Hairsy

I'm still bitter about that free Red Bull Air Race - I applied for tickets and didn't get any! What are the BHPA going to do with the money they make? The only thing I've ever seen is things like giving money to clubs to help them buy flying sites like The Blorenge. And I'm not going to resent them that. Even if I just look at it in a selfish way, I get fantastic value for money for my subscription. I also feel happy with the subscription I pay to the BMAA. I know that associations don't suit everyone (and lets be grateful that we have the opportunity to make choice) but I genuinely find it difficult to understand anti BHPA views. No judgement there - I just don't understand. Either way, having attended AGMs and seen the accounts, if all they're trying to do is make money then they need a lot more practice! Anyway, getting back on topic, is paramotoring going the right way? Who decides what right is? I have personal concerns that dangerous low level stunts are too common. I think we need to ensure that people are more informed about the dangers. Very tricky to know how to do that though. Everyone has heard the message but I think that many just don't get the concept that one tiny mistake can mean you are dead. Would love to know the answer. Cheers Dave

Simon, While I agree the gist of your argument (i.e. low flying is dangerous), I have not seen a single injury during a competition cloverleaf (or any other competition slalom task). In national competitions there is a very strong emhasis on safety and pilots make the decision not to fly in tasks. No-one is ever ridiculed - quite the opposite in fact and decisions like that are applauded. In international competitions the teams have to be nominated by a recognised national body who say those pilots have the ability to fly tasks and, more importantly, make decisions about how hard to push. On the matter of money, as both a competitor and a member of the UK PPG Competitions Committee, I can offer absolute assurance that neither the BMAA nor the BHPA make money out of competition. They each make donations to the committee but they do not receive a penny back. In the rare event that competitions end up in the black, the money is retained by the competition committee. A small amount is used to support the national team and the remainder is used for the following year's competition. You may have issues with BHPA and BMAA but it is not correct to accuse them of making money out of paramotor competitions. In fact, if there was no competition then both organisations would be better off. Cheers Dave

From what I can make out this is very much a personal preference thing. In high winds and with lower performance gliders, hands on the rear risers can help kill the wing. Higher performance gliders tend to be easy to kill with brakes alone. Apart from that, try different techniques and see what you like. When I fly solo, powered or free flying, I use one hand for both As. For tandem is use separate As and steer the wing a bit more. There isn't a right and wrong. If it works for you then its right. Best bet is to stick with what your instructor recommends for you and then, when you've mastered it, play with others. Cheers Dave

It's not directly a result of that - it's really just a common feature of reflex wings. It's also why we don't trim them to full slow when we launch. At full slow they are less happy to come over our heads, although once there the launch can be slower and therefore easier. Launching down a hill can make a glider more forgiving of a lack of pressure though. On the downside, it also makes the consequence of a failed launch potentially more painful. Cheers Dave

This is written particularly for those who have flown traditional gliders before moving to reflex. The reflex profile means that the wing needs the A risers pressured for longer than a 'normal' wing. Those making the transition from traditional wings often struggle with this, hence the emphasis in the manual. It is possible to launch a reflex glider with pressure still held on the As. On a traditional wing this would be very dangerous and it would probably frontal before you left the ground. There are various reasons for using trimmers in intermediate positions. In very rough thermals, I sometimes fly with a little speed on so I can benefit from the pitch stability of the reflex profile. Normally I would prefer to thermal on slow. If you are trying to fly economically then you should be using Speed to Fly theory to maximise the distance you can fly on your fuel. This means adjusting your airspeed depending on what the wind is doing. I won't try to go into more detail here as its a much easier concept to have explained in person. I'm sure Simon can talk you through it. For precision maneouvers in competitions, there is a compromise between making it easy to fly (slow) and doing a good time (fast) and so intermediate trimmer settings are often used here. For interest, when I was testing the first prototype of the Synthesis, my major feedback was that the wing was too responsive and nippy on full slow trim for its target market. I felt it was more suitable (& safer) with about an inch of trimmer. Later versions were calmed down a little. Trimmers do affect many aspects of a wing. Cheers Dave

