by Jeff Goin | Aug 16, 2009 | Reviews: Paragliders
The Nucleon 27 (flat size) is an intermediate level reflex glider that is good for tooling around and maneuvering. It’s certainly less perky in handling than the smaller racing wings (plasma, viper or fusion) but will have better endurance owing to the larger...
by Jeff Goin | Aug 13, 2009 | Reviews: Paragliders
See the newer Viper 2 Review The Ozone Viper is among a new breed in high performance reflex technology. Like the Dudek Plasma and Paramania Fusion, it mates an efficient, high aspect ratio wing with a reflexed profile for speed. The Viper is not quite as reflexed as...
by Jeff Goin | Aug 13, 2009 | Reviews: Paragliders
See the earlier Viper Custom review. 2002-Dec-2 Added Performance & Speed Numbers The Ozone Viper 2 is an update of their original Viper 1. My original plan was to simply update the review but, when I got the Viper 2, I realized that several significant changes...
by Jeff Goin | Jul 25, 2009 | Accident Reports, Propeller Safety
It’s never when you think about it | See also “A Better Paramotor” | See also Types of Prop Strike Injuries While standing there running my motor, I reflected on the number of hand injuries and how easily they happen. And how quickly. The thought...
by Jeff Goin | Jun 8, 2009 | 20: Competition, Log: Enterprise
My First International Paramotor Competition | Final Scores (PDF) | Competition Chapter | Comp: Why Crashing Is Bad Chad Bastian’s BLOG at TrikeBuggy.com. Note: Scores revised June 19, 2009 (7th & 8th places changed) Newspaper Article Done while I was in...
by Jeff Goin | May 16, 2009 | Communications, Reviews: Other
There are over a dozen aviation radios on the market and the beauty is, if your headset or helmet uses the standard aviation plugs, it will probably work all aviation radios as described below. If it uses a proprietary plug then it will only work with that one radio....
by Jeff Goin | May 16, 2009 | Reviews: Paragliders
The Plasma 22 (flat size) is among a new breed in high performance reflex technology. It mates an efficient, high aspect ratio wing with a full reflex profile. Similar wings in this class are the Paramania Fusion and Ozone Viper although the Viper has less reflex but...
by Jeff Goin | May 10, 2009 | Reviews: Paragliders
The Axis Venus is a high performance glider intended for those wanting maximum efficiency. It delivered nicely in that category. My time with this glider was only one day, with only had a few flights in November, 2009. It was the small size, 23 sq meters and I flew it...
by Jeff Goin | May 2, 2009 | 20: Competition, Log: Enterprise
Eric Dufour offers competition tools Is there no end to what can be learned in this sport? After nearly ten years I continue to enjoy learning new things. Both Michel Carnet, 7-times English national champion, and Eric Dufour, three-time U.S. champion are putting on...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 1, 2009 | 08: the Law, 09: Airspace
Can’t we all just get along? Of course not, but we oughtta try. There is no law that says you can’t fly over tribal lands. We can’t trespass but court cases have well-established federal control over all airspace which, naturally, includes us...
by Jeff Goin | Mar 21, 2009 | Political
This article was interesting in how it shows the mechanism for what we now call “printing money.” Some people think that money comes from presses. It doesn’t, but sadly, the effect is still the same. From an article by Jon Hilsenrath, Wisetrader.com....
by Jeff Goin | Mar 15, 2009 | News
Water Irrigation District closes Salton Sea Site to Paramotoring What a shame. In a country as free as the United States claims to be when publicly owned land, land that is only used for flood control, is put off limits to citizens for recreational uses. This...
by Jeff Goin | Feb 2, 2009 | 09: Airspace
Know the latest where of your nearby airspace An envelope recently arrived from the FAA. The last time it was a grant of exemption (tandems) so letters from the FAA aren’t all bad. Thankfully, this one was only mildly bad–sort of a two-edged sword for me....
