Powered Paragliding (PPG) Lessons In Progress

OtisAir

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OtisAir
:thumbsup::thumbsup: Day 4 today for PPG lessons. This is WAY cool! I think the rain in the Reading / Philly area today will keep the training on the ground and in the classroom, but this is is so cool! Very good exercise too.

I'm a believer now that lessons are a must. I thought (before I started) that I may be able to teach myslef. I know now that learning would have taken a looooooooong time and probably a lot of dollars on repairs. Flying in 3 to 5 days of training and knowing what to do (including emergency procedures) is a much better way to progress.

Hopefully I'll have a camera mount rigged up to my helmet so I can share some vids. PM me if you fly PPG's in the SE PA area and perhaps we do some flying.

Slugfest coming up in Shippensburg PA on labor day weekend. It's a PPG flyin at the Shippensburg airport. Should be a blast!
 
So is this one of those trike deals or the backpack mounted 2-stroke with a paragliding harness?
 
Cool. Those look like fun. Might want to mount the camera to something other than your head, most people look around enough where head mounted stuff is nauseating. Put some though into where the lines go and when when figuring out where to put the camera.
 
PS also remember having a camera on changes behavior(your own, not always for the better.)
 
btw my friend has a barely used one he wants to sell (backpack version) if anyone is interested
 
It's the backpack motor type (2 stroke). I"m loving the training thus far and is honestly great exercise. We had rain all day today and perhaps tomorrow but hopefully I'll get a few flights in this weekend.

I've seen chest strap camera mounts online. I'm gonna have to find something to get some photo's. I'll post them of course when I do. :)
 
Hey Ya'll -

I've been taking paragliding lessons for the last 5 days and had my first 2 actual flights on Friday and one yesterday before the winds got too squarely to fly in as a beginner.

Here are my first 3 flights so far. I added a little description of what I "thought" happened. :D

First flight http://www.vimeo.com/14155080

Second Flight http://www.vimeo.com/14155943

Third Flight http://www.vimeo.com/14156905

Hope You Enjoy Them,

Shane
 
OK I am dense when it comes to ppg but would it be silly to suggest parking the vehicles along the side of the strip instead of along the intended path of flight? (ref. vid 1)
That could have really hurt!

edit ah I see that to be fixed in vid 2. Looks like you had a blast.
 
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Wow,.. looks like a lot of fun, but sure will take some practice!! can you post some info on your canopy and system? Cost or websites? Really cool.
 
Hey Dave - I must admit that my departure run contained a 60 degree arcing turn to the right so it was totally my fault but I honestly didn't even realize it at the time. I was pretty much a bag of cargo with a stuck throttle because I had a locking hold of it and wasn't letting go. I'm glad to report that I had awareness of the next departures. :)

Rob - the wing is a Paratoys 33 wing and I think is about $1900.00 new. I bought it from another student that had a work injury and didn't get to continue training. The motor is the school's as is the rest of the gear. I'm estimating the total cost of ownership is around $5000.00 if you don't buy the most expensive brand of each component.

My instructor (Kevin at FlyLikeThis.com) will give you about a thousand dollars off on gear if you train with him and purchase your gear from him. The costs (so you can see it in writing) is on his website.

It's amazingly cool!
 
Shane that bean field landing had me spewing coffee on my key board. Look like tons of fun. How awesome would that be if you could get the fan in the Viking Witch and bring it to WV62 man that would be some beautiful tree top flying fun in that at WV62. I'll have to hook you up with an attorney I know who flies PPGs in the quakertown area. He says he has been up to about 8K but his favorite flying is with his toes just skimming over the tops of the corn stalks.
 
(With a high squeaky voice): Looks uncomfortable to me... but fun. :eek: I'd need a lawn chair.
 
For even more fun, find a hill and ditch the motor... :D
 
Nice Job Shane. Are engine outs common with those things?

I've heard 2 strokes (which is the one I was using) do have reliability issues. I think what it was though, was the "kill switch". I think there is a ground somewhere in the circuit; happened to me twice now. After the first engine out (this one video'd), we trouble-shot down to the kill switch and thought we fixed it. The instructor took it for a trip around the pattern and all seemed well. Then it was my turn again, I took off westbound this time, got .56 miles on departure and it shut down again. Both times I think the engine was doing what it was told - to shut down.

The combo throttle, PTT, kill-switch, and electric start (when present) are mostly home-made so, although I'm hoping to get a flight in that lasts longer than 3 minutes sometime, I'm not turned off by PPG'in. Just one of those things I suppose. I've ordered my paramotor and know what I'll be double and triple checking for now. :)

Any mechanical savy folks want to give me a quote for a throttle, PTT, kill-switch, low fuel light, and electric start home made device for Powered Paragliders? Here is just an example of what they might look like. I'd want the actual throttle ("C" pictured below) a bit shorter so it just covered my pinky and 2nd finger.


fly5.jpg
 
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"I'm so happy I had luck on my side. Given the choice I would have rather shaved a wildcat's behind with a broken coca-cola bottle than land inside of....well, just watch! "

Holy crap....I just spewed water all over my General Engineering Consultant reviews.....

Way to "tuck" the gear up and clear the p/u truck!

