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Hi I just contacted Olivier at Bio Air Tech to see if has any ex-demo Skim 15s. I want it mainly for higher wind soaring and fast descents but I will probably try it with my paramotor as well. Has anyone here flown the Skim 15 or other small wing with a motor and got any feedback? Francis777 maybe? I'm guessing you have to run a bit faster at launch and take-off? I'm not 100% sure that my motor will have enough thrust to get me off this ground with this wing but its not soley for ppg anyway. With smaller wings do you need more rpm's to cruise? The Skim 15 has reasonable glide so this might not be an issue. Joe

Hi Ben The prop is fine and I'm happy to fly with it. New prop is £120 if you wanted to go down that route. I have put the new PAP active arms on mine which are much better than original. Will be looking for 'about' a grand if you're interested. Will keep you posted on whats happening.....I want to source a new paramotor before I part with this one. Joe

Hi I'm currently using an old PAP 1100 with inverted Solo 210. I bought it at a good price to see if I would enjoy ppg as much as free-flying. After 5 hours on the motor including a couple of xc flights I am hooked and thinking of trading up to a more modern paramotor in January. I will be spending £2000 max and I'm interested in another used PAP - probably a 1400 with Top 80 if I can get a decent one for that price. I also like the look of and back-up support of Parajets but not sure that £2k will get me much unless I buy an older model? H&E seem good but I've heard stories about frames cracking and props hitting frames? Don't know much about Walkerjet or Freshbreeze. Anyone got other recommendations? Cheers, Joe.

Thanks. The 'crack' appears to be only on the surface and not extending deep into the wood - it looks more like a crushing force has made a slight split on the surface. To confirm this I am going to sand out the damage to create a small hollow. If no further evidence of damage is visible then I will fill the hollow either with resin or other appropriate filler. Money isn't really an issue if a new prop is required but I find it more rewarding to salvage/repair where possible.

...so you'll be doing your preflight checks a bit more thorough from now on Ha ha , yeah you got that right mate, maybe I was being a bit hypocritical then but, seriously, I felt like an idiot when it happened and kept playing over in my mind what could've happened. If it was loose bolts then it wont be happening again as I have a shiny new torque wrench which will be getting used before every take off.

Thanks for the input and advice gents. I took everything off again last night and closely examined the prop. It really does appear to be minor surface damage. I could see by looking down the centre hole that the 'crack' doesnt have any depth to it - leading me to believe that its just the surface finish that is damaged. I spoke to a few prop suppliers and they said if I was really concerned I could sand out the tiny split and fill the gap with superglue and baking powder which apparently sets rock solid. I am very safety conscious but also interested to see if I can effectively repair this so I'm 100% confident with it before I shell out for another prop. If I had bought a new pulley it would of cost £180 from PAP and PAP also quoted £180 for a new prop. In the end a machine shop very professionally drilled out the M6 holes to M8 and re-threaded for £35 and I got an identical prop from Manchester Paragliders for £120. So, all in I saved over £200. Buying like for like is not always the best solution. The only thing that has gone wrong was my doing - torqueing the M8 bolts to an appropriate value for themselves but not stopping to think that the torque would crush the prop. If Id just torqued them to the M6 value of 10nm then I prob wouldnt have crushed the prop! - oh well, you learn something everyday.

How do you post photos on here? I will take one tomorrow in daylight and stick it on. It looks like the pressure from the cap has just distorted and crushed the wood slightly, the crack is hairline on the surface - could even just be in the varnish. When I looked at my old prop it had an identation mark where the cap had sunk into the wood prop about 1 or 2mm. I've been running it on the ground to test it through the rev range and there hasn't been any changes so far. Will run it a few more times on the ground and just monitor it for a while.

Yeah I've marked it with a permanent marker so I can see if it grows and will check it before every take-off in addition to checking the torque. Thanks.

Hi, I'm after some more opinions on this coz I'm not sure! I just fitted a new propellor and hope I've not damaged it seriously in the process. The old one fell off because the bolts sheared, the broken bolts were removed from the pulley and the holes opened up to M8 from M6. The torque loadings for the original M6 bolts were 10 nm but as I was using new M8 bolts I torqued them up to 14 nm (from an online chart detailing appropriate torque figures for certain bolts). So all 6 bolts were torqued to 14 nm and when I stepped back to check it I noticed that the wooden prop had been crushed ever so slightly at the edge of the cap. There is also one section where a tiny hairline crack about 5mm long goes from the cap outwards. Im hoping this is not a major issue and will monitor it regularly, looks like surface damage only. I guess the recommended torque of 10 nm for the M6 bolts was also assigned because they knew that wouldnt crush wooden props, I've backed the M8 bolts off and torqued them to 10 nm to ease my mind. Does anyone think its dangerous to leave it like this? Cheers.

