Chilly Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 Was nice to meet you Pete, hope to see you at Shipdham or Northrepps for a flight soon. Chilly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptwizz Posted September 29, 2014 Author Share Posted September 29, 2014 Hi CHilly, Is there some way that I can quickly find which site you will be at on any particular day? Cheers, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptwizz Posted October 13, 2014 Author Share Posted October 13, 2014 Sunday was a perfect day for experimentation. Wind was virtually nil in the morning, building smoothly to a nice, clean 10mph by 4.00pm. After a little ground handling, I made my first reverse launch with the motor. By comparison with forward launches, it's a doddle. After a very quick and clean launch, I climbed to about 2000ft, close enough to the low cloudbase which was keeping the air smooth. I took the opportunity to play with the speedbar. The force required to push the bar out is considerably greater than I had expected, considering the mechanical advantage of the pulley system. With the bar fully out, I was immediately aware of increased airspeed by the wind on my face and the sound from the lines. A little more throttle was required to maintain altitude, as expected. I am in the habit of using the trimmers to balance torque and achieve straight flight at cruise with the brakes parked. It occurred to me that asymmetric use of the speed bar should have a similar effect. With a little gentle experimentation and frequent checking of line tension, I found I could make effective course changes using the speedbar alone. By this time, the wind was picking up and I was flying large (1 mile) circles around a chosen point, using only the speedbar and throttle to compansate for the wind. Landing into the smooth 10mph wind was a pleasure. The muddy state of the field (and now of my wing!) less so. I could have landed on the nice grass strip, but decided to go for the stubble to avoid disturbing the tow launching boys. I now feel more confident in a little more wind, knowing that I can penetrate better. With any luck, this should translate directly to more flying opportunities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatPux Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 After a little ground handling, I made my first reverse launch with the motor. By comparison with forward launches, it's a doddle. Nice one Pete. So you can see what I mean now about reverses! You are, however in a much better place than me, having mastered your forwards, first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptwizz Posted October 13, 2014 Author Share Posted October 13, 2014 The order in which I have practised forward and reverse launches has been dictated by the conditions in which I have chosen to fly. I've probably been a little over cautious and denied myself what should have been quite reasonable flying opportunities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptwizz Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share Posted July 27, 2015 It's been a while since I updated this blog. Much of my flying time this year has been taken up with training on a 3 axis microlight. Something which has been niggling for a while now is my speed bar set-up. I have yet to find a position at which I can comfortably keep the bar all the way out. The pressure required to keep the bar out is substantial and I can't keep that pressure on for long with my knees bent, so I have adjusted the line lengths to allow my legs to be straight at full extent. The problem is that I have to keep my legs almost straight out ahead of me. While this is probably great for drag reduction, it's not so good for a moderately fit 50something. I get the impression that the pulleys should be higher on the harness to bring the speed system control lines to an angle at which their tension balances the weight of my legs. Am I missing a trick? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_k Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 Never thought of it from that aspect Pete, though if the pulleys were higher up wouldn't you have to be virtually standing up to get the necessary speed line extension? I suffer with the problem that the speed line travel is rather a lot for the wing I fly (ReAction) so I find it difficult to get full speedbar on. cheers, Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptwizz Posted August 26, 2016 Author Share Posted August 26, 2016 It's been quite some time since I've had anything to add to this blog. Whenever permitted by work and weather, I've been furthering my training towards NPPL(M). I am now flying the microlight solo and expect to have my license in the next few months. I also have a single seat project under way. As you might imagine, this has not left much room for paramotoring, which has been limited to an occasional local flight, just enough to remember the procedures. I can't see that I would become a more frequent paramotorist in the future and I think it unwise to fly it once in a blue moon, so I am likely to sell up the trusty Bailey and Ozone Indy which have served me so well through training and 4 years of sporadic flying. I'm not letting the kit go just yet. There's a couple of places I'd like to fly from before I hang up my harness, but in the next few months there will be a Bailey 175 paramotor, Ozone Indy 29.5m wing, Apco Mayday 18 reserve in front container plus flight deck bag, all will be advertised here first. Ideal beginners kit, provided the beginner is comfortable with a 35kg motor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptwizz Posted November 28, 2016 Author Share Posted November 28, 2016 A new beginning: My paramotoring kit is now sold and I am in the process of purchasing G-BZNP, a Thruster microlight. A new paramotorist will shortly begin training in Cornwall. I have directed him to PMC so look out for a new training Blog. A combination of weather and other commitments prevented me from flying the paramotor as much as I'd have liked. The microlight offers an extended weather window and will be stationed 10 minutes from my home. It also gives me the opportunity to carry passengers. Paramotoring has been fun and allowed me to fly independently at very reasonable cost. I would recommend it to anyone. I will continue to lurk here and update the radial engine build thread so long as anyone is interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cas_whitmore Posted November 28, 2016 Share Posted November 28, 2016 We've been following it from the beginning ' you have to keep us in the loop . Pop a pick on of your new toy including the motor . Cas . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptwizz Posted November 28, 2016 Author Share Posted November 28, 2016 Unfortunately I've lost the facility to post pictures on this site. I've posted the issue under the 'tech' section and awaiting a response. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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