How to Survive Paramotor: Progression, History, Injuries, & Aeronautical Decision Making

[@EvilKen01]

To me Kyle you put out some of the best paramotor content. There are a lot of big egos in the community and you are about as humble as can be. Thank you for all you do for the PPG community.

[@80sDweeb]

I'm a beginner, and 4 hours from Flying Circus, decided against going because I'm too new to even benefit much from a chaotic fly-in. Seeing some of the videos, being there in person might have dampened my enthusiasm for flying. Thanks for videos like this, which help me to develop the right priorities and expectations. I just want to fly around, and see the world through a new perspective. I'm in the desert, where walking can be very inhospitable. I can't wait to explore it from the air!

[@tess2864]

Hey Kyle, my father who spends his retirement sailing always says to me that the most dangerous part of boating is the land. I told him it's the same for aviation. Thanks for the vids, fly safe

[@NCPPGpilot]

All solid points from the Wizard! Listen up! Powered Paragliding is inherently a 'Hey, look at me' aviation activity, and that can be as dangerous as 'Get thereitis'. Instructors have to be teaching their students the importance of exercising good A.D.M., and equally important for students to retain this and make it a habit.

[@SoaringEagleCM]

I am a power umbrella equipment manufacturer from China. I like your videos more and more. I follow your videos and learn a lot of techniques.Thanhs

[@wayneherron6511]

Hope you recover soon. This information you're giving is priceless. Gives us beginners something to think about. I appreciate your expertise and advice.

[@JohnnyFaber]

I live an hour or so from the Flying Circus. I went this year specifically to push through a fear injury from being hit mid-air at Salton Sea a year or so ago. I arrived the afternoon of the first day excited to experience the Circus fully. It was insane. Many pilots with no regard for safety (their own or others). Guys were doing low acro right over the LZ as others were launching. I didn't fly that day, or the next. I did get a flight in early in the morning, and while it was pretty enjoyable, everywhere I turned there was someone at co-altitude pointed right at me lol. I won't bother flying at another large fly-in although it was cool to socialize. I saw more near misses in one hour than I have in a few years. I think there are also alot of pilots out to prove themselves and I am seeing alot more of that recently. Stay safe out there folks!

[@shanewyman9419]

Big 10-4 on that! Everyone stay safe out there including myself, appreciate the videos Kyle!

[@don7294]

Words of wisdom, well worth taking into account. Get better soon my friend. Stay safe out there.

[@lunsfordppg8395]

I tipped the top of two trees in the same day. Got lucky and slowed me down! Great stuff. Keep it up.

[@Daviation1977]

You talk so much sense Kyle. Love your honesty. I never mess about low down unless it's take off and landing, altitude is your friend the dirt is not.

[@robertwolfe8680]

That is great advice, decrease your risks. Making better decisions and flying a little higher will definitely add to your life expectancy.

[@SkylerCosta]

I had 3 motor outs at Salton within twenty minutes(safe start battery)... touch n go practice as a low hour pilotish has helped me a ton over the years.

[@josephking7021]

Kyle, this video was one of the most sincere eye opening presentations I’ve ever heard you make. Well done! This one video, after watching hundreds of others from the usual suspects, was as clear as clear can be about flying low and the potential risks. I’m sorry about your fall but as you said, it happens in a second. I myself, charge my cell phone at night by my bed stand and one night getting up to take a leak my foot got caught in the charge wire and I took a few steps until I ran out of slack wire and my leg got jerked away. I went down on my right shoulder and tore my rotator cuff and ripped the bicep off the tendon. I did not go for surgery because I was stupid and afraid. Might have been a major mistake because now 2 years later I’m still in loads of pain, My point is shit happens, and will happen out of the blue. If I decide to fly, I’d let you teach me. You’ve got the right attitude. Keep up the good work.

[@christopheraltmayer8057]

Thanks for the thoughts. It's a broken femur and lower back unfortunately but I'm in good spirits on the road to recovery.

[@pittsjohn57]

Get well soon Chris.

[@brenthollady]

Great message Kyle, in aviation complacency kills. In the fly with Greg course he lays out a risk matrix chart. Its worth watching and considering your level of risk for each flight and how to mitigate that risk as much as possible.

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

Some good thoughts and experiences there Kyle'O. Your comments and reactions also give a good level headed response to the current situation and "acceptable deviance" that exists in some aspects of the flying community. Keep safe and looking forward to the next installment.

[@JTWardle]

Best wishes for a complete recovery! Keep passing on your stories, experiences and understanding… heart of a teacher, philosopher, visionary, friend. Love Laugh Live!!!

[@torrypope3218]

Thanks for the wise words.I had a friend hit the dirt at Salton,a real humbling experience.