Can't deny it's a good and fair question! The smart arse answer to the question you actually asked is "I don't do flat spins at the height we do the cloverleaf"!!! The real answer is that we do it because it is a very good way to test pilot skills in a measurable way - which makes it a great competition task. I have never actually seen someone spin a glider doing the cloverleaf because pilots rightly err on the side of caution. That doesn't mean it isn't dangerous - just that people recognise the danger and don't get too close to the edge. Competition pilots are expected to have (a) skill and (b) the experience to know where their skill limits are. One other point is that the cloverleaf sticks are 2 m in height. At this height, a crash is unlikely to be fatal. I wouldn't even attempt the the cloverleaf if the sticks were between 4 & 50 metres in height as the risk (in my opinion) would be too great. I love chucking myself around the air but I am very conscious of the risks I take in doing so and carefully consider them. It could be argued that the cloverleaf (and indeed the other slalom competition tasks) is a stupid thing to do but it could also be argued that strapping a spark plug, a tank full of fuel and a person to a large kite is fairly silly in itself. Cheers Dave

This is what I posted to another forum about the same video - hope it helps. Regards Dave The problem started with the onset of a flat spin. You can see the left wing start to 'bend back' during the left turn where it all starts to go wrong. A flat spin can be a scary thing for fixed wing pilots and is something to be very cautious of on a paraglider. The exit of a flat spin can be incredibly dynamic. I have had my wing horizontally in front of me after only just going past the entry to a spin. It is most definitely something to reserve for over water with a rescue boat beneath you when you experience it for the first time. In terms of how to avoid, always be very cautious of how much brake you use and, particularly, don't make sharp turns against your torque. In the cloverleaf task I am always very nervous of the flat spin. There is no chance of recovery from a flat spin when flying at the height we do the cloverleaf.

It's looking increasingly unlikely that I'll be able to make it I'm afraid as I'm expecting to need to get my gear shipped to China about the time you're planning. Well, not 5:00 am - no-one gets up THAT early!!!! If I don't make it then I hope you have a great time. Dave

With a promising forecast for Saturday, I'm planning to come up then. I want to do some testing in the morning but perhaps we could look at doing a 100k (or so) flight in the afternoon for those who are ready? The intention will be for everyone to fly on their own but know that there are others in the vicinity - probably setting off at 15 minute intervals. I'd be very happy to talk through some tips for navigating on the day. Simon, will you have some copies of the 1:100,000 pdf versions of the route which I emailed you? If anyone wants to do this, you need to ensure you have a map holder which you can use in flight. Ideally able to take up to A3 size AND give you the ability to re-fold your map in flight. If you've got one but haven't flown with it yet, you'd be very wise to get a flight or to in before you head off 50km into the distance. I've never known anyone fit a mapholder just right at the first attempt. I've also seen (OK, experienced too) some poorly designed mapholders which have smashed the pilot in the face after launch or made it impossible for them to move their legs enough to land on their feet. My suggestion is that people fly with a GPS switched on but not visible. It's essential to develop the skill of navigating with a map. GPS's break but maps don't. Unless they pass through the prop which brings me on to ... If you thought nil wind launches were tough then you also need to try refolding a CAA airmap in flight - it is the ultimate test of the seasoned paramotor pilot! One final thing which I would urge anyone to do who is aspiring to the Dartmoor trip is to do some landing out and relaunching in places you've never visited from the ground. This is something you need to develop confidence in - choosing a suitable landing field which you can then confidently relaunch from. If you're miles from anywhere and hear a dodgy noise, it's essential that you are confident to land and investigate and then relaunch if it's safe. I've heard a number of stories of expensive damage (and potentially serious injury) from people who have heard something 'not quite right' but continued on because they wanted to get to their destination before investigating. Cheers Dave

