t_andrews

Curious Alan, what trim setting(s) did you use? The Fusion free flies as well as it does under power, and 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 especially like the min-sink full slow trim. I think it's just groovy the range of flying conditions it opens up. Yes, groovy.

Pilot was on takeoff power when he crossed over the videographer (who's reaction cracks me up, but removes him from preferred ground crew). While you can't see his hands at that point, he had effectively removed his margin of reaction to conditions by holding brake input. I cannot determine if the sock in the distance is moving, but a 5k puff could have finished him off as he was. Since he applied lots of left brake, he may have been trying to react to what felt like an oscillation, but could have been something thermic as it looks like he got a puff on liftoff too, then short lull, then parachutal to stall to arseplant. Not mid day, but not sunset either... Likely an example of what he got away with many times before this happened. Most of us do it too. Fly safe. Keep flying in your head after you land to think of what you got away with...

What he said, and: http://www.experimental-aviation.com/carb_ice.html Which contains:

I've always considered the level of pilot input on a reflex wing required as proportional to the level of trim set. Full slow the wing is effectively a conventional wing (perhaps even more unstable based on personal experience when "flapped") so I treat as full active flying as though it were an unreflexed profile - which it is in that trim level. Manual - 'Don't use bar at slow trim! . At Neutral I consider it flies the same as my Epsilon 4 at hands up trim flying. Still active flying as there is no reflex to counter and generate odd results. Surges are a fair bit milder then full slow. Beyond neutral the level of inputs lower as trim is extended toward fast and subsequent reflex profile increase. Mileage does indeed vary and overcoming second nature flying inputs has been the largest hurdle coming from active piloting all the time. For me the difference in surge characteristics put me at ease in comparison to trim settings. In ridge lift or at height in laminar, it's easy to do some gentle/mild porpoising at varying trims settings and check the need for damping those surges. Back to back tests like this with significant trim adjustments quickly paint a picture of requirements at those settings. You never know until you taste it yourself, and just by tasting you adjust your own levels of acceptance too. In reflex an active flyer is more likely to yank a brake and reinflate a tip as it deflates methinks, and this isn't a bad thing unless they don't let reflex take over again afterwards. This and weight shift (where possible) is likely a natural response to an active flyer, rather than the 180 degree dive that can result on fast trim at speed with an asymmetric with no input. While a wing *shouldn't* make you fly in air you would not normally consider, reflex does and will. Big envelopes make me smile more.

I had this carb (I can't remember now, it may have been actually a 38) on a 210 and it was just a carb. I don't know that it would be a cadillac compared to the conventional choices, but it did have a smooth power delivery and little to no midrange cross jet misfires. Still just a carb though. I did almost collapse the tank with it when I rerouted some hosing - it still ran fine, but the diaphragm had been stretched and needed replacing. These are traditionally a watercraft carb. PM if you'd like the BN38/44 manual for reference.

Just a note on Ibuprofen - suggested only to alleviate swelling, the pain reduction is secondary to that. Opiates (T3's, percocet, many Oxy somethings) in general can make many folks short of breath and weak like a kitten, but not heard of it for Ibuprofen - a pharmacist could certainly offer an alternative anti-inflammatory. Worth checking as it reduces the need to go cold turkey from pain meds for a whole day of body ache withdrawal just to be a regular kinda guy. For me it pulled down the need for pain meds enough that the daily dose no longer had the ill side effect you mention. Neither the surgeon or my doc suggested it and as I say I feel a bit stupid not coming to the realization myself, but that's why I post it, so someone else can get back to normal faster than I did. No plate or screws is a good thing as sometimes they come back out and can delay normal function return from all the studies I've since been reading. I certainly wish mine was gone and I've still got the hobble.

