After reading a fair bit about both disciplines, I'm looking for practical advice in which discipline to lean towards, I'm currently organising intro sessions on both.
What my main questions are cost vs flying time.

Greater flying hours, practicality vs stoke.

I often see guys para motoring next to my house and it looks good but slow!

And I remember Mr No-Ones motorized hang glider over Rockingham video and thought that looks brilliant.

So what would give me greater chance of getting in the air localy?

G'day Daylight,
As the wolf said, cost is about the same, I will try and be unbiased but it's not easy.
I went through the same dilemma before I started and made a list of pros and cons for each. They both received equal scores, PG are very practical to transport but HG give the highest stoke. HG is easier to launch, PG easier to land. PG average a better climb rate where Hg has a much better glide ratio, one of mine is 15:1. Yesterday we were launching HGs at Gero in 20 minimum to 32kt gusts but can launch in 0 wind as well, because they have a solid frame they are more stable so are better in rough air, PGs are reaching their limit on launch at around 15 knots and need a few knots to inflate their wing. PGs still seem to clock up as many hours because they are so easy to relaunch and try again.
When it comes to powered Hg we need a longer field so PPG has a big advantage on available sites but tend to fly low and slow in calm air. I regularly run mine for just long enough to find a thermal then turn it off and climb to cloud base, if there's no lift then just cruise at half throttle.
Suppose you have to decide if you have the room for HG and if you prefer performance over convenience. There are a lot more active PPG pilots in WA with the Sky Pirates Club and all are great blokes both sides of the fence. Too many reasons to list one over the other, I like flying high and far, others like the social aspect and to be seen, either way they are both great sports.

Thanks for the replies The wolf and Mr No-One.

The convenience of the PG does seam appealing, however I haven't seen the HG set up with regards to transportation to see how easy/difficult it would be.

Thanks for the unbiased critique Mr No One i'm still very much undecided!

The main priority is the stoke factor, also I was hoping for a light wind sport that I could partake when i'm not on the water so anything less than 18 knots would be perfect.

How often do you land a far distance from take off unplanned? are these considerations that should be taken in to account.

Thanks again for the response guys.

Chris6791 said...
Seems to be plenty of PPG's coming up to Lancelin in small groups this summer, not sure how far up the coast they are coming from, have they got the range to get up here from Perth? Looks like fun but noisy as hell.

Unlikely without a tail wind and support vehicle for refuelling but then wouldn't get back. Could probably do it on the PHG without wind, refuel and come back but we have the option of flying high, faster, more efficiently and going on glide, performance and stability is the HGs advantage. PPGs are draggy so need bigger motors and fly about half the speed so range is much shorter, my 15:1 HP glider has a max speed of over 120 kph, this one could do the Lanno run easily. Comes at a cost, longer takeoff field and setup time, HGs are also much heavier to transport. Being into kiting you may find PG easier to relate to where windsurfers may prefer HG, don't rush in to it, talk to people, watch heaps of YouTube.
Haven't had any unexpected out landings yet, if it looks like I'm going to then I restart the motor until another thermal is found or just cruise back to the car. Have flown from Rockingham to a beach cafe near Avalon for lunch, past Port Bovard, out to Pinjara, Serpentine damn and back home reaching 6000ft on about 7 litres.
If you get a chance to speak to any flyers most are happy to do so, especially if you can show them photos of themselves

I definitely agree flying is not a casual sport, factor in a few years to get to a good level. I don't agree on the cost though, A PG will last 500 hours, at a maximum cost of 5K for a brand new glider (more like 3.5-4K right now with exchange rate) that's more like $10 per hour and much less for HG.
Doesn't matter what you fly though, it's hard to beat the feeling with anything else :)
Regarding the glider development, PPG gliders now do 60-70km/h so you can definitely go places and they dont feel slow when you're a few feet off the deck! If you want to fly further get a Trike (Hangglider with seat(s) and motor) but you'll also need an airstrip.

Too true Gorgo, I was trying to put a positive spin on it Should also mention it takes over your life and is really bad for parenting and relationships....

d1 said...
...

Gorgo, why 2 radios? A single Yaesu VX-3R does it all, including the AM gen. aviation bands.

The Yaesu does not do Australian air band (118-136.975 Mhz). It only receives. It only transmits on 144-146(148) MHz,430-440(450) MHz

Under the new airspace regulations we have to carry air band radios if we want to fly at a heap of places.

We all use UHF for general chat and retrieves because they have better range and we've been using them forever. It also helps to have the same radio as everybody else when you're trying to set up channels and stuff on launch.

