Airparamo Newsletter, November 2003, Issue 4

In This Issue: Welcome! Check It Out Notices Calendar First Solos Flight Reports Safety Tips Equipment Review More Info: Newsletter Archive Airparamo AZPPG, where Arizona paramotor pilots hang out. AZPPG Photo Album The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who, in their grueling travels across trackless lands in prehistoric times, looked enviously on the birds soaring freely through space, at full speed, above all obstacles, on the infinite highway of the air. — Wilbur Wright It's the most exciting thing you have ever done with your pants on! — Stephen Coonts, 'Flight of the Intruder' "Just try and remember," I said slowly," that if God had intended men to fly He'd have given us wings. So all flying is flying in the face of nature. It's unnatural, wicked and stuffed with risks all the time. The secret to flying is learning to minimize the risks." "Or perhaps -- the secret of life is to choose your risks?" — Gavin Lyall, 'Shooting Script,' 1966. Flying is a lot like playing a musical instrument; you're doing so many things and thinking of so many other things, all at the same time. It becomes a spiritual experience. Something wonderful happens in the pit of your stomach. — Dusty McTavish		Welcome to Our Fourth Newsletter! Pink and Blue It's nice to quickly share exciting and timely information with you about paramotoring in Arizona. In this edition, we have lots of great information to share with you, including recent pilot outings, upcoming fly-ins, first solo flights, equipment reviews, industry highlights, new products, used equipment for sale, safety tips, visiting pilots, and lots more. Fall, Winter, and Spring are the best times of the year to get out flying in Arizona. The nice temperatures and smooth morning and afternoon winds are great for flying. If you are planning to get started with PPG's, this is the time to do it. If you would like to see any information in these newsletters, including a small write-up, articles, information or photos, please email them to us. Just Hanging Out To unsubscribe from this newsletter, follow the easy instructions at the bottom of the page. See you in the air! Mo Sheldon Advanced Flight Instructor, ASC Certified 602-692-7995 Check It Out AZPPG Tees Our local club has put together some really cool shirts. They are $20 each. All funds of Tee sales go to support club activities. Here are the designs: Two Strokes - The newest, controversial design. Available only in white in sizes M, L, XL, and XXL. Gravity Sucks - The classic design. Available only in ash grey only in sizes L and XL. We were on TV! Check out this cool video clip that appeared on the Morning Weekend Edition on September 13, 2003 on Channel 12 News. You will need a RealOne video player to watch this clip. Here is another version you can save to your computer. Notices Speeding to PRA 167 in a 50 Watch your speed on the last stretch of road to PRA (the Casa Grande/Maricopa Highway). Apparently the cops are out in droves and will ticket you going even a few miles over the posted speed limit of 50 mph. I understand Richard Ankrom and Mike T. have gotten some ugly tickets. Keep it slow or use a fuzz buster. Mark Your Calendar November 8 - AZPPG Informal Fly-In A chance to see and fly with lots of other PPG pilots. From 3pm until after sunset. December 4-7 - Pacific Expositions in the Phoenix Civic Plaza. I will be displaying a 10' x 10' booth showing equipment, photos, and videos. I have some free passes that will be going on a first come basis. What's Up To find where local pilots will be flying, check out the AZPPG Bulletin Board. Also be sure to visit the AZPPG Calendar for more on big fly-ins. First Solos Mike S. Solo We can now welcome our newest addicts-to-be. A big Congrats to Roger Fuller for his first solo flight as pilot in his trike PPG on October 15, 2003 out at McCartney field and to Mike Silsbee for his first solo flight as a pilot in his footlaunch PPG on October 28, 2003 at PRA. Both had beautiful takeoffs and landings. My helmet is off to both of them on these big accomplishments. Shining Dennis out at McCartney In addition, a big congrats to Dennis Gauthier for his achievement to become a Basic Flight Instructor (BFI) with Aero Sports Connection (ASC). Also, I have now become an Advanced Flight Instructor (AFI) with ASC. Flight Reports Gravity Doesn't Suck By Mo Sheldon, on October 21, 2003 Every now and then, about every month or so, I'll do a landing that is so feather soft, I can not tell I have landed. It is a VERY odd sensation... to not know if you really landed or are just imagining suspended levitation on the ground. I can not categorize this as a controlled crash (as how many pilots refer to landings). Even calling such an event a landing sounds too harsh. More... Copperstate a Blast By Mo Sheldon, on October 14, 2003 What a nice time that was! I would go as far as saying I had about the nicest time I have had at any fly-in yet. The weather was excellent, but a hot in the middle of the day, and the rains on Thursday helped to keep the dust down. More... Weekend Flying Report By Bill Rowe, on October 26, 2003 Bill Cruisin' Yesterday morning at McCartney was very nice. A slight breeze and a zero on the bump scale. There was a pack of five coyotes crossing the east circle of grass. I chased and played with the coyotes for several minutes until I saw Bill on the roads between the cotton fields. He was flying down the roads like he was driving a car, it looked like a whole lot of fun so I left the coyotes and followed Bill. We waved at some people out for a morning walk by the golf course south of the LZ. After reaching the DQ we headed back to the LZ where I climbed up to 2k AGL and killed the engine. Total flight was 40 minutes. After