People move close to an airport and then complain about engine noise. When I was stationed at Norton way back when people would shoot at our aircraft. One night I was on the ramp talking with someone and heard Wheeet in my left ear, followed by the sound of a gunshot.
Sometimes people just need to get a life. They live their life encapsulated , that makes them overly sensitive to minor changes . I know, I’ve been there. They see something different, new and it’s scary, it makes them overactive.
There is a guy in my town that flys a paramotor and one year my wife and I were elk hunting and about to shoot a big bull elk when the paramotor came down and drove all the elk into his field where his whole family were laying on top of the hay stack. They shot 11 elk all at the same time. We were pissed! Others seen what he did and called the cops on him. He was charged with herding elk with an aircraft and other charges. Besides that incident I hear people all the time that are mad at him for one reason or another. I think 99% of them are just being Karens!
1) There is nothing stopping you from getting a paramotor registered as "Experimental", once you have a Paramotor Certified Experimental, you can Fly at Night, Fly with more than 5 gallons of gas, Fly over populated places. Just add the required modifications to your paramotor to meet the Experimental FARs, fill out the Paperwork and you should be good to go with the first Experimental Paramotor.
I was just about to look up the tiers of ultralight certificates. I know that fixed wing aircraft are in tiers (hobby, private, etc.), and I was curious if paramotor has tiers as well.
I dont think that is correct. not trying to start a long argumentative dialog here, so I'll let some others weigh in. registering a (paramotor) as experimental is probably not going to be possible, and then there are other (numerous) roadblocks in the way of reaching what he is speaking of... legally. so... if we have terrific memories of flying in the calm under a full moon.... It was only a dream lol. keep it going tucker, you are the man.
Two fingered phone dangle! A form of expression in comfort, confidence and understanding of limitations. Love it! Rest in Peace, Jeff. Sorry for your loss. We got to feel as though we kind of knew him through video. Tucker, Thanks for all you do! You inspire, and you are a great teacher.
All those FAR Part 103 issues you have can be waived under Part 103.5 if you contact an FAA Administrator. So you can file for a waiver to fly at night in a particular location, etc. You can file for a waiver to fly over a crowd as people have legally flown paramotors through cities. It takes some work, but it makes sense for the FAA to require waivers for these activities so low-experience pilots don't ruin things for everyone else.
I'd like to obtain licensure for travelling through Dallas. I imagine it will be tedious and will require a little bit of luck. But I'm going to see if it's possible if I jump through the hoops. I think the regs typically make sense, so if I just approach from a standpoint of being sensible, considerate, and prudent, I should be ok.
That 1 percent is the thing I hate most about paramotoring. I'm glad you brought it up. There are always couch potatoes that "know more than you" about flying.
> Thanks for the flight time Tucker. The beauty of a paramotor is it's simplicity. It provides a certain amount of performance because of it's simplicity. Be content with it's limitations and enjoy each flight, no cherish each flight that brings you home safely. Just about everyone wants to expand the requirements of a machine and that usually makes for a more complicated bird that is another beast of its own. More power, more capacity, all weather rating and then you own a Gulfstream.
8:29 electric paramotors are practical. There's plenty of portable power boxes for charging and many electric trucks have ability to charge them at fast rate.
I had a pretty bad accident and its taken me 5 months to learn to walk again and your vids inspired me to get into it, I think I had 5 paragliding flights before it happened and fun fact... I was wearing the "have fun or die trying" shirt..... still I can't wait to get back to training, it is what it is.
Nice tree landing at the end ( only joking). It was one of the reasons I switched to flying my ultralight deltawing, it gave me a wider weather window and wing stability. I did smile at the comment of putting poles inside the wing, that's just a hang glider. I think what ever makes you smile and gets you in the air is the most important thing and every country you fly in will have their own limiting rules.. The UK have a Sub70kg limit so you can carry as much fuel as you want, as long as you can lift it. Keep the content coming.
I just bought a sub 70kg powered hang-glider in Australia we call them Nano-Lites. While watching Tucker I was wondering if I would be able to fly more of the day, I have in, just the hang-glider. I haven't done the power training yet so just now it's all guess work for me. Your comment made me feel good about my choice, thanks 😎👍
@@blue_beephang-glider5417 I'm only mentioning this as you said you are learning, my channel is dedicated to Sub70 and flexwing flying.. if you are interested, that's all.
@@GolfFoxtrot22 Yes exactly the same. I've put a deposit on a Airborne V-Lite (Sub 70kg, we call them Nanolight) a friend is getting a Snake from the UK.
also radio towers the guide cables run for miles can be invisible - reading maps and charts help , always having a spot to land, know where u going before get there
Trip planning goes a long way in preventing that. If you find an area to fly, look at the electrical grid maps to find out where electrical lines are. Make a route to avoid any lines that are potentially too close to your launch/landing zone.
I'm sorry to hear about Jeff. About a year or so ago I discovered your channel and watched a LOT of your videos and then just suddenly stopped watched for no particular reason. I think I remember seeing Jeff in some of your videos from back then. It's so weird coming back after all of this time and hearing this news. I really am sorry to hear about the loss of your friend though.
I would have added a sixth one: noise. In my opinion it greatly diminishes the beauty of the sport. The “spirituality” if you like. This greatly effects the pilot as well as the people on the ground, so it may be related to number three. It would be so much better if you could just fly around without the sound of a two-stroke engine on your back. I know electric engines are also noisy because of the prop noise. But if there was some way to really minimize the noise as much as possible that would be great. And yes I know you can glide but that doesn’t last long.
Yup, I think that would be number one as well. Especially, when the best times to fly are near sunset and sunrise. I'm sure it really motivates the neighbors to go to town hall meetings, when they keep hearing a para-motor overfly their property during those times.
If electric ever becomes practical to replace the 2-stroke then props will be designed for them to be quite. Low noise props can be made but they require expertise and time that no company wants to spend when power and performance are more important given the 2-stroke is very loud. There are battery chemistries with up to 8x the energy density of lithium ions but all of them are non rechargeable and not commercially viable yet.
@@nocare The noise comes from the fact that the prop is operating in turbulent air. If it was in front of the pilot the same prop would be MUCH quieter.
About 5 days a week my neighborhood is invaded by lawn maintenance teams. Every freaking morning at 8 am the lawnmowers, trimmers and edgers arrive at 100+ decibels for over an hour. Parameters are FAR less annoying and the noise goes away as the pilot flies around, unlike the damn lawnmowers that circle your bedroom windows all morning.
I would have to agree with the points mentioned. Fixing to go look at a new LZ. Finally able to fly after 2 wks of not. Did get my first skydive last week though. Epic!
I'm curious what the fatality breakdown is like between relatively safe flying, like in this video, and the other obviously riskier stuff people sometimes do.
@@spinther I'd almost go so far to say I've never seen a video where there where ZERO complications present... i.e. there where always at least 1 thing wrong BEFORE the accident, more often multiple things.
From what I researched online, it's about as safe as flying a light airplane, but also about 12 times more dangerous than driving, but 30% safer than driving a motorcycle.
@@eric5001 I think you are close... The stats I learned are, that paragliding is pretty much 1 to 1 with motocycling. BUT, that is for paragliding WITHOUT motor. WITH motor is quite a bit more dangerous... So if you said "30% more dangerous than motocycle", you would be DAMN close! Also HUGELY depends on training... With no, minimal or bad training, in places you don't need to be certified, I'd be willing to bet it's 5x as dangerous a riding a motocycle. Vice versa, a great pilot will be A LOT safer in the air, than any motocycle on the ground, because he rarely get's ran into by other airborne stuff, unlike the poor biker... So there is less "chance" involved in flying, than taking part in traffic. Take Tucker Gott for example: I'd be willing to bet, that on an average flight without crazy acro and so on, Tucker would be 10x safer than riding his motocycle.
Can you hook up a big powerstation battery to an electric motor battery to extend flight time??? U took one with u when camping.. The 40 to 60 minutes with an electric motor are just not enough..
Ironically part of the problem with a uncollapsible glider is their safety rating. Several of the tests require the wing to collapse, if the test pilots can't get that to happen the wing would be unrated. The industry is moving in that direction though. Swing has their RAST technology which uses valves to trap air at the back of the wing, limiting the frequency and severity of collapses.
4:15 the over populated areas thing is clearly open to interpretation. If you're high enough, your glide ratio means that you could fly just about anywhere without endangering anyone on the round. Of course, if you're flying low, that's a different story, and most paramotorists fly low to be able to see stuff. Regarding fuel bladders, I'm pretty sure thaat's a "don't ask don't tell" thing for a lot of paramotorists. If it were something I were into (and if we lived in a place with a better climate and my wife would let me, I totally would be), I'd sure as hell have extra fuel! I just wouldn't go around blabbing about it.
