fanman

Integrity of the plug cap ok?

If only a Quest XC equipped paramotor was mac compatible... Macs are brilliant at mainstream uses but fall down if you are a user who likes to go off piste.

and (honestly) the ratio of time you spend in flight engine off to engine on is...? Is the OP planning to spend lots of time engine off to get these 'benefits'? A friend and I have been conducting tests with a hang test frame with load measurement in the strops. We experimented with a Bailey (fixed mid hang points) and a Parajet (low active arms) and using the same pilot achieved identical figures for loading and unloading in each direction through weightshift. So the question is... active arms allow the unit to swivel but are they actually giving improved weightshift or is it partly psychosomatic that the weightshift is better than it really is? Paul Bailey recently said in conversation that he was adding active arms because that was the fashion these days and not because they actually improved a machine. It has become what many expect but do they really understand why?

I've owned them all and in my opinion by far the best option is a mid position with the hangpoint through the thrust line. The concept of low hang points replicating a PG set up is flawed because a PG never has to cater for thrust line considerations or torque.

+1

At the moment the thrust line is almost perfectly in line with the wing attachments so why move it up or down and introduce an unnecessary pitch/power couple?

Never said paint and lacquer doesn't work. What doesn't work is thinking that if 2 blades weigh the same when weighed on scales they will balance when rotated. Consider swinging a 1kg weight round your head on a negligible weight piece of 1m string. Now oppose that with another 1kg weight on the opposite side on a 10m negligible piece of string. Both sides would weigh the same on a set of scales but they wouldn't they be balanced in rotation. Use paint/lacquer for fine tuning the balance but verify the balance by use of a pivot at the prop center. Even then this is only a crude form of balancing with limitations. Improperly balanced props ruin perfectly good engines.

Colin, it doesn't quite work like that. If you took a perfectly balanced 2 blade carbon prop apart and then taped a coin to one tip and then an identical coin to the other blades root they would both weigh the same on the scales but would each have completely different rotational inertia and therefore would be completely unbalanced when in use. It is actually possible to have a single blade prop so long as it has a suitable counterweight on the opposite side. Because of the short moment arm of the weight it will be much heavier than the blade however the prop will be 'balanced'.

If you can read Italian (or get it translated) here are the instructions with pictures... http://www.kb2ljj.com/data/yaesu/vx3e.pdf Personally I don't think you'll need to do the full unlock to get access to frequencies you won't need so the following from that first link is probably all you'll need to do... tx from 140-174 & 420-470 remove jumper!!!!and do master reset! Reset is: Microprocessor Reset on Page 128 of the Manual kills all memories and settings Microprocessor Reset on Page 128 of the Manual kills all memories and settings Power Off Power Off Hold [MODE] + [V/M] and Power On Hold [MODE] + [V / M] and Power On Press [F/W] Press That was all I needed to do to sort out a VX7r for a friend a few years ago.

http://www.kb2ljj.com/data/yaesu/VX-3R.htm You're welcome

... and that is why pitch distance is a much more useful measure than blade angle.

...but those pitches are only valid when using a GSC pitch tool on a GSC ground adjustable prop on a Black Devil motor. Pitch expressed as degrees is variable along the blade whereas pitch measured in distance should be roughly even at any point along the span. Pitch distance can be calculated if the pitch (in degrees) is known at a known point along the span (2 x pi x r x tan blade angle).

+1 The Arcus is one of the best PG wings for motoring with. Cut your teeth with what you've got for a while and then enjoy the progression after a short while. Some people have only ever flown reflex and don't know how enjoyable it can be to paramotor on a non-reflex wing on the right day. If I could only have one wing though it would have to be reflex.

I think you should find that those settings are a good enough starter for both 2.5:1 and 2.6:1 redrives as having set the basic settings you then want to do a sustained static test to see what rpm you can maintain (measured on a tinytach or similar) before making minor adjustment to suit your individual machine, ie if the rpm is slightly too low then fine the pitch angle down a bit and vice versa. The 2.2:1 redrive is not very common but if you do have one then you should be looking at going slightly finer as the prop will be turning faster. The BD was originally designed to run close to 10,000rpm but then set up to achieve 7,500rpm max. Consequently a lot of people in the States set their pitch to give a max of 7,800rpm which works very nicely.

Stop press, just dug out some info I got from Rick at GSC which gives their recommended settings for the CorsAir Black Devil... 44" diameter prop: 2 blade - 13.5 degrees 3 blade - 11 degrees 45" diameter prop: 2 blade - 13 degrees 3 blade - 10.5 degrees 46" diameter prop: 2 blade - 12.5 degrees 3 blade - 10 degrees 47" diameter prop: 2 blade - 12 degrees 3 blade - 9.5 degrees 48" diameter prop: 2 blade - 11.5 degrees 3 blade - 9 degrees

Making assumptions on the span of your prop based on your cage diameter I would imagine that 13.5 to 14 degrees when using a GSC pitch guage. IIRC the GSC pitch guage doesn't sit at 75% span as the same guage is used whatever the prop diameter it is measuring and relies on sliding on until the profile of the tool matches the profile of the prop. GSC adjustables on a BD in a 1400 cage probably need about 1 degree less. These figures are an approximate starter for ten from which you can then fine tune to suit your particular motor. Hope that helps.

Glad to hear you are sorted now Terry. I don't know any other engine that is quite so pitch sensitive as the BD.

Aha, went back and looked properly at the original link. Hadn't realised that the injection was into the head and not a straight carb replacement. Couldn't see how you could eliminate the expansion chamber if the injection was in crab replacement form to the crankcase and then via transfer port to the cylinder. I guess then that is what the 'direct' part means.

and no carb icing issues. I can't see how FI removes the need for the expansion chamber. Can you explain.

Just bear in mind that the PAP frame (1400 size) with a Top80 is 25% heavier in actual measured weight than a similar Miniplane with the same engine. This disparity is probably the same when comparing the small cage versions. Bearing in mind you don't yet know if she'll persue the sport and she is very light weight you could save yourself a packet by getting a Rad MXL or similar second hand.

and shouldn't this be in the 'paramotors' forum not 'off topic'

hmmmmnnnn. My mate ordered one and was told it would be delivered around about now. It has been delayed progressively in stages with the last update I heard being to expect delivery next April!!! He is now thinking of cancelling and getting a Sportix.

The people who complain about battery life are the ones that never turn their bluetooth, gps, wifi, etc off when not using them. I can eek mine out to last 4 days between charges but normal careful use gives me 2-3 days.

+1 Why let everyone else tell you what pitch you should be running when no 2 engines perform the same.

£5670 for a titanium 1.3m Bailey with the extras so this is just over half the price.