![]() Wood is the most common material, while plastic, composite and aluminium may also be used. Reduction drives allow larger, slower spinning propellers (or more blades) to be used, thus reducing noise and increasing thrust, but unfortunately adding a little weight. ![]() With the increase in performance which the recent generations of paragliders have at their disposal, less power is needed so smaller lighter one-cylinder 2-stroke engines can be used, resulting in weight reductions to under 20 Kg. The 30-plus kg weight and unbearable noise made them unattractive. They used heavy, thirsty twin or 3-cylinder engines with direct drives. The first paramotors appeared in France and Germany in the late eighties. Paramotors should operate in a diluted format throughout the country and avoid overcrowded repeated buzzing around. It is easy for an individual to approach a land owner for permission to fly in small numbers. Consideration when choosing where you take off from and who you over-fly is critical for the long term survival of paramotoring. It is essential not to spoil existing harmonious relationships which BHPA clubs & schools have enjoyed (or struggled to keep) so far, by the nature of its environmental friendliness. The main drawback with all powered flying is the noise pollution, not so much for your ears, but vis-a-vis the neighbours. Chasing foxes and rabbits, following rivers, slaloming through trees, dragging a foot through powdery snow or long dewy grass is fantastic. A paramotor allows you to do the same thing over flat ground. Ridge soaring close to the hill is a buzz. Self sustaining and self launching sailplanes exist for exactly these reasons. Flying onto an unlaunchable hill is great. The other useful side of paramotoring for purist paraglider pilots is the possibility to experiment with different conditions and locations: sea breezes, wave, over water or above clouds, etc. Saying that, driving 50 miles to a hill and burning 4 gallons of petrol getting there is surely worse than using a pint of 50:1 mixture around the corner for half an hour of thermal seeking on your airborne lawn mower. Petrol smells, oil sticks, noise is a pain and the ozone layer is thinning. Of course it is not the real thing! Nothing can beat paragliding on the right day in the right place. The main advantage is that he or she already possesses the wing and knows how to fly it. The short turning radius, combined with slow flying speed makes even a cricket pitch size field surrounded by trees a safe place to fly from.įor the existing paraglider pilot, it is a practical add-on means of self launching: no need to drive miles to a crowded hill, chasing the wind or lift. It is all terrain aviation: Pebbled or sandy beaches, ploughed or cropped fields, snow covered or flooded land and the roofs of royal palaces are all suitable surfaces for paramotor operation. In aviation simplicity is safety, and remember: "What you haven't got, weighs nothing and cannot break down".įoot-launching is a great asset. So the ability to land slowly and safely anywhere with no airframe to bend is priceless. The air never hurts, only the earth (or contact with it) can hurt. The success of paragliding is mainly due to slow flying characteristics and the absence of rigid parts. Only the rocketeer's backpack could beat it! There is no doubt that a paramotor is the minimum powered aircraft par excellence. One thing is for sure, the "aeroplane in the boot of the car" is catching the public's imagination. What is so special about it? Another hype? Michel tries to clarify where paramotoring sits within the foot launch aviation world, and answers some of the most common questions!Įveryone is talking about paramotoring. Michel Carnet is the Chief Flying Instructor of the Sky Systems Flying Schools in Brighton. Silver medallist in the 1995 FAI European Paramotor Championships, ![]() This article originally appeared in "Skywings" magazine, June 1997. (The following articles MUST be read from all new and unskilled paramotor pilots for the sake of their safety flying) Particularly the "power effects" sections at the end Hi just found this on the web and thought I would "share" It has answered some of the problems I have noticed with my paramotor (self taught) flying.
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