How does the law work on fuel. Is it getting caught with actual fuel over 5 gallons or if you have a 10 gallon tank Thats empty you still get in trouble since theoretically you could add more than 5 gallons. Either way you won't get caught until there's an accident. Kinda like using dyed farm diesel fuel in a recreational truck. No one knows until a tank Burts in a wreck.
I think this is a case of "be careful what you wish for" at the moment you have freedom to fly with just enough regulation to keep everyone safe, if you start adding night flying or overflying of built up areas/groups of people, that will require stricter regs and training, more hoops to jump through could put people off the sport, just like RC there's a reason overlying of neighbourhoods and gatherings of people isn't allowed, it's to keep people on the ground safe in case of a malfunction, night flying is similar, it could be dangerous to other aircraft, esp as they will be flying by instruments when visibility drops.
I'm so sorry you lost Jeff to a sport you love both loved so much! Life is a risk, but understanding the risks reduces them, but can never eliminate them altogether. I know you'll keep flying cuz it's in your DNA now. God's speed to you!
I think the biggest factor that gets people worked up is probably the noise, its like having an airborne lawn mower buzzing your property on an otherwise quiet evening. I'm sure the limited, best time to fly time-frames (weather-wise) don't help matters either; near sunrise or near sunset. Unfortunately, I'm sure that really gets people motivated to go to town meetings; especially, if you are out flying night after night.
True. My other guess is that they can see the pilot (yes, humans are weird like that). We tend to see machines as individual entities, at least subconsciously: when we see a car, truck or airplane, we first see the machine. And some people may not feel comfortable / may feel threatened/invaded by another person flying above their heads. All on instinct of course, but we know that many people don't follow logic.
@@leob4403 I'm thinking because the Sun drives our weather here on earth, so our weather (winds) can be more volatile during the Suns most active hours. Late mornings / early afternoons VS early mornings and late afternoons. Just guessing, I'm no meteorologist. Ha!😃
Add the noise issue as #6. I recently flew a 4-stroke Baily Aviation motor and though it required me to run like hell on take-off and just had enough powerful to keep me in the air, the sound really made a big-big difference! (Low noise could also have a positive effect on that 1% of negative people. )
@@noelchristie7669 Not very. AFAIK, there are maybe 1or 2 models, One being Baily and the other is Vittorazy (still in development). The paramotor companies don't like investing in 4-stroke, because of weight-to-power obsession. With the current popularity of this hobby manufacturers are happy with available 2-strokes. The next revelation they are praying for is electric.
Hello, I admire your skills, as a private rated sailplane pilot and old school hang glider pilot circa 1977, I'm a little leery of nonrigid airfoils. I understand the airfoil limitations, but have you experienced being tossed out of a thermal or similar event where you may go negative G? My concern is unloading the wing whilst flying. Thoughts?
Also, finding a place that would be possible to fly over but is not full of people would be difficult in California unless you're in a desert. I hear you about acceptable risk. I've done some rock climbing and actually took a 25 foot lead fall once and got the shit scared out of me. But it was my fault that I got off route, didn't stop and anchor-in earlier, and also my fault I survived because of the cam I had just placed. So... ya gotta do what ya gotta do! Cheers!
Dude the risk thing is so so true, I'm a Skydiver and BASE jumper and it SUCKS ASS when you loose a friend man. Lost my buddy I called a brother recently and ultimately, while it sucks I'd rather die with my boots on vs in an home.
Great video as always. I appreciate you making the time to show paragliding in a positive and safety-conscious light. I hope that your efforts slowly whittle down the 1% to 0.9% or lower.
I thought as one of the points you were gonna mention the noise. I was thinking how awesome it could be to fly around like that but without that fan/motor noise. Do electric ones make a lot less noise? It love to see a video of you trying out one of those.
Ill just answer for now as i fly too. The headphones we wear are noise cancelling. Mine is also connected to my phone via bluetooth so i sometimes listen to music while flying. even when not listening to music the engine isn't that loud with the headphones on and you quickly forget about the engine sound and just enjoy flying. Also , The engine is loud but, the prop also makes a loud noise due to spinning so fast which is only slightly drowned out by the engine.. so I reckon electric wont be much quieter.
@@ramvander88 ill bet you could get a low noise fan...or at least one could be built. I could see 25% quieter being possible if noise was prioritized over power efficiency
Hey Tucker! Long time fan. Really enjoyed your videos to help escape mentally during the v1rus panic. I also recently bought three shirts from your store. I wanted a fourth but you were out of stock. Anyway, you should consider adding to your website the camera equipment you use. Just thought I'd say that. Thanks for everything. I'm still trying to setup some training.
As a ppc pilot but also an airplane owner and helicopter I agree that wind limits are annoying. Thinking about weight shift because they handle wind better
10:55 Just because nobody has done this yet, doesn't mean that it can't be done. If it is better, then people will look back and wonder why people flew on old style "collapsible" wings. An inflatable wing would keep the wing structural even in the event of a collapse. The Paramotor is a "tension" device, it's structure comes from tension only. The lines going to the wing, and the wing itself, the fabric must be in tension. There is no "Compression" post in the wing. Although it could be argued that it is pressurized with stagnation pressure, it's not a good compression post. A wing collapse is simply when the wing loses it's tension at "negative" angles of attack, or the stagnation point moves from the holes on the leading edge to the upper surface of the wing. The Stagnation Pressure pushes the cloth in towards the lower pressure internal to the wing. So having a pressurized wing, this can never happen, but at "negative" angles of attack, tension in the lines will be lost, the wing can fly towards the pilot. No, you can't fly inverted. Inflated wings, different kind of collapse that I have yet to see anyone test. Would be interesting. No more Big Ears allowed.
That's an interesting idea, if I'm reading you right (fully inflated wing on the ground, without needing ram-air, right?) My first impulsive concerns about a mechanically inflated wing vs a ram-air wing would be 1) weight, and 2) in-flight safety. For weight, although I could be completely off the mark, I'd imagine any fully impermeable fabric to create such an inflatable wing would be heavier than the current fabrics used for ram-air canopies. Heavier wing means higher speeds to reach sufficient lift for normal flight, which might be more than foot-launchers could realistically achieve. Of course, other airfoil shapes could be explored to maximize lift and minimize wing mass, so this may not be a major issue. My bigger concern would be the possibility of deflation while flying. Even a small puncture would rapidly lead to lower than nominal inflation pressure, resulting in airfoil deformation and decreasing performance. The cascade from perfectly inflated to sub-inflated to collapsed rag could be quite rapid. There are certainly ways to engineer the wing to not completely deform due to a puncture and loss of internal pressure, even ways to consistently trickle in air to maintain optimal pressure, but that all adds weight to the system. Still, an interesting idea that I can see being pursued. If it could be done without sacrificing portability and foot launch, I could see something like this taking off (pun intended.)
As someone who ia trying to do his training at the moment (Winter here in Aust.), and only has weekends, I'm feeling the winter thing. The training facility is about a 2 hour drive from me so usually I go up the night before and camp out, this weekend though only today (Sunday) is flyable, and I didn't get the message that training was possible until it was to late to be worth heading up :( Hopefully one day I'll be able to buy some rural land, put an off grid house on it and be able to walk out of my front door to go flying.
What's the current situation on electric Paramotors? How long do they fly, what's their cost compared to the two strokes? I would also only consider Paramotoring over Paragliding if I could use electric ones. I hated those engines since people (back when I was at school) started riding their small 2 stroke bikes. They smell awful, are incredibly loud and need to be fueled with their oil/gas mix. I'd trade in an hour or 1.5 of flight time if I could go electric instead.
Four Stroke Engines on Trikes is the way to go for many, great gas mileage and engines will last 3-4 times longer than a two stroke. Also. if you have bad knees or health issues, a Trike will allow you to fly in much more comfort...
Well, I've loved flying since I was 16 or so, but I'm not in the right shape nor have the motor skills to do this. So I sit in my chair and watch this. Very cool stuff. I love your trips, and I love your local stuff.
I love the videos keep them coming I am looking at starting training the only stopping factor is my dad doesn’t want to ride with me to sit at training because I only have my drivers permit but your videos help me a ton
Always love your videos Tucker. 👍 First thought I had, 4 of the 5 things you hate about paramotoring are similar in the drone pilot world as well. Obstacles, but definitely won't stop us from flying. 🙂 Thanks for your content.
My Boss got into paramotoring last year, and now I'm hooked and totally itching to get into it! He's also a pilot and I look forward to every opportunity to go up in his Cherokee 6. Now I'm doing as much research and knowledge I can find and absorbe. I totally appreciate ALL of your vids my man!
