     |
The
great paramotor meeting of Las Candelas 2010 developed as
we all expected: with good weather, nice atmosphere, many
interesting things for all the public, and fun and relaxed.
This year the registration was free for the pilots and that,
coupled with a favorable forecast, contributed to gather about
500 paramotor pilots (registered, according to the Organization)
on the banks of the José Torán lake, near La
Puebla de los Infantes (Spain) for this 14th edition.
Both Saturday and Sunday went on in a fun ambiance. This fair
has been evolving for many years and the Organization, exhibitors,
pilots, and the public in general, enjoyed two perfect days
for our sport in mid winter.
Saturday started with flights in the morning since 10:30 until
lunch time, when the wind increased and grounded everybody.
After a break, some pilots decided to play with their wings
around the take-off while others took the time to see the
latest products displayed in the fair.
In the afternoon the flying window opened again until dusk,
where everyone moved to the village of La Puebla and the local
restaurants were flooded with the stories and good impressions
of the day. The most daring ones walked the streets from bonfire
to bonfire until late in the morning, tasting the typical
'sopaipas' of these lands prepared for the night festivity
of "las candelas", among other things.
On Sunday, the day began more covered with clouds but with
good conditions for flying, which let us enjoy another day
in the air. In the show we saw the D-Bag jump by the veteran
paragliding acrobat Raul Rodriguez who, as usual, displayed
the most radical maneuvers.
And if we talk acro but PPG then we have to talk about Ramón
Morillas who, once again, took the ohs from the public with
his skills.
We
do not know if this is a meeting, a fair or a circus, because
we saw clowns, chickens, dinosaurs, and even a paramotoring
duck ...
What we are sure about is that the passion for powered flight
begins earlier every day, and Las Candelas is the best place
in Spain to see the new flying products presented by their
manufacturers or dealers at the fair.
| Here
are some of the news displayed at Las Candelas, as seen
by our correspondent Claudio Heidel (www.heidel.com.ar) |
 |
|
 
AIRFER
The newest additions to the range of paramotors of this well-known
manufacturer are: the new 2-stroke engine Polini Thor 100 (see details
on Polini engines below) and the Bailey 4v 200 for the four-stroke
version.
More in the structural field, Airfer presented the new "super
detachable" frame aimed at pilots who like to travel with their
gear. This paramotor is powered with the F100 engine and the entire
set weights in only 22 kg.
Regarding paratrikes, Airfer developed the two-seater Mustang, a
80 kg-trike powered by the well known aviation engine Rotax 503,
with electric starter and distribution by PoliV reduction gear.
CLEMENTE
PARAMOTOR
The manufacturer from Seville showed their new active system of
hangpoint, which helps to increase stability on take-off and landing.
This system is a kind of steeled V, where the glider is attached
to the upper ends of the V and the trike is suspended from the vertex
where we find "stoppers" as shock absorbers which are
adjustable. This set helps keep the wheels on the ground when the
wing falls to one side.
They also presented their new trike powered by a Simonini 3 of 35hp
and total weight of 75 kg, including hydraulic suspension.
The brand introduced modifications to their tandem trike Secure
Max, like a torsion bar, a new torque compensation system, and the
incorporation of wood in their seats for more comfort.
All paramotor models are now delivered with large 13 + 9 litres fuel
tank.
OLIVAIR
The company from the Sierra of Segura is relaunching the Paramania Taxi (see video test), a fast and robust tandem glider.
On the other hand, Dani Martinez told us that the Fusion, the intermediate
wing from Paramania with reflex technology (read the Fusion review), is
also becoming popular among free flight pilots.
The paramotor wings in the range of the German manufacturer Skywalk include the Venom, ideal for pilots coming from free flight, and
the Scotch, an intermediate user-friendly and durable sport glider.
Dani, who had an accident in July last year, brought the tandem
trike in which he crashed –a Fly Products Echo 2– so
that everybody could see its structure that "fully protects
the pilot" and to which he owes his life, he claims.
Also on display were the trike Zenith, a good choice of tandem trike
at half the price of an Echo 2, and the Miniplane paramotors that
always attract attention due to their light weight.
At the fair, Olivair was making a big sale of their 2nd hand school
gear with the idea to renew it with electric equipment as a bet
to the future.
PARABUGGY
This young manufacturer of paratrikes came with the new Quattro equipped with bi-cylindrical 4-stroke engine of 650cc and 28 HP
at only 4200 RPM, which achieves cruise flight at 2000 RPM, according
to the manufacturer.
The Parabuggy Quattro (watch our video trying it) has won stability
thanks to a reduction gear system of its own and the engine placed
at the same height of the pilot, only 25 cm from the ground.
The trike propelled by a three-blade adjustable pitch prop is a machine that only requires oil/strap change every 300 hours
and a check every 1000 hours, which turns it into an attractive
option for schools and for hiring, according to Parabuggy.
|
   
The costumes contest contributed to the fun in the air
Passion begins early!
