flyingdoc

Now you'll just HAVE to post a photo of the Mankini Mike........

Sounds positively adequate. LOL Roll on the next few days. Lets get started.

Also Simon, You'll be glad to hear that I am doing some significant pruning of my 'kit' to fit in one of your boxes. Hope I can get it all in........

Sounds like a good plan Whitters. I for one need a lot of practice, especially at the landing bit. Bring it on! I can't wait.

Currently in classifieds. Skywalk Paramotors branded Airfer Tornado. Less than a year old and currently only 15 hours of properly logged flight time. Powerful compact motor unit fits easily in boot. Electric start. Low hang points. Excellent Harness. Very happy with motor but planning LE to JOG flight later this year so looking at Polini Thor with nearly as much grunt but better fuel consumption. Will miss my electric start and compact size though!! About to go on French trip with Simon so will have a few more hours then so it will be properly run in!! The photos on this linked page are of my actual motor before delivery. http:/www.flyschool.co.uk Give it a good home someone.

Good learning moment Alan, Remember that any landing you can walk away from unaided is OK. Kit can be fixed. However always reassess your options all the way down. Glad to see you were not hurt.

Hi Spee, Welcome to the forum. I am in Cheshire and I trained with Andy Walkden in Southport which is not too far from you. Nice field, good chap, lets you take your own time getting used to things and is great at advice re kit etc. He does have tandem kit so that would be possible too. http://www.flyschool.co.uk Wing Dudek Synthesis or Paramania Revolution, ground handle Andy's wings. Motor depending on weight almost all of them are good, There are several manufacturers but they often use the same engine. Go for a reliable and popular engine and you can't go far wrong. Andy can help a lot here. Eventually you will need a Helmet, good boots, gloves, warm clothing/flight suit, petrol can etc, but get into the air first and see how much you like it. Yesterday I managed 2 hours and went round Southport and down the beach twice! It was awesome. I'm sure you'll love it.

Hi Simon, Possibly a silly question but do we need some sort of map holder for the route and will we be provided with paper route maps each day? Getting really excited now.....

Getting all my kit together, main problem is sorting out all the chargers for all the cameras and kit......... Have a charger lead off the motor so should be fine if I can work out which ones I need. Roll on April Fools day.....Ooops is that prophetic or what?

Talking about the Suunto x10, I have been reading up a little about it but the altimeter and navigation screens are on separate sections. Can the be used together and just flick between them? Sorry if this is a dumb question. Thinking about using it as back up nav with my iphone Motion X/GPS or vice versa.... Anyone use these a lot???

Fantastic air time from so little fuel and such a small prop! Keep up the good work.

Wow Morgy, what a flight! That sounds really cool. Me I still haven't dared to switch off the motor yet and only managed to hit one thermal accidentally but it was fun. Free Height Yeaaah! Sorry for the thick question but what motor is the V3? Engine and Frame combination?? More power to your elbow mate!

Great video Mike. How did you attache the camera to your foot?

I loved the : - "I think the parachutist is doing very well. He seems to be powered by some sort of copter thingy?" Well done love. Nearly but no biscuit. Excellent vid mate!

Love this!!! I want one. (The car not the dog....)

As I was sort of the inspiration of this thread I thought I would put in my 2p. I have only done 12 hours of paramotoring so far, and usually from the same field. I have never yet done an 'out landing'. But I have flown several times around Southport, along the beach and back and the view is great. A round trip of only 13 miles though so maybe it doesn't count. My next planned extension is to try to fly home. I have already picked out a suitable landing field. The distance is only 34 miles from where I take off so should be easy on one tank as long as the wind is in the right direction. It does involve flying down the Manchester VFR corridor but that could be fun. The only obvious problem is I have to get someone to drive the car home from Southport....... Probably need a few refresher T&Gs first but that seems like a logical next step. Lets get some air beneath our feet! Roll on the better weather please.......