Having an inflatable wing or carbon fibre reinforced wing would give advantages, BUT, also create disadvantages, such as losing a degree of “Pendular Stability”, making the Wing subject to non-recoverable stall (like some hang gliders), creating high pressure brakes, losing directional stability etc
Could be some advantages like you'd see in some semi-rigid foil kites with the carbon fiber rods. Less prone to collapse, maybe easier lift-off. But if for some reason it does collapse then you'd be really screwed. The floppier wing may give more feedback at the threshold, which is why nobody really tried doing much in that regard.
That was helpful to hear your take on the sport's growing pains & issues. I live in an area with 300 sunny days per year and look forward to the meticulous engine engine rebuild. I worked for years as a mechanic for my father's auto repair business.
So wish I could get into a paramotor for a hobby, to be up in the clouds is amazing. Cost keeps me grounded but I do fly FPV drones which helps me cheat being able to fly, however our part107 rules limit us to a 400 feet altitude. These posts always keep me inspired to work hard and hope...just one day man, if I could have that giant motor, prop and cloth in the air. I'm inspired even in this hate video. You inspire me man. Thanks for keepin it real ✌
Im at aviator rn after 4 years of saving. You will get there one day i promise. One day you'll wake up and be a fucking paramotor pilot dude!! Keep working for it
#3 is my #1 and it affects more than the Paramotor hobby, it seems no matter how respectful I am there are always people that don't want others to have fun. That being said there is also 1% in the hobby that aren't respectful and that gives us a black eye.
How far do you think a beginner has to run to launch? Any idea how fast someone needs to run it in? Learning to fly is on my bucket list. I know i should get in shape before I go to Florida to learn to fly, I just don't know how in shape I need to be.
Depends of wind situation. No wind will take you easily 50 meters if you're still figuring things out. The thing is. One run is not that bad. But you will have a lot of mistakes, like every beginning pilot. So was I also... And that's super tiring. Over and over trying to get of the ground. Remember tucker's video of the dudek warp?. Well that about sums it up
I'm not in shape. A good wing will get you up. Yes you will need to be able to jog/run for about 50-100 yards with weight on your back. I can't run worth a flip anymore but I can long enough to get off the ground.
Density Altitude, wind and skill are the 3 biggest factors. So anywhere between 0 feet and 50 yards. As the glider gets lift the total weight becomes less and less until liftoff.
@@pizzamandellaxx6979 to sum it up “if you’re gonna be dumb you gotta be tough” 🤣🤣🤣 because quite literally, inexperience is going to take a lot of energy
8:45 Approx what would be the electric battery+motor weight vs 5 gallons and 2 stroke engine? 1 hour of gas vs 1 hour of battery? Batteries could really change the sport and make it much quiter. So interesting.
I had you in front on my you tube videos favorites but you tube does something screwy with the algorithms. I love your videos. I’ve never para motor guided or para glided either but man I enjoy watching your channel. Keep it up, stay safe. Thank you.
Nice vid. I totally understand about the "Love Hate" thing. BUT some of your points are for a reason. Night: well... you become a danger to other aircraft. (Same issue the PWC crowd has been fighting) Fuel: well... I don't get that one either... other than if you did crash, there is less stuff to make a fireball. Flying over people: I totally get it. This has a lot of angles. 1) you have minimal training. 2) The cost of entry is low. that's a great mix for an idiot to cause issues. (And hurt other people and property) AND... to your point of flying over NY. Yes, it would be a great view... but those buildings cause all kinds of crazy air currents. (goes to the Spring/Fall point) Not to mention, there would be people trying to use buildings a pilons. AND.... since helicopters are allowed to fly in those places.... I think there could be a "Food Processor" incident. In general aviation... Heli and fix wing have different ground and visibility requirements in the FAR/AIM. on your #3... you can nev4er change that, other than to also become active in the local meetings, and to help with awareness. This is the issue the country is fighting with the WOKE crowd in general. A small minority makes the loudest voice, and people back off because they just don't want to fight. With RC aircraft... we have been fighting this forever. We had a local flying field that had been there since the 50's. A few years back... someone moved in, and started to complain. It almost got shut down over it. The new home owners knew they were moving next to an RC field... but they would rather ruin the enjoyment of 130 members just so their Saturday afternoon would be quiet. (for the sat's they were actually home) Sometimes you have to fight for your sport. oh... and if you did get some of the regs lifted... there would be A LOT more training, and requirements. (full FAA test, license, registration, insurance would be mandatory, and maybe you would have to send everything out to be fixed by an A&P, and that would make it all more expensive) Like I said... good vid. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Tucker! As a fairly new 100 hour pilot I would love to know what happened to Jeff! He seemed to fly very conservatively as I do and I was just wondering if you know anything about the circumstances of his accident! I am very sorry about the loss of your friend!
I thought a drone was following your for the back shots but then I noticed a cable... Whats is that thing and how did you stick a camera to it ? It's really awesome !
Tucker if you do a Spyder 3 review, if possible could you explain tip steering and perhaps even how to tie it in. - Mike Bishop. Also love these vids lately remind me of the Gott vids of yesteryear…love the content but these simple flying adventures never get old. Keep it up dude 🤙🏼
Dude that rear cam is SICK!!!!!!! It took me a min to figure out what you were dragging and then I was like OH! I am debating paramotor training in the spring or at least a tandem flight to see if I like it and the electric ones definitely appeal cause of what you said the hassle free.. Even if the flight time is only 30 mins. Love your videos man!
In Canada, Paramotors are classed as Basic Ultralights and are subject to all the regular Canadian Aviation Regulations. That means a pilot license, medical, insurance, and aircraft registration. Not only are we not allowed to fly over people but also not allowed to overfly built up areas or municipalities at less than 1000' above the highest point in said area and 2000' horizontally away from it, people or no people. An empty highschool is pretty much built up so... Upside is I'm allowed to fly at any airport and essentially cannot be refused permission. My electric paramotor requires no maintenance. I probably will have to replace my batteries at 200hours though. The new OpenPPG SP140 battery would probably last 500 hours. I just bought a new motor with an Atom 80 so I can go on longer adventures.
Solar cell textiles are becoming lighter and cheaper all the time. Soon, a wing may be able to keep a pilot aloft for several hours at a time. Couple that with Scout's variable props for added efficiency and the future is looking bright for electric pilots. :)
Ok a few questions. For the rebuilds. About how much are the kits? On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate the difficulty of the rebuilds? And how many hours do they take? Great video as always.
I'd suggest diesel over electric. There are more BTUs per pound and 5 gallons should get you further. However, I'm pretty sure they are less responsive in changing RPM. Jet A is a close cousin to diesel.
Hey Tucker, question: how does paramotor compare to paragliding in the middle of the day. You can paraglide almost at any hour if the thermals are not too strong. Can't you do that with paramotor?
Pretty sure you want to avoid mid-day flying entirely on a PPG because thermals are suuuper uncomfortable & bumpy :/ kinda the opposite of paragliding, since paragliders look for those thermals to ride! Paramotors love the calm air, typically 2 hours after sunrise and 2 hours before sunset (along with good weather conditions, also depends on where you live!)
I live in Ocean City Md , technically in west Ocean City ..I was looking out my sliding door and I looked over at the bay and low and behold there goes someone flying a paramotor.... I said dam... there goes Tucker..... of course it wasn't you . First time I have seen someone flying it was pretty cool... they were over the periphery of the bay . Great videos dude... keep on keeping on.
11:04 actually it exists. Maverick flying car has struts in the wings that can be folded away when not in use. Idea is good but the problem with regular paramotoring is that well you have setup the bars. And it's not really needed for most wings cause they are collapse resistant like that mojo that you tested.
Hey Tucker, I challenge you to try Hang gliding bro!! have uou ever considered it?? :) I've been following your channel for years now and i love your content!! ive even been thinking of getting a PPG actually, but I've been flying hang gliders for a couple years now and when the paragliders are packing up because the conditions are too strong is EXACTLY when we set up our gliders so we can catch the Strong themals in the middle of the day to stay up longer! i know most people these days choose paragliding or PPG because of the convenience and easier portability?! but the trade off of only having such SMALL flying windows is a pretty CRAZY trade off!! i was thinking to get a ppg ( mostly because of your videos) but now after this one in particular im thinking maybe i should just stick to HG and just get a powered hang glider harness for my glider instead. i absolutely LOVE the aspect of EXPLORING with your PPG and my hang gliding right now is too focused on thermalling. ... but i want the freedom to explore is what ive now learned. anyways im not sure if youll even see this comment.... but powered hang gliding would literally mean you could fly almost ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, and in much stronger wind conditions since it is a rigid wing. (which is also why its much safer even though you can fly much faster! :)) And its really NOT that hard to transport. anyways sorry for the essay here... i would really appreciate if you could comment on this (or even make a video) just so we can hear your thoughts on it! also another side note is that it would be awesome to see how you could/would transition... and also would be awesome yo have a professional content creator and pilot suvh as yourself bring some awareness and life back into hang gliding! it too is ana amazing flying machine and theres no rule book sayung we have to stick to only one type of flying machine!!! Take care bro! be safe and God bless!
