Paramotors
U-Turn USA is a distributor for most of the top brands of paramotors and powered paragliding equipment on the market. Below are only the top 8 paramotor units in the order that we recommend them. We can beat most prices on the planet by at least $100. If you have questions about how other units compare to the 8 we have listed just give us a call anytime at 800-707-2525 and we can share our experiences.
The Flat Top is the ULTIMATE paramotor. Its creation came about because there just wasn’t anything else really worth buying on the powered paragliding/powered skydiving/paramotoring market. Major problems with other equipment warranted a complete redesign. Other units can give you a taste for the sport but the Flat Top is for those that want to LOVE it. It is a true masterpiece.
One of the biggest problems with other paramotor units is safety. Flimsy cages with netting that rarely even covered the whole cage or provided any real protection result in numerous injuries where hands & other body parts get back into the prop. This risk was dramatically reduced with the invention of the Flat Top paramotor. It is so dang tuff that the Kevlar netting will hold a person out of the prop even if they stand on it. Most paramotoring units will allow the netting to flex into the prop with less than a few pounds of pressure.
Another problem of the flimsy cages is the self destruct syndrome. If you trip & fall or bump into the ground and your cage will easily flex into the prop it is a catastrophe. The second the tip of that prop moving over 300mph hits the cage the whole thing blows up. The Flat Top paramotor fixed this issue as well with the incredibly strong and well designed cage & frame. Not a single cage strike has ever occurred with a Flat Top. The cage can’t be flexed into the prop unless you fold it in half with a major crash. This makes learning to paraglide with a motor much safer and more trouble free. Notice in the second video where the Flat Top paramotor hits the ground in flight several times. Powered paragliding units would completely blow up with pieces flying everywhere if that happened. Only wpsda certified paramotors & powered skydiving equipment will hold up to abuse like that.
Durability, reliability and dependability of the Flat Top is unequaled. The Flat Top paramotor has been put through thousands of hours of testing and development. From the reliability of the electronics to the ability of the frame to hold up to extreme acrobatic maneuvers the Flat Top paramotor is simply unequaled. Just look at some of the abuse the Flat Top has held up to over the years and years of developments. The first video is of the very first Flat Top paramotors on the market. Imagine powered paragliding equipment trying to launch in 2 feet of snow. Definitly don’t try that with any of the other equipment on the market. The Flat Top prop is the highest quality on the market and can take abuse like that. The cheaper props would just explode. Durability like this ensures years and years of trouble free use of your Flat Top paramotor.
The Flat Top paramotor has also set the world records for speed, distance and altitude. 18,182 ft without assistance from thermals, 280 miles on only 3.5 gallons of gas and a cruise speed of 50 mph. No other stock paramotor on earth has these capabilities.
From a close study of paramotor incidents there seem to be 4 weak/danger areas associated with circular cages. Top left & right where hands and break toggles go through or around cage netting and bottom left & right where minor trips & falls result in major damage from prop strikes. With the Flat Top design the danger areas are further protected with an extra 2-3 inches of prop clearance because of the circular path of the prop around a non-circular cage. This way you can have the smallest cage possible while still providing maximum protection especially in the known danger/high risk areas…all this without increasing the height or bulkiness of the unit! This revolutionary design also enables a more uniformed size of the cage pieces to allow for a minimum break down size of the frame/cage unit for packing, shipping & travel.
Kevlar has 5 very important attributes, it doesn’t stretch, it’s very strong, extremely lightweight, heat resistant to 400 degrees and very aerodynamic for it’s size & weight. These are perfect for paramotoring. Plastic & nylon nettings have been known to stretch into props with many different cage & mounting designs. For maximum strength, prop clearance and ease of stringing/restringing we riveted Kevlar line right to the face of the cage. By being riveted to the face of the cage we added half a tube width of extra clearance. In addition, it helps ensure any prop strike will hit the tubing before it strikes the netting. Also being strung around a smooth steel rivet with an aluminum head prevents it from being cut by the tubing which can happen under pressure when strung through holes in the tubing.
We string our units very tightly to help prevent anything larger than 3 fingers going through. Using Kevlar also provides the least amount of weight and wind resistance of any other design. One more added bonus is that it is so strong it actually strengthens the whole cage like spokes on a bicycle…it’s easy to see why Kevlar line is the only reasonable choice.
The most common injury in paramotoring has been prop strikes to hands, fingers and other parts of the body. People seem to like to run their motors up to full throttle while standing right in front of it. The most common reaction to a unit that lurches towards the pilot it to put hands and arms against the cage or netting to stop the motor from lurching at them…bad idea. We attacked this problem in numerous ways, first with a very stiff/strong cage, then with riveted Kevlar line that doesn’t stretch, the Flat Top design, placement of tubing in high risk areas and leaving about 6 inches of clearance between non-stretch Kevlar netting and the prop.