Thanks for the potential help with video. Simon, you were already on my list of phone calls to make Regarding the differing spot landing techniques, there is a massive safety consideration : reflex wings are incredibly stable but when they DO let go the recovery characteristics are much more aggressive and so we don't like to take them close to the stall. On a traditional paraglider wing, with experience you can 'mush it in' very close to the stall. If you go a little too far then the wing will go parachutal but with practice and skill this can be controlled. On a reflex wing this is much more difficult and the recovery from parachutal stall can be a much more aggressive dive. In spot landings in paramotor comps (which I hasten to add are not one of my greatest strengths), we try to land with lots of speed / energy which then allows a very long flare allowing us to tap the spot 'on the way through'. It's a very different technique but those on reflex wings tend to use it. People flying traditional wings often stick to the conventional technique. I've just been voted back onto the competitions committee, still responsible for competition training. I would be very happy to run some competition training sessions at the Lambourn site if people would like it. Cheers Dave

Simon (or anyone else who was at Lambourn a couple of weeks ago when I was last there), Someone had a video camera when I was last there and may have got some video of me flying. I'm trying to seek some sponsorship to help me fund my trip to the Worlds and want to do a very short bit of video for potential sponsors. If anyone has any video of my flying the Plasma then I would be very grateful to receive it. All except my dodgy landing that is! If anyone can help that would be great. Cheers Dave

There's no problem doing this on reflex wings and very little risk on traditional wings (subject to normal caution over using speed bar). The easiest way is to stick one foot on one end of the speedbar The bar will automatically go lop-sided. When one leg gets tired, use the other one. Dave

Best synoptics: http://meteonet.nl/aktueel/brackall.htm Best interpretation of synoptics: http://expert.weatheronline.co.uk/uv10_frame.htm (this one takes you to the 10m wind forecast but there are loads more including high level winds and rain [precipitation]) I use these for 90% of my forecasting and between the two they are very accurate. You need to study your weather theory to understand the synoptics but it is time well spent. Over time you will become far better at predicting your local weather than any TV/Radio/Newspaper forecaster. Dave

I'd agree that it's good value. I'm not yet sure if I'm going to join as I live the wrong side of the England/Wales border so fuel and tolls are a big factor and there's two of us so it does become a little expensive for us. If I was more local than I would join like a shot. Simon is offering a very good deal. Bite his hand off! Dave

A couple of bits of info which might help. I have flown ReAction extensively (27 and 29), currently fly Plasma 28 and have flown two of the Synthesis prototypes. My Synthesis comments are based on the prototypes as I haven't flown the final production model. The Synthesis is faster than the ReAction at trim speed but has less speed on full speedbar. Many pilots rarely, if ever, use speedbar and they may find that for their flying the Synthesis is faster. The Synthesis requires more rpm for level flight than the ReAction as it is a slightly less efficient design. Having done tests on ReAction Vs Revolution and ReAction Vs Synthesis, I believe that the Synthesis is a little more efficient than the Revolution. However, to prove this I would need to test them back to back on the same day. The Synthesis could well be a wing which people never upgrade from. If the small increase in economy and max speed on bar are not important then the Synthesis would be great. The landing speed is less intimidating than the ReAction (and considerably less intimidating than the Plasma!). In terms of wing size, my experiences match Clive's views - the difference in top end speed is minimal if making a step of 2 sq.m. If you take big steps (e.g. comparing a 29 ReAction with a 23 sq.m GT) then size DOES become a significant factor. However, stall speed also increases with a small wing and that brings its own 'features'. When flying in reflex mode, the lift producing section of wing is considerably smaller than the flat OR projected figures from the spec sheets. I don't know the exact numbers, but I would suggest that a 29 sq.m reflex wing has an effective area of less than 20 sq.m when flying at full speed. This is because the back end of the wing is no longer being used to produce lift. This is one of the reasons why we achieve such a wide speed range on reflex wings - the wing size is adjusted with the speedbar. This IS a simplification as many other factors come into play but hopefully it helps to explain why we sometimes fly a larger reflex wing than traditional PG wing (e.g. I'm currently trying out a 24 sq.m traditional wing) and it's the right size for me. I hope this helps. Dave

Simon, You mentioned a while back that you would be looking at inviting people for membership to your club. What would this involve? Presumably some sort of payment (seems quite reasonable!) but would it then allow use of your field at any time? I'm often travelling the M4 and it might be nice to have access to a field if the whim took me as I was passing - I rarely can predict when it'll be but being able to fly without giving notice would be very attractive. Regards Dave

I'm always up for an XC so if we're free then Rach & I will come along ... Dave