Before viewing, I'm thinking "noise". A way to give people maybe a bit of an idea about the risk is to compare it to motorcycling, based on the same duration riding. When people complain, what do they specify as the issues? Noise? Risks to bystanders? Privacy? Trespass?
I can tell you from first hand experience that if you drop that phone from altitude it will look fantastic as it tumbles end over end through the air in a nice ballistic arc to the ground.
Regarding a couple of your points: have you ever been out to The Arizona Flying Circus? Everyone at the event would love to meet you of course, Mo especially (he owns MoTown and Airparamo too I believe). Also, there are a many folks who fly-in and camp next to their private aircraft. Skydive AZ and their crew are there often and they do a bunch of group jumps too. It’s like the burning man of Oshkosh! And the night events are unforgettable! 🌚🌝🌕🤫❤️🔥✨🙌🏼
Ohh tucker, the regulations in Belgium are sooo strict😅, you can only fly between sunrise and sunset. You cannot fly below 500 foot AGL ,.... And many more.. waayy more strict than USA😌
Looks like Ethyl Hoppock school. I know it well. Had a lot of Spanish food around the corner, good place to drink and eat! Here is your chance to take the FAA up on its prior offer! You should contact the FAA and explain your “beefs”!
Learned the weather problem with learning to speedfly. If you don't like waking up early or sneaking out of work early. Youre probably only gonna fly once a month.
All the same things I hate as well! I'd wager most pilots would agree with your assessment. That looks about like the length I have in my yard at the moment (Eventually I'll extend it back 80' or so), except once you get over the stone wall at the end with a 75' gap between trees, there's another 300' before you need to clear trees and wires. I know you could easily launch from here. I need a bit more experience. Zero engine-out options too, just to spice things up, lol. Would be tree landing more than likely! Just like where I thought that balloon was headed! 😁
first off let me say that I love anything that flies. having said that look at it from the perspective of somebody hiking on a hiking trail and having a noisy flying machine making multiple passes running their peaceful walk at the end of the day or at the beginning of the day. the solution is easy don't fly over hiking trails or if you do make sure you're at altitude where the noise won't bother anybody and if you do make a low pass wave and move on.
Hey Tucker, sense your in NJ, how about doing a fly over Mt. Holly where I grew up in the 50's. I'm sure it's changed, but would love to see how much. Especially the Mount which is right behind the old town main st. Thanks, a real fan.
Hey Tucker I don‘t realy understand the problem with flying during the day. I mean, as a experienced paragliding pilot I fly around in turbulent thermals all the time in purpose and colapses are mostly not a big deal. So why don‘t you use those thermals during daytime to increase your airtime? btw: Nightflights with a paraglider are legal over here in switzerland. So get yourself over here! 😉
Hell yeah great video! I can't wait to see the spider review and all the others. Hopefully you review all the Ozone wings that would be fun. Plus your the dealer so why not, you gotta know what your selling 😆🤔
Hey tucker could you or have you done a video talking about weather conditions and why day flying isn't good. ect and what conditions to look out for ect?
Ignore the comment i made on another video about using bigger fuel tanks as you just mentioned that . I wonder if just strapping a bigger motor on or having some of that airflow coming off the propellers directed to the chute would help for them to be used during the daytime . If not maybe I'll look into gyro copters , which i watched some videos on those last week .
Tucker, do you ever get lost while flying? Lol that’s always been a huge concern of mine. If I ever got the chance to fly 😆 My dream is to fly. - I’ve been wanting to get into Paramotoring for about 7 years. I know it would be life changing! To have the open sky between my knees, I bet there’s nothing like it. It would be exhilarating and freeing. Of this I’m certain. - If I had the money, I’d train and buy gear. But I also have some concerns. 1. Rebuilding my motor when that inevitable 200 hour mark is reached. And maintaining my motor to keep it running. I’m not the most technical person when it comes to repairs and maintenance. 😆 But I am open to learn. 2. Finding like minded people to fly with. - I don’t know anyone who flies Paramotor here. I once saw someone fly over a river not too far from where I live which made me geek out lol I feel so fortunate to have witnessed it. First time I’ve seen a someone fly Paramotor in real life. It was SO cool! 3. The weather. I live in Oregon and sometimes it rains half the year pretty consistently. 4. I wonder if I’d ever get lost while flying Paramotor. Things look vastly different from the sky when you’re looking down on them. Lol Do you ever get lost while flying? With all that said, I still want to get into this sport. I’ve been wanting to fly for years but I haven’t got any closer to my dream. I’m 41 years young lol If I could, I think I’d follow in your foot steps and train for 2 weeks at Aviator PPG in Florida. I would make a vacation of it, and I’d come home with a sweet set of skills! I’ve looked into a couple places and some only offer a 4-5 day training period… that seems way to short to learn how to fly safely. Thank you for the video. Seeing your passion for aviation is inspiring! Keep it up, there’s a whole world out there!
FAA regulations are not written in stone. I suggest you apply for, an exemption to one you'd like to change, like night flying. All the FAA requires is a demonstration of an "equivalent level of safety". With better lighting I suspect you could get a night flying exemption at a specific location. Another way is to get a paramotor certified as an aircraft.
"If I had, I would guarantee you it would be amazing" --> So Im a glider pilot. and the regs state the closest we can get to cloud base is 500ft. I've never been to cloud base before, ever, not once... but my creative imagination could give you extremely detailed STORIES about how cool it WOULD PROBABLY BE to go cloud skimming...
I worked at a small airport and can confirm there are people in this world that have nothing better to do than yell at the sky for being blue.
People move close to an airport and then complain about engine noise. When I was stationed at Norton way back when people would shoot at our aircraft. One night I was on the ramp talking with someone and heard Wheeet in my left ear, followed by the sound of a gunshot.
Amen!!!
Sometimes people just need to get a life. They live their life encapsulated , that makes them overly sensitive to minor changes . I know, I’ve been there. They see something different, new and it’s scary, it makes them overactive.
There is a guy in my town that flys a paramotor and one year my wife and I were elk hunting and about to shoot a big bull elk when the paramotor came down and drove all the elk into his field where his whole family were laying on top of the hay stack. They shot 11 elk all at the same time. We were pissed! Others seen what he did and called the cops on him. He was charged with herding elk with an aircraft and other charges. Besides that incident I hear people all the time that are mad at him for one reason or another. I think 99% of them are just being Karens!
@@mikemcdonald2755 in most states that is illegal.
Tucker: sitting on your couch watching TV is boring.
Everyone sitting on their couch watching Tucker's video: did he just call us all out?
Not if you are watching after 30 minutes after twilight!
Have you ever considered landing close to someone watching you and asking to talk to them about their cars extended warranty?
Lol! "We've been trying to contact you!"
I want to be a court server so I can serve everybody like that.
Funny but that would be dangerous and irresponsible
"Are you familiar with our saviour, lord Jesus Christ?"
@@mcbrite I hope everyone would become saved!
1) There is nothing stopping you from getting a paramotor registered as "Experimental", once you have a Paramotor Certified Experimental, you can Fly at Night, Fly with more than 5 gallons of gas, Fly over populated places. Just add the required modifications to your paramotor to meet the Experimental FARs, fill out the Paperwork and you should be good to go with the first Experimental Paramotor.
no way !! that's awesome ! never knew u could do that !
I was just about to look up the tiers of ultralight certificates. I know that fixed wing aircraft are in tiers (hobby, private, etc.), and I was curious if paramotor has tiers as well.
Is there an extra terrestrial classification???
@@MichaelRei99 Depends on the destination I guess. Most places don't have an atmosphere to fly in!
I dont think that is correct. not trying to start a long argumentative dialog here, so I'll let some others weigh in. registering a (paramotor) as experimental is probably not going to be possible, and then there are other (numerous) roadblocks in the way of reaching what he is speaking of... legally.
so... if we have terrific memories of flying in the calm under a full moon.... It was only a dream lol.
keep it going tucker, you are the man.
Two fingered phone dangle! A form of expression in comfort, confidence and understanding of limitations. Love it! Rest in Peace, Jeff. Sorry for your loss. We got to feel as though we kind of knew him through video. Tucker, Thanks for all you do! You inspire, and you are a great teacher.
All those FAR Part 103 issues you have can be waived under Part 103.5 if you contact an FAA Administrator. So you can file for a waiver to fly at night in a particular location, etc. You can file for a waiver to fly over a crowd as people have legally flown paramotors through cities. It takes some work, but it makes sense for the FAA to require waivers for these activities so low-experience pilots don't ruin things for everyone else.
