TalkPPG.com

RE: In the news

Brad E — Sat, 10 May 2008 15:57:49 GMT

Very nice publicity! It's interesting to see what our paramotors can do, but I wouldn't feel safe doing the stuff your instructor was doing.

'Meteorology .... Simply for Pilots'

weatherbuff — Sat, 10 May 2008 15:31:05 GMT

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In the news

epoch — Fri, 09 May 2008 19:28:08 GMT

http://www.kcra.com/video/16212249/index.html

Our local group made the news!

RE: Landing issues

mountainflyer — Fri, 09 May 2008 18:34:57 GMT

I learned the most about landing by watching pilots do �no-flare landings.� In the no-flare landing the pilot lets up on the brakes and comes in fast. When he gets close to the ground he adds enough brake pressure to fly parallel to the ground one or two feet off the ground. The pilot continues to add brake pressure to maintain that one or two feet, then as the wing runs out of energy he will land running then flare. That�s a no-flare landing.

Try a no-flare some time, then try one where rather than landing running you wait until the wing is almost out of energy as you skim the ground then flare in the air rather than on the ground. If you pop back up into the air a few feet when you flare then you did it too early.

Hope this helps

RE: Should I try big ears

mountainflyer — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:42:48 GMT

Big Ears isn't really that bad. I tried big ears during my free flight training in Santa Barbara, and granted, I did know what I was doing before I tried it, but the maneuver seemed pretty benign. The risk of frontal collapse seemed to be the biggie, so you should pull just one ear at a time. Riding in Arizona desert afternoon "rodeo air": puck factor 8, doing big ears high above the California beach: puck 1.

My verdict: if you know how to do it, give it a try, its easy and its another handy tool to have in the bag.

RE: Mac Para Spice

ppgwiz — Thu, 08 May 2008 20:43:11 GMT

MacPara Spice 22, like jumping bare-ass-naked onto a 1000' tall curly slide flowing with baby oil. When you take off, you get a woody and it just never goes away. They need a warning on the certification label that says "If you have an erection lasting more than 24 hours, please seek medical attention".

RE: Should I try big ears

ppgwiz — Thu, 08 May 2008 20:34:09 GMT

The use of big ears is simply a descent technique used more for free flight than powered flight. Don't do it unless you've been trained on how to induce them properly and let them out. You should also know what to do in the event you can't get both or one of the ears re-inflated. PPGs just don't need this technique.

Big ears don't put the wing anywhere near stall. It just isn't true. To stall a paraglider you have to have a high AOA or be pulling a massive amount of brake. You can land with ears on with not much trouble, you can fly around with only one ear without much trouble. Should you do it, probably not, what's the point and why do you need it?

Don't do it unless you know what you're doing.

RE: Landing issues

ppgwiz — Thu, 08 May 2008 20:15:48 GMT

Landings do take a while to master, they also vary depending on the wing you fly. DHV 1 wings generally don't have as much energy stored in them for the flare due to the lower glide ratio. So in no wind landing situations, you've got to time it just right. I wouldn't suggest flaring at 10' AGL, don't start the flair until about 5' or less, many wings get the most flare out of the first bit of brake travel.

It might help if we knew the wing you fly (make, model, size) and the all up weight. (You and the motor)

I flew a Muse 2 for about 60 hours and in the early days had a few uncertain landings. I found that if I let the trims out all the way, my glide speed was at maximum and I got the most energy possible out of the wing for flare. If I had it set at 1/4 in, there was a noticeable difference in the landing characteristics. In no wind conditions, if you messed it up, you were just kind of dropped down.

RE: I'm ready to jump in!!! Or Rather...Off!

mochamon — Wed, 07 May 2008 18:41:25 GMT

sounds great, good luck with your training and keep us informed.

RE: I'm ready to jump in!!! Or Rather...Off!

Cherokee — Wed, 07 May 2008 17:28:41 GMT

My all up weight should be right at 300lbs. I probably should have waited and went with the Simo or the monster. If it doesn't get me off the ground, I will probably sell the RDM 125. It's in great shape with only 24 approximate hours on it. I feel sure the wing will do for me though and it used to belong to Andy Ekstrom. What I need to do is find a smaller guy that doesn't need so much weight and power that needs an RDM125 Huh? Thanks for your replies as I am learning quite a bit so far. I have my PPG bible and am reading it over and over and, like I said, I get my first lesson on Friday.

Patrick