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This is the question I have been not only asking myself but also many of my fellow pilot's, the answer it seems is there is no such thing, as it seems every pilots has his own preference's and idea's about what is and isn't a good idea, most of the good ideas are already in production - but, unfortunately, not on the same machine....Anyway below I have tried to put together a compilation of hopefully useful info; from my own idea's and experience's and also that of fellow pilots who have kindly sent me there idea's by email, many thanks to them, if anyone else would like to contribute an idea or a piece of useful info; about his or her ideal Paramotor please email it to me and I will try and include it into this page, that way we can build up a good idea of what we all would like to find as our ideal Paramotor.

The difficulty with specifying 'the perfect paramotor' is what is perfect to one isn't necessarily perfect to another. On balance, I'm grateful for that and happy that there are a variety of designs and ideas around. Would be boring if they were all the same, Courtesy Simon Ravine

Wet motor weight with all options.? That means electric starter, Gas, harness ready to fly. no more than 27 Kg. preferably less? it is very important to get it right before you buy most dealer's never quote this weight.

My AIRFER TORNADO was over 30 Kg wet, which I found to be too heavy, and I have worked in the construction industry for 30 years and am used to lifting heavy weights. Try to wear a weight lifters belt (about £12)when picking up heavy objects, otherwise you could find yourself paying expensive Osteopath fee's.

Motors which have a high RPM ie;9500 wear out quicker & are noisy. i.e.; Radne, /Raket. Top 80/ Falcon.although they are getting quieter as exhaust and carb; muffler technology advance's are made. The Top 80 is quite quiet by paramotoring standards - certainly quieter than a Simonini, Cors-air or Solo, Even the new Rad machines - that have an after-muffler welded onto the main pipe and an intake silencer - are significantly quieter than the older machines. courtesy Simon Ravine

3. Static thrust? thrust is everything in my opinion, if less than (45Kg) & you weigh more than (82Kg.) it is not a good match. My naked weight is 95Kg (not a pretty sight) and 135Kg all up, and my Airfer Tornado with the 21hp Cors-air engine, a 99cm wooden prop; and 58 Kg of thrust was more than enough , and got me airborne within a couple of steps, and the climb out rate was very good. although I found the wet weight of the unit at over 30Kg,to heavy for me especially on hot days, so I sold it. on the other hand my first Solo based unit with 4 props; was under powered and I struggled to get of the ground, this got worse after the Nylon prop; conversion , even though I had put a larger cylinder head /performance exhaust and muffler box on it. I sold that as well.

4. HP of the motor? It should be any where from 17hp to 26.hp Too much power creates too much torque. Too little power well, you can't get out of bad situation fast enough. plus your be doing more running than flying, A SOLO put's out only 14Kg where as the CORS-AIR puts out 21/22Kg.

5. Diameter of the prop? Too small a prop; will not give the thrust you need, since your body & harness is blocking most of the prop. So the prop should be more than 91.Cm Unless you are a very small person.
If the prop is too large i.e. 127Cm or more, then your prop guard is too big to clear the risers in forward launch. You have to be a very good pilot to use that big a motor. a friend of mine has a unit with a 130cm prop; and even though he is built like a giant he has struggled to master his take off's and has piled it in several time's, that unit has a standard Solo engine.14 hp and only 54 Kg of thrust, if he used the Airfer Tornado with a 99cm prop; and 21hp plus 58Kg of thrust not only would he have more power, but also find it much easier to handle.

6. Electric start? I would not buy one without it, this is my personal preference! as they are so useful as you can launch the wing first and then just fire up the engine, turn and T/O ,(easier said than done) an optional pull or foot start is useful in case of a flat battery, although in theory if you have in-air charging you shouldn't have this problem, although unless you keep the battery trickle charging whilst not in use it will go flat, as mine used to and I wished that the Tornado had a pull start fitted as well.

Solo engine's with single spark magneto are a pain to start, although apparently OK with twin spark H.E.I.S.ignition, the CORS-AIRS M21Y engine with twin spark ignition starts first time from cold. It's a lovely engine but a bit heavy.

8.Does the motor have internal decompression. That is an old design as on the SOLO engine, which basically has a flap in front of a small hole which allows the compression to be less at startup. But the carbon built up will make this obsolete after a few hours of use. You have to take the motor apart to clean the valve. I had to do this with my Solo engine, and it was hassle, I would not buy another motor with that kind of decompression valve. Some motors are without decompression valve all together. They are the best.

9.What kind of harness does the motor come with. do they allow you to weight shifting. personally I like to be able to, as I trained on the hill, plus it's very useful for getting out of trouble, Sup-Air are an excellent make. I like quick-release, buckles and karabiners.

10.Hang points, are they on the harness and not on the motor frame. On some old design's the hang points are on the frame of the motor. If due to fatigue the metal frame breaks you will separate from your motor & fall! The new design if something goes wrong the motor will fall & you stay with the wing. I personally like mid hang points, and straight distance bars as on the P.A.P and AIRFER models, as this allows you to weight shift, and have plenty of adjustment holes for setting up the unit properly on your back.

