| Wayne Mitchler and his wife Susan were at Airventure demonstrating a powered paragliding unit called the Paracruiser which he helped develop. Wayne explained that while paragliding and powered paragliding chutes may look similar, in most cases the chutes used for powered paraglider are different to allow them to take off from the ground rather than lift off from a mountain. Wayne has been involved in the sport since 1994 and got into the designing of units "through natural progression." He was training people how to fly and began making modifications to units to better fit the training environment. The very first craft that Wayne designed in 1997 "is the one my wife still flies today." It is powered by a single cylinder Solo two stroke engine putting out about 13 horsepower. Wayne indicates that while it helps to be in good physical shape if you are considering taking up powered paragliding, since it requires the pilot to run short distances with 50 lbs of engine and airframe strapped to his or her back. Pilots can also take advantage of the latest in technology and use a Quad launching unit which eliminates the need to foot launch and land. The unit is very light weight and snaps on and off the paraglider in literally seconds. According to Wayne a number of power plants are available for paragliding. These range in power from 17 to 28 horsepower. With the larger units used for heavier pilots and tandem training and flying. Most of the training for powered paragliders takes place on the ground. Students learn how to properly inflate their chute, and take off and landing procedures. The controls are very simple with left and right toggle for steering and throttle for going up and down. The secret is learning how to take off and land. While a powered paraglider is quite capable of thermalling, Wayne indicates that most pilots purchase them to fly low and slow in early morning or evening conditions. Cruising along at 25 mph at 200 to 300 feet above the ground. Another advantage is that the units are very portable. Some can be disassembled to fit into a suitcase, while others will easily fit into the back of a minivan or trunk of a car. Assembly and disassembly normally takes 15 to 20 minutes. Training to fly a powered paraglider can be done in as little as 3 or 4 days, and in Canada a full groundschool dealing with weather, rules and regulations, etc is taught. Wayne indicates while there are no "TBO"s as such on powered paragliders, the unit with proper care and maintenance will give 7 to 10 years of trouble free operation. With the average pilot flying about 50 hours per year. A pilot looking to get training on a powered paraglider will spend around $1200. With a new powered paraglider wing and motor pricing starting at around $7500.00. Tandem units will range $10,000 to $12,000. For more information contact: | 