Looks like fun stuff....not sure I have the landing gear for it
 
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your first landout?

did the wind quit?? :)
 
yep that is the general wisdom in glider flying. although cows are stupid and curious, i wouldn't want to land in a cow pasture. i hear they like the taste of airplane fabric (and probably parachute fabric too!)
 
Seems like a non-event when you're already wearing a parachute... :D
But it must really reinforce the idea that you have to think about where you are flying that thing... you won't be gliding very far.
 
Seems like a non-event when you're already wearing a parachute... :D

I suppose really it was (a non event), but as a PPG newbie, my mind is still realtime or slightly behind, instead of being in front by a minute or so... I'm working on muscle memory (correct pressure for the flare, correct pressure for X bank angle, and so forth). I didn't panic and don't think I even said anything after it got quiet, but still my heart raced a little. :crazy:

Can't wait for the next flight. Shipppensburgh (Pennsyvlania) has a big PPG Fly-in this weekend for those not up at 6Y9. Don't know how/if the weather will change any of their plans. I see winds up to 18 mph so there won't be any newbie flying for sure.
 
Great videos! Thanks for recording and sharing them! And good job handling the engine out.
 
Shane, what's the "brakes" you keep referring to in the written video narrative?

"still didn't apply added pressure on the brakes for departure. Got nervous when storing the brakes to get in the seat"
 
Shane, what's the "brakes" you keep referring to in the written video narrative?

"still didn't apply added pressure on the brakes for departure. Got nervous when storing the brakes to get in the seat"

Brakes are the lines that go to the trailing edge of the wing and the only ones that have dedicated "handles". You'll see me holding one handle in each hand. The line from the handle (Brake), spreads out to several lines that attach to the trailing edge of the wing from one end to the other. you can think of Powered Paragliding Brakes as (loosely) flaps on a fixed wing aircraft. When I start my departure run in a PPG, after I feel the wing producing lift and just before it lifts me off the ground, I add a little bit more pressure to the brakes which increases the lift and the whole kit climbs higher. Too much brake does just what it's called, and slows the wing down causing a decrease in lift, and a descent begins. When landing, just before flying (or gliding) into the ground, you slowly pull the brake handles down just below shoulder height and continue the downward trend on the brakes by pushing the brakes all the way down as far as your arms will stretch out. This causes a flare during the last few feet (lets call it the last 10 feet of altitude). When done right (start at correct altitude agl, into the wind, etc), the will stop your forward momentum, descent, and flight all at the same time and you'll merely take a step foreward as if walking down a single stair.

You also use brakes to turn similar to flying fixed wing. If you want to turn left, you pull left brake to "bend" the trialing edge of the left side of the wing down and slow the forward progress. The right side of the wing is still moving the same speed as before and therefore turns left. Same goes (but opposite) for right turns. This is a really simplified description of the use of the brakes but hopefully you'll get the just of what I think I'm saying :)

I haven't got pefect landing proficeincy yet, although I have landed several times now on my feet and stayed there. :)

YouTube will do a much better job than I on describing the use of brakes on a PPG or PG. I truly love this new (to me) form of flight. It's amazing how different it is. I figured with 1300 hours and change flying fixed wing, I'd be used to the perspective, but it's not even close. Wind blowing by, whine of a 2 stroke, slow climbs and micro meteorology. It's really fun, honestly.

The collapse that you asked about must have been sheer or starting an intentional full stall too close to the ground. That is way beyond my capability right now so I think I'd do the situation injustice by speculating. If it was inentional (and many times they are but at higher altitudes), the pilot just made a bad decision to start it at the chosen altitude. I'd want 8 or 9 thousand feet below me to do that at this point.
 
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Makes perfect sense (brake explanation); thanks!

I've spent a lot of time thinking about (and reading about) PPC trikes... there's a place just south of me where I can get checked out in them.
 
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Flights 16, 18 and 19 says page not found. Only Flight 17 was viewable. Looks like fun stuff. Is Beth gonna learn?
 
Beth is going to try a tandem flight first. I hope she does learn so we can go flying around the area and up and down the beach.

Just Fixed The Video Links Above. Thanks again Adam :)
 
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Is there an Admin in the house?

Rated now in PPG (Powered Paragliding) and PG (Paragliding) and have a bunch of friends that pilot these who also enjoy chatting about it, as we do here with our fixed winged aircraft.


If there is an interest among the PPG pilots, is it possible to create a branch on POA for them? Are there costs associated? Is the "PPG Branch" linkable, meaning can I put a link up on our flying site to go directly to the PPG branch? Please advise and I'll find out if there is an interest to do so.

Thanks in advance,

Shane
 
Shane - cool!

I've been following the yahoo group of the regional hang glider and paraglider pilots down in arkansas and oklahoma. One guy in a paraglider there had a fantastic summer with many 50-100 mile cross country flights.
 
One of Mrs. Steingar's friends lives adjacent to a field where they instruct in hang gliders. I think I have the bug. Didn't lite on sailplanes, but the hang gliders look way, way cool.
 
There are so many types of flying that I did not know about before joining POA. Thanks for posting about this wonderful activity though I don't know if I would be too scared to try it.

Awesome video.
 
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