by Jeff Goin | Dec 2, 2006 | Mx: Motor
Remember, they’re made to be lightweight. So before the inevitable comparison with your starts-every-pull lawnmower, be thankful you don’t have to carry your 22 hp garden, 200 lb rider on your back. The most likely problems will be the cord breaking or the...
by Jeff Goin | Nov 5, 2006 | 34: Cool Places to Fly
N33°22’51” W111°33’5″ Location: 20 Miles east of Phoenix, just south of US 60 on the west side of Idaho Rd. Basic Description: Flat, very dusty with low vegetation and a few open areas. Dust is like talcum powder. It’s bordered by a large...
by Jeff Goin | Sep 14, 2006 | 04: First Flight Prep, 19: Risk & Safety
When the wing is fully formed but slows down and starts dropping vertically, that’s Parachutal Stall. Airflow on your face becomes nil and the glider may start to spin. The following factors make Parachutal Stall more likely: Thrust Older glider. Age makes the...
by Jeff Goin | Aug 29, 2006 | 27: The Motor Unit, Propeller Safety
Besides pilot training, safer cages will go the farthest to reducing prop injuries. Jeff Baumgartener has designed a strong safety ring for the Skybolt v2 that could easily be retrofitted to a wide variety of paramotors and demonstrated its ability to withstand 170...
by Jeff Goin | Jun 6, 2006 | Log: Enterprise
My first motor was (I still have it as of 2019) a direct drive Fly 70, modified by my instructor Mark Sorenson, no a SWA 737 Captain. Being a direct drive the propeller spun at ear-splitting speed, pushing the air away with sheer volume. That’s all I knew,...
by Jeff Goin | May 16, 2006 | Reviews: Paragliders
The Muse is a very popular beginner wing for good reason. It is easy to inflate and has very good handling, a marked improvement over earlier beginner wings that students quickly tired of. The model I flew was probably an original Muse and they’ve come out with...
by Jeff Goin | May 16, 2006 | Reviews: Paragliders
The Eden is a beginner/intermediate glider that I consider appropriate for a raw beginner wing. Plus, great handling and high efficiency make it one that a pilot can fly until it wears out. I’ve flown this wing using a number of machines but this test was on...
by Jeff Goin | May 16, 2006 | Reviews: Paragliders
The Eden is a beginner/intermediate glider that I consider appropriate for a raw beginner wing. Plus, great handling and high efficiency make it one that a pilot can fly until it wears out. I’ve flown this wing using a number of machines but this test was on...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 26, 2006 | News
At a Mailbox Nearby 05/14/2006 It’s a welcome surprise. We’ve sold over 10% of the entire printing in the first 3 days. Thanks for your support! The intent from the beginning was to get the information out there and that is obviously happening. Much of the...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 25, 2006 | Mx: Motor
Long-term storage and resurrection, thanks to Brad Weiss | See also Alex Varv’s tips One of the worst abuses you can inflict on your paramotor is letting it sit unloved. Fuel degrades, Oil evaporates and dust gathers in places it ought not. Absent any protective...
by Jeff Goin | Jan 3, 2006 | Log: Enterprise
The Enterprise started the year staying in San Diego with occasional trips up and down the coast, including a couple to Mexico. This was the first year I didn’t drive her back home. Rather she stayed in San Diego for the winter with a tour up California, over...
by Jeff Goin | Nov 6, 2005 | Tributes
Alan Chuculate died Nov 6, 2005 in a powered hang glider after hitting wires during approach. It was just after sunset. He was with two others landing just off the beach in a field about 4 hours south of San Diego. Alan had an immense influence on my flying by...
by Jeff Goin | May 10, 2005 | Reviews: Engines
Even when this review was done the Solo was a dated powerplant. It started life as an agricultural pump engine and by 2005 was used on more paramotors than any other. It’s older technology does not give huge thrust but it was enough for our application and...
by Jeff Goin | May 10, 2005 | Reviews: Paragliders
Click here to see the Spice 22 go through a maneuvers clinic. This is the most fun glider I’ve ever flown. The reason is a combination of super nice handling and high efficiency. After playing with Alex Varv’s loaner in 2004, I was hooked and, in spite of...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 7, 2005 | Log: Enterprise
What started it all—Tim Kaiser and Jeff Goin pictured | Her the new home In December 2001–the beginning of Chicagoland’s deep freeze–I got an idea. It was winter, and I hate the cold, so why not buy a small RV that goes to a warm destination every...
by Jeff Goin | Mar 9, 2005 | Log: Life
Jim Filgut is one of those humans you can’t help but liking. He’s the kind of friend you want. Sometime before 2005, a friend of Jim’s, Timmy, was diagnosed with terminal and untreatable cancer. He had a few months of life left and always wanted to...
