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Paramotor choice


FreeflyerNZ

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Hi all, first post, but have been lurking for awhile, reading, studying etc.

I am a PG2 rated pilot and I am about to embark on the conversion to PPG.

I fly a UP Kantega 27m 85-125kg DHV 1-2 wing.

I am after some advice on buying my first paramotor, residing in NZ does not give me much of a market to choose from with only 2 2nd hand units for sale in the entire country at present (only about 50(max) active PPG pilots here) and with the exchange never in our favour the cost for us here is high proportionally.

So basically I have 2 options.

Option 1 is buy used, which would save me at least $3k NZD on intial purchase price.

Option 2 is buy new (miniplane being the cheapest) at $7.5k NZD

I would prefer the used option, but the catch there is the 2 options available at present may not be suitable, this where your help is requested.

Both machines are for sale around the $4.5k NZD mark.

Miniplane Top 80

115 cm prop (Carbon)

Pilot weight <90kg

125 cm cage diameter

30 hours, spare clutch springs supplied.

I weigh 85kg and I have been told by 1 instructor that I might be on the heavy side, climb rate may not be good enough, and told by another PPG pilot with 20 years experience that it would be fine and not to underestimate the Top 80 motor?

Is it realistic to replace the prop with a 125cm? this I assume would also require the frame to be larger also and at what cost?

Same price as above....

Fly Castelluccio-Sky100

Dry weight 21kg

Pilot weight <90kg

Prop diameter 122cm (Triple blade Carbon)

30 hours use

Could have the same weight issue? Watercooled IMO is just another thing to worry about and service? Not much info on that engine from actual users, but the info that is there seems very positive. But not being anywhere near as common as the Top 80 I would be concerned about the price and availability of spare/replacement parts.

Or if I really had to I could convince the wife that the new option is the way to go and buy the miniplane with the larger prop and cage.

Thoughts?

Cheers

Rob

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I would choose the Sky100 before the Top 80.

I think you would be underpowered with a Top 80 and a 115cm prop, you could get a 125cm prop to make it more efficient but then you would probably have to change the cage as well.

The Sky100 is a very smooth running, quite and cool running engine, with more power than the Top 80, you can order parts online direct from http://www.skyengines.com, it runs cooler and does not rev as fast as the Top 80, so I would expect a less wear and a longer life.

Just my opinion, based on what I have read about these engines, I have flown both engines briefly but not owned either of them.

Paul D

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Totally agree with Paul on the second hand machines. Pretty sure swapping the prop from 115 to 125 is not an option on the Miniplane without a new cage, frame and net

If you were to go for the new Miniplane, then an XL cage and a 130 carbon prop would (I think) give as much power as the Sky 100, but be much lighter at 19Kgs (and use less fuel). Miniplane also do the Polini Thor 110, which is a lot more powerfull, but weighs 4Kgs more.

Stuart.

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Thanks for the replies gentlemen, I have now ruled out the miniplane with the 115cm prop, that was easy :wink:

Gary I am located in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand, about 160km SE of Auckland as the crow flies.

May go and take a look at the Sky 100 version tomorrow.

Rated thrust on paper is 59kg vs the miniplane 115cm @47kg.

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Sky 100 definitely not 59kg! more like 50kg have owned two in my flying school. The figures for the Top 80 about right but we measured 45kg. Other examples

Polini 58kg,

Ross 125 53kg

H&E 120 50kg

Snap 100 50kg

Rad 38kg

Jpx 63kg

Black Devil 60kg

Fresh Breeze Simonini minin2 (de-tuned) 61kg

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I posted the results of the paramotor thrust,when is ready to fly.

C-MAX 175.............175cc.......63,5kg

SIMONINI MINI2.....202cc.......63kg

POLINI THOR..........110cc.......57kg

SKY 100..................100cc.......55kg

TOP 80....................80cc.........47-50kg depent for a reduction

The upper results made with the engine cold.

When the engine is hot loose 1,5-2kg of a thrust.This it isnt true for a Sky 100 engine because is water cooled.

Thanks a lot.

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Hello Freeflyernz,

I fly a flymecc carbon 100 lc that has the sky 100 water cooled engine and i weigh 10kg more than you and it has plenty of power to get me airborne.

Mine is a triple prop at 1250mm and rated at 60kg thrust hope this helps Alan.

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Thanks for all the helpful replies, I ended up buying the Sky100 machine and managed to negotiate him down quite a bit for a quick and painless sale and then he got me back by offering a dedicated low hour paramotor wing (Ozone Roadster, most of the paramotor pilots around here fly this wing) also for an excellent price.

So yesterday I did a 600km round trip to inspect and purchase my new "toys".

Today was spent checking it over, testing it ( first time I pulled started it on my back the fricken throttle cable fell off the carb!!! WTF, it had been connected completley wrong so I spent some time working out how it should be connected so it can never just fall out) which led me to really inspect it thoroughly and also discoverd the pipe leading to the carb from the airbox had a split about halfway around, inverted the pipe to the side that was inside the airbox and have made enquires regarding a replacement.

Made a small platform on castor wheels to wheel it around our lounge and save lifting if I dont have too, (lol, not much room for storing a paramotor at home safe and dry so in lounge it sits, quite the talking point for visitors, haha), so will end up leaving at my works depot once I fabricate a tow bar carrier, and then I can concentrate on my conversion training.

Speaking of training, doesnt look like we will get a decent weather window until the weekend...........shouldnt be as long of a wait as when I got my first new wing, 9 weeks before I got a chance to fly it.

Thanks once again for the advice :D

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