The Black Hawk Paramotor has been designed from the ground up by PPG pilots to be extremely well balanced on the pilot’s back and very comfortable both on the ground and in the air.

The throttle, gas tank, harness, comfort pad, chrome molly steel frame, cage and netting all are properly designed and crafted to be a perfect fit. This makes the assembly, launching and flying of a Black Hawk Paramotor a real pleasure! Every single Black Hawk Paramotor is completely assembled and tested to perfection prior to shipping to you.

Black Hawk PPG Review By Tom Scott

The Black Hawk model I purchased was equipped with the Cors-Air Black Devil 172 cc engine, which is rated at 25 hp. It arrived from ParaToys within a few days of being ordered, and was shipped in one box via UPS.

I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning. I've flown old and used motors for three years, and this was my first brand new unit. Anticipation was running high to say the least. I finally got everything out of the box and onto the shop floor. I located the book of instructions and the ParaToys assembly CD.

Like most of us, I read the directions when all else fails. So get yourself a cup of coffee, sit down in front of the tube, and relax. The CD is an excellent production, and the subject matter is presented in orderly and clear format. All manufactures could benefit from a similar CD for their products. I found the harness set-up and hang test section to be very helpful. On the last page of the instruction manual, ParaToys includes a list of tips I found very useful and informative.

The cage radius tubes are numbered with yellow paint and slip into the frame at the corresponding number. I used my electric engraving tool to mark the parts in case the paint rubbed off over time. If you disassemble your unit for transport on a regular basis, this might save some frustration later on.

The engine started very quickly after being primed. The automatic compression release makes pull starting so easy, it renders electric starters obsolete. I left the original carb settings unchanged until I had run it for two hours. After run in, I leaned out the low screw and obtained a 2400 rpm idle that was incredibly smooth. The midrange on the Walbro 37C is very good, but the throttle is a little touchy. The left-hand throttle is the smoothest I've ever used.

Now that everything was ready, it was time for the big test. On the ground, the motor was comfortable on my back. I thought the comfort bars might create an awkward feeling on the ground like they did on my Walkerjet, but that was not the case. The carbiners were easy to operative with gloved hands and snapped into the open position. After warm up, the motor was easy to pull start on my back; a quick easy pull is all it takes.

The wind was not going to assist with this launch as indicated by the limp windsock. Fortunately, my ParaToys wing likes no wind conditions. I started to pull the wing up and added a little power to assist. Normally, I can feel the wing through the shoulder straps on my Adventure. On the Black Hawk, I could feel it from the shoulder straps all the way through the leg straps. The positive feed back through the harness made it a snap to tell what the wing was doing during pull up.

The time had arrived to pour on the power. I was prepared for a lot of torque effect, but it didn't happen. When the power came on, I was ripped off the ground in less than two steps. That and the rate of climb left me breathless. I let off the throttle immediately and slipped into the harness. I looked at my altimeter, and I was already passing 150 feet. This made my old Solo 210 seem like a Model A Ford by comparison. I tried two mid-air engine restarts, and it fired up both times with an effortless pull on the cord. At full power, torque induced turn is noticeable but not at all overwhelming. At cruise power, where we usually fly, it was barely detectable.

In the air, the Black Hawk is as comfortable or more so than my Adventure, which is that motor's best feature. I set the 'angle of dangle" at 12 degrees, which made for a comfortable upright seating position. I found it very easy to make weight shift turns, which is not a requirement for me, but it does makes flying hands-free for photography much easier. Fuel economy improves as the motor breaks in, and the nine-liter tank will deliver more than two hours of flying time.

I added a Tiny Tach, my special 'pink eraser" cruise control, and a second kill switch. I mounted the second kill switch to the lower frame and utilized a separate ground location. It's usually the kill switch ground that prevents shut down, so using a separate grounding location for the other switch will usually eliminate the problem.

I checked everything over after the first hour in the air. I found the exhaust bolts at the head had loosened slightly, but that was all. Quality control is apparently alive and well at Black Hawk, because I have found no fault with any part of the motor.

There has been a lot said about the perfect paramotor, but I always felt it didn't exist. The sport needed someone to blend all the good qualities of the various motors into one unit, and this is it. There doesn't appear to be anything new or ground breaking in the Black Hawk; it just does everything very well. What more could you ask for? If you're considering a new motor and want exceptional value, you don't need to look any further than ParaToys or the Black Hawk paramotor.

Tom Scott - Washington