by Jeff Goin | Jan 1, 2005 | Log: Enterprise
This was the year of the upgrade: I sold Enterprise A, a 1995 Rialta and bought a 2004 Gulfstream BT Cruiser to become Enterprise B. There was no doubting I liked the lifestyle and figured it was time for more room and more reliability. The BT Cruiser, at 27 feet, is...
by Jeff Goin | May 16, 2004 | Entertainment, Reviews: Other
Glen Boyd purchased his PPG helmet, including a push-to-talk (PTT) in 2004. He offered up this humorous treatment of radio use during his training. It was funny enough to land in “Entertainment but is sufficiently informative to include in reviews. He wrote: The...
by Jeff Goin | Sep 10, 2003 | Reviews: Paragliders
2003 Fresh Breeze Silex 25 This is a great overall wing for intermediate pilots. It was my favorite for several years, a wonderful compromise of safety and great handling. I bought this wing in about 2002 after a test flight when I fell in love with its handling. I...
by Jeff Goin | Sep 1, 2002 | Log: Enterprise
At 72 years old, it seemed a bit of a stretch that this accomplished actor would want to make a cross country flight into a strange place with people he didn’t know. But in September of 2002 that’s precisely what he did. Naturally, I was a bit surprised...
by Jeff Goin | Jan 2, 2002 | Log: Enterprise
Enterprise A – Enterprise B – Enterprise C This is what started it all. In December of 2001, while talking to Nick Scholtes, I got an idea. It was winter and I hate the cold. So Chicagoland’s windy chill spawned the appeal for a small RV. My plan:...
by Jeff Goin | Mar 7, 2001 | 25: Roots & Demographics, Log: Enterprise
Invitation, post 17387 of Pilots PPG Club, Mar 7, 2001 Thanks to the tireless efforts of Terry Alford, we have definitely secured a location for the First Annual Paramotor Convention. It will be April 5-9(Thurs.-Mon.) at the River Wilderness Golf and Country Club...
by Jeff Goin | Sep 20, 1999 | Reviews: Paragliders
A medium (29.5 sq m flat, 85-105 kg) Swing Arcus was my second wing, purchased for soaring and . Handling was better than the Santana as was the glide. It was slower than the Santana and noticeably easier to launch. I put about 50 hours on this wing, about 30 of which...
by Jeff Goin | Sep 9, 1999 | Reviews: Paragliders
This was my first wing. It was intended for soaring and, as such, served yeoman duty. The fact that it was difficult to inflate in no wind only meant something when I had to demonstrate forward launches for my USHPA P2 rating and then when I added a motor. I had an...
by Jeff Goin | Jun 6, 1999 | Log: Enterprise
When I first got into paramotoring got USHPA paraglider training because there was nothing standard in paramotoring. That wouldn’t do. I went to Jeff Williams who guided me through my P2 rating.During those two freeflight periods I discovered how cool soaring...
by Jeff Goin | May 3, 1999 | Log: Enterprise
I went to get paraglider training because there was no standardized paramotor training and I wanted better than that. Jeff Williams became my first instructor and helped me discover that soaring a paraglider was really cool, which for a guy who started in sailplanes,...
by Jeff Goin | Mar 25, 1999 | Log: Enterprise
In the beginning was the prop. Made of wood, and fashioned after its own kind, it was was good. Loud, but good. It was attached to my Fly 75 (a modified Fly 70) which noisily pushed me around the country with about 80 pounds of screaming thrust. The Enterprise...
by Jeff Goin | Jan 24, 1999 | Reviews: Paragliders
The symphony was a common beginner wing that was sold with the early DK motors. I only flew it about 10 times and don’t remember the sizes. Handling (2): This is a beginner wing in handling and, as such, is very forgiving. It takes a lot of brake pull to turn....
by Jeff Goin | May 6, 1998 | Log: Helicopter
I had gone for a helicopter “Discovery Flight” to get helicopter flying out of my system then fell in love with the coolness of being able to fly something so precisely in 3D. That flight cost me a Private Helicopter License and led to the purchase of a...
by Jeff Goin | May 2, 1998 | Log: Helicopter
Beating the air into submission by pummeling it with $100 bills Flying a helicopter is really quite amazing. It’s not natural, of course, and can seem nearly impossible to the uninitiated. People ask me all the time “is it hard?” The best way to...
by Jeff Goin | Nov 18, 1997 | Airline Safety
Original: VoicelessComm.doc 11/18/97 The worst-ever aviation tragedy was two 747’s that collided on the ground in the Canary Islands. It was caused by a communications failure. A great improvement in aviation safety would arise from reducing or eliminating problems...
