M5 Update

At the moment we are working on 3 exciting new designs in the M5 series. First, the M5 3-Liner, which is now in the final stages of development. This 3-Line design has an Aspect Ratio of 6.9, a SharkNose Profile, and significant improvements over the M4 in almost every respect; the R&D Team reports that this new design has much nicer handling, with a more precise feel, a better climb, and increased stability in accelerated flight. The feeling, according to Dav Dagault, our chief test pilot, is “Delta-esque, rock solid, with excellent sail cohesion”, and even the standard version is lighter than the M4.

With Chrigel’s help, we have developed a wing that is designed from the ground up to perform in the world’s toughest adventure race, the X-Alps. The LM5 will be used by a record number of Ozone pilots in the 2013 X-Alps race. We chose this design based on its exceptional stability in turbulent conditions which the X-Alps pilots are forced to fly in. the 3L design is comfortable and easy to launch, even in difficult circumstances, and our current prototypes are exceptionally light!

After the completion of the 3L designs mentioned above, which is imminent, we will release a 2-Line Mantra M5 as well. This version is aimed at pilots who are looking to transition to the competition class of modern 2L designs. With a slight performance increase and the inherent benefits of a 2L design in flight (rear riser control, increased speed), the M5 2L is the perfect step for pilots looking to move up to the highest level of competition wings.

Many pilots will now be asking themselves, “Which M5 is for me?” We think that most M4 pilots will find the 3L best suited to what they need, whilst the most ambitious ones may opt for …read more
Source: Ozone Paragliders

BlackHawk Paramotors Gains Momentum With Extreme Media Coverage!

Within 2 days, BlackHawk Paramotors USA was featured on Fox 40 News and CBS’s Good Day Sacramento. Gary Gelfand of Fox 40 News Sacramento brought his enthusiastic crew out to the opening day (April 18th) of the 2013 BlackHawk Ranch Fly-In. Live broadcasts hit 4 times throughout the morning, prompting a wave of spectators to make their way out to the event. Mike Robinson of BlackHawk Paramotors stated “We have a better first-day turnout than any of the Fly-Ins in the past. My phone started blowing up with texts and calls from customers who watched the report. It’s really exciting for us.” Rob Whittaker of BlackHawk’s Marketing Team commented “It was like pulling teeth to cold-call Fox News and get them out here. It’s a long drive for them and they wanted to make sure it would be an exciting story. After the coverage, the station manager contacted me and said they were extremely happy with the outcome of the story.” The following day, April 19th, BlackHawk’s Paraplegic student Russel Metlitzky was interviewed on CBS’s Good Day Sacramento. Russel is a phenomenon in the Powered Paragliding community. He was paralyzed from the chest down in a motorcycle accident back in 2000, and never let his tragedy prevent him from following his dreams.  …read more
Source: US Paramotor News

Dell Schanze Looses U-Turn After Animal Cruelty

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Dell Schanze is causing causing controversy again after a video was posted anonymously that accuses Schanze of kicking an owl or hawk in flight after a seven minute chase. This time, it resulted in U-Turn paragliders ceasing “business relations with Dell Schanze.”

Sky Paragliders had dropped SuperDell in June of 2012 as the United States importer or so they told Jeff Goin, President of the USPPA. They have continued to do business with him. Dell claims to the the world distributor of the Cima K2 glider which according to Sky’s website they no longer produce.

In a press release, U-Turn explains their decision:
“This decision was triggered by the abhorrent video, which documents unacceptable wrongdoing by a pilot. Eagle Paragliding based in Santa Barbara/California, will be the official importer of U-Turn products in the United States. Eagle Paragliding will provide the high level service they are known for to existing U-Turn customers.”

This is not the first time that Schanze has lost support from the PPG and Paragliding community. In May of 2012, Simonini USA announced that they are no longer supporting Schanze by refusing to supply motors to Flat Top Paramotors. In early 2013, Sky Paragliders revoked Schanze’s US importer status, but still provide him with Cima K2 wings. Many pilots refuse to purchase Sky wings until Sky drops Schanze entirely.

…read more
Source: US Paramotor News

BlackHawk Paramotors USA Announces New “VIDEO FLOG!”

Mike Robinson of BlackHawk Paramotors USA has created a “Video Flying Blog,” or Video Flog. The goal is to provide customers and flight enthusiasts with short, random videos showcasing what happens on a daily or weekly basis at the BlackHawk Ranch. The Video Flog is hosted on the following Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/Fly2ube. “If we have some new students out here or a new product in production, people can follow our progress as a company more closely,” said Mike Robinson. Rob Whittaker with BlackHawk’s Marketing Team stated “We always have someone with an Iphone or some kind of camera out at the ranch. The quality of the videos won’t be up to the production value of our main Youtube channel, especially if they are an instant mobile upload. We want to keep this channel casual and engage people in conversation about the company or people’s experiences out here. I guess you can compare it to a “video Twitter.” Please take a moment and subscribe to the channel so you can keep up to date on the latest from BlackHawk Paramotors USA!

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Source: US Paramotor News

A Very Carefully Planned 267km Flight

Here is an account, in Paul’s own words, of an impressive spring flight, which he says, “didn’t just fall from the sky”! Check out his tracklog here.

The idea stemmed from a meeting regarding airspace in northern France, where I discovered the open pathway between Paris and Lille to reach the coastline from Létanne, in the region of Champagne-Ardenne. A week later, the forecast promised the first real spring flying conditions with an east wind. With the challenge still fresh in my mind, but of course too early in the season to attain such a distance, I detect (as many others) that this is the day not to miss. I organized retrieve driver – I have to be at work the next day at 7:30 ready to perform surgery…

Upon arrival at the take-off, the first cumulus clouds appear and I quickly prepare myself for take-off. Appropriately, getting up an away is a easy but the flight for me and two other pilots is almost over after 10 Km. The promising cumulus fails us and we end up low, ready to land, not very proud… Luckily, we manage to emerge from the situation and I begin to consult my map and the flight corridor to the sea…

The cold conditions are penetrating, omnipresent for the duration of the flight; my fingertips are frozen in spite of my heated gloves. These conditions are probably responsible for Wim or Phil’s exhaustion, who share the same over-ambitious objective, the coast! Yet this objective keeps me going, motivates me to advance quickly, legs stretched and pushing the accelerator, only stopping in the strongest thermals.

I ignore the cold, neglect fatigue, and only think of keeping my retrieval informed of my position as I advance.

The flight occurs in 4 stages:

In the first stage, the cumulus clouds are …read more
Source: Ozone Paragliders