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Powered Paragliding,
Paramotoring, PPG - news
Jan 19/11 I am away from Jan 20 to Feb 5 - PPO will be closed. Sorry for the inconvenience and thanks for understanding. Jan 19/12 Everybody deserves Kangook!
Jan 13/11 Used complete package for sale. I am selling Nomad B paramotor with black devil engine - about 10 hrs on this paramotor. One of the strongest cages on the market. Black Devil is one of the most reliable engine on the PPG market. Nomad trike - pretty much brand spanking new - used twice Fides ECO paraglider size 28 - few years old but in good shape. Price $ 7500 + HST.
Andre Jan 13/11 Course dates for 2012 posted. http://www.poweredparaglidingontario.ca/news/availability.htm Jan 13/11 3 sold Kangook paramotors = three happy customers
Nov 27/11 Looking for cool gift for Xmas? Give Gift Certificate for 1 hour
or buy your flying husband Go Pro Helmet Hero camera. Regular price $ 349 on sale for now for $ 280
Nov 23/11 David has picked up his gear - Kangook LITE and Cima K2 by Sky Paragliders
Oct 12/11 Marty will receive his gear soon. Marty has completed my PPG course couple months back. He ordered ROS 125 engine in Kangook frame. Kangook Kuad and Sky Paraglider Fides 2. This pic is from RS ultra just before his Kuad will be packaged and shipped
Sep 23/11 Nice note from a friend of mine.
Sep 23/11 Fly in Stoney Creek - September 17/11 am and pm - write up by Mark I got a phone message from Andre on Friday evening telling me that Paul and Dan had arranged a fly-in at Stoney Creek – would I be interested in going early on Saturday morning? Of course! We arranged to meet at Andre's place at 6 am in order to arrive at the airfield by 7 am for some smooth early morning air. The drive took us about 40 mins after stopping at Tim Horton's for some coffee. There was a magnificent sunrise visible as we headed up the Niagara escarpment. Andre told me he had been doing a lot of early morning training recently and that this was a great time of day to get students in the air with no surprises. Hopefully we would be greeted with still air and good visibility when we arrived at the field. The first thing we did see was Dan and his camper.
He was busy setting up to cook breakfast already, and it wasn't even 7 am. He had everything ready to go; propane stove, frying pans, waffle maker, coffee machine. What a guy! I haven't seen Dan for a couple of years. He was a student with us a while back and has flown all sorts of contraptions. He also has a lot of toys; kites, buggies, RC models, motorbikes, paintball guns, and Dan likes to talk. In fact he will tell you, he is famous for it! So we talked for a while, catching up on what we had been up to since the last time we spoke, then I was keen to get in the air. Andre and I set up the Miniplanes, fuelling them up and laying out the wings. I was trying out Andre's K2 – a very light mountain glider that was incredibly easy to inflate. Andre was trying out Dan's Revo 2 reflex wing.
Supposedly it flies faster and is able to steer with wing tip steering. I took off first and Andre was up shortly afterward after struggling a little with the wings inflation characteristics. We were both in radio contact, so Andre wanted to test out the speed of the Revo 2 compared to the K2. We lined up, both went to brakes off and flew. The Revo 2 was definitely faster, but only by 5km/h or so. Not quite the super speeds we were expecting. Conditions were a bit windier at altitude compared with ground level, so we weren't really making much progress forwards.
After a few minutes battling the wind we headed back for a spot of breakfast courtesy of Dan - waffles with fruit, syrup and cinnamon sugar, bacon, sausages and coffee.
What a feast! Then after stuffing our faces it was time to fly again, although by now it was getting a bit windier and pretty bumpy at altitude.
Paul managed to pull off a great trick, picking up the windsock on take-off.
Fortunately it stayed lodged in his lines until he landed. Then the conditions got a little too strong and Andre and I headed back. We missed some smooth evening flying, but managed to get back in time for a few drinks and some goulash. _____________________ I would like to thank former student Paul B for organizing the event and to Ziggy for providing the karaoke entertainment and to Dan for making me an awesome breakfast. It was a great time seeing old students and friends again and meeting new ones. It was a blast!! Lets make it annual event. Andre Sep 22/11 Training with Don, Pat and Karan - September 18/11 pm. At five o'clock I arrive at the field and conditions are great. Pat is planning to fly more, Karan too and Don is hoping for couple of trike flights. I assemble the trike and ask Don to set it up. Meanwhile Karan and Pat are setting up their foot launch gear. OK. Pat is ready to go. Good inflation, nice take off. One is in the air. Now Don. I gave him 3 tries but Don does not have any control over the canopy what so ever during the inflation stage - in fact on one of the attempts he kept the power up even though the glider was already fallen which resulted in what PPG pilots call a trike turtle. Luckily there was no damage to equipment and the Nomad B and UNI trike are built like a brick shit house. I have decided to give Don a break and went to Karan. We have tried couple times but Karan lost all his skills. He would apply too much break after inflation, not kiting the glider properly. After several unsuccessful tries I gave him a break and went back to Don. Again, we have tried but unfortunately Don completely lacks control and does not listen and follow instructions well. The inflation attempts were uncontrolled and on last one he ended up throttling up with glider oscillating which ended up with trike flipping on the side. It took Don and me good few minutes to get him unstraped. Again luckily no damage to Don or trike. After this I told Don that I will not continue as his instructor and he is done. He simply does not have the required reaction time and also does not execute instruction well. His last flight few weeks back was and accident - it had nothing to do with his skills. As an instructor this is tough to do. But safety first and I believe with Don, it would be