Cobra_SFX Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 Hey all, Just registered, have flown fixed wing for 2 or so hours (knew what to expect and got bored) / FlexWing for 5 or so hrs (too expensive for me now with 3 kids), now looking to try ParaMotors, this looks excellent fun!!! Im looking for somewhere in North Cumbria for training, i live in Carlisle so im close to the M6. Hoping to get Airborne again soon Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morgy Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 Hi Cobra You can try ringing Ian Currer from northern paragliding he is up your way. A very help full guy. If he can't teach you he will know who can he has BHPA school. I dont know any PMC instructors up that way but i am sure if there are then some one will come on here and help you out.... Good luck All the best Mark morgan Sussex paramotors Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobra_SFX Posted December 21, 2011 Author Share Posted December 21, 2011 Hi Mark, Thanks for the responce/info, ive had a quick browse around here and noticed theres 2 avenues one can take: BHPA PMC It seems both can do the job nicely and one is cheaper than the other (i guess that is up to the individuals learning skills somewhat though). Ill wait to see if there are anymore responces to my query, would be nice to train this winter ready for the summer Cheers Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morgy Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 Hi Cobra Yes there are two ways to go about it..... BHPA is the way i came into it but i used to Hangglide and then paraglide so for me to was the only way to go as it meant i would not have to pay two set of insurance to fly... And i got a nice mag every month thrown in.... Nothing wrong with PMC. There are + & - with both BHPA + all tide up in one nice package and free mag BHPA- technically your only insured up to 2 mile radius of your take of site unless your pilot rated. Extra £££££ for pilot rating PMC + you get taught up to a pilot rated standard PMC - Not sure on the insurance and limited schools in the uk Someone will correct me if i am wrong on the insurance... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobra_SFX Posted December 21, 2011 Author Share Posted December 21, 2011 I dont mind which i train with to be honest, i just want to get back up there, i guess its down to who is nearest and available at the time. Looks like youve had a great career with the flying mate, im jealous already Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquatix Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Hi Rob, Without debating the relative merits of different 'training providers', you are probably just over an hours drive from either Flyschool, or Manchester Paragliders here in the Northwest - if you are only interested in learning to paramotor. Given your location however I think it would be a shame if you did not also consider free flying paragliders from the nearby hills .... in which case Northern Paragliding (Sunsoar) would be a good start. I reckon those who mock 'tree-hugger' flying only do it because they lack the skill or live too far from decent sites ..... Either way you should have more fun than with the fixed or flex wings ..... Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobra_SFX Posted December 23, 2011 Author Share Posted December 23, 2011 Hi Alan, Ive sent an email to Sunsoar as suggested by Morgy, theyre about 50mins drive from me, theres also one in Keswick but i never seen a mention of ParaMotors in the Keswick one. Tree Hugger eh haha, no i dont mock anyone, ive seen a few ParaGliders around the Lakes and it really does look fun, i guess the ground training for ParaMotors also applies to ParaGliders? Ive seen a lot of vids on YouTube etc but mainly for ParaMotors, can the same wing be used for both? Also - for a "base" can one use "public" land for take offs/landings? (assuming all safety aspects/conditions etc are met). The FlexWing i was really enjoying, wind in the face etc but its just too expensive for me so the next best (or even better) has got to be what you guys are doing Cheers Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morgy Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Hi Cobra I think the one in keswick is paragliding only.... I would If it was me, learn to paraglide as well as Paramotoring as It will make you a much better pilot and understand the air more when it starts to get thermic (bumpy) But it all comes down to budget.... It should be a quicker process to gain your paramotor rating than the paragliding one, Due to weather conditions work etc. Public land is a tricky one!!!! you can land where you like in an emergency, But taking off is another storey. It is possible to take off as long as there is no one around, I have done it, But not advisable... A for the wings you can use the same wing but i have found that using your Paramotor wing (reflex) work but only in the stronger conditions. When it is light and scratchy then a normal paragliding wing works best.. IMO. On the other hand you can use a paragliding wing with motor but you will be slower. Unless you use a higher performance wing (not Novice) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquatix Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Hi Rob, As Morgy says really. Officially you can