gordon_dunn Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Kill switch guard A very simple modification to the throttle to prevent accidental activation of the kill switch. Consists of 2 cable ties- The first one is placed over the top of the button in an inverted 'U' shape. the ends are trimmed and pushed done inside the sheath- a good inch or so on each side. Take care not to allow the top of the 'U' to touch the button. 1 or 2mm clearance is adequate. Next place the other cable tie around the bottom of the 'U' piece, over the sheath. This will grip the base of the 'U' tightly and prevent it from slipping. You will find that when you go to press the kill switch it will take more pressure to activate it- if you need to push down on the cable tie protector- the necessary increased force makes accidental activation less likely. Get used to it first on the ground- make sure that it works before you fly. Sometimes it can feel awkward- before you get used to it. You can solve this by 'using your head'- literally... Just push the switch off your helmet. Almost all the guys over here in Ireland flying PAP and H&Es have done this mod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loueye Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Well..............................I think I can beat that. Only had three flights and landed early on all three. First flight- Landed early because I shit myself too much Second flight- had to land early because of engine loosing power. Third flight- had to land early becuase of engine loosing power. All these on my maiden flights. Hopefully the engine is now fully working. Will try it out as soon as my bike gets better obviously check it on the ground first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon_dunn Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Loueye- Between flight 2 and 3 what did you do? Did you find the problem with the engine and fix it? Did you do thorough testing/checking on the ground before taking to the air again? Was the engine idling right, and delivering sustained full and cruise power over set periods? If answer is 'no' to any of these then you shouldn't have attempted flight 3. Sounds like a dirty carb, clogged fuel filter, perished primer bulb or fuel lines.... or an old membrane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irm750 Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 OK then Gordon. Intreagued to know how your eminance would pre-flight check your way around the forced landing which I had on my last flight? The engine performed faultlessly on the preceeding flight. I cleaned the machine and went over it with a fine toothed comb after this flight as I do after every flight, including but not limited to - cylinder head torque, prop condition and security, spark plug colour, drive belt condition/tension, harness condition and security etc. etc. Everything checked out fine with no loose or faulty bits found. I forward launched into a 2mph wind. Nice, smooth, steady and strong climb. Climbed to 300ft then levelled off to rest the motor for a minute or so. Resumed the climb and as I reached about 550ft the motor quit. No drama. Turned for the take-off field while trying to re-start and performed a textbook landing and jogged towards the van before bringing the wing down, nice and close for packing away. Back at the workshop I found one broken reed valve and a broken flywheel. My thoughts are that the broken reed valve caused a back-fire which stopped the engine instantaneously and sheared the flywheel retaining pins. What possible pre-flight check\preparation would have prevented this freak failure which could happen to anyone on any make of motor??? Anticipating your wisdom! Best regards, Ian. p.s. Needless to say, Parajet have already dispatched the replacement parts and were brilliantly helpful on the phone with the offer of fixing it at the factory - Thanks Gilo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trevd1 Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Good enough idea however I have just cut half an inch of garden hose pipe and slotted it over the switch so it is just level with the top of the push button, works just fine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trevd1 Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Kill switch guardA very simple modification to the throttle to prevent accidental activation of the kill switch. Consists of 2 cable ties- The first one is placed over the top of the button in an inverted 'U' shape. the ends are trimmed and pushed done inside the sheath- a good inch or so on each side. Take care not to allow the top of the 'U' to touch the button. 1 or 2mm clearance is adequate. Next place the other cable tie around the bottom of the 'U' piece, over the sheath. This will grip the base of the 'U' tightly and prevent it from slipping. You will find that when you go to press the kill switch it will take more pressure to activate it- if you need to push down on the cable tie protector- the necessary increased force makes accidental activation less likely. Get used to it first on the ground- make sure that it works before you fly. Sometimes it can feel awkward- before you get used to it. You can solve this by 'using your head'- literally... Just push the switch off your helmet. Almost all the guys over here in Ireland flying PAP and H&Es have done this mod. Good enough idea however I have just cut half an inch of garden hose pipe and slotted it over the switch so it is just level with the top of the push button, works just fine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil_P Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Hang about Gordon! in your first post on this thread, you slate Shaggy for making weather related landings thus; "so far i ve had 4 forced landings from weather..." Try using the local forecast, your basic BHPA training covers the main aspects, but if you're not 100% certain that it's flyable- then DONT FLY. '-if there's doubt there's no doubt' But when Pete intimates that he has done the same thing, you say; Unpreventable Weather turned for the worse- Even the best forecasts can be inaccurate, or local conditions can be different- terrain, etc.. Bit of a double standard that if you ask me. I'm sorry Gordon, I agree with you on a great deal, but here it begins to look like you are going for the person, not the issue. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon_dunn Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 The difference here is Shaggy took off when the weather was bad....... When Pete took off the weather was flyable- then it unexpectedly turned bad.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil_P Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 I'm sorry Gordon, that doesn't wash. When Shaggy made his first post (immediately before yours), all he said was; so far i ve had 4 forced landings from weather. And you went gunning for him. Nowhere in that post does it say he took off in bad conditions. It is only in his LAST post that he said he took off when it was too windy. And all Pete said was; weather turned for the worse Which could just as easily mean that he took off when he could see thunder heads rolling over the horizon. How about you give the guy a break instead of holding him up to ridicule, while in the same breath defending folks you know better for doing the same thing? This is really not painting you in a good light, and I think I'm not the only one who has noticed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irm750 Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Still waiting for a pre-flight check for reed valves......... Any wisdom gratefully received!!! Best regards, Ian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cageuk Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Without getting myself embroiled in dispute I want to say a big up for Shaggy. None of us are perfect pilots and any mistake we make is an opportunity for somebody else to learn and especially but not exclusively the guys new to the sport. It will not necessarily stop the same mistake happening ever again but it does make you stop and think. If we think we ARE perfect pilots, well, pride comes before a fall! I'm sure many of us have been in similar situations at sometime in our flying career but have 'got away with it'. It doesn't take too many negative circumstances to force an out landing. I have had an out landing due to running out of fuel when at about 10 hours. First and last hopefully but I'm not banking on it. I simply phoned my other half and she picked me up and drove me to my van. Outlandings are not a big deal if done safely and after all, PG pilots do it every time they go XC. Granted the situation is different in that we have to cart a heavy motor around with us but it's not normally a life threatening situation. The critical thing is to consider landing options constantly should the worst happen. The debate over these situations can be very helpful as well and different takes on a given situation can allow us to look at it from a different perspective. Good thread, let's keep it positive:) Cheers Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glennP Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 Oppps Another one you can see coming. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErgpJzcAS6s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tj Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 As I'm not flying yet I can't see the intricacies of what happed here. Was it a wing failure of some sort whilst down wind? I can see he'd just gone cross wind of the takeoff runway and was turning down wind. I can't see where the problem occured though. A steer would be useful (I don't fancy that list at the end when I do fly!) Tj Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asquaddie Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 Turning up the sound on your machine might help Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 or to desipher Tony's comment, his engine stopped and was to low over ground (especially trees) to implement an engine off safe landing. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_k Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 It dropped like a stone. Get to a safe flying altitude with landable terrain below you, then go flying. Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tj Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 That's the problem with watching paramotor vids in a 'quiet' canteen with beefy coppers glowering at you. (I'm not one, I just use their canteen!) I can see how engine failure might cause a problem at low speed. I guess tere's a few things that could cause this. Anyone want to throw in some ideas, so I can avoid this type of thing when I start? Cheers guys! Tj Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_b Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 That's the problem with watching paramotor vids in a 'quiet' canteen with beefy coppers glowering at you. (I'm not one, I just use their canteen!) I can see how engine failure might cause a problem at low speed. I guess tere's a few things that could cause this. Anyone want to throw in some ideas, so I can avoid this type of thing when I start?Cheers guys! Tj Yes Get proper training as this will be included in the training you recieve Pete b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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