It uses the incline information that you put in and the time it takes you to descend from top of slope to the bottom (skiing) and calculates the speed. It knows when to start the timer as your descent rate increases (it assumes that you are starting the run) and stops the timer when you reach the bottom (altimeter stationary). This is a gimmick really and not very reliable I shouldnt think but everything else on it is good.

I bought the watch today, compass and altimeter seem reasonably accurate. Only time will tell how reliable it is but seems like a bargain for £25, doesnt even look that tacky which I was expecting.

I'd be interested to hear feedback on the altimeter watch if anyone has bought one? I'm expecting it will be a cheap and nasty affair compared to the Suunto but if its robust enough and accurate it might just be ideal at that price.

Hi Can someone confirm that a 4 blade prop provides more thrust than a 2 blade of same dimensions? My 2 blade is trashed after falling off yesterday. The previous owner of the motor gave me a repaired 4 blade prop which is in 2 sections. I just wonder why he fitted a new 2 blade prop if the 4 blade set up provides more thrust? I assume the pitch of the blades affects thrust as well but the broken 2 blade prop looks virtually identical to the repaired 4 blade - same dimensions and pitch. Im going to fit the four blade and see how it works before I fork out for a brand new prop - probably 2 blade as it will be cheaper and the last one worked fine.

Good idea about going halfway between the holes (as long as it doesnt affect structural integrity of the pulley). My machine shop friend with all his tools will try and remove the broken bolts and open the existing holes up to M8. If it proves impossible I'll ask him to drill the new M6 holes. Cheers Phil!

Yeah money doesnt grow on trees....at least not in my garden. Thought I might have been able to drill right through and fit a nut on the protuding thread of a longer bolt but the geometry won't allow it. Hopefully the cheaper option will be to get the M6 holes opened up to M8, along with the plate. I need to buy a new prop as this one is trashed, I will try to find one with same hole pattern but larger diameter holes. Cheers

Just inspected all the damage and its worse than I thought. The 6 threaded holes where the bolts fit into are pretty much knackered. The bolts must of been moving around inside the holes just before they sheared. I was thinking of taking the whole cog (is that what its called) to a machine shop and asking if they could remove the 5 remaining bolts, drill open the holes and re-thread them for a bigger bolt. Then I'd have to open up the holes on the plate that fits over the prop and buy a prop with bigger holes to.....aaaargh, nothing is ever easy. I could always just try and get hold of a new cog but no idea how or the cost involved, not cheap I'm sure.

Some good feedback so far, thanks much appreciated. I did think that the metal plate and prop mating face would have to be super tight together to minimise any minor twisting motion during acceleration and deceleration. Never thought about a brand new prop shrinking but it makes sense now I think about it, that really could have created slightly loose bolts which just rattled looser with time. Damn, I checked them and they were tight 2 flying hours ago but, lesson learnt, they need checked every time. The bolts did not go right through the plate so nyloc nuts weren't an option - however spring washers could've been fitted but weren't - they will be next time! Anyone reckon its worth using loctite thread lock as well? Any tips to know when fitting a new prop assuming that if its brand new it will be balalnced properly? Thanks, Joe

You're totally right mate, I shouldve checked them before every single flight, I checked everything else last night but forgot about the prop bolts. Maybe this wouldnt have happened if I'd done that but I'm not 100% convinced yet that it was loose bolts that caused this, its just my theory that a few were loose. I was so so lucky that it happened where it did. An expensive mistake to make but its only gonna cost me to get the 6 sheared bolts removed (dont have the tools or time) and a new prop which is a small price to pay compared to what wouldve happened if the prop had hit a building, vehicle or worse.

Hi chaps So there I was, paramotoring along quite happily with my friend over the east coast of scotlands beaches when 'whirring' noise started. Looked around to see no prop! Fortunately there was no-one around for miles and it was over grassy fields. All 6 bolts which hold it on had sheared completely. There was no abnormal vibration before I lost it and I've never crashed the paramotor. All I can think of is that some of the bolts may have been loose - this perhaps means the metal plate that the prop attaches to was out accelerating the prop putting a shear force on the other bolts which eventually gave up. If anyone else can shine some light on the matter I'd be interested as I don't want this happening again - obviously. The motor is a PAP 1100 AS with inverted engine and prop spins anticlockwise. Does anyone know where I could get a replacement 2 blade prop? Are the bolts special or just standard items? Like I say, if anyone has any other thoughts on why this might have happened I'm all ears. All my mate and I could come up with is that a few of the bolts must have been loose. The prop was virtually new and fitted by the previous owner. I checked them before my first flight on it and they were fine. I've put 4 hours on it since but havent checked those bolts on my last 2 flights

Hi Outkast, have you flown with your motor yet? My 1100 AS is the exact same model as yours and I have no problems with it. Doesnt seem unbalanced or top heavy on the ground and does its job fine in the air so I would be in no hurry to change it. Have you managed to turn it over yet? Try and get hold of a Solo 210 manual if you can or speak to 'skyhawk' like I mentioned, he knows his stuff with regards to this motor.

