paraflyer17

Thats really not good. And I can see how you would be mighty hacked off with helping out someone else's customers when they aren't ready. Just to add a bit of balance, there is at least one (non-BHPA) school in the UK I know of, who it turns out is just as well known, and that school is still trading. I spoke to someone the other week who just walked away and forgot about the money due to safety concerns and is now looking for another instructor. So it isn't presumably just an 'abroad vs UK' thing. That said, I can see how if someone in the UK is 80% ready they can just keep going. At the end of a course abroad if someone is 80%, then there must be a greater temptation to just pass them. Its not right, but I can see how that would be the commercial reality. Hopefully the BHPA will do something about it anyway, as they maintain the standards of the schools whether abroad or in UK. If it is caused by the limited time perhaps they need to do some kind of partnership scheme where people can 'hours build' abroad and complete at home. Thats not an unusual way of doing things in other forms of aviation. It would also allow some kind of monitoring as to the standard people were coming out of various schools at. If someone attends only one school, there is no real scrutiny over the standard of their trainees. I just know for myself and others I've spoken to, it can be very difficult to manage training in the UK around other committments, especially if the nearest school is some distance away. Training abroad can end up being the only option. I'm not sure what the answer is though. Speaking as a beginner, it can be very difficult to know who is good and who isn't.

Is that down to the instructors or just the time limits? Is it true of BHPA schools also, in which case to they all not have to follow the same syllabus whether in uk or spain? For the record, I am signed up for a week in spain to do BHPA elementary paragliding. From then I will either do another week to do paramotor CP, or do something here. It's really tricky, as people dont want to name and shame bad instructors for various reasons, which I understand. Unfortunately the uk weather, work, kids, on-call, travel time etc makes training in uk really impractical for some.

Sorry, typo, I did mean Ds. Honest! Thanks

Thanks. So all of the above is not clipped in, and with both As in one hand and both Bs in the other? Facing the wing? There is a bit on the aviator vid for this. What wind speed do I need to be in? Feel happier without clipping in as didn't want to get dragged by not knowing what I was doing. Thanks

I have this dilemma. Training in 3 weeks in spain, got a ground handling wing last weekend. Watched the aviator ppg vid twice. Do I go have a play, or do i leave well alone? As you say, it's a learning bad habits thing vs getting a head start training and also getting the muscles used to it. What's people's recommendation?

Thanks. Downloaded to my 935 and seems to be working. Will have a better look when I get chance, but as you say I may be limited until I am in the air.

Thanks. Should be ok. The 935 is a fenix 5 in a plastic case. The 945 is the same for the later fenix 5 with music. It should be more or less same hardware, so I would try including both. Happy to test 935, but it would be on the ground as not yet got my wings. Thanks

Any chance you can add 935 to compatible devices. Probably just a flag as its same hardware as fenix 5. Thanks

Perhaps it's a blessing in disguise. If you could have full kit for s grand the numbers in the air would be too great for the airspace to cope with. Also, if you pay 10k then 2k training seems ok. Nobody is going to pay 1k for the kit and 2k to learn to use it, so more problems there. There would be accidents galore and airspace infringements galore, leading to regulation at the very least.

Thanks both. Who are you training with? Have they recommended your purchase and sizes? It does seem like almost a standard package these days. No idea on colour, if I end up buying used it will have to be what it is, Not found any good comparison between the roadster and universal. Is it as collapse resistant as the universal and similar top speed if needed? Will discuss options with my instructor when I can and before purchase anyway, as I say I just want to keep an eye out in meanwhile. Thanks

As per my other thread on PMs, I'm hoping to resist buying until fully trained, but I wanted to keep an eye out for used kit to get an idea of what sort of prices I need to pay when the time comes. I'm planning on pairing a wing with a parajet, not sure which one or engine yet, but based on my weight probably a moster 185. My weight is around 85kgs, probably nearer 90 once I've got kit on etc I think I've decided on a Universal 1.1, as it sounds very stable, but also has a good speed range and a bit of advancement, and also holds its value. Does anyone know what size I'd need based on my weight and the Parajet weight? I'm assuming it will be a 28 or 31, but think I'd be top end of one and bottom end of the other. 28: 90-140kgs, 31: 110-170kgs That said, if I was to use it as a PG only wing (which I wont) the weight range points me towards a 28, at 90-115kgs against 110-140kgs. So does that mean the 28 is my size? And if I wanted to increase my choice, is there another good wing option to be looking out for to give me the stability of a beginner wing but without having to upgrade immediately? Thanks in advance.

