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Tips and Tricks

BY

 Bob Armond And John Phillips

• TRY TO STAY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AIR. DO NOT GO NEAR THE EDGES OF IT. THE EDGES OF THE AIR CAN BE RECOGNIZED BY THE APPEARANCE OF GROUND, BUILDINGS, SEA, TREES AND THE INTERSTELLAR SPACE. IT IS MUCH MORE DIFFICULT TO FLY THERE.
   
• WHEN A CRASH SEEMS INEVITABLE, ENDEAVOR TO STRIKE THE SOFTEST, CHEAPEST OBJECT IN THE VICINITY AS SLOW AND GENTLY AS POSSIBLE!
   
• IF THE WING IS TRAVELING FASTER THAN THE FUSELAGE, IT'S PROBABLY A HELICOPTER--AND THEREFORE, UNSAFE OR A PARAGLIDER IN A DECENT AND VERY SAFE.
   
• DO NOT WORRY, WHEN AN ENGINE FAILS ON A POWERED PARAGLIDER, THERE IS ALWAYS ENOUGH ENERGY LEFT TO GET TO THE CRASH SITE.
   
• WHEN LEARNING TO FLY, NEVER TRADE LUCK FOR SKILL.
   
• BETTER THAN NOTHING BUT, REMEMBER THAT WEATHER FORECASTS ARE JUST HOROSCOPES WITH NUMBERS.
   
• A SMOOTH PPG FOOT LAUNCH IS MOSTLY LUCK, TWO IN A ROW IS ALL LUCK; THREE IN A ROW IS PREVARICATION.
   
• POWERED PARAGLIDING HAS A PERFECT RECORD, WE HAVE NEVER LEFT ONE UP THERE.
  AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST:
• I AM OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER WHEN SEX WAS SAFE AND FLYING WAS DANGEROUS!
   

Rules to live by for the conservative powered paraglider pilot:

1. Fly within two hours of sunrise and not before 1.5 hours before sunset.
2. Do not fly when storms are approaching and wait until 12 hours after they pass before flying.
3. Check the weather at 1-800-wxbrief before each and every flight.
4. If things have changed at your local take off site from normal, such as a different wind direction, think twice about flying that day.
5. Fly with good quality equipment that has been inspected within the year and preflight your paramotor each and every flight.
6. Never fly low around canyons, mountains, buildings or any obstacles when there is wind.
7. Fly with a landing zone pick out and within reach of your paragliders glide ratio only. Always be prepared to land unexpectedly!
8. Fly high above all water, so that you can reach land at all times with your glide ratio alone (not with the engine).
9. Use two foot ball fields in size, as a basis to pick your take off site and avoid all take off sites that require you to climb above objects to reach safety (trees, buildings etc.).
10. Triple check that all items on your person are tied up and put away before each flight.
11. Start the paramotor only when it is on your back and yell clear and check your surroundings before starting it.
12. Do not fly after drinking alcohol.
13. Do not fly when pissed off at your wife or girl friend.
14. Do not pass near your glider when the paramotor is running.
15. Never reach near or close to the moving prop blade.
16. Use hearing, eye and good feet/angle protection.
17. Fly with a cell phone.
18. Tell someone when and where you’re going to fly, if flying alone.
19. Fly only with DHV 1 or 1/2 tested gliders that are in your proper body weight including the paramotor, your body weight and the maximum gas weight you will be caring.
20. Keep a small amount of brake pressure on at all times to keep the glider full pressurized.
21. Make smooth, slow, non-jerky hand movements, so as not to stall and spin the glider.
22. Never fly slow close to the ground, unless dead into the wind and low enough to flare and land if necessary.
23. Always carry a reserve parachute.
24. Inspect your glider prior to each flight with both your eyes and running the lines thru your fingers to feel for breaks in the outer casings.
25. Allow the glider to speed up and come in fast prior to flaring and landing.
26. Always come in straight and level, below 25 feet try and not turn anymore.
27. Avoid clouds at all costs, as they can be turbulent, wet and and cause very large uncontrolled lift.
28. Never fly near the ocean when the wind is off shore (wind is leaving land).
29. Never touch your glider to anything once in flight, as it will collapse with any item touching it like a tree, pole, another glider etc...
30. Give yourself a minimum of two full wings spans between two gliders in flight.
31. Look at the other pilots legs prior to turning and indicate your turns prior to turning with your legs. Turn only when both pilots are aware of the next move.
32. The down wind pilot needs to be the highest flying glider to avoid mechanical turbulence from other gliders.
33. Keep take off wind speeds to a maximum of 10 mph inland and 12 mph at the beach.
34. Wind speed changes of 5 mph within 5 seconds are not to be flown as this indicates very turbulent skies.
35. Check the dash board on your car, if it is hot to the touch the thermals have started set off.
36. Ground handle your glider without a harness, if it is too difficult or too strong to hold, think twice about not flying at that time.
37. If you think you can make it over an object, do not try to cross over it, as you MUST know you can make it.
38. Avoid flying over churches, schools, groups of people, as not to bother them with the paramotor noise.
39. Never allow your glider to slam down on the cells (leading edge) as this can do internal unseen damage to the cell walls.
40. Never fly without a paramotor!