I'd like to obtain licensure for travelling through Dallas. I imagine it will be tedious and will require a little bit of luck. But I'm going to see if it's possible if I jump through the hoops. I think the regs typically make sense, so if I just approach from a standpoint of being sensible, considerate, and prudent, I should be ok.
Really? A waiver? Nice.
That 1 percent is the thing I hate most about paramotoring. I'm glad you brought it up. There are always couch potatoes that "know more than you" about flying.
> Thanks for the flight time Tucker. The beauty of a paramotor is it's simplicity. It provides a certain amount of performance because of it's simplicity. Be content with it's limitations and enjoy each flight, no cherish each flight that brings you home safely. Just about everyone wants to expand the requirements of a machine and that usually makes for a more complicated bird that is another beast of its own. More power, more capacity, all weather rating and then you own a Gulfstream.
8:29 electric paramotors are practical. There's plenty of portable power boxes for charging and many electric trucks have ability to charge them at fast rate.
I had a pretty bad accident and its taken me 5 months to learn to walk again and your vids inspired me to get into it, I think I had 5 paragliding flights before it happened and fun fact... I was wearing the "have fun or die trying" shirt..... still I can't wait to get back to training, it is what it is.
If you don't mind me asking, was it pilot error, or equipment malfunction?
💚
No no
Nice tree landing at the end ( only joking). It was one of the reasons I switched to flying my ultralight deltawing, it gave me a wider weather window and wing stability. I did smile at the comment of putting poles inside the wing, that's just a hang glider. I think what ever makes you smile and gets you in the air is the most important thing and every country you fly in will have their own limiting rules.. The UK have a Sub70kg limit so you can carry as much fuel as you want, as long as you can lift it. Keep the content coming.
I just bought a sub 70kg powered hang-glider in Australia we call them Nano-Lites. While watching Tucker I was wondering if I would be able to fly more of the day, I have in, just the hang-glider. I haven't done the power training yet so just now it's all guess work for me. Your comment made me feel good about my choice, thanks 😎👍
@@blue_beephang-glider5417 I'm only mentioning this as you said you are learning, my channel is dedicated to Sub70 and flexwing flying.. if you are interested, that's all.
@@blue_beephang-glider5417 does Australia have a similar Sub70 exemption that the CAA have granted us in the UK?
@@GolfFoxtrot22 Yes exactly the same. I've put a deposit on a Airborne V-Lite (Sub 70kg, we call them Nanolight) a friend is getting a Snake from the UK.
Deltawing is horribly dangerous and unpredictable
My nightmare would be somehow not paying attention for a second and getting caught in some electrical cables. THAT terrifies me.
In Arizona we have florescent orange balls on the big electric lines. Without, those power lines look invisible until you are close.
also radio towers the guide cables run for miles can be invisible - reading maps and charts help , always having a spot to land, know where u going before get there
Trip planning goes a long way in preventing that. If you find an area to fly, look at the electrical grid maps to find out where electrical lines are. Make a route to avoid any lines that are potentially too close to your launch/landing zone.
@@FamilyWinn You don't look for the lines, you look for the poles and then follow the lines... ;-)
Don't do it then. It's not meant for you or everyone.
You really know how to set the vibe with the music selections and editing.... Pretty cool how creative your brain is man....Stay safe 👍🏿
Totally agree on the maintenance, seriously thinking about going electric.
Is electric more quiet?
100% agree with the point about maintenance. I just bought an E-PPG to avoid maintenance
your not going to avoid maintenance but you are going to be landing off airport
Congratulations on your new toy! How much did you pay for it and what‘s the maximum flight duration if you don‘t mind?
@@shanewalsh5877 The max flight time is 1h and it was $7-8k for the motor + battery
I'm sorry to hear about Jeff. About a year or so ago I discovered your channel and watched a LOT of your videos and then just suddenly stopped watched for no particular reason. I think I remember seeing Jeff in some of your videos from back then. It's so weird coming back after all of this time and hearing this news. I really am sorry to hear about the loss of your friend though.
I would have added a sixth one: noise. In my opinion it greatly diminishes the beauty of the sport. The “spirituality” if you like. This greatly effects the pilot as well as the people on the ground, so it may be related to number three. It would be so much better if you could just fly around without the sound of a two-stroke engine on your back. I know electric engines are also noisy because of the prop noise. But if there was some way to really minimize the noise as much as possible that would be great. And yes I know you can glide but that doesn’t last long.
Yup, I think that would be number one as well. Especially, when the best times to fly are near sunset and sunrise. I'm sure it really motivates the neighbors to go to town hall meetings, when they keep hearing a para-motor overfly their property during those times.
If electric ever becomes practical to replace the 2-stroke then props will be designed for them to be quite. Low noise props can be made but they require expertise and time that no company wants to spend when power and performance are more important given the 2-stroke is very loud.
There are battery chemistries with up to 8x the energy density of lithium ions but all of them are non rechargeable and not commercially viable yet.
@@nocare The noise comes from the fact that the prop is operating in turbulent air. If it was in front of the pilot the same prop would be MUCH quieter.
About 5 days a week my neighborhood is invaded by lawn maintenance teams. Every freaking morning at 8 am the lawnmowers, trimmers and edgers arrive at 100+ decibels for over an hour. Parameters are FAR less annoying and the noise goes away as the pilot flies around, unlike the damn lawnmowers that circle your bedroom windows all morning.
@@JB-pk1vc Well... If you're flying at sunrise, especially on a weekend, you're the inconsiderate jerk. I don't blame the karens in that case.
I would have to agree with the points mentioned. Fixing to go look at a new LZ. Finally able to fly after 2 wks of not. Did get my first skydive last week though. Epic!
I'm curious what the fatality breakdown is like between relatively safe flying, like in this video, and the other obviously riskier stuff people sometimes do.
Agreed. Sometimes shit happens but a lot of crash vids show people flying where they shouldnt or doing things that are beyond their skill level.
@@spinther I'd almost go so far to say I've never seen a video where there where ZERO complications present... i.e. there where always at least 1 thing wrong BEFORE the accident, more often multiple things.
From what I researched online, it's about as safe as flying a light airplane, but also about 12 times more dangerous than driving, but 30% safer than driving a motorcycle.
@@eric5001 I think you are close... The stats I learned are, that paragliding is pretty much 1 to 1 with motocycling. BUT, that is for paragliding WITHOUT motor. WITH motor is quite a bit more dangerous... So if you said "30% more dangerous than motocycle", you would be DAMN close! Also HUGELY depends on training... With no, minimal or bad training, in places you don't need to be certified, I'd be willing to bet it's 5x as dangerous a riding a motocycle. Vice versa, a great pilot will be A LOT safer in the air, than any motocycle on the ground, because he rarely get's ran into by other airborne stuff, unlike the poor biker... So there is less "chance" involved in flying, than taking part in traffic.
Take Tucker Gott for example: I'd be willing to bet, that on an average flight without crazy acro and so on, Tucker would be 10x safer than riding his motocycle.
There is always one..
Can you hook up a big powerstation battery to an electric motor battery to extend flight time???
U took one with u when camping..
The 40 to 60 minutes with an electric motor are just not enough..
Ironically part of the problem with a uncollapsible glider is their safety rating. Several of the tests require the wing to collapse, if the test pilots can't get that to happen the wing would be unrated. The industry is moving in that direction though. Swing has their RAST technology which uses valves to trap air at the back of the wing, limiting the frequency and severity of collapses.
4:15 the over populated areas thing is clearly open to interpretation. If you're high enough, your glide ratio means that you could fly just about anywhere without endangering anyone on the round. Of course, if you're flying low, that's a different story, and most paramotorists fly low to be able to see stuff. Regarding fuel bladders, I'm pretty sure thaat's a "don't ask don't tell" thing for a lot of paramotorists. If it were something I were into (and if we lived in a place with a better climate and my wife would let me, I totally would be), I'd sure as hell have extra fuel! I just wouldn't go around blabbing about it.
How does the law work on fuel. Is it getting caught with actual fuel over 5 gallons or if you have a 10 gallon tank Thats empty you still get in trouble since theoretically you could add more than 5 gallons. Either way you won't get caught until there's an accident. Kinda like using dyed farm diesel fuel in a recreational truck. No one knows until a tank Burts in a wreck.
"If my wife would let me" was the castration painful or did you never have balls to begin with?
I think this is a case of "be careful what you wish for" at the moment you have freedom to fly with just enough regulation to keep everyone safe, if you start adding night flying or overflying of built up areas/groups of people, that will require stricter regs and training, more hoops to jump through could put people off the sport, just like RC there's a reason overlying of neighbourhoods and gatherings of people isn't allowed, it's to keep people on the ground safe in case of a malfunction, night flying is similar, it could be dangerous to other aircraft, esp as they will be flying by instruments when visibility drops.
Very true, today just go buy a wing and a motor and your good to go. No training required. Have fun.