[@douglasson1]

I feel ya bubba. Little age, wisdom, and experience really fleshes out what's important in our passions. We don't heal as quick as we used to! Kinda makes me want to go to the gym...... nah, maybe tomorrow ;). I'll come fly with you this spring..... if your hips hold out! Cheers!

[@flyingrichie]

"Don't make any shithead decisions." Got it!

[@vmlinuxz]

I fucked up at birth

[@paramotorIRL]

we love hearing the stories! thanks for sharing and feel better soon!

[@Ridingwheels1]

Great video! April will be my 2 year anniversary my goal was to be a motor off spot lander pro . I have achieved that and it makes flying so much better . Couldn’t agree more stay out of the danger zone . When I fly low its In perfect conditions with level flight .

[@Bad-xz6hl]

Amen bro! Great commentary! Thanks Kyle!!

[@thaiboxtv8395]

A voice of reason. there are way too many instructors and high profile players in the sport doin acro close to the ground making a bad example. I've seen a few crash already.

[@Hamel40]

Thanks for the video. As a beginner these are really great things to remember. Hope you recover soon.

[@aaroneye86]

Everyone needs reminded of this. Had a pretty close call at Salton myself doing asymmetric spirals. I wanted one more spin and the ground ended up sneaking up very quickly. Came out of the maneuver at about 10 feet!! Scary stuff, but was a good reminder.

[@richnessofexperience]

Hope your backside fully heals quickly, Kyle O! Appreciate your keeping it real w/ these videos. Come see us in the Pacific Northwest soon!

[@raventbk]

One thing I /can/ say, is that I have never done anything stupid close to the ground. My stupid comes from treating literally every flyable patch as a paraport. I've been trespassed from what seems like half the state. I still fly my Uni 1.1 28 slow and stable like it's my first time every time. Never had the desire for spiciness beyond mayonnaise. Excellent content KO. Much love to your backside. 👍

[@madsoothsayer]

😊 I have the same wing in the same size. I've also been trespassed. Good open fields are hard to come by...

[@Novadean1]

23:18 Kaily I'm from Germany watching you a long time Paragliding ínkl. Paramotor you real good at it also understand you perfekt was living 4 years in Texas too since 1996 back in Bavaria Germany. Take care and be always safe back on ground love you talking to but I never did Paramotor only Skydiving in 1985 / 88 and was going to helicopter school 🚁 yes there is real expensive, if you fly for hobby.🎉

[@Sethgolas]

I like flying low and slow, but I deal with that by treating sub 100ft portions of the flight as a landing approach. So, up wind in a scouted area, mindful of rotor.

[@stephenriall7365]

Kyle, I hope your back is better now. Wished I lived near you, but Australia is a way from you. I laugh at some of the funny things you say, like broke my ass. You're such an informative pilot always helping pilots learn to become great and safe pilots. I am still trying to get my second flight in, spent a month up north 2000 kms away, and still, due weather, didn't get my sign off. Lots of driving, ferry crossings, and money, but my passion hasn't diminished . Come to Australia you'd be most welcomed.😊

[@Eymos_Shenanigans]

Haha. I just subscribed brother. I like watching your videos and great advice. Love the content. ☺️👌🏼 I literally just showed how hard I landed, down wind on my second landing. 😮‍💨😣 but thank God I’m ok. Seeking training currently. 👌🏼

[@DougBow96]

Thanks Kyle for preaching the wisdom. Always appreciated!

[@kevincollins8014]

Love these discussions like this. Thanks for putting it out there and being honest. If you make one person think twice about it than it was worth it. Takeoff, climb out, and limit your time in that zone can really mitigate a major hazard right off the rip. Thanks Kyle for everything you do for paramotor and aviation. Keep up the great work and I hope you heal quickly brother. I've recently got back into fixed wing. I'm really considering paramotors this year and if I do I'm definitely coming to you for training.

[@vanceoliver6827]

Thanks Kyle for the excellent tips and comments. I think some of us need to hear that.

[@paulkern8825]

Your a good man I think. Thank you for sharing!

[@FreshTillDeath56]

You are who you choose to be. I want to be a safe pilot flyin' straight and true, so I don't anticipate crashing at any time. I don't want the image of this sport to be tarnished by people that push the limits and have no idea what they're doing. I start my first flight this spring too by the way. Wish me luck!

[@EvilKen01]

Good luck!

[@FreshTillDeath56]

​@Mind Flux Thanks pal, lol. FreshTillDeath means keeping things clean and signing your name on the dotted line.

[@FreshTillDeath56]

​@@EvilKen01 Cheers. I'll be careful.

