Paramotor Engine Outs and Forced Landings - Vittorazi, EOS, Polini and Rotax - Nobody is Immune.

[@UlfRflying]

Thanks for sharing, great video. I have had my Simonini mini 2+ for ten years now on my PHG trike. Most problems occurred the first two years . Only one engine out, a badly crimped connector to the ignition. Could land on a field and fix it good enough to get in the air again and home. Once the starter motor came loose but it didn’t fall off. Exhaust springs getting worn out and hitting the propeller. Ignition coil loosing resistance so spark getting weak. Anyway very satisfied with the Simonini as it is simple to fix and spares are always available. I learned alot from people sharing their experience how to troubleshoot from people like you. Thanks again.

[@trentwhitney8346]

Thanks! That's awesome! Looks like you've had some challenges yourself.

[@sylviamaxine]

Amazing videos, and I recognized a lot of this country! I admire your dad flying as we are similar age but I don't think I have the guts. I like the story telling that went along with your videos!

[@trentwhitney8346]

@@sylviamaxine thanks so much!

[@EliassonAnders]

Thx for sharing, being honest and showing us different scenarios of failures. All brands are having issues. Post and preflight checks makes your odds better, but not immune. This kind of videos reminds us of the importance of always having a backup plan of a forced landing. Flying AC Nitro200 and about 400 flights with that engine, 2 forced landings. One could have been prevented, I saw it coming, high temps. Lessons learned, any warnings or sign of something not right, land safely asap. Fly safe and keep posting this kind of material 🙏👏.

[@trentwhitney8346]

Thanks I appreciate it! They definitely all have their own issues. Sounds like the Nitro has been great motor!

[@dkumpula001]

Nice concise compilation, thank you. I've had 5 engine outs in 420 flights so far and a half dozen or so limps back the LZ under limited power. I remind newer pilots in my area to expect them at any time.

[@trentwhitney8346]

@@dkumpula001 yes! Thanks for sharing. It’s good for others to see how many people have had something like this.

[@gaetanproductions]

Interesting experiences you have had, thanks for sharing! Totally right, to always fly in view of an engine out ! 👍 No matter how serviced or well tuned or new the paramotor is !

[@trentwhitney8346]

Thanks! Yes, as I have learned, always have an out.

[@lukebelvin4900]

Bro's had more engine failures than Chuck Yeager

[@TheJapanChannelDcom]

I started flying ultralights 40 years ago and then shifted to GA, but ALWAYS assume the engine will quit at any time. Crazy if we don't.

[@trentwhitney8346]

I agree 100%! Thanks for the wise comments!

[@JustMeZero988]

First of all, I had a Microlight here in the UK, (probably an Ultralight to you) but these things look really fun (I'm 66 now so would just be a dream now). I luckily never had any problems with mine but it would have been harder to land than yours, but well easier that a small plane. I like the FLIGHT# ??? that you put for each fight which was good. I just found this interesting and something I would have loved to do. At my age, I'll probably get my own wings soon LOL. Nice video. I've subscribed to make your numbers up and I'll backtrack your videos. My videos are very random but do have my microlight on.

[@trentwhitney8346]

@@JustMeZero988 yes! They are a blast. That’s awesome!

[@ParaVids_andVinyls]

Great video showing what to be prepared for. Had one my self already.. 🙄 Maybe see you again at Little Camas, end of this month.

[@trentwhitney8346]

@@ParaVids_andVinyls thanks and yes! I plan to be there!

[@bradwiebelhaus7065]

Lot of practice with no power landings. Good work.

[@trentwhitney8346]

@@bradwiebelhaus7065 thanks!

[@graydonmyhre7278]

Great video, thank you

[@trentwhitney8346]

@@graydonmyhre7278 thanks much!

[@thpxs0554]

That’s why I fly a 4 stroke, Bailey. It’s heavy and not very powerful but it’s an early one but I always get airborne, it starts instantly on the button and runs like a sewing machine and I always get airborne but it can be a bit of a run with a 28 uni .the V-king is up in a few yards even in nil wind. I’ve had 2 failures both on a 2 stroke due to the walbro carburettor diaphragm. Yamaha were able to make 2 stroke bikes that you could thrash the arse off and they ran for thousands of hours, yet the paramotor engines can leave you in the crap at any moment. I won’t fly the 2 stroke polini anymore, it’s a pig to reach over to the starter and although it’s got the power, I found the Bailey once airborne gives me the same experience, a bit more slowly.

