glennP

Hi, I've been flying with the power risers for a while now and they are definately better than the PG risers for flying the RAD. Torque steer is less requiring less brake pressure which if necessary trimmed out to fly straight hands off. I found the PG risers requires lots of brake brake to keep straight which was tiring. However the power risers are not a straight fit onto the Mk1 Bolero as the importer had to contact Gin himself to verify they could be used. Wing is fast in flight and stable in all axes but the power risers have negative effects on PG flying making the canopy less stable than its DHV1 rating.

As Gordon and Norman have said a full check prior to launch is the key. I get the funniest looks from other pilots when PPG or free flying because I go through everything in a set routine every time. Even when ground handling. I do a preflight exactly the same way I do for a fixed wing aircraft. I start at 1 wingtip and work my way around 360 degrees back to the same wing tip checking every line, cell, maillon, nut and bolt, straps etc etc. You get the picture. Then as I clip in I enter the harness from the same side every time and clip up in the same order everytime. At the end of the flight I unclip in opposite way and leave the PPG/harness in the direction I got in. Same thing every time. I used to use this mental checklist for microlights C ontrols free and correct orientation H arness and helmet and hatches (check reserve pins!!!!!) I gnition and instruments F uel T rim and temps A rea wind, aircraft, obstacles and people R adio I'm sure there are better ones but I remember that one easily.

I'd also applaud Shaggys post. It takes guts to admit you've got a problem and it's the first step to recovery. At least that what they told me at AA. The PG Club I belong to have a section for this kind of stuff. People can post anonymously about accidents and incidents they've had in the hope others wont repeat their mistakes. Similar to the CAA/GASCO bulletins. I do think a proper pre flight checklist is a must and that should include checking the weather. I know it's a bit formal but PPG could do a lot worse than some of the GA type checks. No pilot is perfect especially those sky gods out there who think they are. Everyone has at least 1 story to tell. As Cage says every landing on a PG XC is an out landing. No problem for them. If your paramotor is too heavy get a RAD! But then again the weight of the tools/spare bits mitigates the weight saving. Only joking! Happy flying.

I started paragliding after flying over 30 aircraft types (flex/3 axis UL/PPL/complex retractables incl theory to ATPL)and skydiving and thought it would be a piece of cake. It didn't work out quite as I envisaged. However the transfer from PG to PPG was a lot easier with only 1 knackered prop to my name. I'd have to agree with what everyone else has written here. The PPL will give you a head start with the theory, airlaw, PoF, and met on any other ab initio PPG wanabee but don't expect your practical stick and rudder experience to transfer to the flying of a large kite and a cumbersome screaming motor on your back. You'll be knowledgable about circuits, radio calls and reading an airmap and that's all good but that's not the hard part. As others have said, learn to ground handle the canopy and become proficient at forward and reverse launches, assessing the wind strength and direction. This is a physical aspect of the sport you will need to master before anything else. It's nothing like being in a spam can. I've found experienced spam can pilots terrified at the thought of flying exposed in a microlight let alone and 'armchair in the sky'. Once you master it though there is nothing like it (except a long XC on a PG) and you will wish you tried it sooner. Best of luck

Hi Nirmal, Fogot to answer about the Miniplane. I saw one on ebay a while back and placed a few bids on it but it went for a lot more than I was prepared to pay. Funilly enough I see most paramotor gear on ebay re-advertised after it had initially gone for a daft price. The Miniplane seems like a good paramotor and as you say a bit more developed than the RAD. It might be a future purchase .

