Crossing the Hawaiian Islands on a Paramotor

[@MarkHuneycutt]

First. Exactly what I was waiting for tonight, doing nothing.

[@ZDW4573]

Lol, you don't mess around!

[@petersterling5334]

This was an Absolutely Epic and Somewhat Complicated journey! It really should have been Featured on the Evening News in Honolulu its that Newsworthy! Especially since you were the First one to do it. Im impressed. Glad you made the journey safely!

[@ZDW4573]

I thought about it, but didn't want that kind of pressure if I biffed a launch or something went wrong 😬. Also, I don't have any contacts in the news business..

[@MrRaleighman123]

Wow, I bet the pucker factor was high most of the flight. What an adventure!

[@brianstevens7241]

I hold the record for most trips driving from my house to my workplace and back. Nobody seems to even notice.

[@jeffhoffman3429]

Your amount of knowledge and courage are absolutely incredible to be able to pull this off. Thank you for sharing🤙

[@Wheeliedevil]

What an adventure! Cheers from a fellow Swedish PPG-pilot

[@wizerdjuice9589]

Great flight. Next Hawaiin flight I can lend you my rare old still working West Marine 250 VHF capable of monitoring air band with monitoring and transmission on marine band. Also has AM, FM and family band so you can relax.

[@toneyo4794]

My Mother is from Lahaina and loved to see that part of the island. Will be back to the big island October 2023. Love to see your trek.

[@jerrydelyea5820]

DUDE!!!! That was sick!!! I’m from Canada, I flew pg on Oahu with Para Pete and Josh Cohen. I was afraid of blowing off the island lol. Huge congrats on doing this. Cheers Jerry

[@ZDW4573]

Thanks. PG is so good here that almost no one flies PPG. I wish I had taken more time to get into it.

[@battshytkrazy156]

🆒️❕⚠️‼️. APPRECIATE your concise explanation AND written description... NICE

[@dkumpula001]

Wow, what an amazing, well planned flight! I was in Maui a few months ago and drove past your LZ there several times. I didn't bring my PPG gear with me, but after seeing what the wind conditions I didn't think Maui looked like an ideal place to fly.

[@ZDW4573]

Yeah, the venturi at that LZ in particular can be pretty rough..I found out the hard way, lol. The windward side is much better. The winds are high most of the time, but when it does calm down it makes for some incredible flying

[@mmad3130]

Epic flight. I recall living in Hawaii back in '88. Much different but just as beautiful. Tried skydiving from Dillingham field. Becuase the view was so awesome. Now I want to go back...

[@barrytcoxscuba]

awesome vlog of your awesome endeavor, glad you made it safe and sound.

[@paraglidinghowto8516]

Mate, incredible adventure, well done.

[@PPGMatt]

Thank you for sharing!

[@lobbyrobby]

Before watching this video "this looks like so much fun" after watching the video "never in my life would I do this". I glad you did tho. Really beautiful. Glad it worked out for you.

[@richardskyhigh5555]

Amazing !! I love this kind of adventure flight!!👏👏

[@ripmanridin7092]

Nice work Zach..............that was a lot of seat time!

[@shawnrolfs5400]

Wow! most wont understand the Fortitude it takes to do something like this. Incredible

[@pedrofan34]

How hasn’t this blown up yet?!

[@richardskyhigh5555]

Congratulations amazing. Super XC flight!’

[@Hyperious_in_the_air]

insanely ballsy! congrats on the first confirmed island hop by an ultralight of any kind!

[@Freespiritphil]

This is amazing. I'm going to have get a paramotor when I get done with my deployment.

[@RaymerProductions]

This was incredible!! I wish I would of started flying with you sooner so I could of made this trip with you!!

[@tonydiehl5449]

Inspirational!

[@NavidSaleki]

dream flight! congratulations

[@AnotherOCD]

OMG! Absolutely incredible man! Thanks for sharing this!

