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Assisting Paraviation on courses, tours and expeditions is Kester Haynes, another incredibly talented individual and the star of many of the videos found on this site. Kester's skills know no boundaries and we look forward to seeing him in competition also in 2010.
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BOLIVIA
Paramotor Report by Dean Eldridge
Kota Mama VI Expedition
June 21st – August 8th 2007
I was recently given the enviable invitation by the Scientific Exploration Society of assisting an intrepid group of explorers to Bolivia, to search for and survey a meteorite crater deep in the jungle in the north of the country. Not only this but to also bring along a paramotor to assist the ground crew and provide some aerial reconnaissance. Being of a fairly adventurous disposition and a practicing paramotor instructor it didn’t take too long for a decision to be made!
Preparation
The choice of paramotors was made after careful evaluation of a number of different manufacturers. Being a relatively new sport catering to a small but steadily increasing population, there are, as yet, no mass-producers of paramotors, instead a number of ‘cottage industries’ each with their own idea of what constitutes a reasonable flying product.
Working with SkySchool UK in close proximity to the H&E factory in Madrid two months prior to the Bolivian expedition, and being an admirer of their engineering abilities, it was decided that they would be the chosen provider. They also had a machine, albeit a prototype, that was not only powerful enough but capable of supporting the demanding conditions of the expedition i.e. heat, humidity, low grade fuel and excess pilot take-off weight. After extensive testing (and breaking!!) of the prototype a number of improvements were made at my request and two quite special, unique and heavy duty machines were produced for Mark Williams, my co-pilot, and myself. Close attention was also paid to the selection of wing and sizing. Having a broad speed range, being safe, (fun!) and easy to launch, the Paramania Revolution stood head and shoulders above any other product on the market. It was also one of the very few wings designed specifically with paramotoring in mind, many others being adapted paragliding or ‘non-powered’ wings.
Duties/Tasks
Ground and weather conditions permitting, our brief as paramotorists was to provide aerial support to the Crater Survey Team en-route to the Iturrulde Crater. This entailed guiding them past possible obstacles, looking for water sources and possibly flying in testing equipment for the geologists to evaluate rock and soil within the crater. Also it was hoped we could provide some aerial footage and digital imagery for media and sponsorship purposes.
On Location
We spent a whole week getting from the city of La Paz to the tiny settlement of Ojaki, deep in the jungle close to the border of Brazil and Peru. Six of these days were spent aboard specially prepared mahogany dugout canoes with small outboard engines, occasionally negotiating submerged logs and rapids. We camped out on the picturesque but mosquito riddled riverbanks and tried to keep the fine/silty sand from finding it’s way into every piece of equipment and orifice! There was also the occasional Cayman-crocodile spotted…
It was not known before our arrival quite where we would be able to launch from but it was anticipated that initially we would use the playing field in the Ojaki village, 42km from the crater centre. While the site eventually proved to be large enough, the height of the surrounding trees and the close proximity to the river caused a little initial anxiety and so another site was created a little way outside the village. This was ideal for the prevailing NW wind.
Owing to the high thermic activity during the mid part of the day, the original plan was for Mark and I to fly as early as possible in the morning and again late in the afternoon, if required. It was actually quite surprising to find thermals kicking in at around 09:30 in the morning and as such they created quite problematic flying until 1-2 hours before nightfall.
Having had a fairly heavy-handed transit from the UK to Bolivia and even after a very intensive assembly and pre-flight check it was always my intention to evaluate the condition of the machines before being used. Unfortunately, Mark’s machine appeared to give him an added confidence to fly low over the village on his initial flight when thermals and consequently, turbulence, were still prevalent. Having hit an area of ‘sink’ over the village centre, Mark had a fuelling issue while trying to recover altitude and consequently had to make a forced landing, right on the top of the river bank between two palm trees! Thankfully he did not harm himself but started a string of problems due to the heavy landing. His paramotor’s chassis had become a little bent and twisted. A number of failed launch attempts and further machine damage happened in subsequent days and on closer inspection of the motor it was deemed unfit for further use.
Work
It was now down to me as solo paramotorist to continue the flying tasks and for Mark to assist the Crater Support Group and hopefully find another site closer to the crater for launching and landing purposes. Unfortunately owing to the incredibly difficult terrain, it initially seemed impossible without a large team dedicated to the task of clearing a suitable area. However we did manage to create a small refuelling site 11kms closer to the crater from Ojaki, thereby also creating a 30 minute extension to the flight time or an area for emergency landings to/from the crater.
