Newbie in South Warwickshire - Am I too big?

[Maej]

Hello

I have dreamed of reaching for the skies since I was a young lad, then one day a man descended from the sky with a propeller on his back, and while we gave him a lift home in the van he explained to me how even I could get in to the sky with a flexible wing and a propeller on my back! That was a few years ago but the thought never left my mind.

Unfortunately I am quite a big lad at 6'2" and 140KG, though surprisingly fit and agile for a man of my stature, and 40+Kg on my back isn't a problem for me.

Before I get my hopes up, I want to check a few things...

Is it possible to get suitable equipment? Such as the Paramania Revolution 30 with its ppg weight range of 100-220Kg and the Parajet Volution Macro its pilot weight range of 65-160Kg, are these suitable for instance.

Will instructors be willing to teach me? I understand I will have to provide my own equipment.

Aside from the above, what other problems / costs will I encounter due to my weight, but assume I am sufficiently fit.

Ideally I would like to know if it is possible, and if so, how much money I will need to get properly trained and get suitable equipment to be safely airborne.

Any help/opinions gratefully received, but please don't dwell on losing weight.

Are there any 22 stone paramotor pilots out there?

Thanks

[pete_b]

Hi Maej and welcome to The Paramotor Club.

Is it possible to get suitable equipment? Such as the Paramania Revolution 30 with its ppg weight range of 100-220Kg and the Parajet Volution Macro its pilot weight range of 65-160Kg, are these suitable for instance.

Yes you can get these easily

The wing amongst others is ok

The Macro amongst others is also suitable.

Will instructors be willing to teach me? I understand I will have to provide my own equipment.

Yes you will get instruction no problem, some instructors like Simon W may train you on his kit so you don't have to buy it straight away. (Simon's away on the Sky car expedition at the moment but should be back soon, he would be the best one to talk to)

Aside from the above, what other problems / costs will I encounter assume I am sufficiently fit.

You will need a good pair of ankle support boots and a suitable helmet and gloves to start with, then you will need a altimeter/vario, compass. currant air chart and ideally a reserve chute. No additional costs due to weight only the buying the correct size wing and a motor with sufficient thrust.

Ideally I would like to know if it is possible, and if so, how much money I will need to get properly trained and get suitable equipment to be safely airborne.

Yes it is definitely possible, money wise it depends on if you can find second hand kit or if you have to buy new, You would have to talk to Simon about cost of training.

Any other questions fire away there is loads of advise on here, please look through some of the old messages and you will find loads of information.

Pete b

Pete b

[Maej]

Thank you so much Pete b for your fast reply, I am feeling really excited now I know I can reasonably get in to this sport

I can now plan to save a realistic amount for equipment, and I'll contact Simon W about training.

It will be a while before I can afford to properly start on this venture, but in the mean time I'm reading a book, 'paramotoring from the ground up' by Noel Whittal, I'm learning a bit from it, some of the techniques seem fairly similar to the ones I use for my 10' flexfoil kite.

Are there any other good books or information resources about paramotoring, flying weather, air law etc that I can use? I would like to learn all I can of the theory while I'm saving for the practical training.

Thanks again, you've been really helpful

[bathboy]

Thank you so much Pete b for your fast reply, I am feeling really excited now I know I can reasonably get in to this sport

I can now plan to save a realistic amount for equipment, and I'll contact Simon W about training.

It will be a while before I can afford to properly start on this venture, but in the mean time I'm reading a book, 'paramotoring from the ground up' by Noel Whittal, I'm learning a bit from it, some of the techniques seem fairly similar to the ones I use for my 10' flexfoil kite.

Are there any other good books or information resources about paramotoring, flying weather, air law etc that I can use? I would like to learn all I can of the theory while I'm saving for the practical training.

Thanks again, you've been really helpful

I'd suggest you ask on one of the American forums as they have plenty of people your size that fly and know more what equipment is best/worst. I think finding a comfortable harness may be the big issue (sorry, pun intended) not the wing size or the motor thrust.

Cheers

Paul