Two world records in two weeks! Chris Atkinson defied Oz’s washed-out summer to scoop limited-fuel Triangle and Open Distance records

Australian Chris Atkinson flew two paramotor world records in the space of a week, in March 2011

Chris Atkinson is an Australian record hunter. His ambitious self-declared goal is to take the open distance record from Ramón Morillas, and he has a few windy places in Australia where he thinks that might be possible. This summer however hasn’t seen the best weather Down Under, and so he has had to look elsewhere to satisfy his hunger. As well as bagging the Australian open distance record earlier this year, he set two new world records (pending ratification) in February and March: limited fuel triangle and the limited fuel open distance.

In issue 24 of Paramotor Magazine he writes about the triangle, while here, exclusively for Paramotormag.com, he describes his successful attempt to smash the limited fuel open distance record, a feat he managed on 6 March 2011 with a flight of 284km.

Sunday, 6 March 2011
Straight Line Distance Record on Limited Fuel (7.5 kg)

It was Sunday 3am and I was on the road in my fully packed car. It seemed terribly early, but that is what I knew it would take if I wanted to be at the site before sunrise, in time to get ready for an early takeoff. My friend Ian had joined me as a member of the day’s ground crew, and we were on the way to Herbert’s place for some final preparations.

After carefully studying the weather forecasts over the last week I was expecting wind speeds to reach a mighty 80 to 90km/h between 1,000m and 1,200m. If the predictions came through, then this could be a cracker of a day for my attempt to break the world distance record on limited fuel.

While Ian was driving, I had a myriad of thoughts going through my mind, with safety being number one. It had all been discussed well beforehand, but I was just making sure I hadn’t missed anything. HGFA and FAI rules had to be followed to the letter; the last thing I wanted now was to fail on a minor detail overlooked in the heat of the day.

Arriving at Herbert’s place, we used a certified scale to weigh out the fuel at exactly 7.5 kg net, witnessed by both Herbert and Ian. I decided I was now ready for this attempt. Just a week before, I had managed to break the World Circuit Record Flying a Triangle on Limited Fuel, now pending with the FAI & HGFA for ratification. Now, I would have a shot at the Distance Record on Limited Fuel, held by the same French pilot, David Rotureau. If successful, I knew it would put Australia on the map as a serious contender in paramotoring, a mainly European-dominated sport.

I had chosen Gatton as my launch spot. Arriving at the cricket pitch my first hurdle was to get ready for takeoff before the wind on the ground became too strong. All went well and with a steady breeze of 12-15km/h it looked ideal. While I warmed up my Sky engine, I checked my instruments, and laid out my wing. I left my motor idling to use up all the fuel in the tank and carburetor. I did a last safety check before filling the tank with the pre-measured fuel and sealed it just for good measure. Sealing the tank is probably overkill as I carry a tamperproof data logger, recording my whereabouts once every second, plus my normal vario and GPS as a backup.

As the sun came up the wind started to pick up with cycles of close to 20km/h, but with lulls long enough for a takeoff. Finally I decided the time had come and launched my Dudek Plasma – just in time to be surprised by a gust. I managed the sudden surge of my wing, which got me airborne in a near vertical takeoff.

I started climbing out nicely into a strong ESE wind. Gaining some altitude, I could see Herbert taking some pictures and Ian getting the car and gear for the chase. But heading towards Toowoomba and steadily climbing I had doubts about the weather: truly rough mixing air causing small collapses and wing-tip tucks more frequently then I would have liked.

At one stage I encountered a large area of sink and lost altitude with near full throttle, and that started to worry me. My hands kept steady on the brake handles, ready to anticipate what my wing would do next, trying to hold it dead straight above my head. Not a very nice feeling, being thrashed in turbulent air! I could not resist touching the handle of my reserve just above my head, making sure I knew where it was. I asked myself why do I do this and is it worth the risks I take?

Fortunately the Dudek Plasma is a very well-behaved wing. Climbing and passing the outskirts of Toowoomba to the north, to my great relief the air started to get a bit smoother. The higher I climbed, the better it got. With an initial ground speed of 60-80km/h it quickly increased to a steady pace off 120km/h, at times reaching a top speed of 137km/h. I was thrilled, and put to the back of my mind the rough start and climb out.

My goal was to get past Glenmorgan and before I realised it I was passing Oakey, heading towards Dalby. Within the hour I had passed to the south of Dalby at around 1,100m. It looked very promising, and I knew that if my Sky engine held together and the Advance Microflight Fuel Management System did its job, I had a great chance of beating the record.

I also knew Herbert and Ian were in for a long retrieve. Tracking my whereabouts via a Spot satellite tracker on the laptop I knew I could rely on them and did not have to worry about this part; the crew would always know where I was. I kept myself busy watching my instruments, always flying as economically as possible and staying at a height where I could take advantage of a strong and steady tailwind.

The countryside looked lush and green but rather wet. Every depression had water to its rim, and the rivers were flowing like you seldom see it. Passing north of Tara, then south of Condamine made me realise how close I was to my goal and this kept me motivated.

Two hours into the flight I started to get very cold. My ground speed started to drop as I had expected, but I pushed on, going strong with around 90km/h. With Glenmorgan in sight and my fuel gauge showing close to empty, I was wondering how the engine was still running on the last drops of usable fuel. It always amazes me how efficient this water-cooled engine is. With the combination of my trusted Plasma, it had proved itself for the second time.

By now I knew I had beaten the record. I was over the moon, happy and exhausted, with an indescribable feeling of joy, knowing I had flown two world records in one week.

A few stutters from my motor brought me quickly back to reality. My heart started beating faster; any moment now I could run out of fuel, so it was time to be alert and stay on the lookout for a good and safe landing field. I was above 1,250m and this gave me time and plenty of options. The Surat development road only about 500m to my right would make it easy for my crew to retrieve me.

Eventually, I landed in moderately strong wind near the corner of Billenbah Road and Surat Development Road, about 24km past Glenmorgen. I could probably have had another few kilometers of glide, but for the sake of a safe landing I decided this would do for me.

My flight had lasted two hours and 50 minutes. The old record by David Rotureau stood at 242.5km and, looking at my GPS, I could see that I had smashed this record by over 40km to 284km. I’d done it!

Thanks to: I would like to thank Ian and Herbert for their tireless efforts in helping me out. Also, both records would not have been possible without a dedicated ground crew and my sponsors Kangook/RS Ultra, Dudek, Born Propellers, Advanced Micro-flight, My House Builders, James Hardie, Dick Smith and Cerakote.

CHRIS’S TWO WORLD RECORD CLAIMS

Date: 26 February 2011

World Record: Distance in a closed circuit with limited fuel

Performance: 134.32 km

Location: Gatton (Australia)

Wing: Dudek Plasma 30

Engine: Sky 100

Date: 6 March 2011

World Record: Distance in a straight line with limited fuel

Performance: 284.43 km

Location: Gatton (Australia)

Microlight: Dudek Plasma 30

Engine(s): Sky 100

Read Chris’s account of smashing his first world record in issue 24 of Paramotor Magazine

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This entry was posted on Thursday, April 21st, 2011 at 10:15 am and is filed under Articles, Features.

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