Hoping to be fully qualified next year. Going to try and resist the temptation to buy anything until then, but I'd like to keep an eye on 2nd hand prices so I have an idea of what I'm looking at when the time comes. Initially I'm thinking get a new wing and 2nd hand PM. I think I want a parajet. They seem in demand and sellable, and dont seem much more expensive than others. On top of that I hear good things about customer service. So I can keep an eye on prices and availability, I'm 85kgs and would be hoping to pair with a dudek universal (I'll add another thread for that) From what I can tell the most popular engines will be an atom 80 or a Moster 185. Am I right in thinking that one is not powerful enough, and the other is maybe overkill? Is there a better choice somewhere in the middle? If buying used, are there any options I need to be aware of, such as left/right hand throttle, clutched/clutchless, hangpoints, or is all this stuff either standard and/or changable after the event? And do they come in one size of harness, or is that something else I'd need to pay attention to? I'm also a little confused by the differences between the Zenith, Volution and Maverick. Is either of these either preferred or unsuitable for a beginner. Thanks in advance.

All makes sense. I am assuming by flying insurance you just mean 3rd party? Or can they be covered for damage (I didn't think they could) Where I come from (microlights) it's not unlike insuring a car, and can do 3rd party, or fully comp including theft. Coming from that scenario it just seems a risk having 8k of kit uninsured.

Seen a blue winged PM over ilkeston/Ripley a few times now. Is that anyone from here? Also saw a couple flying from a field west of belper, but not sure if the same people?

Out of interest, is there a reason the kit is so expensive? I know to a certain extend it is supply and demand, and also relatively low volumes compared to say a motorcycle, but there really doesn't look to be much to them. And with the lack or regulation and its incurred costs compared to other forms of aviation, I am a little surprised that starter prices seem to getting towards 10k. Especially as they dont seem insurable.

So its a bit of a risk then. I certainly wouldn't leave 8k cash in a car. Is it a big problem, or would most people not know what to do with them?

Does anyone do fully comp cover? Even just for theft rather than damage? These things cost a lot of money to just be left in a van, but I assuming most people have to do so regularly.

Thanks again. I've done some microlighting before, so aware of winds aloft and F214s. I was just trying to guage the difference between the two in terms of windspeed, but appreciate the winds aloft would be a bigger issue on a PM. The takeoff winds above dont seem too much lower than what I'm used to though, so that is good news. I usually work on 10 gusting 20 but ONLY if it is straight down the strip, you have the advantage of being able to turn into the wind depending on your takeoff site. If it was crosswind I'd be on half of the above figure. Thanks again - will keep an eye on Met Office and see how it compares in the coming weeks.

Thanks all. So in terms of the met office forecast, what are the limits? 5mph gusting 10? Or can you get away with slightly more? Or do you just work off the gusting figure?

Yes, I agree. I wasnt suggesting the seller had done anything wrong. But think it is still worth speaking to him. Personally I would feel bad enough to do something even if it wasnt a full refund. But appreciate he probably isn't under any obligation to do so.

Speak to the seller. You probably have zero legal recourse, but if he is genuine he may do something for you.

Just wondered if anyone has done any stats (or even just has a rough guestimate) on how many flying days there are in the UK over a year for paramotor? Every other day? Once ever couple of weeks? What do you thing it would average out at? And also, what windspeed are you basing that on both in terms of max windspeed and max gust windspeed (as both reported on the metoffice app)? I seem to see a lot of paramotors advertised 2nd hand that have very low hours on, so it just got me thinking, especially with having to plan to fit around work, family etc etc and wondering whether the ~8k of kit I'll need to buy is going to be good value? Thanks

Is this the case for all schools abroad? Or are there good and bad? When I did some research there were some strong recommendations for one particular school (skyhighppg) And also schools in the UK that people were scathing about. It does seem a bit of a minefield for a beginner knowing what to do for the best.

Thanks Richard. Much appreciated. Will hopefully be in touch at some point in the future.

Thanks Simon. We seem a little thin on the ground around here unfortunately. I've PM'd a couple of the guys to see if there are aware of anything going on locally.