PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Para Car seriously useable?
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Old 14th Jan 2009, 16:48
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VP959
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: West Wiltshire, UK
Age: 71
Posts: 429
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I think the simple answer is PR spin.

Parajet are very good at this, remember they did the paramotor flights near Everest, with Bear Grylls, so have got very good PR contacts plus expedition planning experience. The chap that runs Parajet is also a very energetic chap, with masses of enthusiasm.

The media are almost certainly making stuff up, too, as they do. The basic idea is not at all new, there have been several different people who have developed similar machines, including that French one I linked too (which isn't identical, it's just similar).

Most other machines like this have been developed as microlights/ultralights, which makes approval/certification and pilot licensing a lot easier. The Skycar is far too heavy to fit into this category, so the CAA are thinking about letting the BMAA extend the terms of their current approval in order to certify it as a light aircraft. Like any other light aircraft it will require airworthiness approval, a permit to fly, registration and the pilot will have to hold an appropriate licence (at present that means a JAR or NPPL SEP, as there is no other licence that might apply, due to it's weight).

If anyone wants to look at some of the sorts of powered parachute trikes and other contraptions that have been built, this link has more details on them than you might need: TrikeBuggy: Other PPG Trikes, www.TrikeBuggy.com

VP
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