SkyWeek Trips

Paragliders cannot go anywhere they like. Paraglider and Paramotor Pilots must adhere to Air Law in each country and in most cases avoid restricted airspace.

To Paramotor in National Parks, a Paramotor Pilot will need to request permission from the National Parks Authority in order to fly over any National Park in the UK.

In short, no you cannot fly over a city in a Paramotor! In the UK, the law states that an aircraft shall not be flown below such height as would prevent it from making an emergency landing without causing danger to persons or property on the surface in the event of an engine failure. It also states that you shall not fly over any congested area of a city, town or settlement below a height of 1000 feet above the highest fixed object. You must also maintain enough altitude to glide clear of the congested area and land safely in the event of an engine failure.

No, you cannot land a Paramotor anywhere you like. You should always fly in a way and at a height that allows you to land safely at all times in the event of an engine failure, while adhering to air law. Unless it is an emergency landing, Paramotor Pilots need to receive permission from the landowner when landing as well as taking off.

No, you cannot Paraglide everywhere in the UK! In the UK, Paragliding is overseen by the BHPA and they have negotiated permission from various landowners for qualified BHPA Pilots who are club members to use the flying sites. Once airborne, Paraglider Pilots must adhere to Air Law and avoid restricted airspace. Paramotoring is slightly different in that Pilots tend to negotiate with landowners and secure their permission to take off and land, however yet again they must adhere to Air Law.

You cannot Paramotor everywhere in the UK! In the UK, you must first ensure the airspace is unrestricted and then you need to seek landowners' permission. In flight, you need to remain outside of any restricted airspace, otherwise you run the risk of prosecution, a fine and potentially having your equipment confiscated. Furthermore, the CAA may chose to regulate Paramotoring in the UK if too many Pilots continue to break Air Law. It is therefore very important that Paramotor Pilots obey the rules and regulations so we maintain safety and remain unregulated.

In the UK, you do not require a license to fly a Paramotor as the CAA has deregulated the sport. In certain other countries, licenses are required and wings must carry a registration number, such as in France. In Switzerland, Paramotoring with a petrol engine is illegal, however, an electric engine is legal.

The world distance record for flying a Paramotor the furthest is 1,105km, set by Ramon Morillas in 2007. However, he was flying a modified Paramotor, carrying a lot of extra fuel. The distance a Paramotor can fly is governed by its fuel capacity, the type of wing, the wind speed and its direction.

In the UK, Paragliding sites are controlled by the BHPA and in order to fly from them, you need to be a qualified BHPA Paraglider Pilot and usually a club member.

In the UK, you can Paramotor from any private land, having received the landowners’ permission first, as long as the airspace is unrestricted. The best way to find flying sites is to connect with other local Pilots. In Europe, the rules vary and yet again, we recommend connecting with local Pilots in each location. Due to our extensive experience of Paramotoring in France, Spain, Italy and other countries, we have discovered a lot of great flying sites which we take Pilots to during our SkyWeek Trips. A lot of these flying sites were found by connecting with the local Paramotoring community.