Corinne Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 Hi, I'm brand spanking new to this forum Joined 5 minutes ago, actually. I did a search on the new Adventure X-Race paramotor but found nothing on the forum. A general Google search throws up just one quick video and nuffin' else. I'm wondering whether anyone knows anything about this machine which is apparently the new top of the range offering from the French manufacturer. I recently swapped my weight shift microlight for an X-Race and it's due to arrive any day now. I'm totally new to paramotoring and this is what the instructor suggested. He's the guy who sold me my weightshift 15 years ago so I trust him... Thanks, Corinne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fanman Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 ...and his name is...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corinne Posted October 20, 2009 Author Share Posted October 20, 2009 By "his" do you mean the manufacturer or the instructor ? The manufacturer is Adventure, the instructor's name is irrelevant. (he's in France) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 The flying through the MAZE flight on the video of the week thread is the motor you mention! First time I have seen one. SW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_k Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Hi Corrine, Where abouts in France are you I am at 36370 Prissac and finished my training and became licensed in France last year. If you haven't seen it I posted the intricacies of licensing and registation here: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=3383 Welcome to the forum and good luck, Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corinne Posted October 20, 2009 Author Share Posted October 20, 2009 Hi Simon and Adam, Thanks for your replies ! Oh dear, does this mean I've gone and bought what might be termed as an agricultural machine ??? It's curious that it clearly exists but there are no details about it anywhere. I'll try "Farmers' Weekly" as it seems to be a new way of cutting corn... I'm in the Haute Savoie - near Annecy - the paragliding paradise. I normally free fly but want to have an engine for messing around on those rare non-flyable days and for scouting out which mountains have a decent launch point at the top as well as flying after work. I'm not too bothered about licensing and registration as I got my licence automatically when I got my French PPL 12 years ago. As for the registration it would seem my instructor will deal with that - not that I've had a lessons quite yet as the machine hasn't arrived yet. I can't wait Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corinne Posted October 20, 2009 Author Share Posted October 20, 2009 Erk... sorry, Alan not Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_k Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 It's great to see a pretty face on here Corrine, most of the others on here are ugly ba**ards. Pete b even admits it I don't think it means you have bought anything agricultural as Adventure machines are not well known in the UK. The motor looked pretty much up to date design from what I saw on the video so I don't think you'll have any problem there. Your ULM license will just be amended with the Paramoteur class once you instructor is satisfied with your skills, you're instructor will have all the details. Have fun with the training, it can be physically demanding to start with but with your paragliding experience you should add the motor skills quickly I would think. Cheers, Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fanman Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 I asked the name of the instructor because at the time I posted you hadn't put on any details in your profile of where you come from and no-one in the UK is selling Adventure kit these days. Adventure paramotors were sold in the UK in large numbers in the 90's with Raket or Solo engines. They frequently come up second hand on ebay in the UK but are now a generation out of date compared to what we are used to. Adventure have updated their machines (presumably you have the new Tiger engine) and they are probably now very good, it's just that there are none here in the UK so we tend to assume they are all just like the oldies we keep seeing. If only you had said you were from France in the first place... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corinne Posted October 21, 2009 Author Share Posted October 21, 2009 Blush Thank you for the compliment Alan ! I must look at the photos of all your colleagues on the forum to see if they are really as bad as you say Actually I'm lucky in that I already have a licence to fly paramotors as well as taking a passenger ! And that's before I even so much as touched one ! The wonders of French bureaucracy. I've therefore opted for a quickie course of 2 days just so as I can get off the ground. The rest will sort itself out. I did the same for weightshifts too - my first flight was on a dodgy old machine (mini foldaway trike and a battered hang-glider) lent to me by a friend. I stayed up for 45 minutes and decided I just had to have one. Thanks to French bureaucracy I'm even the proud holder of an HGV licence with all it's associated bits and pieces like being able to pull a heavy trailor ! They made a mistake when I swapped my UK licence for a French one So I guess I'm what the French call une camionneuse Fanman: sorry.... now I understand why you asked. In fact it's Samir Elari (one time French champion) of ULM Decouverte at Belleville sur Saone just north of Lyon. I bought a lovely Pegasus Quantum 582 from him in 1995 and have just traded it in for the X-race as I'm hardly using it any more since paragliding has become my main passion and, living near Annecy, the choice of places to fly in unlimited. With expensive hangarage charges at Annecy airport and all that, I decided a little paramotor that I can fly from home made much more sense than a weightshift. Of course it remains to be seen what the neighbours will think of the noise.... Yes, the X-Race has the Tiger engine. I did see one and it looked really clean, with a large fuel tank that extends below the prop cage to protect it in case of falling backwards (I wonder if that means one just explodes instead ?). A carbon fibre propeller too. As for the rest I'm a bit clueless but the whole thing looked very nicely thought out. Unfortunately they don't do them in fluo pink Corinne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fanman Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 This is strange. I've had a hell of a job to find any info about the x-Race! It seems that Adventure don't even want to tell anyone about it as there is nothing on their website. Anyway I found some info by googling 'paramoteur x-race' and it looks excellent particularly as is looks like they have gone away from some of the downsides of the previous models. I'll be most interested to hear your verdict. Hope you've ordered it with a 2 blade prop around 125cm diameter rather than the smaller 3 blader. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corinne Posted October 21, 2009 Author Share Posted October 21, 2009 Yeah. I called them and they said they haven't yet been able to update their site. It seems very odd to launch a new model and not even mention it on their site... The guy selling it asked me what weight I was (70 kg) and what I wanted to use it for and at what altitude. I replied that I live at 700 m. and that I just want to fly around in the mountains. So he said I needed something with extra power. Originally we were talking about the M3 but then he suggested the new model. I think it is the 2 blade prop...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fanman Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 If it was the M3 he was originally talking about then it sounds like he is thinking along the 44-45" (approx 125cm) 2 blade size. This is good. The M2 uses the same engine with a smaller 3 blade prop while the M4 uses a massive 2 blader. You will get better efficiency from this so will be able to fly with a lower fuel load and therefore take off with less weight on your back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corinne Posted October 22, 2009 Author Share Posted October 22, 2009 Sounds good ! Thanks. I'll let you know when I eventually get it. One wonders why someone would buy the 3 blade prop if it's less efficient... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fanman Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 In this case the 3 blade is being offered solely to allow a smaller cage diameter and the 3 versus 2 blade case is not always straightforward when considering efficiency. Generally people go for smaller cages for one of two reasons. Either because they need the compact size for transportation/storage (perhaps getting it inside a car without taking apart) and are prepared to accept the higher fuel burn through lost efficiency of turning a smaller prop or because they are particularly small and struggle to cope with the larger size cage. Personally I would always recommend flying with the largest prop in the largest cage you can manage. This should allow you to create the same amount of thrust at a lower rpm with associated reduction of noise, vibration and fuel burn which also means requiring take off with a lower and lighter fuel load. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corinne Posted October 22, 2009 Author Share Posted October 22, 2009 Right ! Thank you for the explanation ! Now I understand. The good news is my machine has arrived and I'm taking monday and tuesday off to go and learn how to fly it..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil_P Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 Bon chance! Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.