by Jeff Goin | Jan 28, 2013 | 08: the Law, Recent
Related: Who Owns the Air | Pilot Gets Criminal Violation for Flying OVER Park | When Courts & Judges Get it Wrong The vast majority of police officers are conscientious people doing a good job. But occasionally they get carried away which can make a pilot’s...
by Jeff Goin | Jan 10, 2013 | Reviews: Engines
This motor’s claim to fame is lightweight power. It is of average loudness and vibration but is remarkably lightweight. Early on it was tainted by its connection to Dell Schanze but it is now also available from Rick Hunts and a wide variety other machines. In...
by Jeff Goin | Jan 5, 2013 | 01 Training
Ask these questions before starting any training program—your life may depend on it. Training and the first few flights are risk intensive, your school should minimize it. See how they stack up. There are recommended practices that have been developed from watching...
by Tim Kaiser | Jan 1, 2013 | Log: Enterprise
Enterprise “C” has launched! After starting out with a 21′ Rialta in 2002, we moved up to the 27′ Gulfstream BT Cruiser in 2006 which served beautifully until January this year (2013). Enter the 2013 Winnebago View 24J based on a...
by Jeff Goin | Jan 1, 2013 | Reviews: Paragliders
I don’t normally review school wings but I’m making an exception. More on why below. There are, no doubt, a number of good choices out there in this category but this is the one I tested. Also, I have to point out one to avoid: the “Power...
by Jeff Goin | Dec 27, 2012 | Reviews: Other
A cool new way to see your actual fuel flow has been on the market now for at least a year and I got to try it out a few months ago. Here are my observations. The Tiggy Fuel Monitor gives the pilot a direct read of the fuel actually flowing to his motor. It is, to my...
by Jeff Goin | Nov 12, 2012 | Reviews: Paragliders
Gin has been a long time respected maker of wings and has even made models for other companies. The Vantage is a beginner/intermediate paramotor wing with modern features to improve inflation and efficiency. I flew it in August, 2012 at about 10:30 am. They call it...
by Jeff Goin | Nov 7, 2012 | Entertainment, Log: Enterprise
The arduous route to a distant goal It’s off for production! After updating a bunch of stuff from the review process, including some new voice-overs and animations, the Master DVD was sent off from the Zebulon Road Post Office Branch (pictured below) in Macon,...
by Jeff Goin | Sep 9, 2012 | Reviews: Paragliders
Video with Eric Dufour flying the 18. He was about 30 pounds heavier than I 2012 Sept 09 During Indy Air Hogs’ fly-in I got to try out the GTR 18 again with the intent to sample a different brake configuration and, more importantly see what the speed range is...
by Jeff Goin | Aug 4, 2012 | Entertainment
Thanks to Jeff Burrill. OK, these aren’t powered paragliding specifically but I’ll bet most people get most of them just fine! AIRSPEED – Speed of an airplane. (Deduct 25% when listening to a retired fighter pilot.) BANK – The folks who hold...
by Jeff Goin | Jul 10, 2012 | 02 Gearing Up
See also Cost of Powered Paragliding Broken Down One Pilot’s Actual Costs To Paramotor: Tom Zoner Tom Zoner is meticulous with records, logging both his flying and expenses related to PPG. Like other analysis, it shows that, when all costs are figured in,...
by Jeff Goin | Jul 10, 2012 | Reviews: Paramotors
Rick Hunts, creator of the Renegade, is better known for creating (and still manufactures) Flowbee hair cutters. But after becoming a paramotor pilot he applied his intimate knowledge of plastics and production to create an inexpensive, yet quality paramotor. I was a...
by Jeff Goin | May 16, 2012 | 20: Competition
This pylon race was cancelled to a serious accident and the risk to pilots, spectators, and the Beach Blast Event. This year’s competition was to be on the beach using pylons where one pilot at a time flies the course while being timed. John Black has gotten the...
by Jeff Goin | May 13, 2012 | Accident Reports
Michael Mixer’s 2012 Recon Collapse during competition This one was a surprise to us. Conditions were good, the pilot competent, and his flying wasn’t overly aggressive. During the second run of the 2012 U.S. Pylon qualifier, Michael Mixer was making good...