The following are ideas to make the flying of Powered Paragliders
easier and safer and more fun:

If you fly from a grassy area in the early morning the ground may be wet with dew. Use the warm up time on your motor to blow dry the area where you will lay out your wing. While this will not actually dry the area it will break the water drops loose and allow faster drying to occur.

Don't like rolling or folding your wing at the end of the day? Buy a 40 gallon rubber tub to store your wing in. Always put the back side (trailing edge) of the wing in first so that the trapped air can escape out the front cell openings. Another great way to put your wing away quickly is to use a cinch sack. This is a round flat sack with a cinch string, just put your glider in the middle and pull up the string for a fast clean packing of your glider.

Having problems standing up after you put your motor on? Instead of sitting it on the ground and then sliding into your harness try setting the motor on
top of a small box (how about the rubber one you put your wing in?). You can then put the harness on like a jacket and need only bend at the waist to pick the motor up and fasten your leg straps.

Are you starting to notice wear on your steering line where it passes through the pulley? Apply a coating of bees wax - not candle wax. The wax will seal the line's sheath and act a lubricant reducing wear. This works well on the starter pulls cords as well, but apply a smaller amount so as not to gum up the cord receiver.

What would you do if you were in flight and found that your kill switch malfunctioned? You could land with power on but what if you still wanted to be able to kill your engine first. How could you? If you have a foam air filter on your carburetor you could reach back and crush the filter down on top of the carb. If you can find the fuel line you could pinch and hold it cutting off the fuel flow to the engine, or if your have a primer bulb a good squeeze will flood the engine and kill it. These are only a few of several possible solutions. You must find the one that will work with your motor configuration

No wind or light and variable wind forward launches are the most difficult. Even the slightest breeze can aid a launch if you take off directly into it. How can you tell what direction the wind is coming from under these conditions? The smoke from a cigarette works great as does a handful of grass thrown into the air.

When flying in close proximity to other pilots it is a good idea to use hand signals to alert the other pilots when you are about to turn. Just stick your arm out in the direction you are going to turn. You do not even need to let go of your steering toggle. Another way is for all pilots to use the weight shift leg indicator, in which a turning pilot indicates his turn by placing one leg over another and turn his head towards the other pilot and waiting for that pilot to do the same prior to turning.

Put a bottle of clear nail polish in your field repair box. The polish is great for temporary repairs to nicked props. The nail polish dries quickly, is very hard and holds well. Plus you can put in on in layers to build up a deep nick. Lastly it sands out very easily when you are ready to make a permeate repair.

