The EasyUp Parapropter is an American
paramotor that was designed by Tom Tate and produced by
EasyUp of
Medford, Oregon
Medford is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Oregon, in the United States. As of the 2020 United States Census on April 1, 2020, the city had a total population of 85,824 and a metropolitan area population of 223,259, making the Me ...
. Now out of production, when it was available the aircraft was supplied in the form of blueprint-style plans and an instruction manual for
amateur construction. A kit was also available at one time.
[Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition'', page 337. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998. ][Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', page 67. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster UK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485X]
Design and development
The Parapropter was designed as an inexpensive way for beginners to start flying and complies 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 requ ...
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 'po ...
-style wing, single-place accommodation and a single engine in
pusher configuration
In an aircraft with a pusher configuration (as opposed to a tractor configuration), the propeller(s) are mounted behind their respective engine(s). Since a pusher propeller is mounted behind the engine, the drive shaft is in compression in nor ...
. As is the case with all paramotors, takeoff and landing is accomplished by foot.
The aircraft plans allow the builder to create the backpack portion of the aircraft, including the propeller cage, built from bolted and welded
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 ...
plate and tubing. The plans recommend purchasing a used paraglider canopy to save money and a variety of engines can be fitted. The recommended propeller is a wooden fixed-pitch unit. Inflight steering is accomplished via handles that actuate the canopy brakes, creating roll and yaw.
The standard day, sea level, no wind takeoff with a typical engine and canopy is and the landing distance is .
The designer estimated the construction time from the supplied plans to be 40 hours.
Operational history
By 1998 the company reported that 750 sets of plans had been sold.
Specifications (Parapropter, typical engine and canopy)
References
External links
*{{Official website, http://easyup.cc/
Official photos of the Easyup Parapropter
Parapropter
1990s United States sport aircraft
1990s United States ultralight aircraft
Single-engined pusher aircraft
Paramotors