fanman

I am curious to know... where did you train?

On the plus side you'll have greyed out long before so you'll never know!

Yes but I dont use the velcro inside the mount. I bought some heavy duty velcro discs off ebay and attach it using those. I have several helmets so this way I can easily swap it back and forth.

Kev, I moved my mount from the side of my helmet to the top with the lens rotated 90 degrees. On the side it occasionally got tangled in the risers on a reverse launch. Also you don't get the side of the helmet in the view. It also removed the small amount of weight trying to twist the helmet slightly sideways and evens out the viewpoint differences between looking left and right. On a tandem it also allows a slightly higher perspective over the top of the front seat occupant.

Is it time to stop this thread from being a sticky? Nothing has happened in 6 months now. If anything happens it could be brought baack to life but in the meantime cane we let it slip down the list so it doesn't mask active discussions.

Rob now flies a Fresh Breeze Simonini.

I weighed a FB Monster today. Double prop, dual ring cage, empty tank, electric and pull start (inc 16.8v NiMH battery), including harness and all wing attachment fittings... 35kg... lighter than a Parajet Macro! It is now going on a weight reduction program with an easy minimum 3kg to be saved by changing harness, wing attachments and battery.

My wing is there to be flown...

Sorry, but I have to disagree. Concertina packing not only keeps the leading edge mylars in better shape (for easier launching) but has several other advatanges - depending on which bag you get. Mine has mesh vents around the leading edge and down each side, allowing it to breathe properly and easily expel air as you fold it up. Even better, when you have to pack a damp wing, you can lay it out at home and unzip the bag to let a few folds from one side dry out in turn, then the other side - you don't have a huge mess of nylon to deal with by dumping it out of a stuff sack. Once zipped back up the whole thing can be slipped under a bed, loosely folded in half with zero stress on the fabric. It is much neater when you come to use it again, as the lines don't get tangled - I can just unzip the bag, connect the risers and its ready to go. Its no quicker to pack away though, despite the claims, but doesn't take any longer either. Why on earth do you take a stuffed wing out the bag if it's got a bit damp? Just ruffle it up a bit while still in the bag. When you stuff your wing lay the loops low down in the mushroom so the risers sit at the top of the bag with no other lines. The stuffers fly up until sunset while the packers land early to do their little routines.

here, here Stuff it every time. When you look at the drag of our machines and the pressure inside a reflex wing then the treatment of mylars when stuffing makes burger all difference. A bit different if you are a top competition PG pilot. Stuffing is better than packing because it places less stress on the seams and allows the wing to breathe.

Yes, I certainly don't mean to put you off, just point out the known issues. Most paramotors have more known issues than this... where do I start! As Dan says get the biggest prop/cage you can manage as that will give you more thrust and fuel efficiencies meaning you can launch with a lighter fuel load or have a longer endurance.

Helmet, ear plugs and suitable clothing... nothing else. Gadgets... I've had them all and they are nothing but distractors. If you fly anywhere near airspace then a map and an altimeter.

IMO... - slightly heavier than they should be - not as powerful as equivalent PAP - cage hits you on the back of the legs when you run - dreadful hand throttle - gearboxes are problematic - engine and exhaust mounts can crack but... they are relatively cheap and there are many far, far worse. If the price is right and you are a suitable weight then it is worth considering.

I would like to know the real weight of a FB Monster please (aluminium cage with electric and pull start). Norman?

I have tried all sorts of radios and always keep coming back to the G7. Have been using them for a couple of years now. They are not particularly cheap but come as a pair with a charger. They are (were?) the only PMR Eddie Cartwright (MicroAvionics) used to recommend. I believe you can use any aftermarket antenna to replace the fitted one by freezing the unit which weakens the epoxy that holds the antenna on. It should then crack and unscrew but don't hold me responsible because I have never tried it!

Midland G7

We all make mistakes, Tony, the important thing is that we learn from them so we don't make the same mistake twice. I try to come up with a brand new mistake every time.

I feel for you with your search for equipment. I can understand why you chose the machines you did but unfortunately Fly Products seem to suffer from build quality and Walkerjet no longer seem to be supported by anyone in the UK and dealing with the manufacturer seems an impossibility. I believe it is the FB Monster that you are going to now. I think it is a Synthesis 34 wing you use right? You are used to hauling heavy machines and the 34 is a big wing to pull up on a no wind forward (power it up with the Monster perhaps) but if you can cope with this I think they are the very best combination available to you. After all your reliability woes I hope you will find the FB so reliable it's almost boring!

The floating J bar tends to flop about a bit when you are trying to set up how to hold the risers for a launch whereas the comfort bar system leaves the crabs in the most obvious uncluttered place. No chance of getting the riser hooked under the arm like on a swing arm machine. Personally I tend to set up a CB system with the crabs lower than manufacturers generally suggest (sometimes even 15-20cm lower!) I keep the distance from the frame the same (which preserves the lean back angle) but shorten the sdjustable straps from the front of the comfort bar up to the crab. This lowers the hang point bringing everything down to a really nice height (hence using the low hang point brake position), makes the trims very easy to reach (and you can also tip steer direct on the stabilo lines if you wish) and puts the thrust line very close to the attachments. It also does give you an increased amount of weight shift ability. Also the brakes will now sit at a height that are easy to reach but allow vastly improved control of the latter part of the flare for landing. Mid hang points are the best kept secret in paramotoring.

Yes I have enough experience of both. Comfort bar every time. Easier to live with and will hold a higher resale value in the UK as well. CB can be flown with brake handles set up for low hook in (in most installations) so you don't have to change the brake height for use with a typical ground handling harness, etc!

...but you will never need it. Allegedly according to some people the more power you have the less time you will spend in the 'risk' zone so that is conceived to be a safety feature!!! With that amount of power you will instantly be at 2000' where you are unlikely to break a prop. QED!

The Airfer Aerox has a clutch so is the same as yours. The clutch does not remove torque either. The gearbox will minimally remove a tiny amount of the torque as it changes the rotational direction of the prop relative to the crankshaft so the minimal crankshaft torque slightly offsets the prop torque. On a reduction drive where the rotation is in the same direction these two torques are compounded.

It's not flak it's constructive criticism. I got the impression from the way you wrote your post you seemed unaware that there might be something amiss with the decision making process.

If the field was flat, green and enormous, why did you decide to limit yourself to a tiny bit with obstacles? Being a good pilot comes from good decision making.

These weights should also not include a reserve installation. Also worth mentioning what kind of strt system you have as there can be 3 options on some machines... pull start only electric startonly or both. If you have electric start there can also be a big difference if you are using a lead acid battery or a lithium battery.