lib Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 I know I am a way off yet having only done a bit of gliding, but I was curious about the potential for fling to France. Has anyone ever done it? Is it allowed and what is involved? Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dantheman Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 It's been done, it's just a long way over water and unless you have a boat shadowing you then your chance of survival are between nill and zero should you have an engine out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outkast Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Hi Paul, if you mean crossing the channel, it has been done several times, I believe a female member on here was planning on attempting it, theres a lot of legalities involved in crossing the channel, I am sure some more informed members than me will be able to enlighten us more. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helimed01 Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Giles (Parajet fame) did it with a group of guys in 2005 or 2006. They had a rescue boat follow them and I think took them home again. Pete Searl did it 2006 or 2007. No boat and did an out and return without landing. He said it was terrifying. A female PPG person wrote an artricle in the paramotor mag about an organised crossing by PPG but I havn't heard the outcome. Maybe too much red tape. I think the best plan is to climb high 5k ish with a nice N airflow and just go for it. When arriving feet dry frog side go to low level NOE and dissapear into the French countryside. Of course I wouldn't do that incase its not legal. Ive been wanting to do it for years but just as I get confident with my engine something goes wrong!!!! Maybe next year when we do the cross France XC. Whitters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lib Posted October 20, 2009 Author Share Posted October 20, 2009 Pete Searl did it 2006 or 2007. No boat and did an out and return without landing. He said it was terrifying. Whitters. Perhaps he should have followed just in front and to the side of a ferry just in case! Though they might not be looking if you go down, in which case it would be even worse! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dantheman Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Paul, you need to have a beer with Pete Searle to listen to his channel crossing story the channel ferry was his lifeboat until it turned sharp left towards Holland !! Anyway Paul Mahony did it and has written a fantastic blog here: http://www.paramotorsuk.co.uk/articles/article_34.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surrey-dad Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Paul, you need to have a beer with Pete Searle to listen to his channel crossing story the channel ferry was his lifeboat until it turned sharp left towards Holland !! Classic Dan ! or as Rabbie B said more eloquently "the best laid plans of mice and men..." Anyway Paul Mahony did it and has written a fantastic blog here: http://www.paramotorsuk.co.uk/articles/article_34.asp Thanks for the great link ! Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream1 Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 So much for formalities, paperwork ..... short of a "have wing, will fly" attitude would appear that there isn't much more to it. .... at night and low enough and God knows only how much contraband, Malborough Red, cheap wine, "pharmacueticals" (euphanism for u know what), and the odd illegal Afghani or North African, must come bouncing across Le Manche to land in some farmers' field?? Far fetched?? - not sure actually, nothing new about the idea - more than a few folk undertook similar moonless night journeys in the 1980's to get out of East Berlin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 Paramotors were also getting used to export / import cannabis from Morocco in to Spain. SW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surrey-dad Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 So much for formalities, paperwork ..... short of a "have wing, will fly" attitude would appear that there isn't much more to it...Probably a stupid question, but have to ask anyway :Are coastal radar systems so sensitive that they will pick up and track a solitary paramotor ? Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helimed01 Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 So much for formalities, paperwork ..... short of a "have wing, will fly" attitude would appear that there isn't much more to it...Probably a stupid question, but have to ask anyway :Are coastal radar systems so sensitive that they will pick up and track a solitary paramotor ? Andy I don't know about coastal radar but when working from Newquay airport i asked the ATCers if they could see me (ppg) on radar. There radar picks up movement and we don't move fast enough to create a target. However if they adjusted the settings they may see us. Interestingly the movement of the blades on the windfarms here in Cornwall create nuisance radar spikes for them. They often give the air ambulance seperation advice to slow moving signals advising that it is most probably a flock of birds. They must be faster than us !! Whitters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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