[@trentwhitney8346]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing! I haven't seen the Bailey yet.

[@AndrewGlobus]

Great honest video Trent, thanks! The introduction of EFI in paramotors is somehow very slow, although it has long been available on scooters, motorcycles, generators, etc. And paramotors are very loud, so no innovation is powerless against the noise.

[@trentwhitney8346]

@@AndrewGlobus I agree! Thanks!

[@Ellwoodsss1]

@andrewglobus main reason is production volume. Total paramotor engine sales globally in 2023 across all manufacturers is estimated at less than 3,000 units. It’s tough to justify the initial investment to sell so very few units. For example Vittorazi had planned on selling only 150 MosterEFI units globally for 2024. Having seen first hand the personnel and facilities/equipment Vittorazi has invested in the MosterEFI project over the last 5 years I would be willing to bet they are well into the millions of dollars. This is why EFI is only now coming into the paramotor world. It’s like anything in paramotors, development is very sluggish because it is such a niche market, a manufacturer really has to be careful about investing time and capital in something that quite literally may only sell less than 100 units worldwide

[@trentwhitney8346]

@@Ellwoodsss1 agreed!

[@AndrewGlobus]

@@Ellwoodsss1 I completely agree with you, the market is small and niche for cap manufacturers. So fuel consumption is high, reliability is low, noise is prohibitively high. Pilots are looking for places to fly away from people, so as not to cause inconvenience. Several enthusiast manufacturers have gone the route of converting 4-stroke engines from scooters world. In small scale production the factors you speak of are not so pronounced. It is also possible to borrow parts and technology from the world of two-wheeled racing. Of course, there is also the quiet and comfortable OpenPPG SP-140 for flying up to 30 miles.

[@Ellwoodsss1]

@@AndrewGlobus I think many people also overlook the fact that roughly 70% of paramotor pilots are teaching themselves how to be mechanics and are turning wrenches for the first time in their lives. I’ve been flying going on 8 years now with well over a thousand hours on many many different motors and not counting running out of gas 500 feet from where I parked by truck I have yet to have an actual engine out(totally jinxing myself now) and I know a few people that have a similar experience but for most paramotor pilots this is not the norm. Pretty much the only way to make any progress in the market is to borrow from other markets, our current popular 2 strokes are scooter top ends with chainsaw carbs. The forays into 4 strokes haven’t really caught on as of yet but I have hopes for the Quattro. This is terrible for my job security but in realitythe sport needs a legit electric option with a good quality/well thought out chassis with good geometry and real world range of at LEAST an hour. This would absolutely change the sport and make it so much more inviting to new people coming in. I’m sorry to say it but the sp140 ain’t it. Not by a long shot. Maybe Sur Ron will read this;)

[@plane1994]

What a crap stuff glad youre ok❤

[@trentwhitney8346]

Thanks! All good!

[@ChrisJewell7333]

My favorite prop is helix so when I saw the chip out of the helix, I was saddened, helix is a great prop very durable, nice height on all of your engine out’s. I’ve only flown three different PARAMOTOR set ups. Haven’t tried a trike yet, I’m curious what’s your thoughts? I know a trailer for the trike is a little more effort. Would you buy it again? I like the idea of not having to run out a landing or a takeoff the trike would eliminate that just sounds like a lot of hassle to get it trailer out, set up and then back to the shop.

[@trentwhitney8346]

@@ChrisJewell7333 if it has been an eprop it would have exploded lol. I definitely fly low a lot, but generally places I can land immediately. I was pretty close to terrain on the Polini, but the mountains had some steep slope, so no worries. I’ve been incredibly lucky so far. I sincerely enjoy the trike. It’s awesome on zero wind days! Launches are tougher than foot launch, but landings are super smooth and very easy! I primarily started flying trikes to become a tandem introductory instructor. The trailer is no problem. I set it up for easy in and out.

[@ChrisJewell7333]

@@trentwhitney8346 you make a few good points on the trike, there’s been many flights I’ve not chanced because of no wind days.

[@trentwhitney8346]

@@ChrisJewell7333 It definitely makes life easier on those days! Good luck!