[@ryandinan]

Kyle, I feel ya... I'm about to turn 45 and everything on my body hurts lol. I had a foot injury during my paramotor training that still occasionally bothers me from time to time, so I try to play it safe when it comes to doing maneuvers. I try to set a hard deck for wingovers around 500', which is probably still too low if I fuck it up (fortunately I haven't, yet). But yeah, I don't even really footdrag anymore, as there was one time I caught a little shimmy during one, and it turned into an immediate landing, and I twisted my shoulder all weird... That hurt for weeks. So now I just go up, play high, and stay fast when I get lower for landings. I've learned so much from watching all your content over the years - and learning from watching others' mistakes. I have the mindset that I'll always be a student learning this sport, even if I have a lot to teach and share with newer pilots. Thank you again for sharing all your knowledge!

[@ccardwell6112]

Great video -- Pride comes before the fall. Always have an out.

[@SmittySmithsonite]

Sorry to hear about the fall, brother. That sucks! My 91 year old neighbor just fell this week as has been happening over the past couple years - ended up passing away from a brain bleed. Sad. Yeah, nudging the big FIVE OHH, I'm content with my big, floaty A wing from Blackhawk. I may upgrade the engine at some point to get better climb performance, but other than that, my setup is fine for me. Just flying straight and level is exciting enough! 😁 I did break my hand during my learning phase. I had got spoiled with several perfect wings during launch, and assumed that this was going to be the way the wing behaved. That was more the design of the wing than anything I was doing. The time the wind shifted and the wing got sideways, I thought I could just stay on the throttle and ride it out. Well, things don't work that way! I got sideways at full speed, caught the rear wheel of the trike in tall grass, and over I went - didn't even have enough time to react to release the throttle, never mind hit the kill switch! Cage flexed, prop exploded, back of my throttle hand (right) smacked the ground HARD (unless the prop grazed it - always possible!). Broke the 4th metacarpal in a spiral fracture. Got 6 self-tappers and a plate in there now. My knuckle still hurts when I try to make a fist. After I healed up and the weather got warm, I spent an hour or 2 on the ground honing my wing-handling skills. Everything finally clicked, and I haven't had anything like that happen since.

[@lyngleslogic1180]

Great video Kyle for us newbies! Good content! It’s not flashy but it’s important!

[@pcman2212]

I don't fly but enjoy the knowledge that Kyle shares.

[@shaneross7428]

Thank you for that.

[@gdvsev]

Great video, see you soon

[@michaelcordero1111]

Flying low is fun though, as long as the conditions are right.

[@Astrobutch0901]

When someone asks what 3 people you would like to have round for dinner, I reckon top of my list would be Kyle O', great information fella! By the way, I'm doing Steak!

[@pixelgrin]

Been watching you a while now, be careful out there. I’m getting older and I’m good for 1 bounce then the rest hurts😅. Keep‘em coming. I miss the hair, maybe I’m just jealous 😄.

[@paramotorfun9649]

Smart, and great, stuff.

[@grejen711]

Hmm.. .the only 'f'n around near the ground' I do is practicing approaches. Something I do at new fields and after an extended period of time not flying.

[@verticallines212]

Tee shirt in middle of Feb, that's nuts! Get better quickly -K Love the new puppy. awesome colors Bandit has, Ty for the advise! I have notice that complacency surfaces during fly-ins more so than any other situation in the sport. esp early am flights with partying the night before wit no sleep. grt advise my friend. Much Love 8-)

[@pittsjohn57]

Even though I’m the worlds best paramotorist, I suppose it’s possible that something bad could happen!!! LOL. GOOD STUFF.

[@garywhittaker8832]

Wise words, lots of take aways from this. Thanks.

[@davidh7636]

I enjoy flying, but even when I'm having a great flight, I know it can always go south quickly. The ground is your best friend and worst enemy. Up high, a lot less stuff to harm you. But down low, trees, poles, power lines, fences, cars, trucks, animals all waiting to rip you to shreds. Who says it's not safe to get high? I have some time in hang glider trikes, I am looking at starting back with them. A bit faster, but they can fly better than paramotors in turbulence. Not much chance of a wing collapse unless you are really doing something stupid. Part 103 trikes are like hang gliding with a motor. It would be nice to do both.

[@Les__Mack]

I can tell you there are serious injuries that have been kept private. Also, acorns are toxic to the kidneys when chewed and when not chewed can present a serious obstruction risk requiring surgery to resolve.

[@coolguy21420]

Awesome video Kyle! Very excited to go nice and slow and be safe. I can’t wait to come learn more from you next month!!

[@chrishibner516]

Great video Kyle. I miss being down there. if my plane ever gets out of maintenance, I want to head back down that way again. I'm retiring from my engineering gig in five weeks so I may actually have some time to enjoy life again.

