avalore Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 If you had to work out a rough estimate of how many paramotor pilots would you think there are in the UK, USA & other countries? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avalore Posted February 22, 2020 Author Share Posted February 22, 2020 Assuming active pilots (active being they fly minimum 10? flights per year) not just total trained Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avalore Posted February 22, 2020 Author Share Posted February 22, 2020 Bonus points if you can point to real numbers or figure out if the number is growing/reducing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_k Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 Judging by the rapid rate that the fly-ins fill up and that not everyone will go due to location or other commitments, I would hazard a guess at around 1000. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
admin (Simon W) Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 Alan, When I last heard.. AXA have almost this number (it was like 800 and something) of UK pilots insured. Add to that the non insured Add to that the BHPA members My guess would be closer to 1500. (which is about the same number as the unique visitors the PMC site has when I send out an email) By no means scientific of course. SW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_k Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 I thought I might be a bit low, you are in a better position to gauge it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyB Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 The UK Paramotor group on FB has nearly 2000 members. Some will not be flyers and many will not be on there. The UK Paramotor buy and sell group has 2400 members! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
admin (Simon W) Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 Not sure of the value of those FB stats... we have 5000+ UK members but there is no way that it’s the number of UK active pilots. SW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyB Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 Just seemed more useful than AXA = 800, plus BHPA (for which you did not give a number), giving a totally unknown total! And I did say some of the FB will not be flyers and many will not be on there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
admin (Simon W) Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 So I just spoke to the BHPA who have 786 PPG pilots on the books. 786 + 800 odd AXA, = 1586 Add to that the people who are not insured by either of the two companies and that's as close a number as you can hope for It was also noted by the BHPA that it's a very steep curve. Indeed, the PMC can say the same. So a worthy exercise once a year to stay semi accurate. SW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyB Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 Great, well done. FB might be right then! Do you know the figures for previous years? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
admin (Simon W) Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 Not for AXA I’m afraid. Personally I don’t know any pilots that are not insured anymore. Anyone else??? I think it's socially frowned upon now to not have insurance and most land owners are clued up to the fact it exists so tend to ask. SW 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avalore Posted February 23, 2020 Author Share Posted February 23, 2020 Interesting numbers. I wonder how many are uninsured... I was one of those for a while, not bhpa trained and axa wasn’t available Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
admin (Simon W) Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 Exactly then two things happened. BHPA lowered there guard against paramotor pilots, and independent insurers came in to play all good for the sport but I honestly think the uninsured are few and far between now. SW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avalore Posted February 24, 2020 Author Share Posted February 24, 2020 You would hope so Interesting numbers anyway, curious to see in a years time what growth there has been. It feels like there’s been an increase over the last year, at least locally. We’ve gone from 3 local pilots to 6 now with a few others training this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asquaddie Posted February 24, 2020 Share Posted February 24, 2020 1 hour ago, avalore said: We’ve gone from 3 local pilots to 6 now with a few others training this year. Same here. I was flying on my own at Davidstow for about 3 years - now we have 14 PPG members, only 5 - 6 regulars here, but still a big growth in the last 2-3 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerlord Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 Simon's figures sound right to me. and I'd take a stab that only maybe a 1/3rd of them fly more than once a year or so. How many folk get kitted up, insured then find it ain't for them, etc - hence the nearly new paramotors always for sale. Certainly over here in billiard table suffolk I reckon there's about the same number of ACTIVE pilots as there were 10 years ago (6 or 7) more or less. And when I'm flying up in scotland, I get the feeling from the locals it's much the same up there - a few new ones, a few folk stopping - more or less steady numbers. which for us in the know I'm sure you find as mental as me - why the hell this isn't more popular is a constant mystery to me - whenever I get comments on my videos from non pilots they are usually about how amazing it looks, how they'd wish they could do it, that it was on their bucket list, etc, etc. Also the lack of young folk in the game - my youtube demographics are 100% male, with 90% of my viewers between 35-65. But if you could do this in the 90s when I was in my 20s I'd have bit yer hand off to do it.. * Bottom line is, it would appear only a few of us as commited enough (or mad enough we should be committed) to actually go through with strapping a moped engine and fan on our backs and taking to the air. And the selfish part of me says... long may that continue *possibly confirming my suspicions that not only are today's millennial generally useless at anything technical, they also appear to be pussies... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viking1000 Posted March 4, 2020 Share Posted March 4, 2020 9 hours ago, powerlord said: possibly confirming my suspicions that not only are today's millennial generally useless at anything technical, they also appear to be pussies... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asquaddie Posted March 4, 2020 Share Posted March 4, 2020 9 hours ago, powerlord said: possibly confirming my suspicions that not only are today's millennial generally useless at anything technical, they also appear to be pussies... Must be a bit harder core in Cornwall. We have two teenagers constantly flying and on the other hand we have over sixties Also, late seventies / eighties flying microlights - scary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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