by Jeff Goin | Apr 23, 2019 | Mx: Motor
Spark Plug Selection Thanks Dave Moore and Brian Del Campo with this information. The NGK BR9ES is the most common plug. Do not combine it with a resistor cap–the spark will be too weak. Redrive & Bearings Visit the Top 80 parts site listed above to find the...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 23, 2019 | Mx: Troubleshooting
Anything related to fuel or getting fuel to the motor including gas tank See also Choosing Fuel & Oil | Does Avgas Run Cooler? Is Avgas Cooler? Priming Fuel Tank Repair The fuel system provides fuel to the carburetor. It usually consists of a tank with vent...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 23, 2019 | 23: Motor & Propeller, Mx: Troubleshooting
Causes and cures of this motor killer Heat is a paramotor’s mortal enemy. Worst cases have the piston welding itself to the cylinder wall in the mother of all motor failures: a seizure. A close cousin is the piston burning a hole through it’s top. Molten...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 23, 2019 | Mx: Troubleshooting
Automatic Decompressor These use vacuum from the motor to create a hole in the cylinder so that the motor is easier to pull through compression. It must remain open for easy starting and stay closed afterward for proper running. If the decompressor is stuck open...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 23, 2019 | Mx: Motor, Mx: Troubleshooting
For those who have aftermarket exhausts that vibrate and self destruct you will find this an early and easy fix before yours self destructs. Take a TOP80 standard crankshaft seal (for this application) and install it over the stinger. Place the silencer firmly against...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 23, 2019 | Mx: Motor, Mx: Troubleshooting
Thanks Scott Traverse There are a number of preventative measures you can take to avoid needing the troubleshooting guide. The picture at right shows one such mod but most are much simpler. Minimize vibration by using high temperature silicon around and through...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 22, 2019 | Mx: Troubleshooting
One of the most likely places for problems to appear is the tuned pipe and muffler. They usually revolve around vibration and cracking from heat. Exhausts usually have two parts, the tuned pipe and silencer. A few, like the box muffler of the long-retired Solo 210...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 22, 2019 | Mx: Troubleshooting
Start with the simple and cheap. Here are some that qualify. Repair cracks. Under air loads they can cause an aerodynamic imbalance besides sapping power. Static balance. Make sure the bolts are tightened evenly. If the prop is askew widthwise on its mount (making one...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 22, 2019 | Mx: Motor
Straight talk about this nearly religious subject | Fuel Feed Problems | Is Avgas Cooler Avgas or Mogas? Castrol or Pennzoil? 2% or 3%? What’s best for my engine? Ask this question in a room full of paramotor pilots then take cover. Instructors and dealers will...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 22, 2019 | Mx: Troubleshooting
If your motor doesn’t start on the first few attempts, something is wrong. Continued pulling without corrective action will just wear the starting system and decrease your respect for the prop—making a life-changing prop injury more likely. Troubleshooting is...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 22, 2019 | Mx: Troubleshooting
Problem Possible solution or link. Calculating Redrive Ratio If you have a paramotor for which you don’t know the ratio you can calculate it using one of several methods, measure the radius (or diameter) or count the teeth. Here are the details of each method....
by Jeff Goin | Apr 22, 2019 | Mx: Paraglider
Paragliders are like film. Remember that? They like it cool, dry and dark. Care is sweetly simple–keep them reasonably clean, don’t stuff or fold tightly, and get them inspected periodically. The paraglider is more important than the motor in that...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 22, 2019 | 23: Motor & Propeller, Mx: Motor
Testing the difference in running temperature between car gas and av gas There’s a lot of dispute as to which is better to run in your paramotor, avgas or mogas (as in motorcar), especially with the higher ethanol content of mogas. But one claim is significant:...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 22, 2019 | 21: Free Flight Transition
Launch and landing sites are frequently in tight spaces with little room to maneuver. Plus, you may be sharing the site, especially launch, with numerous other pilots. It’s not the place to have marginal wing handling skills. The USHPA has a ratings program...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 22, 2019 | 21: Free Flight Transition
A day with a good motor instructor will be money well spent. The PPG bible devotes an entire chapter but here are some of the things you want to learn. 1. Learn about the extreme risk of getting injured by the prop. There’s more to it than meets the eye. 2. You...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 22, 2019 | 09: Airspace
Can you paramotor at an airport whose control tower is closed for the day or night? I’ve always understood that when a control tower closed, the airspace reverted from D to E. That would keep the entire surface area off limits to us without permission from the...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 22, 2019 | 09: Airspace
To a paramotor, everything is heavy. But this article concentrates on where you can expect airplane traffic including airliners, to fly relative to airports. We know to stay out of the airspace around large airports but must also be vigilant when simply nearby. The...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 22, 2019 | 09: Airspace, 10: Flying Anywhere
Powered paragliding can be done almost anywhere so careful choices must be made. You want to fly inside the dashed magenta lines? It’s easy in Class D (control tower) because there’s someone to ask. But what about airports like Truth Or Consequences (TCS)...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 22, 2019 | 09: Airspace, 10: Flying Anywhere
If you fly high, look out. A surprising amount of air traffic zips through airspace that we are allowed to use. Making matters worse is that we probably only see a fraction of the airplanes that pass within a mile of us. You can almost count on it that they...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 22, 2019 | 04: First Flight Prep, 12: Maintenance
Many, if not most, experienced instructors believe that synthetic oil is better for a number of reasons. Motocross riders have sworn by it for years and they regularly run their engines to death and back. But for those who travel, getting decent oil on the road is...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 21, 2019 | 34: Cool Places to Fly, Entertainment