If you are getting a layer of slime on your prop from the exhaust, use a little baby oil on a rag, as this will clean the slime right off quickly.

When flying without a wind sock or flags7 in view you can use many items to indicate wind direction from the sky:

1. Birds- they always take off and land into the wind.
2. Smoke- this will travel down wind and give you a good idea of wind strengths as well.
3. Trees- many times you will see trees that are leaning in one direction indicating the typical wind direction for that area.
4. Water- wind will leave ripples in the water showing down wind direction.

Drifting- find a spot, fence or line on the ground and ease your throttle down to an idle, watch your drift in relationship this spot as you drift towards it, this will tell you which way is down wind. Sometimes you need to make two pass's both direction to make sure of your drift.

Props- Keep them level & horizontal when storing them to keep them in balance. You can buy a inexpensive prop balancer from companies like Beres/herst for around $30.00 to check and repair the balance. An out of balance prop will not only make your flying experience less enjoyable, but it will also cause many items on your engine to start breaking especially your exhaust.

Empty your pockets prior to flying and tie away anything that may come loose like a cell phone. When you fly out in the open like we do, anything you loose will generally go into your prop.

When flying for any significant time period most pilots will get thirsty from the constant wind in their faces. A easy solution is to put on a gatorback water carrier, this give you access to a drink without loosing your brakes and acts as an additional cushion for the harness.

Tuning of your paramotor can be treacherous.  I have found that tying the paramotor to a tree or deck to ensure the unit can not move, can greatly increase the safety during the tuning process. Make sure all items are clear of the moving prop, as many a new pilot has lost a prop due to a harness strap/rock being sucked in the prop during tuning.

 When transporting a clutch based paramotor behind a truck, make sure you tie the prop to keep it from free spinning and being destroyed.

A closable fishing pole can be used to hold a wind sock and can be carried in the harness of your paramotor for ease of transportation.

The carabiners we use on our paramotors are very safe and strong, but it is a good idea to replace them every two years, as this is cheap price for peace of mind.

It is a good idea to inspect your paraglider often. One way to do this is to place the lines in between your fingers and use your feel along with your eyes to find any faults in the outer casings or the lines themselves.

When unsure of the wind strengths and wether it is a good idea to fly, try ground handling the paraglider without a harness. This way you do not risk being drugged if a gust comes in hard you can just release the glider for your safety. If you are unable to control the glider without a harness you may want to rethink flying at that time.

When getting ready to start your paramotor use extreme caution in securing the

paramotor in more then one place, such as with your hands and with your knees placed firmly in the harness against the frame (never hold a cage part). It is also a good idea to yell out clear prop and check your surroundings for people, animals etc.. before starting the paramotor.

When priming the paramotor lean the carb towards the ground so any excess gas flows away from the engine as opposed to towards it and flooding the motor.

Often many pilots fly alone and it is a good idea to tell someone when your launching, where your launching, which direction you intend to fly and what time you will call them by after landing. This ensures someone can send help in the right direction if you do not call when agreed upon.

If in the event you launch and have found a problem with your brake toggles (twisted or locked up), don't panic just reach up and take the rear risers (make sure they are the rear risers closest to the trailing edge) at the links and use this as your method to turn and to flair.

If you find you are flying in wind with such strength, that you are flying backwards in relationship to the ground, don't panic just reduce power and lower your altitude. Then you release some brake tension to speed up the glider and look to see that your intended landing area is clear of obstacles.  Continue to descend, if your are still flying backwards close to the ground release the trimmers on your risers (at the same time) to add extra speed  and try adding a little throttle to give you forward motion but not lift upwards, grab your rear risers to use to collapse the glider when touching down (as this is more positive then the brakes in super high winds).

Never get near your glider with the paramotor when it is running, as they can suck the glider in and do a lot of damage fast. Remember they are vacuums along with air pushers.

Use a cooler to carry your gas and funnels in if transporting the paramotor within your car, as this will seal the fumes inside the container.