“HEAVEN, OUR DEAR HOME!”

I am an active participant of many paragliding events and now flying coach. Thus, we have an opportunity to observe the development of paragliding in Russia. And today I can note a brand new trend in our still young sport. The previous ten years of intensive development and improvement of the domes. Now, however, manufacturers have reached a certain ceiling. Relevant are not only the technical parameters paragliding equipment as its cost and availability for those enthusiasts who cherish the dream to fly in the sky like a bird.

Booming pure sport flying with the paramotors, what a striking confirmation are, for example, major successes of Russian national team — she took third place at the world championship 2001 in Spain, won the Cup of great Britain in the spring of 2002, and in the world Cup 2003 in England, too won the first place! However, there is and the ever-increasing influx into our midst of people who do not mind an hour or two to spend at the clouds in the day or on a nice evening after work.

Experience in various commercial projects, exhibitions and competitions suggests to many experts, what emerges is a completely new direction in paragliding to paramotor Safari.

Industry and facilities has long mastered the jeep, airplane and del’talet. Now comes the turn of the paramotor.

Today there is a growing interest among representatives of ski resorts and sports centers to paragliding equipment tandem flight athlete with a passenger. It turns out that it is not only interesting and exciting from a purely consumer point of view, but also very advantageous from the economic.

One can only imagine the allure of such a paramotor as you say, crowd, when the pilots can take and fuel, and tents, and provisions, and passengers, which in this case it is not necessary to be able to fly themselves.

However, for long and especially for multi-day trips under the dome all this on a conventional paramotor away. Therefore, there is something else that would allow to solve the problem. This Supplement could very well be the truck.

The proposed truck under a paramotor — universal, allows you to fly alone or in tandem (pilot and passenger or pilot and baggage weight up to 100 kg). Even if you use a standard fuel tank capacity of 10 liters, one filling is enough to fly over 100 km.

Now about the main thing.

Designer truck — Muscovite Vladimir Zlobin. This truck has nothing to do with the fact the first device that used paragliders and which in spite of its perfect simplicity it was still primitive — stool cross-country skiing. Since then two years have passed. And after numerous experiments and improvements appeared optimal design.

Truck under a paramotor:

1 — front wheel; 2 front fork; 3 — steering the bandwagon of the pilot; 4 — steering bracket; 5 — bogie frame; 6 frame for the passenger seat: 7 — rear wheel; 8 — front axle; 9 — rubber cushion-shock absorbers engine; 10,12 — thrust engine mounts; 11,13 — straps securing the truck to the main carabiners of the paraglider pilot and
 

The dimensions of the truck (the track corresponds to the loaded condition of the truck at the tyre pressure of 0.6 ATM.)

The truck is pretty lightweight (its weight is only 15 kg) and durable: dozens of flights with a maximum load of 250 kg— and not a single failure! It is compact (can be disassembled into four parts, the longest of which — 955 mm), and bystrosbornye: to build it requires only 5-7 min.

The design uses pretty common materials: aluminum and steel pipes of various diameters, automotive leaf spring, standard (for household purposes) chamber wheels with a diameter of 260 mm with the allowable load 170 kg per wheel.

The cart-based — spinal frame with longitudinal and clips of the springs of the rear axle cut out of the pipe 50×4,5 mm. Alloy AMG, which made such pipe, easy to argon arc welding. Therefore, the majority of compounds in the design of the truck is made this way.

Bogie frame:

1 —spar (AMG, pipe 50×4,5); 2,7—stand (AMG, pipe 20×2); 3,11 — struts (AMG, pipe 20×2); 4 — crossbar (AMG, pipe 20×2); 5,10 — bushing mounting frame for the passenger seat (LMG, pipe 27×3); 6 — frame of the pilot suspension (AMG, pipe 20×2); 8,12 — scarves (AMG, sheet s5); 9.13 — the nest of pillows of shock absorbers engine (AMG, sheet s); 14,15 — race springs rear axle (AMG, pipe 50×4,5); 16 — rib (AMG, sheet s5): 17 — thread (steel rod d16)
 

