Apr 23, 2012 Playing with Fire, Eric and I try out the
Paramania GTR 18 Paramotor Wing
Another whirlwind Enterprise trip is trading life experiences for
editing time. No, I'm not on the timeline for Master PPG 3, but I *AM* getting
great
footage that will make it even more fun to watch. Sunday, in
Christmas Florida, I got to try out a new wing, a new motor (new to me)
and a new video camera to add to my quiver.
My good fortune was that Eric Dufour had a rare break in his training schedule.
And he had a wing that I wanted to try, the Paramania Action GTR 18 (here
is the review).
We had a relatively short window because the winds were increasing to
their anticipated 20 to 25 mph but, being heavily loaded made that far
less of a deal. What's interesting about Reflex wings is that now pilots
want to tear it up with them at high speed and they need to use the
brakes. So we do what used to be taboo -- flying them trimmed fast,
sometimes on full speedbar, and still using the brakes. Some
wings let you get away with this more than others. One thing I've
learned, if the manual says don't do a particular maneuver or
configuration, then don't!
Another thing I was impressed with was how well my Miniplane handled
the GTR 18. I was able to fly it level, trimmed fast and on full
speedbar. It didn't even need full power. That's cool.
I then flew Eric's 130, which I may fly in the competition, and
indeed it had more thrust. We'll see. I'm partial to the Miniplane's
weight shift and harness system. I still don't know for sure which wing
I'll be flying but this GTR is a good possibility. An 18 Hadron or
Plasma would be another great choice but, alas, I don't have access to
one of those.
Below is a little 9 minute piece of the fun we had. Eric nailed every
spot landing. I did, too, but not with as little speed. Nice work!
