Experimenter is a magazine created by EAA for people who build airplanes. We will report on amateur-built aircraft as well as ultralights and other light aircraft.
Issue link: http://experimenter.epubxp.com/i/339662
34 Vol.3 No.7 / July 2014 ULTRALIGHT WORLD training are meaningless; experience and progress are measured by the number of logged powered fl ights. Fortunately, over the last several years the number of quality and thorough paramotor instructors has gone up signifi cantly, and training has become much more standardized, thanks to the U.S. Powered Paragliding Association (USPPA). If you don't log at least 25 powered fl ights under the direct supervision of your instructor and complete the USPPA PPG2 syllabus, you are setting yourself up for failure and you won't get the training you paid for and deserve. How can you know which instructor will be the best? As- suming the instructor agrees to help you log 25 fl ights and follow the syllabus, pick the USPPA instructor who is closest to you. Don't be one of the many people who have traveled all over the country looking for a magic bullet when they could have learned right in their own backyard. When these people real- ize that the three- to fi ve-day "wonder course" with "the best instructor in the country" located in some faraway place isn't going to do anything but introduce them to paramotoring, they seek out their local instructors and pilots. Unfortunately by that point, the training, travel, and gear budgets have already been spent, and new pilots are understandably very reluctant to pay more to fi nish up with someone else. They usually end up stor- ing their new gear in the garage for a few years and then selling it for a huge loss. Realistically, you will need to plan for one to two weeks of full-time training, assuming no weather delays. If you train on weekends, plan on your training taking from one to three months or longer with the various weather and scheduling delays that will inevitably pop up. Quality paramotor instruction that includes supervision for 25 flights will cost around $1,500 if you buy gear from your instructor, or $2,500 if you learn on gear you provide. If you already have a USPPA P2 or higher paraglider pilot rating, you can expect to cut the time and cost to learn to paramotor in half. The biggest factor that causes people to fail or give up para- gliding is misinformation and unrealistic expectations about how much training costs in time, ef ort, and travel expenses. On the other hand, those who take the time to do it right are almost always successful. Reliability Paramotor engine failures are so common that I can't even re- member all the times I've had an engine-out landing. The good news is that paramotor engine-outs are generally not a huge safety problem because you are landing at walking or jogging speed; but they sure are annoying! If it wasn't for the necessity of using high power-to-weight- ratio two-stroke engines (because you carry the weight on your back), the paramotor would be the most reliable aircraft in the world. The paraglider frame is very simple and robust and re- pairs are rarely needed. If you do need a paraglider repair, there are lots of glider shops to sew you a new line or repair a hole in the fabric. The frame and harness of the paramotor are also very reliable. About the only time you will have a problem with them is if you fall down and bend or tear something. The wait time for parts for your engine can be the most frustrating part of paramotoring. Paramotor engines come from Italy or some other foreign country, and typically there E A A E X P _ J u l y 1 4 . i n d d 3 4 EAAEXP_July14.indd 34 7 / 1 / 1 4 9 : 5 7 A M 7/1/14 9:57 AM