norbertflyer

Thanks for that Geoff, I did see that vid previously and looks great in the air. I am quite interested in the wing, so I'll book a demo. I'll take your advice on the medium, even though is a C rating rather than B, but it'll be a rating nearer my all up weight. cheers, Richard

I know Paul at AXB has flown these wings (searched forum) Specifically interested in the landing and take off characteristics due to it being a relatively small wing (for me, 92kg pw) and also the dynamic capabilities in flight. Let me know your experiences. I'll then make a judgement as to whether a demo on one (S) is in order. This will be a second wing to complement my 32sqm DHV2 PG wing which will still be used for thermalling flights. cheers, Richard

Saturne Konig 430, 3 cyl radial pros: Comfortable Reliable (12 years old) Small demountable cage Demountable tank Powerful - 21hp Quiet - scimitar prop with winglets and a large exhaust. Ali cage which easily bends back into shape ... Cage encloses prop cons: Heavy, 28kg (dry) Fuel consumption 4.5l/h/ 9 litre tank No in flight battery charging 2 stroke? ... No manufacturer support at all ... Richard

""According to Shell Australia’s Technical Advice Centre Manager, Warren Scott, you can generally store fuel in a sealed container for around six months before it starts to deteriorate. This assumes it’s kept relatively cool and away from direct sunlight. “But if the container is not properly sealed or it’s repeatedly opened, [fuel] will start to evaporate and you lose some of the light components in the fuel,” Mr Warren says. Those light components include highly important butane. As these components are lost, the fuel loses its volatility. Mr Warren says this makes the car difficult to start. In warm conditions, fuel is especially prone to oxidisation which causes lacquer and gums to form. As a result, the fuel turns dark in colour, loses its clarity and smells like paint stripper. Gary Whitfield, Senior Fuel Chemist at BP Australia, says that in the right conditions, fuel can last up to 12 months. But once the container is opened, the fuel will start to degrade. “Once the seal is broken, a vapour space is formed in the container and the fuel will start to deteriorate more rapidly,” he says. Okay, so what about fuel that’s left in your car’s tank for a long period of time? Mr Whitfield claims fuel in a car’s tank can last for up to four weeks before it becomes considerably denser. When this happens, the engine is effectively over-fuelled (without any change in injector pulse-width) and there’s an increased chance of carbon deposition onto spark plugs and inside the combustion chamber. This can cause driveability problems such as stutters and misses. “Regular unleaded fuel will lose a small amount of octane over time but in our low-sulphur and high detergent Ultimate fuel it might increase very slightly. It might increase 1 RON in four weeks – but it’s not something I’d bother chasing,” he says. “Keep in mind that typical variation in BP Ultimate is 98 – 100 RON while normal unleaded ranges between 91 – 93 RON.” Mr Warren says that in most cases, it’s only when fuel is left in the tank for several months there’s the risk of engine damage. This is much more likely to occur in cars running dual LPG/petrol systems. “By this time the fuel will have gone dark and gummy and can clag the fuel pump, filter and injectors,” Mr Warren says. It can also leave a lacquer deposit on the inside of the fuel tank which is difficult to remove. In addition, it’s important to be aware that fuel brews – specifically fuel volatility - varies on a month to month basis. Standards vary from state to state but, generally, volatility is reduced during summer months to reduce evaporative emissions. Mr Whitfield says this typically makes the engine slightly harder to start but there is no change in octane. Lachlan Riddel, proprietor of Gold Coast based tuning company ChipTorque, frequently dyno tests cars which have not previously been driven for several weeks. “On the fuel mix we have in Queensland, I think fuel in a car’s tank is starting to go off in around three weeks,” Mr Riddel says. “We can tune a car, put it away for three of four weeks, come back to it and it will be either closer to detonation or less likely to make the same power. “I think local fuel is brewed to reduce evaporative emissions in warm weather and, maybe because of that, fuel really goes crappy in eight to ten weeks. By that stage, the fuel is extremely prone to detonation.” Interestingly, Mr Riddel hasn’t noticed the engine becoming harder to start but the effect on octane is pronounced. Similarly, the General Manager of Melbourne’s Advanced Vehicle Operations, Steve Coates, believes fuel tends to go off in a car’s fuel tank quite quickly once it’s a couple of weeks old. “After a couple of weeks not driving a car, I find that it will be closer to detonation than it was at the time of tuning on the chassis dyno,” he says. “And the brand of fuel seems to make a difference as well – I find that Mobil and BP products are probably the best after being stored but Shell Optimax is really good when it’s new." Clearly, there are some important factors to keep in mind when storing fuel in a container for several months or when parking your car for a few weeks.""

