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  • August 9, 2026 at 8:53 AM #24524
    Alan Coffield
    General Member

    Hopefully a less divisive topic here:   I was doing my near daily kayak lap around Canyon Lake when a  Powered Paraglider (PPG backpack not a trike) flew over and around the lake, today, around 6:30am.  This stirred my interest that I  have had for quite some time to fly these.   The amount of years I have left to do any type of foot launch and landing is getting increasingly smaller than the amount of years I have enjoyed doing that.  Anyway, I have a few friends (really) that have  flown them in the past, but I would appreciate any referrals to any current, competent PPG instructors/dealers and of course would like to talk with any folks that are flying these regularly.  I am more of a HG and Sailplane pilot now and a bit rusty on Flying paragliders.  I think the last time I flew PG were in the early days when I had “APA” ratings (and there were only three levels 😮)  pre-merger with the then USHGA.

    Thanks and …. See you in the air,  Alan Coffield

    August 9, 2026 at 10:10 AM #24525
    Bille Floyd

     

     

    He is on the CSS website

    Jordan Neidinger
    Phone: 951.901.0995
    Email: flywjordan@gmail.com
    Website: flywithjordan.info

    Jordan taught Arti , (one of your local PG pilots) how to also fly PPG , and Arti is in King Mt Idaho doing exactly that right now. He Loves it !! If you have trouble with your legs in any way then perhaps getting a trike or quad may be a better option ; back-pack PPG units are not light.

    How old are you Alan ? I’m getting up in age also ; but still love to fly ! Thinking of putting a motor and folding prop on my big 15m Atos VRX ; but keep the 12m Atos as foot-launch only.

    Bille Floyd

    August 9, 2026 at 10:52 AM #24526
    Alan Coffield
    General Member

    Thinks Bille,

    I am 63 and hope to get another dozen years +/- of foot launching and landing gliders.  But as the old saying goes (regarding when to retire) …. 2 bad days in a row?  Fortunately I have the Super Floater (and maybe the PW-2 again) to give me some Zero or minimal cockpit crossover to sailplanes when my feet are no longer an option for landing gear.  Our Elsinore club is going to install a “sport canopy” (open cockpit canopy like on most biplanes) on one of their two SGS-126 single place gliders which is fun but nothing beats HG or PG  and that includes flying in a 60:1 Nimbus-4 sailplane.😮.  Thanks for the PPG referral or lead.   I have a Gibbo (HG) trike…. But flying paraglider trikes has no appeal to me.  I would rather fly any number of fixed wing ultralights with a fixed or rigid wing.

     

    Alan

     

     

     

    August 10, 2026 at 6:49 AM #24532
    Bille Floyd

    I think much the same . Bin flying Paragliders since 1989 , and hang gliders since 1977 ; I feel way more comfortable on a Rigid-Wing glider. Funny though, that I never had so much as a scratch or skinned knee  from a PG ; but lost a bunch of body parts from hang gliding. :(

    I got a helicopter ride from just under cloud a few years back ; was flying a PG that day and received essentially no injury, except for the bee sting on my tongue that may have contributed to the crash.

    Bille

    August 10, 2026 at 9:58 AM #24533
    Alan Coffield
    General Member

    “Knock on wood” but my only injury from 30+ years of hang gliding is a …. Twisted ankle….. from getting my HG out of a garage carrying the HG in the tight space between a car and the garage wall🙄…. I have, However, done a lot of damage to my wallet over the years from all types of flying 😮

     

    See you in the air, Alan

    August 11, 2026 at 8:41 PM #24536
    Mark Warhol

    Gentlemen, that was an enjoyable read peering into the experiences and perspective of you two flying “legends”. I hope my son and I will have the same good fortune and OG attitude towards the sport as the years pass by. Thanks for the share… even though I was “eavesdropping” on your conversation. Fly on gentlemen!

    August 12, 2026 at 6:00 AM #24538
    Bille Floyd

    Thanks Mark !!!

    I show the short video ya took of me landing my 15-meter Atos a lot ; same reaction every time , (they Love it) !!!

    Bille

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