As many of you know due to my life on the road, I decided after crashing the gyro to not replace it with another gyro.
The logistics of living on the road in a toy hauler and having to schlepp the gyro and trailer(home) the the airport was just too much.
So I cross trained to the paramotors...(acme flying rig, fan on your butt and legs for landing gear)
I ordered my gear a while ago but it was neither cheap nor available, so it took a while.
Its all here now and looks fantastic!
Seriously nice stuff, I got top of the line gear (what else would a former Sportcopter owner be happy with?)
For now, no pics as I am wanting to get it airborne first.
There is a WHOLE lot more finesse to the ground handling of the foot launch paramotors that you might think, so I am having to retrain and get used to my new wing.
Also getting used to the weight of the motor on my back while on the ground! it weighs about 60 lbs without fuel!
I have found a few people in my neck of the woods who are into it and are helping me to remember my training. when I have the ground kiting down cold, I will go to phoenix and get an hour or two with an instructor I met to round out my training before going airborne again. In Florida I only soloed one flight, so I have to get the confidence level back up.

As for the portability? These rigs OBLITERATE the gyros....I use 3 straps to sit it up in the bed of my pick-up, one stuff sack and a small bench. 5 min after I arrive I'm ready to fly...literally and without a runway!
Any nice desert sandy spot works!
I'm stoked to be airborne again, but I am taking my time and going slow, after over of year of being grounded, the idea of breaking my gear or getting hurt and being grounded again is the most horrible Greek tragedy type of punishment I can think of.

Pictures and videos will be forthcoming, promise!

That's awesome Hen.... what color chute did you get? Something spectacular

Blaze orange with a black manta ray on it. The leading edge is red.
They had lotsnof cool colors, but it picked the one that was the most visable, so hopefully I wont get plastered on some fancy new fibreglass wtapped gyros hood!

http://www.stenulson.net/ppg/bluhk939.jpg

This is my kite, no cart though im foot launching!

Ben- That is really sharp looking. I bet flying one of them will be a totally different and fun feeling.

The flight envelope on a 6 mph day is much closer to a helicopter than you might think!
Verticals and "hovering" are possible and easy.
The main thing I found different, was how much more in tune with the outside you are bevause your moving slow enough to take everything in and the pendulum effect on sharp turns, but instructor says thats just sloppy noob piloting on my part.
It was weird feeling.
Ill always love gyros and helicopters, but this may just be a better fit for me. Well see.

I don't know that looks dangerous

Hey Senior Spic ola!
Happy birthday!
Ya know if you hadnt taken me up for a ride, i would have pined away for a gyro for years and bought another one.
So in a way, it was because of you i turned to the lite side;)

Yes, very dangerous.... if you run into one in a gyro, the outcome would not be good

But it will be a blast for sure.... and it fits in the trunk of a car.... how cool is that

I almost T-boned a guy in one of those with my plane .
They look cool .

I have a good friend who flys one and it is awesome to watch and looks like so much fun..... I can't rule one out in my future

The Lovely Laurie want's to know, how much $$$$ and where can I get one ?

Just checking out YouTube video Powered Paragliding Portland and I want one !!!!!

A Little Bridge Fun -- Powered Paragliding Portland Oregon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UQ4bFU ... ilpage#t=4

Just get a massive chute and fit it to a gyro instead of rotors occasionally

I saw someone had a chute on an airboat once, on a short story between shows on fox.... it flew, but only about 20' above the water for a couple of hundred yards, was cool tho

Scary, i would take a look at the Blackhawk website. Also I went Nirvana, much more expensive, but all told with the flotation and reserve chute it was 12,500.
You can get gear way cheaper that is good quality gear and used gear can be a real bargain.
For a middle aged woman I would highly recommend a cart/trike for the paramotor. Easier to learn and you dont have to run with a pack on. Most of these are trikes, but the quads are safer im told.
I see a lot of older guys and gals at the fly in doing this, once you get airborne its like a lazy boy recliner.
There is a huge infrastructure for the sport as opposed to gyros, so if you want to know if a used chute is good to go or not you can send it to any paracute rigger for testing!
My instructor says spend the money on the wing, the engine just makes you go up or down and any old engine thats you use will do that.
I may some day get a buggy, but for now the foot launch appeals to me more, but i wont lie,one hour of ground handling training with the motor on and im wiped out!
Once you get to the point of being competent flying, you hardly ever get worn out cause youre only carrying the weight for about 1 minute!

Maybe get some roller skates Hen?

I'm more interested in the foot launch PPG .
For the exact reasons you do .

So at 30 MPH what is a reasonable range on something like that ?

Just released in EAA newsletter

What is it with these guys flying over water?? They have bigger balls than me, I realise that motors can stop with no warning.... if you have 60kg of weight strapped on you like a sinker and a bag to cover you when you finally get out of the rig and try to surface.... They are impressive for sure, but it seems to me the folks who fly them have no idea about safety

Not to mention, did anyone notice how close that canopy was to the bottom of the bridge In fact, I think the canopy is dragging along the underside of the bridge? There is no margin for error at all (red arrow)

Is that legal to fly under bridges? Does that mean that anyone can fly their gyro under bridges like that? In if you fly over water out of gliding reach of land, you must wear a life jacket? Is it the same in America? If the motor stops in one of those, you are in the water before you can even say "Sh!t!"

Sorry if I sound a bit fuddy duddy, but like that guy flying thru rock valleys (uncle something) and the last few PPC vids I have seen, they all like to fly over water or tiger country I like fun as much as the next guy, but...... ENGINES CAN STOP!

I find it hard to enjoy risky videos, especially first time.... once I have seen it and they haven't crashed into tiger country, I can relax and enjoy it....

Are PPC regulated? Do they follow ANY rules? or are they just like the bicycles of the sky? Go where you want, don't stop at lights, ride across pedestrian crossings..... I hope you are going to fly a bit safer than these guys Hen? (please)