only matter of time before he would either destroy equipment or get injured. This can happen to any student in training. If I deem you to be dangerous to you self or others I will terminate you training. All students get a confirmation email and this is a paragraph that applies to this: "I make every possible effort to ensure the safety of all students, but it must be understood that due its characteristics, high adventure activities involve risk and are inherently dangerous relative to other recreational activities. I ask you to consider these facts when deciding whether or not to engage in these activities. The course is physically demanding, you should be in reasonably good physical condition. I reserve the right to limit or fully exclude any student's activities if I deem it necessary, as to ensure their safety or the safety of other students or pilots. I will make all final decisions." Meanwhile Pat landed and took off shortly after for another flight. With Pat flying and Don out of the picture I have focused on Karan. We tried several times again but no luck. I have to start treating PG pilots the same way I treat PPG beginners. Karan has 25 PG flight on his belt but he shows less skill then Pat who had no previous PG or PPG experience and that is often the case. From now on, all students with the exception of GA pilots holding recreational pilot licence or private pilot licence or commercial pilot license will pay full course fee like anybody else and I will refund unused portion of your course fee once you achieve 30 flights. After short break Karan tried again, good inflation, I gave him OK to apply power but he was very hesitant and lost valuable runway space. When he finally went to full power he was only 50 ft or so from the tall grass and as he started to speed up and run through the high grass his feet got caught and he fell and busted the prop. It was getting late. There was no time to mount another one and try again so we carried the equipment to the trailer. Pat landed and we packed up and went home. Not a very good day for two of my students but such is life. Sep 21/11 Scott came by to check out PPG - September 20/11 noon. Scott is a commercial pilot flying Embraer jet for Air Canada. He also owns full size plane that he keeps at the airpark in Grimsby at the air. As costs of fuel, insurance, hangar and certificate fees are going up more and more GA pilots are looking for alternatives. Scott discovered my web and wanted to chat and learn more about PPG. We had meeting on Tuesday at Peaks where he had a chance to ask bunch of questions related to powered paragliding and got to feel and run Miniplane on his back. He also purchased PPG Bible for some reading to get him started.
This is what he emailed day after: -----Original
Message----- Andre. Thank you for your time yesterday, the opportunity to look at the PPG equipment and the great experience of "putting on" one of your Mini-plane power plants. To say my mind has been abuzz ever since would be a gross understatement. I forwarded the pic you took of me to some of my airline friends and after a brief description of the sport and merits of it compared to other forms of flight they were very interested as I am. I am enjoying the well written book you provided me with and have been on the footflyer website as well. Much to learn but I feel blessed with a great teacher just down the street! I have in my mind a plan to do my training with you (and perhaps with the company of another of my pilot friends) in the early spring of next year as I believe this fall may be too early and likely not as conducive to reliable training weather. I may take a brief trip south this winter to experience para gliding and expose myself to the sport in the same fashion as I began my fixed wing flying experience. If you have a favorite school please let me know. Andre, you have a great attitude and refreshing exuberance about the sport and your experience level gives me comfort that I will come through your program as a well trained and safe PPG pilot. Sincerely Scott Sep 21/11 Training with Dave - September 18/11 am. Mat Dave at 7 am at the field but it was covered by thick layer of fog. Oh grrrr not again. Any time I see this layer of fog and know the grass is completely soaked. We drove to the hangars where is a patch of cement that is good to lay out the glider as not to get too wet.
Dave got ready. Inflation but the air is so damp an, zero wind that he can not get the glider up. We re align and try again, same thing. Then I notice that very faint breeze is coming from SE. We walk to the edge of the runway and set up. Great inflation, glider locked in, power and Dave is in the air but just as he starts to climb I notice that his engine does not sound like it supposed to, I tell David on radio and tell him not to try to turn around and sure enough he cannot maintain the climb and lands shortly after. Hmmm weird, Pat was using that motor night before and it was working fine. I check the carb screw and it looks like it is quite lean. So readjust and try again. Dave is ready, glider up and locked in,. power and again the engine does not achieve full power. Dave lands again. OK, lets switch machines. By now the glider CIMA K 2 know for very light canopy is soaked and weighs 3 times as much. Dave tries another inflation with second motor but can not get the wet canopy up. O.K.. Lets do assisted forward. This is where I grab student's harness by the front strap and help them to pull the glider up. That worked and Dave is in the air drying the canopy. After about 20 min it is time to land. Glider is dry, wind has picked up so it should be pretty easy now. Sure enough. Dave flies flight after flight, learning the figure 8 descending pattern and other flight strategies. He also does several touch and go's.
By 10 am he has 11 flights under his belt to total 34. He is done! Congratulations Dave on completing the practical part of our PPG course. __________________________________________________________________________ Older news 95 94 93 92 91 90 89 88 87 86 85 84 83 82 81 80 79 78 77 76 75 74 73 72 71 70 69 68 67 66 65 64 63 62 61 60 59 58 57 56 55 54 53 52 51 50 49 48 47 46 45 44 43 42 41 40 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 |