Hi Nirmal, Yeah I 've been told about the "penny washers" breaking. Not the strudiest of mounts I've ever seen. At the moment everything is toally original except for the cage netting, inlet and prop blades (everyone does it ). It looked like new when I got it . I'd say it's flown very few hours. I've heard about them vibrating themselves to bits and the exhausts/inlet silencer falling off, engine mounts cracking etc etc. I always do a quick walk round before getting the wing out (usually last to take off) and most nuts/bolts etc are marked with black marker to show if they've moved. I carry a wire lock kit and tools with me for anything I'm suspiciaous of. Despite all this I think I need to be more meticulous and organised before and after each flight. The RAD is getting me up there at the minute which is the main thing. In the future I'll be upgrading to something else but the RAD suits for the time being due to it's light weight and simplicity. Plus the cheapish parts are a bonus. Cheers, Glenn

Re : Dangerous take off and landing. Kegworth was caused by the crew shutting down the WRONG engine when dealing with an engine fire /heavy vibration on approach to land. It had nothing to do with the position of the road and it's proximity to the runway. Had they not done that they could have made the runway as they had one good engine. If you can prove that loads of licensed/military airfields are dangerous due to roads /houses being nearby please do pass on your statistics to the CAA as it was they that licensed them as being safe. Your Senca scenario doesn't take into account that a Seneca has 2 engines and is capable of flight on one engine. If your farmers strip can accomodate a Seneca then it will accomodate any microlight/Cessna/PPG with an engine failure within the length of the strip. All flights whether GA or commercial have to take account of any obstructions on approach or departure and runways are marked as such to reduce the length available (legally) on takeoff/landing. ILS etc is adjusted to accomodate the reduction. There are also clearways and overshoot areas on all licensed aerodromes. The crews also have to calculate given their load, wind, temp and pressure and configuration, their accelerate and stop distance and V1 and V2 speeds/distances BEFORE taking off. If the numbers don't add up you DON'T take off. If a pilot doesn't do any of the above and has an incident then if he'she survives they will find themselves in the dock. As a paramotor pilot it's very unlikely you will go through this before taking off and landing BUT that does not mean we should be taking off low over roads, buildings or trees. Think engine failure on take off and brief before lining up as most microlight/single engine GA fliers do and you should always be safe. And as for moving the boundaries every time some NIMBY objects we would have no sport whatsoever left in no time. I trained at an airfield in Oz where there where signs around a WW2 airfield saying "DO NOT BUY A HOUSE NEAR HERE IF YOU DO NOT LIKE AIRCRAFT NOISE". People still did and still complained about the noise and tried to shut the place down. As for people exagerrating how low this fella was flying just ask the Police on a day to day basis how reliable 'eye witness' accounts are. Not very! I've been involved with a SAR operation who were called out to look for a microlight in the sea and a paraglider pilot crashing on the beach from so called 'eye witnesAses'. One was nothing at all (why would a microlight be 12 miles out to sea???) and the supposed paraglider pilot was a drunken fisherman. How wrong can you be?? I was accosted by an officer when ground handling a PG in the park. He reckoned he'd had calls that I was a skydiver and had reports I had landed there???????????? As for horse riders....... the SAR guys try their best to avoid livestock and horses but the base still seems to take calls from horsey types complaining. They seem to think that they leisure activity takes precedence over the saving of lives. Unfortunately the sport is largely unregulated as there is no licensing system. That means any idiot can buy a PPG off ebay and go to a local field to crash into people or cars or houses and end up on local telly as an example of what a fine sport this is. The media just LOVE a bad news story involving some aviation related activity. We are all tarred by the same brush.

Hi Louis, I've only just started PPG and I'm based in the Newcastle area. Been PG and PPL flying for a while. If its a flyable day I'll be out either on the PG or PPG.

Anyone got a link to Michel Carnets Air Start Bungee mod? Would be very insterested in this. I managed to ground start the MXL with the engine hot by using both hands over the shoulder which would be something I'm not keen to do in flight. Anything that makes it easier would be good. Cheers, Glenn

