Summary and Images
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Mo writes:
Tod's BiMax
I met with Tod out at a field in Chandler near I-10 and Warner at about 5pm. I didn't fly since the field had powerlines everywhere and there was barely any air movement, and the little wind there was was coming from the direction of the powerlines. Also, I was MUCH more interetsed in looking at Tod's new PPG: a BiMax with a CorsAir engine. Man, what a nice unit: SS frame and cage, cage breaks down in half for easy trasport, low hook points, power to spare, extremely well detailed engine, and comfy harness. The cons are it's a bit heavy and somewhat noisy compared to other PPG's. But, the added power should compensate for the extra weight by making take-off's a breeze even in no wind conditions. Also, the noise was louder than other PPG's I've heard, but the sound is a lower pitch rumble rather than a typical two-stroke higher pitch scream.
In addition, he made a bunch of really cool mods to his motor including adding a bracket to the muffler to keep it from vibrating and an in-air carberator adjustment system. He can adjust the Hi/Low/Idle settings while in flight with a simple twist of one of three knobs! Very cool. I took some close-up pictures of this set up and hope to have them up on my website smetime soon.
We reved up the motor and it is VERY powerful. I can see why it is used as a tandem unit. Afterwards we went to Tod's house and he had a harness hook-up in his garage that we hung the motor from. The harness is really comfy while sitting in it suspended.
Tod still doesn't have his wing and doesn't plan on having it for another few weeks. I sure do look forward to flying with him in the future as he is most interested in doing some XC around AZ.
Images
The BiMax.
Tod's ingenious carburator adjustment system:
The Hi/Lo controls.
Hi/Lo cable routing.
Hi/Lo/Idle connections to carburator.
Idle control and connection to carburator.
Tod's communication gear: Koss ear buds with custom molded silicone ear inserts.