Steering bracket:

1 — steering column (AMG, pipe 32×3,5); 2,6— socket mounting pegs passenger side (AMG, pipe 27×3); 3 — housing (AMH, pipe 50×4,5); 4 — clutch (AMG, pipe 41×2,5); 5 — reinforcing insert (AMG, pipe 36×4); 7 — rivet d8

Frame for the passenger seat (AMG, pipe 20×2). Footrest passenger (AMG, pipe 20×2)

The front face of the spar is left open—there is inserted the steering bracket (this is for fixing it meant diametrical pin hole at the beginning of the spar), and the rear end of the slitted disc made of aluminium sheet and scalded. Next attached the clips of the rear axle, each of which is reinforced by two gussets (sides) and one rib (bottom).

On the clips located box-shaped socket with rubber cushions shock absorbers designed for damping vibration of operating the power plant. The cushions sit firmly in the sockets and hold in their semicircular cutouts protective frame of the engine.

Spar welded stands and struts out of the pipe 20×2 mm, which are welded to the frame of the pilot and the suspension cross member from the same pipe. In the end holes of the cross member is pressed and fixed a few strokes of the steel core threaded bushings for screws M8, holding gage engine mounts. (In principle, the cross member may be made of aluminum rod, because his ends are easier to carry out the threaded holes.)

The geometric parameters of the rods motor mounts (length of tubes, diameter and angle of turn of the sleeves at their ends) in this embodiment are not shown. They depend on the particular brand of motor (nodes of attachment) and are selected by the place considering the fact that the axis of rotation of the propeller should have an upward angle of 5° relative to the horizon. In this case, the air flow from the propeller goes on top of the dome and does not damage it. The length of the blanks for rods not less than 530 mm.

There, at the ends of the crossmember welded sleeve for inclined mounting frame suspension cargo or passenger in a tandem configuration variant paramotor truck. Frame made of aluminum pipe 20×2 mm is introduced by the ends of these bushings and is secured by a (large) pins through the return holes in them with a diameter of 3.1 mm. the Front frame spar wound to the fabric strap.

The cargo version of the tandem frame is fixed on the duffel bag, bag or canister. A passenger in the truck is complemented by the footrest, welded aluminum pipes 20×2 mm, which is installed in a special socket on the housing of the steering bracket. Fixed footstep in the nest, as the frame mountings for the passenger, special pins.

Connecting the steering arm with the longitudinal telescopic. For this purpose, the housing is first inserted (and secured there through by a rivet) coupling from the pipe 41×2. 5 mm, reinforced pressed into her, inserting tubes 36×4 mm Fixing bracket rail — removable pin with a pin on the end.

When driving the truck on the ground, the pilot operates it with his feet. For this purpose, the front fork has a steering wheel footrest with bent to slip the shoes ends. It is made of aluminum pipe 20×2 mm and fixed at four points: on the axis of the wheel together with feathers plugs and two bolts M6 on a special shelf welded to the feathers.

Unlike other elements of the construction truck, front fork made entirely of steel (applied trumpet 21×2 mm, rod diameter 20 mm and strip 20×2 mm). This is due to the loads that act on the steering gear on takeoff or mileage. The only thing that softens the blows when hitting the front wheel of the inevitable clay-aerodrome obstacles in the form of pits and bumps, it’s pneumatic. Hence there are increased requirements to the strength of the fork.

Steering column front fork rotates in bearings, which serve as PTFE bushings, borrowed from the car “Lada”.

