PLEASE SEED THIS TORRENT

IT TOOK ME AWHILE TO GET MY HANDS ON IT. 

THANK YOU!




Powered Paragliding's Risk & Reward:


Why it was made, the intended audience, what went into it, and why you should own this essential DVD. by Jeff Goin

The vast majority of paramotor entrants enthuse over the sport's simple elegance, affordability and minimal regulation. Indeed, that is what got me so juiced, too. But there are some surprising dark corners that, while easily avoidable, are not obvious. Through several years of aggressively exploring the craft, I learned about many of them--a few the hard way. I learned even more by talking and spending time with the sport's most prolific and skilled instructors. These were people who knew what was actually happening and had developed ways to improve the situation.

It was obvious that we, as a community, needed to get the word out. After one particularly harrowing experience, I set out to create "The USPPA Safety Video." It started with an outline that eventually became a script, listing the the ways that pilots were actually getting hurt and what could be done to prevent those injuries. That script was passed around to a number of highly regarded instructors who gave valuable input which was incorporated.

It turns out that a huge majority of wing-related accidents shared a common thread: too much brake pull—a reaction aggravated frequently by having or holding too much power. It wasn't the wing's mis-behaving, it was the pilot's overreaction that turned a minor bobble into a major crash. In fact, nearly all PPG accidents where the wing does something unexpected was a result of the pilot pulling too much brake.

Worse than that was where serious injuries were occurring. They came not from flying at all but rather from the propeller. And most of those occurred during start or runup.

There are a host of other maladies that needed attention and were covered—aspects of paramotoring where risk was present but not readily apparent. It was my hope to present the problem and, whenever practical, its solution.

Another major goal was to show why proper instruction is so critical. Seeing all there is to know would hopefully make any pilot heed the admonition to get good, thorough training. It shows why choosing an instructor who uses a standard syllabus is better guaranteed to cover the necessary material. Any instructor not using the USPPA syllabus, or one that covers at LEAST the same material, is denying their student the advantage of collective wisdom.
It Can't Cover Everything

We wanted to address the major causes of calamity in 60 minutes (it turned out to be 72 minutes long). Obviously, it can't cover everything. Free flyers, for example, put themselves in strong conditions necessarily. They rely on rising air that's strong enough to remain aloft and sometimes climb to great heights—an endeavor that carries a price. Turbulence associated with such lift has proven deadly; even highly experienced pilots have succumb to malfunctions in strong conditions. According to the U.S. Hang gliding and Paragliding Association (USHPA), the major cause of serious accidents in paragliding is wing deformations resulting from turbulence. That should send a powerful message. But for paramotor pilots that is not their greatest worry so it gets much less time in the video. R&R does, however, offer a concise solution to the vast majority of maladies caused by turbulence that are likely to be encountered.

Clear avoidance of strong conditions is far better than recovery. It goes without saying that any pilot is best armed with the tools of prevention and recovery, but it is equally obvious that staying out of strong conditions is even more effective.

Hopefully somebody will someday produce a "Paragliding: Risk & Reward." But alas, even though I'm an avid free flyer, it has never become the passion that paramotoring has.

Another video, Instability II, does a spectacular job addressing wing maladies and handling them. It is clear, concise, accurate and well done—a perfect adjunct to Risk and Reward. Produced by extremely skilled pilots, it vividly points out how some maladies, particularly those that cause sudden or steepening turns do require immediate action. A cravat, for example, where part of the wingtip gets caught in the lines, is one such case. While the vast majority of cravats that happen to PPG pilots will be minor and allow almost normal flying, getting a big one that causes a steepening turn requires immediate correction (this is covered in Chapter 4 of the Powered Paragliding Bible).
Essential?

You bet. I made no money on the production, it was a product of passion. A project, like the later-appearing PPG Bible, that needed to be done. To a large degree, it's a selfish attempt at preservation. Preserving what has proven so rewarding and has become such a large part of my life. Many of the admonitions don't sound "cool" but rather are practical and effective. Human factors techniques are used, like the ones employed so successfully in the airlines. 

I strongly believe that Risk and Reward, like The Powered Paragliding Bible are building blocks to a foundation of knowledge that will help insure every pilot's longevity and, hopefully, the sport's longevity. A good instructor and thorough training are, of course, even more essential but why not start out with with the proper tools?
 
Powered Sport Flying Magazine Article
From an article first published in the May 2005 issue of Powered Sport Flying Magazine

As said by a famous man two millennia ago, “It is Finished.” 

After over four years, six locations, countless shoots and two recording sessions with William Shatner, the USPPA project “Risk & Reward is finally in the can. The 67 minute packed show was expertly produced by Phil Russman of Lite Touch Films and involved many, many people in the scripting, filming, and contributed footage. 

It is a must-see for anybody currently flying powered paragliders or expecting to start training. The intent is this: Expose the risks of our sport and, whenever possible, reveal how to minimize them. You won’t learn how to hook up your risers, that is the purview of an instructor, but you will learn when it’s a good idea not to hook up your risers.