by Jeff Goin | Jan 29, 2009 | 08: the Law, 09: Airspace
A Paramotor Pilot Is Arrested for Merely Overflying Hualapai Nation Tribal Lands | Airspace | Lionel’s Resolution Lionel De Antoni contacted us a week ago after being arrested and having his gear confiscated by Indians. His crime? Merely flying over their land,...
by Jeff Goin | Jan 4, 2009 | Log: Enterprise
Two Portland Flyers help with Master PPG 2 and 3. One thing that makes a project like Master PPG doable is the people I get to work with. Such a great selection of humans—capable flyers and just plain fun to be around. A recent trip to Portland, Oregon is a good...
by Jeff Goin | Jan 1, 2009 | Log: Enterprise
The Enterprise started 2009 in Phoenix, AZ. A planned trip there for flying and filming was stymied by high loads on the airline making it impossible to ride standby. So the plan is now to attend The Salton Sea Paratoys event followed by Dune flying in Southern...
by Jeff Goin | Dec 17, 2008 | Communications
DIY Flight Helmet by “PPG Mike” Dec 17, 2008 | Paramotor Communications I am a new pilot in training and wanted to have a decent Flight Helmet with two way comm so I could talk with my instructor while flying. I also wanted it for future cross country...
by Jeff Goin | Dec 8, 2008 | News
During a PPG radio show recorded December 6, Chris Bowles spilled the beans about some things he saw during a recent trip to Germany. Most interesting was the “PPG Car,” a vehicle that is supposed to be street legal, even on the highway, but also qualify...
by Jeff Goin | Dec 6, 2008 | Log: Enterprise
Making the Master PPG series is a roller coaster but we’re enjoying the ride If you’re only gonna make $5/hr at the job you better enjoy it. And enjoy we did. This production is a labor of love, to be sure, and strangely, I’m finding that I enjoy the...
by Jeff Goin | Nov 6, 2008 | 36: Instructors & Tandem
Becoming a Tandem Pilot, Filming, Flying the Green Eagle and other assorted bits Information on Tandem Paramotor setups. This past week has been most eventful and a lot of fun. I headed for Christmas, FL, primarily for the purpose of getting Tandem Trainee certified...
by Jeff Goin | Oct 3, 2008 | Paramotor Pariahs
Sorry, I just couldn’t take it any more and removed the review due to the extraordinarily unethical behavior of it’s maker. 2010 July 17 The sham that is Dell Schanze goes beyond anything I’ve seen, involving outright lies and jumps of pure fantasy....
by Jeff Goin | Aug 30, 2008 | Mx: Motor
Permanent fix for PPG fuel tanks | Thanks to Alex Varv If your gas tank gets damaged, it’s frequently almost impossible to fix since no glue that we’re aware of permanently adheres to the polypropylene material. Epoxy Repair Various epoxies, such as JB...
by Jeff Goin | Aug 22, 2008 | 09: Airspace
New Training Requirements for flight within 60 nautical miles of Washington D.C. I have been asked to comment on a recent FAA training requirement for pilots flying within 60 nautical miles of Washington D.C. After the 9/11 attacks, special airspace was created around...
by Jeff Goin | Jul 25, 2008 | Log: Enterprise
WAG Qualifier and USPPA Competition Held in Greenville, IL It’s a first. The U.S.A. has finally put some competitors on the world stage. Nine skilled flyers showed up in Greenville and put on an impressive performance. Probably most impressive were the launches:...
by Jeff Goin | Jun 1, 2008 | Log: Enterprise
The leaves weren’t moving. Oooh yeah—there be calm! I’ve got lots to test, too, with the Miniplane having arrived home and other things. I’m soon to venture to my first ever trip to Europe. Hopefully they won’t send me back early. One...
by Jeff Goin | May 16, 2008 | 29: Home Building
This is a compendium of comments on various paramotor kits that I’m familiar with and usually have flown (as described in the Flight Experience). Remember that a lot of preference comes down to personal taste and all comments come through with some unavoidable...