[@ohiyesa2328]

Crazy Awesome trip

[@lonewolfparamotor4646]

Absolutely awesome 👏

[@coloradocj243]

Man, talk about an adventure! Awesome flight and probably one of, if not the first to do it!

[@ZDW4573]

Thank you! As far as any publicly-available information indicates, I'm the first to do it by paramotor. It was really exciting!

[@EverythingWavy]

Absolutely incredible! Congratulations!! Amazing accomplishment!!! 🙌🤙

[@fly-guyalberta3605]

Epic adventure and thanks for sharing! You got some nackers!!!

[@xx-pm5if]

AWESOME

[@billjudge5205]

Super cool!

[@Jim-hr1ky]

Brah you one crazy bugga. Also my hero. Epic!

[@markallisonparamotor]

Wow what an absolutely incredible adventure and some super impressive efficiency figures. Top skills too with that landing by the gas station, I can't imagine trying to land a Warp 2 fully trimmed out! 🙌 Some stunning views of the islands too. What a memorable flight.

[@ZDW4573]

Thank you! It was definitely challenging, but the incredible experience was well-worth it!

[@MaukaMelodies]

Great video! What an amazing experience that must have been. Stay safe in the air. Aloha

[@roberteshelman5917]

This is what the human spirit is all about. What an amazing accomplishment. Congratulations!

[@ZDW4573]

Thank you!

[@lt.dansparamotoradventures2592]

Very cool.

[@alexmccaughey]

Awesome video!

[@JSKCKNIT]

Absolutely amazing!! Great flight!!

[@skycowboyak4549]

Truly amazing. What an accomplishment. Great planning and airmanship!

[@ZDW4573]

Thank you! It was an awesome flight!

[@BSmithPPG]

So awesome! I grew up bodysurfing Sandys and have always wanted to go back there to paramotor.

[@nickyeargin1]

insane, congrats bro!!!

[@WingEnvy]

Dude, so good, well done!

[@kevinschwebs1404]

Wow! Incredible views! Congrats😀Looking to get certified in the near future and those islands are on my bucket list......

[@moflyboyblanquito541]

Absolutely incredible man thanks for the video.

[@1jackvalley580]

Congratulations 🎉 Was a beautiful sight and glad you are safe and sound 🙏😎

[@therealeugenecussons]

Awesome video buddy! Very good info! If you keep rolling the way you do, others will join in! Its an infectious way of flying and living! Dont ever stop

[@ZDW4573]

Thanks Eugene. This is the way I love to live out this sport of ours. Hope to see you in the sky sometime soon!

[@jpseger]

EPIC Zack. Super feat and something for the record books. Keep pushing mate!

[@MikeKing]

Wow, amazing XC and views all the way. That's quite the water crossing, insane actually.

[@clintonlindsey4391]

Nice work! What an amazing flight!

[@goldenchild2393]

Super cool. I’ve always thought about how cool that trip would be. Glad you went for it!

[@adventureland693]

Congratulations! Those water crossings can be very nerve-racking, but you had absolutely breathtaking views, especially with the clouds. I’m very jealous of your F-light !!

[@ZDW4573]

I'm proud of it! This machine is incredible. It needs to be when you want to fly routes that require you to trust it. Thanks for the support!

[@paramotorIRL]

sick views!

[@VernCrisler]

Pretty cool stuff. I lived on Oahu in the 1970s and went to Maui on a high school field trip. The only way I could do that and see the islands was by way of an airplane. Now there's a different way! BTW, this would be a pretty cool trip for Tucker and all the other flyers out there, and would also involve a Hawaiian vacation as a bonus.

[@ZDW4573]

I always enjoy it when other pilots make their way out here. Dan Moyal and I had a few great flights when he came and visited!

[@TheeAthis]

That's impressive in many ways! well done!

[@JustWannaFly]

Very Cool Zack, thanks for sharing! The views were amazing!

[@Morgan27J]

Excellent! Congrats on this committing flight!

