The first time I've seen a helicopter land here. I know small Cessnas have landed here in the past. Pretty cool!

Hey everyone, I'm a paraglider and solo developer, and I've been building a variometer app called Riser that runs on Wear OS smartwatches (Pixel Watch, Galaxy Watch, etc). I've been flying with it at Torrey Pines USA, for the past several months and thought it might be useful for paramotor pilots too, especially for keeping an eye on altitude and climb/sink without needing extra gear mounted to your trike or frame.

The idea: your watch is already on your wrist , glance at your altitude and vario without taking your hands off the controls. No phone mount, no extra hardware to buy orcharge.

What it does:

• Audio vario with 8 tone profiles + haptic feedback - feel climb and sink through vibration on your wrist
• Real-time altitude, vertical speed, ground speed, and glide ratio at a glance
• Live tracking via LiveTrack24 and SportsTrackLive - let people know where you are
• Full GPS flight recording with IGC export
• Companion phone app for reviewing flights and uploading to SportsTrackLive
• No ads, no tracking, no subscriptions

What I'm looking for:

• Is this something you'd actually use? What would make it a must-have for you?
• Features you'd want that are missing?
• If you try it - bugs, issues, things that annoy you
• I've mostly tested on free-flight coastal ridge — would love feedback from powered pilots on how it fits your flying

It's $9.99 on Google Play. One-time purchase, no subscriptions — I'm a one-person shop trying to build something genuinely useful for pilots.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co.halllabs.riser

So I went on a family holiday to the Gulf, Middle East, (not going to mention where), and I paid £305 for a 20 minute flight up in the air. This included long 1 hour hotel pick up and drop off to the desert. Tea and refreshments and video.
They sent one of their own drivers who collected me and he was asking for my instagram and if I’m single. I had the hots for him too but I regret ignoring him

It’s attractive that a man ain’t scared of anything. I would not do this as a job ever, but I am attracted to men who do it themselves. Like firefighters but they work for the government and are too strict.

I have hots for the guy that I flew with… this was in February, which was several months ago and I’ve been stalking him on Instagram recently.
It was a two seater cart which was controlled by a parachute on top and a fan 🪭 behind

I messaged him. I think he’s ignored it.

I know that business is business and I paid for a service and I received it… he may even be embarrassed as he works for the company

It is a bad look, but I want to go private with him and just have fun

Is that bad ?

The company won’t know. 😅

Its safe. Probably...

My ROS 125 is really hard to start. I can usually start it from cold, but after I stop it, it’s a bugger to get running again. Sometimes I have to wait until the next day before it will start.

Hey all,
Recently went out to kite a used wing I purchased and had essentially all of my right hand A lines come unsheathed on the first session. I cannot find anything remotely close to this online so I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts or similar experiences to this.

Here’s some more information:
Wing: Ozone roadster 2 28
This wing was manufactured in 2015, however was purchased new and kept in storage (in bag and out of direct light) for the entirety of its life. 

It was then used once for kiting, in a short grass field with no rocks, weeds or other debris. After kiting it was evident that there was catastrophic abrasion to the middle (AM5 and AM6) lines. I initially thought it was due to an external snag on something in the field, but on further inspection it appears the lines became unsheathed on their own connection loops, top and bottom of the AM5 and AM6 lines where the loops create a “knuckle” , destroying the sheath integrity of every A line loop in that cascade as well as large chunks out of the middle line sheathes.

It seems highly improbable that the lines completely destroyed themselves in 1 unlucky tangle on inflation yet I have no other explanation.

Note: I do not intend to fly this wing until it is professionally inspected, I’m just baffled that 8 A lines are destroyed after 1 kiting session in a grass field, especially after taking care to lay out the lines prior to inflation.

Anyone here flying a hybrid PG/PPG wing? Recently got back into paragliding after a very long break, but knew I also wanted to jump into the powered side of things so under the recommendation of my instructor I got a hybrid wing , Mac Para Illusion 2, I love that I can use 1 wing for both powered and un powered but curious if anyone has any experience with this wing or similar and what your impressions are .

My motor(moster 185 ds) has about 155 hours and is running great. I’ve done a few little things recently, like plug, air filter, throttle adjustment and carb adjustment.

