Paramotor

Paramotor

Description

Paramotor or Powered Para Glider (PPG) is a powered flexible wing microlight aircraft which may be foot launched or, equipped with a tricycle undercarriage, which enables wheel launching. In either case, it consists of a frame that combines the motor, propeller, harness and in the case of wheel-launched aircraft, a pilot seat fixed to the frame. The frame has two attachment points for the risers of a paraglider wing that allows for powered flight.

Whether the aircraft is foot-launched or wheel-launched can in some jurisdictions make a difference to whether a pilot licence is required to fly the wheel-launched one. However, most foot-launched types do not require such a licence or, necessarily, any pilot training, although airspace access restrictions do not generally differentiate between the two variants.

The engines used are almost exclusively small two-stroke internal combustion types, between 80cc and 350cc using a gasoline / oil mixture. Such engines are favoured for their high power to weight ratio and often use less than 4 Litres of fuel per hour depending on the efficiency of the design, the weight of the engine and the pilot and prevailing conditions. Some electric engines - using a battery, fuel cell or photo voltaic cell power source, are in use but currently tend to deliver inferior flight endurance. There has been some use of Wankel rotary-engined paramotor engines.

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