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Change of group ethos...


admin (Simon W)

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Dear all, Please read the new description for this group :-)

The idea being that we encourage students to ask questions (no question is a silly question) And it will be answered only with a factual reply rather than opinion. It's an effort to cut through the confusion caused by social media pages and leave you with a clear and concise reply aimed to educate. 

Please do make use of this what will become very valuable asset to anyone who is learning to fly a Paramotor and to encourage people to reply, a free mug goes out to the reply with the most thumbs up. Please do share this link and encourage others to add to the Q & A data. :-)

SW :D

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  • 5 months later...

OK , the unboxing week of the new rig, well new to me and pretty new so now thinking Id wish Id paid the extra £80 for transit Insurance (nervously!) lol

Up till now I have viewed most You Tube out there and then some.... but the real bonus is that as a complete newbie, I have had loads of happy and supportive commentary on another thread here and I have this week been out and about identifying potential sites and it turns out if you go armed with a picture of the kit and a bottle of something I haven't had a thumbs down from anyone......in fact surprised interest and curiosity as to whether I am actually going to fly with the Zimmer Frame BUT this is my question I need a schedule for Wing Work , at what point is it competent or will you just know , yes you have the hang of it......also I dont understand the whole what you hold thing , I have seen various videos that tell you how to hold the lines for flight but none that tell you for wing training. This may see, very basic but can someone tell me what you hold and for what purpose and also . what you tug ( enough!) to get it above you.......answers on a postcard, in a few years time I know Im going to be amazed at how dumb this question is.

Also, whilst Im on does anybody know the system for fuel mixing and how do you get it super accurate or perhaps it's not super critical?

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Fuel mixing isn't super critical, the best container to measure the oil is a baby's feeding bottle, as these have to be accurately marked by law.

Putting 100ml into a 5 litre petrol container gives you a fuel mix of 2%.

Regarding how to start with ground handling I would strongly recommend that you travel to meet a proficient pilot or instructor to get the basics face to face.

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28 minutes ago, Skipper101 said:

I need a schedule for Wing Work

Not sure what you are asking here... DONT rush, forget that you own a motor, you own a very large kite.

 

 

33 minutes ago, Skipper101 said:

at what point is it competent or will you just know

I would hope you can be disciplined to enough to almost find ground-handling mundane in a mix of conditions before you re-mount your motor on your harness.

 

 

37 minutes ago, Skipper101 said:

I have seen various videos that tell you how to hold the lines for flight but none that tell you for wing training.

Remove your harness from the motor.....
lay out your wing carefully, you will find making a birds nest out of your lines very easy when its disconnected from your harness so be mindful.
Your "A Lines" are the leading edge set of lines so make sure they are on top and all other lines have a straight run all the way to their wing attach points (it can be a handful at first but the logic will sink in)
Attach the harness to the rider with the A lines facing forward.

 

45 minutes ago, Skipper101 said:

This may seem, very basic but can someone tell me what you hold and for what purpose and also .

There are two launch options... Forward launch and Reverse launch, everyone seems to have a preference for one or the other but as we are aiming to ground-handle, life would be much less physically demanding using the reverse launch in a light wind (6mph ish // less than 10mph !)
In a "forward" the wing is behind you and the wind in your face // in a "reverse" the wing is in front of you with the wind on your back.
What you input to the wing is the same in either case.

Reverse launch//
Once your wing and harness are connected together correctly, turn the harness though 180 degrees before you buckle in (less likely to get dragged in a sudden gust) Clip in... Run you hand from the first carabiner down the back of a riser until it hits the break, pull the break off the magnet (this is to help prevent a pull-up with a break-line wrapped around your riser // happens too often and can be dangerous during a flight)
Do the same with the other.... you are now in a relatively safe mode, in a gust you can easily run towards your glider and wind both breaks in to kill the wing.
Don't let go of those breaks unless you are happy to lose that control.

The risers will be crossed in front of you and it can be a bit confusing, you will be all fingers and thumbs trying to isolate your "A line" riser"... be carful, it is easy to lose a break and drop it through your lines which you will need to pluck out without wrapping it around any other lines.

Lets say you had a 6mph wind on your back, as soon as you back up to take tension on your lines, the wing is likely to begin inflating... (called "building a wall"... use this to check there are no twists in your lines, its easy to spot one when the wing is inflated) if you jump back a little more suddenly, it will pop further up but it is unlikely to attempt to pull up over your head without a little encouragement from your "A-lines".

This is where the fun starts....
Don't expect any grace or finesse, adding tension to your A-lines will have your wing attempt to launch in its ark until it is over your head.
It might try to overshoot // it will collapse and shower you with slack lines  (Needed a dab of breaks before it reached the top) 
It might be off to one side // it will continue to roll until it is upside down (you are not square with the wind or you pulled asymmetrically)
It might not make it overhead // it will flop back down (you let go of the A-lines too early or didn't walk backwards hard enough)

TIP: when you are allowing your wing to flop back down, release any break pressure, that will help prevent the leading edge from rolling forward making it harder to re-inflate.

What you are aiming to do is get the wing overhead and keep it there using movement (walking towards the low wing tip) and break inputs.
Its tricky at first but easily cracked with some time and effort.

Forward launches are physically demanding, you are facing the wind and are usually employed when there is little to no wind so you have to RUN :( .... Expect to tire quickly.


If your wing is capable of pulling you down wind (in any mode) behave yourself, pack up, its too strong!
 

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Well this is all excellent advice which goes to prove it all out there for the asking and I am most grateful. Points noted a d the babys feeding bottle is a great idea. 

I am putting the rig together, and that is the best....and I do take the point about an Instructor......Thankyou. 

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