After the Engine, the next most important equipment to purchase is the correct size Paraglider (wing), this must be calculated based on your Total Flight Weight!
To select the correct size Paraglider Wing, use the below Flight Weight Calculator.
WARNING: Flying an oversize wing in windy conditions or growing thermals has a greater potential to cause partial or dangerous full wing collapse during flight, and making for a rough and un-enjoyable Flight.
On the other hand, Flying an under-size wing increases your Flight speed & Sink rate, experienced acro PPG pilots prefer an under sized wing because it increase there flight speed, an under-size wing also reduces the effect and feel of wind and thermals buffering during windier days &/or cross country flights. That should be considered if your engine fails or stalls and you can't restart, as it is your Wing that will bring you safely back to earth, although distance from a clearing, wind, weather and other factors play an important part in your glide angle back to the ground.
NOTE: A larger capacity PPG engine does NOT make you fly faster, it is the wing that sets your flight speed, an engine only gives you the ability to gain altitude and maintain level flight. General rule of thumb, the heavier your flight weight the more thrust required to assist with an easier launch and maintain level flight, usually a larger capacity engine produces more thrust, also usually making launching easier and safer by assisting a pilot to gain altitude easier and faster to clear approaching obstacles without the engine over revving, thus creating less noise pollution for the general public, a quiet engine makes flying more pleasurable.
The future of this industry will be in light weight, reliable and quiet four stroke engines, our 250cc Aero-1000 engine has set the standard for others to follow, and is some 50% lighter than our old Quad based HellCat 360cc, 4 stroke purpose built Aviation engine, it was by far the quietist of our engines, due to bad electrical configuration BlackHawk stopped the supply of this great engine replaced it with a superior water cooled, 4 stroke, EFI, 250cc Aero-1000 engine.
Propellers: As a general rule of thumb, Timber props for Go, Carbon props for Show! Carbon Fibre propellers look nice, commonly produce less thrust and usually make more noise, the main advantage is that puzzle type props pull apart to store in smaller space for transportation.
:: Select how You want to fly ::
Then purchase the correct Package Deal
Foot Launch Powered Paragliding: If you predominately want to fly Foot Launch you can select from our BH-90cc engine up to the standard AirMax-210cc engine for superior clime rate, the Kestrel HH cage is our standard cage and has a Two piece chassis that dismantles to fit into the smallest bag/cargo crate, with Foot Launch the less weight you have to carry the better.
Wheeled & Foot Launch Powered Paragliding: If you are wanting to swap between Foot Launch and Wheeled Launch you should use our standard Rhino Cage as it simply bolts on to our LowBoy Quad with four "O" clamps. The smallest engine we recommend for Solo and Tandem Quad flight is our Talon-190 v3.0 engine. Our new LowBoy TRIKE has the most simplest change over method, as you use the same harness and the cage that simply fastens onto the Trike, however a Trike is designed for experienced pilots due to a Trike being inherently more unstable on Launch & Landing.
REMEMBER: The Heavier you flight weight, more power is required to maintain level flight and retain a desirable climb rate.
Wheel Launch Only: You can either leave the LowBoy Quad fully assembled for a quicker roll-out launch, or use 18 quick-pins to allow an almost fully dismantled Quad, leaving the front & rear Chassis bolted together, allowing the Quad roll cage to fold down to a Flat Pack for easy transportation.
PPG & WPPG engines are easy to transport, by first removing the Cage quadrants, then the engine is left mounted on the Cage chassis, this allows for easy storage in the rear or the boot of the smallest vehicle. The Heavier your flight weight, more power is required to maintain level flight and provide a desirable climb rate, our 4 stroke, 250cc AERO-1000 engine has a great power to weight ratio, and as such is only recommended for Solo or Tandem LowBoy Quad flight.
This Total Flight Weight calculator will indicate the correct size wing you require!
Page last updated 18 September, 2023.
When you have calculated your total flight weight above, you then need to select a wing, it is recommended to select a wing as close as possible to the maximum Wing's rated weight, simply put, the reason behind this is you are flying light under a large wing and stronger wind conditions prevail, you will get blown around more so, as well as increasing the possibility that you may also unload the wing (loosen the lines) thus leading into dangerous flying, like partial to full wing collapses.
When flying with a passenger we recommend using our 42m Velocity EDGE Tandem glider (145~225kg), do not use this wing for flying Solo Foot launch. In a Quad you may have to use a dummy weight (bag of wheat) that will bring you to the upper end of the wings recommended weight!
The biggest fella we've taken up in Tandem was 120kg (264lbs) ...a big boy !
For a passenger the average is about 95kg (210lbs).
According to some paraglider manufacturers many gliders do withstand 8G overload, so it's relatively clear nothing wrong will/should happen with new or recently tested gear if it is overloaded.
Simply put, Overloading a glider/wing is making it carrying more weight than it's recommended weight.
NB: Overloading Increases wing load, you can expect the following;
- Increase in sink rate.
- Harder to Launch, on flat ground you will have to run or roll further before the wing will launch.
- Slight increase in speed. (same proportion as sink, performance should remain the same)
- Increase in agility (less brake input is required for a turn, sometimes even weight shift is enough, you have to watch out, since the paraglider reacts to pilot actions pretty hard and fast.
However, if you are a frequent flyer you have a good chance to get used to it)
- Will Decreased probability of a deflation.
Generally the safety is not affected adversely, but it is reasonable to at least try a bigger wing.
Be WARNED Self Training is NOT recommended !
Please contact your own CFI's (Chief Flight Instructors) listed on the two sites mentioned below, it is usually always best to get training from an instructor in your Area as it will save you time as they should know the local weather patterns. For information on Foot and Wheeled launch training you can visit the SAFA web site or for Wheel Launch training visit the RAA web site.
Contact-us for equipment information on Mobile: 0407 10 30 57, remember we do NOT train pilots, we sell equipment, that is our business! |
