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Is it really this easy!!!!!


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He caught me out when I was doing my research before I'd learned to fly as it seemed the world should only buy a Flat Top and a K2. The trouble is that he turns up in nearly every Google and YouTube search without fail. I do love his videos sometimes but he talks bollocks a lot of time and his safety standards are dire.

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It takes a lot of time, hard work, practice and dedication (not to mention apparent corner cutting and disregard for safety) for it to look that quick and easy.

Please, please, please take everything that cock says with a MASSIVE pinch of salt.

Oops, forgot to say - Wooooooh Hooooooo!

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Yes, it is that easy in principle, but in practice, no.

Most normal people have to assemble their motor after transport, mix and fuel it up, preflight check the moor and wing, have a coffee, chat and discuss flight plan with other pilots, don flying suit, boots, helmet and gloves (in the UK) plus cameras, GPS and other equipment. All this time spent watching the weather conditions for any changes.

Similar amount of time spent after a good flight - its all part of the enjoyment as it is more of a hobby than a quick fix like basejumping. Why rush it and make mistakes ?

Also most of us have invested a significant amount of money in our equipment and treat it with care so it will last - not just chuck it about like on that video - but given the right conditions you could be up and away in 10 minutes or so.

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I'm in no hurry, believe me! Been there done that.

Some more questions then:

I've seen vids where the torque created during t/o causes the pilot to go assymetric. They then deviate from their planned takeoff hdg and rotate left (it seems) before losing the plot. What's going on there then?

Do I detect that downwind can be a little tricky in medium winds?

When looking for a para wing, does it come with a performance rating that shows it can lift the weight of the motor and the weight of the pilot multiplied by a safety factor?

Do you always endeavour to t/o into wind? Can Xwinds be attempted?

Do parawings have a minimum (stall) speed?

Thanks

B

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There are various types of propeller induced torque, and most machines can make this minimal, but something to be aware of : http://paraglidershop.co.uk/paramotorparaglidingproptorque.htm

Take off is always into wind. At our take off speed even a few mph wind has a strong effect. Landings can be a few degrees off without problem. Once flying, downwind is not an issue.

Stall speed varies with loading and other factors, generally around 23km/h airspeed. They are almost impossible to stall without excessive pilot input.

Wings are tested and certified to a particular weight range and generally load tested to at least 8x maximum load.

Modern wings are extremely safe and need a lot to upset them. They will continue to fly even with a large rip or snapped lines. Very few PPG pilots have ever needed to use their reserve.

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Who's Dell? But yeah. I got one of those paramotors with flat bits in the cage and a Sky wing. And I just chuck it in the van and take it to the top of the farm, time after time, give it a check over, start it up, and fly around. And sometimes, when I'm climbing at over 500 ft /min, I might even say "Woo hoo" to myself.

I'll sell it to you if you want one .

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