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First you have to check if any paraglider or motorized paraglider association/federation or club is in your country. By contacting them you can get useful information about the regulations and find out if a paramotor course is available with a certified instructor. Motorized paragliding is NOT paragliding. Do not forget that you have a powerful engine on your back. Some paraglider pilots, even with their flight experience, need to get use to the new horizontal thrust and weight produced by the paramotor.

You must be physical fit and not be impressed by altitude ! Age can start as early as 14 but depends of the country regulation.

Be sure that you are covered by an insurance policy for such sport. Regarding the equipment, some training schools are including it in the course price, others are renting it.

It is strongly recommended to look for official and approved paramotor training schools who have the experience and know-how.

You can find recommended organizations on the Web or in specialized magazines. There are more and more paragliding schools who offers the paramotor course option. If you want to search the net for a training school in your country/area, just look after keywords 'paramotor' or 'paragliding'.

A basic course should have a minimum of 10 training hours. This means that if you are a good student, you can make it within a month by sacrifying each week-ends 2-3 hours. Price depends from country to country or schools. Expect to pay at least 1,000 $ for a complete course.

The control of the glider on the ground

There are many techniques to learn to fly a paramotor. Some of them use a towing system or paragliding hills/dunes sites in the first phase. But in all cases, the minimum training includes the fundamentals of aerodynamics and the description and handling of the equipment. In most courses, you will start with the control of the glider on the ground : foot-launch, inflation of the cells and brakes control. Wind speed and direction appreciation, general weather conditions analysis.

This is really the hard part ! A good instructor will never go further if you are not able to master your glider on the ground. Note that it can be teached on flat ground in an area similar to a football field. The area must be far enough of obstacles such as power lines, fences, buildings or important natural structures. There is only one main restriction : the wind speed parameter. Wind speed above 12 Km/h is to be avoided. Zero wind is also critical because you will need a lot of physical efforts to launch your glider. You will run and sweat a lot. It is recommended to wear appropriate sporting shoes for protecting your ankles. A helmet is optional but it is good to wear one at that stage in order to be used to its viewing obstruction : you will always have to look upwards to check your glider during the training. A smart student should also wear a long sleeve shirt for protecting his arms from the numerous frictions caused by the risers during the practice of glider launchings. You will be impressed by the physical force you sometimes need to launch your glider. Even Schwarzenegger will sweat if the wind speed is low. Do not over-estimate yourself.

Your Instructor will guide you in your progression

After having being able to control perfectly the foot launch and the glider on the ground in different wind speed conditions, the next step is to get familiar with the engine and its thrust while on the ground. You will now wear a helmet and be connected with a radio to your instructor. A couple of hours are required to feel and get accustomed to the vibrations, weight and power of the engine without the glider attached to it. After that period, you will practice again the launch of the glider but this time with the engine on your back. In the beginning the engine will be switched off until you are able to master again the launching and control of the glider with this new element on your body. As soon as this is satisfactory, glider launching and control are performed with the engine switched on. Managing the thrust is very important and this will also be teached.

You are now ready for the moment you have always waited for : lift off. This will be done gradually, and only with a take-off bringing you a couple of feet above the ground. The first 'flight' will last only seconds and end with a smooth landing. From launching to landing you will travel about a hundred meters in a straight line. All this under supervision of you instructor with corrections given by radio. When your launching and landings at very low altitude are perfect, the next step is to increase the altitude until you are capable of safe take-off's and landings. Basic flight circuits with turns at safe altitude is your next challenge. Emergencies procedures are also teached and practiced during that time. Once you have completed this final stage, you will be able to fly on your own but still in sight of your base and under supervision of your instructor.

Your first solo in a Paramotor will be unforgettable...

This completes the training. You are now capable of flying a paramotor and handle common dangers that you might encounter.

The training school will deliver you a certificate or license. It is helpful to have a description of your course in case you have to travel to another country and apply for a local / temporary flight permit. This because you might be quickly bored of always flying over the same area and decide one day to experience other landscapes. In this case, try as much as possible to avoid flying alone when in unknown environment. Keep radio contact with a ground base and respect local rules.

Always think safety first !

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