would place its resonance nice and high.

Ouch, that doesn't sound like fun! "Redcar beach"... I was up there last summer, millions of small black flies sticks in the memory I'm trying to avoid ending up on a trike but its getting tough... I'm attempting to design a sub70kg three axis to escape the inevitable grounding of my foot-launch exploits... at the moment, an attempt to actually commit to a build is hanging on my ability to either fabricate a 1200mm drive shaft that can handle 8000rpm and doesn't weigh a ton or route a timing belt through some angular acrobatics, neither of which I am confident in. But it keeps my brain awake while I'm grounded

You brave boy Andy! That must be quite a lathe! Are you going to be able to run on that foot this weekend

Trying not get too political.... Yep, it makes me bloody nervous. Ill try to be optimistic and say we are just getting old and grumpy and the "youth" has always had more mouth than brain

Sod off Grumble, I have never hidden where I fly.... I wont advertise it here in the open forum but I have PM'd those who ask. It might not work too well at the moment, you need to show your face to the farmer and pay your subs (not everyone's cup of tea) He used to let anyone fly for free for many years, then he fought a court case to keep us flying when a local tried to shut it down... it would have been so much easier for him to just kick us off so from then on, folks insisted we pay him a fiver every time we fly which I agree with. So if you are anywhere near Clitheroe and in need of a good spot....

Just watched the whole thing. Yep, that's how I interpreted it, take exercise as often as we like including driving // alone or with family Lets hope its flyable next weekend... if anyone comes to my flying field, twenty meters minimum you barstards!!!! (cant afford to clown it up now)

I missed the first half... is that really what the implication is? The bit I saw was the same old shite Ill have to pull it up on youtube later If there is a gap I can squeeze through, I'm going in!

A "free-flyer" was sent home from Pendle hill yesterday so the distinction is wasted. It can be tricky respecting "the rules" when the "rules" are not quite up to speed with reality. Lets hope the "rules" are tuned very soon before we all lose respect We all want to play out and the reasons not to are wearing a tad thin especially for things like free-flight, paramotoring, fishing, canoeing or any other escape that is VASTLY less risky than working or rotting away on the sofa sucking down cake and pies!

Work your way back from the spark plug: IF the smaller coil has a voltage across it, as soon as you remove the voltage, the plug will see a massive voltage spike... if you grasp that, you will see that everything else in the circuit is for maintaining that voltage then removing when you need the spark. There are no "points" in this system, instead SCR (a transistor) brakes that smaller coil out of the circuit causing the collapsing magnetic field of the smaller coil to cause the larger secondary coil to output a massive spike in voltage (spark) The timing shift on this schematic is either omitted for simplicity or the "Pulse Rotor" coil will trigger SCR earlier due to the higher velocity at higher RPM.... I dunno, I only just grasp what's going on myself

No, the condenser is an ancillary device used with "points" to minimise arcing between the contacts which wears out the contacts (spark erosion) and causes a lot of electromagnetic noise (interference with analogue tv, radio etc) Most modern systems will use some sort of transistor in place of points so the EMF is dealt with via a free-wheeling diode (I think).

I'm no expert.... As far as I know there are two main types of ignition system where one stores energy in a coil and one in a capacitor (CDI) They both basically gain a charge via a magnet on the crank passing a stationary coil. They both trigger a release of that energy via a trigger (contact breakers [points] are rarely used these days but they are easer to visualise) So... Magnet >>> Coil (or capacitor)>>> Plug /// with a trigger [points] acting as a gate between the coil and the plug. There are many many ways of implementing those basic functions which can really muddy the waters in gaining a basic perspective on what is occurring. Retarding the timing is something else that is required as the RPM increases // in a simple system, this almost occurs naturally because the voltage rises as the RPM rises causing it to trigger early. You may be able to get away without this timing shift but it would be a bitch to start or inversely, it would be easy to start but would run poorly.

Being the antisocial bastard that I am, I usually fly alone // XC,s of three hours plus. But the flight that stick in my mind...…….. An old free-flight paraglider mate from way back turned up with a motor who had thus far only done a few hops under power. As I pushed out to the coast (only 20 miles away) he followed... and he kept following until we were skimming the sands at Pilling. I got such a kick out of how ballsy he was and how mind boggling it must have been for him to be so extended from his safe landing field. I giggled like a girl on that one

Splendid If you are a new / student pilot, that might save you some cash and lost time.... that's if we ever escape this bloody Covid lockdown!