So I bought a wing from Opale almost 3 years ago, planning to build a cool camera
platform but unfortunately I did not find the time to actually build it. Untill now
that is! I decided with the new year that it is time to get this project started and
share my experiences along the way.

In a nutshell the goal:
"having a paramotor fly autonomous with a camera/gimbal attached for endurance flights"

So why a paramotor? There are a few reasons that inspired me:
- "cheap" for the size and payload capability
- Really compact when in storage or during transport
- Silent (well at least in comparison to multicopters)
- Efficient, there is not a lot of power needed compared to
multicopters (planes can be more efficient but also more
expensive and a lot bulkier in storage and during transport)


So the wing I bought back then is an Opale FOX RS 2.6:





This wing can be flown with winds up to 20 knots and 7 kg payload (please note that
this is in optimal conditions and according to the manufacturer)

About a year ago I made a concept of what the propulsion unit (or trike/backpack) could
look like. Here is a quick render I made of that:



There are a lot of things that I will change to this concept, the main changes are:
- Riser mounting points will be adjustable for easy CG adjustments
- Gimbal will become retractable (this will make it less likely
that it will be damaged during landings)
- The flightcontroller will be a Pixhawk mini instead of the larger version
- The airbags will be likely replaced for a landinggear
- I will use a 2 blade prop instead of the shown 3blade. (Xoar 18x10)

I ordered a couple of items yesterday and recieved most of it today in the mail

What I plan to use:
1x - Pixhawk mini controller (with current sensor, airspeed sensor and GPS)
1x - Plush 100A ESC
1x - YEP 20A BEC
1x - Aerodrive 5065 320Kv motor
1x - Xoar 18x10 propeller
2x - 6S 10.000 mAh battery
2x - TS700MG servo (weightshift steer)
2x - HK15138 servo (brake lines)
2x - 9gram servo (speedbar)
2x - 9gram servo (big ears)

Would you guys like to see the build in detail or would sharing the results suffice?

And here the second part I had somewhat prepared (I also share this build on a dutch forum)

Yesterday I installed SolidWorks 2018 and immediately started testing it out and find the
updates they made. I tought the best way to test it out was just to start experimenting with
parts of the paramotor. I am also happy that SW Visualize accepts my non quadro videocard, this
helps reduce the time required to render significantly! (20-40 seconds instead of 15 minutes)

These are a few initial renders that show what I have in mind for the propeller cage. I want it
to be made out of 6 arms and 6 ring segments that connect those arms.



Each of the arms is shaped somewhat like a propeller, the idea is that it will reduce the torque
effect of the propeller.



I also tried to make a render in visualize and that works quite nice!

Animation test (solidworks Visualize) (0 min 11 sec)

Very cool! Love the project and thanks for sharing. Looking forward to seeing updates!

Big like! I will follow this as well.

Nice project !!! Really cool.

Note: Fox Rs 2.6 - does not need nor does it like a lot of pitch. I've been using a 12x6 and Opale recommends a 12x4. With a 12x6 if i throttle up too fast the wing becomes unstable.

Be gentle on your first test with 18x10. With smooth piloting you'll be ok.

Thanks for following along! After some thinking and feedback from other para rc flyers I decided to change things up a bit. I just bought a hybrid 5.2 wing to replace the fox RS. This should be a lot more docile and a better choice for the testing of the trike/gondola module.

It is expected to arrive tomorrow!

I allready recieved the hobbyking order so the motor, batteries, esc, bec and servo's are here now. I also recieved epoxy and glassfiber cloth that I want to use in combination with 3D printed parts (cover the printed parts to reinforce them)

Nice choice of wing. I bought the Hybrid 5.2 with Pilot Tom. I'll be doing a build thread later when I get the time. Opale's wings and backpacks are really top notch!!

Yeah I am really impressed with the build quality of the fox rs and expect the same from this new wing. I have no experience with their backpacks as I intend to make my own but I assume it is up to the same standard.

I am making 3D models of all the parts I intend to use in the assembly so I can play around with the configuration and optimise it before I make the actual frame. Quite a bit of work but well worth it in the end!

Got quite a bit done working on the individual parts and trying out some layouts for the components. This is what I got to for now:





Not included in this render:
- Video transmitter
- Gimbal
- GPS
- Current sensor
- Airspeed sensor
- BEC

When I am happy with the layout I can start designing the frame that connects it all together

So it arrived! Can say I am excited about the new wing! I have a question for the people here that allready own and fly a hybrid 5.2: What kind of flight times do you get with your setup and what motor/propeller/battery combo do you use in your setup? Additionally: is that with normal conservative flying or aerobatic flying?

Allright! The new wing just got delivered and took it out immediately to try to kite it. I also brought the FOX RS to compare and it's night and day when it comes to ease of launch. This should really help me a lot during the testing phases of the trike and after that the testing of the flightcontroller.

Awesome. I've got the Nexus from Hacker and it's a blast to kite. That's a great wing you have there too.

@Jason, what kind of flight times do you get with what motor/prop/battery combo? (assuming normal smooth flying)

I am curious about that because I try to get an idea what flying times I can expect on my rig. The goal (especially with the autopilot) is to make long flights. Besides optimizing the shape and specs of the rig itself I also want to use as little lead as possible and get all the required weight in batteries.

I'm getting around 10 minutes with a 3S 5000mAH lipo on the Hacker A30-8XL motor and a 10x5 prop. That's flying with aerobatics and such, so longer with just cruising.

Allright, not that long, I really want it to fly a LOT longer. In this first version I want to use 2x 6S 10Ah and get the rig up to weight with lead. When it flies as I want it to I plan to replace the lead with batteries.