The
government does not regulate paramotor instruction. No license is
required and anyone can hang out a shingle calling themselves an
instructor. The problem is, how does a new pilot know whether the
individual or school follows safe practices, has a thorough training
program or even has the knowledge and skills to teach students? That is
why we have a certification program.
Our sport's minimal regulation was setup because the government
essentially (and fortunately) lets us do our own thing, including hurt
ourselves individually, as long as we don't take anyone up with us. No
passenger, minimal regulation. But then you don't want to get
hurt.
This is aviation. We operate in the US Airspace system and missteps
could ruin it for everybody, let alone the individual. Inadequate or
improper training could result in student injury or death. We fly very
unique aircraft who's handling and characteristics are not always
intuitive. USPPA/USUA (and USHPA) instructors have demonstrated
knowledge and skill in the flying of these craft along with how to
handle numerous emergencies that can come up. While there may be
wonderful and effective non-certified instructors out there, it becomes
up to you to find out on your own.
Just being certified does not make an instructor "good" or
even safe. Nor does being an expert pilot. They must be good teachers,
be disciplined and able to effectively communicate, among other things.
Recommendation from a trusted pilot is a great reinforcement that your
choice is a good one.
Even
If They're Certified
Using the USPPA syllabus is not required. This document covers
all the essential knowledge and skills that we feel should be included
during training for the PPG1 (first solo), PPG2 (pilot) and PPG3
(advanced pilot) stages. The PPG2 rating is what we consider the minimum
for a pilot to be ready to set out on their own.
You should ask your instructor to go through the entire syllabus for
the rating you seek. You both will initial each area covered. Humans are
not perfect, even instructors, and this document helps insure complete
training.
About
USHPA Instructors
The US Hang
Gliding and Paragliding Association has very thorough training and
instructor program for paragliding. Ours was based on it. Learning to
paraglide first is an effective (and fun) way to get into the sport but
there are significant extra techniques and emergency
recoveries when power is added. Learning these is not part of the USHPA
program. Learning them will make a huge difference in your success and
survival in powered paragliding.
To safely fly powered, you must get training from an instructor
intimately familiar with the intricacies of motor flying and, even
better, your specific brand. Paramotor pilots come to grief for
completely different reasons than free flyers, ergo the recommendation
for thorough, qualified USPPA/USUA certified paramotor instructors who
use the syllabus. A USHPA-only instructor who does
extensive motor flying will likely know these techniques and emergencies
but check around and make sure they use the USPPA syllabus. There are numerous USHPA and USPPA/USUA certified
instructors out there. Certified Paragliders
The USPPA also recommends using paragliders by one of the respected
certification organizations such as EN, DHV, and DULV. Older gliders may
be certified through AFNOR, APCUL, or SHV. The purpose of certification
is to help insure minimum structural and flight characteristic standards
are met. Even though most certification is intended for free flight, it
still has relevance as a starting point for motor flying. One caveat,
some gliders, usually with a "reflex" profile, are designed to be
collapse resistant. These may not meet certification standards since
most certification standards rate recovery characteristics more
than collapse resistance. Consult with your instructor and the
paraglider manual about any potential glider purchase. |
The
Money Aspect
USPPA doesn't make a dime on either
instructor or pilot certification. In fact, each rating costs the
organization about $4, a cost that we swallow. The same is true for Tandem instructors
who do not pay
for their exemption access through USPPA.
It's most definitely not about
the money. Both USPPA and USUA have gone out of their way to remove cost
as a factor in getting certified. Using certified training and certified
wings helps insure some minimum qualification for learning.
You pay your trainer an agreed-on
amount that USPPA does not set or gain from. We would like to see
instructors earn fair compensation for their expertise but it's up to
them to set rates. Lets face it, if instructors can't make it work
financially, the sport will have fewer of them.
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