if the lid's on the can, where's it going to evaporate to? Lid off, it's likely to absorb water, which'll be worse? Richard

I can concur with the temps, I snowboarded in Yilas 2 years ago and -14 was the warmest day! Couldn't launch the PG for a ttb, due to high winds. Richard

http://www.learnparagliding.com/ Richard

Following the project all the way Jock. Fingers crossed for the frame mating. Weather is a different story though..... cheers, Richard

My log book MAT curve reached 112.3 gps flying hours to the end of September 2009, but that included freeflying hours. Calendar gps flying hours this year, will be about 98. Those figures are actual airtime values, rather than "oh, I flew about 4 hours today" which is a common overstated guesstimate, I hear quite often. Richard

I always fill up to the top (9 litres, max 1h55m) every flight. I don't want to have to go back and land if I find something interesting (balloon, other PPG, naked sunbathers, etc...) Richard

http://www.flying-directory.com http://www.flying-directory.com/widola_ ... ategory=10

http://www.ojovolador.com/ppg/eng.html the only one I know of and not all the attributes listed. RP

I run up 142kg full fuel on a 130kg 31sqm Gradient Aspen2 DHV2 wing and level flight is at 2800 revs on trim and 3250 revs on full bar for a 98cm scimitar prop. I can get 2hrs from the Konig on a 10L tank with a bit to spare, if I dont fly too high. Mine was the last of the German made engines before Konig went under, so doesn't have the electronic ignition nor in flight recharging which CRE added after Zanzottera had it. Max revs for me is 3700 - I think because the carb is detuned and exhaust manifold is primitive. TTS oil always. No serious maintenance in 12 years except a bing49 carb clean out a few years ago. There's also a 4 cyl version. Richard

Very interesting http://www.gaengine.com/gaengine/GA210.html apart from the 160lbs max pilot weight, hope this is kilos ..... Richard

http://www.compactradialengines.com/mz430.html Been flying one for 12 years. Low noise, great sound, no vibration, direct drive 1700-3700revs, 4.5l/h with a decent pg wing, 600+hrs & still going great. Rich

I use an Optimate4 and recovered 5 old 12v gel batteries, I would have otherwise environmentally disposed. http://www.accumate.co.uk/it010003.htm RP

Thanks, that's very informative. I've had my paramotor and both 'gerry' cans for 12+ years and 500+hrs, so I'll only be able to put it down to a poor fill at the garage (which ever one that was). I will buy one of these water filters. RP.

Update on this fuel problem:- I left 5 litres of this cloudy fuel in a transparent container for a week or so, to see if it would seperate out. And it did ....into 3 parts .... 1 mixed Fuel - nice and clear for the garden strimmer (decanted off). 2 'globlets' of what looked like water on the bottom of the container. & 3 a white powdery stuff which also sat on the bottom of the container - what is this? Very strange and a shame I couldn't remember where I last filled up. Richard.

and it's bad to fly without a wing, no prop, cells missing, blindfolded, in the middle of an RAF display, etc., etc.,..... My wing manual says I can descend at over 2,500 ft/min ............... All I hope is that this pilot is ok.

I've flown under, around and over the top (circa 300ft) of a balloon 5/6 years ago, at the request of the balloon pilot for his guests' photo purposes. I never felt anything significant in the way of thermal activity. Little 'bumps' and that was it. Certainly couldn't use the 'bumps' for any height gain. RP

I don't mix until I reach the flying site. I've also had no issues running on 6+ month old fuel in the past after a stay in hospital. Cant find much on the interweb about cloudy fuel. Richard.

Fusion is an EN class C wing as a minimum. It could be a Class D+ at other settings which wern't tested. Be careful there are some great ground handling comp pg wings around, but you wouldn't want to be on one in the rough stuff. Richard.

The other can is also 2 months old and clear ............... ????? confused.

Never seen this previously. Mixed the usual 2% TTS with (2 month old) unleaded in the jerry can on site and started to fill the motor. The fuel looked 'opaque'. Fed it through the fuel filter confirming it was a bit murky. Started the engine - OK, rev'd fine, no misfires, flew for 75 minutes, landed, packed up. I've subsequently put the remaining 10 litres of mixed fuel in a seperate container for the moment. Is it water in the fuel?, If so, where could it come from? (jerry can seals are air tight), will the water eventually seperate out? Is it a concern?, will the fuel damage the engine?, should I dump the fuel?, should I use the fuel in the garden power equipment instead? Thoughts please. Thanks in advance, Richard

Rocks? Try flying with half a hundred weight of sand in your wing's trailing edge after a day at the Dune Du Pyla in south west France. Only plus point was that I had permanent min sink all afternoon (PG), hence flew very high. A small induced collapse removed quite a bit of sand though. RP