by Jeff Goin | May 11, 2012 | Reviews: Paramotors
Fresh Breeze continues to innovation, in this case through updates to their Sportix line. This model has the Pollini Thor 100 engine with an integrated clutch and gearbox. This unit has been reviewed before but they have tweaked the design. My flight was at Beach...
by Jeff Goin | May 10, 2012 | 18: Advanced Maneuvers, 19: Risk & Safety, 22: Aerodynamics, 26: The Wing, Accident Reports
A Skilled Pilot Piles In, What Can We Learn For more on wings, see Chapter 26: Choosing A Wing | and Overview of Reflex Wings | Pylon Race Collapse Accident All wings are more dangerous with the speedbar fully engaged. Reflex wings, however, are only dangerous in that...
by Jeff Goin | May 3, 2012 | Log: Enterprise
Enterprise A – Enterprise B – Enterprise C I wrote the first PPG Bible largely in the Back of Enterprise A. But when I wanted to crash on the bed I had to transform my work area INTO the bed. My tendency is to work until I drop and then I really want to...
by Jeff Goin | May 2, 2012 | Entertainment, Log: Enterprise
The arduous route to a distant goal | Master PPG Page This is a log of Master Powered Paragliding 1’s production progress, an undertaking of larger proportions than the book, involving dozens of pilots, dozens of sites, hundreds of hours spent on animations and...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 10, 2012 | Paramotor Pariahs
Setting the Record Straight About Powered Paragliding’s Loudest, Most Dishonest Mouth | PPG Truth Discussion Group Dell Schanze strikes again. This isn’t hunting, it’s torture for the simple pleasure of it. Chasing a bird for a few seconds is one...
by Jeff Goin | Feb 21, 2012 | Reviews: Paragliders
Stalwart Paraglider Maker Ozone has added another glider to its quiver of competitors. The Speedster is a “semi-reflex” model that I flew at Glamis, CA and the Salton Sea. Thanks to Mathieu Roaunet for letting me give it a try. My flying was all within 300...
by Jeff Goin | Feb 17, 2012 | Reviews: Paragliders
Ozone is a long-time paraglider maker that is pressing harder into paramotoring with several models targeted at powered flight. The Viper 1 – 18m is a special wing made for their sponsored pilots to compete with and I was lucky enough to get my hands on Emilia...
by Jeff Goin | Feb 16, 2012 | 20: Competition
Congratulations to Ryan Shaw, flying a Dudek Hadron 20, for winning the February Salton Sea Competition with a world-class time on his second round cloverleaf of 43.8 seconds. That’s fast. Mathieu Roaunet, flying an Ozone Speedster 19, also turned in his usual...
by Jeff Goin | Feb 12, 2012 | Reviews: Paragliders
Paratoys has been selling paragliders for probably 10 years, starting with the eponymous Paratoys wing, a beginner model based on the MacPara Muse. Their latest offering, under the brand name Velocity, is the Recon–a reflex model intended for experienced pilots...
by Jeff Goin | Feb 4, 2012 | Reviews: Other, Reviews: Paramotors
Leon Wacker of Paracruiser has been building machines for others for years along with offering a variety of packages through his own company. He is a tinkerer, too, and enjoys coming up with clever solutions to common problems. In this case, the problem of an easily...
by Jeff Goin | Jan 18, 2012 | Instruments, News
A dedicated phone application for paramotor pilots. Stephane Nicole has created what looks like a cool app for Android Users who fly PPG. I haven’t gotten to try it yet but will offer a review after I do. There is a basic version that’s free and a paid...
by Jeff Goin | Jan 15, 2012 | 03 Handling the Wing
Newer gliders with weed-wacker leading edge reinforcements don’t like those reinforcement folded over so most pilots use some form of concertina or accordian fold. The book has an example, as does this video, but you see plenty of videos on the subject just by...
