padeakin

Great to see something different.

It's a shame there are not more innovative companies like Bailey (and also Parajet) putting time and money into research and development.

Hi Rob,

I have done quite few hours with the Gin Airflex, which is exactly the same as the Mirage except it has Mylar in the leading edge rather than nylon rods.

I would agree with all of the points that you highlighted from the review except the point

"Great for XC powered or free flying...tick."

It is great for XC powered but you would really struggle to fly XC free flying, you can free fly it as long as conditions are strong (thermals or dynamic lift) but if you fly alongside any modern non reflex paraglider in you will soon be on the ground watching them fly above you. I have spent quite a few frustrating hours free flying the Airflex.

Where are you in Thailand? I am near Kalasin, You could also have a look at the Dudek Nucleon, you can get one for about 94,000 Baht (£1800) here.

Paul

option 1. can you restore to previous point, days, weeks or even months before the driver update program? Disable AVG before running restore.

option 2. Remove AVG, then use device manager to roll back all effected drivers, or download drivers from Sony (don't get them from anywhere else). Then download and re-install AVG without the crappy driver upadate thingy

I will ensure the transparent pipes have no fuel in too but leave the carb alone.

You should really also remove the carb and blow it through to make sure there are no traces of fuel in it.

Most airlines will not carry a container that has has petrol in it, such as your fuel tank, even if it is empty.

. the lines do not stretch, they SHRINK - as in Cs and Ds getting shorted

Just my 2p.

Eugene

I believe that lines can suffer with shrinkage or stretch, shrinking is more likely but stretching of the heavily loaded front lines is also possible.

I know that it is possible to stretch lines because I have done it, when I found my lines had shrunk i stretched them back to the original length, and I am sure I could have stretched them longer than the original length.

So if you are flying a paraglider over the weight range you should check line lengths more often.

Paul D

Those plastics inserts are a nuisance, if you ground handle with the risers they fall out, now I just remove them all and put a bit of tape on the delta maillons.

You can get them here:

http://parashop.co.uk/paramotorparaglidinghardware.htm

I'm asking out of ignorance here, is the K2 and similar light weight gliders any easier to launch because they are light weight?

I don't have any problems with launch BTW,

cheers, Alan

Generally lightweight wings come overhead easier and are easier to keep there.

Usually wings that were designed as paramotor wings will be designed for higher loadings, they will be heavier, have thicker lines more stitching and more bracing, which helps them keep shape when heavily loaded.

Many lighter paraglider wings perform very well with a motor, I fly a paraglider wing that has exceptional performance with power. I can keep up with most reflex wings and use less fuel, but potential purchases should not only consider performance (which sometimes means lightweight) but also build quality and longevity.

Paul

The Apco Thrust would probably be my first choice for a beginner wing. I would recommend being in the top half of the weight range to get a more stable and solid feel (and faster).

The Apco Force is a modern, very safe and well built wing, certified for motor and free flight use - ideal for a beginner to learn on a non-reflex wing.

Why are you recommending the Apco Force for a beginner wing to learn on? isn't it a full reflex EN C rated wing?

One option would be to ask Fly Engines if you can send it to them, to be rebuilt and fully tested

Paul

The larger head will make a slight difference but I don't think it will solve the problem, if you still have the engine in pieces, check the cylinder ports, I once had an F200 that kept overheating, I took it to a specialist 2 Stroke engine re-builder, he told me the ports were not rounded off, and were catching the piston rings, he suggested I smooth them off with emery paper, I tried to do this but the Nikasol coating was too hard, so I told Patricie at Walkerjet and they sent me a new cylinder, the problem was solved.

A few years ago there was a problem when they first changed to digital ignition, the ignition advanced too much when on full revs this caused the engine to get too hot. A few of these were sold, when Walkerjet discovered the problem they offered too replace with the standard ignition, until they solved the problem, it is possible that you have one of these with the problem ignition system, how old is the motor?

I think you should send all information to Patricie at Walkerjet, and ask for their advice and help, they will know about all these problems, they are very helpful, but take a very long time to respond, it may take months to get the problem sorted, so if you can afford it buy another engine.

Paul D

Anyone know anything about the NEMO DUDEK PARAGLIDER? it comes with a package deal.

Very easy to launch, very forgiving of pilot errors, slow landing speed, slow every speed, I don't mean slow compared to PPG wings, I mean slow compared to other paragliding wings, so better to be near the top of the weight range, or you will find yourself going nowhere when flying into a headwind.

Paul D

I would choose the Sky100 before the Top 80.

I think you would be underpowered with a Top 80 and a 115cm prop, you could get a 125cm prop to make it more efficient but then you would probably have to change the cage as well.