I'm so sorry you lost Jeff to a sport you love both loved so much! Life is a risk, but understanding the risks reduces them, but can never eliminate them altogether. I know you'll keep flying cuz it's in your DNA now. God's speed to you!
I think the biggest factor that gets people worked up is probably the noise, its like having an airborne lawn mower buzzing your property on an otherwise quiet evening. I'm sure the limited, best time to fly time-frames (weather-wise) don't help matters either; near sunrise or near sunset. Unfortunately, I'm sure that really gets people motivated to go to town meetings; especially, if you are out flying night after night.
True. My other guess is that they can see the pilot (yes, humans are weird like that). We tend to see machines as individual entities, at least subconsciously: when we see a car, truck or airplane, we first see the machine. And some people may not feel comfortable / may feel threatened/invaded by another person flying above their heads. All on instinct of course, but we know that many people don't follow logic.
Tucker didnt explain why you cant fly in the middle of the day? What is it about the weather at that time?
@@leob4403 I'm thinking because the Sun drives our weather here on earth, so our weather (winds) can be more volatile during the Suns most active hours. Late mornings / early afternoons VS early mornings and late afternoons. Just guessing, I'm no meteorologist. Ha!😃
@@JB-pk1vc interesting, I never heard of this phenomenon before. I was thinking the sun was too hot in the afternoon?
@@leob4403 Without the Sun, there is no weather on earth. Here is a basic explaination: th-cam.com/video/0aNpEEjQaGM/w-d-xo.html
Add the noise issue as #6. I recently flew a 4-stroke Baily Aviation motor and though it required me to run like hell on take-off and just had enough powerful to keep me in the air, the sound really made a big-big difference! (Low noise could also have a positive effect on that 1% of negative people. )
Are 4 stroke paramotors common?
@@noelchristie7669 Not very. AFAIK, there are maybe 1or 2 models, One being Baily and the other is Vittorazy (still in development). The paramotor companies don't like investing in 4-stroke, because of weight-to-power obsession. With the current popularity of this hobby manufacturers are happy with available 2-strokes. The next revelation they are praying for is electric.
I love the 2 stroke noise
@@michroz chinese 4strokers are amazingly unreliable
@@marguskiis7711 Me 2. I wish ALL people do, but they don't...
I always enjoy your casual flying vids like this one! Regulations in Canada are worse than in the US, especially on training, and who can train you.
Ya, me and my brother taught ourselves. Definitely dangerous, but it was nice to have the ability
Hello, I admire your skills, as a private rated sailplane pilot and old school hang glider pilot circa 1977, I'm a little leery of nonrigid airfoils. I understand the airfoil limitations, but have you experienced being tossed out of a thermal or similar event where you may go negative G? My concern is unloading the wing whilst flying. Thoughts?
Also, finding a place that would be possible to fly over but is not full of people would be difficult in California unless you're in a desert. I hear you about acceptable risk. I've done some rock climbing and actually took a 25 foot lead fall once and got the shit scared out of me. But it was my fault that I got off route, didn't stop and anchor-in earlier, and also my fault I survived because of the cam I had just placed. So... ya gotta do what ya gotta do! Cheers!
Dude the risk thing is so so true, I'm a Skydiver and BASE jumper and it SUCKS ASS when you loose a friend man. Lost my buddy I called a brother recently and ultimately, while it sucks I'd rather die with my boots on vs in an home.
Why does it suck if you die doing what you love? You should be proud of those you lose, not sad like a woman.
Great video as always. I appreciate you making the time to show paragliding in a positive and safety-conscious light. I hope that your efforts slowly whittle down the 1% to 0.9% or lower.
I thought as one of the points you were gonna mention the noise. I was thinking how awesome it could be to fly around like that but without that fan/motor noise. Do electric ones make a lot less noise? It love to see a video of you trying out one of those.
Ill just answer for now as i fly too. The headphones we wear are noise cancelling. Mine is also connected to my phone via bluetooth so i sometimes listen to music while flying. even when not listening to music the engine isn't that loud with the headphones on and you quickly forget about the engine sound and just enjoy flying. Also , The engine is loud but, the prop also makes a loud noise due to spinning so fast which is only slightly drowned out by the engine.. so I reckon electric wont be much quieter.
@@ramvander88 That’s very interesting. Thank you for explaining that to me 👍
The wind noise is probably just as loud
@@wormhole331 I only hear wind when I turn the motor off.. But still with headphones its pretty soft..
@@ramvander88 ill bet you could get a low noise fan...or at least one could be built. I could see 25% quieter being possible if noise was prioritized over power efficiency
Hey Tucker! Long time fan. Really enjoyed your videos to help escape mentally during the v1rus panic. I also recently bought three shirts from your store. I wanted a fourth but you were out of stock. Anyway, you should consider adding to your website the camera equipment you use. Just thought I'd say that. Thanks for everything. I'm still trying to setup some training.
gopro
As a ppc pilot but also an airplane owner and helicopter I agree that wind limits are annoying. Thinking about weight shift because they handle wind better
10:55 Just because nobody has done this yet, doesn't mean that it can't be done. If it is better, then people will look back and wonder why people flew on old style "collapsible" wings. An inflatable wing would keep the wing structural even in the event of a collapse. The Paramotor is a "tension" device, it's structure comes from tension only. The lines going to the wing, and the wing itself, the fabric must be in tension. There is no "Compression" post in the wing. Although it could be argued that it is pressurized with stagnation pressure, it's not a good compression post. A wing collapse is simply when the wing loses it's tension at "negative" angles of attack, or the stagnation point moves from the holes on the leading edge to the upper surface of the wing. The Stagnation Pressure pushes the cloth in towards the lower pressure internal to the wing. So having a pressurized wing, this can never happen, but at "negative" angles of attack, tension in the lines will be lost, the wing can fly towards the pilot. No, you can't fly inverted. Inflated wings, different kind of collapse that I have yet to see anyone test. Would be interesting. No more Big Ears allowed.
Maverick flying car has that.
That's an interesting idea, if I'm reading you right (fully inflated wing on the ground, without needing ram-air, right?) My first impulsive concerns about a mechanically inflated wing vs a ram-air wing would be 1) weight, and 2) in-flight safety. For weight, although I could be completely off the mark, I'd imagine any fully impermeable fabric to create such an inflatable wing would be heavier than the current fabrics used for ram-air canopies. Heavier wing means higher speeds to reach sufficient lift for normal flight, which might be more than foot-launchers could realistically achieve. Of course, other airfoil shapes could be explored to maximize lift and minimize wing mass, so this may not be a major issue.
My bigger concern would be the possibility of deflation while flying. Even a small puncture would rapidly lead to lower than nominal inflation pressure, resulting in airfoil deformation and decreasing performance. The cascade from perfectly inflated to sub-inflated to collapsed rag could be quite rapid. There are certainly ways to engineer the wing to not completely deform due to a puncture and loss of internal pressure, even ways to consistently trickle in air to maintain optimal pressure, but that all adds weight to the system.
Still, an interesting idea that I can see being pursued. If it could be done without sacrificing portability and foot launch, I could see something like this taking off (pun intended.)
Have you ever considered flying to McDonald's not to eat, but to deliver? I think it would be cool to see paramotor courier.
You Would Have To Have A Big Enough Landing Area To Drop Off
It would be amazing!
@@cjizzleinthewizzle7149 what about parachuting foods
Grub hub, Door Dash, and now paramotor express.
Exactly my idea. You do not need to land, you just drop the package to the yard
As someone who ia trying to do his training at the moment (Winter here in Aust.), and only has weekends, I'm feeling the winter thing. The training facility is about a 2 hour drive from me so usually I go up the night before and camp out, this weekend though only today (Sunday) is flyable, and I didn't get the message that training was possible until it was to late to be worth heading up :( Hopefully one day I'll be able to buy some rural land, put an off grid house on it and be able to walk out of my front door to go flying.
What's the current situation on electric Paramotors? How long do they fly, what's their cost compared to the two strokes? I would also only consider Paramotoring over Paragliding if I could use electric ones.
I hated those engines since people (back when I was at school) started riding their small 2 stroke bikes. They smell awful, are incredibly loud and need to be fueled with their oil/gas mix. I'd trade in an hour or 1.5 of flight time if I could go electric instead.
I fly an electric paramotor as my main PPG. I get a solid hour out of my battery
If you don't want to deal with oil/gas mixture then you can put in aviation fuel with no mixing
Four Stroke Engines on Trikes is the way to go for many, great gas mileage and engines will last 3-4 times longer than a two stroke. Also. if you have bad knees or health issues, a Trike will allow you to fly in much more comfort...
Well, I've loved flying since I was 16 or so, but I'm not in the right shape nor have the motor skills to do this. So I sit in my chair and watch this. Very cool stuff. I love your trips, and I love your local stuff.