People love to have fun everywhere and PPG certainly qualifies My impression of Iran, coming from the general news media, wasn’t one of people playing and having fun. In my head I knew better—that people are basically the same everywhere, and that most...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 21, 2019 | Log: Life
When giving up apparently is not an option Southwest Airlines First Officer Ingo had a dream. On his 44 acres of bucolic paradise, overlooking a wooded lake, he would build his future castle. And I don’t mean have it built, I mean build it himself, or at least...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 21, 2019 | 01 Training, 19: Risk & Safety
See also “Free Training In 50 States: Kurt Fister” It’s well established that skimping on training is a bad trade, especially the “Free Training” offers. Some may succeed but many more fail afterwards due to frustration, equipment damage...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 21, 2019 | 24: Weather in Depth
Really this is more for soaring pilots who look for the least little indication that a thermal may be about to “pop.” And if they’re low enough to be looking for these cues, they’re only a few dozen seconds from committing to landing. Chapter...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 21, 2019 | 01 Training, 26: The Wing
I get frequent questions about what glider is best for beginners. Training accidents show this to be a critical choice. Several trainees have died in accidents that would not have happened had they been flying benign, appropriately sized school wings. A good...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 21, 2019 | 13: Flying Cross Country
These are large versions of printable vector blanks for those who may enjoy a manual challenge. The one at right is a sample showing how the circle graph is used for calculating winds. This is decidedly old school in our environment where GPS’s inhabit...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 21, 2019 | 08: the Law
Most of us who fly these things are free spirits, we want to be able to go where we want, when we want. But what if you spook your neighbor’s million-dollar stallion into an injurious Rampage? Laws are civilization’s way of defining the boundaries between...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 21, 2019 | 25: Roots & Demographics
There is a complete chapter on PPG history but it ends when powered paragliding first started in the U.S. This fills in more detailed information and extends it. Those who have made a contribution to the sport in some significant way are included. If you know of any...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 21, 2019 | 16: Precision Flying, 18: Advanced Maneuvers, 19: Risk & Safety, 26: The Wing
It seems that wings are getting smaller so I thought it might time to explore their behaviors, risks and benefits. I, too, have come to love flying smaller sizes but there are, as always, tradeoffs. What we’re really talking about is flying heavily loaded. After...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 21, 2019 | 12: Maintenance, 27: The Motor Unit
Besides regular mechanical maintenance, treat your motor to low humidity storage, good fuel run through a filter and shade. The metal parts may not care about sun exposure but the harness sure does. Ours have ridden behind the Enterprise for years and show why...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 21, 2019 | 31: Traveling with Gear
This clever contraption by Johnson Qu may be the best platform I’ve seen for ease of carrying. It’s better than a the standard version because the frame tucks under a rail, negating the need for straps. You’d probably have a backup strap that also...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 21, 2019 | 31: Traveling with Gear
Crossing borders has problems lately, too. Pilots traveling to Mexico have reported being turned around because their craft are not registered and, even when they showed registration documents, the border guard wouldn’t let them through. Consult with locals...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 21, 2019 | 31: Traveling with Gear
Customs requirements for powered paragliding gear Getting gear across borders can be a hassle, even more so for those who are in the business. All a private individual has to do is show that it’s his and that he’s not selling the gear. That can be done...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 21, 2019 | 31: Traveling with Gear
Dave Moore wants to save his fuel for flying. Fortunately he doesn’t have very far to go so pedaling is acceptable propulsion. Although this one people-power motor doesn’t go very fast, it has good fuel economy–about 18 miles per pizza slice. He...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 21, 2019 | 15: Advanced Ground Handling
During Britton Shaw’s Endless Foot Drag near Fort Smith, AR, the wind blew a steady howl. It was nasty by beach standards but decent for the midwest. Importantly, it was steady enough to play, so play I did. Thanks to John DeFranco who recorded much of it...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 21, 2019 | 28: Accessories, 37 Maximizing Fun
Adding a soundtrack to flight makes the high that much higher. Few will dispute how music can evoke powerful emotions, amplify feelings and lift us to new heights. Movie makers spend millions perfecting the soundtrack—sucking the viewer farther into the experience....
by Jeff Goin | Apr 21, 2019 | 04: First Flight Prep, 12: Maintenance
Spreadsheet guru Glen Boyd started writing a quick & dirty sheet for calculating gas mixes for his own use. With a basic understanding of US & UK (Imperial) gallons, liters, and a Metric Converter calculator, he wanted to work out the conversion factors from,...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 21, 2019 | 04: First Flight Prep, 19: Risk & Safety
Chapter 19 covers emergencies that involve analysis, Chapter 4 covers emergencies that requiring more immediate, essentially automatic, action. Feeling unwanted wing turn just as you lift off, for example, is a Chapter 4 type immediate action emergency. Students...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 20, 2019 | 35: Preserving the Sport
It’s the hidden cost of going rogue. Besides ruining it for future generations of pilots, a rogue or thoughtless pilot can feel the wrath of society, too. As the case below reveals, authorities do sometimes intervene. Some interventions aren’t always even...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 20, 2019 | 35: Preserving the Sport
There are a number of ways to put powered paragliding in a good light. These can do a lot to counter the bad press that is, unfortunately, what the media tends to focus on. Here are some suggestions of things you can do although some may not be likely depending on...