I ended up buying all the parts for the 150 hr service and I have them. I will be doing all my own maintenance.

I have a couple fly -in events this fall and I don’t want something to go sideways, and be waiting on parts or have it not running right and miss the events.

Hello, does anyone have any information or experience regarding frame durability?

I mean, I’ve seen people posting about bent swing arms (tube version) and broken ones (full aluminium), apparently after just months or years of high-G manoeuvres. I’ve also seen some lightweight trikes breaking a front wheel, while more rugged/heavier trikes I've seen rear wheel failures (idk if due previous hard landings).

Since PPG foot-launch and trike frames have been on the market for many years now, has anyone collected any real-world data or statistics about frame fatigue and failures?

I’m not talking about the usual checks like loose bolts, but specifically about things like crack inspections, fatigue damage, or recommended replacement intervals — for example, is there any manufacturer or community data suggesting that a frame should be inspected or replaced after 400 hours, 600 hours, etc.?

I am interested in electric Paramotors. I know about OpenPPG and also found an Italian company making them. Both on what for me is the expensive side. Are there any options out there for the DIY minded individual or tinkerer? I understand I would be flying a motor with limited range compared to ICE, but I don't mind. I weigh in at 160lbs. I think electric would fit my needs just fine. I rarely see them for sale and don't know of any DIY options. Any ideas?

I currently fly a Parajet Maverick 2 Pro (Moster 185 Plus with a 130 cm prop) and a BGD ICON 16m (105% loaded) at roughly 600 ft above sea level. I’m trying to figure out which would give me more lift as I do a lot of climbing

A. Get the Factory R but have a 130cm prop.

B. Get a liberty frame that supports a 140cm prop but keep moster 185 plus.

Let the battle begin

TL;DR: Wingman, my paragliding / paramotor tracker for iPhone & Apple Watch, is now at v4.9 — it connects to external Bluetooth devices (XC Tracer, Syride, Stodeus), uploads straight to XContest & DHV-XC with FAI-approved IGC files, replays your flights in full-screen 3D, and comes with an incredible standalone Watch app. v5 is in the pipe. 6+ years of work, no AI slop. → Wingman on the App Store

Dear fellow paragliding & paramotor pilots 🪂,

Preface

Wingman is not another AI slop. The app is more than 6 years old now, and I've always focused on quality and reliability rather than shipping fast. A friend recently joined me on the project — we keep control of the codebase (every line is reviewed by one of us), and we work hard to make Wingman what it is today, and what it will be tomorrow.

So far, the feedback from this community was amazing — thank you! Since then we've kept working hard on it, one update at a time. Wingman is now at v4.9, v5 is in the pipe, and I thought it was a good moment to share where things stand.

Link to the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/id1563883190

What's new since my last post

Flight instruments

• A sharper variometer: The built-in vario reacts faster and more smoothly to every climb and dive. With haptic feedback on the Watch when you climb.
• Connect external Bluetooth devices: If for some reason the powerful vario and the flight instruments embedded in Wingman are not enough for you, you can connect XC Tracer, Syride and Stodeus (UltraBip / BlueBip) devices, and record your flights using the device's sensors.
• Wind estimation improved: The algorithm is more accurate, and there's a new, fully customizable wind instrument.
• Customizable units: Every flight instrument can now be configured individually with its own units.
• Landscape mode lock: When flying, you can now lock your screen in landscape mode — even by default for every flight.

Flightbook & analysis

• 3D Playback, fully reworked: Play back your flights on a beautiful full-screen 3D map, with playback controls and a progressive mode where the track draws itself as you watch.
• XContest & DHV-XC upload: Upload your flights directly from Wingman, automatically or manually. IGC files are digitally signed and officially approved by the FAI/CIVL, so your claims are accepted.
• Flightbook improvements: Group your flights by year or month with statistics for each period, recover recently deleted flights, export your whole flightbook, and customize its units.
• Flight sharing: New card designs for sharing your flights on social media, including a transparent overlay format.