Device steering gear:

1 — front fork; 2,6 — washer 36x20x3; 3,5 — bushing (Teflon, from the car “Lada”); 4 — steering column; 7 — a nut and locknut M12; 8 — washer with an eye for stretch marks
 

Steering footboard pilot:

1 — tool tray (AMG, pipe 20×2); 2,3 — struts (AMG, pipe 20×2)

Front fork:

1 —steering rack (steel, rod d20); 2—rack mount steering-pilot foot pegs (steel, strip 21×2); 3 — arc plugs (steel, pipe 21 x2)

Rear axle (right):

1 — rear wheel; 2 — spring (steel, band 45,2×6,8; radical leaf springs of the car “Moskvich-412”); 3 — housing (AMH, pipe 50×4,5); 4 — connecting bolt M8; 5 — clutch (AMG, pipe 41×2,5); 6 — reinforcing insert (AMG, pipe 36×4); 7 — rivet d8 (2); 8 — cotter pin d4; 9 — remote bushing (steel, pipe 24×2); 10 — pneumatic wheels; 11 —wheel disc; 12 — bearing hub; 13 — a bolt M8 (4 PCs); 14 – spacer; 15 — self-locking nut M14; 16 — wheel axle (steel bar d23).

Size 665 corresponds to loaded condition of the truck

As for depreciation on the rear axle of the truck, for this purpose, two leaf springs (indigenous leaves of spring package of the car “Moskvich-412”). The outer ends of these sheets were thermally released, they drilled holes, bent at an angle of 110° and re-hardened. This angle is chosen: if the air the truck looks a little “bowlegged” because of the slope of the rear wheels inside, on the ground that the springs SAG and “valgus” disappears— the wheels are straight and are perpendicular to the surface of the earth. It is their working position.

The inner end of each tapered leaf springs on the emery machine for densely entered into the groove formed by walls of the housing halves of the rear axle (tube 50×4,5 mm) and long diametrical notch in the sleeve (pipe 41×2. 5 mm). Inserted into the groove of the spring rests against the end face of the reinforcing insert (tube 36×4 mm) and is fixed in the housing (along with clutch) diametrically bolt M8 self-locking nut. In addition, the coupling and the reinforcing insert bonded to the housing through two aluminum rivets with a diameter of 8 mm.

With the corresponding clips on the frame of the truck halves of the rear axle are joined telescopically; couplings fit tightly into these cages and locked with removable pins with pins on the ends.

All truck wheel chamber (in this case — Chinese production) with a diameter of 260 and a width of 80 mm. they Have a detachable stamped discs, United by four bolts M8. In punch forming the hub pressed on spacer sleeve and ball bearings under shaft diameter 20 mm, outside closed with steel caps (not shown on drawings). In principle, any valid chamber wheels with a diameter of not more than 320 mm.

The attachment point of the front wheel:

1 —brace the steering pilot pegs; 2 front fork; 3 — axle front wheel (steel, rod d20); 4— pneumatic wheel; 5 — a wheel disk; 6 — bearing hub; 7 — a bolt M8 (4 PCs); 8 — spacer; 9 — remote Bush (AMG, pipe 27×3,5); 10 — self-locking nut M12
 

The node connection of the thrust engine mounts with the truck:

1 — thrust (AMG, pipe 20×2); 2,11 — blind rivets d4; 3 — tip; 4 — spacer; 5 — M8 screws; 6 — rubber bushing; 7 — spacer (steel pipe 10x 1); 8 — cross member of the truck; 9 — threaded bushing; 10 — eyelet for belt harness (from the car “the Zhiguli”). The length of pull and position of the bushing the engine mounts to the selected place

Tip:

1 — blind rivets d4; 2 — clutch (AMG, pipe 16×1,5); 3 — housing (AMH, pipe 20×2); 4 — clip (AMG, pipe 32×3,5)

The methods of installation of wheels on axles is well shown in the figures and further comment is not needed. The optimal pressure in their tires for this truck — 0.6 atmosphere.

Currently “fly” already seven such trucks in Moscow, Tver, Lipetsk, Ryazan and other cities. Including and tandem options.

By more than a hundred starts with the legs on paramotor tandem (running around at the same time and synchronously with the passenger) to note with appreciation: start with the wheels— just fun (as, indeed, and landing). Especially in good weather with light wind or calm. So there is the opportunity to quietly and confidently take to the skies with a paramotor not only a trained athlete, but his 80-year-old grandfather. Any person can now be given the opportunity to experience the feeling of free flight. Strapped to the sling and into the clouds!

A. KORZUN