I'm with you on this one, approaching nine weeks into it. Plaster "hotdog bun" for two, then fiberglass cast for three more. When the fiber cast went on, the tech wrapped one layer and then bent the foot up, leaving a crease and hard point right where ligaments were torn (fibular, ankle sub-lux external supination 90 degrees). This has been the largest part of recovery so far, getting range of motion back to a natural step that doesn't cause pain. Not close yet. So, if you feel ANY discomfort or hard points from the cast I would suggest you request a new cast (and the cleanup between them feels good too). You may need to wait until break pain subsides to notice. They used power tools to put me back together and that pain was 15x that of the break. If you didn't dislocate when the break occurred, you'll be well ahead when the cast comes off. Bones heal quick, but while they do those stretched ligaments shorten/scar and the leg wastes. You're probably in a no weight bearing cast? If you've got a stationary bike, get on it and favor your weak leg to keep muscle mass as I'm sure I lost 5-10lbs on my leg not using it for five weeks. I do miss it now that I'm hobbling again and I did use the bike as soon as I felt able. I wish I had tried to break the cast more by flexing the foot, but didn't want to do further damage. Your doc can't tell you how it feels, and even less without an MRI. Ligament damage is a dark art otherwise and you're the expert at how it feels. Push it as soon as you can, the pain will tell you when it needs a, er, break... Good luck with it. Some reading - pick yer fracture! http://www.wheelessonline.com/ortho/ankle_fracture_menu IBUPROFEN - get some if you're not already taking it. Pain meds do little to nothing for swelling, and that's where most of the pain and possible tissue damage comes from. I felt kinda thick when I realized I wasn't taking anti-inflammatories and they have helped a great deal more then the ice bucket.

Paramania should be making these now (as part of factory risers, or certainly a stabilo retrofit option), but if the word gets out I have no doubt that Advance will be more than happy to take the payments instead and have a skilled seamstre, er, seams person blast out a bunch of these in a day to meet orders. The only variation between left and right is the side that the velcro mount is sewn to. If you have different lengths, that is bad indeed. I wish you luck ground handling with them, mostly because you'll need a fair wind to see them work, although a laminar coastal breeze may serve well enough. They do shine at speed. Psst pass it on - boo prussic knot, boo, hiss even.

Was your revo1 comparison based on a 29 as well Simon? Loading difference affecting handling perhaps?

I've only ever flown as a tandem leg dangling passenger once, on day three or four of free flight training. Instructor in my ear and hands over his on toggles - short flight maybe thirty minutes due to conditions. Most I ever learned about the sport in the shortest period of time. Certainly more difficult to apply when a throttle is in proximity of an unknown passenger's grabby hand, and it's noisy, and there are vibrations - but the learning curve gets pushed pretty flat compared to an instructor reading a furrowed brow interpretation of theory or wing deformations from the ground. Even with training comms in the backseat of a topgun paraski PPC it didn't compare, but different agendas for training too. One teaches to fly, the other to operate, although some folks are blending the best of both. Keep it up you lot.

What HD video Camera do you use? Sanyo VPC-FH1 How much did you pay for it? 450$ CAD Would you recommend it? Wouldn't answer otherwise. 1080P @ 60fps http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZAr7CFsrzM (recoded to 720p by pootube) all the way down in res and up in fps to 600fps http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beZv6WD74W8 got some paramotor vides you'd like to see in action??? doubles as an 8mpx camera w/12mpx interpolation, will snap photos whilst video shooting. Where do you mount it? Top of helmet via standard tripod screw. Anywhere a 350ml aluminum pop can will fit.

Such was my initial take on it as well, which is why I suggested a harken bearing pulley as used in boating: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3389&start=60 There is an added snag hazard however, and the ears kit it purpose built to avoid that. Just sayin.

Aye that's it - a good day that was. The mod noted above is simply to allow the double stitching of the stabilo near the maillion to easily slide into the pulley. It *does* fit already, but the alum bit holding the pulley has a flat edge on the bottom where the line feeds thru - best to smooth that or file it round so the pulley will slide down the stabilo unimpeded and not fray the stitiching. Plus there's all that drag hanging out there in the airstream If you fly a set of these, you will wonder why all the time is wasted on other solutions. Really. Should be factory bits. Just sayin.

Reference for yer eyes to see: http://www.paramotorclub.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3389&start=75 They are cheapest thru an Advance dealer: http://www.advance.ch/Dealers.92.0.html?&no_cache=1&L=1 Ask for "epsilon 4 big ears kit only" or you'll end up buying risers. These attach to the factory (and therefor ANY) risers with a simple velcro double closure. Paramania should consider this as a permanent mod, but they never will until they try it. Mine are never coming off.

In my experience high wind inflations on the Fusion are best set to full fast. Less so if conditions are lighter, ie. closer to neutral or takeoff setting. I'm @ 105kg free flying and can stand in 40kph with little hint of lift on full fast. In full fast, inflations are brisk and uneventful. As long as winds are laminar there is little need to damp any surge as reflex profile deals with it. Less so as trimmed in of course, but nothing like a conventional wing where you need ballast to stay grounded on inflation or really quick feet. I've seen the wing luff and tuck when on full fast in gusty conditions, which isn't surprising given the internal pressure variation. When this happens, simply trim slower to retain inflation and trim to "getting light" on a ridge, then away with you. I'm loving the range of this wing.