The Sky100 is a very smooth running, quite and cool running engine, with more power than the Top 80, you can order parts online direct from http://www.skyengines.com, it runs cooler and does not rev as fast as the Top 80, so I would expect a less wear and a longer life.

Just my opinion, based on what I have read about these engines, I have flown both engines briefly but not owned either of them.

Paul D

The Advance paramotor risers are effectively speedbar on the rear of the risers.

Advance didn't say this, so use your own judgement, but I suggest that if you have opened the trimmers all the way, you should NOT use speedbar at that time as the effect is additive. it would be like using twice the speedbar which you nomally could not do.

Use them as you would speedbar but carefully consider the risk of a frontal if you use both at the same time fully.

That said, I always meant to try it at altitude, but switched to a Fusion wing before it happened.

Now I simply dispense warnings...

This is not always the case, many modern paragliders have some reflex designed into the centre of the wing, paramotor trimmers on a paraglider wing can be designed to change the shape of the wing and increase the reflex, whereas a speedbar normally changes the angle of attack but does not normally change the shape of the wing.

Maybe t_andrews answer is correct and on the advance they simply work like a speed bar, but to be sure I think the original question should be sent to Advance, if the answer is not in the manual.

Paul D

Also don't forget to add it to your pre flight checks, to make sure it is free, speed bar lines can easily get wrapped around something when you are getting into your harness.

Paul D

Im thinking of buying a reserve soon for my pap. Stumbled on this , so what do you reckon any good ??

Thanks Clive

I would like to see how it behaves if you don't have time\height or the inclination to cut away your paraglidier, in this video it magically disappears, my guess is that with 30m of cloth dragging you would come down verticality and faster than a standard parachute.

Paul D

1080....... Why pay nearly £300 for a HD cam and then use it with a lower setting? You could buy a Midland Mini DV 100 Ultra Small Digital Video Camera cam with a Video Resolution: 720 X 480 VGA for £69

Practise your ground handling in higher winds with a normal harness first with trims out, but make sure you are safe in case you get dragged

Yes but if handling in strong wind on a hill, be aware of the 'Zone of accelerated air flow' which you may find close to the hill (previously wrongly called the compression zone)

Paul D

Its usually the opposite for free flying (on UK hills) as you can safely reverse launch in 18-20 mph winds knowing that it will probably only be 10-14 mph once you are out of the 'compression zone' at launch.

Compression Zone??? The venturi effect that you sometimes get on the hill is not a ‘compression zone’. The venturi effect actually lowers the pressure and increases the wind. Sorry to be pedantic but this is often incorrectly called a compression zone. and that is confusing.

Paul D

I know that Seymore has said it is an easy launch, and I expect if there is a light Southerly then the inflation and launch should indeed be easy, but the climb out is potentially quite tricky, If you fly straight you will soon be over the sea, so you must turn and fly over the shingle beach until you get enough height, the shingle beach is quite small so you may have to turn 180 degrees and fly along it again until you have height, trying not to go over the sea or get too near the cliffs which may have paragliders soaring on it. At the same time watching out for paraglider pilots landing, other pilots launching from the beach and members of the public.

Not easy for inexperienced pilots or for anyone flying with low power machines.

Also:

Please remember the 500ft rule when flying along the cliffs, in places where the houses are close to the cliff edge or where people are walking, you can fly high above the cliffs with engine on, or soar with engine off.

Paul D

Sunday 31st Oct (about 11:00 AM)

Newhaven (if it is not raining)

Paul D

Mick

Vince

Robin (possible)

I will be there.

What time? Low tide is about mid day, better to do it at low tide.

Paul D

Curious Alan, what trim setting(s) did you use?

I've found that even in a lightweight harness (launching in light conditions) it still has plenty of trim room to outfly any conventional wing, without speedbar as conditions pick up to Hang glider strength.

I appreciate that the Fusion is a step in the right direction but 'Outfly a conventional wing in light conditions', are you sure?? I suppose it depends what you mean by outfly.

I have tried free flying a few relex and semi reflex wings (not the Fusion) and found them to be OK in strong conditions , but in light conditions it is just not possible to stay up with conventional wings.

A few times I have seen Fusions free flying at our site, but I have only ever seen them from the top, as I look down on them. The glide angle is a good clue: The Fusion is supposed to be about 8.5:1 whereas I fly a B rated (Windtech Zentih) wing with a glide of around 10:1

I do think that it is possible to have one wing for both paramotoring and free flying, but if you choose a PPG reflex wing as a dual purpose wing you will struggle free flying in light conditions, if you choose conventional wing you will sometimes get a rough ride when flying with the motor. So which you choose, really depends on what you do the most.

Paul D