dogfood Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 hi guys, i have been looking at learning to fly paramotors for a while now from the looks of most of the training on offer i am looking at around £900 for 10 lessons i have found some schools that allow you to have as many lessons as you feel is necessary for a set fee. i live in loughborough however and only seem to have 2 instructors that i would say are near by http://www.flyingfishparamotor.com/stor ... /Training/ and http://homepage.ntlworld.com/brianskyma ... ining.html i was just wondering if any one has any experience with these schools and if this is the best way of learning to fly.neither seem to mention any recognized qualification. im just looking to get in the air and get down again with out killing myself or any one else. at the moment im leaning towards paddys paramotor training. it seems to say this will take 3 days and cost £120 per lesson. this seems very resonable. but is it true? is it safe to have 4 days training then take to the skys alone? thanks in advance Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 It says 3 days until you take your first solo flight but that shouldn't be the end of training by any means, going solo still means you have your instructor on the end of a radio for a long while yet. You should not put a time limit on your training as everyone is different and as for the weather .... It's generally about £900-1000 to get to full Pilot with BHPA. Parajet have an offer on at the moment with a paramotor, wing and training package. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquatix Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 is it safe to have 4 days training then take to the skys alone? A simple question ..... but a complicated answer of yes & no ..... Given that time scale in perfect weather conditions, with good quality instruction and a physically fit student who picks up new skills quickly it can be perfectly safe for that student to take off solo, fly a circuit and land again under direct radio contact. The actual flying is the easy part, needing very little input from the 'pilot' as modern wings are very safe and stable. That first magical flight is every new student's goal, but as Stevie says is only one small step to becoming a safe and competent pilot, capable of making your own decisions and flying unsupervised. That is like showing someone how to drive a car in an empty car park - which would still leave them a long way off being able to drive in traffic, or at night, in rain on motorways etc ... Although flying a paramotor is amazingly simple, there are a multitude of skills required to handle different conditions, and a lot to learn about meteorology, air law, navigation, aerodynamics and general safety - with plenty of mistakes to be made along the way. I can't comment personally on either of those 'instructors' - although I found some of the statements on their websites misleading, and spotted a few safety issues on the videos etc. - although I'm sure they would enable you to "get in the air and get down again with out killing myself or any one else" My opinion is that all instructors should be registered or at least accountable, and train to a standard syllabus leading to a recognised pilot rating (whether that is BHPA, PMC or whatever), but since that is not always possible locally my advice would be to go along first before comitting yourself to spending money. See the equipment, watch how they train and speak to other pilots / students there. After that, just enjoy it (this is a fun sport / hobby after all) and don't worry about how many days it takes you to learn - as everyone is different, and weather will be a deciding factor. You will know when you feel comfortable to fly without direct supervision and continue the learning process with other pilots (certainly not "alone" to begin with). Have fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I can't comment personally on either of those 'instructors' - although I found some of the statements on their websites misleading, and spotted a few safety issues on the videos etc. - although I'm sure they would enable you to "get in the air and get down again with out killing myself or any one else" Had a look and there are some odd things. I especially thought posting videos of ground handling and ground running the paramotor whilst not wearing a helmet were a bit misguided. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.