gliding down to 50 AGL I decided that was not enough so I restarted the engine and told Bill that I was heading north. Bill landed and visited with some RC'ers. I headed north to the rest stops then east a couple miles and slowly wondered back to the LZ. My total time in the air was 1 hour, 45 minutes. In an hour Dennis and I are heading to McCartney. Now that I can only fly on the weekends I need to make the most out of the few times I can get air so I will fill up the tank and take the strobe along. If the winds are kind I will head to PRA and hopefully land 30 minutes after sunset. San Carlos, Mexico Report By Mo Sheldon, on October 29, 2003 Last weekend I accompanied a group of 34 people heading down to San Carlos, Mexico for a scuba diving trip. It was my hope to offer tandem flights on the beach to the divers on their free time. Cruisin' San Carlos Unfortunately, the winds were very uncooperative: either none at all, or blowing the wrong direction, or blowing like 30 miles an hour. Also my take-off and landing area (the beach) was trashed from a hurricane they had a few weeks prior. I only did 2 tandem flights and 2 solo flights in 3 days. More... See Your Report Here If you would like to submit a flight report for this newsletter, with a small write-up or photos, please email them to us. Safety Tips Spinning Blades by Mo Sheldon The purpose of this article is to inspire pilots to be more aware of the safety issues involved with the spinning disc of blades that enable us to fly. Propellers are one of the most basic ingredients that allow us to get and stay in the air. Basically, a propeller is nothing more than an efficient air pump designed to move lots of air in one direction. Because air has mass, the resulting force is a push in the opposite direction. To generate enough force to enable us to fly, lots and lots of air must be moved. The blast of air behind the prop can exceed 90 mph. And this means the prop blades must spin very fast. To illustrate this, PPG props will spin up to around 3000 rpms, which means the prop tips are cruising at several hundred mph. Sunrise Warm Up As a pilot I am keenly aware that a quickly spinning prop will do lots of damage if it contacts something other than a fluid like air or water. Even small, coarse rocks encountering a spinning prop can quickly become little projectiles. Anything larger than a grain of sand can lead to a dangerous situation and can quickly lead to lots of damage or a disaster. But the greatest danger is having physical contact with a spinning prop. Coming in contact with a spinning prop will not be something your body will like to much, with a high possibility of major injury or even death. I have yet to have an encounter with a spinning prop, and I attribute this entirely to my enormous respect for them. And I do my best to past this wisdom on to my students: not one prop incident yet. But, I personally know many PPG pilots with hand injuries from contacting a spinning prop. Here's a rundown of the patterns I practice to keep me safe around a propeller attached to a motor. Start Me Up If the motor has an electric starter, make sure the master switch is set to 'off' before handling the prop, motor, or cage. Only when you are ready to start the engine, flip the master switch on. Before starting a motor with a prop, always announce "Clear" or "Clear Prop". When you decide to start a motor with a prop attached, brace the frame in a safe place and always have the throttle controls in or within close reach or in your hand. Keep yourself and onlookers at least 40 feet away from the sides of a spinning prop. If anything goes into the prop (like a loose bolt or an unsecured radio) or the prop spontaneously explodes, everything will be flung in the same direction as the prop spins. Try not to hand prop start a motor. I will opennly admit, on occasion I will do this myself. I believe hand propping can be done safely, but only with the utmost respect for the prop and the right preparations, technique, and mind-set. If you decide to do this, at a minimum make sure the motor is properly braced, such as on a trike, with someone else holding it, or bolted down to a stationary place (like a test device or tow hitch). Also, I never prop start a motor alone. Always have a knowledgable person holding the throttle control to quickly turn the engine off if needed. And most importantly, if you have doubts about hand propping, seek out the help of someone with experience before you try it. On motor units with a clutch, try to never touch the prop when the motor is on. An exception is making carburetor adjustments on engines with less than 20 horsepower. One way to safely do this is to tightly hold or brace the stationary prop while the motor idles and you adjust the carburetor. If the motor were to unexpectedly spin up, you will be holding a non-spinning prop and you will have the needed time to safely move away. In conclusion, maintaining enormous respect for propellers and developing consistent patterns regarding prop safety is one of the keys to keeping flying a joy. But most importantly, lets go fly. Clear Prop! Equipment Review Fly Products Power Jet A very lightweight, extremely small portable with a complete cage breakdown for an easy carriage. At only 48 pounds dry, the 80cc Top80 motor boasts a very low weight and fuel consumption with adequate thrust for lighter pilots. Also, the addition of a centrifugal clutch allows the propeller to stand still at idle for safer inflations.
Airparamo does not trade, sell or give any of your information to anybody! We also value our privacy. If you would like to submit information for this newsletter, please email your request to us. 602-692-7995    info@airparamo.com ©2003 Airparamo

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