Electric weekend at Saint-Auban
News from 22 May 2018. It has not been updated since it was published: some information may have changed. Latest news
Two electric paramotor discovery days were held on 14 and 15 April 2018 at Château Arnoux/Saint-Auban aerodrome, at the club "Les Ailes Jarlandines", whose president is Vasco Righi.
"In the days when goods were transported on the Durance, the jars ("jarres") were made at Château-Arnoux, hence the name "jarlandins" and so our name!
After a week of very chaotic weather, it was in ideal flying conditions that George Blottin was able to show the pilots present the magic of his electric motor.
You didn't need to be an expert to appreciate the advantages, they were so obvious!
Starting it comes down to flicking a switch to "ON" and initialising the power control lever with a few turns of the propeller. And that's it!
With its full load of electrons for one hour of running, you still have to carry around 27 kg on your shoulders, but thanks to the absence of moving fuel and a very low centre of gravity close to the body, what you remember from handling it is the bulk rather than the weight of the machine.
The wing George chose is an Ozone of 26 m2. Its technical advances and light weight make inflating and flying it quickly accessible to novices.
Easier take-off
Take-off is certainly the phase that benefits most from the advantages of electric power, since it is so readily available, docile, smooth and powerful.
In almost calm wind George consistently took off in one or two steps… and the thrust delivered was astonishing.
As for the noise, it's simple: there isn't any…! A real joy for the pilot and for the neighbours…!
Naturally, George treated us to a few low passes along the runway centreline, at which point all the onlookers found the machine really great fun, each of them dreaming of doing the same…!
A few silent low passes
The regional committee, always at our side in our efforts, notably through Christian Piccioli, who is also President of our federation's Sustainable Development Committee, took advantage of this demonstration to carry out a noise check with his sound level meter, proving that sometimes the background noise is louder than the electric paramotor! Its estimated sound level, after subtracting the background noise, comes to 47 dB.
René, George and Christian
Personally, I preferred the ability to stop the engine at will, so as to make the most of lift, whether dynamic or thermal. In this area George showed off his paraglider-pilot talents in the low-level thermals around the edge of the aerodrome. Helped by the flawless availability of his motor, he did not hesitate to switch it off and restart it as he entered or left areas of lift,
making the flight last well beyond the 60 minutes of electron reserve! A real joy in prospect for all the thermal hunters…!
Landing also benefits from this possibility of going around in case of an unstable approach.
The weight of the harness does not seem to affect this phase; we did not see George suffer from it, and he certainly did not complain about it!
If I had to sum up the impressions left by the presentation of electric power we were given, I would quote the "Wow"s, the "Aaah"s, the "Well, yes, OK"s, the "Oh my…"s, the "I want one"s, and so on…!
Of course, paying up is another matter, starting from €12 900 for a complete EXOMO electric paramotor.
As an association we are already thinking about buying one to rent out at a very affordable price."
George Blottin
Aéronature (03426), 34160 Buzignargues
1st electric microlight base
george.aero@free.fr
www.aeronature.com
René Fontin
Les Ailes Jarlandines
Saint-Auban (04)
06.81.04.04.81
Equipment specifications:
Thrust with a three- or four-blade propeller: 60 to 70 kg
(maximum pilot weight 85 kg)
Thrust with a two-blade propeller: 50 kg
(maximum pilot weight 70 kg)
Battery weight: 47-65-75 Ah / 13-18-21 kg
Flight time with: 47-65-75 Ah / 35-50-60 min
Capacity: 47-65-75 Ah / 2,6-3,6-4,3 kWh
Motor: Brushless Outrunner
Transmission: 1 on 1 direct drive
Power: 15 hp
Max RPM: 2100 rpm
Propeller diameter: 130 cm