by Jeff Goin | May 15, 2008 | Communications, Mx: Troubleshooting
How to get radios to work with PPG gear, Thanks to Robin Rumbolt, Nick Scholtes and others It’s rarely plug and play, especially when mixing and matching radios and helmets. Robin Rumbolt is an electronics engineer who has done extensive helmet mods and created...
by Jeff Goin | May 14, 2008 | 20: Competition
North America takes a step onto the world stage Tasks Changed: Commentary on Tasks (Added June 25, 2008) 2008-06-21 Think you’re a decent pilot? Here’s a chance to show your stuff to the public while spending time with other pilots who enjoy excellence....
by Jeff Goin | May 14, 2008 | 20: Competition, Log: Enterprise
Wow, what a day. The first ever qualifier for 2009’s World Air Games is in the bag. And what an incredibly well-run event it was. This will also determine the current USPPA National Standing. We don’t know exactly yet because it will have to be sent to...
by Jeff Goin | May 14, 2008 | 20: Competition, Log: Enterprise
Final rules for the 2008 Qualifier to the 2009 World Air Games 2007-July 12 Here are the WAG rules that are being used. They have been used already by the Germans and Italians so changes are impossible. One thing we were unable to get changed was the need to run two...
by Jeff Goin | May 14, 2008 | 20: Competition, Log: Enterprise
The Snake, it turns out, will NOT be flown but it’s kind of cool to do. Here are the tasks that will be flown for the July 25, 2008 World Air Games Qualifier. I felt like a kid getting away with something—pulling off the road, making sure no one was paying...
by Jeff Goin | May 7, 2008 | Log: Airline
Doing a book with hundreds of illustrations, many involving Photoshop, meant that I’d recently gotten better at photoshop. I had to spend some of that on fun. In May 2008, After seeing the IL paint scheme on one of our “red bellied warbirds” I had to...
by Jeff Goin | May 3, 2008 | 09: Airspace
There are a lot of lines on sectional charts. It’s confusing to know which ones we must pay attention to or not. This should help demystify those lines. Of course you can look at the sectional chart’s legend to see what the lines are but that doesn’t...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 30, 2008 | Accident Reports
A good one for analysis because the pilot hass been willing to talk about it. First, we are happy that the pilot is able to discuss his brush with death and, secondly, that he is willing. In fact, he offered up the video, recorded by his brother-in-law, so the world...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 12, 2008 | Reviews: Paramotors
The real measure of paramotor power: how hard does it push. Understanding Paramotor Suspension (Harness) Systems Thrust testing numbers are always relative and should only be compared when the testing was done at the same time on the same tester. Those are the only...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 8, 2008 | Reviews: Electric Paramotors, Reviews: Paramotors
This is a revolutionary machine could a part of the future. Forgive my enthusiasm, I realize its not becoming of a reporter and admit to being a huge fan of electric paramotors. I’ve wanted to see them succeed since Csaba’s machine (first practical...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 5, 2008 | 27: The Motor Unit, Propeller Safety
Here are some things observations of positive developments in paramotor safety. It would be cool for every machine to provide basic protections against the inevitable: falling, unexpected thrusting, and others. Check out A Better Paramotor. Here is a celebration of...
by Jeff Goin | Mar 28, 2008 | 22: Aerodynamics, 26: The Wing, 27: The Motor Unit
Which wing will require more power to stay up? I’m not concerned with covering miles, just staying airborne. First, to stay up the longest on any given wing, fly at the speed that gives the lowest sink rate when power off. For paragliders, that’s usually...
by Jeff Goin | Feb 19, 2008 | 26: The Wing, Accident Reports
Thermally conditions combine with large wing Preliminary reports are frequently wrong. This is a preliminary report. We certainly hope the pilot recovers from this. This report was received 02/18/2008 and updated 2/19. An experienced paramotor instructor was seriously...
by Jeff Goin | Jan 24, 2008 | 22: Aerodynamics, 26: The Wing
Based on an article from Ozone PPG. Reflex technology was developed well before paragliders came along. Sailplane pilots have been using it, in the form of negative flaps, since the 1970’s. Michael Campbell Jones was the first to try it on paragliders with his...