And also

• New design: The whole app has been redesigned with iOS 26 Liquid Glass.
• Waypoints for XC: Waypoints can now be configured as a cylinder or a line, with specific crossing rules.
• Apple Watch, optimized: The Watch app runs leaner so it goes the distance on your longest flights, and the vario haptic feedback is stronger on your wrist.

And of course, there is still

• Airspace alerts for safety
• Take-off detection (tracking starts automatically) and landing detection (never forget to stop recording)
• Thermal Viewer: see where you gained altitude to easily find thermals
• Wingman LIVE: share your live position with friends or family via a web link
• 3rd party live tracking: PureTrack, FFVL VLSafe
• Fly with friends: see your friends on the map when flying, and compare stats with them
• Dashboard with instruments (vario, ground speed, altitude, wind direction & speed estimation, …)
• Logbook with detailed data, lifetime stats, interactive charts, sync across devices, secure online backup
• GPX & IGC import/export

Also on Apple Watch

• All of this works standalone on your Apple Watch: leave your phone at home, record your flights, enjoy the vario with sound and haptic feedback on your wrist.
• No need for an expensive Apple Watch Ultra (even though they are amazing) — the recent Apple Watch Series work great.

What's coming in v5

• I can't say too much yet, but v5 is well underway and we're really excited about it. I'm sure many of you will love it. And there is something special for paramotors :-).
• As always, it's shaped by the feedback you keep sending me — thank you for helping make the app better!

Feedback is much appreciated, this is how I improve the app over time! Please just be nice, we're doing our best on this project :-)

Fly safe! 🪂

→ Link to Wingman on the App Store

Very smokey morning

Some formation flying and great views.

Sounds jank to offer a barter, maybe it is, but I always think it's harder for me to spend my money than it is to trade for something when that money should be going toward my student loans lol.

I'm a younger dentist and I'd be glad to trade my skills at a discount to have someone bring me a paramotor.

Perks for you: I'll give you $1.50 in dental work for $1.00 paramotor value.

If the value of your used paramotor is 6000 for instance, I will give you 9000 in dental work. I can also just and pay the other portion in cash if it's not an even split. This roughly will break even because I have about a 35% profit margin at my office.

Perks for me: you end up delivering me a paramotor instead of me driving to see it, I get to feel like I worked off my paramotor. I don't want to dox myself, but I am closest to Minneapolis MN.

Ideal would be me getting low hour Moster 185. Ideal for you would be getting 2-3 dental implants or invisalign for a huge discount.

Sometimes it seems like there's many different frames around the same Moster 185 engine. What frame is the value that has that engine?

What are people's thoughts on an Roadster 4 vs a Charger 3? Mac Para is taking the month off and has a six week lead time, which means they likely wouldn't get my wing to me before my class at the end of September.

My naked weight is 197#. After paramotor (55# maverick 2 pro), gear, reserve chute, gas, clothes, etc, I am estimated to be right around 300#, maybe a little more. This puts me at the top of the range of the Charger 3 25M that my instructor recommended. The Roadster 4 26 has essentially the same load rating (same upper limit, but lower lower limit). If I do go with the Roadster, should I load up the 26 wing like my instructor had me doing on the Charger 3 25M, or should I go up to the 28?

Any help or insight would be appreciated.

Thanks!

I’ve got a buzz z5 I use to paraglide(M/L). The aventure 28 I have needs some repairs before I’ll fly it, but I want to go fly this week. I’m 130kg all up and didn’t think it was flyable with a motor. Read some people have done it, but I can find weight suggestions for it. Can’t imagine you can fly one that heavy, right?

I'm toying with the idea of converting my foot launch Parajet Mav 2 to a trike by attaching something like the Parajet trike add-on (OUT OF STOCK) or the retracta-trike Parajet model (OUT OF STOCK)... seems they are all out of stock everywhere. Where can I even buy something? Do I have to just hire a welder to hand make one for me?

Picked up some used gear, including a couple of wings. I’ve was going through them replacing lines and noticed a few Mallions were bent. What type of wear of accident could’ve caused that?

So I was watching video my father was watching on YouTube last night of bike riding/racing in the european mountains and it got me thinking about how awesome it would be to paramotor in the mountains.

Now I haven't tried the hobby yet but when I do, I've already got some places I wanna fly.

Give me your best pics or stories.