World`s First Electric Paramotor!
Could this be the future of powered paragliding?
Related articles:- Electric Paramotor! |Electric PPG answers | Electric Future? | Electric Paramotor FAQ
Videos:- Electric Paramotor - teaser! | Electric PPG in flight | Csaba talks about his electric PPG |
| The first sustained flight of an electric paramotor, earlier this month, could herald a new era in sport aviation. On Sunday I was lucky enough to meet the brains behind this revolutionary paramotor and see it in flight. This could be the future of powered paragliding… |
| Csaba Lemak and Patrick MacKenzie of Toronto have been spending the past year perfecting their dream machine – an electric paramotor. These two maverick visionaries believed that battery and motor technology could meet the challenge, despite expert opinions to the contrary. The challenges they faced were many; power density, heat dissipation, throttle control, weight reduction, reduction of charging times, speed controller issues. After considerable investment of time and money the pair had produced a working prototype, mounted on the lightweight, but sturdy Walkerjet frame. Testing and development continued throughout the winter months. | A few burnt out motors later, the fledgling was ready to leave the workshop. The learning curve has been steep, but Lemak and MacKenzie are certain they have overcome the main obstacles and are, even now, designing the successor to their first prototype. On Tuesday 6th June Csaba Lemak took the first electrically powered paramotor into the air, making a small but not insignificant notch in aviation history. On Sunday 11th June the machine was ready to meet the world and I was glad to be invited along to witness the world`s only electric paramotor up close. |
 Flyke adventure - Hybrid bicycle/paramotor
Join Till Middelhauve, Michael Werner and Eric Behr as they embark on a border crossing-adventure of eastern Europe on 'Flykes'… flying bicycles!
The Flyke is a hybrid of a push-bike and a paramotor, and can be pedalled engine-off, motored propeller-on, and, of course, flown.
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| The construction is deceptively simple. A high performance electric motor drives the prop via a reduction belt in this prototype, but Lemak and MacKenzie`s next version will be a three blade direct drive machine with further reduction in weight. The machine is already fifteen pounds lighter than its gasolene counterpart and borrows heavily from RC modelling technology - thanks to Patrick MacKenzies expertise in the field. With a machine shop at Csaba`s disposal these two have got everything they need to take electric aviation to the next level. | So, why has noone ever done this before? Well the primary reason is the expense. Not only are the materials used state of the art, but the customisation of the parts to fit the purpose adds further complication and expense. Run the numbers by anyone from the RC model world and they`ll probably tell you it`s too expensive, so for the mean time this remains a very interesting prototype.... atleast for the moment. |
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