Good advice Dave. I cringe every time I watch a prop start (pretty common in low temps when batteries gag). But to your point, the complacent among us tend to just say the words, rather then provide an alarm as is intended. For those in the general vicinity, that are not paying attention it should make them jump when you offer it as warning. Consider it a method to ramp up awareness to where you are when ready to launch. Good practice to yell it out even when you know everyone is clear - makes it expected and others follow suit. All that said, spending time in close proximity of spinning props peels away the perception of danger when time passes without a concerning event occurring. This is akin to the intermediate syndrome where one's confidence overflies one's abilities. I disable my starter via direct disconnect once grounded, as I had a helper hit the start button once (not armed to light up) and it brought the issue home for me - and generated quite a look of surprise on the assistee. Even at starter speeds a prop holds a fair bit of kinetic energy. I've had a blade slice through 6061 tubing like it was butter at just around tickover, so can imagine how flesh may react. At the recent flight festival a pilot told me he once had a foot strike on launch @ takeoff power. Cut through the sole of his shoe twice and wacked him on the back of the ankle enough to require stitches on the bottom of his foot and nerve damage to the heel. Lack of lower netting and failure to abort (Aw, I can work thru a little oscillation!) were the cause. All expensive lessons. This one's a cheap lesson (for you, not the toeless fellow). Words to heed.

Making up for the motorless videos: [youtubevideo] [/youtubevideo]

Darn shame there appears to be a filter between end users and manufacturer. Darn shame this fellow had to resort to ebay of all things to have his voice ring loud enough for them to hear him. Cheapest soapbox I can think of in the public square though. Good luck to him and his crankless comrades.

Another perspective to the festival video. I had to land for water delivery up the ridge. @ 8min + just makes me grin to be able to to finally fly with HGs. In retrospect I REALLY wish I had changed to the regular harness so I could have used bar and played a bit longer. Gravy tho. [youtubevideo] [/youtubevideo]Mods can smack me if I post too many motorless videos Just now working on edits from the motor side of the same festival.

Call me thread hog, but I'm sharing... Yes, wi-pi indeed. More free flying, on the 29 @ 105kg full slow. You can't blame the hangy for avoiding the walkup, I was wondering if I was going to... He *should* have a better glide tho Pop it out for HD. [youtubevideo] [/youtubevideo]This flight drew a local paper as we were trying to promote National HG/PG day as the US is: http://www.xcmag.com/2010/04/national-hang-gliding-paragliding-day/ Does such a date exist internationally yet, it would be great to make it international... On PEI we made the front page, but it *is* PEI and a weekly paper. From the ground lubber POV it all looks the same ppg/pg/hg/phg...

Background on this one: [youtubevideo] [/youtubevideo]

I don't do much dogfighting, but should note that at one point during that flight I did notice that for a given trim setting (inside the green) the stabilos were sufficient drag to fly the ridge backwards. This is probably attributable to the deformation of the tip's rear edge, but had me planning a backwards flight to toplanding until the conditions dropped off. I always considered the stabilo steering akin to traction kite bias, but now sit corrected. The Fusion carves so well on slower trims (and pretty good on fast too), I've not yet envisioned the need for more, but do respect the dreams of others Something like this maybe without the bulk:

I never did fit the factory stabilo kit as I did not want the clutter and that knot, well, didn't look like a reasonable solution to me. Drag is probably about the same. I can't imagine the need for more travel, although I may grow out of that. Keep in mind that the pulley doubles the travel and the effort is low too. I'm glad I lucked into having a pair from an old set of risers. One thing I've yet to do is widen the inlet on the pulley a bit as the double line is snug when up next to the loop - more to avoid a fray then fitment. Youtube edit for previous post is finally ready. Thanks Alan for the pointer to the E4 ears kit post - saved me looking for it. I must admit to being worked on by fellow pilots to try HG. It doesn't hurt to be biwingual, but as you say, with such a range I don't know that I'd like to trade the portability of a rag for a little better glide and an awkward walkup to launches.

Fusion 29 Free flying @ 105kg in a Sky (1kg) mountain harness in 50kph at times. Flying with double surface hang gliders and PGs until it got too strong, then just HGs and me A pilot told me he was unable to penetrate right about the time I went to full fast and parked with him speedbarless mind you. I wish I had landed for the regular harness and a speedbar... [youtubevideo] [/youtubevideo]I am once again pleased with my wing and it's WIDE flight range. Kudos MCJ, you got it right.

http://www.xcskies.com/