Prop Strike on a Powered Parachute or a Powered Paraglider. | Sudden Engine Stoppage PPC or PPG

In aviation, a propeller strike, or prop strike, is an accident in which an aircraft's propeller contacts any object and is forcibly stopped or slowed. This happens more often to powered parachutes and paramotors than it happens to almost any other kind of aircraft out there.
This is because both sports are using big, floppy fabric wings and risers that occasionally find themselves in the way of a spinning propellor. Both aircraft have prop cages or fan guards to prevent that from happening. But perversely, sometimes the pull of a wing to one side manages to pull on and deform the cages enough to involve them in the noise and mayhem of a sudden stop.
In this video we talk about how Rotax defines a propeller strike, offer some specific things that relate to powered parachutes and powered powered paragliders, and the actions to take if a propeller strike happens to you.
Download the letter at: legacy.rotaxowner.com/si_tb_i...
For powered parachute training, visit easyflight.com
Roy's Powered Parachute Book: www.poweredparachutebook.com
#easyflight #flying #poweredparachutes #pilot #aviation #aircraft #lightsportaircraft #flighttraining #learningtofly #parachute

[@donshields4470]

Great video. Blue skies to you, also. Thanks

[@EasyFlight]

Thanks, Don!

[@martinpoleski1204]

Thanks for a great video on a scary subject! 1)I have seen several videos on chute lay out which show that after the chute is laid out, the lines are thrown off to the sides. I was trained to manually pull the machine forward after chute layout to tighten the lines to just before the point where they start activating the "A" line cells. If those lines are laying slack next to the machine and you rev the engine up for takeoff, I know from experience that they can indeed be sucked into the propeller. 2) At a local airshow I had my machine on display and I pulled the risers out a few feet to show someone what the parachute lines actually looked like. Didn't fly it that day, just display and answer questions. Next weekend got caught in traffic on the way to the airport and arrived less than an hour before sunset. Rush fueling, rush preflight, rush taxi to the far end off the runway (wind direction). While bumping along in a fast taxi heard a loud "Whack" and then vibrations.. I had pushed the risers back into the bag last weekend but it bounced out during the rough taxi and contacted the props. Lesson learned: use your chute bag lines to wrap around your risers and secure them to your frame near where they come out of the chute bag. 3) Over the past 20 years I have had 3 prop line/riser strikes. All involved light weight Powerfin props and none damaged the engine/gearbox. If you often fly near water and/or tall grass, a heavy, solid prop like Ivo might be best for you but for protecting your engine/gearbox, I definitely recommend the lightweight composite props. 4) If you do experience a power on, sudden stoppage and are trying to decide to have it expensively inspected or ignore it... remember the movie where "Dirty Harry" is facing the bad guy with that big 44 Magnum and says: "You feeling lucky today punk?"

[@EasyFlight]

This is an awesome comment with a lot of good information for new and experienced pilots! Thanks for taking the time to share!

[@Johnny_Benson]

Great video!

[@EasyFlight]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@jamesmdean1987]

What kind of camera do you use that pivots around the aircraft perfectly? I’ve seen this in videos and it’s almost like a selfie stick but I don’t understand it; it doesn’t look mounted anywhere

[@EasyFlight]

I use an Insta360 camera. It takes video in all directions and I do the camera movements in post.

[@mdawgxi]

It appears you are using a 360 camera. Can you tell me where / how you mounted the camera to get that angle? I have a Pegasus, so the same airframe.

[@EasyFlight]

Hi Matt! I use an Insta360 camera on their selfie stick. For that shot, I mounted it to the frontal bar using RAM mounts. Good luck!

[@smallnuts2]

Is there a 3 seater? I would like to get into taking couples on rides.

[@EasyFlight]

Hi Dom! There are a couple of 3-seaters out there. But they can't be used for commercial purposes. Even worse, there isn't a powered parachute commercial rating in the U.S. That means that taking people for rides isn't viable yet. But the FAA is promising rule changes in the next couple of years, so who knows...

[@butchgeagan9768]

What about a belt drive?

[@EasyFlight]

Hi Butch! That is a great question! Actually, pilots using belt drives have a lot less to worry about than those with gear boxes when it comes to a prop strike. Belts actually absorb a lot of the impact forces with slippage and even a little bit of flexure.

[@butchgeagan9768]

@@EasyFlight Thank you. I had my prop hit the frame, taking off on rough ground. Lots of other damage.