new equipment – Powered Paragliding. A most Personal form of Flight

It was a beautiful day for a test flight. Yesterday Troy, “The Krazy Kracker“ and I installed Robert Kittila’s Throggle. A throttle that has the brake toggle fixed to the body of the throttle body allowing the pilot to start the engine after he has the risers in hand ready to launch. Visually it’s a work of art. A black matte handle contoured to fit the hand with a groove cut for the brake toggle. The start, kill button and throttle/cruise control are molded into the top so that all the controls are within reach of the thumb. The cruise control is an aluminum tab that is easy to adjust and engage.

The first flight was cut short when I noticed a line tangle right after lift off but everything worked as advertised. The second launch was also a short flight but it allowed me to test the throttle.

I hope Robert finds a market for the throggle but it’s not me. After a very short flight I found a couple of things that were show stoppers. Probably the biggest is that it’s not easy to clip the throggle to the risers and I’m not sure they would stay attached in every situation. I like to park the brakes and give my arms a rest. Theoretically, with the throggle you set the cruise control and park the brakes but that doesn’t work for me because even when I’m out of the brakes I like to have control of the RPMs. It’s cumbersome to keep reaching over to adjust the cruise tab especially when it’s attached to the magnets. Incidentally the cable is too long and it looked like if it came off the magnet, it could easily be sucked into the prop. So …. I stopped testing parked brakes right there.

One issue was during the launch. I like to have my hands on the A lines during inflation. It’s possible to hook the #1 A with the thumb and control the throttle but once the wing is up, the A needs to be released and the thumb lever also gets released when that happens. So… for a moment the thrust is reduced. On a hard surface, like this morning, it was no big deal because the cart had very little drag but on grass the cart would slow immediately causing the wing to surge, forcing me to brake at a low speed to keep the wing overhead. It would delay the launch and add unnecessary complexity. The A assists can do the job without me being in the A’s but I like to feel the wing during those crucial seconds.

The thumb throttle control works fine but the spring tension had to be reduced to accommodate the short lever weaker thumb. I can imagine that without using the cruise control the thumb could get pretty tired.

Another problem was the way we wired into the motor. The starter can be engaged at any time whether the key is in or not. It can be tapped during a flight or perhaps while we’re standing around in the garage. It would be much better if it only engaged when the key was turned to run. That can be fixed if I change my opinion and decide to continue with this throttle. As it is, I’m going to have to rig some kind of mid-cable leash that will prevent a lost cable from going into the prop.. I’d like to put a Velcro hand strap across the body but I’m afraid that the toggle Not In the nifty groove would be too thick for my small hands. Plus …. Velcro adhesive doesn’t want to adhere to the 3D printed nylon.

I might have a couple more flights with the throggle but right now I’m pretty sure I’m going to re-install the old lever and be on the lookout for a new one with a start and kill integrated to the body of the throttle.

On it’s way! Black wire is ground, red to the coil, the other two blue and yellow to the electric start relay.

My first impression was, “this is too big for my hands. I couldn’t reach all the buttons and controls unless I could changed hand position on the fly.

But… The biggest issue on my mind, was that, the throttle was going to be integrated into the brake handle. Which meant, that, I wouldn’t be able to modulate the motor while using the WTS.
And… With my current wing, (APCO LIFT EZ), the WTS is what you use when in reflex mode. The brakes are forbidden and using them in Reflex could cause a collapse. I suppose, I could hang up the brakes, set the RPM and fly but it would be a different style of flying. There would be no backing off the throttle coming out of a hard turn to dampen the bounce or adding power to steepen the bank. Perfect for X-country but not for high speed banking and cranking.

How hard would it be to disengage the brake lever to use the WTS? It would probably mean another strap to attach the throttle to the hand, the same as a conventional set-up.
I fashioned a strap using one wrap and an adhesive backed piece of “male” Velcro attached to the body of the throttle. Moving the strap around the handle I was able to find the sweet spot that put all the controls within easy reach.
The twist ties are not necessary. The brake handle nestles into its groove nicely. I don’t think the throttle would fall out of the brake toggle, even if it were hung in the risers. Yet… it can be removed easily, allowing the pilot to go to the WTS.
Day 2
This morning after a nice sunrise flight, I started the swap. After a trip to the hardware store and a few bruised knuckles, I was ready to test it…
First attempt was a huge success. It started right up and the kill switch worked. The second attempt was a disaster. It took awhile to figure it out. What happened was, the start button failed and stuck in the start position. I think the machine is alright, the starter was red hot but I was able to pull the battery cable before it burned. I spent the next hour removing the throttle. I wanted to reinstall the old throttle but it needs a new brake cable that won’t be available until tomorrow.
Day 3
Today, I reinstalled the original throttle and happily the starter works. I was able to find a 5’ cable and housing, at, “Rich’s used bike shop, across the street from the new Trek/Bicycle Center. So now, at least, I’ll have full extension with my left hand. I don’t think I’ll be able to reach my reserve but everything else.

Another silver lining from this “field trial” was discovering Rich’s Bike shop. It is so old school!
OMG … IT was like the good old days of Pettee Cycle. I was instantly transported back 35 years to when I was an independent rep to the industry. I introduced myself, disclosed that I was an old J&B Rep. and …
we were off to the races. Instantly we were brothers of the wrench. Richard showed me around his shop and …. Low and behold … they also do small wheels. Go carts, wheelchairs, novelty vehicles and…. Ultralights. I’ve finally found my wheel and tire guy. The next project is going to be new rear wheels and eventually a front brake.

Day 4
Today I spoke with Terry and we figured out what caused the problem. Instead of two wires attached to both posts on the starter I just néed one wire attached to the post between the solenoid and the relay. What I had done was run a direct circuit through the button and the battery. We welded the button in the closed position. I’m going to try it with the SkyTec throttle and see what happens.

To be continued…