Ramón Morillas, as usual, displaying his skills and helping warm things up!
PAP
Team
Although this year the veteran Spanish manufacturer did not
have a stand at the fair, their presence and products caught
a lot of curiosity and interest, especially with the big news
of their new PAP engines, the RM 80 and the PA 125, both especially
developed for the brand and with names inspired by the first letters
of the names of Pap leader, Pierre Aubert, and their two most
successful pilots: Ramón Morillas and Mathieu Rouanet.
After years of success, PAP decided to give this step further
that allows them to apply new evolutions in record-time without
the usual delay involved when working with satellite suppliers.
The 80cc and the 125cc engines share nearly all of their parts
and pieces, which helps speed up both the service and stock.
As Pierre told us, this is like when you don't like a pizza
and you ask the chef to improve it, without results... You end
up making your own pizza and modifying the recipe to your needs
and the feedback you get.
* During the event we briefly tried the PAP paramotors
equipped with the new engines:
In the 80cc version we find a paramotor with a linear deliver
of power, ideal for light to medium weight people (our test
was with 86 kg of pilot and a paraglider Epsilon 6 size M).
The PA 125 is an engine for agile flight as it offers enough
power to take the feet off the ground of any pilot. Its fast
reactions are perfect for playful pilots, who will have power
in any situation.
* You can read more details on these engines and this new step
of PAP in an interview with Pierre Aubert, soon in our READ section.
Kasana
From Alicante, Kasana presented the new single-seater paratrike
Fly Products, adaptable to any foot-launched paramotor, allowing
the pilot to convert his paramotor into a detachable trike (with
fast pins) for little money.
They also presented the new LTF 1-2 glider Sprint from Gin, which
can be used with special paramotor risers.
And to avoid the hassle of the end of a flying afternoon, we
saw the new easypack for the paraglider. They will soon have
a light version of this bag.
DRACO
The
Advance dealer told us about the latest release, the new X-Alps
Replica harness for paragliding. It is a super lightweight harness, based on the
version used for the X-Alps of only 2 kg. This would be the first
light harness with speed-bag, ideal for cross country and travel
lovers.
At Draco told us that Advance are working intensively to achieve
a complete paragliding gear of less than 10 kg of weight, something
that reminds us of the early days of the sport.
On the semi-light line of harnesses it was introduced the new
Axess 2 Air of 3.5 kg, which comes with a new certified airbag.
We will have to wait until March to see the new Omega 8 (LTF 2-3)
glider.
.
VOLOVOLARE
After
the Comet paramotor (powered by Fly 100 Evo), detachable in
5 parts and 110 or 125 propeller and its big brother, the Master (powered by Corsair M25i of 172cc), this company launched their
new trike called Bravo. It is a fully detachable tandem trike
that fits in the trunk of a big car.
This trike is powered with a Flyine F250 - 250cc engine, offering
100 kg of thrust, 32 HP, and comes with harness made by the
Czech brand Mac Para (certified for PPG).
Fully mounted the weight is only 58 kg.
AIRE
Y VUELO
AIRE Y VUELO
This company, dealer of UP gliders, also had new paramotor helmets
equipped with professional earmuffs Plextor.
Bailey
Backed by the world title won by Michel Carnet
in the Czech Republic last year, the well-known English manufacturer
of 4-stroke engines presented their latest models, V3-180 and 4V-200.
HE PARAMOTORES
HE had some improvements in their 80 and 120cc engines.
These new engines have reduced weight in 1 kg, with 10% more
thrust, and now work with less noise.
They also had a new bi-cylindrical 440cc engine (called 420),
in Boxter disposition (2 cylinders opposed), which develops
130 kg of thrust with a weight of 29 kg approximately.
Polini 
This year, the Italian manufacturer Polini was present for the
first time in Las Candelas with their engines, which we noticed
have a high level of finish.
The Polini engines attracted the pilots’ attention at
the fair because they come from the world of motorcycling, where
Polini is a well known brand. The interesting thing is that
the new Thor 100 engine was developed by the company especially
for paramotor flying and using all their experience, know-how
and test banks. It is a lightweight and compact 2-stroke engine
(11.8 kg), with power of 20.5 HP, maximum static thrust of about
64 kg and centrifugal clutch. Since its launch the Thor 100
has managed to take a place in the world of powered flight,
and in fact, Airfer is just one of several paramotor manufacturers
that have added to their ranges recently.
ZERO
GRAVITY
A free flight school from the zone of Algodonales, they offer
a new learning method that combines introductory training days
with tandem flights. This way, they have new graduated pilots
in only 6 days, they said.
Kobra PPG Kobra
presented their 2010, range with several models aimed at a ‘demanding’
public. Among their new machines were the paratrike "Kilo",
the Rocco EVO 230st, or the reserve system Parachutter.
Personalizatuparapente.com
This new company from Orduna presented their offer of customized
logos for gliders at very low cost.
|
What
we did not see:
Nothing of Electric Paramotors |
|
