Razeebus

France

Electric Paramotor Efforts

Nov 17, 2007 Electric paramotors are an elegant way for soaring enthusiasts to climb into thermalville. French constructor Razeebuss Aircrafts is working to satisfy their desire with the Razeebuss electric paramotor.

The Razeebuss has been test flown to an altitude of about 1500 feet, certainly enough to catch a thermal. As of this date there is only one prototype flying with another on the way. I have talked with one pilot who has seen it fly and several European free-flight magazines have featured the machine.

It goes all out for performance, especially power off. In their drive to decrease drag they have eliminated the protective cage for a huge premium of risk. It is, of course, incredibly likely for casual pilots using such a machine frequently that they will lose a limb or worse. It happens if the pilot runs afoul of the propeller arc accidentally or it unexpededly goes to power with a body part in the way.

Maybe a folding cage could be devised that must be in place for the prop to spin. That protects both the cage and soft operator. You launch with the cage locked in the extended position. Then, after shutting down, push a release and the cage folds back.

Having made the risk trade-off clear, I'm a big fan of letting the buyer choose his/her own danger level and only want to provide education. I'm also glad to see these folks innovate and hope, like all efforts, that they are successful at bringing their machine to market.

For more information, visit www.Razeebusss.com.