[@adayinthelife5772]

Thats awesome. Well done. What a flight that must have been. hello from Australia

[@srf2112]

I grew up on Oahu and bodysurfed at Sandys beach where you took off from. The Molokai channel between Oahu and Molokai/Lanai is very dangerous. The extreme depth channels a huge volume of water through that channel causing strong currents and large waves. I don't know if you had a trailing support vessel although it doesn't appear you did. It's a good thing you did not have to ditch out there all alone. I was a bit anxious watching this.

[@mr.pathfinder1971]

Great XC Zach - well done! 👊👍🚀

[@hennieebrink]

Damn that looked amazing.... Well done!

[@ParamotorSteve]

Excellent Adventure! What a beautiful flight. Thanks for sharing it with us!

[@ZDW4573]

It was one hell of an incredible journey ❤️

[@SharkyintheSky]

That was a great adventure. Good going.

[@JTWardle]

Way to go!!!🎉 That’s super cool!!! Got my adrenaline up for flying Hawaii (I have family there) and for doing some XC adventure flights soon. Excellent fuel burn and flying!

[@ZDW4573]

When's the next time you're coming down? We should fly together!

[@JTWardle]

@@ZDW4573 I'd love that! I don't have it scheduled yet. Hopefully this summer or fall.

[@ParamotorNC]

Congrats Zach. Sick mission. Thanks for sharing this.

[@ParamotorNC]

Can I give you a shout out on my channel and link your video?

[@amyanderson847]

That was great! You are a good pilot.

[@LandonRNewton10]

Very cool man! Congratulations on the historic flight!

[@Shrekdaddi215-pp9ys]

Hey dude, this is super rad, if you're still flying i plan on getting my kit down to Oahu when i'm there for work end of year. lets get in the air if you're still on the islands

[@SkyHikerMike]

Epic man! Just epic! What a dream flight!

[@ArsonFire00]

Balls of solid brass.

[@csleclerc57]

Fantastic, absolutely above and beyond literally. Could you or did you file a flight plan?

[@ZDW4573]

Thanks! It was one hell of a flight. I didn't file a flight plan for this one and kept it entirely within VFR rules.

[@EvilBikerGangOfTheSky]

Epic 👍

[@alexrands2580]

Well done! Rock on

[@xiangdongli556]

its great👍

[@Dev_skoll]

Hell yeah!

[@CalebJohnsonlivingca]

Bravo! What an achievement! 👏

[@iKenFlyPPG]

The Nirvana F-Light is the only production paramotor to use a dc powered electronic ignition, most likely it uses a timing curve because they said that's "proprietary". All other paramotors use lawnmower ignition systems, although very reliable lawnmower ignition systems. I have several years experience calibrating, tuning, and building engines, some of those years in the professional capacity. Mark these words, why I won't shut up about it until proven wrong with empirical testing, paramotor ignition curves (what I'm talking about) will be more wide spread than fuel injection because it's cheaper and more effective at improving efficiency and performance of 2-stroke engines (bang for buck). Edit: spelling

[@chuckaeronut]

Absolutely EPIC flight! I've been eyeballing large water crossings like this and it really seems like 30-35 miles is the limit without carrying oxygen or having a boat, at a 6.5-7 glide ratio. I suppose we shouldn't be surprised at this point to see you going straight out to the limits! Can't wait to fly together again. (And I'm still majorly jonesing for your fuel economy :D) Stay safe and keep crushing it!

[@ZDW4573]

Chuck! Brother it's been too long. Looking forward to getting back to the mainland and hope to fly together again soon.

[@cecelowell3387]

Could you try just paraglide from Oahu to Maui next? Or a long trip with no Morse on Oahu 🤙🏼

[@ZDW4573]

Haha, I wish! Unfortunately there aren't any thermals that come off the ocean, so a motor is definitely necessary.

[@jwburton]

Truly epic!

[@ZDW4573]

Thanks Jacques! I still think back to that first XC that you inspired in me back in the day! I'm still on the path!

