Heart-Stopping Moment: Near Mishap on Paramotor Launch

Near Paramotor mishap on Takeoff.
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[@rule1dontgosplat]

It feels bad to lose faith in your gear, but it feels really good to know you have fixed a problem and get that faith back. My first engine out was caused by a kill switch wire rubbing through. No way to see it on preflight.

[@chrisc3998]

You bet there are just some things you can't see until they fail. That is where being prepared in the air and always having a plan B in case something does go wrong comes in. Keep learning and keep flying I guess:)

[@DonnaSherrick]

That sure looks scary. Hope that never happens again

[@MyNameIsJef]

I've had that before. The cause was I hadn't primed the carb properly... Do you do a full throttle power check before launch? Highly recommended. Thanks for sharing! I hope other pilots learn from this as well! Fly safe! 🪂🪂🪂

[@chrisc3998]

I absolutely agree that full power run ups are essential as that is the first thing we ask of the motor on take off. I had done a full power run up that day. I had also just landed after flying for over 20 minutes so the engine was all warmed up. That is a great reminder. Thanks for the comment:)

[@DonnaSherrick]

Good comments

[@CarsonKendall]

Had a motor out on my 13th flight testing out a new wing and motor.. Atom 80 gear box turned into confetti at 500 feet. Landed safe and sound at the LZ fortunately.

[@chrisc3998]

That must have been really scary. I am glad you were able to make it back to the LZ.

[@shanesplanetshane3795]

Those CHT's arent worth the risk to keep installed. I use one to tune my carb, then remove it. They like to cause leaks and can allow air to draw into cylinder. They also lower compression. Get rid of the temp sensor once tuned and don't use primer bulbs. Spark plugs come with crush washers for a reason. Once you remove a plug to inspect (shouldnt be doing that often at all), replace the plug or the crush washer. Obviously a full power run up is required just moments before EVERY takeoff.

[@pwerica]

Yikes!!

[@turkeyphant]

Why is there an issue if there was an engine out? You just land...

[@chrisc3998]

That is a great question, and this video perspective doesn’t really do a great job at showing the whole picture. I am still a pretty new pilot which at least for me means full power on takeoff until I get high enough to really settle in. With my weight that usually puts me a a pretty steep angle of attach on climb out. So essentially what happened is I was pointing up getting closer to the road. As I got closer to the road the engine died and with the sudden loss of thrust it swung the motor to more of a face down position. I wasn’t really high enough off the ground to adjust for landing yet I wasn’t low enough to just abort the takeoff. If the engine hadn’t have kicked back in I would have essentially face planter in or close to the road. I know that is pretty hard to see from the camera angle, but I think it was the lack or reaction time and close proximity to the road that made it so scary for me. I am sure a more experienced pilot would have been able to manage it like a champ. I am still learning and trying to mentally prepare for all the what ifs. Thank you so much for commenting😊

[@Logan4661]

​@@chrisc3998 In addition to checking out your equipment, you've also revised your launch plan to make sure that you have clearance from obstacles in case of a complete motor out, right?