[@glen3257]

good evening. Thank you for this video. I subscribed and liked. I have been researching getting into ppg for years now to celibate life after beating cancer and my love for flying, This reaffirms day one of my research regarding risk vs reward and always have a landing zone in case of motor failure. I have only watched this video on your Chanel, But notice it includes many brands and motors. I was wondering about your experience and history fling ppg,. I would truly appreciate communicating with you through email for guidance and suggestions. Thank you.

[@trentwhitney8346]

@@glen3257 no problem Glen! Congratulations on your fight to beat cancer! You’re welcome to email me at [e-mail]

[@dickfitswell3437]

Hey congrats Glen. Hopefully you don't have to go thru beating it again. I hope you reward yourself and take the hobby up. I went to training for 13 days, learned kiting, maps, etc then on day 14 some of us were cleared to take our first flight. I remember getting the wing up on a reverse launch at the beach. 7-9mph. I was kinda scared and then remembered what my instructors told me and turned and ran and all the sudden it was like I was a Bald Eagle rising and rising over the Gulf of Mexico and didn't want to come down. I hope you get to experience that. It's one of the most freeing things I've done, especially with a stressful job, I was able to finally do something alone and relax once airborne and cruising. Good luck to you Glen and I hope you get to do this. Oh, and I wouldn't watch any Tucker Gott videos. He is a fame chaser. Dude makes videos landing at McDonald's which is dangerous because of the car traffic taking their eyes off the road. He did one where he called an ice cream parlor and asked if he can order and come land and again dangerous for the civilians driving and getting distracted. He doesn't care about the sport and all of my instructors told us DO NOT FLY LIKE TUCKER GOTT. Been to some fly ins and I hear the same thing from dozens of others. I unsubscribed from him. He is careless and a cloutchaser. Sorry for that rant.

[@matthewholmes8638]

I feel like a lot of people in the sport need to do better maintenece and preflight/postflights of their equipment. The manual has all the maintainece schedules in it with what needs to be chaged at how many hours. Its a pain but these are aircraft and I rather spend the extra time and money and give myself better odds. 120hrs on my 185 so far with no issues other needing to adjust the low speed screw.

[@trentwhitney8346]

@@matthewholmes8638 I totally agree! My first two engine outs were from a lack of maintenance. The manual says to rebuild the carburetor at 100 hours, but it should be much sooner if you run ethanol in your gas. I believe it weakened the diagrams in the carburetor. I now run 100LL. The other was attributed to the manufacturer. The forced landings were unforeseeable.

[@dconroy08]

@@trentwhitney8346 How long have you been running 100LL? Have you seen any issue with plug fouling or any other issues from the Lead?

[@trentwhitney8346]

@@dconroy08 No, the 100LL has been awesome! I've been running it for about three years.

[@Kent-pb2jl]

@@trentwhitney8346 I went 6 years on 100LL on a Polini with no carb rebuild. Only issue is the coil died, twice and the decomp port got clogged.

[@trentwhitney8346]

@@Kent-pb2jl That's awesome! I love the appeal of the float bowl carburetor! Put good fuel in it, fly it often, and a carb rebuild is not likely soon.

[@Chipenvous]

Impressive handling of all the engine outs! But wow, how many paramotors do you have? 🙂

[@trentwhitney8346]

Thanks! LOL- I currently have three. Two foot launch and one trike.

[@BlackWarriorLures]

How cold is it up there?

[@trentwhitney8346]

Sometimes its very cold and other times an inversion makes it warmer.

[@NathanMellor]

Was the wing damaged in the first one? Gotta hate that sagebrush.

[@trentwhitney8346]

@@NathanMellor lol- no, but it took me a long time to carefully pluck it out. It was dark when I was hiking out. I landed close to the freeway, but it was a lava flow so I had to stay on the dirt road to hike out - lol

[@Daniel-bv8hr]

Got 60hours on a Moster MY22 and only ever had 1 engine out due to running out of fuel 😅 This video has me scared of the engine hours now…. Why so many engine failures!?!?

[@trentwhitney8346]

First two were worn carburetor membranes. Don't use ethanol if you can avoid it. The third was a bad design by EOS. That resistor has since been removed from all of their new engines now, so its no longer a problem. They were using an off-the-shelf harness that had other engine applications. The starter on the Factory R just blew up and damaged the prop. I suspect the damaged high needle was a result of flying debris, but did not reveal itself until a few flights later. The Polini was bad install of the throttle and the lead in the connector was "hammering" the needle and eventually weakened the clip until it fell off. I now have the correct throttle cable end, so there shouldn't be any more issues. Engine outs and forced landings will happen. Just be prepared to "paraglide" and fly in areas where you don't mind landing. My first Moster 185 went 144 hours before I sold it. Just the two engine outs on the first part of the video.