[@AnnaMeredith-e1m]

This is awesome. I've recently discovered this activity and am interested. Curious to know your piloting experience prior to this flight. Congratulations! And thanks for sharing 👍👍

[@TwitchFlys]

Your trip works out to about 32.3mpg! Impressive

[@neboise1377]

I want to be like you one day

[@mmcowan]

Dude, that was sick. Thanks for bringing us along. I figured a chase boat was impractical, but what other precautions did you take besides the inReach and the glide path? Flotation? Someone tracking you ready to call the Coast Guard?

[@ZDW4573]

Thanks Matt! I had some non-traditional flotation as well as a friend tracking through Gaggle (when it worked since cell service was sparse) and the InReach. My panic button was the SOS on the InReach which would have gotten a Coast Guard helicopter sent to my location.

[@jerrydelyea5820]

Lol, after I commented I saw your comment. Sorry, great minds think alike? 😂✌️. This was sick tho.

[@gus473]

​@@ZDW4573Are you sure it would have been a USCG helicopter with a rescue swimmer? How about a small crew "fast boat" trying to find and pull you out of the chop? Your flight was awesome, although your "fail-safe" seems iffy. 😎✌️

[@ZDW4573]

@@gus473 It could have been a fast boat given my proximity to shore and the USCG stations out here, but given precedent I have seen them send helicopters to the scenes of downed aircraft in the past. Either way, I had flotation and would have been content to float and wait for rescue if it came to that.

[@Lilmisshotrod1]

Shine On☝️😃🪶

[@EmmettHitz]

Phenomenal job. Is there a reason you don't fly with speedbar?

[@ZDW4573]

It depends on the mission. If I was doing a shorter, faster flight like the Speedrun Cup, I'd definitely use one, but 70% of the speed on the Warp 2 is in the trims anyway, so I opt to save myself the extra hassle on the ground.

[@curiousnomadic]

This is amazing dude. What a seemingly easy and efficient way to get around. When you go up in the airlines it seems to take so long for a machine that can go so fast. How much does the engine assembly weigh, and does it ever worry you one of your cords would get tangled or your chute loose inflation? I wonder if you could fit like an ultralight in your garage.

[@ZDW4573]

It's pretty awesome. The biggest limitation with a paramotor is the weather. You can't (or shouldn't) fly through rain, and the wind can't be too strong. As long as you preflight your gear, there is almost no chance for a cord to get tangled, and you will only lose inflation on you wing if you fly in really bad weather conditions (or poorly execute acrobatic maneuvers) so it's not much of a worry for me. :) The engine assembly weighs about 50lbs empty, and easily fits in your garage. It's only the size of a large backpack, ha.

[@curiousnomadic]

@@ZDW4573 Haha that's soo cool. You could fly to Molokai to go hang out and then fly back the next day and what only cost you $35 of gas? Have you flown over the entire island of Oahu yet? Does the government require you to have a radio or anything? There's definitely a concept here. Would you ever use a glider or ultralight?

[@ZDW4573]

@@curiousnomadic It certainly is possible to do that; the only downside is that paramotors are very dependent on the weather, so timing would be key. I've flown all of Oahu, but very little of the other islands. No radio required since a paramotor is an ultralight and falls under FAA Part 103.

[@Saab34O]

Congrats on this accomplishment, super interesting stuff! Is there anywhere on the island that provides PPG instruction? I have been interested in getting into it for years but not sure where to start.

[@ZDW4573]

I believe Blackhawk Paramotor does instruction on Oahu, but I'm not sure if they're still in operation (blackhawkparamotor.com/powered-paragliding-paramotor-training-hawaii/). If not, you can definitely train first with the massive paragliding community here and then add the motor later, which will be really easy once you get kiting and flying down without one!

[@blobby11]

im rewatching cus this is so fucking good

[@ooglek]

Excellent trip mate! Great use of airspace. I'm guessing the temperatures at 8,000-11,000 feet were pretty chilly! Great accomplishment! Did you have any ADS-B monitors/apps to make sure you avoid any GA aircraft while up there? Any issues in the clouds? That always worries me!