Fully fuelled and carrying survival equipment and emergency rations, my paramotor was over 50kgs. Just getting into my flight suit was a sweaty task in the steamy jungle environment and by the time I was fully checked and clipped in it was definitely time for a rapid launch so I could get a cool breeze on my face! With over 50 launches in these conditions, none were aborted, (thank goodness!) such is the forgiving nature of that wonderful wing.
Flights were made each morning at seven or before, dependent on conditions. Flying did not take place when the wind blew from the south east towards the crater, as this could have had implications for the return leg i.e if wind conditions increased which usually happened, it also tended to be a sign of a degrading weather system. Usually though the wind, if any, was from the northwest which meant a longer journey out than the return. Often it was necessary to fly low over the jungle canopy on the outward leg to avoid the high winds aloft, (often over 50kph) using a safe amount of time/fuel at the intended area to be surveyed, then gain height to use the stronger winds aloft to aid a speedy return, sometimes on a very depleted fuel load…
One morning during a particularly bumpy, low flight over a mist draped jungle canopy, I accidentally hit the kill switch against the riser and killed the motor. How glad was I that I had recently fitted a bright green piece of elastic/bungee from the ‘over-the-shoulder’ pull-start to the harness, facilitating a speedy, adrenaline fuelled re-start! Consequences could have been dire, a modification I can recommend to anyone with a similar system.
Mostly though, the outward bound leg was quite smooth and I was able to sit back and enjoy the incredible scenery, with the highest of the trees penetrating the early morning mist, flocks of green and blue Macaws below, flying off to their breakfast gatherings and just to fully appreciate and respect the experience of what I was doing.
Some benefit to the crater and ground teams was generally achieved on each mission whether it was locating water, areas of topographical interest, completing photographic and film work or just providing visual and vocal reference to them. On one occasion when the team were retreating from the crater with very low food supplies and a satellite phone that had lost power, I was able to relay radioed messages to the other support groups of their movements and intentions thus aiding their safe and prompt return.
The most memorable flight has to be the last one, which took place from our last riverside camp, before heading back to civilization. The task(!) was to launch from the beach, shoot video and photo the group as they left in our dugout mahogany boats. I had a good 30 minutes of flight in beautiful, smooth conditions, waiting for the sun to rise before descending to capture the boats and crew, bathed in early morning light. Conditions allowed some low level (show-off!) flying so the group were also able to take footage of my strange little device whizzing past a few feet away. A stunning morning and an unforgettable end to the flying in Bolivia.
Unfortunately, the risks of being involved in a foreign expedition were still not over. Having endured more than 12 days on the crocodile infested rivers in adverse conditions, survived continuous swarms of salt bees, hornets, plagues of sand flies and mosquitoes and numerous other creepy crawlies (and not to mention over 50 hours of flying a paramotor over thick jungle) our bus driver fell asleep just after midnight on the single track ‘Road of Death’ just 8 hours from our final destination of La Paz. We had a vertical drop of over 100 metres straight into a river to our right and a rock face on our left. We hit the rock face thankfully but continued to swerve with a now, unconscious, driver for another 500 metres down the winding track. After much grappling with the steering wheel a couple of helpers managed to stove the accelerating bus back into the rock face, there ending our nightmare journey but unfortunately to the detriment of health to a few members of the team. One wrong swerve though and this would not be written…
Conclusion
Being the first time a recreational device like a paramotor has been used for scientific exploration, there was always going to be an element of the unknown. We definitely knew it was going to be tough finding areas to launch and land and as such it was at times frustrating not being able to launch closer to the crater. A number of man-hours not available to us was the only hurdle. The machines themselves performed as expected, especially given the quality of fuel available. There was the odd starting issue and a need for regular maintenance, but considering the extended flying hours, conditions and environment it was very acceptable. I was very impressed with the wing, totally safe and stable even in turbulent conditions, also fast, easy to launch and a heck of a lot of fun! I bought a new one immediately on my return as a testament.
And Finally!