The hoop has to provide 3 major functions: one, it has to be strong/stiff enough to prevent it from collapsing into the prop; two, it needs to provide for maximum clearance of the cage netting to help prevent as many injuries as possible; three, it has to allow a smooth surface for the paraglider risers to slide up during a forward launch. After much thought and research we decided the dual hoop was the best way to go to provide the best accomplishment of all 3 tasks.
Cage connection points are very important. Many companies use plastic cage lugs as they are cheap and easy to get. We have found over years and years of experience that in a crash the plastic cage lugs just snap off, the prop strikes the cage and your whole safety cage is instantly thrown to the 4 winds leaving you defenseless without your roll cage/safety netting. Although far more expensive and difficult to manufacture safety is the ultimate goal so we wanted to best ensure that your roll cage/safety netting stays with you as long as possible especially in the even of a major tumble. We think the extra expense is well worth it to provide you with maximum protection.
Frames breaking and cracking have been a major issue. We’ve seen engines ripped off of their frames during simple slips and falls and others break off during hard impacts. Yet others have cracked off from years of engine vibration. Our main frame rail is 1/8th inch thick aluminum. It provides both the majority of lateral stiffness for the comfort bars and ensures the engine is mounted to something very strong. It also stiffens and strengthens the entire unit by giving everything something very strong and solid to mount to.
We don’t recommend you stand in front of an unsecured paramotor and start it, but for those that will completely disregard this advice we provided a special grip designed to be strong enough to hold back the full thrust of the motor. If 180lbs or more thrust should overwhelm you and you can’t seem to figure out how to let off the throttle fast enough we designed the grip, after a long consultation with a martial arts expert, so the unit will quickly secure you in a wrist lock and throw you to the ground hopefully away from the danger of the spinning prop. Yup that’s right; the spacing of the tubing above the Kung Fu grip is designed to engage the back of your wrist when the motor is tilted forward locking your hand into position preventing you from grabbing higher or going over the back of the unit into the prop.
The comfort bars hold the harness open during flight. Unlike other designs where the carabineers are hooked directly to the harness and the harness collapses on you squeezing you during flight the comfort bars prevent any uncomfortable pressures on you so you will be able to enjoy much longer flights. They also catch the motor in case it should fall forward preventing damage or soiling of the reserve & harness. Also, should you ever fall down while being drug by your paraglider, they will hold the motor off of you. With the unique design they also allow for better leg mobility and freedom giving you maximum agility and comfort during reverse launches and side stepping. On top of that with the new lateral support welded directly to the super strong main frame the rigidity & strength obtained is amazing.
The worst thing about PPG is having to come down when you are having fun or not getting to know exactly what’s beyond that next hill because you are low on gas and have to turn back. Now with the dual tank option you can easily switch from 1 super light gas tank to 2 tanks for maximum range. With quick release bars, switching back and forth is a breeze. Also notice that with the placement of the tanks directly below the frame it keeps the center of gravity low and very much apart of you. This makes the whole unit feel very tight, light and just right. With a high performance glider the dual tanks can give you a range of about 160 miles running the motor the whole time!!! Also with the standard kart hook in you can use a wide variety of gas tanks ranging in size and weight. The fill cap is also to the rear making for very easy access from behind. On top of that each tank is fitted with a one way breather valve so when you lean forward for your motor run up or tumble upside down in an oopsie you won’t be dousing yourself in gas like the PPGs of olden days.
Much larger batteries, greatly improved electronics & wiring, very solid and reliable quick release electrical connectors and easy access to all of it should eliminate the agony of yesteryears. This is the best electronics pack on the market. All of the electronics are easy to access, diagnose, and replace. They are very simple, reliable, bulletproof and water resistant. They are also placed very neatly and intelligently in order to provide the best cooling with minimal failure. The whole electronics pack can be removed in seconds to be shipped back for immediate replacement or for simple trouble shooting. Batteries can also be easily removed & replaced. The housing also doubles as a firewall & back plate minimizing weight while providing maximum protection
Much thought has been taken to place the carburetor, priming bulb and master kill switch in an area where they can all be accessed from both sides of the unit. Now you can easily reach back in flight and adjust your carburetor for altitude or reach the priming bulb so you can get your motor running again after long engine off thermaling sessions. Also, should a need arise, the master kill switch is easily accessible from either side of the unit and while in flight.
U-Turn USA FlatTop 200 (Simonini Mini 2 plus)
)
)
){kind=spacer}
)
)
)
)