[@Daniel-bv8hr]

@@trentwhitney8346 Thanks mate, really appreciate the insight! I use to only run ethanol free fuel for the first 50hrs when I was in the US, but now I’m forced to use 95unleaded as it’s harder to find ethanol free in South Africa. Ever since switching I’ve had start up issues and have had to fiddle my carburetor. She hasn’t died mid flight but getting her to idle and not choke out when cold starting is becoming a pain. Suppose it’s time to rebuild the carb?

[@trentwhitney8346]

@@Daniel-bv8hr no problem! Yeah, maybe the membranes are weak.

[@trentwhitney8346]

@@Daniel-bv8hr it wouldn’t hurt bro. Always nice to have fresh membranes.

[@razorsharpbt124]

I have an old push mower I leave out in the elements for 17 years and it starts fist pull and never dies. These paramotor two-strokes suck.

[@trentwhitney8346]

Perhaps, but asking 3 to 5 horsepower out of a 4-stroke push mower is not exactly the same as asking 27 to 33 horsepower out of an engine that is nearly the same size.

[@YalvacliDelikurt]

Nice vid... kinda funny tho

[@trentwhitney8346]

It is kind of funny. My base is paragliding, so engine outs and forced landings are not something that concern me all that much.

[@SupernovaSpence]

How do you get so many engine failures? I noticed you had 3 or 4 different motors? Just how? HAHAHA

[@trentwhitney8346]

@@SupernovaSpence if you fly long enough, it will happen.

[@SupernovaSpence]

@@trentwhitney8346 70 hours let alone 30 hours just doesn’t seem like long enough 😅

[@trentwhitney8346]

@@SupernovaSpence true, but the engine decides when. Sad but true.

[@jimmychafins]

Man that’s a lot of carb needles you have flying off…You might wanna stay on the ground…lol

[@trentwhitney8346]

LOL

[@1953Greyfox]

Great Video, however. I don't think I want to get involved in Parmotor flying if the engines fail that often.

[@trentwhitney8346]

I learned to Paraglide first. At the conclusion of my paragliding training I transitioned to the Paramotor with the intent of the training to learn both. To me an engine out is just a paraglider, but I understand this sport is not for everyone. You will need to do your own soul searching to decide if this sport is worth it for you or not. One thing I will say... You're either all in and commit to this sport and fly often, or don't do it! Safe travels!

[@waffle_nom]

@@trentwhitney8346 I fly fixed-wing and it was incredible to see how well you handled these situations; apparently learning your craft as a glider first helps when it suddenly becomes one! Probably didn't feel strange to you at the time but seeing you on the phone while within 500ft of a forced landing was absolutely mind-blowing from my perspective!

[@trentwhitney8346]

@@waffle_nom thanks! lol - yeah here’s my logic. I’m not on the radio, so I can’t talk to anyone for help. I have cell service off the ground up several thousand feet. In fact almost always. But on the ground I may have no service. Being on the phone, if you have time, is good because I can say exactly where I’m at, organize help, and the person on the phone will actually know if I’m hurt. There’s actually someone on the phone with me on most of those if I had time. The Polini forced landing I was talking to my dad’s answering machine and just stayed on the recording until I landed.

[@lobbyrobby]

​@@trentwhitney8346the comment about being all in and fly often worries me. I want to get into flying paramotors but with my location and work schedule it'll probably be tough to get flights in. I don't want that to stop me tho but I do need to be realistic. How often do you think a guy should fly? I would probably have more time to practice kiting which I hear is great to always work on. Thank you

[@trentwhitney8346]

@@lobbyrobby My opinion may be different than others. I try to fly at least every week of the year if the weather permits to get familiar with all weather conditions and staying current so I feel safe. Sometimes the weather doesn't allow me to fly for three to four weeks. But, I try to fly as often as I can and sometimes get as much as three to four flights a week if I can. Others may have a different opinion. Kiting is super important!

[@HTN3]

How can there be a god?

[@lukebelvin4900]

Bro forgot about Made In China when putting on his flying suit