Hiya Guys, Flew my MXL a couple of times this weekend after my inadvertant incident when retracting the undercarriage to soon a few weeks back. Replaced the prop (all 3) , fuel tank, air inlet (needed doing anyway) and cage netting with 19mm bird control net. Got one of the cheapo plastic prop balancers of ebay and checked the prop and all seemed well. Didn't notice any more vibes than first time I flew the MXL although I was more ficussed on holding on as I couldn't get in the seat. I got the seat adjusted with the help of a couple of guys down at a field near Catterick. Cheers. The MXL got me off the ground fairly easily with a 6mph headwind and climb rate wasn't up to King Air standards but perfectly acceptable for a warm day and a RAD. The prop blades have been left uncut at 495mm across the leading adge root-tip but frame clearance is compromised for a slight bit of extra thrust. The power risers for the Bolero are great. I had to dab only a slight amount of right brake to flight straight. Didn't try the trimmers though. The major thing I like about the RAD is A) very simple B) cheap replacement parts (not from RAD) C) super light. I HATE the harness at the moment. It's hard to get into and uncomfortable in flight although my adjustments before my second flight seemed to have made the thrust line off at an angle and the harness less comfy. I need to test hang again and I'm sure I can get it where it's OK for an hour or more in the air. Vol bivouac is still way off for now. There is a decent pocket under the seat for a few tools/spares and oil plus I could take a bivi bag and a small sleeping sac if I was heading to the wilds but I think I would need a helper on the ground. I met the guys who recently did the Robin Hoods Bay to St Bees crossing and would love to have a crack at something similar. All in all a good weekends flying up here in the NE.

Hi Mark, Same thing 2nd flight mishap. Entirely my own fault I might add. Got the right blades in the end. Quick turnaround by Beatsons in Sheffield rendered me with 6 blades. 3 for the MXL and 3 for just in case. I just got the Radne brochure with my order for carb parts and that shows a couple of wire filters for the 2 'bungs' in the induction silencer. The brochure also shows a small cloth filter for one of their other induction silencers. Mine has neither. Might be some inspiration and a bit of fettling to provide a soultion. I'll have to look after myself and the RAD from now on. First the rebuild, then power risers on the wing and then a repack of the reserve into my new skyline front container. The Skyline is similar to the Supair with capacity up to 160kg reserves and instrument pod but half the price from UKAirsports. will post some pics of my rebuils when I can.

After retrieving the induction silencer/airbox I've noticed there was no filter in it. Weird but maybe that's how they are supplied although an unfiltered engine is not the best thing. Does yours have a filter. I suspect they all should. Blades turned up today. Well the wrong blades turned up today I should say. Beatsons sent AR short blades for the Breezemax totally wrong should have been RA+. The bloke who sent 'em held his hand up and is sending a proper set tomorrow. Waiting for Radne carb parts and the rest of the netting to arrive and the rebuild begins.

I'm just about to start rebuilding mine after a minor mishap on Saturday caused 2 blades to break up and the (3 rd blade hit one of the cross pieces on the cage) which punctured my fuel tank, knocked off the airbox and took a chunk off the top 2 cooling fins on the Raket cyclinder head. Thankfully all the parts are relatively cheap to buy but I'm wondering if the blades were too long for the cage. I'm sure the cage should flex a little and there was a couple of centimetres of clearance from blade tip to cage but all 3 blades were damaged and I'm suspicious that at 465mm from tip to root along the leading edge they might have been too long. 465 + 30mm for the hub mount is the uncut length from the manufacturer. Thankfully my only injuries were a dented pride and wallet. That'll teach me to sit down too soon. Glenn

Excellent advice Cage! Many Thanks! Ordered some netting that I'd seen here on the Paramotorclub forum but want something a bit bigger for the areas low down on the cage where there is less chance the brake handle will go through. Hopefully will reduce the form drag. The bolts and nuts have all been torqued up and marked with felt tip so I can check for any movement. Have just bought a safety wire kit off ebay but I don't have the facilities to drill the nuts and bolts at the moment. Will have to phone a friend. I've got some thread lock in the tool box so will give the nuts a bit treatment and dig out the torque wrench. Will take a look at your video. Cheers, Glenn

I like my curries so maybe the anti static blades are the best option I 've got to upgrade the netting. It's not great. I've seen the sparrow netting someone posted on here and that's the next upgrade. Maybe it should be the first??? The Woody Valley harness isn't that great. I'm sure the seatboard is too narrow but I'm sure I can put up with it. Can't wait for some decent weather to try the RAD out. Glenn

