Paramotor
Paramotor
As parachute technology evolved and, canopy designs were improved, a new designation was given to canopies. What started off as a means to descend also became a means to ascend. Airfoils were created that enabled long flights with the ability to significantly gain altitude rather than just slow an inevitable descent to the ground.
Bold, and brave, innovators found ways to attach small 2 stroke engines and large propellers to their backs and, by running, foot launch their gliding canopies, creating the sport of Paramotor Competition. The groundwork for the sport really started as early as 1980. People had been launching large wing canopies by running down steep hills and launching from high ground positions to fly their chutes. British Pilot Mike Byrne decided to start developing a means of powering these canopies and over the next 15 to 20 years great advances were made in the development of these aircraft.
The 1st FAI sanctioned World Paramotor and Microlight Championships took place in South Africa in 1996.
As well as races, pilots created air formation displays demanding precision flying skills, and amazed spectators at ground-based events and beaches.
There are three primary events in Paramotor competitions:
Paramotor Slalom, where pilots negotiate a course usually covering 50 km, defined by inflatable pylons, strategically placed. The pilots must navigate the course as fast as possible, and are timed. Points are deducted for errors, such as leaving the course or hitting a pylon and the fastest pilot wins the tournament.
Paramotor Classic, this competition tests the pilots understanding of their paramotor, its abilities and limitations and their ability to fly at the outer limits of those. The Classic competition focuses on precision, economy of flight and navigation skills. The pilots must fly around pre-defined routes, completing various tasks as they do. These tasks can include performing precision landings in designated areas, maintaining a pre-declared speed over certain sections of the course, and maximizing distance flown while minimizing fuel consumption.
Paramotor Airshow, a competition that is designed to be a showcase for the aerial skills of highly talented paramotor pilots, either as a solo or a team display, of precision flying. The pilots usually showcase acrobatic manoeuvres, aerial formations, and challenging displays. The various skills demonstrated may involve performing spins, loops and other complex manoeuvres designed to highlight the pilots mastery of their paramotor, team displays include a number of paramotors flying in predefined formations and synchronized patterns.
Paramotor flight featured in the World Air Games in Dubai 2015 and in the World Games in Poland in 2017. Britain created and hosted a new event in 2024, The Endurance Paramotor Championships, and the sport is growing, quickly, with competitions and events cropping up globally and dazzling displays of formation flight delighting spectators everywhere.
Paramotor displays can be enhanced by the addition of long streamers, smoke and pyrotechnics to the aircraft and creating elaborate, and visually stunning, displays.