Fuujin

Here in Japan, most flying takes place from riverbanks. Even though I'm quite close to Tokyo, you can get pretty much anywhere by following a river. They have vast flood plains, so you're always guaranteed a nice place to land. The bank of the Edo River is about a hundred yards from my house... perfect for ground-handling practice. Our club flies from a nice stretch of the Tone River, about a 10-minute drive away, that we share with other members of the city Sky Sports Association.

The majority of people in my area use Fly Products Gold and Power Max. The only negative thing I've heard the folks here say about them is that they are a little heavy... No big deal though! They are very well-made and the Simonini offers a lot of power if you need it. I myself fly a Power Max, and love it. The reason I went for the Power Max and not the Gold is just that it takes down a little smaller than the Gold. Apart from that, I think they're pretty much the same machine. It's my first unit, so I don't have anything to compare with. From my limited experience however, I would give the Power Max a big thumbs-up!

I'd just like say how useful this thread had been. Clubs of any kind form a sort of knowledge/wisdom pool that they naturally pass on to newbies. Newbies are surrounded by the veterans who (hopefully) know the best/safest ways to do things, and they tend to pick up their habits and routines. The paramotor community in the UK seems to have a great knowledge pool, but where I am, although paramotoring is becoming more and more popular, it's still kind of on the fringe... away from the knowledge pool. Although the people here seem to be very good at what they do, they sometimes seem a little out of touch. This is exactly why I take part in this forum... to try to fill in the gaps that I find here. Here, I've NEVER seen anyone strap in to warm up their motor. They all stand behind it bracing it with their knee... And I've seen a couple of near-misses. I didn't even know that anyone else did it in any other way. Hearing people discussing this has been a real eye-opener. The old clichéd answer of "ask you instructor" is all well and good... but who's to say that instructor's way is the best? It's great to get some new angles to think about. I think I'll stop warming up in the 'old way' myself. Thanks!

Thanks for your kind response Pete!

So the 80kg of thrust, or whatever it is, from my Simonini is suddenly pushes against my body, and I realize I'm not gonna be able to hold it. Get away from it, right? How? Just slip aside and let it fall to my side? Has anyone seen this happen? If the frame hits the deck hard enough in a situation like that, I think I'd be in a nasty position for prop shards. If I do manage to slip it and it falls nicely flat, prop up, I assume this extreme angle would kill the engine? How long would that take? What-ifs, I know, but I'd rather ask them here than regret not asking.

So we're all agreed that this SHOULDN'T happen if a proper preflight check is done. But what it, for some reason, it DOES? It's a scenario that has run through my mind more than once.... I fire up the engine, and the thing roars to life. Where should I go? What should I do? The kill-switch would be the obvious thing... but what if I can't get to it?

I read a negative-sounding comment on the forum a few days ago about water-cooling... Something about carrying boiling water on your back. Many of the paramotor community over here also talk negatively about water-cooling, but most comments seem to start like "Many people have problems with.... " or "I've heard that.... ". Though they all have bad things to say, none seem to be from personal experience. I wondered how the people on the forum feel about water-cooled engines such as the Sky 100. Has anyone had any bad experiences with them?

Thanks everyone! Some great feedback! I think I've just about decided to stick with my original plan and go for the plain vanilla Thrust. Though the suitability of the Thrust HP as a beginner wing seems to be a little controversial, everyone seems to be in agreement about the beginner-friendliness of the Thrust. I'm sure I can't go wrong starting with one of those. It's confusing though, when I hear the performance of the Thrust HP compared with that of the Paramania Revolution, though that is described by the makers as a 'beginner/intermediate wing'. And hearing of schools starting people on Revos too? Hmmmm.... Regarding my instructor... He, and many of the veterans around me seem to be members of the Silex Fan Club, and they try to push new students toward Silex and a Silex copy called a 'Storm'. I've spoken to some students who've become very frustrated and disillusioned with them and actually regret buying them. I don't want to make the same mistake. I have the advantage, even over the instructors here in Japan, that I can get opinions from the folks here on the forum (none of them speak English). Thanks again all! Mark

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!

Definitely v23nb! I'd love to!

I've been lurking for a while... Finally got around to introducing myself. I'm a Brit that's been living in Japan for more than 20 years (studying martial arts). I'm new to paramotoring, but find myself in an interesting position. Paramotoring is a very fast-growing sport here. In fact there are 3 clubs within 30-minute driving distance from my house. Japan has lots of rivers and the land along the rivers is used for all kinds of sports activities... paramotoring being one of those. My club is on banks of the Tone River, quite close to Tokyo. My city has a Sky Sports Association and the city hosts a pretty big 'Sky Festival' at our flight area every year. The interesting position I find myself in is that although I'm new to the sport, being a native English speaker, I have the advantage that I can keep up with the latest technologies and news in the paramotor world.... much more than the average native. The average Japanese doesn't speak much English, and in fact, nobody in my club speaks any more that a few words. The club newbie gets asked to check prices etc. of gear, and even his opinion on the different kit. There's MUCH more info out there in English than there is in Japanese. The folks here are a little insulated from the rest of the world, so they tend to stick to the kit they know (all the vets at my club are hardcore Silex fans!), although many of the youngsters are keen to get their hands on some of the latest stuff. Motor-wise, Fly Products rule here... I myself have a Max 130. Wing-wise, apart from the Silex, the one that they tend to 'push' students toward is a Silex 'clone'... (Yeah... I know! Not good for beginners!). Myself, I'm dying to get my hands on a Paramania Revolution (not popular here), but will probably finish up getting an Apco Thrust as my first wing instead, as we have a dealer just down the road. I see some tempting used wings in the classified section, but I am a little apprehensive about buying something I can't look at and touch first. This position I find myself in pushes me to study harder so as not to let everyone down, and I have to say that this forum is my main resource. I've have learned a lot already from the members of the forum, and would like to say thanks to everyone. I'm sure I'll ask some stupid questions on here in the future, but I am confident that I will get some good answers. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu (a difficult to explain Japanese greeting)