I love the videos keep them coming
I am looking at starting training the only stopping factor is my dad doesn’t want to ride with me to sit at training because I only have my drivers permit but your videos help me a ton
Always love your videos Tucker. 👍 First thought I had, 4 of the 5 things you hate about paramotoring are similar in the drone pilot world as well. Obstacles, but definitely won't stop us from flying. 🙂 Thanks for your content.
My Boss got into paramotoring last year, and now I'm hooked and totally itching to get into it! He's also a pilot and I look forward to every opportunity to go up in his Cherokee 6. Now I'm doing as much research and knowledge I can find and absorbe. I totally appreciate ALL of your vids my man!
I just love the philosophical and random videos the "AH THEIR IS A BUG IN MY PANTS" best. What a beautiful flight too!
Having an inflatable wing or carbon fibre reinforced wing would give advantages, BUT, also create disadvantages, such as losing a degree of “Pendular Stability”, making the Wing subject to non-recoverable stall (like some hang gliders), creating high pressure brakes, losing directional stability etc
Could be some advantages like you'd see in some semi-rigid foil kites with the carbon fiber rods. Less prone to collapse, maybe easier lift-off. But if for some reason it does collapse then you'd be really screwed. The floppier wing may give more feedback at the threshold, which is why nobody really tried doing much in that regard.
That was helpful to hear your take on the sport's growing pains & issues.
I live in an area with 300 sunny days per year and look forward to the meticulous engine engine rebuild. I worked for years as a mechanic for my father's auto repair business.
So wish I could get into a paramotor for a hobby, to be up in the clouds is amazing. Cost keeps me grounded but I do fly FPV drones which helps me cheat being able to fly, however our part107 rules limit us to a 400 feet altitude. These posts always keep me inspired to work hard and hope...just one day man, if I could have that giant motor, prop and cloth in the air. I'm inspired even in this hate video. You inspire me man.
Thanks for keepin it real ✌
Im at aviator rn after 4 years of saving. You will get there one day i promise. One day you'll wake up and be a fucking paramotor pilot dude!! Keep working for it
I hope it never happens for you.
#3 is my #1 and it affects more than the Paramotor hobby, it seems no matter how respectful I am there are always people that don't want others to have fun. That being said there is also 1% in the hobby that aren't respectful and that gives us a black eye.
Was a surprise to hear about your friend’s accident. I had to look it up. Very unfortunate. Fly safe.
How far do you think a beginner has to run to launch? Any idea how fast someone needs to run it in? Learning to fly is on my bucket list. I know i should get in shape before I go to Florida to learn to fly, I just don't know how in shape I need to be.
Depends of wind situation. No wind will take you easily 50 meters if you're still figuring things out. The thing is. One run is not that bad. But you will have a lot of mistakes, like every beginning pilot. So was I also... And that's super tiring. Over and over trying to get of the ground. Remember tucker's video of the dudek warp?. Well that about sums it up
I'm not in shape. A good wing will get you up. Yes you will need to be able to jog/run for about 50-100 yards with weight on your back. I can't run worth a flip anymore but I can long enough to get off the ground.
Density Altitude, wind and skill are the 3 biggest factors. So anywhere between 0 feet and 50 yards. As the glider gets lift the total weight becomes less and less until liftoff.
@@pizzamandellaxx6979 to sum it up “if you’re gonna be dumb you gotta be tough” 🤣🤣🤣 because quite literally, inexperience is going to take a lot of energy
@@pws3rd170 Launching isnt that hard. Failing a launch is Exhausting
8:45 Approx what would be the electric battery+motor weight vs 5 gallons and 2 stroke engine? 1 hour of gas vs 1 hour of battery? Batteries could really change the sport and make it much quiter. So interesting.
I had you in front on my you tube videos favorites but you tube does something screwy with the algorithms. I love your videos. I’ve never para motor guided or para glided either but man I enjoy watching your channel.
Keep it up, stay safe. Thank you.
I want to see a onewheel launch!
that's truly amazing. I always watch your videos. that's all i can do about paramotoring.
Nice vid. I totally understand about the "Love Hate" thing. BUT some of your points are for a reason. Night: well... you become a danger to other aircraft. (Same issue the PWC crowd has been fighting) Fuel: well... I don't get that one either... other than if you did crash, there is less stuff to make a fireball. Flying over people: I totally get it. This has a lot of angles. 1) you have minimal training. 2) The cost of entry is low. that's a great mix for an idiot to cause issues. (And hurt other people and property) AND... to your point of flying over NY. Yes, it would be a great view... but those buildings cause all kinds of crazy air currents. (goes to the Spring/Fall point) Not to mention, there would be people trying to use buildings a pilons. AND.... since helicopters are allowed to fly in those places.... I think there could be a "Food Processor" incident. In general aviation... Heli and fix wing have different ground and visibility requirements in the FAR/AIM. on your #3... you can nev4er change that, other than to also become active in the local meetings, and to help with awareness. This is the issue the country is fighting with the WOKE crowd in general. A small minority makes the loudest voice, and people back off because they just don't want to fight. With RC aircraft... we have been fighting this forever. We had a local flying field that had been there since the 50's. A few years back... someone moved in, and started to complain. It almost got shut down over it. The new home owners knew they were moving next to an RC field... but they would rather ruin the enjoyment of 130 members just so their Saturday afternoon would be quiet. (for the sat's they were actually home) Sometimes you have to fight for your sport. oh... and if you did get some of the regs lifted... there would be A LOT more training, and requirements. (full FAA test, license, registration, insurance would be mandatory, and maybe you would have to send everything out to be fixed by an A&P, and that would make it all more expensive) Like I said... good vid. Thanks for sharing.
What was the reason for the main flying spot being shut down? Noise or safety concerns?
Hi Tucker! As a fairly new 100 hour pilot I would love to know what happened to Jeff! He seemed to fly very conservatively as I do and I was just wondering if you know anything about the circumstances of his accident! I am very sorry about the loss of your friend!
What happened to jeff?
@@89TNash last I heard he was killed in a Paramotor accident a couple weeks ago.
Tucker said investigation is still going.
Didn't Tucker say he was all by himself and didn't have a go-pro on so there really isn't any evidence to determine what happened.
I thought a drone was following your for the back shots but then I noticed a cable... Whats is that thing and how did you stick a camera to it ? It's really awesome !
Tucker if you do a Spyder 3 review, if possible could you explain tip steering and perhaps even how to tie it in. - Mike Bishop.
Also love these vids lately remind me of the Gott vids of yesteryear…love the content but these simple flying adventures never get old. Keep it up dude 🤙🏼
Dude that rear cam is SICK!!!!!!! It took me a min to figure out what you were dragging and then I was like OH! I am debating paramotor training in the spring or at least a tandem flight to see if I like it and the electric ones definitely appeal cause of what you said the hassle free.. Even if the flight time is only 30 mins. Love your videos man!
just for reference you have to register a model RC airplane you don't have to register part 103 to put that into perspective, applys to drones too
Up here in Alaska we get to fly in the twilight hours as defined in the air almanac! Pretty cool stuff🙂
In Canada, Paramotors are classed as Basic Ultralights and are subject to all the regular Canadian Aviation Regulations. That means a pilot license, medical, insurance, and aircraft registration. Not only are we not allowed to fly over people but also not allowed to overfly built up areas or municipalities at less than 1000' above the highest point in said area and 2000' horizontally away from it, people or no people. An empty highschool is pretty much built up so... Upside is I'm allowed to fly at any airport and essentially cannot be refused permission.
My electric paramotor requires no maintenance. I probably will have to replace my batteries at 200hours though. The new OpenPPG SP140 battery would probably last 500 hours. I just bought a new motor with an Atom 80 so I can go on longer adventures.
Solar cell textiles are becoming lighter and cheaper all the time. Soon, a wing may be able to keep a pilot aloft for several hours at a time. Couple that with Scout's variable props for added efficiency and the future is looking bright for electric pilots. :)
Ok a few questions. For the rebuilds. About how much are the kits? On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate the difficulty of the rebuilds? And how many hours do they take? Great video as always.
I'd suggest diesel over electric. There are more BTUs per pound and 5 gallons should get you further. However, I'm pretty sure they are less responsive in changing RPM. Jet A is a close cousin to diesel.
Hey Tucker, question: how does paramotor compare to paragliding in the middle of the day. You can paraglide almost at any hour if the thermals are not too strong. Can't you do that with paramotor?
Pretty sure you want to avoid mid-day flying entirely on a PPG because thermals are suuuper uncomfortable & bumpy :/ kinda the opposite of paragliding, since paragliders look for those thermals to ride! Paramotors love the calm air, typically 2 hours after sunrise and 2 hours before sunset (along with good weather conditions, also depends on where you live!)