[@cloudpandarism2627]

i would do anything to have a month with you kyle. good training session to get my confidence up. thanks for all these videos. sooo many points i could not agree more. specially flying with friends or more pilots you dont know. its super stressful as beginner.

[@toddvarner7075]

get well soon

[@32laurens]

So good to listen to this (Not that you hurt yourself obviously, hope you heal up quick Kyle!). And timely, as I had my first 'crash' last week after 58 hours. Sore knees and a kick in the wallet for sure. But I think the main thing is: what went wrong and what can I learn from it? Comforting to know it happens to the best. (was not doing acro BTW, tried touch 'n' go with wind from a different direction than I thought)

[@jamest4363]

I feel your back pain all the way over here old friend.

[@york5378]

Sound advice!

[@addictedtobedrock5282]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and making these vids. 👍🏻

[@pnw.paramotering3458]

There should be a mandatory rookie pilot color scheme at fly-ins. Anything that shows others to give more room for safety.

[@andreschapero3615]

Agree 100% .

[@AndyRial]

Yup I almost died a couple years ago with a new smaller wing I hadn’t practiced spot landings with when my engine blew. I had already had a over couple years under my belt and had been to a full SIV where I did plenty of spot landings. I started barrel rolling with the new wing before I practiced spot landings with it. Huge error. Broken spines sure do suck. Learn your new wing’s glide first.

[@kurtmoorelifeinthesky7993]

Good stuff Funky Fella 👍

[@roderickwinslow8642]

Lol I feel yah! Good info bro true words, let's fly not do foolishness!

[@flierbill]

Good stuff !

[@G-I-JOE]

Walk safely, fly safer. We'll said.

[@dalehughes388]

What part of louisiana are you from kyle ?

[@kyleoglee]

NW. Springhill

[@iKenFlyPPG]

Kyle needs some comfy house shoes ;) I believe you will fully recover, you ain't over the hill yet, and there's always stem cell treatments in Mexico.

[@TonyTheNerd]

Ouch 😬

[@MagicJF]

Get better👍

[@FLYNRYAN1978]

After 40 it all falls apart lol .

[@kyleoglee]

I'm noticing!

[@artgraves9298]

You have a tree stand in your yard? nice

[@robertpatterson149]

I don't fly but not because I don't want to but every time I see people swooping at the ground doing whatever you call it. I say it's just a matter of time.

[@BushcraftTexas]

get better my friend

[@anthonyburke5656]

“There are people getting smashed into the ground! “ the old saying about “old pilots and bold pilots” PPPPP. I’ve seen idiots try to do tap dancing while under fire from the opposition, getting shot multiple times. Exhibitionism, people who only value themself by what they perceive others estimation of them!

[@kevinberry5793]

I was wondering what the dog was eating in the background. My ADD was kicking in.

[@danielroush8190]

Engine outs should be part of EVERYONE'S training......

[@vmlinuxz]

It's part of my maintenance cycle.

[@michaelkennedy2528]

Remember that young ladies advice to you " Better check ya self before ya wreck ya self!!" Then you damn near cut your finger off lol. Great video.

[@kyleoglee]

Saw her yesterday, lol.

[@bobmacfly1207]

Great Tube Kyle! Respect the earth. It sucks. 😂

[@pingpong9656]

Dell Schanze - is he a legit instructor or an egomaniac and dangerous? I saw one video where he was flying with someone and made their wing collapse - they demonstrated major lack of judgement.

[@kyleoglee]

Dumpster fire is the phrase that you are looking for.

[@WillFly]

First

[@pittsjohn57]

Gotta watch those creeks sneakin up on ya.

[@joshperryppg]

It's so weird being on the other side of the spectrum lolol.

[@verticallines212]

J O S H, any chance you gonna surface in Ga. in May?

[@vmlinuxz]

How do I survive 14 hour days at work kyle. HOW. HOW TELL ME NOW!!!

[@error.418]

shit ton of overtime pay?

[@blainesellars1548]

@@error.418 😂 yeah or leave because your possibly only on minimum wage weird comment

[@pittsjohn57]

Now David. You know you love it.

[@joeyfloyd6534]

Guess this was after our conversation about getting a reserve. It's funny I love to make shit head decisions on 2 wheels and 4 wheels and love the rush of a skydiving canopy spinning towards the ground. But one botched launch and I'm still humbled and leary of our little flying machines. You have come full circle and I'm just starting my trip, I wanted to fly flighter jets but was too blind for that. Once I'm self proficient I hope to remain respectful and not make my normal shithead decisions. Thank you for sharing, so many people won't get it. Have fun take risk but know them, it's always the stupid fall that gets you, hardly ever the risky crap. 🤷‍♂️🪂✌️