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Telford
2002 - Is the Exhibition Days Numbered?
I
guess many out will be wondering was this the last one at Telford. Ever
increasing annual costs for displaying over the two day period and increased
safety regulations with respect to vehicular access & egress from
the halls coupled with the hours spent battling through the heavy traffic
on the Friday has left most of the smaller traders wondering 'Is this
all worth it?'. Many possibly not recouping their outlay costs for the
weekend for a while at least. Whispers are already out, that next years
going to be even worse!. Lets hope it doesn't come to that and we loose
an event which has become an annual Mecca for many die hards.
Saturday
saw an unusually slow start to the Airsports Exhibitions, possibly due
to the many roadwork's along M6 through Birmingham causing lengthy delays.
A sigh of relief by 11.30am as things were looking up, numbers started
to swell and groups of enthusiasts huddled around the many varied stands
looking for the early bargains. Spending aired on the cautious side this
year, traders selling gismos and widgets fairing the better.
Norman
& Wendy Burr From 'PageFast' selling the very popular World Directory
of Leisure Aviation.
Sunday
didn't really fair much better, and with a mid afternoon evacuation of
all the halls due to a fire outbreak in one of the toilets things slowed
to a halt earlier than normal. Most deciding to depart when turfed out
into a cold car park. On a brighter note many of the Paramotor traders
displaying over the weekend we talked to reported much interest and were
glad of the quieter periods so they could refresh ready for the next onslaught.
Interest nationally is increasing day by day for Paramotoring therefore
ensuring the future integrity of the sport remains. Many of the enquiries
we handled throughout the weekend were from paraglider pilots, many just
wanting to progress to their next challenge or most being fedup with the
many miles spent travelling to their nearest range of hills, only to find
that the wind has changed direction or increased to outside their flying
limits.
Paramotor
traders at the show included: , PAP (Noel Humphries),
Rad Aviation (John Radford), Paramotoring Ltd (Dave O,Donnell), Parajet.com
(Giles Cordoza), Paramainia (Mike Campbell-Jones).

John
Radford had a busy weekend with much interest in his very popular range
of lightweight Paramotor units. Definitely
a unit for the ladies interested out there.
Dave
O'Donnell and crew displaying there range of Walker Jet Paramotors. Dave
reported the weekend had been very busy.
were displaying for the first time at the exhibition their latest additions
to the already successful 320 range, these were the long awaited JPX
330, JPX 160 and the Solo 210. Check their website for the
latest news.
Now
a complete range of Paramotors to suit every need. Also highly attractive
in the fact that each unit is now fitted with an in-flight charging system,
and a high energy ignition system to ensure restarting in flight every
time.This new addition allows a reduction in the the size of the existing
starter motor knocking off a couple of kilos from the overall weight.
A change
of layout by the organisers this year using three halls instead of the
normal two made things somewhat sparse even during the busiest periods
over the two days, although the organisers claimed they were fully booked
before the weekend kicked off!. I don't class a car display as being fully
booked! Although a presence from the British Model Association slightly
counts. The food situation also showed an improvement this year with a
better layout and a slightly better selection. Security was tight with
a good presence of security guards throughout the weekend milling around
the stalls.
Thanks to
all those who visited us at Paramotorsuk over the two days, we were certainly
kept busy answering the inquisitive and the prospective. Hopefully we
will see a few of you next year when the weather improves.
Don't forget
we fly all year round at Paramotorsuk even when there's snow on the ground.
So get on your thermal suits and heated gloves and get in the air.
Get
into the air DON'T Hibernate
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