"Pull left," my flight instructor said, I pulled with my left hand, and we turned left. "Pull right," he said. I pulled with my right hand and we glided right. It was amazingly easy. I was impressed. I took out my camera and took a few pictures of the Matterhorn. Suddenly, all I could see through my camera was a sheer cliff. My instructor said "Watch how maneuverable this is. We can gain lift flying very close to the mountain. Do you want to pick some flowers?"
"No," I said. I should have said "Nein," because next he asked if I wanted to drag my feet through the tops of the pine trees. "No," I said again, adding that he'd already proved how maneuverable the paraglider was. We were flying over mountains that can only be climbed with pick axes and crampons - and the Zermatt Cemetery is full of climbers who made only one mistake.
We soared the peaks for about 20 minutes and then it was time to head for our designated landing zone just south of the train station in Zermatt. The descent was beautiful at 15 mph, with no noise, no cockpit, and two pairs of legs fully extended, ready to act as landing gear. My instructor helped me spiral over the train station and descend for the landing. I headed into the wind and pulled hard with both hands and Plop! we landed, as easy as jumping off a curb.
Paragliding - what an experience. My interest was up and I wanted to learn more. Not long after the Europeans perfected paragliding in the Alps the flatlanders wanted to get into the act. Enthusiasts took a paraglider sail, strapped a small German engine with a propeller on their backs, and invented the sport of powered paragliding. The visibility of the sport increased when a powered paraglider dropped in on a world championship boxing match in Las Vegas several years ago. The same guy later landed naked in a powered paraglider on top of Buckingham Palace. In Europe they do it with style.
It didn't take long for American ingenuity to find a better way to take off than running into the wind with a heavy engine strapped on your back. Frame structures were developed to allow the paraglider pilot to sit down with the fan mounted behind so the pilot could enjoy the takeoff roll without the risk of falling face first. The powered paraglider became the powered parachute.
The powered parachute works essentially the same way and on the same aerodynamic principles as the powered paraglider. Both cruise at 20 to 30 miles an hour and require 50 to 300 feet of grass to land and take off. Powered parachutes are the hottest thing in personal flying machines, mostly because they are safe, inexpensive, and flying them is an exciting and exhilarating sport (and you don't have to run off the side of a mountain to launch). It is estimated that 1,000 powered parachutes were sold in the U. S. last year.
What does the FAA have to say about this new sport? How can anything this much fun be legal? What if you strap a fan on your back and accidentally fly your paraglider through Class B airspace? Will the feds scramble F-15s and threaten to shoot you down? Do you need a pilot certificate to fly them? Do any rules apply to operating powered parachutes? The answers to these questions are found in Federal Aviation Regulation Part 103, "Ultralight Vehicles."
The FAA developed Part 103 to apply to certain piloted "vehicles" flown for recreation and sport purposes. Such ultralight vehicles are described in FAR 103.1 and the FAA definition includes what we commonly know as hang-gliders, ultralights, paragliders, powered paragliders, powered parachutes, and an apparatus made up of enough helium balloons attached to a lawn chair to lift chair and occupant into space. If the vehicle is unpowered, it must weigh less than 155 pounds to be an ultralight under Part 103. If the vehicle is powered, FAR 103.1 requires that the vehicle weigh less than 254 pounds empty weight (excluding certain safety devices), have a fuel capacity not exceeding five U.S. gallons, and have a power-off stall speed of no more than 24 knots.
Paragliders, powered paragliders, and powered parachutes designed for a single occupant and meeting the other restrictions of FAR 103.1 are all, therefore, classified as ultralight vehicles.
What about two-seat paragliders and two-seat powered parachutes? Although the FAA defines an ultralight as a vehicle which is only used in the air by a "single occupant," two-seat vehicles can be flown for flight instruction purposes under an FAA exemption. Currently, Aero Sports Connection (ASC), the United States Ultralight Association (USUA), and the Experimental Aircraft Association are the only organizations that hold an exemption for flight instruction in two-place vehicles.
If you fly a two-place powered parachute without operating under an FAA exemption, you may be flying an unregistered airplane in violation of the federal aviation regulations because your vehicle no longer qualifies as an ultralight under Part 103.
So long as you come under Part 103, you do not need to register your powered parachute or powered paraglider with the FAA, you do not need an FAA pilot's certificate, you do not need an FAA medical, and you do not need an N-number. If you are operating a powered parachute or powered paraglider outside of FAR Part 103 and without an exemption, you are required to register the aircraft with the FAA, obtain at least an experimental airworthiness certificate under FAR 21.191 (g) for the aircraft, the operator must be properly certificated under FAR 61, and operations must be conducted under FAR Part 91.
The operating rules of Part 103 are simple. A powered parachute or other ultralight cannot be used in commercial operations, or operated in a manner that creates a hazard to persons or property. It cannot be operated over any congested area, over an open air assembly of persons, or in any airport traffic area, air traffic control zone, or any area covered by airport radar service. You can operate an ultralight vehicle only in daylight, and you must follow the altitude and visibility requirements of Part 103.
The less-restrictive rules for ultralights are allowed by the FAA on the assumption that the industry will regulate itself. It is for this reason that the EAA, the ASC, and the USUA, along with many ultralight manufacturers, administer training programs to help provide instruction to ultralight pilots. These training programs normally involve three to four hours of ground school and three to four hours of flight training. The training by these organizations has resulted in an excellent safety record. Landing near power lines, lakes, and in high winds are the most serious risks to be avoided. Having survived paragliding in the Swiss Alps, I am now ready for more training and a chance to fly a powered parachute over the Kansas prairie.
For more information, see Advisory Circulars 103-6, "Ultralight Vehicle Operations, Airports, Air Traffic Control, and Weather"; AC 103-7, "The Ultralight Vehicle"; and AC 90-89A, "Amateur-Built Aircraft and Ultralight Flight Testing Handbook." Or contact the EAA (920/426-4800), ASC (616/781-4021) or USUA (301/695-9100).
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