I believe the paramotor played an essential role in the expedition and it is a piece of equipment that could definitely play an important part in any future scientific projects. It does have its limitations, one being the weather due to its relative slow flying speed but this is also a plus point when it comes to surveying acute areas or indeed photographing and videoing points of interest. It is also incredibly portable and relatively inexpensive to manufacture and operate.
I obviously feel very privileged to have been given the opportunity to assist in pioneering the use of paramotoring for scientific exploration. I’m now looking forward to the next expedition, watch this space...
Dean Eldridge
Paramotor Instructor and Explorer
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Back in July 2007, Deano was asked by The McRae Enduro Rally Team if he would like to shoot some aerial video of their drivers, competing in an event near Zaragoza in the north of Spain. Being based within a few hours drive it was easy to hook up with the team at short notice and to get some experimental footage of the Ukranian driver blasting around the countryside. Team McRae Enduro were delighted with the results and then asked Deano back again for their intense testing schedule on the edge of the Sahara desert in Tunisia during the latter part of September.
Flying conditions at first were a little hairy due in part to the extreme temperature changes and the strong desert winds that sometimes blow in fast from nowhere. By the second day however, everything was settled and some great footage was had at first of the McRage buggy blasting around the dunes.
There were a number of very prominent drivers testing the prototype McRae Enduro rally car. None other than former British Rally Champion Alister McRae and ex-Formula 1 driver Eliseo Salazar of Chile were gracing their presence behind the wheel. It was always going to be a challenge chasing an extremely fast driver/car combination with a machine that tops out at 35mph but with the help of some favourable wind for Deano and undulating terrain for them it came together well.
Eliseo was so pleased with the results that he had them aired on Chilean TV when he was interviewed on his return. Alister McRae thought Deano a crazy bastard for his flying antics but was genuinely interested in the paramotor machines although said he would prefer to stay behind the wheel!
Look out for more from the team later this year..
If you go to the Video page you can see some of the footage from the trip
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Being the migratory types that we are at Paraviation, India was chosen this year as the destination for warm winter flying. Previous reconnaissance missions there with paragliding equipment highlighted the potential for enormous fun with paramotoring gear. Getting 2 complete sets of solo flying equipment and a trike and tandem wing there was never going to be cheap or easy though especially 4 days after a major terrorist attack had rocked the nation. It was decided that air freight was the way to go rather than waiting a month for the stuff to arrive by sea or paying ridiculous amounts for excess baggage on the flight. Unfortunately all the gear went through Delhi in the north rather than directly to us in Bangalore, 2000kms to the south so a very frustrating and expensive 12 days were spent on the phone, writing emails and sending fax’s and post trying to get everything cleared through customs. Eventually we were reunited with all our sacred flying gear though and it was not long afterwards that we were making full use of it to the surprise and bewilderment of the local folks of the villages close to our farm base, 30kms outside Bangalore.
After a few weeks discovering the delights of the surrounding area and giving tandem flights to some of the lucky locals it was time to head west for some coastal flying.
We managed to squeeze all our kit into and onto one of the smallest of cars, even by Indian standards, and after an entertaining 500km drive in one day, we arrived in southern Goa where we set up base for the next few weeks.
The conditions were unbelievably superb for flying, most days with wind smooth and laminar during all daylight hours. We were blessed with a paragliding hill at one site that we would paramotor to in the morning. Leaving the motors at a friendly café after a hearty breakfast, we could then paraglide the whole day with the suitable sea breeze, collect the motors and another bite to eat in the afternoon and motor back home again along the beach for a sunset beer!
The journey back to Bangalore was a much less intense affair than on the way out, taking time to check out other flying sites that could be used in future trips. One of the more memorable ones being in a small hill town called Kollur in the Western Ghats Mountains where there was an ancient temple surrounded by hundreds of square miles of virgin jungle. It all looked so mesmerising and wonderful bathed in late afternoon sunshine that the time for landing always came around too soon. When we did we were always surrounded by half the town cheering us on, including the local policemen, who wanted to help pack away the wings and carry the motors back to the guesthouse for us.
We ended up the trip to India shooting some video from the paramotors of a 1000 year old temple that had been sat at the bottom of a reservoir for 70 years and was now being restored after being taken apart piece by piece and moved to the shore 1km away!
The transportation of all the flying gear was also much less problematic on the way home after finding a fantastic local freighting company so our journey ended on a superb note.
You can see some videos of flying in India on the Videos page
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