Thanks for your input Whitters, Must buy you a drink when I'm down that area. You can point out a good landing field near a pub???? Success is the thing. 'Do, or don't do. There is no try.' Yoda (I think)

Thanks for those links Whitters, makes some good reading. The more I read the more it seems like the weather and luck will play the biggest part in the success. Still makes it a good challenge though.... Supported or Unsupported that is the challenge. Supported has been done. ???????? but does that matter? In the words of Pooh "Think, think, think."

Hi Guys, Thanks for all the input. Thanks Meds yes I am looking forward to April to get a lot of practice under my belt. Hopefully a bit before then too would be good. Whilst I understand all the comments about a different set up with a less thirsty motor and a bigger prop I do have only the one set of kit so it will have to do. Means me stopping a bit more often but??? I thought the bit about the 10 ltrs had been settled and we could carry as much as we can get off the floor with. Personally I struggle with anything more than 10 ltrs anyway( I have a 13 ltr tank) One obvious problem is getting the fuel to the tank. Perhaps a dismountable fuel tank like the baileys would be better but again this is the only one I've got. Any suggestions for simple mod? Also would a fuel gauge be a simple and reliable addition with little weight penalty? Helimed I get the idea of a 'Buddy Route' and would certainly be keen for the practice runs but I suppose the point is it has never been done solo before??? Perhaps I am just mad..... If you have the details of a more direct route Norman then a pm would be much appreciated. Still lots of preparation to do prior to the main event. I'll be seeing some of you in April so we'll talk some more there I guess. Cheers.

Did anyone get any flights in this weekend? Dead foggy near me???

Ok, so here's the deal. August 2009 John Carver flew from LE to JOG in a flyke and when he finished someone on this forum quipped... "So who's going to be the first in a paramotor then." Somewhat foolishly I decided to have a try. Even more foolishly I started to tell as many people as I could to make sure I didn't back out. So now I am beginning to wonder what I have got myself roped in to. Firstly I need an answer to a question. Has anyone done this solo unassisted before? (With proof) I have thought about doing it unassisted but it sounds bloody hard. And if it has already been done then I may as well take a back up team to help. If it hasn't been done before then a little bit of me (a very little bit of me) would like to try it unsupported only to do something no-one has ever done yet. ( I am getting to be 50 this year and so I am railing against the darkness.......) Either way I am going to do it, so I have a plan. Firstly I need to get more hours in. I started paramotoring in March 2009 and I have done roughly 9 hours only. ( Need more practice at take offs and landings.) Next I need to try landing out in someone else's field somewhere. Got somewhere in mind. Next I need to try a two hop stop including one stop for petrol near a petrol station (presumably). Next I need to try and complete a coast to coast. Then the big one. I am naturally doing it for charity. I will be trying to raise as much as possible for the Christie Hospital in Manchester which happens to be the first hospital I ever worked in. I have set up a link on the justgiving website calling my project 'Just Wing It." I will give you all the proper link later when I know it is working. I have an iPhone with MotionX GPS on it and I have an old version of the FlyMap dedicated GPS as back up. I have a Skywalk Tornado paramotor with a Corsair Black Devil motor and a 110 wooden aerobat prop. It has a 13 ltr fuel tank. I have a 29m Dudek Synthesis with my logo written all over it. I have investigated a whole heap of ultralight camping stuff and even found two ten litre 'panniers' to go on either side of the seat to carry the stuff in. So what else do I need? A bit of me wants someone to tell me not to be such a prat and forget it, but actually I am really looking forward to it. Mostly I do want to make sure I succeed. A busted prop 400 yards from Land's End would look a bit crap!! So help me please. Routes, advice, places to stay, petrol stations with easy to land in fields near by.... Hints suggestions, and yes, eventually, as much money as you can provide. The Christie is a great Cancer hospital and looks after most of the people of the North west so it does a really great job. There is a long time between now and when the attempt will be made (roughly August depending on the Weather obviously.) And lots of work and preparation to be done. But I hope this posting serves to light my fuse and get me going. All assistance gratefully accepted. But first off has anyone done it unassisted before??

That looks laid back and really cool Pete. Have to try it with power next time. Good wing control though.... FlyingDoc

Squawk

Definitely go with a Mac next time. Been using them for years and they are much more reliable. Just my 2p FlyingDoc