Wow! There are a lot of options when it comes to training. And then again, not really.
Unless you have plenty of time and resources it might be kind of daunting trying to find
training that fits in your budget or time constraints. If your lucky enough to live near
a trainer, that certainly helps.
Once again, I used Google to start looking.
You can find all sorts of stuff using Google. Good and bad, and even crazy. YouTube is great too.
The first training I came across was in California and Mexico with
Dale Shanze.
He has some awesome videos and is quite the character. He boasted of being the best and is
pretty clear that his is the only way and his is the safest equipment. It was also expensive
on top of the cost of getting to California. He also touted that the only legitimate pilot
rating system was one from his organization (WPPGA).
Or that the wrong rating was from the other organization (USPPA)
(more on this later).
The next one I found was slightly closer to me and offered free training if I bought equipment from him.
Capt. Kurt Fister has some good
videos and demonstrated why his equipment was the only type to get. He also boasted of being the best and
down played the pilot rating systems of any organization. I already had equipment and I still had to travel
or pay for his travel to get the training.
Next was Blackhawk Paramotor in California.
They have some great package deals at good prices. They also have some great videos. Once again I would
have to travel to get the training. They didn't even really talk about pilot ratings although they mention
that they are USPPA certified.
So what is the deal with pilot certification? I started looking into it and this is what I found.
The sport or activity of paramotoring falls under the
FAA regulation 103
for ultralight vehicles. In a nut shell, we don't need any kind of license to fly the paramotors or paragliding.
There are certain rulles we do need to abide by to keep from getting fined. But other than that, nothing.
You could buy your gear and be in the air the same day if you were so inclined. Now, it that safe? Not likely.
So, what is the fuss all about? I tend to fall in line with Capt. Kurt when he talks about not regulating a sport
that doesn't require regulating. However I understand why the USPPA started the rating that they use. They saw the
desire to be able to demonstrate through a rating how much experience and knowledge a pilot had. This could be used
for insurance purposes, training, and other areas where having a rating gives clout to the sport and the pilot.
I think the beef comes from the idea that the only way to get a rating was from already rated trainers and there is
a cost associated with the training.
Personally, I'm not too concerned about a rating. I'd rather show you a flight log demonstrating my experience.
I do see the benefit in it though. If someone told me I needed a certain rating to participate in something I probably
just wouldn't participate. But, if an airport that I wanted to fly from required a certain rating I hope that I already
had the rating. What a catch 22!
Ok, back to the training...
I guess I'm looking for inexpensive training form experienced trainers. Close enough for me to get to easily.
I found Souther Skies who sell the Fresh Breeze and
Edel equipment that I have. They were a little closer and offered daily training prices that were enticing. It would
still be an overnight situation which would incur more costs. I was looking at upwards of $300 a day for training.
Not too bad, but it could add up quick.
I kept searching. The interesting thing I found from a couple of sites when they talked about their training was
that it was important to them that you got local training. I could appreciate that. Not only would this start a
relationship with someone near by that you could always bounce things off of but it would also allow you to train more
regularly with the same people.
Frustration. Now I wanted to find someone nearby and I had already searched and wasn't having any luck. Then I
started looking in some PPG forums to see if there were any trainers in TN. Even better if they were in Nashville.
I found one guy that was at least flying in my area and contacted him and he put me in touch with Dan Decker of
Tennessee PPG. I contacted Dan and started the conversation
about training. He offered a one time price for training that would get me well trained in trike and foot launches
with follow up training if needed.
Now I'm just waiting for the weather to cooperate! Can't wait!
