Jan Coombes Posted January 8, 2005 Posted January 8, 2005 I am toying with the idea of getting a paramotor, does anyone have one? What are the laws about flying one? Can I just take of in my back garden fly to the pub or is it not that simple? Quote
david matthias Posted January 8, 2005 Posted January 8, 2005 Hi Jan Have you any experience with paragliding? I have been paragliding on & off for a few years & can put you in touch with a few good companies/people. DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS WITHOUT PROPER INSTRUCTION/TRAINING it would be a shame to loose a fellow westfield owner in a paragliding/paramotoring accident. There is quite a bit of legislation regarding paramotoring but not sufficient to let it put you off. It is still probably the most cost efficient route into powered flying & easily the most portable & stored just a bit of garage space for the motor & a bit of rodent free space for the wing & harness. My wing & harness is currently stored under a bench seat in the office. You will find that the weather conditions required to fly are quite specific & can be frustrating to locate but the buzz from being in control of your own flying machine be it powered or not is great. Drop me a line & I will fix you up with the necessary contacts. For the sake of repeating myself please do not try this on your own. But if you do get into flying you wont regret it David Quote
Mark B Posted January 8, 2005 Posted January 8, 2005 Pardon my ignorance, are these similar to microlights David? Cheers, Mark. Quote
adhawkins Posted January 8, 2005 Posted January 8, 2005 Amazing what a quick search will turn up Andy Quote
Jan Coombes Posted January 8, 2005 Author Posted January 8, 2005 I know it looks cool, Never done it before. I did a tandon sky dive a few year back, and I got to fly the shoot for a bit, that's it. The Girl friends father's shooting friend , put the idea in my head. Could I fly to work in London on it it's only about 30 miles as the bird flys, land on the roof, how cool would that be. Quote
adhawkins Posted January 8, 2005 Posted January 8, 2005 Could I fly to work in London on it it's only about 30 miles as the bird flys, land on the roof, how cool would that be. Errr...almost certainly not, no. Andy Quote
Mark B Posted January 8, 2005 Posted January 8, 2005 Lol, I can see the 10 o' clock news report now.... Man is arrested after flying into Heathrows flightpath on his way to work! Quote
Neil Purdie Posted January 8, 2005 Posted January 8, 2005 Aeronautical Information Circular Its a bit out of date, but the main limitations are still the same IIRC. Page 2. Schedule 3. The majority of London is covered as Terminal Manouvering Areas and flight paths, meaning that you would be prohibited from flying. Plus your not allowed within 1Km horizontal of a gathering of 1000 people ( whats the population of London) or 500 foot vetrical from anybody or thing except when taking off, landing or ridge soaring. Class F + G airspace is open to EVERYBODY with certain restrictions ( You will get nervous if you see a helicopter or military jet around ) Paragliding and hang gliding have a very small operating window for take off and landing with respect to wind speed and direction. For a powered glider the mimimum wind speed is zero, but the max is still similar. Non turbulent air is a must ( the canopies are very light and are not rigid ) flying near buildings / large trees and ridge lines of hills can be dangerous. Landing in your garden? I think not..... Hope that helps. Neil. Quote
david matthias Posted January 8, 2005 Posted January 8, 2005 Hi All Some web addresses for you to look at. They should help you get a good idea of what is all about. www.bhp.co.uk governing body for the foot launch community one of your starting points has its own monthly magazine skywings contains all of the contacts you could ever wish for. www.beyondextreme.co.uk Mark has been training people for a good number of years I can personally vouch for his competence & style of tuition covering paragliding & paramotoring. Both teaching & supply of equipment. www.paraglide .uk.com very friendly & succesfull school on the Isle Of White only into paragliding but they also offer holidays over seas I can vouch for there teaching skills. www.greendragons.co.uk a company with a good reputation but i do not know them personally. www.skysystems.co.uk also a long standing company of good repute but again I have had no personal contact with them. Hope those are of help to you. David Quote
Eccentric_Rich Posted January 8, 2005 Posted January 8, 2005 I thought you were going to work Australia Jan!? Richard. Quote
Jan Coombes Posted January 9, 2005 Author Posted January 9, 2005 Thanks for the help and the links I've have a look in a sec. Nope not going to OZ any more they did not want to loose my experiance in the UK. So the big boss said no Still the GF's happy and I have the SS this year Quote
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