It's as safe as you want to make it. 99% of accidents are because of poor judgement (desperation to fly even when it's not on). The problem is it takes time to build that judgement but there is a good community that will see you right if you choose to listen and do your own research to back everything up. My wife flew until she was 6 months pregnant and then chose to stop. I occasionally fly the product of that pregnantcy ( now 8) on tandem but the conditions have to be better than good and with no other pilots sharing my bit of sky (that's the bit I can't control, the rest I'm very confidant about). For a comparison I found learning to kitesurf far more dangerous than paragliding but that was when the de-power wasn't what it is now, likewise paragliders are also safer than when I learnt (mid 90's).

Hi Daylight.

I've been flying since the mid 90's, that site is not one I reccomend to many as there are just too many hazards therefore the conditions have to be spot on and the pilot really needs to know his wing. There are however some very nice dune sites that are similar without the proximity of road and powerlines, if you check out the dunes North of Minadrie on a day where there are Westerly winds 10-15kts you will find plenty of paragliders there having a blast (or Burns Beach of it's SW).
The range of PPG varies, if you want to return to your car it's a lot less than if you're flying downwind on a strongish day where your groundspeed could be over 100km/h. Guys regulary fly from Burns Beach to Lancellin or Point Peron to Mandurah.

Unfortunately you are limited to one school which teaches where you mentioned. Google Lee Scott, he's based over east but also runs courses in Bali where you'll get a lot of airtime. Also check out the sky pirates forum for PPG in Perth.

Gradient said...
For some local fun at North Beach watch this

Free flying with no motor using only the wind and dunes.

Just loved that - style - coastal air - smooth carpet.

Student days used to be BHGA instructor (summer job) - would train the uni club - early basic training days when we couldn't book a bus would go along local sea wall / slope on beach - when we finished on a number of occasions would have the Mars bar challenge. Doing just that seated on a Hiway Harrier with huge training wheels (35 cms)- running on top of bushes anything to avoid landing out - & shelling for a Mars bar

Gradient said...
For a comparison I found learning to kitesurf far more dangerous than paragliding but that was when the de-power wasn't what it is now, likewise paragliders are also safer than when I learnt (mid 90's).

Not so sure I am with U on that - the old Harley I had a few blasts on - the only flying machine I have used where I have seen the top and bottom of the aerofoil in the same flight

Cheers
AP
The Harrier was a low slow trainer (get blown backwards in 20 knots) really great 4 its day. When we felt mean we would hang a bag of spuds instead of a body run it off on its wheels to take-off and watch it quietly glide down to land to set the standard for beginners keen on over-control.

flysurfer should link your back photos... Put me off any interest in it...

Gorgo, thanks for the advice, I'm now booked on my EP course in northumberland uk as I'm there on holiday and will aim to progress to cp when I get back to Perth and accrue more leave.

Mr no one thanks again for your input, I'm now in contact with one of the pilots down there so hopefully will meet the crew soonish.

From what I've read and watched ground handling is something that I should invest an awfull lot of time in. This is because you can simulate difficult situations on the deck.

I'm really looking forward to it!

Hopefully I will develop the skills needed

What is going to happen when your motor suddenly stop ?
Could you still fly and land safely ?

www.theage.com.au/national/queensland/dead-paraglider-was-novice-20130415-2hvb1.html

myusernam said...
flysurfer should link your back photos... Put me off any interest in it...

I'm accident prone, give me a baby spoon and sooner or later I'm going to hurt myself with it. In any event the Sport 3 hasn't been involved in any mishaps.

Although tragic, this has to be put down to pilot error or freak turbulence, not the motors fault.
When the motor stops it just becomes a slightly heavier then normal glider, doesn't mean they are going to drop out of the sky. When flying a PG or HG powered or not you always assume you may have an unplanned forced landing so fly with enough height and landing options to set yourself up for a safe one. While flying you look for a landing area in easy reach just in case, then the next one and the next as you travel along, the higher you are, the more options you have. I'm usually at 3000>6000ft on the powered HG, at 10:1 that gives me up to 20km to land. A few weeks ago we had some moron on a PPG fly 300ft over our ship yard at Henderson just to show off in front of an audience, if his engine stopped he would have been screwed with no landing areas, also it is highly illegal to fly that low over a built up area.
Fly safe and be prepared for the worst and you'll be right. I bought my first HG back in 1988 but didn't get serious until 5 years ago and am VP of HGAWA with no injuries even though I've had a few dodgy landings.