ABOUT PARAMOTORING

Paramotors are powered paragliders.

They are the cheapest, simplest and arguably the safest form of powered

recreational flight. The most basic part is the wing. It is a parachute-like ram-air wing that is typically used for paragliding. Even without the engine running the wing will glide a considerable distance safely. New wings cost between $3,000 and $ 4,000. Or 2nd hand $ 2,000—$ 3,000.

The engines are all lightweight two-stroke engines in the 80-300cc size range. Motors range in cost from $ 4,500 to $8,500.

They can often be packed up small enough to fit in a sedan's boot and back seat, although most pilots prefer not to fully disassemble their paramotors and instead put them in a station wagon, in a van or on racks etc.

As such you can be in the air with only a few minutes preparation. You don't need an airstrip for launching, a beach or good-sized field is sufficient. The typical flying speed is around 35-45kph and flying times up to 3 hours. You don’t need wind to fly, in fact most paramotor pilots prefer just a gentle breeze or none at all.

TRAINING AND LICENSES

For training in Australia you need first to learn to paraglide and gain some experience before you can begin training for the motorised endorsement to the paragliding licence. In Australia it is illegal to fly a paraglider or use a paramotor without holding a paragliding license and paramotor endorsement and being a member of the HGFA. Training is administered by the Hang Gliding Federation of Australia.www.hgfa.asn.au. Paragliding license courses take roughly 10 days depending upon weather.

The most basic part is the wing. It is a parachute-like ram-air wing that is typically used for paragliding. Paraglider wings come with varying levels of certification as to their level of safety in gliding flight but some paraglider wings are not very suitable for paramotoring in general, or for specific types of paramotors. For most people there is no point in using a performance paraglider as the added danger and difficulties of launching cancel out any gains. In your early flying t is vitally important to buy a paramotoring wing that is easy to launch. Many free flying wings are difficult to launch with a motor attached.

Here is some basic information on PPG wings..........

The things that really separate paramotors from other powered aircraft are the very low flying speed, the thrust acting six metres below the wing, pendulum effects, and the very flexible connection between the motor/pilot/propeller and the wing.

Here is some basic information on paramotor engines.........

As a rule don't get all your information from one source as they may have a vested interest or may not be the expert they think they are. Try to get second opinions on how good a particular paramotor is before you lay out the cash. The best approach with any PPG equipment is see what the experienced pilots use. Typically they know the best wings and the best motors to use.

Do try to avoid noisy paramotors. Direct drive and small props are usually the loudest. Try to get opinions on how noisy particular paramotors are.

The majority of complaints from the public are due to noise. When flying under power don't stay in one area (unless it's deserted) but keep moving so that you spread your noise around. A noise that lasts a few minutes is much more tolerable than noise that just keeps on and on or that keeps coming back.

See our list of paramotor manufacturers in the links section for more information.

Whether you like turning off the engine and gliding in silence, like looking at the rainbow around your shadow on the tops of clouds, or like dragging your boots along deserted beaches it can be an enjoyable sport. The perseverance and kahunas required, the noise, the petrol smell in your car, the effort involved in getting off the ground, the weather dependency etc, all mean that it is not a sport for everyone. For the right sort of people though it can be addictive.