Deano and his GTR win at Slalomania 2013

Paramania's Dean Eldridge has won a podium place with his GTR 20 at the recent Slalomania 2013, held alongside the French Open Championships at Mondreville Aeroclub, south of Paris. Coming second in the first round of the multi-event title, he and his Paramania co-competitors showed what the GTR is capable of.

Over to Deano:

"I'm back in the UK now after a 12 day stint in France for a very well organised classic open competition and subsequent first round of Slalomania 2013. Accompanying me on the trip were Phil Jennings, Ric Womersley and Sussex Paramania dealer Mark Morgan.

"The championships started very well for me with a spot landing and a race around the pylons. Good solid points in these meant I started the competition in 3rd place. However, that's as far up the standings as it got for me, with a bad decision made in a 'declared speed' task and some technical issues with my carburettor and the attached competition fuel container. I dropped to 12th overall and was not able to claw back more points such was the high standard of the other competitors.

"Phil Jennings demonstrated what a great all-round pilot he is and earned a very respectable 5th place. It was Ric's first foreign event and he put in some good solid results and was the only pilot to hit the spot in an extremely difficult spot landing. Unfortunately the marker was slippy and, looking like he had just landed on a banana skin, Ric went over on a knee losing the points; a damn shame!

"After a day of rest we all swapped equipment for Slalomania. I changed my Paramania GTR from a 22 to my trusty 20, Ric changed from a 24 down to my 22, Phil jumped on a GTR18 and transplanted his Polini 200 engine into his Zenith chassis to replace the Top80 and Morgy (Mark Morgan) got his spanking new custom-coloured GTR20 and Zenith Moster out for some action!

"The scoring for Slalomania is immediate but also incurs huge penalties for any mistakes. My brief to the other guys was to start steady rather than charge like a bull at a gate at the first task and risk getting heavily penalised at an early stage. The strategy paid off with us all improving as the tasks went on.

"It was a little frustrating though when some tasks got cancelled due to the wind. The four of us were all on super-solid GTR wings that could have coped with much stronger conditions! Neither did we have any issues with our beautiful Parajet Zeniths which gave great feedback and control in all situations.

"The competition was prematurely ended on the Saturday due to unfavourable weather forecasts ahead - meaning 2nd spot on the podium for me! Phil progressed up through the ranks to take a great 7th and would have pushed on for more as would Ric and Morgy. Ric for instance got 4th place on the last task until it was cancelled.

"A mention must also go out also to local pilot Guillaume Vallance flying a Zenith Polini 200 and Paramania GTR20 taking a superb 6th place on his first slalom competition. Three Parajet/Paramania combos in the top 10 is pretty good, but it's going to be all five of us next time around!"

GTR wins at British League

Paramania team pilot Ric Womersley won a hard-fought battle and won the first round of the British League on 20 and 21 April. Followed swiftly by Dean Eldridge (British Paramotor Champion 2012 - GTR).

Ric carved his GTR 24 round a classic course in Boston Lincolnshire that combined pylon racing with navigation, showcasing the unique talents of the pilot - and of his Paramania wing.

"I only had an hour of airtime on the GTR before going to the comp", says Ric, "but it's so intuitive to fly and so rock solid I was able to concentrate on navigation in rough spring thermals. I'm really pleased with my performance - and full marks to Paramania for the GTR too!"

It was a great weekend for the GTR. Thousands of miles away the Thai precision / slalom competition was won by Pongkorn Zeegame also flying Paramania's now almost legendary new wing.

Why the GTR and GTX designs?

Paramania is the only wing manufacturer to be totally focused on powered flight. Starting with the first reflex wing in 1994, the company has always had a different approach to wing design.

While watching pilots cornering pylons during Parabatix races, Mike Campbell-Jones realized that a new generation of super-stable, highly manoeuvrable wings were needed for freestyle play and racing.

With the help of Paramania team pilots Mike set about redesigning the para/power-glider from the bottom up, paying particular attention to roll rate, pitch control, handling and a specific reflex section. The result was the GTR, which has proved itself in both pylon racing and then in classic competition, when Dean Eldridge won the UK nationals in 2012.

The GTR has become the benchmarck for all slalom/freestyle designs. It is a wing that permits pilots to explore the boundaries in relative safety, whilst developing their skills. At the same time it put a big bold 'F' back into the words 'flying' and 'fun'.

Using the new GTR technology Mike then went on to develop the GTX, a wing with a very different purpose and the next step towards Paramania's goal of providing wings for all styles of piloting.

The GTX characteristics make the wing easy to take-off and land in small spaces and simple to fly, with excellent directional stability and high levels of passive safety. The GTX is a new style of wing made for the ordinary pilot. A perfect wing for travelling over distance with friends while touring and having fun.

What unites both wings is their high levels of passive safety, incorporating legendary Paramania stability and build quality to give versatile fun. The GTR is made for carving turns, with a snappy roll rate and quick directional changes. The GTX is easier to use for straight flight, flying efficiently over distance with precision, speed and range.

Inspired to fly?

How much does it cost? About the same as getting into motorcross. Fill in the form on the right and we'll let you know how to find your nearest paramotoring school.

Is it hard? Depending on your physical capabilities and bird-like nature it can be very simple and you could be in the air in a matter of hours.

How long is the training? It depends on the student and level you want to achieve while with an instructor. We recommend about a month to learn or about 20 hours of training.

Is training necessary? Yes. People have trained themselves to try and save money, but then they have to replace all the equipment they have broken along the way (which is more expensive then the training!)

What should my first purchase be? Choose a wing first. Once fitted for a glider you can start training and your instructor will be very helpful in finding you a motor that fits your weight and abilities.

What should I look for in a glider? Make sure it is made for paramotoring; specially constructed with reinforcement and trimmings to make the glider better under the weight of the motor (plus you of course).

Don't buy a paragliding wing which is not built for the weight or geometry of the motor. The best is a beginner reflex wing, built for safety and reliability. As a beginner the Paramania Revo2 has these qualities in spades and it will also last you for years - all the way up to intermediate flying.
 

Thanks from Team Paramania!

Kings Cup, Thailand 2012

On August 30 the Air Sports Association of Thailand under Royal Patronage held a four day paramotor competition. The 3rd King's Cup Thailand Paramotor and East Asian Championship was held at the City Sports Park in Nong Kham Nong Khor, Sriracha, Chonburi, Thailand.

Five countries were represented; Milasia, South Korea, Lao, Indonisia and the host Thailand.

There was a gold medal and a cash prize of £10,000 in addition to other rewards.

First place received prize money of £6,000 and second prize winner won a cash prize of £4000. 

Here is PongKorn Tanasakulkornsaeng flying around the pylons, a 16 year old Paramania pilot who has recently started popping up on the screen. This is very exciting, keep your eyes and ears aware, Pongkorn is going to continue to take podium positions in the future!

PongKorn took 5th place in the Junior class and 2nd in the cloverleaf overall flying at 37 seconds with his custom GTR 18!

Thai Pilot working the Revo