11.How many cylinders should your motor have? One cylinder will do. Two & three are just smoother. But there are more parts to break & replace. plus the extra weight.

12.What kind of prop? Composite props are stronger than wood. But more expensive if you break them, plus when they break they shatter into lot's of very sharp bit's which fly everywhere, and can penetrate the wing and anyone unfortunate enough to be standing close by. Find out how much a replacement prop; is before you buy one with a composite fitted. personally I like a well made wooden prop. Plastic/Nylon air conditioning fan blade's as used on hovercraft are cheap to replace but are not aero dynamically designed for aircraft use, plus you will lose some thrust, as I found out when I converted my first Solo powered unit with them, if you do convert make sure you have more than enough thrust to start with otherwise you will just end up with e very expensive hair drier.

13.What kind of carburetor & exhaust system ? Tuned exhaust are very useful. Do ask for them. although some are still noisy and heavy, Carburetors with float don't ask for them! Iv'e alway's had the Walbro carb; fitted to my unit's and they can be a bit tempermental to set up and get just right, but are easy to take apart and clean etc, (any info; on carbs; would be appreciated.)

14.Frame type.? Aluminum frame is just as good as stainless steel. If you crash either of them they will bend & break, although stainless iss definitly stronger.

Alloy frames are generally lighter than steel - but not as bend resistant and much more difficult to weld. Titanium is an attempt to combine strength and light weight and, I believe, it works very well - but, as far as I know, titanium is also very difficult to weld and work with. I'm not sure about this but I would check it out before committing to a titanium cage. courtesy Simon Ravine

Make sure the frame is not one piece. It cost's more to replace it. personally I like 4/5 part frame's, easier to transport in small cars etc; the Airfer frame assembles real easy, and is very strong. I v'e had an aluminum framed unit and a stainless one, the alloy one bent and broke easily and was expensive to repair by a specialist, the stainless one was very strong but slightly heavier, but is easier to repair, I fancy a Titanium framed unit which is very strong and light, but I am told they also need specialist repair. (check it out )

15.Number of props? The more blades the slower the prop; has to turn to generate the same thrust. So it will be quieter. But then you will have more weight & expense when you need to replace it. I've had a 4 blade unit and it was very expensive to replace them when I piled it in one day, personally I wouldn't bother with a unit that needed more than a single prop;

16.Fuel tank above the motor or below the motor? plus what type Personally I like the fuel tank to be below the motor & muffler above, as if you get a leak in the gas tank or pipe you don't want it to drip on the hot motor. Personally I think tanks on top of the engine are an accident waiting to happen.

I personally favour conventional polyethylene tanks, preferably removable. That is a real plus point, especially when you go XC and have to re-fuel, and walk to the nearest petrol station, you don't want to have to lug the whole unit to the pump, Metal tanks look cool but they're not practical; even with a sight gauge it is difficult to see the fuel level. (I like the tank mirror.) another really daft idea. is the fuel in the frame type .

The saying that "you only get what you pay for" does not always apply here. You get what you did your home work for. personally I have to do everything on a real tight budget but have managed to pick up some real bargains on the S/H market, So take your time. Shop around until your 100% satisfied your buying the right unit, Try to check out as many motors as possible. try them out on your back, do they start from cold first go? are they to heavy? feel awkward and uncomfortable etc; difficult to transport.? Read up on and view as many as you can, check out the World directory of Leisure aviation Mag;that come's out every year, most dealer's will always tell you that there unit's are the best, ask other pilot's to get some un-biased advice, Find out how the dealer treated them. ask How much it cost them.. what's the after sale's service like? is the manual up to date,? are the part's easy to come buy? are specialist tools needed, can you do most of the repair's and replacement's yourself? or do the unit have to be taken or sent back to the manufacturer?.. Remember if you buy a motor which has an engine built in-house by the motor manufacturer, you are at their mercy when you need the parts. For example; you can buy Solo parts from many dealers. there is only one dealer in the UK for Cors-air engine's, and none for Simonini or the Falcon, Another important issue; some engine cylinders are designed to be repaired if scratched or scored. Some are not. So it is very important to know that. Most motor cycle shops can repair your cylinder. For a cylinder to be repairable by any shop, it needs to have a removable head. One piece cylinders are not repairable.

18. Finally what kind of wing? Well if you already have a wing and you are not going to be too heavy with your motor etc;, then use it. If you are new to the sport buy a wing which is easy to launch. After all, with all that weight on your back who wants to fail a launch and try & try again! especially on a hot summer's day. I personally like to be in the middle of the specified weight range, remember! you have to calculate your all up weight when buying a wing, i.e., the weight of the Paramotor/wing/your Naked weight/plus all your clothing and accessories etc; you'll be surprised how much all this weighs, you'll normally need a bigger wing than you need for hill flying,