New member here!

[Van West]

Greetings, looking forward to this site and all the data inside! Started flying paramotors recently and realized they are too slow, too dangerous and too small. Can't fly with my dog, my girlfriend or buds so I'm taking the next step and the Patrol seems like the right one.

[Chris In Milwaukee]

Welcome! I think you're making a fine choice

[Chewie]

Ditto on the ppg!

[jaredyates]

Welcome! Tell me more about the risk paramotoring... how did the danger manifest itself most? It's something I've been wanting to get into.

[Chewie]

I don't see ppg as inherently dangerous - quite the opposite in fact. PPG opens a world of aerial possibilities that provide intimacy with one's surroundings that is simply unmatched by other aircraft. What that means is you're usually in places that are not frequented by flying humans and there's nothing standard about it. You are basically on your own. Some seasoned pilots love that, but PPG was my first taste of piloting, and as such I often felt the great temptation to let my guard down. "eh, the sun's down but it's still light, I'm gonna do one more foot drag..." When that happens, you go off plan and you find yourself making decisions based on impulse. Usually that just equates to pure joy and freedom, and that was my experience, but it also equates to more risk, so one needs to learn how to recognize it and how to manage it. That's not why I sold my setup - I needed the time, the focus, the cash, and the space in my garage to support the Patrol build. But it was always something on the back of my mind... I felt like I was always getting away with something, I just could never put my finger on it.

To spin that another way: The equipment and the nature of the flying itself are very safe. It's just easy to do something stupid.

Van I'd be interested to hear your story too! Bobby? Wayne?