The Daiichi Kosho Whisper is a Japanese

paramotor Paramotor is the generic name for the harness and propulsive portion of a powered paraglider ("PPG"). There are two basic types of paramotors: foot launch and wheel launch. Foot launch models consist of a frame with harness, fuel tank, engine, ...

that was designed and produced by the

Daiichi Kosho Company is a Japanese electronics and aircraft manufacturer that was founded in 1973 and is headquartered in Tokyo. As an electronics manufacturer the company specializes in karaoke equipment. History Between about 1992 and 2003 the company branched i ...

for

powered paragliding Powered paragliding, also known as paramotoring or PPG, is a form of ultralight aviation where the pilot wears a back-pack motor (a paramotor) which provides enough thrust to take off using a paraglider. It can be launched in still air, and on ...

.Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page D-23. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. Downey, Julia: ''2000 Trike and 'Chute Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 17, Number 2, February 2000, pages 50-51. Kitplanes Acquisition Company. ISSN 0891-1851

Design and development

Daiichi Kosho, a Japanese electronics company, specializing in

Karaoke Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music i ...

equipment, decided to enter the paramotor market in circa 1993, expecting that it would become immensely popular and result in a mass market. As a result, they designed and manufactured their own engine, the DK 472 and even created their own line of canopies. The aircraft was designed to comply with the US

FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles Ultralight aircraft in the United States are much smaller and lighter than ultralight aircraft as defined by all other countries. In the United States, ultralights are described as "ultralight vehicles" and not as aircraft. They are not req ...

rules. It features a

paraglider Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness or lies supine in a cocoon-like ' ...

-style

high wing A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...

, single-place accommodation and a single Daiichi Kosho DK 472 engine in pusher configuration. As is the case with all paramotors, takeoff and landing are accomplished on foot. The company invested heavily in research and development, producing a whole line of paramotoring equipment including a twin-cylinder and single-cylinder engine. In addition to the two different engines they also produced a trike carriage, the DK Sky Trike, that could be mated to the backpack engine. The company created a distributor network, notably in the US where they were represented by Paraborne Aviation, who created a dealer network. In the US the aircraft is often referred to as the ''Paraborne DK Whisper''. The mass market the company hoped for never appeared and with a high degree of competition from European manufacturers the company ceased all production of the line circa 2003. The line was sold to Giles Cardoza of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

who developed it into the Parajet.

Variants

;Beat :Initial model, powered by a twin-cylinder, horizontally opposed, air-cooled,

two-stroke A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being completed in one revolution of ...

custom designed Daiichi Kosho DK 472 engine driving a direct-drive propeller and producing . ;Whisper :Also called the ''Beat Whisper''. Second model, powered by a DK 472 engine with a belt reduction drive and larger propeller. ;Whisper GT :Third model, optionally powered by a single-cylinder, two-stroke engine with a belt reduction drive. ;Whisper GTO :Fourth model, powered by a single-cylinder, two-stroke engine with a belt reduction drive. Can optionally carry a passenger in

tandem Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which a team of machines, animals or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. The original use of the term in English was in ''tandem harness'', which is used for two ...

. ;Sky Trike :Wheeled carriage that adapts to motor package, made from ABS plastic and

aluminium Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...

, weight

Specifications (Whisper)

References

{{Daiichi Kosho aircraft 1990s Japanese ultralight aircraft Single-engined pusher aircraft Paramotors