by Jeff Goin | Jan 1, 2012 | Log: Enterprise
And again, the Enterprise started 2012 in Pine Island, FL and served as home while I began the new year with a flight. Paul Czarnecki beat me airborne, possibly making us the first two pilots aloft in the new year’s gorgeous air. This year I hope to finish...
by Jeff Goin | Jan 1, 2012 | Paramotor Pariahs
Setting the Record Straight About Powered Paragliding’s Loudest, Lyingest Mouth He leaves an enormous wake in his path. I was told that Dell was in the San Diego area and local pilots were bracing for the worst. They got it. The particular area he flew, just...
by Jeff Goin | Dec 11, 2011 | Mx: Motor
For those in frigid climes, hibernation is fact of life; preparing your motor will avoid problems next spring. These tips, from long-time two-stroke expert Alex Varv (www.Aerocorsair.com) will help. This is like “Pickling” but of shorter duration. Here is...
by Jeff Goin | Oct 14, 2011 | Mx: Motor
Thanks to Rick Cavallaro for explaining and taking pictures (see PDF) Disclaimer: I am NOT an expert mechanic. If something looks or sounds wrong in these directions, it probably is. I’d be happy to receive any tips or feedback on how to improve this...
by Jeff Goin | Sep 6, 2011 | Paramotor Pariahs
Sept 06, 2011 Complete Disregard For Others Closes the Entire Oregon Coast To Paramotoring We should not be surprised but we should all be mad as hell. I’ve flown this coast and it’s a beautiful place. Flown respectfully, as it has been for years by Brad...
by Jeff Goin | Jun 18, 2011 | Tributes
One of my early memories of Bob Armond was in Mexico. He had just started instructing and decided to have a casual just-for-fun gathering at Baja Seasons resort in La Salinas, Baja California, Mexico. A lot off his students showed up but so did a lot of other with...
by Jeff Goin | May 17, 2011 | News
For a period in 2011 I harbored the delusion that I would be able to output periodic news articles from around the sport. It was cool while it lasted but other projects took too much time and I think had greater contribution. These are retained for possible historic...
by Jeff Goin | May 17, 2011 | Parapinions
On founding the US Powered Paragliding Association Be leery of any instructor railing against the USPPA. There’s a good chance they’re objecting to its training standards which were established to improve training safety and thoroughness. They require more...
by Jeff Goin | May 9, 2011 | Reviews: Paragliders
MacPara has a solid reputation for building easy inflating wings with good handling and the tradition continues. Like many manufacturers they haven’t made really small sizes for general sales but the Chronos changes that. An number of pilots like to fly more...
by Jeff Goin | May 9, 2011 | Reviews: Paragliders
Dudek has come up with another innovative Reflex wing, the Hadron, to entice competition pilots and anyone wanting speed with good handling. I’ve heard several pilots say it wasn’t intended to be fast but, as you’ll see from the results, it’s...
by Jeff Goin | May 1, 2011 | Reviews: Paragliders
Paramania has tweaked its popular Action series to come up with the Action GTR, a speedy reflex wing optimized for competition. It has some really cool innovations in the riser system that will appeal to competition pilots and others that will be appreciated by...
by Jeff Goin | Feb 26, 2011 | Electric Paramotor, Reviews: Electric Paramotors
I got a bunch of letters about this one—a home-grown wheeled PPG by Pierre Beney. It’s built with off-the-shelf Radio Control model motors. Looking at the video doesn’t say much about it beyond the search for improvements. It doesn’t appear to have...
by Jeff Goin | Feb 10, 2011 | Reviews: Paramotors
Courtesy www.Paratoys.com & SkyBiker Aviation Thrust tests are one data point for comparing the thrust of motors. On two different days you’ll get different results, probably up to 10%. Plus, some manufacturers may use different props than the machines are...
by Jeff Goin | Feb 7, 2011 | Reviews: Paragliders
Dudek has come up with another innovative Reflex wing, the Hadron, to entice competition pilots and anyone wanting speed with good handling. I’ve heard several pilots say it wasn’t intended to be fast but, as you’ll see from the results, it’s...
