andy_terwat Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 Todays Mail on line [ i wouldn't pay for the rag ] has an article on this incident. Under a picture of the jetman under a chute it has the following " The motorised parachutes can be bought online as kits for around £1500. Anyone have any idea where ? Mal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmer_Dave Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 I live about 15 miles west of Exeter airport. When the wind is East they approach over the farm at 3000 ft approx. Class G airspace but am continually aware of it. Right of way would mean little. Even if a pilot spotted one of us in good time to enable them to take avoiding action, at that height and proximity to the landing strip, it would probably cause a "go round" and re-approach. Anyone know what Paraffin costs these days.? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agathaggelou Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Someone messaged me to say that Matt had posted one of my videos on facebook, under the title " Check out this clown " and now I discover that you have also " Nominated " me as one of 3 pilots that might have been involved in the near miss last year. I was not and neither were the other two that you "offered up" in anyway involved. My canopy is Blue and white. Being a Paraavis, it also has a very distinctive shape. Anyway, I think it's fair to deduce from this, that even though I've only met you a couple of times and nothing bad that I recall, has past between us, you clearly have some sort of issue with me. I am a very approachable person Matt, not at all scary, so instead of "throwing mud about", why not behave like a man, meet me and speak to "me" about whatever is troubling you, perhaps I can help. I only live down the road from you and I'm sure that clive has my number. One more little thing. If you 'are' going to accuse people of flying in "open airspace", please do check your facts first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt_k Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Andreas your opening shot of your video you are in direct line of Southend airports approach!! The control tower had my number and whenever we flew the area (not the approach) we would contact them when we took off and again when we landed, they called us one day asking if we knew anyone flying in the area as they are hovering in front of the approach I drove down and you had just landed. Don't you have an air map? I don't have a problem with you personally but come on mate stuff like that is what this is all about its not good for any of us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agathaggelou Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Like I said Matt.. Try to act like a man. This is my last post, so I will try to help you in any way that I can. On this site you will find Southend airport’s details. If you have proof of me violating airspace, then I suggest that you send the proof to them. https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j ... msWc6-lulQ As a ‘final’ effort to help you with ‘your problem’, I have found this for you. I wish you good luck, as I can’t imagine that it’s much fun, feeling the way that you do. If it doesn’t help and you still need ‘dirt’ on me to feel good about yourself, check out some of my other videos. You will see that I have made ‘many’ mistakes in the past. That should keep you going for a while. I upload videos, not to boast, but to share with other pilots, who will hopefully learn from my mistakes. Read the text that goes with the videos. https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j ... mL98Aj1Wbg For the benefit of others . . Whenever we fly at “ Two Tree Island “, near Southend, we phone ATC, to alert them to the fact and ‘only’ fly when we are given permission to do so. The hight is restricted to 600, until you are out of the area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt_k Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Yes this correct 600ft is the max height given by the control tower http://youtu.be/bNqa4g2OR_U May be you need an altimeter than This is also my last post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SquirrelJPX330 Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 Instead of bringing in a test system that requires a few manoeuvres on a calm day, why don't they just bring in a stamp book or a 'provisional flying' type licence so that if you have had training but not the full test you just make sure you fly with someone who's fully pledged? And maybe get your full license (to fly on your own if you wish) after x amount of hours flown. I'm all for training and think its mad that anyone wouldn't at least get some. But this sort of thing would still likely happen even if everyone did have full licenses with loads of experiences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 In the UK there is no 'licence'. Just club ratings which are not legally required or defined. It's well known that Paramotoring without training will almost certainly cost you more and very likely cost an extra bone or two if your lucky. Let's face it though, it's not rocket science, just a bit of instruction and some study Flying a Paramotor is simple, knowing the law is simple.. Not knowing either will most likely cost you in every sense. I know of at least one far more serious incident that happened last year from two um 'rated pilots' It's a sport, it's fun, it's easy, and everyone should enjoy it SW Sent from my iPhone using PMC Forum mobile app Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richfromwilts Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 WHATTT!!!!!!!! and what A pilot....metal motor....graphite lines....and 25 sq m of wing not visible to Radar. Surely that can't be right. We are all fu%&ed if that has any truth in it. Anybody know any radar stuff or I can make some calls? regards Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michaelt Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 (edited) Mike deleted this comment as it made him look stupid lol Edited March 11, 2014 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 A small group of us visited RAF Lyneham a few years ago to see what a Paramotor looks like on Radar. It is basically flicks from invisible to a small bird. SW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outkast Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Commercial radar filters out anything traveling under 50 knots to. Save clutting up the screen, it's not that radar can't spot us it's just set up to ignore us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richfromwilts Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 Might be interesting to see if a small radar reflector could be carried without it becoming a second wing I for one would love to be visible to radar ...ground or air. We all know half these pilots have there faces glued to the instrument panel. Even small light aircraft seem oblivious to the outside world. Glider pilots are taught to look out constantly and continuously scan the horizon and I would suggest the safest aircraft to be in the vicinity of. We would just be a little vibration as we passed through a Rolls Royce Brent jet engine at 300 knots Maybe some sort of reflective tape could be put on the prop? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoobySnacks Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 Rich, all pilots are taught to fly "eyes out" most of the time. The fact that the modern cockpit relies so heavily on instrument flying obviously can have an affect on the lookout, but in class G where the aircraft is flying VFR at least one of the pilots should be heads up for most of the time. The CPL training is pretty heavy on heads up flying, to the point where over-use of the instruments can result in a fail of the test. It is only when flying IFR in IMC (conditions any sensible paramotor pilot would avoid like the plague) that both pilots might be "heads down". It appears the approach was in VMC, so it looks like the pilots could do with refreshing their "out of the window" flying skills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richfromwilts Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Hi Scooby Got all that. During my glider training I was taught correct scanning and discovered interesting blind spots of other gliders below you in the circuit had the ability to disappear from view in the silhouette of the ground. We all just flew very defensively and assumed every other user in the sky had not seen you and I had a few light aircraft wander right below me without any noticeable attempt to alter course. Another pilot there saw a bon fire on the ground on the horizon and looked away. He then glanced back a few seconds later to see the pilot of a jaguar staring at him as he passed at some horrendous speed very close. The smoke bon fire was the exhaust plume. Constant bearing.....constant danger. Any way what you got for me ref reflector. Regards Richard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hugo_v Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 As has been said above, the main problem is the filtering of slow objects from display, but regarding radar reflectors, this document gives a good background on retroreflectors: http://www.dtic.mil/get-tr-doc/pdf?AD=ADA456839 It might be possible to make a very light and cheap trihedral (box corner) reflector out of, say, carbon rods and aluminium film, but it'd be very bulky. This has the advantage of being simple and working on any radar frequency. But, given that civilian primary radar operates on the manageably narrow band of 2.7-2.9 GHz, where compact high performance planar antennas can easily be built, it would be possible to build small Van Atta reflectors, that would basically look like PCBs. In the above linked report, a Van Atta reflector for 10 GHz radar, approx. 30 cm square and 5 cm thick, had a radar cross section of 100 m^2. For comparison, this is about the same as a 747, and 100x more than a light GA aircraft. At 2.7-2.9 GHz, and with two reflectors the size of, say, iPads, mounted back to back to cover most incident angles, should give at the very least as much RCS as, say, a microlight. Such reflectors could in principle be made as regular PCBs cheaply (say, <£100 for the whole setup), or could be made smaller by incorporating active amplification electronics (fairly simple and cheap at these frequencies). But, it would be difficult to mount to a paramotor in the correct orientation to give useful results, and would require highly specialised development, expensive testing, and the cooperation of NATS and/or the CAA, and Ofcom if it incorporated electronic amplification, thus making it end up very expensive. Transponders are the more realistic solution, just as soon as someone makes a handheld battery powered one (like a handheld transceiver). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richfromwilts Posted March 30, 2014 Share Posted March 30, 2014 Good post That shows a product ready for development. As with most Brits we are all great at inventions and poor at bringing them to market. We don't need to appear as big as a jumbo so a modified Van Atta smaller might do the job. Could the Van Atta have a greater matrix and be ball shaped? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richfromwilts Posted March 30, 2014 Share Posted March 30, 2014 Good post That shows a product ready for development. As with most Brits we are all great at inventions and poor at bringing them to market. We don't need to appear as big as a jumbo so a modified Van Atta smaller might do the job. Could the Van Atta have a greater matrix and be ball shaped? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoobySnacks Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 It might well show an area of 100 m^2, but by the sounds of it if it's moving slower than the threshold it still won't show up on the primary radar. That sounds like a big hole in the radar system to me. Do hot air balloons not show up on radar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richfromwilts Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Well said Scooby.. If we don't show up on radar because there tuned to filter out flocks of birds then they need to address this .....as we are not birds. We frequent the sky and have every right to be there and we desire to be on radar and not lost in a filtering anomaly. Clearly birds need to be watched and monitored....you only have to ask the pilot of US airways Cpt Sullenger... Watch this about birds. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixUbdeXCp0M Who is the spokes person for our sport and get them knocking on CAA door for our rights to exist. Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 The 'spokesperson' is the guy who did not support the Paramotor pilot in the original report. (quite the opposite in fact) Don't hold your breath for any fighting on our behalf. SW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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