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Canadian based RSUltra makes Kangook paramotors among other things.
They've been building paramotors out of Canada for at least 4 years that
I'm aware of and may be longer. I'll leave you to check out the
specifics and will give a cursery review of the machine from my two
flights during the Western U.S. Flyings.
Conditions were light wind, near sea level, too cold to fly for long and
I weighed probably 150 with my space suit on. Anything below 70°F is
under my minimum operating temperature and requires an environmental
survival suit. OK, that may be a slight exageration, but hopefully you
get the idea: I hate being cold it was unseasonably chilly which helped
reduce my flight times.
For more information visit
www.rsUltra.com.
Weight: The Pollini may a bit heavier than similar displacement
but didn't feel out-of-line.
Harness & Suspension: Low hook-in, pivoting arm connection
point.
Starting (-): Early models had problems with their pull starters
but that seems to have been addressed nicely. One owner I talked to, who
loaned me his machine for the trial, said that the new system is far
more robust and he's had no problem in 50+ flights. I concur—it felt
more solid. One thing that feels unusual is how long the pull is and how
its geared. A long pull only moves the engine through a few revolutions
so it's easy to pull but doesn't spin the engine a lot. That makes
getting through compression easier.
Ground Handling & Kiting (-): Typical amount of lean-back for
a low hook-in but comfy to handle on the ground.
Launch (-): Nothing unusal.
Climbout (-):Good climb rate, no unusual behaviors, I got into
the seat by pushing down on the back with one hand. As with nearly all
machines, with proper adjustment you can get it so that you don't even
need a hand.
Flight (-): Nice, comfy, nothing stood out.
Weight Shift (-) Very good. This is one of the reasons I was
really interested in trying this machine because of the new goose-neck
bars they employ that uses Miniplane-style geometry which I've found to
be extremely effective at giving good weight shift while reducing
fore-aft tilting. It works, and it works on the Kangook. There was *NO*
discernible tilting with power changes — very stable in pitch.
I'm really excited to see this weight shift come to more higher-power
machines. It's nice to have good weight shift withOUT the usual fore-aft
tilting endemic of many low hook-in breeds. By putting the pivot point
up high enough on both the frame AND swing-arms, they've found the best
of both worlds—good weight shift without the pitch instability that
frequently goes with it. Nice job.
Torque (-):
There was a fair amount of torque twist for the power— to the left I
believe since the geared motor yaws the pilot right while incurring a
left weight-shift effect. It wasn't as much as higher thrust machines
and was quite manageable.
Thrust (-): Good thrust, in the 120 pound range, was well metered
through a comfy throttle.
Endurance (-):
No test.
Vibration (-): This engine shines in keeping vibration to a
minimum — it's the smoothest running paramotor engine I've flown, tied
with the Parajet 160 rotary. Many machines shake my eyeballs at certain
RPM's, this one didn't even come close.
Sound (-): Average — nothing stood out.
Safety (-): Average. I worry about the large holes in between
cage segments where a stray hand go in the event of unexpected power
during start. The prop is well protected with a double hoop, though, so
it should resist lines going in fairly well but I doubt it would pass
the hand test. I didn't notice the gas tank clearance.
Construction (-):
It seemed well built with weight spared in the necessary places but
appropriate strength where it's required. Cooling should be average. On
thing I really like is the three part cage has identical pieces. So if
you biff a launch or run over a cage piece, it's easy to replace. This
allows the manufacturer to make only one piece and keep the costs down a
bit.
Reparability (-): Typical. You'll need to weld if something
breaks and curves are everywhere. Looks nice but you won't replace cage
parts with tubes from Ace.
Transport (-): The cage pieces dismantle with velcro and pins
which seemed easy enough. Having only three speeds the process of
complete breakdown but I didn't see it ready for shipping. Expect to
require a bit larger box because the cage pieces are 1/3rd the size
rather than 1/4th the size on most other units.
Cost: Didn't ask. Overall: Very nice for anyone
wanting a low hook-in. You'll love the weight shift and enjoy smooth
power. Thanks to Luc Trapanier for letting me demo his unit. |
