The best way to get introduced to the sport of powered parachuting is to meet with a local powered parachute dealer or instructor and go for an introductory tandem flight. That flight will help you to determine if the sport is what you want to do. During the flight there is no pressure to fly the machine and you can have confidence in the skill of a rated instructor.

The next step is to learn to fly a machine yourself. This step is called the introductory solo flight. It will involve a ground school of 2-3 hours and then a coached solo flight. This will be the event that will hook you on our type of flying. Being in control of the machine with the wind in your face is a feeling that is hard to match any other way. For more about training, go to Easy Flight Training Program.

After that you have three choices: Buy a new or used machine. Rent a machine (unfortunately difficult to do). Or make a friend with someone that already owns a machine (may be hard to do since everybody wants to be their friend!). A fourth choice might be to go in with 1-3 people and share the purchase price and the rights to fly a machine. Actually not a bad way to go. For access to listings of good, ready to fly equipment, go to Preowned Powered Parachutes

There are some inexpensive products that can give you a good feeling of what powered parachuting is all about. Magazines, video tapes, and books can tell you other peoples' experiences with the sport. For a list of some of these items go to Items for Less Than $25!