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powered parachutes

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sleddriver71

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 13, 2005
Posts
271
I saw a couple of powered parachutes take off today and I was wondering what aerodynamically causes them to turn/climb/descend? I watched one come in and land and the guy did three big balloons and then plopped it in. I don't know if they are hard to land or if this person was just inexperienced. The wind was calm at the time.
 
Primary control is by using the brakes. Which pull down on the trailing edge. Slowing on side of the wing. It also changes the angle of attack and etc. You can also use weight shift. Which increases the wing loading and etc. on one side more than the other. Climb, excess power. Descend, gravitey=glider. Flare=Both brakes together. This as simple as I can put it. Much more to it than this though. Lots of fun!
 
Ive got a few hours in a Buckeye. The one I flew did not have brakes just foot pegs that you push in the direction you want to turn. Power controls pitch for climbs and descents and level flight. The one I flew was outfitted for spraying crops. I never applied chemicals but did test it out with water.

Landing can be tricky but not terribly difficult. You can usually land one within 100 feet if the grass is fairly deep. I was taught to flare using a small boost of power and then kick both of the pegs once on the ground to "deflate" the chute. Other landing techniques work but thats what I prefer.

If you like flying very low and very slow with unrestricted visibility they are a blast. Your at the mercy of the wind though. Crosswind landings are nearly impossible and a breeze over 10knots cuts your cruise speed nearly in half! Great fun though.

au
 
I have always been fasinated by these powered parachutes.

How safe are they?

I have a lot of time in airplanes...now with the airlines. Seems the longer I fly the more worried about safety I become. I was thinking this could be something fun to do with my son...but still a little afraid.

Any thoughts?
 
Back when I was 18 I took a brief lesson and was allowed to fly a Paraplane for a quick 20 minutes. It was a blast and I quickly became a demonstration pilot for them. I showed the new students the pattern to fly and how to take off and land. (I even made the local news). It was a great time, I flew most of a summer until they went out of business.
The great thing is, 26MPH is the top speed of a powered parachute. Nothing happens fast. Even the tree landing I witnessed was in slow motion.
 
I flew the PSE-2S paraplane with the 50 horsepower rotax 503 (Dual Carb) and it was a freaking blast! We had the Second Chance balistic reserve canopy and a CO2 backup ring for a water landing if needed with a 5 gallon gas tank! The highest I ever got was 1000' and the fasted I ever went was 30mph.....not fast enough to get hurt! Flying was easy.....pust the right peg ad you go right, push the left peg you go left, throttle up-go up, throttle down-go down and pust both pegs forward to flare for landing then pull in both steering lines to collapse your chute but remember to cut your engine asap to avoid line ingestion~

landing can be tricky if the chute gets blown to a side, just remember to cut your engine and tuck your arms and legs as you will not stop the roll over.

Enjoy!

P.S..... the 50 horse PSE-2S will do a torque roll over if you jack the power too quickly on initial ground roll!
 
even NASA says there not a good idea!!!

1) they're > there
2) Prove it

I'm a 14 year airline guy. My dad got into PPC flying last year. He now has 2 rigs. PPC flying is quite simply the most fun I've ever had in aviation! I plan on getting officially trained this summer.

Like anything that defies gravity, if you have safe habits then the activity will be safe. Don't try and fly in high winds, don't fly over someplace that you can't survive an engine failure, don't have a CFIT accident.

The machines themselves are very safe. Giant roll cage, multiple lines where needed, and if things go real bad... you crash at about 25 mph.

Get and start flying PPC. You won't regret it!
 
I went to Oshkosh this year... it looks like a lot of the PPC manufacturers have gone out of business, as there was a much smaller presence there than I recall over the past decade.

For those that fly them, who are the best manufacturers out there?
 

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