Thanks everyone for input and advice. I will probably give up on the idea of flying at said beach (West Sands, St Andrews, Scotland). If I was to fly there it would be very early morning or late evening when the place is virtually void of people and objects. I wouldn't have been paramotoring there in the presence of power kites as they need stronger winds (hence I wouldnt be flying a ppg). The kite 'zone' must lie within the MATZ thus the reason we have no complaints from the airfield when kiting down there. I reckon that if I contacted ATC and asked nicely then they would possibly accomodate my request to fly there - within strict boundaries. Thinking on it now this doesnt really appeal to me as it would be low level and the beach is only around a mile long so it would prob feel quite restrictive. Also, like a few of you said, its a bit dodgy to be buzzing around low level for prolonged periods of time. I'll just save myself the grief and fly at the other beach where I have more freedom! Francis77, I know sand can be harmful to both motor and wing so my friend and I endeavour to fly from grassy fields and avoid the actual beach - we just fly over it. Cheers, Joe

I have two beaches close by where I can paramotor. One is 30 minutes drive away and the other is 10 mins drive. The closer one is more appealing (as its closer) as well as being nicer. Problem is, it lies within 5 miles of an RAF airfield. I kitesurf quite regularly on this beach and the area is heavily used by kite buggys and boards when its windy. Most of the kites used are on 27 metre lines and the biggest ones have surface areas of 16m2+. ATC at the airfield never have any problems or complaints against us flying kites down there and its been going on for years. So......I've thought about paramotoring down there and not flying any higher than 15ft above the sand, I don't think anybody would care as its no more intrusive than the kites. However, if the 'powers that be' found out that somebody was paramotoring down there and objected to it what would be the repercussions? Cheers, Joe.

Outkast, I just noticed the guy who serviced the tilloston carb on my PAP before I bought it is actually registered on here, under the name 'skyhawk'. If you find him you could PM him and ask his advice. I'm sure he would let you post everything up (Scotland) and rebuild the carb for you at minimal cost. You could also ask him about the flywheel and coil thing, he prob used a feeler gauge to get them so close together. If you can't get in touch with him then let me know and I will speak with him as I still have his contact details. I don't think you need the HEIS either if you get the engine set up as good as mines. Best saving the money toward a better paramotor.....not that the 1100 is bad but I'd love a Volution one day! Cheers, Joe

Yeah you can get the High Energy Ignition System for it. My PAP starts a bit easier when cold as well. Don't think it's down to the coil and flywheel gap expanding - surely the gap would decrease in distance as metal warms and expands? Maybe if the gap is too small when cold it fires easily then when the engine is warm the gap is closed due to thermal expansion...... so the flywheel and coil actually touch - creating resistance thus difficult to turn over? I don't know enough about the finer working details of engines so forgive me if I'm talking s**t!

Hi, I have not flown my pap yet, yes its got the fuel tank above with the engine inverted, I have had a few problems, the decompressor hole must be blocked as it is hard to crank over, I have got a new head gasket recently so will sort this soon, as it was hard to crank over i broke the pull cord and have just replaced that, also ordered a carb rebiuld kit as I think the carb needs stripping and cleaning out, as soon as i get time to do the above I shall be getting airbourne, if I can get it done in the week and the weather is good next weekend i shall be ready for take off Have you got the 4 blade prop or 2 blade? I've got a brand new 2 blade wooden prop that the previous owner put on. Think he damaged the original 4 blade and the replacement is really expensive....if you can find one. Do you know if you can get carbon props for them? I'm lucky coz the previous owner rebulit his tilloston carb before selling it to me. If you get stuck with the rebuild give me a shout as the previous owner said he is really experienced with them. He would possibly do the rebuild for you for a very small fee if you ran into problems. I'm sure there will be rebuild guides online though. Have you decoked it? My solo 210 seems quite easy to start. The previous owners was a qualified mechanic and attributes this to the fact that he has managed to get the coil and flywheel very close together, almost touching but not touching! Starts on 2nd or 3rd pull 99% of the time. Have you got the solo 210 manual? It states that the gap between coil and flywheel should be 0.2mm so could be worth checking that if it still doesnt fire?