[@ZDW4573]

It was definitely freezing up there! No ADSB monitor for this one, but I'm picking one up for the next one that integrates with XCNav (navigation app). No issues with clouds, they were pretty sparse the whole day and easily avoidable!

[@crashtestcal6484]

What an awesome flight. That took some balls! Very impressed. I used to live in Laie and have often dreamed of flying one day on the north shore and windward side. I will be starting the sport/hobby this year in Australia. Have you done any free flying at Kahana Bay? Would your dudek wing be okay for that?

[@MrWebsterbrett]

Hey Zachary, What an epic adventure. You seem highly proficient with paramotor skills. May I ask: where did you train, or how did you learn? Thx

[@AdamDowlingisAwesome]

What a flight man! Nice work on the video, enjoyed it!

[@ZDW4573]

Thank you!

[@adaltianno]

A bit risky, but great flight. Congrats!

[@ZDW4573]

I minimized risk to the maximum extent possible, but yeah it was definitely not something I'd want to do every weekend.

[@adaltianno]

@@ZDW4573 You handled the risk, wind & navigation well.

[@crooked-halo]

Questions, Would ATC _ever_ permit you entry into the class B, perhaps with prior permission in a less-busy time, or is it against FARs for this category of aircraft? Do you, or other paramotor pilots ever use radios? My brother used to fly a hot air balloon & always had an aircraft radio to communicate with chase crew but also in case of intrusion into, or near, an airport's airspace. But a balloon is also a registered aircraft. What a magnificent way to fly & beautiful video!

[@ZDW4573]

Thank you! And yeah, the ATC can grant access to anyone who is on comms. It's pretty rare for Class B though given how busy it usually is and that we don't show up on radar or have ADSB-out. I use a radio whenever I know I'm going to want to go through airspace, but otherwise I rarely carry one.

[@MarkHuneycutt]

I've launched from that first grass spot! Why no chase boat? I'm curious about your calculations on glide ratio. What's the glide ratio with that Warp and your weight?

[@ZDW4573]

Lol, I haven't even posted the link since the HD version isn't processed yet but you're all over it, haha. The longest distance I would be between any two land masses is 15 miles. My glide ratio is about 9:1. With a safety margin of 30% I would need to be ~2 miles high to confidently make it to my nearest island if my motor died at my furthest point from land.

[@ZDW4573]

Also, I couldn't find anyone that was able/willing to run a chase boat with me.

[@MarkHuneycutt]

@Zachary Watkins nice. I calculated 8:1 randomly. Didn't know what the Warp was advertised as but those numbers change with wind anyway. Sweet trip with some breezy takeoff and landings.

[@ZDW4573]

@@MarkHuneycutt Your milage may vary. Differences caused by sizes, wing loadings, and pilot drag all make it hard to objectively prove a glide ratio.

[@MarkHuneycutt]

@@ZDW4573 absolutely. Gotta test it for yourself.

[@fobio2101]

You should submit an article on this to the USPPA magazine!

[@ZDW4573]

That may be in the works ;)

[@fobio2101]

@@ZDW4573 awesome. I’m looking forward to it. Let us know if you have any questions. I’m the treasurer

[@ZDW4573]

@@fobio2101 Thanks Jeremy. I've been working with Liz. She has a draft that she's editing now along with some photos for the article. Hoping to support an article on the Wingman Challenge as well 🤙

[@PPGExplorer]

Congrats!!!... So can I ask what the plan was if you had a motor out over that 30 mile stretch of water? Did you have a radio or gps tracker that you could call for help if you went in the water?

[@PPGExplorer]

Disregard. Just found the commend below where someone else asked you about this. InReach emergency button. NICE!

[@ZDW4573]

@@PPGExplorer That was the backup to the backup. My primary plan was to have enough altitude to glide to the nearest island: ~11,000ft