@whatsapp①⑨⓪⑨③①②③⓪③④ I will sleep better knowing that you care. Thanks a lot. May GOD be with you. I never felt so loved. Thanks.
Hey Tucker I have a question! I made the same helmet as you last time I made it for the GoPro seven does the 10 plug right in the same as a seven!
I live in Ocean City Md , technically in west Ocean City ..I was looking out my sliding door and I looked over at the bay and low and behold there goes someone flying a paramotor.... I said dam... there goes Tucker..... of course it wasn't you . First time I have seen someone flying it was pretty cool... they were over the periphery of the bay . Great videos dude... keep on keeping on.
I think I have seen you near my house, I live on the Delaware in Milford
11:04 actually it exists. Maverick flying car has struts in the wings that can be folded away when not in use. Idea is good but the problem with regular paramotoring is that well you have setup the bars. And it's not really needed for most wings cause they are collapse resistant like that mojo that you tested.
Hey Tucker, I challenge you to try Hang gliding bro!! have uou ever considered it?? :)
I've been following your channel for years now and i love your content!! ive even been thinking of getting a PPG actually, but I've been flying hang gliders for a couple years now and when the paragliders are packing up because the conditions are too strong is EXACTLY when we set up our gliders so we can catch the Strong themals in the middle of the day to stay up longer! i know most people these days choose paragliding or PPG because of the convenience and easier portability?! but the trade off of only having such SMALL flying windows is a pretty CRAZY trade off!!
i was thinking to get a ppg ( mostly because of your videos) but now after this one in particular im thinking maybe i should just stick to HG and just get a powered hang glider harness for my glider instead.
i absolutely LOVE the aspect of EXPLORING with your PPG and my hang gliding right now is too focused on thermalling. ... but i want the freedom to explore is what ive now learned.
anyways im not sure if youll even see this comment.... but powered hang gliding would literally mean you could fly almost ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, and in much stronger wind conditions since it is a rigid wing. (which is also why its much safer even though you can fly much faster! :)) And its really NOT that hard to transport.
anyways sorry for the essay here... i would really appreciate if you could comment on this (or even make a video) just so we can hear your thoughts on it!
also another side note is that it would be awesome to see how you could/would transition... and also would be awesome yo have a professional content creator and pilot suvh as yourself bring some awareness and life back into hang gliding! it too is ana amazing flying machine and theres no rule book sayung we have to stick to only one type of flying machine!!! Take care bro! be safe and God bless!
Before viewing, I'm thinking "noise".
A way to give people maybe a bit of an idea about the risk is to compare it to motorcycling, based on the same duration riding.
When people complain, what do they specify as the issues? Noise? Risks to bystanders? Privacy? Trespass?
I can tell you from first hand experience that if you drop that phone from altitude it will look fantastic as it tumbles end over end through the air in a nice ballistic arc to the ground.
You can fly over populated areas if you’re at least 500 feet above the highest point
Regarding a couple of your points: have you ever been out to The Arizona Flying Circus? Everyone at the event would love to meet you of course, Mo especially (he owns MoTown and Airparamo too I believe). Also, there are a many folks who fly-in and camp next to their private aircraft. Skydive AZ and their crew are there often and they do a bunch of group jumps too. It’s like the burning man of Oshkosh! And the night events are unforgettable! 🌚🌝🌕🤫❤️🔥✨🙌🏼
Ohh tucker, the regulations in Belgium are sooo strict😅, you can only fly between sunrise and sunset. You cannot fly below 500 foot AGL ,.... And many more.. waayy more strict than USA😌
This video makes me homesick. Launching from out middle school. The see you on the other side thing 😭😂
Finally, one person from NJ, I love NJ
Looks like Ethyl Hoppock school. I know it well. Had a lot of Spanish food around the corner, good place to drink and eat! Here is your chance to take the FAA up on its prior offer! You should contact the FAA and explain your “beefs”!
Learned the weather problem with learning to speedfly. If you don't like waking up early or sneaking out of work early. Youre probably only gonna fly once a month.
What is wrong with mid-day weather that makes it not suitable for paramotoring?
Good reason to be on an A wing
All the same things I hate as well! I'd wager most pilots would agree with your assessment. That looks about like the length I have in my yard at the moment (Eventually I'll extend it back 80' or so), except once you get over the stone wall at the end with a 75' gap between trees, there's another 300' before you need to clear trees and wires. I know you could easily launch from here. I need a bit more experience. Zero engine-out options too, just to spice things up, lol. Would be tree landing more than likely! Just like where I thought that balloon was headed! 😁
Tucker, please show your chase cam rig sometime. I find it interesting and would like to know how you deploy it.
first off let me say that I love anything that flies. having said that look at it from the perspective of somebody hiking on a hiking trail and having a noisy flying machine making multiple passes running their peaceful walk at the end of the day or at the beginning of the day. the solution is easy don't fly over hiking trails or if you do make sure you're at altitude where the noise won't bother anybody and if you do make a low pass wave and move on.
Hey Tucker, sense your in NJ, how about doing a fly over Mt. Holly where I grew up in the 50's. I'm sure it's changed, but would love to see how much. Especially the Mount which is right behind the old town main st. Thanks, a real fan.
I always look forward to your videos.
Hey Tucker
I don‘t realy understand the problem with flying during the day. I mean, as a experienced paragliding pilot I fly around in turbulent thermals all the time in purpose and colapses are mostly not a big deal. So why don‘t you use those thermals during daytime to increase your airtime?
btw: Nightflights with a paraglider are legal over here in switzerland. So get yourself over here! 😉
Hi Tucker another great video, stay safe, have fun. Peace.
Hell yeah great video! I can't wait to see the spider review and all the others. Hopefully you review all the Ozone wings that would be fun. Plus your the dealer so why not, you gotta know what your selling 😆🤔
Hey tucker could you or have you done a video talking about weather conditions and why day flying isn't good. ect and what conditions to look out for ect?
What happened to your favorite field? You said closed, did you get banned?
Ignore the comment i made on another video about using bigger fuel tanks as you just mentioned that . I wonder if just strapping a bigger motor on or having some of that airflow coming off the propellers directed to the chute would help for them to be used during the daytime . If not maybe I'll look into gyro copters , which i watched some videos on those last week .
Maintenance of your gear (engine, etc. ) is #1 in ensuring that you have trouble-free flying time...( this goes for everything that you own..)
Tucker, do you ever get lost while flying? Lol that’s always been a huge concern of mine. If I ever got the chance to fly 😆
My dream is to fly. - I’ve been wanting to get into Paramotoring for about 7 years. I know it would be life changing! To have the open sky between my knees, I bet there’s nothing like it. It would be exhilarating and freeing. Of this I’m certain. - If I had the money, I’d train and buy gear.
But I also have some concerns.
1. Rebuilding my motor when that inevitable 200 hour mark is reached. And maintaining my motor to keep it running. I’m not the most technical person when it comes to repairs and maintenance. 😆 But I am open to learn.
2. Finding like minded people to fly with. - I don’t know anyone who flies Paramotor here. I once saw someone fly over a river not too far from where I live which made me geek out lol I feel so fortunate to have witnessed it. First time I’ve seen a someone fly Paramotor in real life. It was SO cool!
3. The weather. I live in Oregon and sometimes it rains half the year pretty consistently.
4. I wonder if I’d ever get lost while flying Paramotor. Things look vastly different from the sky when you’re looking down on them. Lol
Do you ever get lost while flying?
With all that said, I still want to get into this sport. I’ve been wanting to fly for years but I haven’t got any closer to my dream. I’m 41 years young lol
If I could, I think I’d follow in your foot steps and train for 2 weeks at Aviator PPG in Florida. I would make a vacation of it, and I’d come home with a sweet set of skills! I’ve looked into a couple places and some only offer a 4-5 day training period… that seems way to short to learn how to fly safely.
Thank you for the video. Seeing your passion for aviation is inspiring!
Keep it up, there’s a whole world out there!
FAA regulations are not written in stone. I suggest you apply for, an exemption to one you'd like to change, like night flying. All the FAA requires is a demonstration of an "equivalent level of safety". With better lighting I suspect you could get a night flying exemption at a specific location. Another way is to get a paramotor certified as an aircraft.
I gotta admit. I don't remember one thing you said you hate about paramotoring. I had so much fun watching the landscape.
Would it not be possible to do a set up with a hand glider wing? I have seen hand gliders with trikes but never a foot launched one...
I myself got into it enjoyed the ozones and honestly even I had the crazy idea to use an e-bike with a propeller mounted on it
"If I had, I would guarantee you it would be amazing" --> So Im a glider pilot. and the regs state the closest we can get to cloud base is 500ft. I've never been to cloud base before, ever, not once... but my creative imagination could give you extremely detailed STORIES about how cool it WOULD PROBABLY BE to go cloud skimming...