Hi Arcus Flyer, I contacted the LFC and they wanted to know allsorts so I thought I'd ask before I went to Beatsons. I can just measure the length of the face and give them that I suppose. I don't know if anti static makes any difference...... Did you have the MXL long? I know most people use it as an entry level paramotor and then move on to bigger and heavier things. I'm only 77kg so I don't need a high power model and will use the RAD for getting up to thermals. I wish I'd got one with a fully collapseable frame instead of the semi as it only just fits in my car. Cheers, Glenn

Hi , Just bought a RAD MXL which appears to be in good condition. I've noticed though that one of the blades has a nick in it about half way down the face on its leading edge. I've heard that Beatsons in Sheffield sell the London Fan Co RA+ blades. I wanted to know what dimensions I needed to give them for the blades to fit the MXL and if they wre anti static GRP or normal GRP? Also wondering if anyone knew what the common problems were with the MXL/Raket 120 and any mods to be performed? I recently posted a question about Gin Power Risers and the Mk1 Bolero. I got a response back from UKAirsports the UK Gin importer and apparently the power risers for the BoleroPlus DO FIT the original Bolero. This is from Gin himself apparently hence Mark/Patricks delay in getting back to me. They were £75 incl postage. Not sure what other GIN PG/freeflight models they fit. Cheers, Glenn

The bolero is a good safe wing as far as PG is concerned so I 'm gonna stick with it. Most people I know have regretted selling theirs when upgrading. As for using it PPG yours is the first bad report i've seen and I'll bear it in mind. Anyway thanks for the help. Now i've got to decide who to train with. ta, Glenn

Cheers Guys! I'm looking at a RAD arrow for sale locally. I've also seen a Walkerjet Superhawk which is heavier but I hadn't factored in that in the future I want to do some XC vol bivuoacs so I'll need to haul a small amount of extra kit. I might have a closer look at that. Ah descisions descisions.

Hi Mark, Thanks for the info. I think this is a really great forum. I think I'll take the RAD Arrow route due to it's weight but I'll have to accept that on warm, high nil wind days my rate of climb will be pretty poor. I know I find out the specs from a google search but I prefer to have so people real experiences to base my descision on. Would obviously prefer something more slick and expensive but I'm on a budget and hiding it from the mrs. Glenn

Cheers Guys!!!! Thanks for the advice, much appreciated. I'll do a bit more research into the power risers. I was gonna get some instruction from Paul Haxby a while back when I first decided to try PPG but I got moved up North by work so that fell through. It's good to know that based on others experience I won't be trying to fly something totally unsuitable. I understand I won't be breaking any speed records with the Bolero though. Cheers again, Glenn

Hi, I'm looking into buying my first paramotor after years of flying expensive tin cans and microlights. I've already got a wing (2002 Gin Bolero) and was looking at a lightweight paramotor to get me up in the air (after training obviously) when it's not flyable on the hill with my PG (Club Pilot Hill). I'm 75-80kg so wanted to know if the RADs were suitable for nil wind launches and air restart (after thermalling or soaring). I don't want anything complex that will require a lot of fiddling or hard to find parts so maybe a lightweight frame and a SOLO 210 might be better? Just after something cheap n cheerful to get me airbourne. Any help appreciated. Cheers, Glenn

Hi, After many years flying tin cans and microlights and finding it increasingly costly I've decided to strap a motor to my back and take to the air that way. I've just joined the forum and I am looking at buying my first paramotor. I've already got a wing, a large 2002 Gin Bolero DHV1, which I use for Hill PG and was wondering if it was OK to use with a paramotor. Anyone have any experience using the Mk1 Bolero under power? Obviously this would put the all up weight above the recommended limit but it don't see myself pulling nose down spirals (not intentionally anyway ) so the extra safety margin shouldn't come into question. I'm more concerned about pitch stability and any effect on recovery from tucks deflations etc. Plus countering of the gyroscopic torque effect from the prop. I've heard that Gin make a set of Power Risers but can't find any info about them anywhere. I'll gonna start with a RAD Arrow or Javelin or similar lightweight motor and take it from there. I'm 75-80kg so I think that will be OK for the smaller RAD. Can these paramotors easily be restarted in the air? I'll probably do some thermalling etc so that will be useful. Any help would be much appreciated. Cheers, Glenn