only take off and land with landowner's permission, but some have been known to fly from public land if they are discreet .................. Many wings can be used for both gliding and motoring perfectly well - especially in the early stages (I had an Apco Thrust wing that was a good all rounder) - although with more experience (and when it takes over your life) you will probably want 2 separate wings. Just don't buy any equipment without further advice and training ..... Rule No. 1 !!! Generally you will find paragliding clubs around the hills, and paramotoring in flat lands. This is true of the Lakes, where paramotoring is deemed to spoil the tranquility for other leisure pursuits there. You will almost certainly need to travel for training, and weather is always the big problem - so it may be easier and more cost effective to book a course such as this one - http://www.skyschooluk.com/Courses/Paramotoring-Courses-Spain/Paramotoring-Lessons-Spain/ Although not cheap, it will save a lot of transport costs, wasted days due to bad weather, plus the associated frustration when you are keen to get in the air .... Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobra_SFX Posted December 23, 2011 Author Share Posted December 23, 2011 Thanks for the info Morgy, your right - its the budget holding me back, perhaps somewhere down the line ill look into ParaGliding but for now im really fancying the ParaMotor side of things. Yeh i thought as much with the public land thing, i do have shooting rights on some farmland and it took me a long time to get it, im not going to ask the farmer for take off/landing permission though, hes a right grumpy git on a good day, his fields are covered in pylons too so thats a no no anyway. I was thinking about that last night - if you had to do an "emergency landing" on some farm land - perhaps thats a good way to chat with a local "sympathetic" farmer, has anyone here managed to get permission to use land that way? I ask this because ive chatted to many over the years with regard to shooting but getting shooting rights is probably a lot harder to obtain than a take off/landing zone ( maybe? ). Im only about 30miles from a beach too, ive not seen anyone fly from there before but was wondering where we would stand using a beach. So many questions - sorry about that Rob EDIT: You must have posted just before me Alan, yes there are many discreet places around me i "could" use i guess but will try to seek out a farmer who will allow me the proper usage I couldnt really afford to go abroad to do it, its been quite a few years since i took the Mrs and the Kids abroad, its just too costly with 5 of us, i think Sunsoar will probably be the best place for me to go. Rule 1 i will abide by because i have no idea which items would be suitable for me until i try some Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morgy Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Rule 1 i will abide by because i have no idea which items would be suitable for me until i try some Good always listen to your instructor but at the same time Don't!!!! (when it comes down to buying kit) Many will only try to sell you what they sell!!! To make an infomed choice look around go and try touch feel as many motors as you can....Dont buy the first shiny unit you see.... Work out your budget and the type of flying you want to do now and possibly in the future. Do as much research as possible... There are allot of people on here that have asked the same question so have a search to find out some answers.. You can never ask to many questions...... Thats what forums like this are about.... Good luck Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobra_SFX Posted December 23, 2011 Author Share Posted December 23, 2011 Haha yeh thats true, had that in the Microlight circle but never bought anything as i was still training but funds ran dry. Ive been reading a lot here, its a great site, loving the vids/photos too (watching a lot involving ground handling ) The flying - ive never actually looked further than flying around locally, reading some about Xcountry i think that would appeal to me, just hops here and there sounds fun. Cheers Rob EDIT: Ive had a reply from Ian Currer, theyre only doing it in France over winter, so thats out im afraid Ive looked more into ParaGliding and i really do fancy some of that, ill look into what the Keswick site has to offer, i think a taster day is in order to get the feel of things. What did you guys buy first? I noticed some of you have wings for ground practice, did you buy these before or after lessons and does the size of the ground one matter or should that be in comparison to your flying wing or even be the same as it? I looked up the Apco Thrust and it does seem a good all rounder - seen vids with it being used for ParaGliding, ParaMotoring and even seen some with a trike, very nice having those options I would be looking for used equipment to keep costs down ... My clothed weight is around 82kg. Height is 5`9 Flying - would be cruising locally but i also like the low level flying vids . 2 stroke or 4 stroke hmmmm ive always preferred 2 stroke dirt bikes as theyre easier to work on but if the price is good i dont mind which. As above - the wing would need to be a good all rounder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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